Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

[galdrin]

Christmas is coming and I have to figure out what I want for Christmas.

I've got a handle on Joyce - a counted cross-stitch box for all of her supplies. She's been doing alot of this lately, mostly for me. She did a Native American wolf's head shield for me already, which turned out to be absolutely gorgeous. Right now she's working on a wolf in a snowy evergreen forest. A friend of ours told me of a craft place that has a really ornate cross-stitch supply box. Plus she needs a new gold chain for her celtic cross. Oh ... and anything gold and turquoise, of course.

But me? Who knows.

Book-wise, I still need Charles de Lint's latest two books, _Tapping the Dream Tree_ and _Spirit of the Wires_. I also need Weber's _1633_. I would really like to lay my hands on Megan Lindholm's _Wizard of the Pigeon's_ but it's only been re-printed in the UK. I see I need friends across The Pond that I can 'lean on' The rest of my "want" list is still in hardback, so I have to wait.

Music-wise, I found a company in Minnesota called Omnium which claims to have Boiled In Lead's "Alloy Complete" i.e. the 3-CD set Alloy, Alloy 2.1 and Alloy 2.2. There's also Natalie MacMaster's "2-CD "Live" set. I'm still waiting for ELP's "Return of the Manticore". I think I've already hinted about this one to Joyce and the Virgin Records store in Grapevine still had a copy last time I was there.

I know - she's looking for something really unique. She tried last year to get me a 2' tall Build-A-Bear penguin but they ran out before she could get me one. She was gonna have me stuff it and pick out a costume and everything. [Sheesh ... the monster I've created has become immortal and will follow me the rest of my days. Poor Dinnie. He and I will be forever locked in battle. Well, I guess there are worse fates.] I wonder if Joyce ever thought of buying me a Native American drum? Now there's a thought - and it's quite a unique for me, too. Never tried drumming before, but it's supposed to be quite ... hmmm ... meditation-al? Must think further on this.

Comments

[lonesomenumber1]

I would really like to lay my hands on Megan Lindholm's _Wizard of the Pigeon's_ but it's only been re-printed in the UK.

I have a copy of this that I'm not too attached to. I liked it, but I doubt I'll read it again. Do you want it?

[galdrin.livejournal.com]

That's awfully nice of you. By the way - I see that you were "raised by bears in the Adirondack Mountains of New York". Being familiar with some of that area and it being my most favorite place on the face of the earth, I was wondering in what part of the Adirondacks you were raised? Me - I'm a "Jolly Mooser" (i.e. Big Moose, NY now in Texas).

[lonesomenumber1]

Well, I wasn't really raised in 'em (nor was I raised by bears -- don't tell anybody), but I've certainly spent a lot of time in the Adirondacks. My ma's family is from Corinth and Warrensburg. I spent a number of years in Plattsburgh (5 of them as a student at SUNY), and I lived in Saratoga Springs for a while, too. Oh, and when I was a kid, I went to a couple years of summer camp at Forest Lake, which is right outside of Warrensburg. Despite the fact that I grew up on Long Island, the Adirondacks are where I really feel at home. I think we might have discussed this on Tamson House a long time ago.

Anyhow, if you e-mail your address to estimatdprophet_AT_livejournal.com, I'll send you Wizard of the Pigeons as soon as I get a chance.

[galdrin.livejournal.com]

That's possible - and it would have had to have been a long time ago, as I've been absent from Tamson House for almost 2 years now. Anyway, I was born in Geneva, NY, a little south of and between Syracuse and Rochester. My dad's side of the family are all from around there. We had two camps up in the Big Moose environs (north of the Old FOrge-Eagle Bay-Inlet area) - a Great Camp on Big Moose Lake proper and a second smaller hunting lodge in the village of Big Moose itself. Even after we moved to Texas, I had occasion to go back a few times, spending entire summers there wandering around with the local rife marshal.

The Adirondacks will always be a special place for me. It's where I learned of and developed my love of nature - the wildlife, the forests, the rocks ... everything. It was a life-changing experience that, much later, determined where I would go to college, my chosen career, and my major hobbies.

I think that that is one of the reasons that I enjoy Charles de Lint so much. Both of his major locales (Newford and Ottawa) are closely associated with wild places like that, so when I read of the Gatineau's, in _Moonheart_ or _Greenmantle_ for instance, I "see" the Adirondacks. Likewise with Terri Windling's _The Wood Wife_.

It is so nice to become re-acquainted with someone who can truly identify with and appreciate my love for the Adirondack region. Thanks so much for appearing again.

Thanks also for the offer of the book - email with address is on the way.

[galdrin.livejournal.com]

That should read ...FIRE marshal - duh.

[yendi]

Omnium is run by Drew Miller (of BiL), so I'd take their word that they've got it. :-)

[galdrin.livejournal.com]

That is a *FANTASTIC* bit of news is a great relief to read. Thanks ever so much for the tip.