New Year's Day Hike at Walden (with snacks)

Are you ready to begin the new year with some good exercise and in the wonder of the Walden woods?

The easiest way to time travel is to spend some time in nature, especially in a place that hasn't changed too much since Henry David Thoreau helped to wear down the paths created by Native Americans. You too can have the same kind of experience that he had-granted there is a parking lot and MORE trees than in day, but just as lovely.

Meet at 12 (or a little before-check out the visitor's center and the cabin), and wear weather appropriate clothing.  There will even be snacks and hot cocoa afterwords! I hear that Richard (the returning Thoreau) has made the same kind of "cookie" that Henry and his sisters made for their new year's eve festivities!

There is a list of hikes throughout Massachusetts, if Walden is a bit too far for your horse/car.
https://www.boston.com/travel/travel/2018/12/28/begin-the-new-year-outdoors-with-one-of-these-12-first-day-hikes

Thoreau Farm 20th Anniversary Events!!

How many of us remember what 1998 was like?

Apparently, it was the year that a few like minded people decided to get together and preserve Henry David Thoreau's Birthplace.  The house itself was moved down the road from its original address, but I don't think Henry would mind the new setting.  If he were to visit now (and who knows, maybe he has?), he'd find a farm adjacent to the property (Gaining Ground); one that is operated by volunteers who raise fruits and vegetables for food pantries.

He'd also find a replica of his cabin behind the building. There are MANY replicas now, not counting copycats from the Tiny House movement.  I wonder if he'd think this one was as oddly placed as the one near the Walden Pond Parking lot.  Cynics might see the Parking Lot Replica as an accommodation to tourists who can't be bothered to walk to the original site.  But frankly, any opportunity to place yourself inside the cabin changes your perception of what a human needs.

The Thoreau Farm itself is only slightly more expansive, but with a full family, it probably felt very crowded. You can feel the years of history standing on the old wood planks of the floor.

If you can't come to the events, I'd recommend visiting the House (and cabin). Time travel is easier than we think.

You can view the full events page here: https://thoreaufarm.org/2018/11/5839/


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UPDATE OF THE EVENTS:
Jack Beatty led an excellent panel discussion about Thoreau's Moral Sense of Purpose, and how important it was to be true to oneself.  A spirited audience member got up and reiterated questions about staying true to one's beliefs-especially as an outsider.  However, under the circumstance, he was discussing the current political climate.  He was a supporter of the president, and felt seriously outnumbered and defensive. So much so that his words became forceful and angry-which also felt unnatural to the discussion.
It was the PERFECT setup for the movie about Ramsey Clark, https://alifeofprinciple.com/, a controversial lawyer who always fought for the little guy-even when it wasn't a popular choice.  It is important to be reminded that things are NEVER as black and white as they sound.

The next day was a lovely gathering for Saving Thoreau's Birthplace, and it had author Lucille Stott reading from her book about how a concerned group of citizens was able to fight and preserve Thoreau's birthplace.  It is not always possible for the creators of history to gather together in one room, but that day it happened.  Almost everyone had a memory of how difficult and absurd it all seemed 20 years ago-and was astonished and proud to be standing in the vibrant arts center that it is today!

Little Women being shot in Concord and Harvard

There have been sightings of movie stars at Walden Pond, asking for directions to the bathroom (Emma Watson).

Also, sightings of Concord visiting the town of Harvard-or at least buildings masquerading as Concord Center for Halloween.

19th century women in boats under the famous Bridge, watched by people from the 21st century. Tracked, photographed and filmed.

The veil between the ages gets thinner and thinner everyday.  Or maybe the history is getting more interesting and the costumes are getting better.

Cheating on Thoreau with Mark Twain

This weekend, there was a Writer's Conference in Hartford, CT at the Mark Twain House and Museum.  2 days of authors, talks, workshops, discussions and just plain "trouble starting" (apparently in the Twain world, that's a regular in-joke)

https://marktwainhouse.org/event/writers-weekend/

I've already THOREAU-LY enjoyed one day of it (half) and am making note of a few things so far:

A) The sessions are wonderful, but the weekend seems especially small-like the size of a decent first-year attempt, but I believe this is not their first rodeo.  Personally, I LOVE that it is so small, bc I feel that I can get to know each participant, and there are not too many overlapping sessions. However, I'd rather make contact with MORE people and attend as many sessions as possible-noting the possibility of sneaking out of a dull one and into something better (the grass is always greener on the other side of the classroom wall-especially when you can hear them laughing!)

B) The vast majority of the attendees/presenters are female and 50+. SO much so, that I would encourage the organizers to rethink their focus for next year.  It's not a matter of Mark Twain representation-he only registers as a host in the mental conversation. It could be a female-centric weekend, even encouraging mentorships and networking. Harriet Beecher Stowe was/is an immediate neighbor and is certainly enough of a successful writer to be a part of the conversation. (And can also be a cautionary tale about not allowing your book to be adapted into a play without lawyers in place!)

C) There were a few (2?) young African American women-but no corresponding African American women presenting.  Hartford has a decent population of African Americans and none/very few(?) were in representation within the sold-out Twain house tours.  Personally, I would LOVE to be taught by people coming from different experiences and especially the locals.  (And it's not like Uncle Tom's Cabin isn't ready for innovative and modern interpretations or even literate attacks)

D) As mentioned, the Harriet Beecher Stowe house is right next door, but my friends and I had to wander over ourselves and take a tour during lunch (We had given up our lunch hour on the first day to tour the Twain house).  It should be an option for the weekend. It should be an option for a theme.

E) I've discovered several major parallels between Twain and my first love, Thoreau.  They were both at their brothers' sides while they lay dying. BEFORE they became authors. And what major bond did all those brothers share? Life on the river. Sometimes life just encourages you to meet the right people, and if you are properly prepared-you can recognize why. I think it's my next big work.

Santa's Legend is Based on Mushrooms!

In case you ever wondered how the legend of Santa Claus is specific beyond the stories of Krampus or St, Nicholas Day, there is the possibility of another explanation.

In short, in Lapland there were shamans-who would eat mushrooms.  The mushrooms were red with white spots; the shaman/shamen grew to look like them if they ate enough. They visited people, bringing gifts-like any good visitor. And bc of the snows, they often had to enter through the CHIMNEY.

His story is here: http://lawrencemillman.com/santa-claus-is-a-mushroom/, a blog apparently written by the author himself.

And to underline his points, it also has appeared in the pages of the New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/21/opinion/santa-christmas-mushrooms.html (a familiar sounding article, but with more weight!)

Cherrie Corey is back In Town!

And is leading a photographic tour of Decordova, again (I was there LAST year). I might do it again for the sheer exercise of spending time in SEEING.  Also, you can get into the museum as well.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sensing-place-a-summer-photo-workshop-tickets-46855854121?err=29

She'll also have a walk in Great Meadows.  Beautiful.

She's one of my favorite naturalists. She SEES everything.

The Thoreau You Don't Know

I found myself talking to a woman who got an Advanced Degree in Environmental Studies.  I mentioned Thoreau and she responded that he was the one author she didn't like.  Something about his style, something about the way he was presented.
I told her what I tell all my friends.  Walden was the first multimedia/multiplatform book.  Henry wanted you to take it to the Pond (or any natural surrounding) and read a page or two, and then PUT IT DOWN and go experience the natural world. GO FOR A WALK!

He wrote all his wisdom down after spending most of his life outdoors, after the experience.  Go out and explore.  And if you are lucky, you'll discover something in Henry's books that answers a question (or leads to a new question) that you will have discovered on your own.  The best books keep you in dialogue.

Stay curious.

Henry and Walt

One of my favorite stories below, on Walt's bday.  I would have LOVED to have been a fly on the wall, no matter how dull and awkward the conversation might have been!


From "Meet Henry David Thoreau" posting on Facebook (aka Richard Smith)

Thoreau and Whitman met once, in November of 1856. Thoreau was on an extended surveying job in Perth Amboy, New Jersey and Walt was living at his mother's house in Brooklyn. On November 10 Thoreau and Bronson Alcott (who was holding Conversations in New York City) went to the Whitman home to meet the poet. They had another companion with them, Sarah Tyndale, a prominent abolitionist. Both Alcott and Thoreau had read "Leaves of Grass" and were mightily impressed with it. Thoreau himself had written that it was "some of the best reading" he had done in some time. Thoreau was 39 years old, Walt was 37; both men were, by literary standards, failures.

When they arrived at the Whitman home they were met, "kindly yet awkwardly" by Walt. He took the trio up to his bedchamber, a room he shared with his mentally retarded brother Eddie. Alcott noted pictures of Hercules, Bacchus and a satyr pasted to the bedroom wall, calling it Walt's "pantheon" and wondered which one represented Whitman the best.

It seems that, not surprisingly, Alcott did most of the talking. He tried to get Thoreau and Walt to talk to each other but both were reserved; Alcott later wrote that Whitman and Thoreau had eyed each other “like two beasts, each wondering what the other would do, whether to snap or run.” Soon after the two writers warmed to each other as they discussed Hindusim and poetry. Walt was very curious to know what the Concordians thought of his book of "pomes" (as he pronounced it): "He is very curious of criticism on himself or his book, inviting it from all quarters, nor suffering the conversation to stray very wide away from Walt's godhead..." (Bronson Alcott, Journal; 1857)

Thoreau himself later wrote, "I did not get far in conversation with him — two more being present — and among the few things which I chanced to say, I remember that one was, in answer to him as representing America, that I did not think much of America or of politics, and so on, which may have been somewhat of a damper to him...Since I have seen him, I find that I am not disturbed by any brag or egoism in his book. He may turn out the least of a braggart of all, having a better right to be confident. He is a great fellow."

The visit lasted about two hours. Before they parted company Thoreau and Whitman exchanged gifts; Thoreau gave the Poet a copy of his "A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers." In return, Walt presented Thoreau with a copy of the 1856 (second edition) of "Leaves of Grass.

Henry's Spring and Thoughts of Renewal in Writing

Falling Out and in Love with the Man(uscript).

Sometimes it's good to be obsessed with your writing.

And then sometimes, it makes you sick with the intensity.

So it's good to be able to take a step back, and get back into your life.
AND, you'd be amazed at how much easier it is to edit when you have a little perspective.

And then, when you get back into it, there's a lot of THERE there.
Sure, trim away all the fat.  Lots of crap, but now it's easier to let go of it.

And I'm sure it'll be a cycle.  I need to get through this draft.  And then, rinse, repeat.

I'll forget again. But I'll fall in love again.

Henry reminds me of the cycles of the seasons. And cycles of writing.

Henry's 8 Drafts of Walden

I'm working on my own novel and I wonder about Henry's drafts.

He HAND COPIED every word.  And he eventually got to Walden.

I'm wondering at times if I should do a Page 1 rewrite, there have GOT to be benefits of the method. Every word counts!!

I hope you are as fascinated by the novel writing process as I am.

I'm taking 2 classes (1 on Query Letters to Lit Agents and one on World Building in Fiction). Getting an editor lined up, workshopping one of the chapters.  Very exciting.

My goal this month is a readable draft.  I have the structure, and 250 pages of scenes, notes, and things to write.  I want to send out the first 50 pages to my editor asap.

I've published several short stories and plays, but getting together a giant chunk of something (with a full time job plus travel) is tremendously difficult. But rewarding!

Henry Talks of Spring Thaws

HDT writes of the subtle distinctions between winter and spring, but he hasn't felt the 80 degree February Days.

There used to be snow in winter, blizzards and lions like March coming in.

Now, 6 months of the year, it is 50 degrees. And it always smells like it is going to warm up.

“The universe is wider than our views of it.”

Thoreau was right. “The universe is wider than our views of it.”

He was also paraphrasing, it seems, Shakespeare.

"There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophies"

There was also a Super Bloody Blue Moon this morning, a red eclipse. It looked 20% bigger than usual.

The universe has no edges, yet it seems to be getting bigger all the time.