Yule blessings

[summer_jackel]

Much merriment to all.







Christmas Morning 2009


On Christmas morning, I woke late, comfortable and alone
with the thin fox-point of my dog’s small head beneath my hand,
soft in the knowledge of solitude and the memory of dance.

We walked forth, five dogs and I, into a cool morning bright and tender as April. Passed beneath young redwoods, through the fine old bay-laurel grove.
These five or seven broad trees branching like oaks, grand and established on their bit of dappled ridge, their thick leaf litter blooming with mushrooms.
We walked into the sunlight,
falling around each other lightly in the green, tender new grass of December.

Above the bluffs, in the place trees break to meadow, vultures circle.
In this bright morning still soft with remembered fog, one leans close with her easy, broad-winged grace,
each feather on her strong brown back edged in gold. Down she dips below the dark edges of the trees, then to lift upwards, framed by the distant fog, the bright sea.
There are others. Down in the canyon, something has died.

Standing here watching them, I imagine it to be myself.
There was so much that isn’t anymore, and I can almost feel it; the soft, damp earth
sharp beaks, soft feathers. Tender stalks of fungus rising ‘round.
And I laid down in stillness and in peace.
Let them have it, let all feed
And what is done go back into the ground.
May none hunger on this night.

Last night in other forests
I stood before the woman with her dozen tall, pale hounds
Her dozen silvery and light-moving wolves flowing all around us.
Met her sad gray gaze.
She’d tucked a spring of holly into messy, dust-colored hair. Her shoulders were all sinew, and her jeans were torn.

Remembering her light touch upon my eyelids, I look out onto this clear morning
And let the endings fall away on dark, gilded wings
Almost glimpsing her faint smile as their figures melted into dark green shadow
As my dogs’ heads raised in polite and wary recognition of her own.

The puppy wheels around in damp meadow grass; already
he is almost at his full height, the tall, elegant blue collie once imagined, young and handsome.
My aging wolfdog touches him tenderly with her muzzle as he asks to play
and we turn around to walk back home.

Comments

[mulefoot.livejournal.com]

Beautiful words and...beautiful everything. I am warmed by it all. The felines look cozy and comfortable, but such lovely canines, all of them.
And your tree...

Happy Yule. Many Blessings upon you and yours.

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :) Many blessings upon yourself as well.

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I'm glad you like my tree! This is Tannenbaum's second year as the Yule tree, and he's grown a lot since last year. Meeker agrees with him; Norfolk Island Pines (which aren't really pines, apparently) don't smell Christmasy, but they are handsome indeed, and unlike silver firs like shade and live well in a redwood forest.

[wastedmouthfull.livejournal.com]

I grew up in Kauai, and we always had Norfolk as xmas trees, with shells and flowers on them very Hawaiian style. :)
I love your foxy canines, and your wolves.
Merry Christmas and Happy Belated Yule!

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Oh, how neat! Makes total sense that Norfolk pines would work in Hawaii. I'm very fond of mine. Merriment to you as well!

[cal-foxx.livejournal.com]

Happy Holidays or whatever you want to call them, hon. I miss you and I care.

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Thank you! /hugs/ Hope I get to see you soon.

[teahound.livejournal.com]

I got a lovely warm feeling from this entire post. <3 Happy holidays to you as well.

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Aww, thank you. Happy holidays to you, too.

Much Love!

[mooncatx.livejournal.com]

Just got a call from Allaine that had me feeling slightly guilty for enjoying myself, by myself, most of Christmas day. Now I feel much more relaxed, :) simply to be me with the devil cats and not doing a huge hustle bustle. Your post gave me a wonderfully comfy feeling. :)

*pokes*
now go look at yuir dragon scroll missy!
LICK!!!
mcx

Re: Much Love!

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Squeeeee shiny dragon eggs!!

What's happened to Allaine? :( /gotta go check on him/
I've had a lovely Yule and a very nice and satisfying time alone with cats, dogs and birds. Also, made a really yummy roast...my first one. All's comfy.

/groompets/ love to the devil cats.

Re: Much Love!

[mooncatx.livejournal.com]

lol... Allaine is fine :) He just gets that TONE in his voice of *oh* when I described my Christmas to him. >_< -- He did the full standard of family and presents etc, which is lovely, been there and done that... but for some reason people who do the traditional big get togethers tend to give that half guilty half pity vibe towards friends who are doing the more solitary with pets Christmas celebrations. I think commercialization of the holiday has given people in general this group mindset that if you don't do some crowded event with gifts flying to and fro like gaily wrapped torpedoes, that you are going to be sad and miserable.

I had an awesome day, treated myself to a fabulous 30 buck all you can eat sushi buffet, and though I didn't go do the crowd thing am not lacking in presents to and from others. It was very comfortable and I played on my computer and napped and stuffed myself with holiday treats. I feel like Winny the Poo with my comfortable clutter and a big pot of hunny. It's nice to celebrate in a crowd, but it's also very pleasing to just settle in and enjoy treats on a special day.

mmm... hunny...

One cool thing on having only oneself to please, I can cook what I want when I want :) Including a Corned beef Brisket at Midnite, or hot fresh biscuits at 5am so I can drizzle them with warm hunny and rich golden butter. :)


LICK!!!

mcx

Re: Much Love!

[allaine77.livejournal.com]

Oh shit, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to do that :(

Sincerely, Allaine

Re: Much Love!

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

/loves and introverted-but-merry holiday wishes to both of you/ :)

Re: Much Love!

[mooncatx.livejournal.com]

Pounces and power grooms Allaine till esh's face is all kitty lick shiny!!! Hee... don't worry about it love, *nips your nose tip lightly* You woke me up from a nap and I tend to ponder things when I'm sleep muzzy.

Lolls panting onna rollsome warm water bed and considers another nap... sighs... noooo gotta go do the anime club thingy. I stopped at home for some extra wrapping papers. I do some gift exchange at my club, and I'm using the Disney Princess wrapping paper I got last or year before last Christmas. This year, they have Disney Princess TAGS to go with :D :D :D and the baklava platters at wallmart, already a low 6 dollars are now THREE lowly dollars for a whole plate load of yummy hunny rich nutty pastry

yum!

May shop some more before anime, they are watching Heroic Age right now and I've seen that done to death. foo... missed my friends going to Avatar this afternoon cuz I went an did a little post X-mas shopping. (>.<) ooooo! I didn't go till after 11am, but they only decided last minute and i left my phoen at home somwhere. someone cal me please so I can find my phone! only do it after midnite cuz i'll be gone till then!

I have presents for you!! for Allaine and for Summer!!!! I will send before next Christmas!!! really!!!

mcx

[howl-at-the-sun.livejournal.com]

Such lovely pictures and words!

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Many merry yippings from one coyote person to another.

[howl-at-the-sun.livejournal.com]

I am Wolf with a sense of humor, by my last accounting of manners. And so... ar ar arr yipyipyip awwooooo?

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Good to have a sense of humor when one is a wolf; makes you wilier. Yip yip yip awhoOOOoooOoo yii yip!

[dhlawrence.livejournal.com]

Have a great holiday! The tree looks lovely and the babies look happy--and be grateful that those aren't true about the same photo! ;)

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

hahahahahaha! Yeah, that tree is totally shellacked with no-chew and bitter apple.

[dhlawrence.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we didn't decorate the tree this year, both from laziness and due to remembering what happened the last time we had new babies in the house:

http://dhlawrence1985.deviantart.com/art/Trimming-the-Tree-83810817
http://dhlawrence1985.deviantart.com/art/Trimming-the-Tree-part-deux-83811091

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

awwww! Cats!

[dhlawrence.livejournal.com]

Our new baby was investigating the tree this year, even without ornaments. Probably would have been disastrous if we had put them on XD

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

hee. I think one advantage of having a live tree is that the cats are familiar with it; they were all a bit confused as to why I brought the tree in, but there was none of the interest they showed last year. I sprayed the tree with pet smell/taste deterrant once it was decorated, and I've had no canine or feline attention at all. Uh, knock on wood. I'm planning on undressing the tree tomorrow.

[dhlawrence.livejournal.com]

We've thought about trying a live tree one year, but my mother worries that whichever tree farm we get it from will have cats--particularly ones who've decided that the tree belongs to them. One of our girls already has an itchy trigger finger as it is; she doesn't need encouragement XD

[fuzzytoedcollie.livejournal.com]

Best Wishes to you and all of yours!
Wonderful picturey & wordie post.
Made me smile!

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Wonderful holiday pics! Love your tree!

Your Husky looks wonderful-- I love the pic with your collie! (Early-onset=forgot all names!)

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I had fun with the tree this year.

I totally wouldn't expect you to remember my dog names. My cast of characters are, by order of age:

Jezebel/Jezzie---husky and wolf
Little Rogue of Earthsea "Rogue"---sable sheltie
Outlaws Cobalt Gambit "Coba"---biblue sheltie
Bliss Like Chaos (who answers to Chaos, Bliss ot the whole name, and also Snout) the colliesprout. I'm glad you like them. :)

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Is that Jezebel running with Bliss in those shots? She looks young and happy and *beautiful* in these shots! Did she just get groomed? So poofy!

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D Yes, that's my beloved Jez, who is now ten. She has an amazingly reflective, lovely coat and, while she wasn't as filthy as she sometimes gets when I took these shots, I think I groomed them _after_ the beach day. (heh. Sometimes, I'm masochistic and groom them all up right before a beach trip so that I can watch my splendidly, exquisitely coiffed pack galloping eye-catchingly in the waves...for ten minutes, before they splash in and roll in the kelp...but usually the grooming day is timed for AFTER the beach trip).

If I didn't like to groom dogs, though, I probably wouldn't have selected these. ;) I love some fluffy fur...

[larylich.livejournal.com]

Oh you've got the meows!

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Meow! Yes, they like to make cozy little catpiles on the couch. :) Magic is my Bombay (glossy black shorthair) Tiger is the Bengal, Trucker is the Balinese, recently come to me as a rescue, and Nocturne, the ultra fluffy tuxedo girl, is her daughter.

[mooncatx.livejournal.com]

Tiger was my Angel Baby! I still think of him when he was a little nurseling *^_^* gods he was the cutest kitten in the universe! So lovey, so eager to get his din din, cutest kitten I bred EVER *^_^* -- I'm stuck with his EVIL BROTHER... singlet of a later litter (all of raptures litters of the last 3 were singlets!) Evil marked my blue disney[princess wrapping paper today!!!!! ARRRGHHHHHHH..... DEAD KITTY!!!! Whew not the whole roll... just a part that was already cut. This year's wrapping paper was so disappointing, I'm glad I got my princess paper the year before last.

I'm so getting Evil FIXED this year, no matter how much I want a beautiful baby out of him *cries* ... I don't know why I kept him intact so long, wistful sigh... I have no girls to breed him or Stealth to. Must do laundry... wrapping paper not only thing Evil marked @_@ He's so lucky that the gods made him more beautiful than sin itself... sooooooo lucky... He'd make the most gorgeous hand muff, and it is a rather frigid winter. xD

ps I finally looked at the linage of your Yulebuck @_@ omg... ack... didn't realize his family tree wove back into itself so many times! He was a capture off the Abandon Page. Next year when I breed my scroll mints I'll get one that's clean line for you. Ah but the Yulebucks are pretty beasties. It's gonna take a will power roll not to freeze one of my hatchlings. damn they are cute babies!

mcx