From the film: Over the past century, farming and the needs of a growing population
have replaced nearly all of Ethiopia’s old-growth forests with
agricultural fields. This film tells the story of the country’s church
forests—pockets of lush biodiversity, protected by hundreds of churches,
that are scattered like emerald pearls across a brown sea of farm
fields.
A cautionary tale to the rest of the world, especially the Amazon, of the effects of deforestation for growing crops and livestock.
There's a saying in the Ethiopian Church: for a church to be a church, it needs to be surrounded by a forest-the forest representing the Garden of Eden.
Kieran Dodds
Murals adorn the interiors dating back 700-900 years ago.These churches represent one of the earliest examples of the Christian church. From Encyclopedia Britannica:
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, autocephalous (meaning the church appoints its own head, not subject to the authority of an external patriarch or archbishop) Oriental Orthodox church in Ethiopia. Headquarters are in Addis Ababa, the country’s capital.
Tradition holds that Ethiopia was first evangelized by St. Matthew and St. Bartholomew in the 1st century ce, and the first Ethiopian convert is thought to have been the eunuch in Jerusalem mentioned in The Acts of the Apostles (8:27–40). Ethiopia was further Christianized in the 4th century ce by two men (likely brothers) from Tyre—St. Frumentius, later consecrated the first Ethiopian bishop, and Aedesius. They won the confidence of the king at Aksum (a powerful kingdom in northern Ethiopia) and were allowed to evangelize. The succeeding king, Ezana, was baptized by Frumentius, and Christianity was made the state religion. Toward the end of the 5th century, nine monks from Syria are said to have brought monasticism to Ethiopia and encouraged the translation of the Scriptures into the Geʿez language.
The Ethiopian church followed the Coptic (Egyptian) church (now called the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria) in rejecting the Christological decision issued by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 ce that the human and divine natures of Jesus Christ were equally present in one person without commingling. Opposed to this dyophysitism, or two-nature doctrine, the Coptic and Ethiopian churches held that the human and divine natures were equally present through the mystery of the Incarnation within a single nature. This position—called miaphysitism, or single-nature doctrine—was interpreted by the Roman and Greek churches as a heresy called monophysitism, the belief that Christ had only one nature, which was divine. The Ethiopian church included into its name the word tewahedo, a Geʿez word meaning “unity” and expressing the church’s miaphysite belief. Like other so-called non-Chalcedonian (also referred to as Oriental Orthodox) churches, it was cut off from dialogue with the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches until the mid-20th century, when many of the Christological disputes that arose from Chalcedon were resolved through ecumenical dialogue.
Two women walk towards Betre Mariam church in the forests of the Zege peninsula, near Lake Tana.
The Cambrian Period was the first geologic period of the Paleozoic Era beginning 538 million years ago lasting 53 million years. On land, Earth was lifeless but underwater, there was an explosion of life, diversity and evolution. Our species lineage can be traced to these earliest creatures.
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I came across a charming folklorish term: A mermaid's purse. This refers to a collagen protein strand casing that surrounds the fertilized eggs of species including some sharks, skates and chimaeras.
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We love Buddy's open desire for belly rubs and wonder how he became this way. None of our former cats would tolerate much intrusion in this area of their body. I had this fanciful thought the other day: perhaps when he was in the wild, Buddy had a puppy friend. Now, dogs are huge lovers of belly rubs and I wondered if lonely kitten Buddy, seeing all the attention his friend was getting, decided to imitate him. Bud is quite intelligent especially when it comes to problem solving, so this theory seems plausible. At any rate, this behavior is something that helped cement our falling in love with this big guy.
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Another nugget I just learned (or had forgotten, always something to consider when you are North of 60): thesaurus in Greek is thēsauros meaning treasury. An apt name if I have ever seen one.
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Boxing day: this morning, it was 50° and the squirrels were busy at The Diner.
Freddie and Stubbs
Squirrel Nutkin
All our diners have been looking well-fed. I wonder if this season will become known at the Fat Winter by our wild neighbors.
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Buddy enjoying his new catnip delivery vehicle, Mr. Chameleon. A new phrase in our lexicon: partaking the chameleon.
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And now, for a bit of buzzkill:
Wa Wa
Authoritarian cruelty, Russian style.
Opposition leader Alexey Navalny disappeared for two weeks leaving his allies frantically searching for him. Finally, word arrived that he had been transferred to an distant gulag located above the Arctic Circle known for two seasons: very cold and mosquito. Evidently, Putin, with "elections" close at hand wanted to make sure Navalny was as isolated and incommunicado as possible. It will take his allies 44 hours to reach him by train from Moscow.
Alexey Navalny
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We've crossed a threshold in this country where bad behavior by people in the public area is no longer controlled by shame. In the past, those who violated widely accepted community standards, were shamed by public opinion into resigning, retiring, deciding to spend more time with their families. Now, some have learned if they can stand the heat, this gives them leverage. They simply say "fuck you" and continue to do what they are doing. This is why all the court cases in the country are so important right now. The rule of law is one of the final barriers preventing the country turning into a Fascist, violent, chaotic mess. What is just as alarming is that this concept has spread across the planet thanks to Trump etal and the numbers of dictator wannabes are proliferating. A very toxic and dangerous plague is upon us. 2024 already is looking to be a nasty shit-show. Buckle up and good luck to us all.
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Fun fact: the highest flying bird is the Bar Headed Geese who are known to fly over Mt. Everest while migrating from China to India. The highest recorded altitude is 30,500 feet.
These geese have evolved to develop better lung capacity, better gas transferal systems and a tolerance for low oxygen environments among other things to successfully fly at high altitudes.
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By and large in most bird species, only the males sing. Notable exceptions in our area are the red-winged blackbird, Northern cardinal and rose breasted grosbeak.
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Cindy Goeddel
How foxes hunt in snow: they will jump straight up in the air, sometimes several feet, and plunge headfirst into the snow with their mouth wide open. If the attack was successful, the fox will emerge from the snow with the prey in its mouth.
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Madagascan folktale: How the Baobob Tree got its shape.
When the gods finished planting life on Earth and went home, they discovered that they had forgotten to plant the Baobob trees. Now, planting all that life on an entire planet is exhausting work even for gods so they were tired and in need of rest and refreshment. So, they simply threw the trees down to Earth from the heavens and headed for the pub.
I thought this was charming and struck by its concept through observation: what happens to objects dropped from a distance as they accelerate. There's a visual aspect-foreshortening. Items coming down look thicker at the nearest point to the viewer and anything on top, due to the speed, tend to fold upward.
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Our traditional tree topper is a very old angel ornament named Mirandi made of spun glass, an early word for fiberglass. It was given to me by my parents who had it for years. The earliest photo I could find is from 1957 but I think it is older. Its box has no date printed by the manufacturer, although I found one identical online stating it was from the 1930's. But, the company may not have updated the box for years, so who knows. The company was founded in 1888 in Manitowoc, WI as a early ornament and toy maker. It was sold and reorganized as the National Tinsel Co. in 1918 and ended the toy program. Today, the company is known as Santa's Best, located in West Chester, PA.
I do not know about where the name Mirandi came from. I have a feeling the true name is Miranda, with little Jeffrey preferring the ending "di" to "da". My mother was quite well-read and I could see her using a character from Shakespeare's The Tempest especially since Miranda is a strong woman and that would have appealed to her.
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"Space Guitar" from 1954 by Johnny "Guitar" Watson. He was one of the pioneers in the use of feedback and reverb, influencing many future guitarists such as Guitar Slim, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa and Stevie Ray Vaughan. His style moved with the times from southern blues to urban blues to funk. He was known for a theatrical swagger onstage and stylish clothes. He died in 1996 during a performance in Yokohama, Japan and is barely known or remembered by the general public today.
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Jumping off a perfectly good cliff. I don't have the cojones to ever do this or parachute or paraglide. I have, however, gone soaring in a fixed wing glider. Much safer and a lot of fun.
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English satire:
Monty Python Olympics: Upper Class Twit of the Year
We were both up early for Christmas Day and finishing up with the gifting and feasting around 9.30 am, C suggested that we go for a walk. We drove to Sharp Park, just North of Lansing Mall where the trailhead for a paved, East/West path is located. It is mainly wooded running through housing developments. It was in the high 40's, wet from overnight drizzle with a light wind. The sun was trying to break out.
Early Winter colors
Curious looking vine enclosing this tree trunk
Willow leaves
Unusual bark pattern
Starlings breaking out of their murmuration
Carrier Creek-taken from bridge about a mile upstream from my old office which overlooked the stream-see Nov. 18 post.
Robins! Been mild for them and there has been plenty of crab apples for them to dine on
Nice red-tipped shrubs-a dogwood variety?
A dead tree shedding its bark like a snake leaves its skin
A trio of squirrels high in the trees
Some kind of ground cover, not sure if it is native-could not ID it with anything online
What luck! A pilated woodpecker, the largest MI woody-can grow to be the size of a crow!
His stash hole?
From the web-this is what initially caught my eye as it flew across my line of sight-beautiful B/W markings with a red head. Snazzy!
Old tree
Moss on rotting trunk that looks like a dinosaur skull
When we emerged from the woods, the sun was out and warm on our faces. 50°- my car thermometer read. A pleasant day for 25th of December.
One gift I put together was a formal portrait of his Lordship. I came across a woman graphic artist in London UK who does pet pictures. There are a number of outfits to choose from from a variety of time periods and for both genders. I supplied a photo of our Buddy and she did the rest. There are sites in America who do this but I liked the quality of her details.
Of course, his Lordship's portrait hangs in the library.
It was Buddy’s first Christmas with us. As in years past with Bin on Christmas Eve after C had turned in, we sat in front of the fire waiting for Ole Nick. Vince Guaraldi played quietly playing on the tube. Bud was curled up, his nose on his tail, eyes closed.The night’s feast had been delicious and Bud was treated to a fresh can evening. Outside it was chilly, the sky was a bright grey overcast. No snow.
I had just put on a new log and sat down when I heard the bells. DHS’s head jerked up with his ears forward.Tis ok, Buddy, we’re having a visitor and he brings decent treats I told him. I saw his eyes widen so I turned my head in time to see a large shape emerge from the tree-lit library into the firelight of the Great Room.
J-Hola Nick! Good to see you-come and sit down. Take a load off. Now, Buddy, there’s no need to run.
N-(grinning as he sits on the loveseat) Feliz navidad, Jeff! How is your beautiful wife?
J-Beautiful as ever-having a long Winter’s nap.
Buddy was still next to me but eyeing Ole Nick intently.
N-Hello there big guy. I knew you when you were at the House of 100 cats. Poor soul, that lady. You were up in the rafters but you purred when I gave you a scritch and a treat. Do you remember me?
I could sense Buddy relaxing.
J-How go the deliveries?
N-On schedule as always. We can still kick Amazon’s butt globally and I always give that Bezos two lumps of coal in his stocking.
J-You give Mr. Environmentalist coal for Christmas?
N-(shrugging) Naughty or nice-that’s how it works and you don’t need algorithms to figure it out.
J-Wow. Um, I have forgotten my manners. Would you care for a bit of refreshment, sir?
N-How very kind of you. I’ll have what you are having- Mother’s milk (chuckling)? The usual?
J-No, I’m finishing off a bottle of cognac I bought to flavor a couple of recipes.
N-Which kind?
J-Rémy Martin.
He nodded in approval.
I went over to the china cabinet to pull out a glass and poured Ole Nick a healthy dram. He took a nice swig and as he did so, Buddy jumped down and went over to sniff his boots.
N-(chuckling) Smells like something you can’t quite put your paws on? It’s reindeer.
Buddy jumped onto the loveseat next to Ole Nick who began to give him scritches. We quietly sipped our drinks and watched the fire.
N-I was extra efficient over the past couple of hours to give me some time to spend with you. I have news from your departed friends.
J-You do?? How are they??
N-Safely into their new lives. Madame and the dancing Calico are back in France.
J-Awww.
N-Madame arrived as a full Chartreux back at the farm where she was first born and is a new mother. The Calico lives in Paris, of course, and is an only cat for a female grad student at the Sorbonne. It’s funny when in comes to recycling, some folks are explorers and some prefer a well-trodden path. They both said to send you and your wife their love.
J-And send ours when you see them next year. And Bin?
I poured another dram for both of us.
N-A very old soul, that one. Unlike this one here (giving Buddy a belly rub) he’s very young. Just a few recycles under his belt.
J-Is that why he does not speak like the others?
N-Yes, in part. His is an ancient lineage-the tabby’s go back to the original cats. More than any other breed, they retain the wildness of their ancestors. For some, not speaking is a way of honoring them, to stay wild even while living with your species. Others are too frightened to speak fearing what humans would do to them. Cats have been mistreated over the centuries. Then, there those like Bin. Fearless and an explorer.
J Where is he?
N-Ha! He lives with a fishmonger in Germany. Madame and the Calico always had a gripe with him, feeling that he hung out too much with the working class. But Bin maintains that they have the best grub!
J-(laughing) That’s my Bin alright. He loved his grub. A fish monger, lol-he always was a fishy cat. J-What about Minn, Madame’s son?
N-Another fearless explorer. He recycled to Istanbul and not surprisingly, is doing well as a street cat. That is a very catcentric society.
J-I do miss them all. Last year was very hard with Madame.
N-Yes, Your wife was quite upset and since am in the business, I decided to give her a gift.
J-???
N-Madame was on her deathbed and I knew how tough it would be for her Mum. So, I left a gift and that gift was inspiration to go to the store on New Years Morning and get a new cat. And that cat turned out to be this guy (rubbing Buddy’s belly). I remembered his struggles and I thought it would be a good match. I had an inkling your wife would fall in love with him and it looks like I was right. Endless belly rubs! How can you resist?
We both laughed.
J-Nick the matchmaker!
N-I do many things.(smiling) Spreading joy and giving.
Outside, there was a jingle of bells.
N-Well, my master’s voice. Worst thing about capitalism: administrators!
We were standing, finishing the last of our drinks and he handed me his glass. I leaned forward and gave him a hug. He smelled like my mother’s kolache baking.
J-That was a wonderful gift for both of us.
N-You were grieving too.
J-Yes.
J-Thanks for stopping by with the news from our old crew.
N-You are most welcome.
His eyes twinkled in the firelight. He reached down and rubbed Buddy’s ear.
N-And you young man, I haven’t forgotten about you.
And in a barely perceptible wave of his hand, he produced a tiny canapé of caviar on a slice of salmon, neatly placed on a napkin. Buddy let out a squeak of joy and sat down and politely ate his treat.
J-Thanks, man. Safe travels!
N-Go well my friend.
He turned and walked back into the treelit library, waved and disappeared. His Lordship let out a tiny burb. We sat on the sofa watching the fire.
J-I’m so glad you came to live with us I murmured. Buddy has brought C and I such joy. Indeed, we are firm believers that a house without a cat is not a home. We are a family.
Buddy curled up next to me and closed his eyes as I stroked his soft warm fur. I sat for awhile, thinking about it all. Buddy murmured, dreaming. The wind had come up, high in the trees and I wondered if some snow might fall. I quietly slid off of the couch, bade Buddy good night, turned off the tree lights and headed to bed and dreamland.
