November 2024 Stack Talk
What was, is, and shall come to pass
If you like bits of history, you might find this November Stack Talk especially enjoyable - it is a sharing of the loss of my dog, Olga, (not depressing, I promise!), and her amusing, amazing name connection with a fascinating historical figure.
This newsletter is also a sort of tribute to my Olga and while not on par with Steinbeck’s or Koontz’s tributes to their dogs, has no less feeling of love and loss.
November ruminations
In mid-September, I had to put my seventeen-year-old chihuahua, Olga, to sleep. I couldn’t really write about it till now, pretty sure there has never been a more loving, loyal, onery, and beautiful being in my life…and weirdest of all, she was completely devoted to me. Her name was picked by my daughter way back, and I remember it was funny to see everyone laugh when they first heard it. ‘Olga’ fit her well - kind of an aggressive, take-no-shit sort of gal. In fact, I sometimes called her Smeagol, for I was her “Precious”, so possessive, protective and jealous was she. Yet, throughout all these years until now, I had no idea about the fascinating life of her namesake, Saint Olga of Kiev.
My husband found an article about Ukraine’s patron saint of defiance and vengeance after I had been perusing the recognized saints (over 10K!) trying to find something to say about All Saints Day for this newsletter. Much like her namesake, my Olga had the same level of intensity and no-holds-barred kind of attitude toward anything perceived as a threat…and both of these Olga’s had a dark side.
Here is an abbreviated version of Saint Olga’s life and times which was taken from a Quora article by Milan Miloradovic (summarized, paraphrased and my commentary added):
Born of Viking parents in northern Russia (that explains a lot) around the turn of the 10th century, Olga’s husband, Prince Igor, was attacked and killed by a neighboring tribe, the Drevlians. He was not simply killed but as the story goes (though there are some historians who discredit this part) he was tied to two tree trunks that were released to split his body in half. Olga (about 20 years old at the time) was left with their 3-year-old son. These Drevlians thought now was a good time to suggest that Olga marry their leader, Prince Mal - who knows, maybe some women would have; maybe some women fearful of being alone, accustomed to living as a royal, concerned about trying to raise their child without male protection, might have acquiesced - it is not uncommon for women even today to make such deals with the devil. But not Olga.
Olga pretended to be considering the offer and asked them to wait in their boat until she decided. Meanwhile she had a trench dug, ordered the Drevlians to be flung into it along with their boat and buried alive! Then, before word spread, she requested that a second Drevlian embassy come to her and upon their arrival had her people draw a bath for them (this must have been sort of like the washing-of-feet act of hospitality in her country). When they entered the bathhouse, Olga had the doors bolted and the building set aflame!
Still, Olga was not satisfied.
She went to the place where her husband was killed and claimed to be holding a funeral feast. She must have kept both the buried alive and burning alive under wraps because these dumbass Drevlians came to her feast, got both drunk and dead.
Yet, Olga was still not finished with her revenge.
She laid siege to the Drevlian’s base city, Iskorosten/Korosten and tricked those inside by asking for 3 pigeons and 3 sparrows from each house in order to ensure a truce. Huh. Maybe Drevlians had these birds handy…seems a peculiar request these days. But once the birds were in her possession, she had her men tie sulfurous cloths to each one of their legs. When the birds flew back to their nests in the city, buildings were set afire simultaneously. Note: I looked this up and learned that rags soaked in such oils can indeed spontaneously combust under the right conditions - it seems that Olga was pretty smart as well as defiant and vindictive. Am I wrong to be admiring her ingenuity and single-mindedness?? As the poor schmucks fled the city, they were either killed or enslaved.
Olga was at last satisfied.
Some scholars think that Olga’s conversion to Christianity was only so that she could keep her alliance with the Byzantine empire (again, protecting her people and her interests, I cannot fault her for that). Olga had set about proving her do-gooder worth to the Church especially impressing them with her dedication to setting up hospitals and teaching people about the Christian faith (hmmm, she really didn’t seem like a turn-the-other-cheek kind of gal to me, but who knows, she must have changed). Olga was canonized about 600 years after her death.
There are many more details about Olga’s dark side (you should look her up!) but in the end, her greatest accomplishment IMHO, was to come out smelling like a rose in spite of all her “mischief”! My Olga had that talent too. God bless them both and I will see my Olga again in the great beyond, of this, I am sure.
November Days of Celebration
1 November, All Saints’ Day/ Feast of All Saints - holy day of obligation for Catholics that honors saints who do not have a specific day of recognition. There are more than 10,000 saints recognized by the Roman Catholic church, so it is hard to keep up with all of them and of course impossible for the Church to devote a day to each. With my recent discovery of Saint Olga, I am determined to pay homage in my own way in keeping with the spirit of this special day, and in joyful memory of my Olga!
1 November (sunset) - end-part of Samhain (Celtic/pagan New Year marking end of harvest season).
2 November, All Souls’ Day - For Catholics, traditionally this is a day of somber commemoration for those departed but believed to be in purgatory. Through prayer and other actions, the living can help them gain entry to heaven. Note: While it is great to wish celebrants of Dia de los Muertos “Happy Day of the Dead!”, happy wishes for All Souls’ Day probably should not be offered to those somberly trying to pray their deceased loved ones into heaven.
2 November, Dia de los Muertos - These two holidays are on the same day, but the Catholic Church teaches that celebrating Dia de los Muertos could cause, “…a form of syncretism, a confusion of spiritual and cultural elements that lead to error.” (gulfcoastcatholic.org). For those who celebrate Dia de los Muertos, it is derived from indigenous peoples (Aztecs) who believed in the eternal life of the soul, and that during this time our ancestors visit us, it is a happy celebration. Remembering deceased loved ones is not so much a focus on whether one believes they have made it to heaven/hell/purgatory but a joyful acceptance and celebration of our place within the circle of life.
5 November, Election Day - Hey, GO VOTE!!
11 November, Veterans’ Day - Originally known as Armistice Day, it began in order to mark the anniversary of WWI ending. It was renamed Veterans’ Day in 1954. Thanks to all who have given, and to those who continue to give their service and sometimes their lives for our country.
13 Sadie Hawkins Day - This originated from the comic strip, Li’l Abner and was mostly celebrated back in the day during high school and college dances where it was the custom of the girl to ask the boy to the event on this day. I remember it was kind of exciting to be the one in the driver’s seat for a change because if you were female, a great deal of time and effort was given to getting males in the mood to do the asking…today, this day’s relevance and purpose is no doubt dying or already dead.
28 November, Thanksgiving - this is another one of those holidays that it is tricky to explain celebrating since the vilification of American colonists is well underway and even the eating of turkey is highly suspect. The point is for me is, that we can be Thankful. Together. Period. And eat turkey without shame (unless one is an avowed vegetarian, in which case the consumption of turkey would seem to be somewhat shameful, I suppose).
29 November, Black Friday - First coined in 1869, the stock market crash was blamed on a couple of guys named Gould and Fisk who hoped to make a boatload of money by controlling the gold market. It was President Grant’s reaction to their little money-making scheme that plummeted the price of gold and foiled this dynamic duo’s dreams…with the nasty side effect of also plunging the country into financial crisis. Later in 1924 when Macy’s held the first Thanksgiving Day, it became known as the first day of the holiday shopping season.
30 November, Small Business Saturday - I love Mom & Pop shops - why not check them out and buy some of their stuff!
FICTION WRITING CONNECTIONS/COMMUNITIES/RESOURCES
A few new finds included:
with
, , ,Terran Tuesday with
Warrior Wednesday with
Thorny Thursday with
Sci-Fi Friday with
Sword Saturday with
Funny Sunday with
Microdosing and with
Connecting Readers to Writers with with
with
& & The List with
Substack Accountability Corner & Find Your Tribe with
Horror Haiku Club with
The Library with
&with Christine Sneed
with multiple hosts
& Endnotes (monthly) with
includes a Book Group Directory- Talestack News Fiction Bulletin with
with
&
COMING SOON…
3 November Stack Talk is here! See you again 1 December. I shall be taking a break from regular posting Jan-Mar, perhaps a spontaneous post here and there but will resume the bi-monthly posting in April.
24 November, The Morning I Awoke Inside a Stranger’s Head. Inspired by a
prompt, but rather than a journal entry, it evolved into a little horror story, or maybe more like a little expose of the inner workings of my own head! When I was younger, I used to play a game to try and figure people out. To see beneath the carefully constructed facades presented, I would imagine ‘taking a walk’ through someone’s mind.It was sort of a mystical experience that I think was born of an empathetic soul - I still remember some minds in particular that I visited: One was like vast, unchanging fields of carefully planted rows of wheat, corn, beans and no matter how one tried, penetration into the beautiful wild wood that stood hazy in the distance was not possible. This was a gentleman who found the word ‘spontaneous’ an anathema to his being - anything not planned was always highly suspect and to be avoided. Yet, I often sensed within him the potential and secret desire to leave the beaten path of his carefully tended rows, even as I sensed such a departure for his nature and temperament might lead to being devoured by what waits in the wild wood.
This story is…I don’t really want to give it away, but it is a story of inner conflict, resolution and the meddling by higher powers that usually precipitate the epiphanies we humans experience.
Hey, Did You See That?
Well, I’m going to use this spot to plug my 3-part fantasy, “The Lost and the Veil”. Some people like to read all at once (I’m one) and don’t want to read piecemeal and try to pick up the storyline a month later!
I got a pretty high reader count on this three-parter but a really low comment/like count. I am reminded that when I did or said something really weird as a kid (which happened quite frequently), my grandma would look at me with this horrific face, and mutter, “I am speechless…” Could be the case here, too! :D
But if you don’t find yourself rendered speechless, feel free to comment - love to hear your thoughts, especially if they might be weird.
The Lost and the Veil: Where has all the magic gone? (Part One)
The Lost and the Veil: Gaia schemes to save The Lost (Part Two)
The Lost and the Veil: Seeds of Magic (Conclusion)
Book, Movie and Other Recommendations
Kokoro: Japanese Wisdom for a Life Well-Lived, by
- a deeply spiritual experience written by a wonderful author and mentor to many.The Forest of Lost Souls, new release book by Dean Koontz. My favorite horror writer because despite all the horror that exists, his work has always shone with hope, goodness and recognition of the sacred beauty of this world.
The Power of the Dog (excerpt) Rudyard Kipling There is sorrow enough in the natural way From men and women to fill our day; And when we are certain of sorrow in store, Why do we always arrange for more? Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear. Buy a pup and your money will buy Love unflinching that cannot lie - Perfect passion and worship fed By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head. Nevertheless, it is hardly fair To risk your heart for a dog to tear. When the fourteen years which Nature permits Are closing in asthma, tumour, or fits, And the vet's unspoken prescription runs To lethal chambers or loaded guns, Then you will find - it's your own affair - But...you've given your heart to a dog to tear.
Thank you,
, for telling me of this poem written by one of my favorite poets which I somehow missed reading over the years. I left out a verse because it implied that the poet only discovered after the dog was gone how much he loved the dog. And I omitted another verse that said, “…wherever it goes [dog’s soul]”, that implied doubts that canine spirits are allowed in heaven. It was love at first sight for me and my Olga, and I don’t believe in a traditional heaven - if it is void of dogs, it is no place for me.
I don’t know how I missed this newsletter! So much to take in! So sorry about Olga, but I’m glad to know you had so many good years with her. Pets are heartbreakers, though. I’m taking a break from animals.
The only “Olga’s” I know about are the gyros they serve in a few restaurants around Detroit, named for the departed owner, so it was really interesting to learn about Saint Olga. Quite a character! You don’t want to piss her off!
Nice reading! Very time worthy (as so much stuff is NOT these days) and cute doggie at the end. Aah!