Shining Lakes News

A Newsletter for Shining Lakes Grove, A.D.F.

Yule 2006 - Vol. 14, No. 1

Danu's Shiny Blanket

Remember back when you were young, and hated going to bed?
You'd yell and kick and scream until your face would turn bright red.
For Morpheus was monstrous, trying to steal your time to play,
And not a soothing healer as those dumb adults would say.

But then your mind grew more mature (at least that's what I think)
And now you know it's pleasant when to Slumberland you sink.
A time to rest, to dream of happy thoughts and wild retreats,
At least until your bedroom partner rolls and steals the sheets.

And yet you still complain when chill November winds do blow,
A portent of the coming of the cold December snow.
Consider, when the powder piles up seven inches deep,
That this is Mother Danu's way to put the land to sleep.

For now it's just past Samhain, and the dark year half begun,
And now's the time to see much more of stars and less of sun.
Just like the child who sees the dusk and knows that bed is near,
So too must nature slumber in the nighttime of the year.

For bears, it's very easy, they just curl up in their caves,
And hibernate until the spring brings warmth in growing waves.
And plants will either die or drowse, depending on their style.
But March and melting snow will bring them back and make us smile.

But no, we human beings have a harder road to tread.
We can't just spend the winter months curled up upon a bed.
And so we rant and grumble when we have someplace to go,
Because our trip's slowed down a tad by Danu's blessed snow.

Just keep in mind while winter's here and you are stuck downtown,
That this is Danu's way to get her children to slow down,
And spend more time indoors and share your time with friends and kin,
Enjoying winter's quietude before the summer's din.

And soon enough the wheel will turn and springtime will be here!
And spring will turn to summer and the bright half of the year.
And winter's rest will make you ready for your Beltaine fun,
To frolic in the forest in the light of Bel the Sun!

Yours in service to the Kindreds and the Grove,
Rev. Rob Henderson, Senior Druid

How Suite It Is

Well, it’s that time of year again. ConVocation is just around the corner and Shining Lakes Grove would like to have a suite again this year. Those of you who have stopped by the Grove’s ConVocation suite in past years know what a great place it is to hang out, meet with friends and maybe even learn a little something.

By having the suite, SLG is able to offer its own workshops, and a place for folks who aren’t familiar with Druidry to ask questions about our “flavor” of paganism. And then of course there’s the room party!

In order to offer all of this, we need your help. We need to raise $580 by January 15th to pay for the suite for the weekend. If you are able to donate to this cause, please either drop your donation into the box available at each ritual, snail-mail it to us (PO Box 3901, Ann Arbor MI, 48106), or use the PayPal button on the Grove web page (shininglakes.org).

Thanks for anything you can do to help and I hope to see you there!

Insects Love Winter, Too! (well, some do)

By Joan Martin, Huron River Watershed Council

Did you know that stoneflies grow rapidly in the middle of winter while most of the fish are dormant and won’t eat them? You can help to evaluate the quality of the Huron River and learn about the vibrant life teeming underwater at the January Stonefly Search.

On the Stonefly Search, volunteers venture to the creeks in search of winter stoneflies. These remarkable aquatic insects are dormant during most of the year when problems associated with warm summer streams (such as stormwater runoff or excessive plant growth) limit oxygen levels. The winter stoneflies, which require high levels of oxygen, are active in the cold temperatures of January when the solubility of oxygen is great. If we cannot find the larval stoneflies at that time of year, we worry that there might be pollutants in the stream.

This is a good activity for families or individual adults. We will be visiting stream sites throughout the watershed, and will probably have one near to your favorite place.

No experience is needed. You will carpool with your team (4 to 5 people) from Ann Arbor to two stream or river study sites. An experienced collector will lead each team, so you don’t even have to go into the water. The rest of the team will stand or sit on the bank, finding the stoneflies in trays of water and debris collected from the stream. Make sure to dress warmly! The time spent at each site will be about 20-40 minutes.

Hot chocolate will be waiting for you when you return with your results and stories. We look forward to talking to you about what you found.

SLG Leadership Council

Senior Druid
Rob Henderson robh@cyberspace.org

Assistant Senior Druid
Rodney Cox uberrod@comcast.net

Administrator
Jude Howison uputat@yahoo.com

Scribe
Jude Howison uputat@yahoo.com

Pursewarden
Rodney Cox uberrod@comcast.net

Chronicler
Genevieve Stoyak gstoyak@hotmail.com

Outreach Coordinator
Chuck Howison pherrixx@hotmail.com

Youth Activities Coordinator
Matt Tannehill garbh9@aol.com

SLG Guild Leaders

Magicians' Guild
Rodney Cox uberrod@comcast.net

Warriors' Guild
Rodney Cox uberrod@comcast.net

Healers' Guild
Rodney Cox uberrod@comcast.net

Producers' Guild (unofficial)
Gen Stoyak gstoyak@hotmail.com

No e-mail access? Contact our officers at our snail-mail address or phone number.

Shining Lakes News (©2006) is published by Shining Lakes Grove, A.D.F., P.O. Box 3901, Ann Arbor, MI, 48106, (734) 262-1052. For information about SLN, contact the Chronicler at gstoyak@hotmail.com or (734) 262-1462. For information about Shining Lakes Grove, contact the Senior Druid at (734) 262-1052 or robh@cyberspace.org, or visit www.shininglakes.org.

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