Full Black Drink Moon

 Full moon rises grandly yesterday, today and friday, with thursday, today, being the coolest as the moon rises as the sun sets. So don't try to figure it out just enjoy the phenomenon triplet and be sure you have enough tart red on hand to make it through all three days. YeeeeeHawwwww!

I really cannot speak for David Lee but I suspect he is as excited as I am that the wicked witch is gone. About damned time! Yes I mean our esteemed former President. Maybe David will begin writing poetry again in earnest.

Margaret, though, has been working y'all:

We've learned that quiet isn't always peace 

And the norms and notions 
of what just is 
Isn't always just-ice 

Amanda Gorman, The Hill We Climb Inaugural Poem 

These words from Amanda Gorman hit a nerve. As a white woman raised in the south in the 60’s and 70’s, Just Is was a part of the thread that wove the fabric of racism in our time. Echoes of that’s just the way it is rang through the school hallways I walked, the places we shopped, the neighborhood streets we rode. The only dark faces I saw were our maids and their children.  

Desegregation didn’t happen until I was in the 4th grade, 1971. I remember having no school for two weeks while the scramble to mix it up began. That was fun for us kids. When we returned to school, there were new faces, new teachers. My favorite was Miss Love. She was a large black woman with a great bosom for hugging you close. She gave us one of my favorite assignments, a state project. I chose Maine because the capital city is Augustus, my birthday month (of course!). I have never gone to Maine but have a special place for it in my heart because of Miss Love. 

Change is easy for kids. Children don't really know racism. I didn't when I was ten. But now, in retrospect, I see more clearly how "just is" was not "justice." I cannot change the past. None of us can. But we can do better when we know better,

Do the best you can until

you know better.

Then when you know better,

do better.  

          Maya Angelou

          (this one is a repeat)

Thanks Margaret, that was wonderful!

What is this January 28th? kind of early but things are kicking off in the plant world. More and More Swamp Red Maples blooming, Red Buckeye are popping buds hear and there. Elm flowers should be right behind. Spring is sprung!

I finally figgered out what kind of hawk has been keeping my laying hens honest, songbirds on their toes and rodent numbers in line. Red Shoulder Hawk, I finally got a good look at it. Lots of loud maniacal screaming and moving about and just limb sitting. The Blue Jays are always upset, which is good for them they deserve that I figger. My two acres of woods and two acres of meadow are perfectly sited on the Teche Ridge (high ground), with the wooded (for miles) Bayou Teche corridor across the street in the east and the bottom-land hardwood Lake Tasse Swamp in the West (for miles), my rectangular piece of Earth functions as a beautiful wildlife connector-corridor. A perfect storm y'all! Yup, my fool neighbors mowing way too damned much grass, they missing the show!

Time for a Kai Siedenburg poem y'all:

The peace

of the forest

overcomes me.

I surrender

willingly.

That grand hawk is wonderful to marvel at, and with COVID freeing me of my schedule to a certain degree, I am home more than normal so the wonder never stops, Winter Hummingbirds daily and so much more. Thank you Lord! With our elevated temps I see honeybees (EHBs) out often and my tropical sage has never quit blooming nor my big dark purple salvia the Dog gave me, a shout out to da dog!

1-2-21 Mimi and I are in lock down for two weeks, I am + and she is - but she live with me, so.... This in retrospect has been a blessing, she is not allowed to teach again until 1-18-21 therefore she has been gifted the time to spend time tending her dying brother and she is not wasting any of it. We feel so grateful for this.

1-17-21 Louisiana's Arbor Day Friday, 1-15-21, Mimi and I wrapped up in Mike's passing and Memorial service but we did plant a Memorial American Elm at her dad, Ollie's assisted living. My excellent assistant shovel hand even sang a patriotic song for our ceremony, America.

OK, so I'll admit that I'm a closet Jan Risher fan, I pretty much like everything she writes. Jan has a weekly gig in the award winning Acadiana Advocate newspaper, my new favorite. Recently she told a story about meeting a South African musician dancer, Tinker was his name,  at a story telling conference in Scotland 3-4 years ago. Whew, that is a lot of getting around Jan! 

Jan and Tinker began a friendship after being together in a small group session as part of the conference. My take-away point was that the man was amazed at the food served at the conference, at least three times a day. He told her the in SA they seldom eat more than once per day and at times not every day. Can you imagine? He was not complaining just expressing his amazement.

Jan left worrying about her new friend but thinking that this was bigger than she. When US festival travel plans for his group fell through, he communicated to her that their families were close to starving. She raised a little money which carried them on for a couple of months. Jan, realizing that this was just a patch, also suggested that Tinker try growing some of his food. He said he had no experience doing that and knew not where to start. Jan suggested he speak to the elder women of his tribe, now is that cool or what? Go Jan!

He did and they succeeded and loved the flavor of their self-grown food and no longer want to be just musicians, they are farmers too. Is that cool or what? Jan, good thinking!

I know you guys pretty well, you are wondering what the hey is all of the Full Black Drink Moon stuff all about? Well OK, you asked for it.

I have a favorite student, KD. KD is an army veteran, a wounded veteran. I believe all combat veterans are wounded but KD has the scars to show you. KD got his in Afghanistan. I honor him.

Anyway KD listens to me most of the time and we talk back and forth inside and out of class. At some point I mentioned the great name of Yaupon Holly, the real name, Ilex (for holly) vomitoria (for vomit). Another common name is the Indian Black Drink, it seems the Atakapa used it to purge themselves before special events (medicinally an emetic) by brewing up a stiff batch. Cabeza de Vaca noted in his wanderings that the East Texas Indians (Atakapa) used the dried leaves to make a strong medicial tea, the Black Drink, which had emetic and purgative qualities. Dr Allen notes in his book that Yaupon leaves contains caffeine. He has suggested to me that lightly roasting the leaves in a dry skillet is proper preparation for them. I use a palm full (not a fist full Dog, dat too much!) in producing the tea.

KD decided to try my suggestion and has fallen in love with Yaupon tea, with its "light buttery flavor and aroma like yaupon smells". "Clears your sinuses and improved his hearing". Wow! Thanks for your service and attention KD.

I have to admit that I missed much of that in my brew, but I now drink Yaupon Tea often. I still have not enjoyed the reason for the name, the Black Drink of the Atakapa.

Get out and enjoy that moon, be sure to drag along the kids and old people and a bottle of tart red beverage.

peace love possumhugs

BT