The Winter Solstice
In the Northern Hemisphere, the 21st of December (this year) is the day when the sun begins its long journey north. Itās the shortest day of the year and the longest night. Almost imperceptibly at first, the days grow longer. Itās the triumph of light over darkness.
The Latvian sun symbol. There are many variations.
The return of the sun is greeted with many rituals in Latvia and the otherā¦
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Too Many Refugees
Forever a Displaced Person?
My heart breaks for the many refugees in the world today. Like the poor, it seems that refugees will always be with us. Despite what the Bible says, too many people who claim to believe the directives in the Bible donāt want to take in refugees.
Wandering like ghosts.
Itās decades since my parents and I were refugees from the Soviet invasion of Latvia. Such refugeesā¦
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A Book and a Cat
National Cat Day
Until I saw a friendās post on social media, I didnāt realize that today is National Cat Day.
Leo in the pocket of Cameronās flight jacket.
Sad to say that I no longer have a kitty. I donāt live in a place where I could have a cat. Maybe someday in the not-too-distant future. But, since itās National Cat Day, I decided that this would be as good a time as any to promote myā¦
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Vitriol--umm, not quite...
Merriam-Webster defines āvitriolā as bitterly harsh or caustic language
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One reason I havenāt been writing blog posts in the past few months is that I donāt want to spew vitriol all over my site to the disgust of my followers. But today my cup runneth over and I need to vent. Writing is a source of solace for me. During the time Iāve been absent from my blog, Iāve been editing a novel I hopeā¦
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Baltic Way 34th Anniversary
A Demonstration for Freedom
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
Iāve been so obsessed with my own concerns, such as where Iāll live after August 31, that I forgot about the anniversary of The Baltic Way until a social media post that reminded me.
On August 23, 1989, at 7 p.m. approximately two million people in the Baltic States joined hands to form a human chain that reached from Vilnius,ā¦
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Offensive Cover?
Ripped from Todayās Headlines?
No, my novella is not porn. No, my novella is not about real people. the characters are based on real people but they are products of my imagination.
Hereās the offensive cover.
Itās not the heart. Itās the hammer and sickle, symbols from the old Soviet flag.
One of my cousins-in-law has faithfully read almost everything Iāve written. He even read my ebook ofā¦
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White Tablecloth Festival: Celebrating Latvia's 2nd Independence Day.
(Yes, this is a repost from last year. My post, āLights Out!ā explains why Iāve been distracted. The only thing that has changed is that more and more Latvian communities are participating in White Tablecloth Day)
(Thank you to my friend for allowing me to use her photos. She prefers to remain anonymous. You know who you are)
On May 4th, 1990 the Supreme Council of the Latvian SSR adopted aā¦
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Lights Out!
For the past week, Iāve been without electricity in the bedroom and bathroom of my apartment (flat) In response to my maintenance request, the office sent an email saying that my request was being āreviewed.ā How long does it take to review a simple maintenance request? I could review James Joyceās Ulysses in less time than that if I had read it.
I know the complex is understaffed, but this isā¦
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The Latvian God of Spring
A father deity
Illustration by JÄkabs BÄ«neĀ (1895 ā 1955) To me he looks a bit like Atilla the Hun. The back to back E is one of ÅŖsiÅÅ” symbols. He and his horses are the bingers of the sun
.You would expect that the day honoring the god of spring would be the equinox on March 20th. However, ÅŖsiÅa diena (ÅŖsiÅÅ” day) is celebrated on April 23. I donāt know the reason for this discrepancy. So, Iāmā¦
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Great Mother Goddess: MÄra
Ancient Latvians had a pantheon of deities.
MÄra by Ansis CÄ«rulis, 1883 ā 1942 The goddess is referred to as Dear MÄra or Beloved MÄra.
Many of the ancient deities were female.
At the top of the hierarchy was a trinity of deities, two of whom were female. Dievs, the male, was the top-ranking deity, the father of the world. Laima, the goddess of fate was one of the three. MÄte (Mother) MÄra isā¦
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Latvian Wonder Dog
The delights of revising a childhood favorite.
Kriksis meeting his new best friend in RÄ«ga.
The title of the book is Kriksis TrimdÄ in English Kriksis in Exile. My latest read.
Some of my followers are Latvians but probably many of them donāt speak, let alone read Latvian so why should they or anyone who is not Latvian care about a Latvian childrenās book? Hopefully, my post will promptā¦
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19th Century Life in the Far West
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Ft. Nisqually, Living History Museum
Pt. Defiance Park, Tacoma, Washington
Present day reality has not improved any so for a short while, Iām escaping to the past. I love history and I love the fort.
During the mid-19th century Fort Nisqually was an outpoast of the Hudsonās Bay Company. Itās a cool place to visit and a fun place to take kids.s
My photos from a fews years ago helped me with discriptions for the historical novelā¦
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Write Happy
Was I wrong yesterday to imply that people canāt make their own happiness? Only partially. For many people, such as those living in war zones, in places where there have been natural or man-made disasters, or who are dealing with dread diseases, itās probably impossible. For those of us in less dire situations we can grab a bit of happiness here and there.
I love to write. When it goes well,ā¦
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Do People Make Their Own Happiness?
Shibboleth (Noun) a word or saying used by adherents of a party, sect, or belief and usually regarded by others as empty of real meaning. (Merriam-Webster)
Or is it just a smug, self-satisfied shibboleth that happy people to tell others that their unhappiness, even their misery, is their own fault. āWeāre not to blame. Fate is not blame. You are.ā An easy way to write off less fortunate others.ā¦
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Homeless Plants?
My anxiety isnāt just for me losing my home, Itās also about my possibility of my plants losing their home. Most low-income housing that Iāve seen has no balconies. So, what would I do with my plants if I have to move to such a place?
For most of every year I have a mini jungle on my small balcony. There is barely enough room for both me and my plants.
My autumn fern is about ready to take overā¦
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The Seven-hour Lunch
Itās a Latvian thing. Itās apparently a French thing, too. Peter Mayle wrote in his bestselling book, A Year in Provence, that he and his wife closed the deal for the house they were purchasing over a five-hour lunch. It was probably such a short lunch because it was a business lunch. No doubt itās an Italian thing, too.. Possibly this sort of lunch happens in all of Europe and maybe even Southā¦
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