Dusting off ‘Christmas in the Valley of the Moon’

Songs from the Valley

Happy New Year to all my dear readers and friends throughout Glen Ellen and beyond.

Today I offer you a bit of poesy (that’s what the author called her verse). This New Year’s gift arrives via Bill Hall. Bill lives in San Francisco but has a long family heritage in our town. His great grandfather was C.J. Poppe, the Glen Ellen pioneer who ran our first general store.

Today’s poem is one written many years ago by C.J.’s daughter, Edna Poppe Cooper, and is from her book, “Songs From the Valley of the Moon,” published in 1926.

For many years, I thought of Miss Poppe as a feature of the so-far-distant past, that she didn’t ever feel quite real to me. That changed last week when I called dear Newton Dal Poggetto, Sonoma attorney, and man about town. Soon Newton and I are going to meet for a long talk. He knows more about folks and doings in Sonoma Valley than I can quite imagine; besides, he makes me laugh. Any friend who can do that in the deep dark of winter is one I won’t hesitate to spend time with.

Mr. Dal Poggetto’s connection with Miss Cooper? She was his fifth-grade teacher. Ditto for Newton’s sister Heloise. Apparently, both of the young Dal Poggettos loved Miss Cooper. “She gave us all A’s,” Newton chuckled, telling me that the fifth-grade classroom was in the big, old brick building that is now our Sonoma Community Center. “It was in the southwest corner, above the auditorium,” he shared.

I’ll share more of Newton’s tales of Edna, our town, and beyond, in the new year. For now, Edna Poppe Cooper’s holiday verse.  

The poesy that Edna penned shines with a certain Valley of the Moon nostalgia that is pleasant to recall, especially now as New Year’s approaches.

Let’s set the scene: Imagine if you will a Christmas spent far from home in a lonely, snow-covered wasteland. That is how Edna begins her verse. I often wonder, was that in response to a dear friend far away during the horrific battles of World War I, which would have been a true wasteland? Thankfully, Edna’s initial vision is just a dream and her poem continues with images of our Valley that still apply today, more than 90 years after she wrote it. And her hope that we all share our bounty still applies as well. Enjoy!

“Christmas in the Valley of the Moon,” by Edna Poppe Cooper

Last night I had a dream: it seemed I wandered far away.

Before were fields of trackless snow, above were skies of gray.

No cheery voices greeted me; no hearth-fire sent its glow,

No light gleamed o’er the pathless plain, whose wastes I did not know.

Then in my lonely heart there stirred an old, familiar tune 

And something said, ’Tis Christmas in the Valley of the Moon.

My fondest fancy painted, then, the valley that I love,

I saw the green of stately pines, the blue of skies above;

And there, the old Sonoma Creek was calling me to go

Where brown and golden woods were decked with fern and mistletoe,

And glowing Christmas berries, bright as roses are in June,

The emblems of the Yuletide in the Valley of the Moon.

In fancy, then, the night came on, the soft moon glimmered bright,   

I saw the open doorways in floods of golden light;

In every home a Christmas tree with candles all aglow,

And sweetest music playing songs whose words I used to know.

“How fair it is,” I murmured low, “if I might ask a boon,

I would be home, ’tis Christmas in the Valley of the Moon.”

Then I awoke. It was a dream; my own home sheltered me;

And Christmas time was coming on; each heart was full of glee,

A mystery was in the air, the breath of pines was sweet,

And every home was bright and fair with life and love complete.

Oh, may the angel voices hear our hearts to love attune

That all may know ’tis Christmas in the Valley of the Moon.

For where, from Bennett’s misty peak to Wingo’s marshy land,

Is there a heart, is there a soul, that cannot understand

The message of the angels on that first glad Christmas night,

Appearing to the shepherds in a glow of heavenly light?

’Tis “Peace on earth, good will toward men,” Oh listen and commune.

With thankful hearts, ’Tis Christmas in the Valley of the Moon.

’Tis Christmas: we must cast away all prejudice and pride;

And share our bounty with the ones who wait our gates beside.

’Tis Christmas: fruitful lands are ours; our homes are warm and bright,

Oh, Lord, forbid “the least of these” should want this day or night!

May angels light the way for us, by blessing and by boon,

To make a heartfelt Christmas in the Valley of the Moon.

Who are “the least of these” whom Edna begs us not to forget? I have a brief example to offer you today. No doubt, you can think of more. Yes: think of some ways that you can make life better for folks in the Valley of the Moon. Start your New Year with a contribution of time or dollars or even just a good will thank you note to any organization that helps “the least of these” in our Valley.

Glen Ellen neighbor Marty LaPlante provides a good example of helping “the least of these.” In early November, many folks around town noticed a little lost chihuahua running loose in Glen Ellen. It was seen on the roads, darting among traffic; it foraged around the garbage behind the market, yet looked leaner each day. Many neighbors worried, but no one was able to catch the little dog, despite rather heroic efforts to trap it. It always escaped, always in fear. Even Sonoma County Animal Control was unable to catch the suffering stray. As the weeks went by, many of us doubted the dog could survive.

Marty, who lives north of downtown Glen Ellen toward Dunbar School, had seen the dog many times near her home. After repeated failed attempts to woo the dog to safety, Marty was finally able to trap the dog and bring him into her home. As she and the little rescued dog sat comfortably in her living room she emailed me with the good news, “Very rewarding … didn’t anticipate such a happy ending.”

Later that week, Marty took the little dog (who turned out to be as much terrier as chihuahua) to see her veterinarian Dr. Beth Kenyon. Marty had grown very fond of her new little dog and she felt her heart sink when Dr. Kenyon found a microchip.

Marty waited in anxious anticipation while Dr. Kenyon called the owner. After a long complicated story where the owner, who lived way out west of 101 in Santa Rosa, claimed the dog was bad, always digging out of the yard, always running away. Then the dog’s owner said after hunting for the dog one day, she’d found a cadaver that she was sure was her dog. Whatever dog it was that the vet was now examining, the former owner didn’t want it back.

Marty was thrilled and vowed right then and there to make the rest of this little dog’s life the best it could be.

Marty laughed, “The dog’s name on the microchip was Lucky.” Indeed, that turned out to be so. That poor, little lost dog now with a new name, Olive, resides happily at home with Marty, two other dogs and two cats. Contentment for all.

Another family helping “the least of these” a few days before Christmas was the Dawson family and friends. They brought cheer as the hectic traffic rushed back and forth on Arnold Drive. Arthur, Jill, Kyrie, Larkin and Tyler, plus other Glen Ellen friends gathered at the Hanna roundabout and caroled to the passing vehicles. Lots of drivers smiled and waved. Bolstered by the cheerful voices, maybe those travelers felt the spirit of the season.

As for you, how will you help “the least of these” in the new year 2015? Will you volunteer at Pets Lifeline? Or pack food bags for FISH? Or tutor beginning readers at Dunbar School? That’s just the start of a list of many organizations in Sonoma Valley that could use a little help or even just a cheery note of thanks. Happy New Year my dear readers!

The Folks in Glen Ellen column also appears online. Look for the column under Lifestyle, at sonomanews.com. You’ll see my name, Sylvia Crawford, listed with the current and several back columns available. For older columns, check the archives. Want to see your own name in the news? Share your stories with friends and neighbors in Glen Ellen. Call or write me at 996-5995 or P.O. Box 518, GE 95442. Or email me at Creekbottom@earthlink.net. Glen Ellen chatter rarely requires timeliness; however, if your news does, please be sure to contact me at least three weeks before your desired publication date.