HE'S NO GREAT FAN OF SNOW OR COLD WEATHER!

That would be Hendrix, the cat. Inclement weather forces him to rely on his feline prowess, instincts, and warmth in the barn. Hendrix greatly prefers to be stretched out in the sun on a lazy summer day with a huge pile of cat food within short reach. This past week, this handsome gray tabby, who now ranks as the 2nd oldest cat at the farm, protested so pitifully, yet eloquently, that he gained entrance to the house on the night temps fell to zero degrees. He'd probably gain access more frequently if he wouldn't spray and scratch on the couch and rocker - two unacceptable behaviours that signify your're out the door at The Farm!

SNOW - ICE - SNOW - ICE - SNOW ???

Branches covered with ice covered with snow creak and snap. Blue jays and cardinals stare at me through the window, reminding me food's hard to find and the feeders are empty. Those brave enough to venture out creep along the road, slowing down to a stop before inching down the hill at the end of the driveway.

Gratitude abounds for the return of electricity, especially since we've burned all the firewood and we're the only house on our road who got power restored, and even more importantly, since Eliza's cellphone was getting really low on juice.

Eveyone I know will be the recipient of the dishcloths I'm cranking out. I can knit for hours on these sort of days.

Here's a sample of farm dialogue on winter days:

(Yesterday's conversation between Farm Mom and Farm Daughter:
Eliza: "Mom, what WILL I do if I my phone goes dead? Can I sit out in my car and charge it?"
Mom: " Eliza, have you ever heard of carbon monoxide poisoning from sitting in a running car? What happens when one wants to go somewhere and the car battery is dead from charging a cellphone?"
Eliza: "Oh......")

Cancellation of classes yesterday and this morning means The Farm family (Eliza & Tanya, at this point) haven't taken a shower in three days.

Cabin fever for Eliza....No cabin fever for Tanya - just an element of disgust that she has to go into town to teach at Marietta College this afternoon.

(Today's conversation between Farm Mom and Farm Daughter:
Eliza: "Mom, can I go over to Chris's house?"
Mom: "No, not today, but you CAN take my car while I go into to teach to go get your nails done if you want to get out a bit today."
Eliza: "Well, if I can go to get my nails done, why can't I go to Chris's house?"
Mom: "Because the nail salon is in town where the roads are clear and Chris's house is 20 miles away from home where the roads are NOT clear. There's more snow predicted, you know."
Eliza: " You don't make sense. I can drive to get my nails done, but I can't go to Chris's."
Mom: "Yes, that's right. You have another option, you know. You can stay at home and not go anywhere if you keep pushing the point."
Dramatic exit by Farm Daughter follows....)

Plans for later on: A big pot of soup...cornbread....a good movie....and a fire, if I can scrounge up some wood from the barn.

TODAY'S WALK

A classic winter snowfall has left the farm blanketed in white. When I set out for a morning walk, the corgis, Loonis, and Cato decided to come along. Loonis made it as far as the entrance to the back field when she decided she would be inconvenienced by the little balls of snow clinging to her lustrous coat. At that point, she gave up on the idea of a walk and returned to the house.

Annie and Molly, however, couldn't wait to get out in the field, and they got silly like they used to when they were puppies. Molly took a snow bath and rolled around in a big drift for about five minutes while chubby, sweet Annie chugged along behind me, not venturing too far from the path. Cato, farm clown, flitted all over the place, chasing the snow he kicked up as he ran. He overflowed with "ornery-ness" as he ambushed Annie and Molly when they failed to notice him camoflauged in the snow and broom sage. He'd pounce on them from behind, jump in the air, spin around and run like the dickens when they turned around to see what had grabbed them in the butt.

The bird feeders are a whirl of activity this morning. Cardinals, blue jays, mourning doves, titmice, chickadees, juncos, and all sorts of finches are devouring our bird seed at a rate of about 25 lbs. every three days. The male cardinals and blue jays stay in constant competition for "¿Quién es más macho?" while the rest of the birds pig out. Their testosterone-inspired feeder wars are really quite humorous, especially since the rest of the birds could give a flip about who wins. They're too busy cracking the sunflower seeds and flying to and from the feeders.

Deer and raccoon tracks dot the back field, and I think I might have spotted a coyote's trail into the back woods. The creek in the back woods is frozen over enough for me to "skate" on, and as I stood in the silence by my "thinking tree" back there, my thoughts were accompanied by the falling shavings from the drilling of a red-bellied woodpecker just above my head.

Cato taking a rest in his snow blanket
The only side of the barn that hasn't lost boards

The quiet of a snowy winter day is one of the most peaceful "sounds" I know. My dad used to tell me to listen to it closely and not let my presence disturb the silence. So today, with Papa's words in mind and with the crows hovering around, I sank into the quiet, and I'm smiling big time!

NO, I DON'T WANT TO MOVE BACK TO THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA IN THE WINTER

The answer's fairly obvious.....

ARCTIC CLIPPER ON THE WAY

Every weather forecaster on every channel has made it clear...We're headed for cold, cold weather....cold weather like in the single digits with windchill temps below zero !!

In a nutshell: *&^#@ !!!!!.

BRRRRRRRRRRRR !!!!!!!!!

NEW TOY AT THE FARM

I took the plunge...And, I'll pat myself on the back for some savvy price comparison / sale shopping, finding no interest for 18 months on the purchase, and keeping the total just under what I had in mind! Eliza and I are celebrating the installation of a new 37" Samsung HDTV (see photo). Craig and Buddy, two young guys from the installation company who obviously had a little hangover going (but were very nice and competent), just completed placing the TV on the wall beside the fireplace in the big room. The folks from the cable company will be here next Saturday, and then, we'll be totally set to go. For now, Eliza and I will watch movies.

One of the requirements for the TV was that it fit underneath the quilt that has hung on the wall there for years because I'm having somewhat of a challenge with the idea that a TV has invaded my big room AND I really love my quilt in that spot. It works (!), and when the TV's not in use, it'll be out of sight. YEAH !!

Only one glitch...The DVD player I purchased along with the TV is officially "dead out of the box," so I'm off to Circuit City for a replacement. Normally, I wouldn't be so immediate in making the exchange, BUT I want to watch The Dude ( from The Big Lebowski) this afternoon to christen our new "toy."

Visualize The Farm Mom sitting on the couch in the big room, sipping her tea and knitting while the Antiques Road Show, The Daily Show, Jay Leno, or a movie plays in high definition on the wall ... There's a fire in the fireplace...kitties and dogs asleep all around... snow's blowing and the winter winds howl outside.

Norman Rockwell painting??? Christmas card photo??? Farm comfort at its best...!
____________________________________________

Addendum 6 hours later: The "dead out of the box" DVD has been replaced with an upgraded "live out of the box" DVD player for the same cost as the first since I was adamant about NOT bringing home a replacement in a box that had been opened and obviously very shabbily taped back together.

As I write this, five of Eliza's friends are watching The Dude and munching on Farm Mom's famous popcorn. YEAH !!! I think we're good to go!

BONNES NOUVELLES: L'INSPECTEUR CLOUSEAU ARRIVE DANS UN MOIS

Drum roll, s'il vous plait.....L'Inspecteur Clouseau returns to the big screen on February 6th, and as one of the world's greatest Clouseau fans, I'm pretty stoked! It's been a LONG wait since Clouseau and his new sidekick, Gendarme Gilbert Ponton, solved the mystery of the disappearance of the Pink Panther diamond, much to the dismay of Chief Inspecteur Dreyfus.

For a sneak preview of the new movie, click here. And, for the official Pink Panther 2 website, do the clicky thing here.

I'm sure I'll see the movie multiple times, and perhaps one of those times will be with YOU, beloved readers of Namasté! Be prepared to laugh!! En garde, mes amis!!

THE CAST: (Actor followed by role)

Steve Martin : Inspector Jacques Clouseau

John Cleese : Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus

Jean Reno: Gendarme Gilbert Ponton

Emily Mortimer : Nicole Nuveau

Andy García: Inspector Vicenzo Brancaleone

Alfred Molina : Chief Inspector Randall Pepperidge

Aishwarya Rai : Sonia

Yuki Matsuzaki : Kenji Mazuto

Jeremy Irons: Alonso Avellaneda

Johnny Halliday : Laurence Millikin

Lily Tomlin : Yvette Berenger

Molly Sims : Marguerite

BACK AT WORK: COMMENTS FROM OFFICE 237

" T, so you mind if I close the door? I'm about this close to crying...I mean really, the tears are right about here," said Mary Ann to Tanya as she pointed to her eyeballs.

"Why can't I ever find a pen that works? All these pens are useless. You'd think we'd have some pens in this office..I have no pens! ...Oh wait, there's one!! I found one, one pen that'll write," said Tanya, who was about five minutes late to meet her first class of the quarter.

"So much for light, love, and laughter, baby. That's what I WAS all about this year!" Mary Ann announced as she denounced her less-than-week-old 2009 words of the year.

"Can you believe it? Five students walked into class 30 minutes late because they were waiting in the wrong room...in the wrong building! Sheesh...Looks like it's gonna be a winning quarter," Tanya observed.

MANIFESTO: THE MAD FARMER LIBERATION FRONT

BY: Wendell Berry

(Sent to me on FaceBook by Sally Johnson...Considerations on the New Year from her.)

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won't compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.

Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.

Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.
Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.

Listen to carrion -- put your ear close,
and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.

Ask yourself: Will this satisfy a woman
satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.

As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn't go.

Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

THE VOID

I just watched Samuel hop in Papa's old 1991 black Toyota truck and head out the driveway on his way back to North Carolina. It's been a year since he was last home, and the days he's been here seem so few...certainly not enough to satisfy his mom, who loves to have her children at home, at The Farm, with her....

We're all off in our own directions again....

LoriBeth flew back to Maui yesterday morning...

Brett and Betsy should have arrived in Bulgaria by now....

Holiday decorations still adorn the house; however, the drooping boughs on the Christmas tree signal it's time to get it down soon and pack away the angels and Santas who take their places around the house once a year....

Eliza and I are at home alone, wrestling with the thought that tomorrow we start our routine again...and Samuel goes back to work....and Brett and Betsy return to their classes.....and Lori'll be flitting all around Maui....and another year begins anew.

Blessings to all.....

GOOD KIDS

As with all families, we have our differences, and not every moment together is perfect, but I do think these guys share a solid love and respect that will allow them to remain closely connected at the heart and celebrate each other forever - wherever they are, whatever they're doing, whenever they need the other. Such is my hope and prayer for them.

This is my favorite 2008 holiday photo.

HERE SHE IS....

Meet Wendelynne Bridget Kinzy Engelhardt...

James Engelhardt and Dana Kinzy are delighted to announce the birth of their daughter, Wendelynne Bridget Kinzy Engelhardt. Baby Wendy was born on the 22nd day of December 2008 at 9:05 p.m. She weighed 5 lbs 15 oz and was 21.5 inches long.

(Tanya's note: Isn't she beautiful? I can't wait to hold her in my arms and welcome her to The Farm. Until then, Brown Wolf, Red Wolf's brother and best friend, will watch over her and tell her all sorts of stories about The Farm. All of The Farm family celebrates Little Wendy's arrival in a big way. We'll put a photo of her on the Christmas tree for everyone to see, and we'll toast in gratitude for her safe arrival and for her wonderful Mom and Dad.)

THERE'S A NEW ARRIVAL IN THE FARM FAMILY

Wendelynne Bridget Kinzy Engelhardt was born Monday evening, December 22nd, in Lincoln, NE, to Farm family members, Dana and James. As of my last conversation with James about two hours after she was born, Wendy was nursing and doing well. She weighed in at just under 6 lbs. and is 21" long. James described her hair as "wavy blond."

As soon as I get a photo of sweet little Wendy, it'll be on the blog!

Giving huge thanks to the Universe for this little one, for her safe arrival, and for her wonderful parents!

PS: Merry Christmas from Boone.....

WINTER SOLSTICE - 2008

Think about what you want to bring to fruition in the coming year, carefully designing how you express your desires....attention always to what you conjure...

Write them down....

Bless them with your purest energy and highest intent, giving thanks to the Universe for all that's good...

Toss the wishes into the fire and jump right over the flames, taking all precaution not to burn your butt....:0) :0)

Laugh...be merry....celebrate.

Happy Solstice from Namasté......

WE ARE RINKS MATERIAL....

A couple of posts back, readers of Namasté and A Very Mary Design took their first trip to Rink's with us. Remember the hat photos??

Today we met for another Saturday morning of looking for treasures and hanging out... Click here for Very Mary's account...."A Virtual Field Trip"

BACK FROM MIAMI

Whew...it's been a traveling holiday vacation so far. I'm so grateful my job situation is such that I have a month of holiday break at this time of year, particularly given that the exceptional nature of this break has required time on the road in celebration of my mom and in support of my friends, Laida and Pepín and their family.

I wish I could report wonderful news about Pepín...December 15th marked the 3rd month he's been in ICU following heart surgery...I'll never forget the smile on his face when he saw me donning the yellow surgical gown required for entering his room last Sunday morning...I looked like an oversized banana, and he got a chuckle out of that.

I've never felt so disinfected in my life...antibacterial soaps...latex gloves...surgical masks.....Machines whirled all around him...machines for constant dialysis, feeding, breathing, antibiotics, elimination...Monitors for air regulation, vital signs, kidney output....Enough tubes and lines to circle the farm....

Unfortunately, yesterday he suffered a set-back in terms of his digestive process and had to have an endoscopy (sp.??)....Any procedure brings about other complications and possible infections....Antidepressants control his level of sadness and fear....

Yet, despite all the above, one sees his sweet face and senses the amazing spirit housed within his sick, frail body...I got him to smile big smiles....And he sent me millions of messages as he held my hand firmly, constantly, so, so lovingly....Pepín is one of the most decent, noble, loving people I've ever met. He always puts others ahead of himself.

I massaged his feet and channelled the strongest reiki I've ever sensed through his body, so much that at one point I was dizzied from the force of the energy....I implored his heart to strengthen and nourish the rest of his body with the blood supply it so desperately needs. I talked to his kidneys...liver...stomach...spleen....blood, asking them to come together and begin the level of healing his body must have....

I believe in miracles....I pray earnestly for his complete healing and total wellness.

May it be so....

Namasté.....

PETIE TURNS 90 !

Ninety years ago yesterday (December 10, 1918), my mom was born to Robert Louis and Bertha Eliza (Sloop) Stevenson. In honor of the day, my sister and I came to Boone to be with her. Over the course of the day, Petie received over 25 phone calls, scads of birthday cards, 6 or 7 floral bouquets, and several visits from friends and family.

It's been a bittersweet year for Mom. When Daddy passed away in March, she was by his side and since then has adjusted to life without her beloved Zeb. Her devotion to family now leads her to spend every Sunday caring for Grandma Ruth (age 106, 11 months), and she keeps all sorts of goodies in the pantry for Samuel (who stops in to visit her regularly).

To this day, people all over town call her to get her opinion on their illnesses or seek her advice. Mom's an angel on earth, a woman whose faith sustains her every day and whose love touches the lives of all who know her.

VERY WORTH THE READ....

Economists Appraise Bhutan's Happiness Model
Thursday 04 December 2008
by: Don Duncan, The San Francisco Chronicle

Thimphu, Bhutan - In the thick of a global financial crisis, many economists have come to this Himalayan kingdom to study a unique economic policy called Gross National Happiness, based on Buddhist principles.

When considering economic development, policymakers here take into account respect for all living things, nature, community participation and the need for balance between work, sleep and reflection or meditation.

"Happiness is very serious business," Bhutan Prime Minister Jigme Thinley said. "The dogma of limitless productivity and growth in a finite world is unsustainable and unfair for future generations."

From his ornate pedestal at the 4th annual Gross National Happiness conference last week, Thinley said it is common knowledge in Buddhism that every creation requires destruction.

"New thoughts and ideas emerge from chaos and devastation," he said. "If Gross National Happiness (is to) be the new order, the old (order) certainly seems to be giving way."

Gross National Happiness, or GNH, evolved over centuries in Bhutan but was launched formally in 1972 as an economic alternative by then-King Jigme Singye Wangchuck.

At the time, he was criticized for overseeing the stagnation of one of the world's smallest economies based mainly on agriculture and forestry.

As a result, the former king shifted focus of development from productivity to human well-being in four areas: (1) sustainable economic development, (2) preservation and promotion of cultural values, (3) conservation of the environment, and (4) good governance.

Since then, government policy in Bhutan has been guided by GNH principles in a succession of five-year plans, according to Thinley.

The term "happiness," some observers say, often causes Western economists and development experts to not take Bhutan's economic approach seriously. And when they do, they tend to use such terms as "human development" or "pluralistic growth."

"People are shy to use the word happiness," said Dasho Karma Ura, president of the Center for Bhutan Studies in the capital Thimphu, which launched the informational Web site GrossNationalHappiness.com last week. "Defining happiness is not what is important. What is important is providing the conditions through which people can achieve happiness as they understand it."

Application Limited

Some critics point out that GNH developed under an autocracy and is unworkable in a country with a large population - Bhutan has only 642,000 inhabitants.

"There is much of Gross National Happiness that is just not implementable outside of Bhutan right now," said Nick Marks of the New Economics Foundation, a London-based think tank.

As an example, Marks says GNH refuses to take advantage of its potential lumber industry. Sixty-five percent of its territory is forested. "Bhutan doesn't want to lose what it has," he said.
To be sure, the Bhutanese government has not always considered everyone's happiness.

The preservation-of-culture tenet has been used by the majority Drukpa peoples to stop illegal immigration from neighboring Nepalese, who have a different language, dress and religion. In the early 1990s, more than 100,000 Nepalese were forced or coerced out of Bhutan. Those who stayed saw their rights heavily curtailed.

Thinley says such inequalities are ending thanks to the country's new-found democracy. In March, democratic elections for seats to the country's first parliament were held and the nation's first Constitution was ratified in July.

By the end of the current five-year plan, "there will be absolute parity in terms of distribution and the provision of all kinds of services," Thinley said.

Idea Is Spreading

Still, Bhutan's way of doing business is gaining international traction.

Late last month, the narrow, hilly streets of Thimphu filled with foreign economists, educators and public policy consultants, who attended the Gross National Happiness Conference.

"We can no longer approach the 21st century with the instruments of the 20th century," said Nicholas Rosellini, head of the U.N. mission in Bhutan.

Indeed, GNH guidelines are being adopted in Brazil, India and Haiti.

But the most extensive programs are occurring in Canada, Australia, the United States and France. The Canadian Index on Well-being, Measuring Australia's Well-being project and State of the USA are all trying to measure the well-being of its inhabitants.

Sabina Alkire, professor of economics at Oxford University, says such surveys are geared to measuring the quality of life irrespective of gross domestic product. "Happiness is a mysterious and profound thing, and any means of measuring it is imperfect," she said. "But it is much less imperfect than GDP."

The most significant GNH project, however, appears to be in France. The Quality of Life Commission, initiated by President Nicolas Sarkozy in August, with help from such notable economists as Nobel prize winners Joseph Stiglitz and Armatya Sen, is expected to launch its findings next year.

"I think that on all sides of the political spectrum there is recognition of these deficiencies, and a recognition that it is important that we develop better metrics, no matter whether you are on the left or the right," Stiglitz said at a conference on development in Cleveland earlier this year.

Meanwhile, some Bhutanese have noted a U.S. swing toward GNH in the campaign speeches of President-elect Barack Obama.

"Obama is using the same vocabularies," said Dasho Karma Ura. "He wants to bring health care back, wants to improve education, environmental responsibility.... We are basically talking about the same things."

National Happiness

Gross National Happiness is an approach to development unique to Bhutan. While conventional development stresses economic growth as the ultimate objective, GNH is based on the premise that true development takes place only when material and spiritual development occur side by side. For GNH to grow, government must concentrate on four key areas:

• Promotion of equitable and sustainable socio-economic development.
• Preservation and promotion of cultural values.
• Conservation of the environment.
• Good government.

In a bid to popularize the concept internationally, the Bhutanese government is devising a GNH index that is expected to be ready as early as the end of the year. Unlike the gross domestic product index, however, a GNH index measures the quality of life based on 72 standards.

"We've been chasing gross domestic product for decades, and now societies are starting to say we need to look beyond GDP and start measuring well-being," said Jon Hall, a project leader at the Paris-based Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development.

PHOTOS FROM THANKSGIVING 2009

The old apple tree and the chimney of the homeplace where my great

grandparents, Greene & Etta Michael, lived.

Grandpa Michael built this chimney himself. It's all that remains of the homestead.

Grandpa's barn--the view one would see if standing on the porch of the
old house. The chimney faces the barn.

Grandma asleep in her chair

Dulcie Ruth Michael Shook

106 years 10 months old

OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS....

....to Grandmother's house we go.
The Subaru knows the way
to carry the trays
through the white and drifting snow...

On the way to Pigeon Roost today, I'll drive up and around Grandfather Mountain. I've always thought his profile looked like Abraham Lincoln.

I'm headed toward a meal of turkey, pork ribs, gravy, dressing, collards, green beans, shelly beans, 'taters, cranberry sauce, and about 15 desserts. And at the top of the Thanksgiving Day list is the hug I'll get from Grandma Ruth, who'll turn 107 years old in January. Can't wait!!