Tuesday, December 25, 2012

A Christmas Legend 2012

Veiled Bear

Dear Family and Friends,

The above link might have the story with more elegant formatting.  May you have a wonderful holiday.

With warmth and light,

William

Here is the story below, too:

The Veiled Bear:  A Christmas Legend
William Dolde, Christmas 2012

Prefatory Biographical Remarks
Billy loved his stuffed animals.  As he grew towards teenagerhood, he lined his bedroom carpet with masking tape to create football gridirons or baseball diamonds; on these fields Pengy and Leo the Lion would step forth as cynosures of excellence, sportsmanship, and endurance.  Eventually Billy flowed into Bill, and the animals dispersed to share light and joy with other children.  Then came Freshman year at Yale:  Calvin the stuffed polar bear arrived to share his light with Bill, who carried him around more than an undergraduate might be expected to.  While Bill (who was also known as Herr Dolde and Willi from his German classes) would eventually read Brideshead Revisited, this did not provide the initial impulse for Calvin's proximity.  It wasn't anxiety.  It was definitely eccentricity, quirkiness--and perhaps Romance, Love, Idealism.   Perhaps carrying around a stuffed bear was the perfect next step to allow everything else to come to flow into Bill's experience.  More polar bears came.  As a summer mentor for high school seniors, Bill discovered that the fluffy polar bears soothed mentees and allowed them to relax into their social and academic potential.   Out of this came the stories "Murray and the Tornado" and "Murray and the Christmas Story," and a tradition of yearly Christmas stories.  Before Nicolas and Hershey, remarkable retrievers who regarded all stuffed animals (and boots, and food, and Christmas Geese, and bagels from strangers) as property of dogs, encouraged the polar bear family to migrate and spread their joy elsewhere, Jon Miller--Bill's comrade from his literary grad school days in Iowa--presented Bill with Gorey's print, "A Future Unremembered Poet of the 17th Century Receives a Christmas Cookie from the Great Veiled Bear."  When Bill became a Waldorf nursery and kindergarten teacher,  children called teachers by first name--sometimes inserting a "Mr."--and "Mr. Bill" lacking the gravitas one might hope for from a teacher of young hearts and minds, William was born (or reborn, since this was always also his name).  Christmas Stories persisted, though without polar bears.  Now, almost 20 years after Bill received the Gorey print, Murray the polar bear has reconnected with William to explicate.

The Legend of the Veiled Bear and the Christmas Cookie
There had been many before him.  His great grandfather's great grandfather, living the miracle of clear fur on black skin that shines white to the eye, already knew that Light is always around us.  A stream of love, well being, joy is there for us to allow in.  This news must be spread, so down from the snowy mountains he ran to tell the villagers (who were toiling in the Dark Ages).  "A monster!" they screamed as they fled in terror.

His grandson realized that too much joy all at once, like too much light on our retinas when we awaken in a lighted room, can startle.  It is OK to cover the light; the light always flows when you are ready for it.  He sewed a veil to soften his brightness and tried to spread the good news again.  "A monster in a veil!" screamed the villagers as they fled further away.

That bear's grandson knew humor and wonder would help the villagers laugh, relax, and be able to see the light, so he invented ice skates and learned to twirl and flip.  Now, surely, the villagers could get the message.  So down to the village he skated in his veil.  "A monster in a veil that flies across the ice!" they screamed as they fled further away (fortunately for the bears, this was before the days of trains, cars, or airplanes, so the villagers were never able to move that far away).

As that bear's grandson grew up, he heard stories of a child born in a stable who would bring light to the world.  This child's light was always there; people celebrated his birth every Christmas to remember that the peace and joy is always there for us. This wise bear realized that the villagers fled not because they were scared, but because they had not asked the question yet:  we hear what we are ready to hear.  So instead of traveling, the veiled bear baked Christmas Cookies.  Lots of cookies:  abundance is everywhere.  "Let those intrigued by the aroma come to me," he thought.  The cookies would preserve the light; we can let it in now, or choose to wait to eat our cookies.  While most villagers remained aloof, a poet sallied forth.  He made the trek to the home of the Veiled Bear.  In calm elation, the Veiled Bear presented him with a Christmas Cookie, confident that the villagers would now know that the light was always already around them. 

The poet, alas, was born 200 years too soon.  Had he been a contemporary of Romantics like Keats and Shelley and Byron, we might all have known how much light and joy and goodness is always ready to come to us, if we just turn to it--as slowly as we need to--, if we just find joy in the simple act of nibbling of a cookie.  Constricted by the poetic conventions of the 17th century, overshadowed by Milton's masterpieces of Paradise and Inferno, this poor poet has long been forgotten.  Since that time, fortunately, bears have learned to write, so they can now send assurance that all is well, light is flowing, joy is here.  We don't have to let it all in at once.  Like grandmom's fruitcake, we can save the Christmas Cookie for as long as we want to; it is always there for us.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Liam and perspective

Liam produces such an abundance of art that finding one picture to present the essence of his work is folly.  Fool that I am, here is one he brought home from school recently.  You see some perspective drawings around the perimeter.  He has not yet been taught this at school.


Liam inverted

Liam asked that I take this picture.  I think I published a similar picture of Crispin a year ago.


Friday, December 21, 2012

Boys at the Nutcracker

We enjoyed two Nutcracker performances this year, one on the island, and the Sendak version in Seattle (which we've seen for three years now).  The Sendak version brings back elements from Hoffmann's story.  With the wonder of public domain volunteers, it has been easy for Crispin and me to read a free version of Hoffman's story on the tablet.

A benefit of seeing multiple versions is that it liberates the boys--if the boys needed such liberation at all--from recreating any specific version of the Nutcracker when they stage versions of it at home.  Over the past couple of weeks, they have staged multiple versions at home.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Crispin and the Downward Dog

Dear Folks,

St. Nicholas (who visits December 6) brought the boys nutcrackers (actual ones that crack nuts) and dad a yoga mat.  Crispin was quick to try out the mat.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Liam and his bookmark

Kelly took this photo of Liam at the library's celebration for bookmark contest winners.  She reports that both boys recognized the keynote speaker.

In other literary matters, the boys and I just concluded Watership Down, and we all really enjoyed this fairly intense, well-written, magical book about rabbits.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Uncle Fester

The boys and have enjoyed Halloween type musicals very much, watching Wicked once and The Addams Family twice (availing ourselves of the inexpensive "see it a second time" offer for subscribers). After our 2nd performance, Crispin and I had our photo taken with Uncle Fester:

Friday, October 26, 2012

Pirates of the Ribee-ar

This is from a movie and a book that Crispin is creating.

Christmas Scene

Created by Crispin. We are having a mellow afternoon and evening together. His brother is on a field trip to Sunfield Farm on the Olympic Peninsula. We will pick Liam up at 8pm.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Pumpkins and illness

Crispin has croup, sounds terrible, yet we had a delightful day rereading Winnie the Pooh and carving a pumpkin.


Saturday, October 6, 2012

Crispin and costumes

Crispin has been dressing stuffed animals up in prep for Halloween.  He also made his own card in imitation of his grandmother's card he just received.


Monday, September 24, 2012

Sept 27a.pdf

Hi,

This newsletter has a picture of Crispin toward the back.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

9.16.12.pdf

Hi Folks,

It seemed I wasn't able to lift the photo out. Here is the newsletter link. You can skip towards the back to find Liam.


http://www.wiws.org/docs/9.16.12.pdf

Liam's photo is school newlsetter

Liam's 3rd grade class has been volunteering in the garden at the local food bank.  His photo was in the most recent newsletter, and he wanted family to be able to see it.

page4image11652

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Lovely campground

At Deception Pass


Deception Pass Camping

It has been quite pleasant to have an overnight camping trip with the boys at Deception Pass State Park, at the north end of Whidbey Island.

Both boys found great pleasure in setting up the big tent and building a campfire. Steaks cooked over the open flame were delicious, and--always demonstrating that our tastes and interests vary with a wonderful variety--Crispin and Liam eschewed the traditional smores and instead used my bbq tongs to roast tortilla chips individually throughout the meal. We will have steak and sausage over the open flame for breakfast (with fruits and veggies).

Liam several times reflected back how much he was enjoying the trip. I have such fond memories from my childhood of taking long walk with my family and their friends, and the four children having fun on our own in the woods. Liam and Crispin hike so much at school, and Crispin has seemed a little (though energetic) guy, that I have not found myself naturally thinking of a hike with the boys as a fun activity for all 3 of us (instead it was more in the realm of a healthy activity for us). With the pretty views and private coves and climbing activities, the boys found things to give them delight.

After our breakfast, we will hike the opposite way from our camp site toward a beach with a lot of tide pools and anemones. Then off to Langley for an 11am acupuncture appointment.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Back at the tree house


Back on Spooky Whidbey

The boys and I travelled without incident and arrived at 2am. I continue to enjoy a sense of vitality that allows me to type this atttttttttttttt 6 in the morningggggggggggg without making typosssssssssssssss. They have been created haunted amusement rides around my apartment with zeal, enthusiasm, fervor. I want to send thanks to all grandparents who allowed them to make messes as they allowed creation to flow through them.

With thanks and appreciation,

William

Friday, August 3, 2012

Crispin the pirate


taller at the splash pad

With pleasure the boys frolicked at the splash pad park before joining our family for a farewell dinner at the Sebastian golf club, before we commenced a gloriously smooth journey north to VA and CT via car.

You could compare the heights of the fellows here to photos from previous years.


With Bellies


Crispin and a lasso

Taken at Warm Hearth Village on VA.


Thursday, August 2, 2012

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Rudolph Valentino

In Daniel Pinkwater's Yggyssey, the ghost of Rudolph Valentino plays a prominent role.   Among the many delights of Disney World last Friday was a comedy show featuring a cute, green, one eyed monster named Mike Wazowski, from the movie Monsters, Inc.

Crispin is fond of drawing and dressing as this little monster, and he brings a laugh every time he refers to this monster as Rudolph Valentino. 


Thursday, July 26, 2012

By Liam

Part Mexican Day of the Dead, part fairy tale.


Battle Game by Crispin


Rocket Car by Crispin


Ghost Targets by Crispin

A game from his amusement park.


A Theme Park created by Liam

He had a beautiful story of each ride he intoned to himself as he composed this.


Creating Amusement Parks

As we honor beloved Grandpop by living life to the fullest, the boys become more and more comfortable swimming, splashing, putting their heads in water, and giving me an intensely delightful or delightfully intense workout.

To unwind from these aquatic athletics, they've been drawing a great many pictures of rides they are creating for their own amusement parks.


Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Desserts on a surfboard

Key Lime and Mud Pie at the Sand Bar.


Crab Soup and a burger

The boys and I ate dinner at Hiram's, at a table I've sat at with Grandpop a few times.  Here Liam hams it up for the camera with his big bowl of crab soup.

Liam ordered a hamburger for dinner, something Grandpop has been ordering at Hiram's often or exclusively during times I've dined with him there.

As I boxed Liam's burger, which he hardly put a dent in, I had and am having a sweet memory of the almost inevitable moment during which Grandpop slides his burger, which he has hardly put a dent in, authoritatively onto my plate.  Good thing I like leftover burgers for breakfast, which I do.


Sleepy in Charlotte


Monday, July 23, 2012

Arresting the big red dog

Crispin and Henry have arrested Clifford.


FBI Crispin

Crispin received this shirt from Grandpa Bob.  He then put together this police dog costume for Henry.


Saturday, July 21, 2012

Crispin the Flower

Liam and Crispin have been deliciously helpful this week as we have spruced up the deck at my apartment.  Here Crispin enjoys being a flower at Bayview Farm and Garden.


Saturday, July 14, 2012

Crispin and Dickens and Memory


Crispin has been a trooper at dental appointments for a couple of small cavities, and spent a couple of hours creating a spaceship for a tiny alien with parachute he received as a prize from the dentist:



The door opens, and his alien can go inside. On the lower right is bamboo; before the stick broke, he could move the ship as a puppeteer might.

The boys and I have enjoyed Daniel Pinkwater's novel, The Adventures of the Cat-Whiskered Girl, tremendously, and Crispin spent a good deal of time creating this collage of a haunted castle that is visited by feline spaceships.



Daniel Pinkwater is (was) a regular visitor to NPR's Saturday Weekend Edition to talk children's books with Scott Simon. He was also, I believe, a frequent caller on Car Talk, and Click and Clack created something like a Pinkwater index to indicate whether a certain type of car could accommodate drivers with a wide berth. Although I know of Pinkwater for years, I had not read any of his many children's books until a few months ago. He is a joy to read. He writes books of varying lengths. At present, we are enjoying his longer novels such as Cat Whiskered Girl, the Neddiad, and The Artsy-Smartsy Club. His prose is tasty and vivid, he inserts many overt and covert references to classical literature and makes it cool and fun to love the great books of the past, and like a funny Magical Realist, his plots, with strong inner consistency, get really weird and wonderful really quickly. He is able to bring together aliens, ancient gods who want to destroy the world, ghosts, and the more while maintaining a Dickensian optimism and buoyancy in his books. You know everything will be surprising, and all will be well.

I had the pleasure of listening to A Tale of Two Cities. Although this book is famous, I have read it only once before, 26 years ago or so in 10th grade with Joe Ball (a poet who told me that the nice thing about getting old and reading books was that you didn't have to keep reading a book you didn't like). I can still remember composing folk songs based on the novel and singing "I'm a Tigress when I walk. . ." in my Madame Defarge song. It was a pleasure to observe myself to see how much I remembered (the spilled wine portending blood in the French revolution, Madame Defarge knitting, Sidney Carton's final lines and generous sacrifice) and how much I had forgotten or never really attended to 26 years ago (Dr. Manet's condemnation while in the Bastille; how Madame Defarge was related to the abuses of the aristocracy).

Two Cities is a much shorter novel than Bleak House, David Copperfield, Little Dorritt, Nicholas Nickelby, all of which I've enjoyed these past 18 months. Perhaps because of this, or perhaps Dickens really wanted to intensify the images of revolution of and the guillotine, Two Cities is not peppered with a motley assortment of eccentric and silly characters--people who prove to be both endearing and, through narrative persistence and intuition, essential to the plot some 500 pages or 24 hours of listening later. After Dombey, I plan to listen to the 57 hour Les Miserables; then I'll be able to tell Crispin and Liam what occurs in the 54 hours cut out of the 3 hour blockbuster musical we enjoy so much.