lavalily

The Black Madonna

I have been collecting representations of the Black Madonna for many years. I’m not quite sure what my attraction is, but I suspect it’s because she’s not the untouched virginal White Madonna we often think of at this time of year. The Black Madonna has been through the fires of experience and has survived, each time stronger than ever. I have photographs of paintings, sculptures, icons, and more.

The Black Madonna is a national symbol in Poland, with Polish Catholics making the pilgrimage as often as possible to see her. The story of how she came to be known as the Black Madonna can be found here. You might want to search for a list of countries where the various Black Madonnas can be found.

There is a beautiful essay online by Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox first written in 2006. I highly recommend that article to you. He talks about the “Return of the Black Madonna” as being a sign of our times.

Of all the female religious icons, the Black Madonna is my favorite, and my favorite representation is the Virgen de Guadalupe (Spanish for the “Virgin of Guadalupe”). Most of my collection is about her. I even have a mouse pad with her picture on it, although someone once asked if I didn’t think it was a bit sacrilegious to be running a mouse over her.

I love to light rose-scented candles labeled “Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe” that are very popular with the Mexican population. When I lived in Tucson, I kept one burning on the altar in my entryway at all times. What a warm welcome the smell of roses gave each time I walked in my door.

The photo above is a painting that hangs by my front door of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I also have a huge platter with her image painted on it, that even my Kaimana Kat seemed to love!

There are several books available if you are interested in reading more about the Black Madonna. Three exceptionally good books of all the ones I own are:

1) Longing for Darkness: Tara and the Black Madonna, by China Galland
2) Our Lady of Guadalupe: Faith and Empowerment among Mexican-American Women by Jeanette Rodriquez
3) Dancing in the Flames by Marion Woodman and Elinor Dickson.

I highly recommend any of these for enlightened reading this time of year. You may never think of the Madonna in the same way again.

Mele Kalikimaka and a hui hou!

Jalapeño/Artichoke Dip

Without a doubt, this is probably my favorite dip to share but it’s not for the weak of heart (or delicate tastebuds)!

I happen to love spicy hot flavors in much of my food. I have lived in the Southwest US off and on for many years. I moved to Hawaii from Tucson about 27 years ago, and I brought my need for spice with me.

Once the ingredients are on hand, it’s only a matter of a few minutes to have it ready to put into your best terra cotta dish. If you have a food processor you can use that; otherwise a blender would work. Surround your dish with chunks of sourdough bread, chunky crackers, torn pita, chips, or a few veggies, and it’s ready to serve.

Chop up about a cup of marinated artichoke hearts. Add a 4-0unce package of softened plain cream cheese, ¼ cup mayo, ½ cup freshly grated parmesan and pulse in bursts to help mix everything together. If it’s too thick, sprinkle in a little water until the dip is just the way you want it.

When this is mixed to suit you, stir in a couple tablespoons of chopped fresh or pickled jalapeños. This is where you need to be mindful of your heat tolerance, especially if it’s for a potluck or a party, so add the jalapeños mindfully. You can add salt to taste, but I tend not to add much salt, if at all, because I think the flavors are enough in themselves.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

A hui hou!

You’ve Been Waiting for This

My Sunday blog posts are generally about food, gardening, writing, travel, and all sorts of various topics. I’m not much of a “niche” person, because my personality is more profoundly diverse. This mid-week blog will attempt a different path and focus on what I learned in interviewing more than one hundred women over sixty when I was on Sabbatical about 3 years ago. I call these women my “Perennials.”

Many of you have been waiting for the e-course I’ve been putting together about being or becoming a Perennial. “GrowingOlder with Gusto!” is just about ready to launch, so keep your eye on this spot each Wednesday.

This e-course will be for women and men of all ages who do not look forward to getting older. In this e-course, they will learn what it takes to be a Perennial, and how to look forward to growing older rather than dreading it. As a friend said, “We don’t HAVE to grow older. We GET to grow older.” Not everyone gets that opportunity.

Adding years to our life is nothing to be afraid of, after all. As I’ve read in so many places, “we start aging the minute we are born.” It’s only when we reach our thirties and forties that we start to notice the process that’s been happening since birth.

One thing I discovered about the “Perennials” I’ve interviewed is that we are an inquisitive bunch. We are not always satisfied with accepting things the way they are, but we are always looking for what makes something “tick.”

In other words, our curiosity pushes us to explore, to keep our minds active, to push our own limits, and to become “Perennials” who are forever blooming. Does that sound like you, too?

“Growing Older with Gusto!” will be appropriate for people of all ages. I welcome and encourage your contribution to the course discussion

Does this sound like a course you’d like to share with the younger people in your life? Would you also like to learn more about “Growing Older with Gusto?”

Watch for more information next Wednesday! I look forward to your comments on this post.

A hui hou!

A Typical Hawai`ian Winter

I first wrote about this in 2009 soon after I started writing my blog. It’s one of my favorite times of year here in Hawai`i, in what we call “winter.” The roads are lined with dazzling displays of poinsettias .

The highway I drive regularly is narrow and curving with almost no place to pull over, but I managed to get a few pictures. Some of the photos are a bit hazy, so there must have been some vog the day I took these (look up “vog”). Please enjoy these pictures that show a few of our winter scenes.

Yes, there is a difference between summer and winter here. Even in Florida, Southern California, and Arizona (all states where I have lived in the past), there is a distinct change between the temperatures in July and those in January.

Here, there is no noticeable change in temperature from month to month all year. From late November until mid-March, however, there is a change in what blooms along the roadsides and in our gardens.

Some places have huge embankments of poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima). “Pulcherrima” means “very beautiful,” and it is. There is no way to compare these with the little pots of poinsettias you might purchase in a local store.

Against our rich green forests, the brilliant reds are almost florescent. Then throughout March, I look for those little drops of red in the midst of jungle growth that keep hanging on. When they are all gone, I know that winter is over!

Poinsettias flow over onto the ground and almost seem to take over everything else. My first experience with poinsettias took place back in the early 70s when I decided to take some courses in the ornamental horticulture department of California Polytechnic Institute in San Luis Obispo.

We made a field trip to visit the Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas, CA where over 70% of the poinsettias in the United States and over 50% worldwide actually begin their life. There were acres of greenhouses filled with poinsettia cuttings in all varieties and stages of growth. Please follow the link above to view the history of that ranch as well as the history of poinsettias in general.

I love the way they intermingle with the yellow hibiscus. Such a dazzling display of color!

This is a sight few of you will see at Christmas.

Many of the poinsettias have found their way into the wild tangles of growth alongside our roads.

Others are a featured part of a home’s entryway.

You can see why I’m obsessed with taking just the right pictures to illustrate this stunning plant.

Poinsettias are originally from Mexico and named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Ambassador to Mexico in the 1920s. During his stay in Mexico he wandered the countryside looking for new plant species.

In 1828 he found a beautiful shrub with large red flowers growing next to a road. He took cuttings from the plant and brought them back to his greenhouse in South Carolina. The rest, as they say, “is history.”

When I lived in Southern California, I remember how people would plant the small potted plants they bought at Christmas time. Many of their homes had nice stands of poinsettias, but they rarely reached the size of the ones here.

If you are interested in what to do with your Christmas poinsettia plant, look online to read about it. You will find good sites on how to choose and care for your poinsettia, and what to do with it at the end

I really do empathize with those of you who are suffering under ice storms and record-breaking snowstorms. I have lived in Alaska, Illinois, and Rhode Island, so I know what you are experiencing. But I could never go back to it, now that I’ve lived in Paradise for close to 30 years!

Whether you are celebrating Hanukah, Christmas, Winter Solstice, Yule, Saturnalia, Kwanzaa, or any other festival at this time of year, poinsettias are a celebration in themselves!

Mele Kalikimaka
[Merry Christmas in Hawaiian]

WASSAIL

This recipe has made its way through several generations and I’ve passed it on to my own children. My oldest daughter said she’s already gone through three (maybe more) batches this holiday season. I’ve also given it as gifts to friends and neighbors.

Just smelling it as you walk into the house is enough to put you in a holiday frame of mind!

Wassail Recipe

Juice 2 oranges and 2 lemons. Set juice aside to add later

Slice rinds and boil in 6 cups of water with 2 cinnamon sticks, 2 T of cloves, 1 cup sugar (for alternate, see note below). Simmer for an hour.

Add citrus juice and 1 gallon of cider or apple juice. Warm it – don’t boil.

Note: In place of sugar, I use Monk Fruit or Erythritol. You might want to use maple syrup or honey, too.

Enjoy!

A hui hou!