Random Christmas

Thanksgiving is just past us now. The overly commercial presence of Christmas which has been creeping up and growing more obnoxious since Halloween in all the stores has now caught up with itself. 'Tis truly the Season now, and with a sigh, we move into it...

But this is what has caught my eye, rather than all the glitz, tinsel and artificial plastic decorations.

Out beyond my neighborhood, where no developments have sprung up, no stores have moved in, it is still nothing but scrub grass and steep hills that graze cattle on either side of the road. Trees ride the ridge lines in the distance and there is no sense of civilization hovering at either end of the little bypass as you navigate the middle. Down in the high yellow grass at the pavement's verge, there are tiny volunteer pines that have sprung up here and there, 10, 20, 30 yards apart, seedlings blown by nature and not planted by man.

A few days ago I was driving towards my house down this road and did a double take...someone, quite randomly and for no rhyme or reason other than sheer joy, had made their way to one of the little trees, and they had decorated it with Christmas decorations! There it stands, all by itself, perhaps no more than four feet tall, with tinsel and Christmas ornaments glinting and swaying in the breeze of passing traffic. Somebody was practicing random kindness and senseless acts of beauty and decorated a random anonymous tree on a busy road, for no other reason than the joy that it might bring! I pulled the car over and got a picture.

The commercialism fades away and the artificiality is gone - for me the real Spirit of Christmas this year began on a paved cut through road devoid of everything save trees and scrub, as a gift from a stranger...Lets pass it on, people. What can each of us do, to randomly represent the true Christmas/Solstice/Yule spirit?

Let us give, with love, to the stranger at our gates...

Coyote Grace - GREAT music, and Transgender Awareness

Coyote Grace is one of those music duos that is a joy to find...in this case both because of their awesome music and their amazing story...on their home page at Coyote Grace (http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=1h&oq=&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADBR_enUS331US331&q=coyote+grace) their story is quite simply put;

"Girl meets Girl. Girl becomes Boy. Girl and Boy become a band. Meet COYOTE GRACE. If you want a lesson in organic chemistry, take notes and watch the sparks fly between the acoustic downhome duo known as COYOTE GRACE. This old-timey salt & pepper shaker pair is comprised of Joe Stevens, a transman singer/songwriter from Northern California, backed up by Ingrid Elizabeth on vocals and upright bass, a sassy femme originally hailing from the hills of Southeastern Ohio. The two met while living in Seattle, and have been performing as a duo since December 2004, sharing the stage with bluegrass, old-time, folk rock, jazz, and cabarets alike."
Here are two of their amazing songs. The first is "A Guy Named Joe", which speaks directly to Joe Stevens transformation from a girl to a guy and showcases his musical talent as singer and song writer.

The second song is called Summertime and tells the same story from her perspective with the delightful line "thank God boys like her like the girls like me!"



As they travel the Midwest performing, they continue to speak of transgender issues and awareness. Their music is available through their website, and they are generous about posting music to listen to on their site. If you like this quirky delightful laid back music, go buy some CD's and help keep them singing!

Heather and Alex - A Reprise

Meet Heather Alexander and Alexander James Adams

Having posted some very somber statistics for the Transgender Day Of Remembrance, I wanted to take a moment and remember and honor the living. Heather and Alex's story is a triumph of music, art and the power of the human spirit. I wrote a three part blog post about them awhile back, but I wish to share again their music.

You see, Heather and Alex are one and the same person. Heather was Transgender...and after years of internal struggle reached the point where she could not go one step further without turning and becoming who and what she truly was...she risked her voice and career to transition and become Alex.

She gave one last concert as Heather to say (and sing) fare well, and then she "went to the Land of Fairy to be granted her deepest wish." Alex meanwhile, "escaped" from the Land of the Fae and came and stood in her place, heir to her musical legacy.

Here are two videos, one of Heather and one of Alex. The video of Heather is dark and the camera is shaky, but it is worth seeing for the power of her performance of Fairy Queen" and her presence on stage.

This next is Alex's version of the same song, to tell his side of the story, as he came back from the lands of Fae...




So this is a triumph of the human spirit, of authenticity and some fantastic music as well.
(and this is not the only trans musician I follow...I will post more of that another time)

Please enjoy the music, and if you want to read my original three posts, follow the tags. They are linked, in case you wish to read a fuller account of their incredible story.


Alex's website is found at Fairy Tale Minstrel,
http://faerietaleminstrel.com/
Please go check it out, support his music and get CD's...and Heather's music is still available though this site as well.
This is tagged so that it is linked with the other posts I did about Alex and Heather.

So this Trans Day of Remembrance closes here with inspiration and hope.
May you enjoy the music and be blessed even as I have been...

Transgender Day of Rememberance

Last year there were 47 transgender deaths remembered by Trans Day of Rememberance. This year there are 101 as of November the 14th. Death is an euphemism. The word is murdered. In most cases, brutally.

It's more than doubled in one year.

Why?

To all my trans brothers and sisters - be careful out there...

To all my allies, please help try to make meaningful change happen, so that we no longer need to mourn those who have died for prejudice, bigotry, hate and fear.

We Are Grieving a Loss....

We were stunned today by the death of one of our younger cats.

Buddha, known as BooBoo, was only four years old.He was an incredibly enthusiastic solid cat who meeped and mrrped and headbutted and loved on us with all the affection in his body for the brief time we had with him.

There was no visible reason for his passing...his weight, health and hydration all appeared good. He was, however, from a very inbred population and I think his heart basically stopped. None of his brothers and sisters survived birth. I suspect we had him as long as we were meant to have him.

I cannot believe he is gone - Dreamweaver and I are both devasted. I thank God for the blessings of BooBoo in our lives.

May he be well in the Summerlands, until we meet again.

Autumn - the Turn of the Wheel

Autumn is my favorite time of year...there is no other time for me that shows the turn of the Wheel so vividly, or is so dramatic in its color and presentation. The air becomes cool and crisp, you can see forever to the world's furthest horizon, and the colors become so beautiful that there are no words to express what I see. So here are some pictures taken on my camera phone - not perfect, but spontaneous shots of what the world has been doing around me for the past few weeks. I have walked beneath trees of fire and flame, and leaves of beaten gold - I was not seeking blessing and yet blessing found me.

May you be blessed, as I have been....

Recommended Blog...

My friend, Light, has a blog called
Major in Fanfics & Procrastination, Minor in Sleep
http://brilliantprocrastinator.blogspot.com/
I recommend it highly...not only is she a terrific writer, she is an artist and a brave courageous person whose life inspires my own...her latest post is powerful and I'd like to share it...go take a look!
Enjoy!