signs of the season

Happy 2012.

2012-01-01T18:33:00.000-08:00

Gott Nytt År
Feliz Año Nuevo
Godt Nytår
Bonne Année
Glückliches Neues Jahr
Athbhliain Shona
Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

However you say it...

May the best you have ever seen be the worst you will ever see.
May the mouse never leave your grain store with a tear drop in its eye.
May you always stay hale and hearty until you are old enough to die.
May you still be as happy as I always wish you to be.

May the hill rise behind you,
And may the mountain be always over the crest;
And may the God that you believe in
Hold you in the palm of his hand.

2011-11-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

“Cherish your solitude. Take trains by yourself to places you have never been. Sleep out alone under the stars. Learn how to drive a stick shift. Go so far away that you stop being afraid of not coming back. Say no when you don’t want to do something. Say yes if your instincts are strong, even if everyone around you disagrees. Decide whether you want to be liked or admired. Decide if fitting in is more important than finding out what you’re doing here. Believe in kissing.”

—	Eve Ensler

2011-10-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

Got this from George Takei's FB... I love it!

Instead of watching TV...

2011-10-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

You know what you should do? Take photos of friends with their face squished against glass. Then assign the pictures to your phone contacts; it'll look like they're trapped inside your phone... just a thought.

Lest you think I have original thoughts, I confess to having stolen this from someone on Twitter ... or Tumblr... or somewhere.

Magic

2011-10-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

“I want to be magic. I want to touch the heart of the world and make it smile. I want to be a friend of elves and live in a tree. Or under a hill. I want to marry a moonbeam and hear the stars sing. I don’t want to pretend at magic anymore. I want to be magic.”

~ Charles de Lint

art credit: "Light Flurries", R. Gonsalves

2011-10-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.

~Madame Marie Curie

2011-10-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

Drove to Bethesda, drove home.
Saw relatives. Ate too much.

Cold dreary single-digit weather.
I love it.

Today is October 1 - first day of my favourite month.
Two holidays - one month.

10 days until my accounting test.
14 days until I need to have completed an 1812-style ball gown.

photo credit: unknown
If it's yours let me know I'd love to give you credit and send readers to your gallery.

Food for Thought

2011-09-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.
Sarah Williams
from "The Old Astronomer to His Pupil" in Best Loved Poems of the American People

I love this...
I put it here, there, and everywhere more for me than for you gentle readers.
Hopefully you enjoy it too.

If it was only this easy.

2011-08-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

Apple announced today that it has developed a breast implant that can store and play music.

The i-Tit will cost from $499 to $699, depending on cup & speaker size. This is considered a major social breakthrough because women are always complaining about men staring at their breasts and not listening to them....

QED
Problem solved.

Food for Thought

2011-07-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities also has the power to make you commit atrocities.

~Voltaire

Something to think about as our politicians and religious leaders spout rhetoric and propaganda

just cuz...

2011-07-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Looking behind I am filled with gratitude. Looking forward I am filled with vision. Looking upwards I am filled with strength. Looking within I discover peace.

Quero Apache Prayer

Made of ALL of the WIN!

2011-06-17T10:08:00.000-07:00

to help your Monday...

2011-05-30T13:21:00.001-07:00

Food for Thought

2011-05-10T11:22:00.000-07:00

Put very simply, prayer is when we ask the universe for something, and meditation is when we stop and listen.

Reboot! Reboot!

2011-04-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

INSTALLING SPRING...███████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 44% DONE. Install delayed ... please wait.

Installation failed. Please try again.

404 error: Season not found. Season "Spring" cannot be located. The season you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. Please try again.

we are not amused.

2011-04-18T10:18:00.001-07:00

it is snowing

Do yourself a favour and watch this

2011-04-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

Caution: Don't try drinking or eating anything while viewing.

May NOT be suitable for small children, bosses, pastors and the like

It figures...

2011-03-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

Fertility Goddess Asherah: Was 'God's Wife' Edited Out of the Bible?

Didn't she "enhance" the plot?
Perhaps she outshone the male protagonist?
More power to the "uppity female"!

Newest project

2011-03-16T08:02:00.000-07:00

The (mostly) Marvellous Memoirs of a Modern Medieval Maven

fret not, I shall still be here...
This is just something new, separate, and focused.

International Women's Day

2011-03-08T08:56:00.000-08:00

I abhor the term "feminist" - all I want is to be considered an equal and have equity in this Game of Life.

hide and seek

2011-03-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

“Ever since happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you.”
~Hafiz of Persia

Jerk

2011-03-05T05:11:00.000-08:00

Canadian PM Harper wants to make all official communications come from the "Harper Government", not the "Government of Canada"???

A rebranding of the 'Harper Government'

He re-branded the Canadian Government by CUTTING CANADA OUT of the name.
Nice, eh?

I think 'Harper Regime' sounds good, don't you?

We already have the Loonie (1$ coin) and the Toonie (2$ coin). Why not a $3 coin called the Harpoonie? it has a nice ring to it, non?

Perhaps there should be Harper statues erected? and some Harper Palaces?

It worked for Saddam Hussein, the Ayatollah, Lenin and even Gadhafi — at least for a time.

I'm sorry but it's the Canadian Government, not the Harper Government!

Silly delusional narcissistic prime minister!

'cuz yeah... Rehab fixes everything, right?

2011-03-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

Galliano Heads To Rehab While His Friends Play Dumb

What.
A.
Douche.

...and is it just me or does every picture I've seen of this man like a cartoon character?

Looks like meat's back on the menu boys...

2011-02-28T15:36:00.000-08:00

Exclusive: PETA’s Pet Killing Program Set a New Record in 2009

tsk tsk

2011-02-13T17:05:00.000-08:00

We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn.
~Henry David Thoreau

It's really blustery out there tonight. Any wagers as to whether my power stays on or not? That old willow in the ravine by the main grid link... it's a'swaying.

Speechless

2011-02-03T08:30:00.001-08:00

This is one of the most heartwrenching things I have ever seen.

The Julie Project

Cheers!

2011-01-17T19:08:00.000-08:00

Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes...the ones who see things differently...they're not fond of rules...
They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to... think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.
~Steve Jobs

Il était une fois... les technologies du passé.

2011-01-07T10:14:00.000-08:00

You heard the man! Get busy!

2011-01-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.
~ Neil Gaiman

The year in review

2011-01-01T12:06:00.000-08:00

1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?

Went to Denmark
Learned to cable (or more correctly - learning)
Archery
throw knives
SCA events

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't really make'em, so I don't really keep 'em or break 'em.
I do reset - we review budgets/ savings/ schedules and organize.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes - two good friends.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
ummm... technically no. They died last year, but very close to the holidays

5. What countries did you visit?
Denmark & USA

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
more control (self-control?) of my schedule.

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
June - Denmark

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
lotsa progress in lots of areas, but nothing really big.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I plan to do too much, and I fail to "get to it all"

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Back issues, and hip/knee issues. All sorted. May the gods and goddess bless the alternative care types Chiropractors/massage therapists/ yoga therapists.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
my laptop

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
My own family - they are awesome.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Many politicians... many public servants...

14. Where did most of your money go?
House, kids, pets

15. What were you really, really, really excited about?
Life - I know that sounds trite, but I love my family, my job, my house, my friends, and my "hobbies"

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
too many

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) Happier or sadder?
Happier

b) Bigger or smaller?
About the same

c) Richer or poorer?
about the same

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I wish I'd spent more time outside with my kids, pets, and my garden

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worrying, procrastinating, sitting

20. How did you spend Christmas?
My in-laws came - it's all good

21. What was your favourite month of 2010?
I always love Octobers, but June was awesome!

22. Did you fall in love in 2010?!
I'm already in love

23. What were your favourite TV programmes?
no tv - I do have shows I lik but I dvd/youtube 'em, but I do love edu-tainment.

24. How will you ring in the New Year?
Kissed hubbins good-night and told each other we'd see each other next year and went to sleep.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
nope

26. What was the best book you read?
Practical Magic - I had no idea it was a book. *blush*

27. What were your greatest musical discoveries?
Heather Dale and Runrig

28. What did you want and get?
A nice bow, a serger, a new laptop, and an old fashion popcorn maker - pretty shallow, eh? ;)

29. What did you want and not get?
A pony! LOL just kidding! Nothing that I needed.

30. What was your favourite film of this year?
I did not see anything except Robin Hood with Russell Crowe
It was not a "favourite"

31. What did you do on your birthday?
hubbin BBQ'd, kids made a cake.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
weight loss? I guess.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
Yoga pants. Comfort first. Egads I hate fashion and shopping.

34. What kept you sane?
yoga and laughter.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
None! I'm strangely "celebie-free". It's quite odd

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
too many - I'm "this" close to being banned from listening to the news ;P

37. Who did you miss?
Nobody really - I'm in touch with family and friends online, and in person.

38. Who were the best new people you met?)
I met Vicki in person :D

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
taking time for me is important.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up 2010.
*buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzes like a Vuvuzala*

2010-12-25T09:19:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noël! Glædelig jul! God Jul! ¡Feliz Navidad!

However and whatever you celebrate, may it be wonderous, warm, and bright.

Balls! Balls! balls!... for Christmas.

2010-12-19T12:06:00.000-08:00

Domestic Witch is collecting balls again this year.

Here are mine.
It's a recipe my Mom got centuries ago from a Swedish friend - hence the name "Swedish Balls"

Swedish Balls

3 cups rolled oats
1/2 lb butter
2 cups white sugar
4 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp strong coffee

Mix all ingredients well. Shape into small balls. Roll in white sugar. Refrigerate.

That's it. No baking. Pretty simple, eh?

Roger Ebert's Journal

2010-12-16T11:02:00.000-08:00

An affront to the eyes of God

Some food for thought regarding women in religion.

Roger Ebert's Journal

baby, it's cold outside ...

2010-12-15T16:32:00.000-08:00

Brew me a cup for a winter's night.
For the wind howls loud and the furies fight;
Spice it with love and stir it with care,
And I'll toast our bright eyes,
my sweetheart fair.
~Minna Thomas Antrim

Shake it up baby, now...

2010-12-08T13:13:00.000-08:00

In a gentle way you can shake the world.
~Gandhi

As we head into the holidaze...

2010-12-07T07:17:00.000-08:00

RELAX! Get over yourself. Stop being a Grinch.
I think we all know a few fellow pagans who get in a snit around the holidaze...

found @ Domestic Witch

Santa's Wisdom to Pagans
Author unknown

We had a nice, serene kind of Solstice Circle. No jingling bells or faked-out Christmas Carols. Soon after the last coven member left, Jack was ready to pack it in."The baby's nestled all snug in her bed," he said with a yawn, "I think I'll go settle in for a long winter's nap."I heaved a martyred sigh. He grinned unrepentantly, kissed me, called me a grinch, and went to bed.

I stayed up and puttered around the house, trying to unwind. I sifted through the day's mail, ditched the flyers urging us to purchase all the Seasonal Joy we could afford or charge.I opened the card from his parents. Another sermonette: a manger scene and a bible verse, with a handwritten note expressing his mother's fervent hope that God's love and Christmas spirit would fill our hearts in this blessed season. She means well, really. I amused myself by picking out every Pagan element I could find in the card.

When the mail had been sorted, I got up and started turning our ritual room back into a living room. As if the greeting card had carried a virus, I found myself humming Christmas carols. I turned on the classic rock station, but they were playing that Lennon-Ono Christmas song. I switched stations. The weatherman assured me that there was only a twenty percent chance of snow. Then, by Loki, the deejay let Bruce Springsteen insult my ears crooning,

"yah better watch out, yah better not pout."

I tried the Oldies station. Elvis lives, and he does Christmas songs. Okay, fine. We'll do classical ~ no, we won't. They're playing Handel's Messiah. Maybe the community radio station would have something secular humanist.

"Ahora, escucharemos a Jose Feliciano canta `Feliz Navidad'."

I was getting annoyed. The radio doesn't usually get this saturated with holiday mush until the twenty-fourth.

"This is too weird." I said to the radio, "Cut that crap out." The country station had some Kenny Rogers Christmas tune, the first rock station had gone from John and Yoko's Christmas song to Simon and Garfunkel's "Silent Night," and the other rock station still had Springsteen reliving his childhood.

"--I'm tellin' you why. Santa Claus is comin' to town!"

I was about to pick out a nice secular CD when there was a knock at the door. Now, it could have been a coven member who'd forgotten something. It could have been someone with car trouble. It could have been any number of things, but it certainly couldn't have been a stout guy in a red suit--snowy beard, rosy cheeks, and all--backed by eight reindeer and a sleigh. I blinked, wondered crazily where Rudolph was, and blinked again. There were nine reindeer. Our twenty-percent chance of snow had frosted the dead grass and was continuing to float down in fat flakes.

"Hi, Frannie." he said warmly, "I've missed you."

"I'm stone cold sober, and you don't exist."

He looked at me with a mixture of sorrow and compassion and sighed heavily.

"That's why I miss you, Frannie. Can I come in? We need to talk." I couldn't quite bring myself to slam the door on this vision, hallucination, or whatever. So I let him in, because that made more sense then letting all the cold air in while I argued with someone who wasn't there.

As he stepped in, a thought crossed my mind about various entities needing an invitation to get in houses. He flashed me a smile that would melt the polar caps.

"Don't you miss Christmas, Frannie?"
"No." I said flatly, "Apparently you don't see me when I'm sleeping and waking these days. I haven't been Christian for years."
"Oh, now don't let that stop you. We both know this holiday's older than that. Yule trees and Saturnalia and here-comes-the- sun, doodoodendoodoo. "

I raised an eyebrow at the Beatles reference, then gave him my standard sermonette on the appropriation and adulteration that made Christmas no longer a Pagan holiday. I had done my homework. I listed centuries, I named names--St.Nicholas among them.

"In the twentieth century version," I assured him, "Christmas is two parts crass commercialism mixed with one part blind faith in a religion I rejected years ago." I gave him my best lines, the ones that had convinced my coven to abstain from Christmassy clichés. My hallucination sat in Jack's favorite chair, nodding patiently at me.

"And you," I added nastily,"come here talking about ancient customs when you--in your current form--were invented in the nineteenth century by, um...Clement C. Moore.

"He laughed, a rolling, belly-deep chuckle unlike any department- store Santa I'd ever heard.

"Of course I change my form now and then to suit fashion. Don't you? And does that stop you from being yourself?" He said, and asked me if I remembered Real Magic, by Isaac Bonewits. I gaped at him for a moment, then caught myself.

"This is like `Labyrinth', right? I'm having a dream that pretends to be real, but is only made from pieces of things in my memory. You don't look a thing like David Bowie."

"Bonewits has this Switchboard Theory." Santa went on amiably, "The energy you put into your beliefs influences the real existence of the archetypal-- oh,let me put it simpler: "in the beginning, Man created God'. Ian Anderson."

He lit a long-stemmed pipe. The tobacco had a mild and somehow Christmassy smell, and every puff sent up a wreath of smoke. "I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than Bonewits tells it, but that's close enough for mortals. Are you with me so far?"

"Oh, sure." I lied as unconvincingly as possible.
Santa sighed heavily."When's the last time you left out hot tea and cookies for me?"
"When I figured out my parents were eating them."
"Frannie, Frannie. Remember pinda balls, from Hinduism?"
"Rice balls left as offerings for ancestors and gods."
"Do Hindus really believe that the ancestors and gods eat pinda balls?"
"All right, y'got me there. They say that spirits consume the spiritual essence, then mortals can have what's left."
"Mm-hm." Santa smiled at me compassionately through his snowy beard.

I rallied quickly. "What about the toys? I know for a fact they aren't made by you and a bunch of non-union Elves."

"Oh, that's quite true. Manufacturing physical objects out of magical energy is terribly expensive and breaks several laws of Nature--She only allows us to do that on special occasions. It certainly couldn't be done globally and annually. Now, the missus and the Elves and I really do have a shop at the North Pole. Not the sort of thing the Air Force would ever find. What we make up there is what makes this time a holiday, no matter what religion it's called."

"Don't tell me," I said, rolling my eyes, "you make the sun come back."

"Oh my, no. The solar cycle stuff, the Reason For The Season, isn't my department. My part is making it a holiday. We make a mild, non-addictive psychedelic thing called Christmas spirit. Try some."

He dipped his fingers in a pocket and tossed red-gold-green- silver glitter at me. I could have ducked. I don't know why I didn't.

It smelled like snow and pine needles, and cedar chips in the fireplace.
It smelled like fruitcake, cornbread savory herbal stuffing, like that foamy white stuff you spray on the window with stencils.
It felt like a crisp wind, Grandma's hugs, fuzzy new mittens, pine needles scrunching under my slippers.
I saw twinkle lights, mistletoe in the doorway, smiling faces from years gone by.
Several Christmas carols played almost simultaneously in a kind of medley.

I fought my way back to my living room and glared sternly at the hallucination in Jack's chair. "Fun stuff. Does the DEA know about this?"

"Oh, Frannie. Why are you such a hard case? I told you it's non-addictive and has no harmful side effects. Would Santa Claus lie to you?"
I opened my mouth and closed it again. We looked at each other a while.
"Can I have some more of that glittery stuff?"
"Mmmm. I think you need something stronger. Try a sugarplum."

I tasted rum ball.
Peppermint.
Those hard candies with the picture all the way through.
Mama's favorite fudge. A chorus line of Christmas candies danced through my mouth.
The Swedish Angel Chimes, run on candle power, say tingatingatingating .
Mama, with a funny smile, promised to give Santa my letter.
Greeting cards taped on the refrigerator door.
We rode through the tree farm on a straw-filled trailer pulled by a red and green tractor, looking for a perfect pine. It was so big, Daddy had to cut a bit off so the star wouldn't scrape the ceiling.
Lights, ornaments, tinsel.
Daddy lifted me up to the mantle to hang my stocking.
My dolls stayed up to see Santa Claus, and in the morning they all had new clothes.
Grandma carried in platters with the world's biggest Christmas dinner.
Joey's Christmas puppy chased my Christmas kitten up the tree and it would have fallen over but Daddy held it while Mama got the kitten out. Daddy said every bad word there was but he kept laughing anyway.
I sneaked my favorite plastic horse into the nativity scene, between the camels and the donkey.

I came back to reality slowly, with a silly smile on my face and a ticklyfeeling behind my eyes like they wanted to cry. The phrase "visions of sugarplums" took on a whole new meaning."

How long has it been," Santa asked, "since you played with a nativity set?-"
"But it symbolizes-- "
"The winter-born king. The sacred Mother and her sun-child. Got a problem with that? You could redecorate it with pentagrams if you like, they'll look fine. As for the Christianization, I've heard who you invoke at Imbolc."
"But Bridgid was a Goddess for centuries before the Catholic Church-oh." I crossed my arms and tried to glare at him, but failed.
"You're a sneaky old Elf, y'know?"
"The term is `jolly old Elf.' Care for another sugarplum?"
I did.

I tasted gingerbread.
My first nip of soy eggnog the way the grown-ups drink it.
Fresh sugar cookies, shaped like trees and decked with colored frosting.
Dad had been laid off, but we managed a lot of cheer. They told us Christmas would be "slim pickings." Joey and I smiled bravely when Mama brought home that spindly spruce. We loaded down our "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" with every light and ornament it could hold. Popcorn and cranberry strings for the outdoor trees. Mistletoe in the hall: plastic mistletoe, real kisses. Joey and I snipped and glued and stitched and painted treasures to give as presents. We agonized over our "Santa" letters...by now we knew where the goodies came from, and we tried to compromise between what we longed for and they thought they could afford. Every day we hoped the factory would reopen. When Joey's dog ate my mitten, I wasn't brave. I knew that meant I'd get mittens for Christmas, and one less toy. I cried. On December twenty-fifth we opened our presents ve-ery slo-wly, drawing out the experience. We made a show of cheer over our socks and shirts and meager haul of toys. I got red mittens. We could tell Mama and Daddy were proud of us for being so brave, because they were grinning like crazy.
"Go out to the garage for apples." Mama told us, "We'll have apple pancakes."

I don't remember having the pancakes. There was a dollhouse in the garage. No mass-produced aluminum thing but a homemade plywood dollhouse with wall-papered walls and real curtains and thread-spool chairs. My dolls were inside, with newly sewn clothes. Joey was on his knees in front of a plywood barn with hay in the loft. His old farm implements had new paint. Our plastic animals were corralled in Popsicle stick fences. The garage smelled like apples and hay, the cement was bone-chilling under my slippers, and I was crying.

My knees were drawn up to my chest, arms wrapped around them. My chest felt tight, like ice cracking in sunshine. Santa offered me a huge white handkerchief. When all the ice in my chest had melted, he cleared his throat. He was pretty misty-eyed, too.

"Want to come sit on my lap and tell me what you want for Christmas?"
"You've already given it to me." But I sat on his lap anyway, and kissed his rosy cheek until he did his famous laugh.
"I'd better go now, Frannie. I have other stops to make, and you have work to do."
"Right. I'd better pop the corn tonight, it strings best when it's stale.
"I let him out the door. The reindeer were pawing impatiently at the moon-kissed new-fallen snow. I'd swear Rudolph winked at me.
"Don't forget the hot tea and cookies."
"Right. Uh, December twenty-fourth, or Solstice, or what?"

He shrugged. "Whatever night you expect me, I'll be there. Eh, don't wait up. Visits like this are tightly rationed. Laws of Nature, y'know, and She's strict with them."

"Gotcha. Thanks, Santa." I kissed his cheek again. "Happy Holidays." The phrase had a nice, non-denominational ring to it. I thought I'd call my parents and in-laws soon and try it out on them. Santa laid his finger aside of his nose and nodded.

"Blessed be, Frannie."The sleigh soared up, and Santa really did exclaim something. It sounded like old German. Smart-aleck Elf. When I closed the door, the radio was playing Jethro Tull's "Solstice Bells."

~

Lighten up! Enjoy the magic of the season; their season, our season... whatever.

Happy Turkey Day to my US readers.

2010-11-25T11:34:00.000-08:00

An Ode to the 'tune' of a Night Before Christmas

Twas the night of Thanksgiving,
But I just couldn't sleep.
I tried counting backwards,
I tried counting sheep.

The leftovers beckoned -
The dark meat and white,
But I fought the temptation
With all of my might.

Tossing and turning with anticipation,
The thought of a snack became infatuation.
So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door,
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.
Gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.

I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
'Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky,
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees....
Happy eating to all - pass the cranberries, please.

May your stuffing be tasty,
May your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes 'n gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious.
May your pies take the prize,
May your thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs!!

I know.

2010-11-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

Deep peace of the running waves to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the infinite peace to you.

A Celtic Prayer.

Tell me about you

2010-11-18T16:08:00.000-08:00

Go on, you know you wanna.

Instead of me filling it out the meme, you fill it out in here. I'm looking forward to seeing your answers. Have Fun!

01. Your middle name, or explain your first name?
02. Mental age?
03. Single or taken?
04. Favorite book?
05. Favorite song or album?
06. What do you believe is your calling in life? Your greatest passion?
07. What's your worst recurring nightmare/biggest fear?
08. Faith, have you any? And if so, what, and if not, why not?
09. Do we know each other? Do we want to?
10. What's your philosophy on life?
11. Is the bottle half-full or half-empty?
12. Would you tell me something painful if it was in my best interest?
13. What is your favorite memory?
14. What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
15. Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you:
16. You can have three wishes - what are they?
17. What is your favorite food?
18. Which country is your spiritual home?
19. What is your big weakness?
20. Do you think you're a good person?
21. What was your best/favorite subject at school?
22. Describe your accent:
23. If you could change anything about you, would you?
24. What do you wear to sleep?
25. Gender identity?
26. Affectionate/sexual orientation?
27. If you only had one day to live, what would we do together?

Lest we forget.

2010-11-11T06:31:00.001-08:00

Remembrance Day.

sigh

2010-11-11T06:25:00.000-08:00

Dedicated to those who teach... sadly this is pretty accurate.

The Boss wasn't looking so,

2010-11-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

I am outta here & offline for an extended long weekend! Behave! If you can't behave, make sure you have bail money! ♥

Samhain Blessings

2010-10-31T16:17:00.000-07:00

May you walk with Spirit and may the Spirits walk with you

Tonight is a night to call out those who came before.

Tonight I honor my ancestors.

Your blood runs in my veins,
your spirit is in my heart,
your memories are itouch my soul.

I remember all of you.
You are dead but never forgotten,
You live on within me,
and within those who are yet to be born.

Sunday Sermon, a tad early

2010-10-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
~ Marianne Williamson.

Our yoga teacher read this at practise today.
It resonated for me.

Sunday Reveries

2010-10-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

Honor your own complexity.
Mark Gerzon, Coming Into Our Own

Something to think about.

2010-10-16T05:23:00.000-07:00

A friend on another blog site asked the question: What kind of old person do you want to be?

Having just come from visiting Beloved's Grandmother, who in her 90s climbed a tree at the reunion this summer, and smoked a joint - but is slowing down in ways that are "concerning."

I'm getting up there in years, and I find myself looking at random old people and thinking, assessing, "planning", evaluating... -

I want to be a crazy old lady who laughs alot.

I want to be the white-haired crone who blesses hand-fastings

I want to be the wise woman who heals

I want to be the grandmother who bakes cookies, climbs trees, and wanders the woods with her grandkids

I want to be the elegant senior who treks around the world sipping coffee and wine in cafes and bistros everywhere.

I want to be the kind of old person who fondly remember the adventures of the past and the way things were, but doesn’t live there anymore becuase she’s too busy embracing the adventures of today.

what kind of old person do you want to be?

FCKH8

2010-10-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

Warning!
NSFW
Not kidlet, harling, witchling, or elfling friendly
Carry on!

A Public Service Announcement.

2010-10-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

Helpful Hints For Winter

Keep your headlights clear with car wax!
Just wipe ordinary car wax on your headlights. It contains special water repellents that will prevent that messy mixture from accumulating on your lights - lasts 6 weeks.

Squeak-proof your wipers with rubbing alcohol!
Wipe the wipers with a cloth saturated with rubbing alcohol or ammonia.
This one trick can make badly streaking & squeaking wipers change to near perfect silence & clarity.

Ice-proof your windows with vinegar!
Frost on it's way? Just fill a spray bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water & spritz it on all your windows at night. In the morning, they'll be clear of icy mess.
Vinegar contains acetic acid, which raises the melting point of water---preventing water from freezing!

Prevent car doors from freezing shut with cooking spray!
Spritz cooking oil on the rubber seals around car doors & rub it in with a paper towel.
The cooking spray prevents water from melting into the rubber

Fog-proof your windshield with shaving cream!
Spray some shaving cream on the inside of your windshield & wipe if off with paper towels.
Shaving cream has many of the same ingredients found in commercial defoggers.

De-ice your lock in seconds with hand sanitizer!
Just put some hand sanitizer gel on the key & the lock & the problems solved!

Rabbit made me do this.

2010-10-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

Really! He did! See? MicaelChadwick.com

* 1. What is your favourite word?
I don't have an all-time favourite word. I love words. I get several "word of the day" emails in my inbox daily. I'm told I have an obnoxious tendency to use big words.
I become intrigued by a word until I find a new one that tickles my fancy. I am fickle word lover.

* 2. What is your least favourite word?
I gotta go with the Rabbit on this one - No. I hate hearing it. (Don't mind saying it - but that is another story innit?)

* 3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
~~Porn.~~
Actually, I'm not sure. I'm not sure I want to know. Inspiration and flashes of creativity seems to come from unexpected places.

* 4. What turns you off?
Dogma, rules, "boxes", uptightedness (yes, that is a word. I just made it up, but it's still a word)

* 5. What is your favourite curse word?
I use shit and fuck alot. I don't know if that makes them my favourites or just the most easily accessible.

* 6. What sound or noise do you love?
I love hearing laughter. I love hearing silence. I love hearing nature's music with no human interference.

* 7. What sound or noise do you hate?
Persistent incessant noise: other people's music blaring out of their cars and drowning out my music, or my enjoyment of nature, or my conversations - Seriously shithead, your music isn't THAT good. I also hate the sound of someone barfing. And snoring? grrrrr
Loud cars and motorcycles (loud=/= fast, it just means your muffler be broke)

* 8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Travel writing/photography

* 9. What profession would you not like to do?
Teaching (any age group) I have no patience. Actually, having no patience eliminates quite alot of careers.

* 10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Girl, go back, start over, and this time, really give'em what for

Your turn.

Sex After Death.

2010-10-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

A couple made a deal that whoever died first would come back and inform the other of the sex after death.

Their biggest fear was that there was no after life at all.

After a long life together, the husband was the first to die.

True to his word, he made the first contact:

"Marion ... Marion"

"Is that you, Bob?"

"Yes, I've come back like we agreed."

"That's wonderful! What's it like?"

"Well, I get up in the morning, I have sex. I have breakfast and then it's off to the golf course. I have sex again, bathe in the warm sun and then have sex a couple of more times. Then I have lunch (you'd be proud - lots of greens). Another romp around the golf course, then pretty much have sex the rest of the afternoon. After supper, it's back to golf course again. Then it's more sex until late at night. I catch some much needed sleep and then the next day it starts all over again"

"Oh, Bob are you in Heaven?"

"No. I'm a rabbit in Arizona"

all on an autumn day.

2010-10-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.

~Galileo Galilei

Sometimes there is magic(k) in the most mundane of things...

Sunday Sermon

2010-10-03T12:50:00.000-07:00

You do not need a parachute to skydive.
You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

Practical Magic Blog (after) Party!

2010-09-26T05:56:00.000-07:00

a day late due to the 'real world'

'Practical Magic'

Can love really travel back in time and heal a broken heart? Was it our joined hands that finally lifted Maria's curse? I'd like to think so. But there are some things I know for certain: always throw spilt salt over your left shoulder, keep rosemary by your garden gate, plant lavender for luck, and fall in love whenever you can.

My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage!

A time for transition

2010-09-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

We celebrate the balance of The Autumnal Equinox - Equal hours of light and darkness

For all that is bad, there is good.
For that which is despair, there is hope.
For the moments of pain, there are moments of love.
For all that falls, there is the chance to rise again.
May we find balance in our lives

Don't be shy!

2010-09-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

A couple of people have done this and I figure I'll try it too..

Ask me a question! Ask me anything!
I'll do my best to be as honest as one can be one 'teh intardwebs'

And if no one asks anything... that's okay too.

Girls getaway weekend

2010-09-13T07:13:00.000-07:00

Four friends spend weeks planning the perfect girls getaway trip - shopping, casinos, massages, facials etc.

Two days before they are leaving, Mary's husband puts his foot down and tells her she isn't going.

Mary's friends are very upset that she can't go, but what can they do.

Two days later the three get to the hotel only to find Mary sitting in the bar drinking a glass of wine.

"Wow, how long have you been here and how did you talk your husband into letting you come?"

"Well, I've been here since last night.......yesterday evening I was sitting on the couch and my husband came up behind me and put his hands over my eyes and said 'Guess who?"

I pulled his hands off to find all he was wearing was his birthday suit! He took my hand and lead me into the bedroom. The room was scented with perfume, had two dozen candles burning and rose petals scattered...........on the bed he had handcuffs and ropes. He told me tie and cuff him to the bed, so I did. And then he said, "Now you can do whatever you want"

So here I am. "

WORD FOR THE DAY

2010-09-12T17:20:00.000-07:00

Let your thoughts be global. The entire globe has shrunk into a small village. In one day, you may be wearing a British shirt, French glasses, a Japanese watch. Then what country do you belong to?
Sri Swami Satchidananda
Integral Yoga Magazine

to send you to the weekend....

2010-09-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

borrowed from This side of the Mirror

sounds simple.

2010-09-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

Before you speak, listen.
Before you write, think.
Before you spend, earn.
Before you invest, investigate.
Before you criticize, wait.
Before you pray, forgive.
Before you quit, try.
Before you retire, save.
Before you die, give.”

~William Arthur Ward

2010-09-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage!
~Aunt Frances, Practical Magic

2010-09-02T06:58:00.000-07:00

September 1, 2010
Sending Yourself Sunshine
Good Thoughts for the Day

The more we accept our darkness as one part of the picture, the more easily we can also allow and accept our light.

When things go wrong, it is easy to get into a bad mood, and that bad mood has a way of spiraling out and affecting our life for days to come. In the same way, when we feel badly about ourselves, we tend to act in ways that have repercussions, again creating a negative vibe that can negatively influence the next several days. While it is important that we allow ourselves to feel what we feel, and to be genuine, we do not have to completely surrender to a dark mood or feelings of self-doubt. In fact, the more we simply allow and accept our darkness as one part of the picture, the more easily we can also allow and accept our light. In this vein, we can temper our grey moods with an injection of sunshine in the form of sending good wishes to ourselves for the next 24 hours.

If you feel a bad mood coming on or find yourself plagued with negative feelings, take a moment to acknowledge that. At the same time, recognize that things can and will change, and that you can still have a good day, or a good week, especially if you take the time to visualize that for yourself. This is a great way to support yourself when you are working through tough times and hard feelings. When you visualize good things for yourself, you are sending yourself love and warmth, as well as encouraging yourself to keep going.

Before you even get out of bed in the morning, you can take the time to send good wishes to yourself all the way through to the next morning. As you picture your day, take the time to fill in the details—where you are going, who you will see, what you will do—and send love and good wishes ahead to yourself, as well as everyone you encounter. It will be like arriving in a new place and finding that an old friend has sent a bouquet of flowers from back home to welcome you and remind you that you are loved.

from DailyOM

I like balance. There is day and night, life and death, hot and cold. There are times in our lives when we soar and then times we must endure. I was taught about balance early - a witch that can't hex also can't heal. Acknowledge the dark. Acknowledge the light. Without both we are not whole.

It's finally here!

2010-09-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

Now available for pre-order... Paragenesis: Stories of the Dawn of Wraeththu, the Wraeththu short story anthology from Immanion Press.

Pre-Order Page:
http://ning.it/bK2rFp

Paragenesis: Stories of the Dawn of Wraeththu

Cover image here:
http://inception-magazine.com/zine/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Paragenesis%20Front%20copy%20-%20with%20text.jpg

Description:

Humanity's time is done. As a species it has ravaged the world and its own societies. From the ruins of civilisation arises a new race: Wraeththu. Androgynous, powerful and deadly, Wraeththu must rebuild or start anew. But when they are steeped in tribal warfare and gang culture remnants of their human past many cannot see beyond the moment, and it is up to the few who can to attempt to initiate change and growth.

Based on the world created by Storm Constantine for her Wraeththu novels, the stories in this collection are set in the very early days of Wraeththu history. Struggling to come to terms with their new condition, fighting to survive amid the hostile humans who remain, and the often equally-hostile Hara of other tribes, Wraeththu must learn quickly how to master their powerful abilities or succumb to the same fate that destroyed humanity.

With an introduction by TV producer Brad Carpenter, who is working on a TV mini-series inspired by the Wraeththu novels, and stories from ten writers, many of whom are well-known within Wraeththu fandom, and including a new story from Storm herself, Paragenesis expands upon the mythology of the novels, telling the stories of the prime movers whose lives altered the fate of Wraeththu for ever and the Hara whose tenacity and strength helped shape the future of their race.

Featuring stories by Storm Constantine, Wendy Darling, Christopher Coyle, Fiona Lane, Maria Leel, Martina Luise Pachali, Gwyn Harper, Suzanne Gabriel, Kristi Lee and Andy Bigwood. With cover by Ruby and illustrations by Ruby, Danielle Lainton and Andy Bigwood.

Pre-order now:
http://www.immanion-press.com/info/book.asp?id=396

because that's the gutter into which my mind headed...

2010-08-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

I'm out running errands at lunch and listening to the radio. I hear the DJ reading out an ad (like they do)

An invisible allround lubricant!
a non-greasy film allowing everything to slip and slide
won't damage leather, rubber, or fabric...

I am intrigued...in a *nudge nudge wink wink* kinda way

jigaloo - colour me disappointed

Lubri Penetra - equally disappointing.

Open Letter

2010-08-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Naomi Campbell
Millions of people have been killed, raped, tortured, and maimed in a war financed by those ‘dirty little rocks’. Seriously woman you’re not THAT stupid are you?? And yet your pouty, spoilt self had to let the court know you were miffed about being inconvenienced by being forced to testify in a War Crimes Trial. Yeah, cuz you have so many more important things to do, right? Like pose for nude pics? Slap around your assistants? Throw things at people?
Here’s a big can of Shut the fuck up! Drink up.

Sometimes

2010-08-01T19:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my geekdom intersects with my inner 11 year old
This amused me more than it should have

Stone Age carving may be ancient sex toy

not me...

2010-07-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I said it!

2010-07-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

... although I've a feeling Spain will win.

Have you made your choice?

2010-07-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

VERSUS

Should we consult Paul the Octopus?

lemons to lemonade...

2010-06-27T16:29:00.000-07:00

If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.
~Rabindranath Tagore

so now you know...

2010-06-26T14:38:00.000-07:00

I am... home and suffering from jet-lag

I think.... I should probably keep more of my opinions to myself

I should...probably not say "FUCK" so much.

I dream.... often and daydream even more

I want.... it all... and I want it NOW

I know...a little about lots and lots about a little

I don't like....arrogance, especially when it really isn’t warranted

I smell... like micro-brewed wheat beer - I probably shouldn’t have wiped up a spill with my sleeve

I hear.... purring

I fear.... bathing suit shopping. When is someone going to design a suit in a colour for those of us who don't tan?

I usually...talk too much.

I search... for balance

I miss.... being a kid

I always... am writing lists

I regret.... things I didn’t do more than things I did do.

I wonder.... about some people. :/

I crave.... laughter, and life

I remember... lot of things that will probably lead me to all the answers eventually

I need..... to dance

I forget.... everything , that’s why I write lists

I feel.... at the moment - a wee bit queasy.

I can.... and I do

I can't.... hmmm... not much 'I can’t' here

I am happy.... actually yes I am!

I lose.....my keys frequently

I sing.... when no one is around - I’m kind that way

I listen... with my heart as well as my ears

I shop..... only if I have to.

I eat.... to live and live to eat

I love... LIFE!

Now it's your turn...

... brb ...

2010-06-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

Prepare to be amazed !

2010-06-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

Our world is a pretty amazing place.

Check it out:

New Scientist Pictures of the Day

Maybe we should take better care of it?
Just a thought.
:/

Chin up!

2010-05-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.
~Peace Pilgrim

I admit to be struggling a wee bit.

Got to stay current!

2010-05-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

If God Had Texted the Ten Commandments...

srsly

Think about it.

2010-05-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I...

2010-05-13T11:51:00.001-07:00

Happy Star Wars Day!

2010-05-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

May the 4th be with you...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RATMJ8JH1qo

Beltaine Blessings

2010-05-01T17:44:00.000-07:00

What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the Sunset.
~Crowfoot, a leader of the Blackfoot nation

Now go! Lose yourself in that sunset...

2010-04-28T13:07:00.001-07:00

Celebrate! Celebrate! Dance to the music...

2010-04-22T07:07:00.001-07:00

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more.

~George Gordon, Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage

Happy Earth Day!

Eyjafjallajokull

2010-04-21T06:24:00.000-07:00

I admit to being fed up with stories of [stoic/whiny/weary/frustrated] [travellers/airline executives] whinging on about their fear, experiences, etc.
I'm tired are hourly updates on the skies - although admittedly I'm not waiting to travel (yet), nor do I have a loved one stranded..
I am at the eye rolling stage when yet another talking head spouts off about the economic impact to the airlines, businesses, and the economy.

But .... Daaaaaaaaayuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmm

I am awestruck, fascinated, and just a wee bit terrified.

These are some incredible photographs of the Icelandic Volcano.

More from Eyjafjallajokull

just sayin'....

2010-04-17T16:37:00.001-07:00

Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different. Keep that in mind when you're licking something that doesn't belong to you...

Do I laugh? or cry?

2010-04-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

this is so many kinds of wrong....

Would Anyone Like to Rep the Backtacular Gluteal Cleft Shield?

and while I'm channeling my disgust at ::ahem:: 'fashion' (I just threw up a little ...)
WTF is up with the deformed head look? Bumpits? for real?

mere mortals all...

2010-04-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

April 9, 2010
Less Than Perfect
The Humanity Of Leaders

When we choose a leader, we often place our faith in that person to a degree that exceeds what is humanly possible.

When we recognize someone as a leader, we often place our faith in that person to a degree that exceeds what is humanly possible. In other words, we expect them to be beyond fault and to not make mistakes. This, of course, is neither realistic nor fair. Just like us, these people are living human lives, and part of the deal is learning through experience and working out our individual karmas. There will always be missteps and things they would do differently given a second chance. If we are to be fair, we must grant our leaders the same forgiveness, compassion, and understanding that we grant our closest friends as they navigate the complex challenges of this human life.

Leaders are special people in that they have the ability to guide and represent large groups of people. In this calling, they agree, to some degree, to be responsible for the well-being of others. Because of this, we hold them up to a higher standard of behavior, and in some ways this is fair. However, we will only be disappointed and disillusioned time and time again if we expect them to be perfect. If they were perfect, they would not be here on earth. Perhaps the most we can expect of our leaders is that they make it a practice to acknowledge their shortcomings and learn from their experiences. Beyond this, when our leaders let us down, it is up to us to forgive and move on. Dwelling on disappointment and negativity creates more of the same.

People who choose to lead are often extraordinary individuals blessed with vision, energy, and charisma. It is their path to inspire, guide, and represent us, but it is not possible for them to never let us down. Leaders are on a path of growth just as we are. Perhaps this is something to remember when we have the opportunity to choose somebody in a leadership role, or perhaps you are ready to step into a role of leadership yourself.

from DailyOM

I believe we should NEVER let a leader off the hook if they commit a crime - however we do need to remember that they are only human and WE need to be proactive and not place all our faith, all the responsability on them.

You're not the only one who's made mistakes, but they're the only things that you can truly call your own.

Billy Joel, You're Only Human (Second Wind)

A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner...

2010-04-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work but rather, teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

seasons greetings

2010-04-03T17:24:00.000-07:00

Happy CH3-CH2-O-CH2-CH3!!

a dose of Reality

2010-03-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

This morning you were awakened by your alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the US Department of Energy. You then took a shower in the clean water provided by the municipal water utility. After that, you turned on the TV to one of the FCC regulated channels to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like using satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. You watched this while eating your breakfast of US Department of Agriculture inspected food and taking the vitamins which have been determined as safe by the Food and Drug Administration.

At the appropriate time as regulated by the US Congress and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the US Naval Observatory, you got into your National Highway Traffic Safety Administration-approved automobile and set out to work on the roads built by the local, state, and federal Departments of Transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency, using legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve Bank. On the way out the door, you deposited any mail you may have to be sent out via the US Postal Service and dropped the kids off at the public school.

After work, you drive your NHTSA car back home on the DOT roads, to a house which has not burned down in your absence because of the state and local building codes and fire marshal's inspection, and which has not been plundered of all its valuables thanks to the local police department.

You then log on to the internet, which was developed by the Defence Advanced Research Projects Administration and post on freerepublic.com and Fox News forums about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because it's impossible for the government to do anything right.

-Anonymous

Would my beloved friends in the US of A please stop panicking? Please? Take a deep breath... a valium or two if need be... you're gonna be fine!

I'm getting old...

2010-03-22T08:24:00.000-07:00

I get a kick out of my bird-feeders.

A) It provides hours of entertainment for my cat...

B) It provides hours of entertainment for me - although I'm in no way 'a Birder' yet - it's fun to see the different varieties of birders and their species personalities.

It’s also a hoot to watch the squirrel acrobatics as they try to raid the feeders.

I know that it's 'good' to feed the birds over the winter months when food is scarce. But it was really rewarding to see how much this actually helps

A few weeks ago I went out to slap another block of suet into the suet feeder. In the tree I noticed a small distinctive (lop-sided red cap) but sad looking woodpecker - its feathers were all scruffy looking and it didn't budge even when I got close, it looked exhausted. I'm not sure whether it was a juvenile or just some poor little guy who'd had a rough go of it.

I went back inside and made a point of watching it carefully just in case we had to do a woodpecker rescue.

Eventually it hopped onto the suet feeder and it was there for a "long-time". It hopped back into the tree and sat there for a time and then made another trip to the feeder, then back to the tree, and then back to the feeder... later in the day it had disappeared. I noticed it back at the feeder in the evening, and I’ve seen it fairly regularly over the past few weeks.

It is quite gratifying to see it now – it’s perky and alert and its feathers are healthy looking. It flits around just like all the others and it even “hangs out” with them now
*happy sigh*

Spring has sprung...

2010-03-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

Spring Equinox, Vernal Equinox... equal day and night.
Enjoy...

Don't know about where you live, bust the last few days of Winter were warmer and sunnier than this first day of Spring.

Dear Internet,

2010-03-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

I'm having an affair with the real world, but things should calm down soon...

in the meantime:

Shark-Bitten Crocodile Poop Fossils Found (No, Really)

Enjoy your weekend my darlings!

In the dark blue sky so deep ...

2010-03-03T17:09:00.000-08:00

When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

The sun will come out tomorrow but until then yours is the night, with all her stars.

EPIC

2010-02-28T16:55:00.000-08:00

GOLD!!!!!!!

Solar Storms Could Be Earth's Next Katrina

2010-02-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

A massive solar storm could leave millions of people around the world without electricity, running water, or phone service... read more at NPR

Veritas vos liberabit

2010-02-18T09:02:00.000-08:00

Veritas vos liberabit

According to Gloria Steinem, the truth will set us free. But first, it will piss us off.

I think we’re all guilty of it in some aspects - we tend to romanticize the past and history.

We think of the wholesomeness and clean living of the past. We think of how simple things used to be. We think of clean air, pure food, with none of the "evil" stresses of modern living - no cell phones, no traffic jams, no video games, no bad stuff at all.

However there was bad stuff... lots of it.

There was no "wholesomeness" - no refrigeration meant food rotted, sexually-transmitted diseases festered, you could die easily from things that are easily treated today.

There was no "clean living" - personal hygiene was non-existent (at least by 2010 standards) - face it until the 1970s many women only washed their hair once a week when they had it “done” at the hairdressers.

And indoor plumbing is a recent invention - wenches used to fling buckets full of urine and poop out windows into the street (and we think bus shelters smell bad)

Deodorant? Nope - sorry.
Smiling? Nope - your teeth, if there were any, were rotten so probably not...
And as the snow falls outside all I have to do is turn up the furnace and gaze outside my double-glazed-weather-blocking windows.

We're also guilty of putting figures on pedestals which aren't warranted. Napoleon, Amelia Earhart, Kennedy (even staunch party-faithful admit he hadn't really accomplished much at the time he was assassinated), etc

King Tut is one of those figures. He was a minor ruler from a relatively short-lived dynasty. He would probably have remained "unsung" had it not been for the fact that his tomb was forgotten about by everyone - including tomb-raiders.

He is famous because no-one bothered to rob him. His myth started with gold, and was popularized by "fantastical" (in the true sense of the word) rumours of a curse in the already occult-crazed upper-classes.

In short "The pharaoh who in life was one of the least esteemed of Egypt's kings has become in death the most renowned." (Unknown source)

We've all helped too... haven't we? We’ve stared in awe at the riches, we’ve gone to movies, and watched documentaries. Many Tut-fans bought into the "oh wow he had gorgeous stuff, he must have been murdered - ooooo the bust they made from his skull made him gorgoeus!! *fangirl squee* he looks like that guy who played Alexanders lover” *squee* and slashy fanfic about a long-dead Pharaoh flowed.

Thank science, or blame science, for the truth...

The poor little mite who ascended to the throne at 9 and died when he was 19 was a sickly teenager, with a cleft palate, a club foot, and weak bones resulting (probably) from the fact that his parents were full-brother and sister.

He was probably in pain for most of his life; he died of a broken leg and complications from severe malaria. Hardly romantic, eh?

I'm not sure whether I'm happy to find out the answer to a mystery, or whether I'm going to miss the mystery.

A family tree at last

King Tut felled by his feet, not his foes

Egypt reveals Tutankhamun's lineage, cause of death

On sober second thought - I'll keep my blackberry, my frantic schedule, my toothbrush, my 911 access,..

I won't stop loving history and fantasizing about clean water and air - but I will remember that I got it pretty good in 2010.

practice makes the world more fun..

2010-02-17T18:57:00.000-08:00

"One can't believe impossible things," Alice said.

"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

Lewis Carroll

Through the Looking Glass, Chapter V

No truer words...

2010-02-09T06:23:00.000-08:00

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO-HOO, what a ride!!"

aren't kids cute?

2010-02-07T17:14:00.001-08:00

A first grade girl handed in the drawing below for a homework assignment....

After it was graded and the child brought it home, she returned to school the next day with the following note:

Dear Ms. Davis,
I want to be very clear on my child's illustration. It is NOT of me on a dance pole on a stage in a strip joint I work at Home Depot and had commented to my daughter how much money we made in the recent snowstorm. This drawing is of me selling a shovel.

Mrs. Harrington

early to bed, early to rise.

2010-01-29T11:46:00.000-08:00

The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you. Don't go back to sleep.
~Jalaluddin Rumi

I knew there was a reason I never sleep in.

[insert snazzy title here]

2010-01-22T07:35:00.000-08:00

Yeah.... it's Friday

Scam! Scam! Scam! Scam!*

2010-01-19T08:53:00.000-08:00

Well if Identity Theft, Internet Sock Puppets, Badgers and “Look at My Cooter” invites weren’t enough... Haiti Earthquake relief is now spawning fake scams to take advantage of those that want to help.

I was called the other night by a young sounding woman with a rather strong Russian accent (and a crying baby in the background). She was trying to sell me circus tickets. The circus she informed me would be in my town (although she had no idea where I lived...or what the venue was) over my children’s spring break... or was that my grandchildren? ... It was a great circus with lions and animals, trapeze artists and everything....

“No Thank you!” I said.

“But it’s such a great experience for young children” she insisted.

“Sweetie my youngest are teenagers and we don’t support circuses that use animal acts.”

“But we don’t have animal acts” she says

“But you just said you did.”

“No, I didn’t”

“Fine I’m still not interested. Good Bye.”

“WAIT!!! Would you like to donate to the fund the earthquake in Haiti fund?”

“No, they’ve already had a bad earthquake" I said, "they don’t need another one.”

*click*

*eye roll*

My Aunt was scammed a couple of weeks ago, right after her husband died. Poor dear is almost 89, partially deaf, and medicated with stuff that makes her kind of groggy at night... in the middle of the night a hysterically crying female who addressed her a “Grandma” (which should have tipped her off right away... cuz none of her grandkids call her that) called with a tale of woe – Stranded in a small town, car broke down, need money for towing, repairs, and hotel – my credit card isn’t working Grandma! Please wire me some money...

Sadly Aunty did send money and it wasn’t until the morning that she realized she’d been scammed.

I was channel surfing on the radio this morning when one of the morning shows was talking about this very scam – Police have been warning older people about this scam in particular. It’s apparently widely spread over North America – in the middle of the night a senior receives an urgent call from a desperate grandchild (usually a distraught female)asking them to wire money.

The radio announcer said that someone had called his mother-in-law and tried that scam. Unfortunately for the caller (a female) his Mother-in-law only has grandsons (all of whom were at her house that night) AND none of them would ever make the mistake of calling Nonna ‘grandma’.

I also have been getting those annoying “This is an Urgent call about your credit card” automated calls... arrrrgh.

If I have the time I mess with them...

“Thank you for staying on the line Ma’am! We’ve noticed some unusual activity on your card. Please confirm your full name, address, card number, and PIN number so that we can verify that this last purchase was yours...”

“Ummmm... what does it say was the last purchase?”

“Can you verify that information please?”

“Not unless you tell me what the purchase was...”

“Are you currently in Thailand? And staying at the Grand Hotel?”

“Yes”

“How can you be ma’am? I’m talking to you on the phone.”

“Thailand has phones - Heyyyyyyy... If you’re REALLY from the bank then you have all that information in your trusty little computer... I don’t need to confirm anything.”

*click*

Or the car insurance one.

“Hi! We’re calling to offer you an extension on the service warranty you have with us for your car.”

“Oh... okay”

“What kind of car do you have?”

“It’s still the same car.”

“What kind of car is it? And what year?”

“I dunno... the same car you’ve already got covered... we haven’t got a new one.”

“I know but I need the make and model...”

“Isn’t that already on the old warranty papers? ... I thought you were extending the coverage I already have?”

*click*

*sung to the tune of Spam! Spam! Spam! (by Monty Python).

signs of the season

Happy 2012.

Instead of watching TV...

Magic

Food for Thought

If it was only this easy.

Food for Thought

just cuz...

Made of ALL of the WIN!

to help your Monday...

Food for Thought

Reboot! Reboot!

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Installation failed. Please try again.

404 error: Season not found. Season "Spring" cannot be located. The season you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. Please try again.

we are not amused.

Do yourself a favour and watch this

It figures...

Newest project

The (mostly) Marvellous Memoirs of a Modern Medieval Maven

International Women's Day

hide and seek

Jerk

'cuz yeah... Rehab fixes everything, right?

Galliano Heads To Rehab While His Friends Play Dumb

Looks like meat's back on the menu boys...

Speechless

Cheers!

Il était une fois... les technologies du passé.

You heard the man! Get busy!

The year in review

Balls! Balls! balls!... for Christmas.

Roger Ebert's Journal

An affront to the eyes of God

baby, it's cold outside ...

Shake it up baby, now...

As we head into the holidaze...

Happy Turkey Day to my US readers.

I know.

Tell me about you

Lest we forget.

*sigh*

The Boss wasn't looking so,

Samhain Blessings

Sunday Sermon, a tad early

Sunday Reveries

Something to think about.

FCKH8

A Public Service Announcement.

Rabbit made me do this.

Sex After Death.

all on an autumn day.

Sunday Sermon

Practical Magic Blog (after) Party!

A time for transition

Don't be shy!

Girls getaway weekend

WORD FOR THE DAY

to send you to the weekend....

sounds simple.

It's finally here!

because that's the gutter into which my mind headed...

Open Letter

Sometimes

not me...

Yeah, I said it!

Have you made your choice?

lemons to lemonade...

so now you know...

... brb ...

Prepare to be amazed !

Chin up!

Got to stay current!

If God Had Texted the Ten Commandments...

Think about it.

Last weekend I...

Happy Star Wars Day!

Beltaine Blessings

Celebrate! Celebrate! Dance to the music...

Eyjafjallajokull

sigh