Twas in the Moon of Wintertime

 The director of the Grace Village choir asked me to research this song that will be sung in the choir Christmas concert December 16th. I did not take the time to put the acute accent over the e in Bre[beuf]

Though unfamiliar to most of us, the song “Twas in the Moon of Wintertime” or sometimes called the Huron Carol is well-known to most Canadians who treasure its antiquity and tie to the indigenous heritage.

Written in 1642 by the Jesuit priest Jean de Brebeuf in the native language of the Huron Wendat people among whom he lived at Sainte-Marie in the Ontario Georgian Bay area, it is considered Canada’s oldest Christmas song and was honored with a national series of postage stamps in 1977.

The label Huron was seen as derogatory by the Wendats. It was derived from the French word for a lout, an awkward brutish person. Modern descendants find it offensive.

In 1625 Brebeuf was sent from France where he had joined the Society of Jesus to New France (Canada) when his superiors recognized his facility in languages. His age was about 32.

The Jesuits sent to New France expected to endure hardships and possibly martyrdom. Brebeuf was tortured and killed by Iroquois along with some of his converts in 1649. He was later canonized and is one of the Patron Saints of Canada.

It took many years to learn the language and culture of the Wendat, but finally Brebeuf’s mastery allowed him to write a Christmas carol as a gift. Music was a significant part of their culture. The Wendat language contains at least 8 different words for singing and song.

The Wendat text of the song known as Jesus Is Born incorporated some of their culture: Sky People for angels, tribal elders greasing the baby’s scalp over and over as a show of reverence.

The song was passed along orally with no written record until over 150 years later in 1794 another Jesuit priest wrote the words as he heard them. Later Paul Picard translated them into French.

Jesse Edgar Middleton, a Canadian newspaper man, is listed as the English translator. Except his 1926 version was not a translation but a complete rewriting picturing how baby Jesus would experience birth in a Canadian wilderness forest among the First Peoples. Jesus is born in a bark lodge and wrapped in rabbit fur. God is called Gitchi Manitou which is not a Huron term but Algonquian, an unrelated language group.

More modern versions omit the verse describing such a birth and do not call God Gitchi Manitou.

The Wendat tribe was decimated by illnesses brought by Europeans. Later they were driven from their territory by the Iroquois. The remnant resettled in French-speaking parts of Canada and slowly lost their original language. Today scholars are using the Wendat version of Jesus Is Born to restore a tie to their past language and culture.

Twas in the Moon of Wintertime (Version to be sung by the Grace Village choir)

Verse 1 Twas in the moon of wintertime when all the birds had fled, that God, the Lord of all the earth, sent angel choirs instead. Before their light the stars grew dim, and wond'ring hunters heard the hymn.

Chorus: Jesus your king is born! Jesus is born! Glory be to God on high!

Verse 2 The earliest moon of wintertime is not so round and fair as was the ring of glory around the infant there. And when the shepherds then drew near, the angel voices rang out clear.

Chorus: Jesus your king is born! Jesus is born! Glory be to God on high!

Verse 3 O children of the forest free, the angels' song is true. The holy child of earth and heav'n is born today for you. Come, kneel before the radiant boy who brings you beauty,  peace, and joy.

Chorus: Jesus your king is born! Jesus is born! Glory be to God on high!

Grace Village ArtCare

 For several years now, Grace Village has offered ArtCare, scheduled times to color, paint, do crafty things on Wednesdays. People from health care, assisted living, and independent living (including a few from the condos) are involved. There is an instructor/helper with an art background to encourage those creating.

 Today we attended an ArtCare Open House with items for sale as well as art works on the walls displayed but not for sale. The hallway outside the activity room has photos of the residents involved; I would guess maybe 30-40.

Today's offerings were mostly note cards featuring the pictures created by the resident artists. There were a few handcrafts, too.

I bought a magnet.

Many people color printed pictures, but some draw and paint their own compositions.

It is a good way for residents to socialize and be creative. The socialization aspect was on hold when COVID was most virulent. People with dementia do well coloring printed pictures provided for them. It seems to soothe them. 

In the spring there will be another sale which will include some wooden baskets my husband made and donated to ArtCare. They are going to paint/decorate these. 

If I lived in one of the apartments, I might join in. Right now, I am busy on Wednesdays with literary club twice a month, and with singing with the choir in chapel once a month. It would make a nice activity during cold months when being outside is difficult. Something to think about for the future.

Brought the Cushions Inside

Today is one that folks probably wish we were still on daylight savings. 73 degrees this afternoon, but after sitting on the porch an hour the sun was sinking lower. This morning I had my husband put my geraniums and the wax begonia next to the trash bag. This afternoon I brought in the porch rocker cushions.

 After I spot clean them (bug poop?), I will try to find room in my cedar chest for them so they are out of the way. Tomorrow will start out in the low 50's then fall all day. Saturday thru next Saturday, our projected highs are in the 30's. No more sitting on the porch. Even some rain and snow Saturday. 

I set out a puzzle from a garage sale in the den. Looks like tomorrow will be a cozy stay-inside day. I have two hot chocolate packets I picked up from the give-and-take table last spring, a brand unfamiliar to me. I have a streusel coffee cake mix which is sure to be baked up this weekend. 

The ornamental pear trees on my street still have leaves, though greatly thinned after the windy days last week. We drove to Fort Wayne this morning; the trees in sight were bare. 

We stopped at a Skechers Outlet store. My husband was looking for shoes. They had a "Black Friday" deal, buy 1 and get the 2nd pair half off. I tried on a pair of lined booties, but since my husband couldn't find a pair that fit him, I didn't buy the booties as the regular price was not what I would pay for them. I don't really need them. I was surprised to see slippers made by Skechers. 

My husband had some credit from a return at the Warsaw Kohl's. We stopped at Kohl's in Northcrest in Fort Wayne. I was going to apply the remaining amount to a brassiere. I felt totally disoriented in the store. They have made Sephora the centerpiece and moved everything else around. I couldn't even find the lingerie department. When I asked, I was told it was upstairs now. Much smaller than before and poorly stocked. I couldn't even find my size in the Bali bras I usually buy. I really liked the Chaps clothing line at Kohl's. It disappeared from Warsaw a few years ago, and now from Fort Wayne. The Chaps space is taken up with athleisure and sports items. If Kohl's wonders why they are doing poorly, I would be glad to give them an earful. 

We ate lunch at Casa Grill, one of our Fort Wayne favorites. At Costco we looked at TVs a bit. We are thinking maybe we should replace our 12-year-old TV for a smart TV. It would be our Christmas present to ourselves. Haven't done enough looking to make a decision, but we did decide we should *not* get an 85-inch one as it would be overwhelming in our small living room.

I bought a jar of the fancy mixed nuts to use on November 30th when I co-host literary club. We also bought a 2023 calendar. We already have dental appointments, etc. to mark down next year. As I look at the calendar, I realize people today use their cell phones as calendars. Oh, well, I like the old-fashioned wall calendar. Yes, there have been times at medical offices that I wish I had my calendar information before me, but I still don't even turn on my cell phone every day. 

On our way home, we stopped at the Kroger's in Columbia City. The Warsaw store has been out of Newman's Own Pineapple Salsa for weeks, and my husband ate up the last bit this morning. Hooray. He found and bought two jars. I am not a salsa fan, but I like this pineapple salsa on my microwaved breakfast burritos. 

Simple day, simple pleasures, simple life. Just the way I like it.

Honored Guests

 

Grace College invited us (Grace Village residents) to attend the Women's and Men's basketball games free. They announced our attendance over the loudspeaker and had refreshments in the alumni suite for us. They provided a shuttle bus for those who needed transportation. I would say 30-40 attended, about a third apartment residents, the rest condo dwellers. 

Besides a fruit tray, there were crackers and cheese and cookies. Also soft drinks and bottled water. We spent a little time in the alumni suite, but most of the time we were in the stands watching the games.

The mascot for the team is a knight.

The women played Holy Cross College. Grace College won.

The cheerleaders performed at both the women's and the men's games. The do acrobatic stuff besides the traditional cheers. One of the pyramids collapsed but thankfully nobody was hurt. 

The men played Saint Xavier College. We left at 9 p.m., but we learned that Grace did win the game. 

Entertaining me was a 3-year-old fan right in front of me. I know her age because when the men's game started, she went down 2 rows to play with a little blonde girl. Blondie asked her how old she was. 3 fingers were held up. Blondie then held up 5 fingers and said, "I'm five" and made it pretty clear she was going to be the boss.

Earlier, I showed the little girl that my Skecher shoes had pink knobs on the bottom; she wore shoes with part of the sole pink. She was pretty impressed that we had similar shoes. I wondered if her mom who was not at the game knew what the dad was feeding his two daughters 8 o'clock at night (cheese nachos). The older girl was not in front of us the whole time; I think she too must have found a friend to sit with. But she settled in to get her share of nachos.