A Polar Bear Is Born In Copenhagen!!!

En isbjørn fødes

Her er nogle billeder af en isbjørn, jeg lavede til en kær ven ;O)
("Here are some pictures of a polar bear, I made a dear friend; O")

...og så begyndes der...
("...and so begings...")

Vær ikke bange!
("Don't be afraid!")

Av, av, av!
("Ow, Ow, Ow!)

Nu er jeg her!
("Now I'm Here!)

Above are pictures and text by my friend Mette' in Copenhagen who has felted this most
precious Playful Baby Polar Bear as a part of her wonderful felts collections at http://bymette.blogspot.com/. This special bear was made just for me, and arrived from
snow covered Denmark to snow covered Indiana accompanied by a wonderful red Christmas
stocking. Mette's things are all wonderful, with such beautiful faces and expressions and so
much love and imagination go into each one ... But a warning! If you browse here, you will
want one of everything!

More about this little bear's arrival in Indiana very soon!

Carnaval, Mardi Gras & Winter Olympics .....

Is an ancient celebration - some say it finds its origins in the pre-Christian celebrations of the Greek Dionysus ceremonies, and Roman Saturnalia parties.

Carnavale continued throughout the ages, in all parts of the world .... in Medieval times in Europe

From the days of the Lord of Misrule, to the rowdy celebrations of the "common folk,"


to the extravaganzas of costumed masquerade balls

Carnaval is celebrated around the world, for differening periods of time - often from the end of harvest, through Christmas, Yule, New Years and up until the beginning of Lent. In some parts of the world, Carnaval continues well into March, past the beginning of Lent.

For the 2006 Winter Olympics celebration, the City of Turino, Italy moved its famous celebration of Carnaval into the opening and closing ceremonies of the games!

With the growth of Christianity, the ongoing tensions between the pagan symbolism and disorder of Canaval celebrations have ebbed and flowed ... represented by the artist Peter
Bruegel in his 16th century painting, The Battle Between Carnaval and Lent:


In a strange sort of compromise, the Winter Interlude of Carnaval ends as Spring and the time to return to the regular structure of agricultural life presses in on the revelers. The Church declaring a period of Penitance prior to the celebration of the Resurection Of Christ on Easter Sunday, instituted the season of Lent - a period of approximately 40 days of preparation for the observance of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday is the last day of carnaval before Ash Wednesday the beginning of Lent.

New Orleans is perhaps the quinessential Mardi Gras City, and has been experiencing its own form of resurrection following the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina ....

Mardi Gras ends promptly at the stroke of midnight on Fat Tuesday ....

Mardi Gras Sunset

But to New Orleans, we will forever say ....

Eternal Blessings to you, NOLA!

Short Days and Winter Chill

A scant week or so ago, I shared childhood lore about the "Robin Snow," having been sorely disappointed by the performance of our Indiana beaver weather forecasting crew. The beavers insisted we'd have more snow, and, in spite of resort to the Robins, we've received over a foot of additional snow in just a few days, and very cold, freezing temps! Enough to turn my thoughts from spring to fantasies of a wonderful winter cocoon or den to burrow in until the end of the cold, snowy season.


At this point in the winter process, good food, good music, good books and
good company are essential to sanity. A nice media center for enjoying a collection of old, classic movies is good as well, and the internet can provide a nice avenue for exploring thoughts and ideas with distant friends. Of course, a good blend of tea is the proper accessory for any of the above activities, and a steamy, rich cup of hot chocolate is in order for those who venture out to actually be in the snow!

In a slower less complicated past, "winter sports" were mainly a family or children's activity, with very little need for expensive equipment or special arenas for play!

The Ladies Competed in Toboggan Races!

And the Gentlemen Invented a Motorized Toboggan - Almost a Proto-type Snow Mobile!

And in a very short time, the idea of winter sports became romanticized

And in no time at all, the idea of luxuriousWinter Vacations in Europe became very chic, and very fashionable!

And in just a little time more, the gentlemen raised recreation to the level of keen competition!

Notice the expression of sheer delight on this skier's face!

"Semaine Internationale des Sports d'Hiver
Mont Blanc, Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France"

The First Winter Olympics, January 25 - February 5, 1924

Notice the spectators at the bottom of the picture and also that the jumper is wearing a soft, billed cap for head gear!

Olympic Barrel Jumping - Chamonix

Sonja Henie - Olympic Champion 1928, 1932, 1936

Norwegian born Sonja Henie, appeared in the First Winter Olympics in Chamonix when she was just 11 years old. She finished last that year, but returned in 1928 to win the Gold Medal, a feat which she repeated in 1932 and 1934. In her career, she won more European, International and Olympic titles than any other female figure skater. After winning the 1936 World Championships she relinquished her amateur status and became a professional skater in ice shows and motion pictures. She was also one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood. Her traveling ice show performances, film career, paid endorsements and advertisements made her one of the wealthiest women in the world for her era; it is safe to say that she was one of the first of many Olympic athletes to become famous and wealthy because of her popularity as a world class athlete

The Winter Olympic Games continued to be held every four years, with the exception of the period of WWII. The games were suspended in 1940, and did not resume until 1948. Many
people find the Winter Games to be much more exciting and entertaining than the Summer Games ... Downhill skiing, figure skating, ice dancing, and speed skating are entertaining
and fast paced. In 1988, the Jamaican Bobsled Team caught the fancy of the public due to the unlikely choice of sports for a team from the Caribbean Islands, and snow boarding and free style skiing events are new crowd favorites due to the speed, thrills and unconventional nature of the competitions!