Big Box

Hello World, Happy December! Of course, everyone is aware (except for the godless Communists and KGB agents monitoring my email - and whose name is legion, heaven knows) that the 29th was the first Sunday in Advent already, so you can tell that we're well on our way to the bona fide heart of the holiday season, and no mistake, by jingle. After that, there's only 3 Sundays left before the holliest and jolliest of holidays, so anyone who's not planning to sit this one out on the 25th (and please don't think that the Druids and dinosaurs and I don't know who you are) had better step lively and hop to it, before the sugar-plum cavalcade steps its last hop, or hops its last step - and don't spare the eggnog, my good man! In other holiday news, we took advantage of having Black Friday off from work to indulge in a late Thanksgiving at the log cabin with my sister in the woods, and having 4 days off in a row really worked in our favor for that to happen. With short notice, and a lot of other things going on, we decided not to stay overnight - which turned out to be just as well, since we found out later that they tore down the Super Lodge in Kingston where we used to stay, and somehow decided that the site was better suited to a car dealership, rather than lodging for weary travelers. It would have come as a big surprise if we had been planning to spend the night there, because when we drove past on our way over the river and through the woods, we discovered that the entire place was nothing but a giant hole in the ground, and not a stick left standing from what had been a sizable establishment, including a restaurant and swimming pool besides. In any case, I doubt if the car dealership would let us stay there overnight, if only for old time's sake, even if we agreed to a test drive as part of the bargain. But one thing I do know for sure, it couldn't possibly be any colder than it was as a motel, I dare say. Through chattering teeth, mind you. Thanksgiving at the cabin is always a treat, and we were greeted with open arms by our hosts, with plenty of snacks to start things off, including cinnamon buns hot out of the oven, that needed no prompting for us to scarf them down, believe me. After a suitable interval (during which time, some of us went out to feed carrots to the resident neighborhood horse, who I don't mind saying, was very much in favor of the idea, from all appearances) we stepped up to a veritable smorgasbord of Thanksgiving favorites - like mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, pearl onions, and cranberry sauce - and including organic vegan mushroom gravy, which was surprisingly delicious, compared to what it sounds like. After second helpings (and I see that our old friends the dinosaurs in The Peanut Gallery are all waving frantically and holding up signs about even third helpings by some of us, but frankly, they're notoriously unreliable in their observations) we waddled off to recline on the comfy furniture and enjoy some college football on the big screen TV, which did not disappoint, I can assure you. Watching young men toss around the old pigskin is hungry work, and it wasn't long before the lure of dessert had so completely overwhelmed our lassitude, that there we were, back in the kitchen for more. There was plenty to choose from, with 4 different kinds of pies, fresh fruit salad, nut bars, and the requisite chocolate turkeys, it goes without saying. We followed that up with more college football, which was just as well, since we were just about good for nothing else at that point, and would have been totally unequal to the task of even the most rudimentary games, much less intelligent conversation, and I ought to know. Since we weren't staying over, we took the prudent way out, and packed up before we were too sleepy to move, and actually made it home with no trouble, and what seemed to be unusually light traffic under the circumstances. I would say that we only have our memories to console us now, but fortunately, we came home with such a profusion of left-overs that it will probably be many weeks before we have nothing but our memories to console ourselves with, I shouldn't wonder. Now, where's that chocolate turkey? Speaking of holidays, hard on the veritable heels of Thanksgiving on Thursday, and Black Friday right after that (or if you believe the screaming ads on TV and in the newspaper, Black Friday was also on Thursday and didn't bother to wait for the next day at all) contributing a welcome breath of sanity into the proceedings was Small Business Saturday on the 28th - and I for one am proud to stand up and say, "I'd like to thank all the little people ..... " Of course, proponents of the event invite us to seize this opportunity to support local businesses, who not only employ our neighbors, but also pay taxes in our communities - and survive with determination amid relentless onslaughts from big box stores and online merchants alike. So I hope that everyone made a special effort to get out there on Saturday to patronize a neighborhood deli, nail salon, gas station, bakery, or small retailer of your choice, and help keep the wheels of commerce chugging along like a well-oiled (tiny) Swiss watch. I'll have mine with chocolate, if you don't mind. Also on the local scene, Bill and I actually went to a concert last week, and lived to tell the tale, and not to mention, were much improved culturally by the experience. The organist at my church, the estimable William Eckfeld, has a long and storied career in music, and he was kind enough to send out invitations to the St. Thomas Orchestra Fall Concert, where they would be performing the world premiere of his Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, featuring the renowned cellist Bernard Tamosaitis as soloist. The St. Thomas Orchestra was founded in 2002, consisting of nearly 70 accomplished amateurs ranging in age from 15 to 85, all dedicated to a common commitment of performing great symphonic music and the pursuit of musical excellence. (It goes without saying that you should feel free to visit their web site at www.storchestra.org and see for yourself.) Mr. Eckfeld not only plays the piano, organ and double bass, but is also a talented composer and popular educator, serving as Orchestra Director at White Plains High School for almost 30 years. Besides his concerto, there was the Symphony No. 2 in D major, Opus 43 by Jean Sibelius, and rounding out this program of Modern Masters was "An American in Paris" by the legendary George Gershwin. Frankly, it was a good thing they included that last one, and people can call me a Philistine if they like, but those other 2 pieces were awfully hard to take - and I might even go so far as to say that they set a new low standard in the long-and-boring category. But the orchestra was very good nonetheless, and the White Plains High School Concert Auditorium was comfortable, with surprisingly good acoustics. There was a reception afterward, where eager volunteers offered snacks, or sold jewelry, tote bags or CDs as fund raisers for the orchestra. We sprang for one of the CDs, and while I have nothing against Wagner or Mahler, I'm afraid without Gershwin to salvage things, I'm thinking it might be more than a Philistine like me could possibly handle, and that's not just the glockenspiel talking, believe me. But after all, they're a small business, and we supported them, so no one can say that we didn't do our part to keep that tiny Swiss watch running on all cylinders and full speed ahead. Can I have my chocolate now? Elle