3 Festive Winter Wines: Flora Springs “Holiday Kisses” and Bubbles Too
happy happy happy happy
Welcome winter! Welcome light! Happy holidays! Happy Hanukkah, Happy Omisoka, Happy Jul, Happy New Year, Merry Christmas, Merry Saturnalia, and everything else to you all!
How better to celebrate all of these special moments with friends and family than with some bubbles… and a really great Cabernet Sauvignon? And while a “Holiday Cabernet” just might pair well with the relatives, what are some other pairing ideas?
Thinking beyond turkey and ham (for which I usually go for zinfandel and here are some recommendations from Lodi), Sue and I took to the task the other day by putting together charcuterie and other appetizers, and tasting three festive wines that have holiday wrappings. Reviews and recipes below.
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I got the best, early Christmas present the other day when I heard that a new poetry manuscript by Paul Squires came out.
Titled The Architecture of Water, it’s a sort of “best of” collection from Paul’s blog GingaTao which Paul felt was his ‘masterwork’: indeed, The National Library of Australia describes it as ‘a work of significance and long term research value’ and has archived it. His friend Brad Fredricksen of Maekitso Cafe writes:
“To own The Architecture of Water is to hold a particular manifestation of Gingatao in the form of a narrative, or a guided tour if you like; not so much a selection of highlights (though every selection is), but rather an example of just one of the many ways it is possible to grasp Paul’s non-linear work of art in a linear fashion.”
Welcome Winter! Welcome Light!
Solstice eve sunset by Melissa Navarro
Like the solstice eve sunset, life is ephemeral, swift in its passing.
In the northern hemisphere, winter solstice takes place on or about December 21, and is the moment when the sun is at its southernmost position. The sun hangs low and weak in the sky during daylight hours, and daytime shadows are the longest.
Solstice eve in Ventura photo by Bethena Nuzback
In 2016, that takes place today, December 21, and with this day, the long nights begin to get shorter, and the short days begin to get longer. It is a time to gather together, to get ready for the light, a time to resist complacency, to transition from dark to light. Events and rituals below.
solstice eve sunset by Ventura City Council member Carl Morehouse
Acknowledging this passage through solstice rites is one of our oldest celebrations, Read more…
Never Alone
“When we sit, we are never alone because all the saints and bodhisattvas… are there with us. Meditating mindfully means contact and continuity with a long tradition. To sit means to be assisted and held. when Buddha sat on the earth, it was as if he sat in a lap. It is the same for us,” writes Donald Richo in How to be an Adult in Relationships.
Life can be exhausting and we can feel like we are struggling through it all alone. Read more…
Let It Snow! Happy Holidays 2016!
It’s December 1 which means:
- It’s officially holiday season so you start that advent calendar and eat the chocolate!
- It’s snowing on my blogs!
- It’s gonna snow at the beach in Ventura this weekend!
On Poetry And Healing What’s Broken
Poet Christian Elder reads in Ventura Th. Dec. 1 7:30pm
This December, the 7:30pm Thursday night poetry series at the EP Foster library in the Topping Room (651 E. Main Street, Ventura) features three top notch poets, and my students and I will be there also. Read more…
Grateful for #Wine Day: #Carménère Day This Thanksgiving 2016
What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving? What wine you be enjoying wine with your Thanksgiving dinner? Cheers!
Happy birthday, Carménère!
And yes we’re celebrating another “wine day” in November! Following Merlot Day, Tempranillo Day, and Zinfandel Day comes Carménère Day on November 24 which is also Thanksgiving in the United States.
And wine is definitely something that I am grateful for this Thanksgiving!
But why is Carménère Day on Thanksgiving?Had you even heard of Carménère wine or Carménère Day?
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RIP Leon Russell 1942-2016
Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) by Ron Wells.
My first real arena concert was seeing Leon Russell in the early 70’s in Long Beach, CA.
It was here where I really learned the power of a rock concert thanks to Leon’s playing along with his powerful band and back-up singers. The show was recorded for a three album set called Leon Live, which I still own today. Read more…
A Retreat for Veteran’s Day 2016
Thank you to our Veterans for their service. Cheers!
Veteran’s Day is always celebrated on November 11–to remember the last day of the “Great War,” and those who fought in it, and wars before and since. Like Independence Day, it is not and should not be one of our holidays that we insist on turning into a three day weekend… even though this year it is!
For Veteran’s Day,
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A Tribute to Leonard Cohen, RIP: A man whose songs were like cracks that let light in
A Tribute to Leonard Norman Cohen (21 September 1934 – 10 November 2016)
by guest blogger Ron Wells
From “That’s No Way to Say Goodbye” by Leonard Cohen:
I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm
Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm
Yes, many loved before us, I know that we are not new
In city and in forest, they smiled like me and you
But now it’s come to distances and both of us must try
Your eyes are soft with sorrow
Hey, that’s no way to say goodbye
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