Jonathon Art
I enjoy visiting this artist. The reasons are many, here are a few:
In the year 2006, Yule arrives on December 22 instead of the usual 21st. This pleases me - it gives me one more day to prepare!
I've got all my books dusted off and gathered
I've got my Wicca Jouranl ready
I've even got a Green pen to write it all out
Now, off to the races!
p.s. As seen on many, many blogs this week
How evil are you?
Wish I could put an audio here of Walter Cronkite saying, "Today in history..."
Cutting Slack: Gave a little. It is stressful when your child is moving and you have a crazy mother.
Not Cutting Slack: However, there was no excuse for taking it out on me. I talked, he said he listened. Of course, he had to do the, "I'm 8 and now won't talk to you for fear of making you mad." He got over that very fast - spending the night in the garage wasn't a pleasant idea for him.
Step-Son: Is moved. It cost us a lot of money we didn't have. His job starts Monday; I'm praying the Goddess will give him direction.
Daughter: She will be here December 26. I'm thrilled - so is she.
Thanksgiving aftermath: All furniture is back where it belongs. Dishes - including roaster and platter - are clean and put away. Later today, decorations will be re-boxed. Time to find Yule deocorations...
Speaking of Yule: Have decided to make it more festive this year. Although our house cannot be seen from the road, I am planning to decorate two or three outside trees. I'm also going to make a "string art" Pentacle to place on the deck. I was inspired by something I saw this summer - I'm going to get a piece of plywood, slather it with polyurethane, place nails in strategic places, and wrap a strand of lights to form a Pentacle. Also need to find Yule Log...
School: I'll be taking 2 classes next semester! I've already ordered my books and plan to pre-read - I'm such a nerd.
Weather: No snow yet. Odd. I'd rather have 30 F and snow than the 30 F and wind.
Readers: Would like to know how you are and any comments.
Peace
One problem with an anonymous blog is that when "stuff" that I really need to get out comes about, I cannot be 100%.
I need to get it out, though, so, I will do my best.
I've been giving my husband slack for the last year. All relationships - especially those that are marriage/committed - require slack. If not, the relationship breaks. I've been through too many broken relationships - marriages/committed and other. Some were totally my fault, some totally theirs, some equal.
Anyway, it seemed to have started when I lost a job early in '06. The sexual harrassment just wasn't worth the paycheck. Husband got very worried I wouldn't find work and, in his words, we'd be "out in the car living". I did get another job right away - less money, but a job. Still, husband full of stress. Because of the financial stress, husband's fuse grew shorter. Me, being who I am, dealt with it.
Then, his dog passed on. It is always so difficult to lose an animal we love. He wanted to wait to get another dog but, I saw an ad in the paper and, we now have a beautiful female Dog. Husband has only recently bonded with the Dog. Bonded is probably too strong of a word - he is past tolerating but sees Dog as more soemthing to keep me happy than anything else.
Husband has been in pain since before I met him. Lately, it has grown worse. He has been to the doctor, had a battery of tests. At first, it was something serious - then a test proved that wrong. Then, it was something less serious but would need surgery - yesterday he was told that wasn't it either. The doctors here have given up. So has husband. He is in constant pain, but will do nothing more about it. He expects me to give him sympathy, but, if he won't do anything about it, I can only give so much.
Husband's mother (HM) has always been needy and pushy and nosy. Over the last 5 months, she has become more so. She refuses to take responsibility for her actions and expects Husband to be there and do things for her at whim. She shows no appreciation for his/our help and actions. When Husband's Son moved in with her, HM became downright nasty - she complained when he worked, complained when he didn't, complained that he wanted to cook his own food, complained that he wanted the heater on (even 55 is cold for Eskimos). Her newest thing: Husband and I are keeping secrets from her and Son is messing up his life by taking a better job. Unfortunately, husband gets the brunt of this. Talking to her is futile.
So, OK, husband has a lot to deal with. I'm working again (although temporary and part-time) and, yes, Thanksgiving is this week - which he feels he has to make a big deal about.
BUT
Asking him to pick up after himself, take care of chores he said he would help with, and asking him to not wake me when he can't sleep...apparently I'm the bad guy. I'm really tired of hearing the f-word fly, the banging of boots on the floor, the bright lights at 4 in the morning - all because he tripped over something that has been in the same place for 3 years or "my dog" is drinking water.
I could go on...I won't.
So, how much slack do I cut?
...around
I just haven't had anything to blog about.
I've been so busy with work, getting ready for Thanksgiving, getting (step) Son ready to move, collecting information to get Daughter where she belongs...
Peace.
Thank you, Propter Doc!
Which Major Arcana Tarot Card Are You?
created with QuizFarm.com
I'm here.
Just nothing worth blogging about.
I'm sure something will come up soon, with Thanksgiving and Yule on the way.
Thanksgiving is happening at my house this year, much to my dismay.
I don't understand how the one person who does not care for the holiday, out of the 6 who will be gathering that day, gets to have the biggest "to do" list.
Peabody, if you are reading, please forgive my horrid grammar in the last sentence.
Peace.
*Simple Minds
Amazing to me how people how some people graduated from high school.
If you go HERE you can read what Mr. Kerry actually said, not what Little King Georgie and Rushie believe he said.
Perhaps Mr. Kerry's use of higher proper English doesn't work for people who had their education purchased for them. I'm referring to the line, "I can't overstress the importance of a great education. Do you know where you end up if you don't study, if you aren't smart, if you're intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq."
I seem to remember punchlines but never the jokes.
Things happening I can share:
> Why do bullets not work in Blogger?
> My Son got a job in a city 3 hours away. We are thrilled for him. It is a good paying job, working for a University.
> I just might get to take a class or two this Spring semester.
> I received the repair bill for my Nikon - $150, not including shipping. Would have liked it to be less, but, I miss my camera!
> Taking peasants, er, pheasants to my Mom this weekend.
> It is unseasonably warm this week. Will have to ask the Goddess to talk to the Weather God and ask we don't get bombed with negative temps this Winter!
> I'm going to search the net for a bit of picture or something to place here
I made this recipe for a pre-holiday 'gathering'. It turned out much better than the pumpkin fudge.
You can find the original recipe at the Betty Crocker website. I've made some slight variations.
Enjoy!
Pumpkin-Spice Dessert
Crust
1 cup Low-fat Bisquick® mix
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup firm margarine
Filling
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 can (12 oz) fat-free evaporated milk
2/3 egg substitute
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons firm margarine
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, mix all crust ingredients until crumbly. Press in ungreased 13x9-inch pan. Bake 10 minutes; cool slightly.
2. In large bowl, beat pumpkin, milk, egg substitute, granulated sugar, salt and pie spice until smooth. Pour over partially baked crust. Bake 20 minutes. In small bowl, mix pecans, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2 tablespoons margarine until crumbly; sprinkle over pumpkin filling.
3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until filling is set. Cool completely.
4. Store in refrigerator.
It's times like this that I want to throw Blogger in the dumpster!
Here is Supper from Samhain.
And here is my mini-altar.
Next on the list...
S.O. wants to have Thanksgiving (American) dinner. This 'holiday' doesn't 'do' anything for me.
I will help prepare the menu - so we have some healthy foods - and I will clean the house and set the table. Oh, yeah, and clean up afterwards, too. I will ask the Goddess for help in getting through it all!
The next big Pagan/Wiccan holiday is Yule. If any one is interested, I'll be happy to discuss my preparations and such for Yule.
Peace
Last night's 'celebration' was low key but enlightening.
In lieu of a Dumb Supper, I served our food backwards: dessert, main course, soup, bread, appetizer. I also served counter-clockwise (Windershins, I believe), and did my best to eat with my left hand. As Blogger will not let me upload a photo, you will have to deal with an explanation.
Food Served =>
Cranberry-Raisin Pie
Chicken Breasts with Brown Rice & cream sauce
Vegetarian Vegetable Soup
Sunflower Bread
Saute'd Mushrooms with Parmesean
Littel Penguin Pinot Noir, 2002
To begin Supper, I lit the white candle then the Yankee Candle, cast a circle, invited those who had passed to join us. As I said, I served Windershins, with my left hand. I said a brief blessing for the food and for those who have passed.
After Supper, I cleaned the dishes, saved some chicken-bits for our animals, and prepared for ritual. Again, no photo allowed. So =>
A special scented candle North, Black candle in votive holder to East, Wheat candle to South, Black candle in pumpkin to West. All on an altar cloth that looks like fire.
I won't go into the finer points of my ritual here; that is private. I will tell you I set up a mini-altar as, throughout the day, I "knew" more and more I needed to perform ritual in a different place in my house. I now know why, and it makes perfect sense. I allowed the black candle in the pumpkin to burn out, which made a very cool effect - black wax oozing out of the pumpkin. Kind of creepy, but very cool!
I wish you each a wonderful and fruitful year!
Blessings and Greetings to All on this Day of Samhain / Hallowe'en
Tonight has been a night of surprising events with more to occur, I'm sure.
Enjoy your evening!
Hello Everyone.
I am in the final stages of Samhain preparation. I'm quite excited about this year's celebration. S.O. has agreed to a bonfire. I get my Samhain fire and he gets rid of all those limbs and that brush.
I'm also preparing for a short trip. We will spend a long weekend with my parents. I'm not sure what we will be doing but, I plan on sleeping as much as they will allow me to! Oh, there may not be blog entries for a few days, then.
It seems a cold has attached itself to my sinues. hoo-rah Suppose that means I'll have to go purchase that anti-cold medicine and some with-cold medicine. Why do they call it a "cold" anyway? I'm not cold and people get them in the summer.
Peace
Someone I admire and respect is experiencing something awful - the prospect of a friend's death. I won't give you the details; they are not mine to give.
I want to share my beliefs on death; something I'm comfortable doing here, but not giving him directly. They are my beliefs and I will not impose them on anyone.
Yes, I hope he reads this entry, just so he will know his difficulty is breaking my heart.
Since I understood the concept of death, I have believed that our Spirit leaves our bodies and goes...somewhere. The idea of 'somewhere' has changed a lot over 30 years. I suppose a lot can change in 30 years. Initially the somewhere was Heaven. But, then, I realized I'd have to believe in a polar opposite and I couldn’t fathom the concept of Hell. Biggest reason: I couldn't understand why a "all knowing, all seeing, all loving God" would allow His creations (people) to be in such agony. That's about the time I started my journey into Earth-Religions.
After experiencing Earth-bound Spirits and a few other 'anomalies', I understood more about the separation between our bodies and our Spirits/Souls. It may sound trite, but, I do believe that the death of our bodies is just another transition for our Spirit/Soul. I've experienced myself that Spirits do sometimes have more 'work' to do for those of us in this Life and Universe. My Grandfather knew my Daughter was growing inside of me when his body died. His Spirit stayed with me and eventually moved to watch over my Daughter for the first several years of her life. I don't know if his Spirit has moved on to another life, or if he is just 'hanging out' waiting for his next 'assignment'.
It is long and complicated, I know. I cannot believe that the Life within someone just goes away. Each person is different and unique and may have some of the same qualities, attributes, or mannerisms as someone we once 'knew', but they are not the same 'person'. Spirits are placed in people's lives - and at times in our hearts - because they are still on the Learning Path, and they help us in our Learning Path. I don't know when the learning is over or where Spirits go once they have completed their missions. I trust the Goddess and the God to know these things and to take care of it.
I still do not believe in a Hell. I cannot say I don't believe in Heaven - perhaps it is more a Heaven-like place.
I sincerely believe that the friend of the person I respect and admire has a Spirit that will need to return...if only to give this respected man comfort.
Got word today that my Daughter will definitely be here for her Christmas-trip. On the day SHE wants to be here!
Anyone else wish to join the celebration?!?!?!?
Thank you, Goddess!
Now that things have calmed down at "work" - R is gone - I have agreed to work 3 or 4 more days next week. It is much better than a burger joint and more money.
Frustrations? I'm sure there will be a few. But, I'll take them along with the $$
I haven't written about this subject in a while. But something happened today that I need to get off my chest, so to speak.
For those of you who do not know the story of why my youngest daughter lives with her father, I apologize. I don't elaborate on it much to "strangers" as some of those "strangers" might actually be possible friends. Giving too much at once scares people.
Anyway, it is that time of the year when I make plans for my daughter to come for her New Year's Visit. I call it this because it is after Yule and Christmas that she arrives. She is only here for 7 days - 2 of those being travel days.
Last year, my daughter's father's wife pissed and moaned that if daughter was not there for daughter's sibling's birthday, daughter would be "traumatized". Bull-freaking-$h!t. I asked daughter what she wanted. She said she would be upset if she missed sibling's birthday. Now, because of the way the dates fell and because I didn't want anymore venom spewed on me, I agreed.
This summer, I asked daughter why she wanted to be there for sibling's birthday. She said she didn't - it was just more convenient for father's wife if she was. I left the room, and screamed bloody murder into my pillow. Then I told S.O. (I've got to get him a name :) and he took a long walk around the property - twice.
So, this year, with the way the dates fall, and, having the summer information, I informed (I thought) my ex. Well, the wife replied with something to the effect of, "You said last year we would do it this way forever because it will scar my daughter for life." OK, venom spewer - first, she isn't your daughter - second, I save every email and there was no forever in there.
I'm working on my reply. I have to be oh so careful - can't give them ammunition. I'm thinking of calling instead. And, yes, that would be poking wife with a stick. And, don't fear, I can document the phone call.
thank you for reading
I'm going to answer the comments from my last post in a new post.
For Loralee...
Loralee asked "I am interested in what part each of these items play in Samhain?" I am thrilled to share my information! Here are some answsers (most of which I collected from About.com in the Religions link):
*First off, as with all Pagan/Wiccan holidays/Sabbats, this is a celebration. My celebration is geared toward life and abundance and looking forward to a new beginning (new year) and leaving the hurts of the past behind (banishing).
*Although part of the celebration has to do with the old God dying this day, and the Goddess mourns him until his rebirth at Yule. We use this day to honour and remember our loved ones who have passed on.
*The word "Samhain" more likely came from "samhuinn", which is the Gaelic word for "summer's end". And, is pronounced with in the Gaelic tongue - SOW-een.
*Pumpkins and gourds represent 2 things - one is the fruits from the last harvest. The other has to do with carving. As we believe the spirits of those have passed can easily "float" between us (living) and their state of being, we don't want the "bad" ones to come back for us. So, we carve pumpkins (or other gourds) to ward them off. My belief is a bit different than that. I do believe that those spirits who have passed can contact us again, I also believe that the spirit will be re-born (reincarnated) at some point. This means that, as much as I miss my Grandfather's spirit, if I can't "reach" him, he may have moved on to another human. Complicated, I know.
*The candles and herbs part has to do with ritual more than anything else. Although, if I can, I burn candles for as much of the day as possible. Black candles are for grounding, meditation, banishing, and protection. Orange candles represent prosperity, abundance, justice, and luck. I use sage in my ritual for protection and prosperity (usually in the form of a smudge bundle). And mugwort to increase psychic abilities and protection.
*As with most other people, I enjoy making a "fuss" over a colorful and fun holiday. The altar cloth is not necessary, but adds to the color and festiveness of the day. For some people, (US) Thanksgiving is THE Autumn holiday. For me, it is Hallowe'en.
Photos and more information upon request.
Hope that answers some of Loralee's - and other's - questions.
