Samhain (Celtic Winter)

Samhain on November 1st marks the Celtic New Year as the Winter season begins. In the Christian calendar, this is All Saints Day. The days are drawing darker, shorter and colder. Daylight Saving is over and I have moved to a new time zone so hours are lost and found. In Osceola the trees will have become bare and leafless, but here the evergreens are ever green. The agricultural year is at its close and we saw the last of the root vegetable harvest as we came through Idaho on our jouney here. But this is also a beginning. Seeds germinate in the dark depths of Winter in preparation for their Spring emergence. Bulbs and seeds from my home in Missouri are in the ground and will bring happy memories in the Spring. For humans, the period of Samhain is a good time for introspection and personal reflection. I, too, am “germinating” and feel like I will emerge a new “urban” person by Spring.

Here at The Hideaway, I am warm and cozy in my new place. Surrounded by boxes yet to be unpacked, I can take a few minutes for my book and my knitting without upsetting a schedule or missing a deadline. Now I’m having my second cup of coffee and watching cars stream by as my neighbors head to work. (Not a familiar sight in Osceola!)

The dogs are snoozing on their new cedar beds (thanks, Windy) and the cat is busy arranging the empty boxes to suit his fancy. Today’s project is opening cartons of books and arranging them on the shelves that smell of new wood. Always an enjoyable task as I meet old friends and thumb through treasured volumes. [See Three Foot Shelf July 7, 2005 in the Down Home Musings Archives.]

Since Vibes is on hiatus, here is your November Calendar:

November 1 All Saints Day
November 2 Day of the Dead – Mexico
November 4 Andy Graham is 35 years old
November 5 Osage Princess Dark Star is 4 years old
November 11 Armistice Day (11th hour, 11th day, 11th month)
November 16 Full Moon (Beaver Moon)
November 24 Thanksgiving