InstantMash

As we turn from child to young adult and then to jaded adult, Christmas often looses it’s luster. It appears to have happened to Eric. It happened to me about 10 or so years back whilst in my early 30’s. Then I rediscovered a 100 year old plus solution that brings me back and re-instills in me the wonder that is Christmas. Baby Jesus, Wise Men, Family and Santa Claus. So Eric and everyone else out there suffering from the maladies of a grownup Christmas, this is for you…

“DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
“Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
“Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’
“Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

“VIRGINIA O’HANLON.
“115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET.”

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

The Sun September 21, 1897, New York City

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

The SpudKing

My day job requires that I keep up with a certain professional demographic. I get alerts all day long from news outlets all over the world that match my criteria.  Today I got an alert from a Sri Lankan newspaper and after reading the article I couldn’t help but click on the ad button for Marriages.  It’s a virtual Sri Lankan singles section and entirely written by parents.

Amusing and odd all at the same time.  It’s all right here.

In my last post I mentioned my new part-time dream job that involves Arizona and a Jeep.

In case you maybe were not paying attention, I live in Arizona and more specifically the northern end of the Salt River Valley. I grew up in these environs and have explored, hiked and jeeped my surroundings. I call the stunning and beautiful Sonoran Desert my home. Scoff if you want, but my desert is as green and varied in life as the densest forest and I have the distinct advantage of being able to see for miles and miles in my stunted forest.

Arizona has so much to offer from the Grand Canyon (Velociman may remember my diatribe on that one) to Tombstone and Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan Earp. Arizona boasts 6 of the 7 life zones found in the northern hemisphere and is the home of the stately and long lived Saguaro Cactus.

So back to the new job… one of my passions obsessions is Arizona Territorial history. I consider myself a bit of an expert on the goings-on of the 1860’s to early 1900’s in and around my neck of this amazing wood. My obsession is about the people and places that make up the history of Arizona and more specifically those that shaped my little neck of the desert. To this end I have researched the people and visited the places over the last 10 or so years and finally caught my break. My new job now centers around the founder of Phoenix and his life in Arizona with an emphasis on his time at the base of the Bradshaw Mountains.

The Bradshaw Mountains are home to many a gold lode, much of it placer. Plenty of silver was worked out of these mountains and the area is dotted, nay covered by old Boom (Ghost) towns and tailings. If you know where to go today you can pan out $100 or so in flake in just a couple of hours work. This is the Arizona that intrigues me and this is my new part-time gig.

Anonymity and lack of self promotion regulate me from going into further details, but, if you happen to be planning a trip to Arizona and you happen to have a day or two to spare in my neck of the woods drop me a line and I will happily take you on a 6 or so hour 4×4 trip that will, I guarantee, take you to the lesser known and a Hell of a lot more fun parts of Arizona’s amazing wild west past with stories about the rapscallions that shaped my home!

I recently landed the job of my dreams and it involves the Great State of Arizona and a Jeep. I’m heading out on Sunday to do a little recon and this trail is on my radar. Best of all? It’s about 15 miles as the crow flies from Casa de Spud!!

Should be fun!

Jeff Beck and the equally talented and much better looking Tal Wilkenfeld on Bass.

Hope you enjoy, Pleasure Seekers.