First The Yips -- I'm getting ready to record two new songs. Song inspirations, whether originals or covers, almost always come to me in twos and usually are very contrasting from each other in terms of mood, tempo, concept, genre. I'll be practicing my arrangements of them again tonight before bedtime as that familiar excitement mounts!
A Yip That Is A Tip -- Today I found a wonderful place to shop for Christmas items and gifts and trees. It is the KARM (Knox Area Rescue Ministries) Christmas Store on Downtown West in west Knoxville. The array of items is wonderful and so much fun to explore. Perhaps best of all, the proceeds go toward the meals that KARM provides for the homeless and hungry here in Knoxville. If you want a great holiday tree or gift or novelty item at an unbelievably low price, you will love the KARM Christmas Store. Also, it is spacious and not crowded.
Holiday Spirit -- We're about to enter the official week before Christmas. This year I've been so involved in my residential move -- getting this place ready (lots of repairs and updates were needed) and closing and saying goodbye to my former residence (my favorite charming window where I liked to sit, my shrubs and trees that could not be moved, the Loft where I wrote many a spirited blog post) -- that I didn't know if I'd have any holiday spark. But I do ... and am pleased about that. Gearing myself up for it. I plan to make my traditional holiday quiche and some other goodies.
Greater Good -- This organization's website is another awesome place to shop, especially if you like to shop on the Internet. Gifts of every kind are offered by groups served under the umbrella of The Greater Good, such as the Rainforest site, the Animal Rescue site, and others. I ordered and promptly received a wonderful bracelet for myself that is engraved with the words "Bless This Woman". This classy bracelet helps me remember that I'm a woman even when I'm hoisting heavy boxes and moving furniture. I like being a woman; in fact, sometimes I love it :) So I wear my bracelet proudly! Their website is at http://www.greatergood.com. The other organizations I've just mentioned are at http://www.therainforestsite.com/click and http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/click. Visiting these sites daily and clicking on their buttons saves acreage in the rainforest and provides food for shelter animals, respectively.
And Now, A Howl Of Sadness -- The Federal government has voted to permanently remove all gray wolves from protection, meaning these beautiful animals are now being murdered by the hundreds, by all kinds of unsavory methods. This is our government bowing to the special interest groups -- namely, people who like to shoot at live targets and cattle ranchers who have an unrelenting hatred for all wolves (cattle ranchers have always had the legal right to shoot any wolf who was thought to pose a danger to cattle). Wolves have just found their way back from the brink of extinction and now are being destroyed again. As of last evening, the Feds were collecting public comments regarding also removing the red wolf from protection. I sent in my comment, which boiled down to "For God's sake, don't kill the wolves!" Actually I said more than that, but I did include that phrase. Please, if you care about the wild, intelligent, mystical, beautiful wolf, check out the website of the hard-working group, Howling For Wolves at http://www.howlingforwolves.org, located in Minnesota.
The Night Sky -- It has been so beautiful this week, especially with yesterday's full moon and nearby Jupiter, whose moons can be seen swirling around the planet, even with my little binoculars!
Wishing To All The Very Best -- For this holiday season and the new year. Let's sing, dance, have joy, meditate, mindfully help those less fortunate -- and pray for peace, compassion, and good will.
