Heartsease Hollow

Have You Ever Felt Lost?

2010-12-21T14:32:00.000-08:00

I do. And I have for awhile. I feel like I am losing myself and then I feel guilty for even thinking about such things when I have a husband to be a wife to and a son still at home to raise and older children who are out of the house but do still need a bit of parenting now and again. And the days pass...and the weeks...the months...the years. And I look at a life that is only being half lived. I watch as dreams I once held move away beyond my grasp as I pass yet again another age mile stone. And I yearn inside. Longing for something I don't even know how to put a name to. Is this just something everyone my age (40 years old) goes through?

I really don't mean to be a downer...especially so close to Yule/Christmas. Everyone else is posting these heartfelt messages on their blogs full of Yuletide cheer and here I am with one banger of a depressing post. Sorry. This is just where I'm at at the moment. And everywhere else I have to pretend that everything is just fine and I plaster a smile on my face and pretty much fool everybody. But here. Here I have to let it out a little bit or I just might explode...or implode...or something else not very pretty.

I have written on here in the past about the issues that sometimes make my marriage difficult. I even wrote a couple of years ago about the real possibility of my leaving this marriage and moving to be nearer to my family. As you might have guessed I didn't go. For lots of reasons. The most important one being my son. And because I really do love my husband. I can honestly say that we are best friends and causing him pain causes me pain.

That is what makes this all so very hard. If he was an a**hole it would have been easy to pack up myself and my son and hit the road. He's not anything of the sort. He is a really good man. He works hard for his family every single day. He wants me to be happy. He just doesn't want the same things that I want. He doesn't want to live where I want to live. Or do the things that I want to do. So the years pass. And I give in once again and go along with his program. I stay here in this town because he wants to be here. I run his business office because he needs me to--which leaves very little time for any of the personal pursuits that used to bring me pleasure. I watch my family--my mother and my grandmother getting older each year--wanting to be closer to them and not being able to. He loves the home we live in but my heart belongs in the more rural areas with room for animals and gardens. And even though we talk sometimes about moving to a home with more land I know that this will never happen because he really doesn't want to.

I really, really do not know what to do. My son even wants to move to be nearer to his grandmother and other family members. But, I know that my husband will not go. And if I do, I will be tearing apart this family for the unknown. So there is fear involved too. See? I told you from the beginning. I am really and truly lost.

Sorry again for being such a downer. But, this is me. This is honest.

Cleaning Up Cast Iron

2010-11-21T15:18:00.000-08:00

I was browsing my local Goodwill Store the other day (I love Goodwill, by the way. How could I not? It's like a perpetual garage sale that goes on every day from 10am to 6 pm with new things added daily. What could be better?) and stumbled upon this old cast iron Griswold skillet. My other cast iron is made by Wagner so this would be my first Griswold. I knew for $5 it was going home with me. This is what it looked like when I brought it home:

For the first time in a long time we didn't have anything going on today and so I decided that it would be a good time to clean this skillet up and start the seasoning process.

I went to Orchard Supply Hardware ( I wanted to go to our locally owned hardware store, Hewitt's Hardware (another place I love) but they are closed on Sundays) and picked up several pumice stones--this is the brand I like:

It may be just my own preference but this brand seems to be a softer type of pumice and I just like how it's shape will change as you are using it so that you can really fit it in to tight spots.

So, I had my supplies:

And I got to work. Now, I am not going to tell you that you won't have to use some major elbow grease even with using the pumice stone, but I can guarantee that it will be easier than without the pumice.

I started using the pumice by accident. I had been trying to clean up a huge 12" cast iron skillet that I had seasoned improperly by using too much oil and I had been scrubbing with a low grade steel wool for what seemed like hours. In frustration I finally headed to Hewitts to pick up a higher grade steel wool hoping that that would start breaking down the gunk. I got the highest grade steel wool but then I happened to see the pumice stone and decided to give it a try. Major improvement!! It is now my tool of choice when trying to break down a gunky seasoning.

This is the skillet at about the halfway point:

I like to use a heavier fat the first time I season a pan--like bacon grease. It just seems to give the pan a better and stronger non stick surface. After the first seasoning I will use any oil I have on hand...olive oil or vegetable oil for subsequent seasonings.

And this is at the point where my new old pan is all cleaned up and oiled down (very lightly) and ready to go in the oven for it's first seasoning:

I think it turned out pretty good. I'll season it a few more times before I start using it but it is well on it's way to joining my other pans in my continuing culinary experiments.

Hope you all are having a great Sunday and resting up for Thanksgiving this week. By the way if you have any tips about cleaning and seasoning cast iron I would love to hear them.

Flu, Fear and Finance

2010-11-16T20:58:00.000-08:00

The title of this blog post is the same title of an article that I just read in one of our local community papers. Most of the things that I read in this article I pretty much always suspected but to have it put in front of me in black and white really kind of flipped me out and made me realize that we really cannot depend on our government to protect us or in any way do what is in our best interests. Big brother should be listed in our dictionaries under the words CORRUPT and INCORRIGIBLE.

This particular article focuses on the marketing of vaccines--especially the "flu vaccines" that are being pushed so hard at this time of the year. Everywhere you turn, the media is telling us that we must get ourselves and our children vaccinated against any and every disease that might or might not be lurking out there just waiting to jump on us and attack. I can't tell you the number of commercials on television and on the radio that I've heard over the last few months telling us where to go and what to get.

I don't like unnecessary vaccines. I am even leery of the normal childhood vaccines that most of us received when we were growing up and that I did choose to inflict upon my own children--only after many weeks of sleepless nights trying to come to a decision that would ultimately affect the rest of my dear one's lives. I came to believe that the whole idea of whether or not to vaccinate is a real double edged sword. On the one hand I would not want to go back in time to the days when so many of the horrible childhood diseases were still prevalent. Back in my great grandmothers youth, it was not an uncommon thing for one or more of your children not to live to see adulthood whether because they had succumbed to Scarlet Fever or Polio or any other of the horrible diseases that were still so common back then. I honestly do believe that vaccines have played a major role in bringing those diseases under control and in many cases eradicating them.

However, I also believe that there is absolutely a connection between some vaccines and the fact that 1 out of every 150 of our children is now being diagnosed with some form of Autism. So, like I said, a very sharp double edged sword that cuts both ways.

Anyway, I getting away from the main point of this post and it is already getting long...sorry.

To get back on track....here are the main points from this article:

According to the Center for Disease Control, during the 2006-07 flu season 60 percent of health care professionals declined to get a flu shot....
In 1999, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform launched an investigation into federal vaccine policy that's main focus was to look at possible conflicts of interest on the part of federal policy-makers ( you know, the ones who are telling us which vaccines are okay for what and when) in the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) and the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices (ACIP). The VRBPAC advises the FDA on the licensing of new vaccines, and the ACIP advises the CDC on guidelines to be issued to doctors and the states for the appropriate use of vaccines.
Members of these committees are required to disclose any financial conflicts of interest and to not participate in decisions in which they have an interest but what the investigation determined is that the conflict of interest rules of both of these committees have been lax at best and that "advisory committee members with substantial ties to pharmaceutical companies have been given waivers to participate in committee proceedings". What the hell?!?!
The CDC grants waivers from conflict of interest rules to every member of the advisory committee on a routine basis
The chairman of the CDC's advisory committee owned 600 shares of stock in Merck (anybody heard of Merck? Ya, that would be a pharmaceutical company--a pharmaceutical company that manufactures vaccines.)
Four out of the eight CDC advisory committee members who voted to approve guidelines for the rotavirus vaccine in June of '98 had financial ties to pharmaceutical companies that were manufacturing it and three out of the five committee members who voted to approve the vaccine itself in December of '97 had financial ties to the pharmaceutical companies who were manufacturing it.
"Researchers and consultants often go back and forth between working for the pharmaceutical industry and the CDC and FDA"
In 2003 Chiron (a pharmaceutical company) made "$332.4 million in sales on flu vaccine alone and had a 53% gross profit"
According to the Cochrane Collaboration, published in the British Medical Journal in 2006, "there is little scientific proof that the influenza vaccine is safe or effective for children and adults".

I could go on but I think you get the gist of the article. It makes me crazy. But, one thing I can tell you. Me and mine will not now or in the future be getting the flu vaccine. What are your thoughts?

An Award!

2010-11-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

I wanted to give a shout out to Moonshine over at The Diary of a Witch, who surprised me today with a very cool award! The Clucking Great Blog Award!! Thank you so much, Moonshine!

Now I am to pass it along to 10 blogs that I enjoy reading. There are so many wonderful blogs that I follow that it was really hard to choose just 10. I love my time visiting with each and every one of you.

Thanks again, Moonshine! Muah!

Magickal Sky Shots at the Lake

2010-10-07T16:51:00.000-07:00

We took off for a weekend camping trip to the lake a few days ago. I think my husband and I were very much in need of some down time. A good time was had by all and the weather was absolutely gorgeous! It was warm but not hot and the sky was just the most magickal color. The cloud patterns were amazing. Check out these pics:

These were all taken Saturday evening as we were grilling tri-tip for dinner. As we watched the clouds moved in and it began to rain. Luckily we all had our Easy Ups up for shelter and it stayed warm. It was just beautiful! To the south lightning was lighting up the sky. The majority of the storm was too far away so we never heard any thunder but it was still amazing!

The Story of Hegatty Pegatty

2010-09-29T15:59:00.000-07:00

Hegatty Pegatty lives alone. Her house crouches low against the barren hill like a withered mushroom and the smoke from her fire twists and curls in solitude up through the vast and lonely sky, Hegatty Pegatty looks out from her small window and sees the empty valley. Hegatty Pegatty passes at dark along her track and hers are the only footfalls that echo the night.

Hegatty Pegatty is happy to live alone. The stillness dreamily caresses her thoughts. The silence stoutly feeds her soul. Hegatty Pegatty's world is infinite and minute. Hegatty Pegatty travels far and deep and high, and she moves not a step from her hearthside. Hegatty Pegatty walks a rich and ragged road.

BUT

Hegatty Pegatty is that kind of old woman about whom stories abound. She can scarcely spit over her gate or fart into the wind but the flames of eager rumour are being fanned into the furnace of bizarre and grisly folk tale. Village gossip, fiction and fable tenaciously cling like ivy across the surface of her life. Such are the children of nervous minds. There are none so afraid as those who fear that a difference should walk among them..and Hegatty Pegatty is an old woman who likes to live alone.

The nervous minds say: you are uncomforming and therefore very untidy in the scheme of things. The nervous minds say: you are not understood and therefore most uncomfortable to behold.

Hegatty Pegatty hears the stories and spits across her gate. Hegatty Pegatty listens to the tales and farts into the wind

YET

Hegatty Pegatty is a witch. Of course she is. Does she not harvest strange greens from her tiny garden and ferment unlikely purple brews on her autumn sill? (Hegatty Pegatty is a firm believer in fresh salad and tonic wine as the route to certain health.) Does she not chant in unearthly tongues and sing to the waxing moon? (Hegatty Pegatty has a fine ear for melody.) Does she not jump naked into the winter stream? Does she not consume fat black slugs for supper and play poker with the devil? (Of such fancies have many old women been accused.) Does she not cast and curse and bind and break and hex and howl? She does indeed, and is a little inclined to harness a naturally robust and expressive spirit. It is said she wears live crows around her hat, she has been seen to ride a fox across the hills. Ah yes.

In the village, the children know her for the witch she must most surely be. They crowd her like bogflies, irritate her passage through the lanes. Hegatty Pegatty plays this game. She has played it before and she knows how it goes. She is, in fact, very good at it. So she madly snarls and blackly scowls across the village green, trailed by the teasing children. Hegatty Pegatty is a witch, isn't she?...

FOR

Hegatty Pegatty answers to no-one. As she chooses she takes a cup of tea, grows hairs on her chin and sleeps through the afternoon. As she chooses she talks to herself, observes the unseen and does the unexpected. As she chooses she lives the impossible dream, reinvents reality and tangos with time. Hegatty Pegatty cannot be tamed or tied or trapped. Her spirit is swift footed and canny and her walls are built of impenetrable courage. Roof of resolve, door of determination. No- one can touch she who is a castle unto herself.

And yet it is true that a hundred, thousand, million times her body was cracked and grilled, cracked and grilled, assaulted by the assembled forces of outrageous fear and vicious stupidity. Yes, there were many nights when Hegatty Pegatty sat chilled and grey in her chair, rocking to the cold rhythms of distant sufferings. But a pot keeps warm on a single ember and Hegatty Pegatty's stove is hotly singing once again. It is said that to declare your belief in witches you have only to put the kettle on.

Hegatty Pegatty walks to the village. The bog flies gather. They are chanting the tight lipped words of their nervous parents: mad Hegatty, bad Pegatty, eater of children and spoiler of milk, hairy Hegatty, stinky Pegatty, where are you going, alone..

Hegatty Peggaty walks inside a coat. It is made up of other people's eyes and what they see. Inside the coat she is walking strong and straight and clear, light of heart and bright of mind. Outside the coat Hegatty Pegatty does her bit: mutter, spit, mutter, mumble, ugly grimace, twisted scowl, creep and stumble, shake a fist, suck a slug, leer and grumble, mutter spit, mutter, mumble..The children are delighted

BUT

Hagatty Pegatty stops on the outskirts of the village. She turns to face the bog fly children who push and fidget, bump and huddle a little way behind. The children watch. Slowly carefully Hegatty Pegatty peeps around the edges of her coat. The children stare. She grins, she winks, she pauses, she lets them see her long enough to wonder if she's really bad and mad or just a bit surprising...then she is off, wrapped again in her coat of other people eyes.

Hegatty Pegatty lives on the moor, chant the children softly as she disappears along her track, Hegatty Pegatty OPEN YOUR DOOR!

Source Unknown

**Found this delightful story in my files. This was shared in an online group I used to belong to called A Solitary Witch back in September of 2006. I thought some of you might enjoy reading about Hegatty...I know I did. Blessings...

A Place of My Own

2010-09-24T16:37:00.000-07:00

For the first time since I first took up the mantle of Witch, I finally have a space all my own where I can make my magick. It is incredible! Being able to have all of my things out where I can see them--connect with them--is just so powerful! My altar is now set up in what was my daughter's room. She moved to Oakhurst a few months ago to find new and better opportunities and although I am very happy for her and know it was definitely the right move for her, it doesn't make having her so far away any easier. That is one of the reasons, I think, that I had not touched or changed her room since she left. However, just before Mabon, I was trying to figure out where I would be able to hold my ritual and the thought suddenly came to me that there was a wonderful garden-like window facing the East in my daughter's room--with a wonderful built in wooden bench in front of it. As the idea took shape and I went in to look at the window, I knew that it would be the perfect spot to set up my altar. So, after I called my daughter and asked her if she would have a problem with it and she assured me that she would not, I got to work.

I began by cleaning the space and smudging the room as I think that Mabon is one of the perfect times of the year to really clean out the past energies in your home to be replaced by new energies and new beginnings. And then I started unpacking all of my special "things" and setting up my altar. This is a picture of my new space...

My Mabon ritual was really awesome...the big beautiful moon rose right in front of these windows and shined her light through the glass to bathe me in her rays. I hope everyone else had a magickal Mabon as well. Blessings to you and yours!

Learning Tarot

2010-09-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

I have had a passing interest in learning more about Tarot card reading for a long time. I had always heard stories about my great-great-great grandmother and her tea leaf reading fame in the small town where she lived and maybe my wanting to read Tarot cards is in some small way an effort on my part to connect to her. Until recently, though, learning Tarot was always put on a back burner for a time in my life when I had more time--until I joined an online group of women known as Spirit Sisters on Facebook, that is. I am a procrastinator. I am. There is no way around it. But, somehow, connecting with these women has really struck a cord in me and has made me want to delve deeper into my magickal studies. I am very grateful for their energy, friendship, and wisdom...and I count myself very lucky to be one of their number.

Yesterday, I ordered my very first deck of Tarot cards. After spending most of the morning looking at different decks and trying to find one that resonated with me...I finally chose the Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot deck:

I love the colors and imagery of this deck and can't wait to it arrives. Until then I am going to study all I can so that I will at least know how to begin using them. There are some wonderful Tarot discussions at the Spirit Sisters group and I will definitely be looking deeper into those. I am really glad that I have some very knowledgeable and wise women to turn to for help in these studies. Thank you Spirit Sisters!

A few weeks ago I was in a neat store we have in town called Earthtones. They sell all manner of witchy and magickal items. This store is owned by a really wonderful gal named Mary who also is the lady who first invited me to the monthly drumming circles I have been going to. While looking at all of the cool things they have to offer one day before circle I came across a deck of oracle cards--The Wisdom of the Hidden Realms deck--a 44 card oracle deck by Colette Baron-Reid.

Now, I know that these are not true Tarot cards but when I saw the imagery of the cards I just fell in love with them and had to get them. These are some of the cards:

Aren't they beautiful? I have been spending a lot of time with the cards...getting to know them and letting them get to know me :-) .

For the first time last night I chose one card and it turned out to be card #38 The Keeper of the Scales...Fairness, Balance as Ally (or upright position). This is from the book that comes with the deck: "The Law of Harmony is enacted when the Keeper of the Scales comes to you as an ally. Align with her as the law states, making conscious choices that create balance in your life. When you do, you also magically align with the abundance of the universe and the powerful forces of synchronicity. This creates conditions and possibilities that lead to the fulfillment of your highest intentions.

Harmony begins with the self and then resonates out towards others. You are in harmony with yourself when you nurture yourself with love, respect and acceptance, always fully taking responsibility for your actions. Only then can you be in harmony with others.

Another message is restoration and the positive, fair resolution in all disputes, including those involving the legal system or other important exchanges. The Keeper of the Scales is a just and kind ally, always making sure balance is activated on your path."

What does this mean to me personally? I know that Balance is definitely something I need to work on. Many of the things I have been focusing on are not about balance. I need to take a hard look at this and begin the hard process of letting those things go.

Interestingly, before I even chose the The Keeper of the Scales card I noticed that another card had separated itself from the deck and was just sitting there in a spot I do not remember placing it in. This card was #16 The Shadow Queen...Acquiring Knowledge, Insecurity, Manipulation.

This is what the book said about this card: "The Shadow Queen tells you that too many of the details hidden behind your circumstances prevent your from moving forward quickly at this time. She has come with a lantern to help shed light on what is concealed within you or your situation. This is the time to wait for more to be revealed.

Perhaps you lack clarity and the knowledge of how to proceed with the subject of your inquiry. It's time to educate yourself a little more about your intention and then put that information to work for you. The Shadow Queen asks that you dig deep to gain strength and that you have the courage to ask someone "in the know" to shed some light on your circumstances. She promises to send that person to you. Beware of moving too quickly in the dark, as you will probably trip and fall and have to start again."

What does this mean to me? "BINGO!!!"

I hope you will continue on with me through this learning adventure. I am really looking forward to learning a little more about myself and I think Tarot can be a powerful tool to do just that. So mote it be!

Lions and Birthdays and Ghosts...Oh My!

2010-09-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

I commented a little bit about this last weekend on Facebook but had to share the goings on here in more detail. I apologize for lack of portraiture as my "darling" hubby (read that as %@$!%!^!, LOL) hid my camera from me. Well, okay, he didn't actually HIDE it from ME. He somehow lost it in the car after I handed it to him to hold as I was driving. So, no pictures of Tino's 10th birthday party...arggghhhh.

Anyway...I digress...and I need to back up a little bit so you can get the full impact of how exhausting this weekend truly was--exhausting but very fun, too.

It was to be the Big Birthday Weekend Extraordinaire--have I mentioned yet that we were celebrating a total of 4 birthdays on Saturday? No? Well, I shall now. Yes, Tino actually turned 10 (September 9th) on Thursday but we waited to have his party until Saturday when all the family could be in attendance. Roger's (hubs) birthday was Saturday (September 11th)...and my twin stepson's 20th birthdays are actually today (September 13th)...so we did what any certifiably crazy people would choose to do and decided to make it one big crazy day of birthdays.

I was just finishing cleaning up my house when my daughter and her boyfriend arrived Friday afternoon for the festivities. A couple of hours later my Mother-in-law drove in from Ojai and we barely had time to kiss her hello before dashing out to the grocery store for provisions (did I just say "dashing"?). Thankfully Tino stayed with Grandma Rufee so Rog and I were able to get in and get out of the store in record time--arriving home around 9:30pm. Then it was time to bake Tino's chocolate birthday cake. I think I stumbled off to bed around 11:30 or so. Not sure, really. I was a bit delirious by this time.

This was the simplified version of our Saturday agenda:

9:15am Tino's Soccer Pictures
10:40am Farmer's Market to pick up fruit, grassfed friggin awesome ground beef, and scrumptious sweet corn on the cob to go with the tri-tip BBQ going on later
11:40am Get the coach (Rog) to the soccer field late (oye) and back hatch of Mother-in-law's new car won't open...problem cuz thats where the balls are...
11:45am Hatch of car finally opens
11:50am Arrive on soccer field...it's getting hot...it's been really nice and cool for several days but Saturday it decides to get hot....look around and decide that it is going to be too hot for the older folks who are coming to see the game to sit out in the sun for the whole game...decide to go back home and pick up the umbrella stand
11:55am Leave and go pick up umbrella stand at home
12:00 Noon Arrive back at soccer field, game starts, family members start arriving and everyone is glad of the umbrella
1:15pm Soccer game ends...The Blue Torpedoes are victorious for their first game...family and friends have all lost their voices from screaming and yelling.
1:30pm Everyone back at our house. Time to visit and have a Fuzzy Navel before heading to Paso Bowl for Tino's birthday party
3-5pm Tino's party at Paso Bowl...7 boys, 1 niece, and a lot of family had a fun time bowling...eating pizza and chocolate cake
5:20pm Everybody arrives back at our house for BBQ and the continuing birthday celebrations for Rog and Brett & Ryan

Oh, and around about nightfall, some of us got a crazy idea to go and check out a supposedly haunted house out on Santa Rita Road...and a hanging tree--you know just for good measure. Santa Rita Road is quite a spooky, windy road that takes you way out into nowhere. I mean, during the day it is a really pretty drive but at night...you feel like you are about to hear the banjo start playing right out of Deliverance--as soon as I find my camera I will have to take some pictures to show you.

And yes, the girls got scared and we pretty much stayed in the car while the guys went and checked out the house. But we did check out the hanging tree and you can see where the ropes left marks in one of the tree limbs high over head.

Anyway...Supposedly...the story goes...that a family with twin teenage girls lived in the house back in like 1950 or 1960 and one of the girls was messing around with her father's loaded rifle and ended up accidentally shooting her twin and killing her and then she turned the gun on herself afterward. They say that you can still see the buckshot in the ceiling with bits of old blood and hair...and that workers had been working on the house years ago and something had scared them so bad that they left the house and left all of their tools and equipment behind and never returned. Now, we are hearing all these tales from my daughter's boyfriend who also says that he had gone into the house a few years ago one night with friends and that he was the last one inside and that he believes that he was touched by something on his shoulder. Now, I am not privvy to any knowledge of whether or not said boyfriend had been smoking some type of mind altering substances that night or not--he swears no, though.

My brother-in-law, my sister and I did go back to check out the house the next day...yes, in the daylight, LOL...and managed to get in through a small window over the basement stairs. The house is filled with old building materials but I did not see much in the way of tools--except for an old band saw on the front porch--BUT...there is a spot in the ceiling where there is either birdshot or buckshot (not sure what the difference is) embedded in it and the area looks spattered with a dark brown substance...old dried blood?...and something that looked a bit like hair? Okay, it was dark...and it was hard to see cuz all the windows and door are boarded up...but....ya, we didn't stick around too long after that. I did not get any bad vibes off the house--and I usually will in situations like these--and my brother-in-law who is Miwok Indian and very sensitive to vibes didn't feel anything much either. Who knows...

And the rest of Sunday, after all the family went home, was pretty much about rest and recovery. I miss them like crazy already, though.

And how was your weekend? Any ghost hunting of your own? Hope it was a great weekend for you no matter what you did. Blessings...

Um, Where the Hell Have I Been?

2010-09-09T16:36:00.000-07:00

Wow!! My last post was in March??? How did that happen? I don't know...I can't say. I can't even say that I was working on some big project that took up all my time. Well, unless I can just say "life". That is my only excuse. But, the ol' Homestead has been calling to me. I am back. I am sorry for leaving anybody hanging. And to those who stuck around and believed that I would one day find my way home again...thanks. I look forward to getting to know all of you again. To visiting your blogs again and reading your words. I have missed you all. Blessings....

She's Spreading A Little Sunshine Once Again

2010-03-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

I feel a little sheepish getting two awards in the same week and from the same gal to boot. But, shoot. The way I see it is that life is short--and it can pretty much suck sometimes--but when a little bit of good comes your way you better grab a hold with both hands and hang on tight. So that's what I am gonna do.

So, thank you very much, Miss Willow, for this lovely award. Once again you have brightened up my day. Blessings to you, love!

Here are the rules:

1) Place the award on your blog or within your post.
2) Pass the award on to twelve Sunny Bloggers -- those whose positivity and creativity inspire others!
3) Link to the nominees in your post.
4) Tell the nominees they've received the award by commenting on their blogs.
5) Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award.

And here are those blogs and their people who bring a little bit of sunshine into my life:

1)Deep Inside My Broom Closet
2)Hibiscus Moon
3)Life in a Cordwood Cabin
4)Little House in the Suburbs
5)Living the Frugal Life
6)Moontides
7)Octoberfarm
8)On the Way to Critter Farm
9)Plant Journeys
10)Ship Full Of Pirates
11)Small Farm Girl
12)Sunny Side Up

So enjoy ya'll. And remember, I know some bloggers don't do the tags and award thingys--and that is totally cool--I still love ya anyway.

Waterfall Cub Scout Hike

2010-03-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, my friend, Mary, came along with Tino and I on a Cub Scout hike in an area near where we live. The weather was perfect and the scenery was just gorgeous but in some places the trail was very muddy and we had to keep a close eye out for poison oak because it was EVERYWHERE!

My friend, Mary, in the foreground in the blue coat and Tino in the center of the picture in the dark sweatshirt

If you look in the above photo the little guy standing to the left of my son is only 3 years old and he was such a trooper. He walked the whole way with nary a complaint the whole time.

Tino

There was a beautiful stream flowing alongside much of the trail.

Mary and Tino

The Cub Scouts

The gentleman is the right of the photo above is such a nice man. He is a wealth of information concerning the names of plants and what they can be used for and he has the patience of Job when he is talking to the kids.

Another shot of the hikers and the stream

This is a waterfall that is actually at the beginning of the hiking area (we did not share the waterfall with the Cubs until after the hike as we knew we would never be able to pull them away from it to do the actual hike, LOL) It is so pretty. I know it is hard to see but that dark area to the right of the waterfall is actually a cave. The very nice gentleman I was talking about earlier led the Cubs in and showed them around with his flashlight. Tino loved it!

Tino standing at the mouth of the cave with someone else behind him a little bit inside of it.

And this is Tino standing up above the waterfall. I looked away for a moment and almost had a heart attack when I looked up to where he was. Of course, I had to snap a picture before I hollered to him to get the heck down from there.

Miss Rocky

2010-03-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

Miss Rocky is still with us. She is still mighty sore but she seems to be doing pretty well.

W...T....F!!!!!!!

2010-03-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

Do any of you know about this shit? Pass this YouTube video around. They aren't using any Vaseline folks but we are definitely getting f*cked. Excuse my language but I am livid. I know people who have lost their homes or who don't know if they will be able to keep them from one month to the next. And to know that these people are so callous just makes my blood boil. Our tax dollars bailed these banks and business out so that they would not go under. Did they then turn around and offer help to the homeowners? Not hardly. How can these people live with themselves?

A Sweet Surprise

2010-03-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

What a surprise I had this morning when I logged into blogland and discovered that Miss Willow over at A College Witch's experiences had included my little blog in an award she was passing along.

The Beautiful Blogger Award!

How cool is that? And little did Miss Willow know that I really...I mean REALLY needed this right about now. So thank you m'Dear, from the bottom of my little ol' heart.

Now, there are rules that go along with this award and here they are:

Thank the person who gave you this award
Share 7 things about yourself
Pass the award on to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fastastic
Contact the bloggers you have picked and let them know that they have received the award

So, first things first.

7 Things About Me

I dream about one day owning my own small farm--complete with animals, livestock and crops
I have always wanted to write a novel
I suffer from panic attacks but I can usually talk myself down from them when I feel one coming on
When I was very young I had a recurring dream about living through a very large catastrophe of some sort--I could never remember the whole dream upon waking up but my mother told me that when I would have one of these dreams it would literally take her sometimes a half hour to get me to wake up. She would be telling me that "it was alright" and I would wake up screaming "what about the other people?" The dreams eventually stopped and I still cannot remember what exactly happened in them. Past life, maybe?
I am a hopeless romantic.
I am terrified of spiders and snakes
I do not make friends easily and I do not have a ton of friends...but the ones I do have I have had for many, many years

The Bloggers I Am Passing This Award Along To

(and I do understand that some bloggers do not do awards--and I totally respect that--so if you do not choose to participate please know that I still think your blog totally rocks!)

Now I just have to let all these lovely peoples know. I promise to fulfill the rules of the award and get this last part done asap. So, again, thank you Miss Willow. I appreciates it.

It's Been A Bit Rough...

2010-03-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

This week has been a difficult one. On Saturday I discovered that one of my beloved hens had a horrible injury to the back of her neck. You wouldn't even have been able to notice when she was just walking around but when she walked over towards me and lowered her head to try to eat and her neck feathers fell forward, there was a big old gaping hole all the way to her spinal column. I couldn't believe she was still on her feet walking around! I quickly picked her up to examine the wound more carefully and I was just horrified. It was AWFUL! I was sure that I was going to lose her.

I boiled up some salt water and when it had cooled, used it to thoroughly wash the wound. I was sure Rocky would fight me on this but she just sat very still--probably a bit in shock. I then dressed the wound with some triple antibiotic and ended with a good slathering of honey. The poor gal is still with us and is drinking and eating--although not as much as usual. I have her separated and quiet and will keep her that way for a while yet.

Now, after I had doctored her up I began to try to figure out who the culprit was. My hens have a gated area that I close up at night but during the day they have full run of our whole side yard area. I thought I had made a good enough barrier to keep the dogs out but it turns out that it was not good enough. I really trusted my dogs as I have a little hen that has a twisted beak that I bring up to the main yard all the time so that she can eat without being pushed out of the way by the other hens. The dogs have NEVER bothered her and she is a really easy target.

Well, on Sunday we had to leave the house to run some errands and when we returned I happened to spy my Kelpie dog come skulking through the barrier to the chicken yard. I hollered at her and then hurried to investigate. It was awful. She had killed my other Barred Plymouth Rock hen. I found her poor lifeless, headless body hidden away in one of the flowerbeds.

If Juno (the Kelpie) was not my son's best friend I may just have sent the mutt up the river but because of his love for her I instead just threatened her with the loss of her life if she ever even looks at one of my chickens again and I installed a completely new gate and have made sure that she cannot get back there again.

I continue to nurse the other Plymouth Rock and I really hope she pulls through.

I have also been sick and not getting much sleep because I seem to need to cough my lungs out every night for most of the night. Not fun. So I am walking around in kind of a fog right now. I just feel a bit numb.

We are also dealing with my husbands dipshit older brother who is a very manipulative alcoholic/addict who has really put the family through the ringer for the last 5 years. There is a huge rift between my husband and his younger brother and Dipshit and my mother-in-law who just keeps bailing Dipshits ass out of the fire.

And my little sister and her fiancee just split up and my mother and my stepdad have been at eachother's throats as well.

What the hell is going on?

Fresh

2010-03-09T20:45:00.000-08:00

This movie is getting a lot of buzz around a lot of the blogs that I frequent and it looks like something I am going to have to see. Check it out...

If you cannot view the embedded video, this link should take you to YouTube where you can watch the trailer directly: Especially for you Kyddryn ;-)

Fresh Trailer

Organic or Bust...Your Budget That Is

2010-03-07T00:17:00.000-08:00

I want to be able to provide honestly good and healthy meals for my family. It is a quest I am on. I know a lot more than I used to. For better...or for worse, I am a LOT more educated than I used to be about what is actually good for us and what "they" want us to believe is good for us. But, the problem with having this new knowledge is that now you can't continue to do things the way you were doing them before. That "box of stuff" that used to be a major staple in your pantry--that you used to plop down in front of your family without any trepidation whatsoever--you now know is not fit to be fed to the poor dog.

So, if your are like me, you start to learn how to cook more meals from scratch. You learn how to make your own bread. You buy more fruits and vegetables...and you learn new ways of baiting your child into eating some of them. You start to feel good about yourself. Confident even. It's kind of a primal thing to be able to feed your family from the work of your own hands. I am WOMAN. Hear ME roar...kind of feeling.

And then...

Isn't there always an "and then"?

You keep reading, keep educating yourself and one day you find out that all those fruits and veggies in the supermarket might not be as healthy as you thought they were. All those pesticides and poisons--not to mention that the blimey soil the stuff was grown in probably had no nutrients to pass along in the first place due to being so depleted of life by our wonderful corporate farming techniques. You find out that the flour and sugar you have been baking with has been bleached and processed beyond recognition and the vegetable oil in the cupboard is actually some sort of evil homogenated substance that no one should be consuming--let alone the people you love.

Then you learn the word "Organic" and you are instantly transfixed and enthralled. You find your way to a new or at least new to you store that sells only organic or naturally grown food. You feel like a kid in a candy store. And then...

There it is again.

And then, you turn that bag of organically and locally grown spelt flour over and spy the price tag. The needle scrapes the record, the music stops, you feel a trickle of cold sweat drip down your back. Holy SHIT!! Two pounds of flour is gonna cost you $15 bucks!!!???? Two pounds is not a whole hell of a lot of flour folks. Just in case you were wondering.

That budget you have been trying to stay within just popped like an over-inflated balloon and flew out the window. If you were having trouble feeding your family before "this health kick" (as some people might call it) how the hell are you going to make ends meet now?

Now, I do want to say that I really do believe that locally grown, organic food is more precious than gold. It is worth every penny that is asked for it (well, unless you are shopping at some yuppie gimmicky store that takes pride in gouging it's customers--I choose not to shop at these types of establishments, thank you very much!) I know that these small family farmers work hard to produce food of the highest quality and I also know that it is extremely expensive in order to be certified "organic". I am not saying that their food and products are not worth the price--I am only lamenting the fact that I am not independently wealthy enough to be able to afford to buy all of them.

It can be rough. I ain't gonna lie. You definitely have to set priorities. Do I buy all organic and locally grown food these days? Honestly, no. I do what I can. I try to support the local organic store as much as I am able. My son loves bacon so I have made organic bacon one of my priorities. I cook more organic brown rice instead of white flour pastas. I buy organic whole wheat flour--but not necessarily the local grown stuff. I make daily decisions a little bit at a time to change the way my family eats. It's not an all in thing. But, it gets closer and closer. Is it frustrating sometimes? Oh ya. As Calamity Jane says over at her wonderful blog, Apron Strings, buying organic ice cream is not really what it's all about.

Any thoughts...please share.

Feeling Kind of Like...Well, Crap

2010-02-21T15:50:00.000-08:00

A Picture of Mourning Dove Chicks

Yesterday, G and I were heading out to a movie and dinner (our belated Valentine's Day) and G stopped in the middle of the driveway and pointed down to the ground. "It's a chick," he said. And it was. It was a Mourning Dove day old chick just lying there all by itself and it was alive. I didn't know it was a Mourning Dove chick at the time. I thought it was some kind of mutant alien chick, actually. Uuuugggllllyyy! Something definitely only a Mother would love. But, I scooped him up and ran in the house to find a box and something to keep him warm. We were already late so we skidaddled.

The little guy lived through the night on a heating pad.

Well, this morning I got up early and began some research on the computer.

The original nest had been in a tree next to the house so I went out to investigate what might have happened. Turns out the whole nest had pretty much disintegrated from the rain.

In my research, I discovered that I could remake a nest and place it in the same area and the parents would probably return to use it. So, that is what I did. I had some wire fencing that I molded into a nest holder and filled it up with hay and straw. I put it up in the tree and secured it hoping for the best. The parents were around watching everything. I had high hopes that I would be able to place the chick in the nest and have the parents come back and tend to it.

And, then I biffed up big time. I came in and did some more research and read that I could use a heat lamp to keep the chick warm. So I set the little guy up with a heating lamp (the one I used for the chickens when they first arrived). I must have placed the lamp too close because when I came back into the room he had crawled into a corner and was panting. I immediately lifted the lamp much higher and placed him back into the center. I thought I had caught him on time but I think the damage had been done.

I then ran to the store to pick up some Gerber baby cereal to feed the little guy. I mixed it all up and got the little syringe filled up and came downstairs to try to feed him.

I knew it as soon as I touched him. He was gone. I feel soooo bad. If I would have left him on the heating pad in the blankets he probably would have been just fine.

Not feeling real magickal right at the moment. Dang it.

Monsanto Is At It Again

2010-02-18T20:18:00.000-08:00

I received an urgent alert today from the Organic Consumers Association and I think it is one I definitely need to pass along to you. We have got to make our voices heard, my friends. We cannot let this happen. Please keep reading to see the alert:

Urgent Alert from the Organic Consumers Association:

OCA's worst fears, about what would happen if the man who was Biotech Governor of the Year, Obama's USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, was put in charge of new genetically modified crops, are coming true.

Vilsack is trying to lift a court-ordered ban on Monsanto's genetically modified "Roundup Ready" alfalfa.

This would endanger consumers who eat alfalfa sprouts -- or milk and meat from animals fed alfalfa -- that are genetically engineered or contaminated with GMOs.

Click on this URL to take action now
http://capwiz.com/grassrootsnetroots/utr/2/?a=14469696&i=97299660&c=&u=capwiz.com%2Fgrassrootsnetroots%2Fissues%2Falert%2F%3Falertid%3D14469696

If your email program does not recognize the URL as a link,
copy the entire URL and paste it into your Web browser.

Make Your Own Wood Furniture

2010-02-17T15:46:00.000-08:00

I guess the theme today is sending you off to other websites and blogs--but I'm fine with that when those other websites and blogs are durned awesome that they just must be shared, LOL. About a month ago I stumbled upon a blog called Knock Off Wood and I was completely enthralled after about 5 minutes of reading through it. If you have ever had any interest in building your own furniture--heck even if you haven't--you have got to check out Ana's blog. She has building plans on her site--for free--to help you build the kind of furniture you would find in the more upscale stores but probably couldn't afford (Okay, I am talking about myself here, but whatev.)

I have never even attempted to build anything other than a chicken coop in my entire life. In other words--I ain't got NO skill--but this blog makes the creative juices begin to flow and really makes me think that one of these days, I too, could build something that I would feel okay about putting in my house...you know, instead of out in the chicken yard. Have fun!

Anima's New Nature Awareness Coarse

2010-02-17T15:08:00.000-08:00

I was just over at the Anima Lifeways & Herbal School's website and read about their new Nature awareness coarse being offered. It is an intensive 8-week correspondence coarse offered by Jesse Wolf Hardin that promises to aid the student in developing a deeper and more personal awareness of the natural world they themselves are a part of or to empower them to find out if someplace else might be a better fit for their particular gifts and life purpose. Check it out:

Nature Awareness: Sense of Place and The Search For Home with Jesse Wolf Hardin

An Afternoon At The River

2010-02-15T09:38:00.000-08:00

We had such lovely weather this last weekend that we decided to take Tino and the dogs down to the river for a lazy afternoon.

The temps were in the mid-seventies and it was just perfect down by the water's edge.

The dogs took to the water right away. And, yes, that is a rock in CoCo's mouth. If no balls are to be had, she will retrieve rocks. She sticks her whole head under the water to get to them--it is pretty funny.

It wasn't too long before the humans were in the water, too.

It was just such a great day. It was wonderful being out in the warm sunshine and fresh air. I know that some of you are still buried deep in snow so I hope these last random pictures will at least fill your heart with a little warmth.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too.

I Want to Go So Baaaddd!!!

2010-02-14T18:11:00.000-08:00

Herbal Remedies: Kloss's Liniment

2010-02-12T20:56:00.000-08:00

Kloss's Liniment is a very old herbal remedy created by Dr. Jethro Kloss. It is wonderful for reducing inflammation of the muscles, for cleansing wounds, and for soothing insect bites.

The herbs in this recipe have antiseptic, warming, stimulating, and anti-inflammatory properties--as such they will aid in the increase of circulation in areas where muscles are sore.

I have even used this liniment on family members who had the beginning stages of a boil coming on with very satisfactory results. I just covered the area with a large gauze pad soaked in the liniment and covered it with a band aid for a day or two. It pretty much stopped the boil in it's tracks and began to heal it up. This is really great stuff.

Recipe:

1 oz. Echinacea Powder

1 oz. Organically grown Goldenseal Powder

1 oz. Myrrh Powder

1/4 oz. Cayenne Powder

1 Pint Rubbing Alcohol

Directions:

Weight out the powders and put them in a pint sized jar. Pour rubbing alcohol over the powders, leave a good 2-inch margin above the herbs. Stir and put a lid on the jar. Place mixture in a warm location and let sit for four weeks.

Using cheesecloth, strain mixture and re-bottle. Label bottle clearly FOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY as rubbing alcohol should never be taken internally.

It may be useful to bottle liniments in a spray bottle. It is easy to spray it onto areas with sore muscles or onto wounds that need cleansing.

**This recipe and so much more can be found at HerbMentor.com.

Daughters

2010-02-08T11:31:00.000-08:00

She can be the most exasperating creature. Sassy. Stubborn. Filled with angst one minute and loving and caring the next. Some days we can have really good conversations. And others, it seems like she takes every word I say and turns it into something bad and not anywhere near what I meant to say in the first place. Those can be really difficult days.

I love her so much but she has never been an easy child. There was several occasions when I fervently believed that she just might prove to be the death of me. There was the quite terrifying year of anorexia and therapists, the guy she began secretly communicating with online when she was 16 and he was 25 who thankfully "saw the light" when my husband informed him of her real age--and that if he didn't vacate her life asap he probably wouldn't live very long, there were the bottles of vodka I found under her bed, there was the running away after she got busted for attending a big kegger party instead of spending the night at a friends house like she told us she was going to. I could go on but I think you get the picture. Ya, under this dark brown hair coloring I am pretty sure I am at least 75% gray.

She is 18 years old and will be 19 in March. There were many days that I didn't think she would survive this long--either from some of the dumbshit things she did on her own or because she finally drove me to kill her (kidding...I think).

But, then there are some days--especially lately, that I catch glimpses of the woman she is on her way to becoming. Yesterday was one of those days. She knew that money had been pretty tight around here for awhile and she walked in and told me that she wanted to have a "date-day" with me. She wanted to take me to the movies--her treat. We went to see Avatar because she had not seen it and I pretty much adore it. We had a great time. It was wonderful.

On days like this, I just sit and stare at her for a few seconds, enraptured. Then, of course, she will turn to me...roll her eyes and say something like, "take a picture why don't you."

Note to Self: Stay Away From the Keyboard When Immersed in Self Pity

2010-02-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

I feel a little chagrined after reading back over my last post of a couple days ago. With so many other parts of the world going through some very difficult times, I really do need to remember how very blessed I am. And I am. My family and I have a home. G and I have jobs. There is food on our table and in our pantry. We are able to pay our bills--well, okay, most of them anyway. Hey, the electricity, gas and water is still on so it's all good. And G and I and our kids are healthy. I could sit here all day and make a list of the good things in my life and I need to hold on to that. So, I apologize for being such a downer the other day.

On another note, I have been meditating! The last few days I have been taking 15 to 20 minutes to just get quiet. I tune my iPod to some nature sounds and find a quiet place to relax. I would like to report that I am actually enjoying it and find myself looking forward this part of my day. I don't freak out when thoughts and ideas stream through my mind anymore. I just let them come and then let them float on down the stream. It is quite interesting what your mind will begin to show you when you actually turn inside and begin to pay attention.

I also picked up a couple books on jewelry making. The first is called Enchanted Adornments by Cynthia Thornton and I LOVE, LOVE it.

I have never made jewelry before so I am a complete beginner but I have had an inkling to learn how and I just adore how this book is set up and the ideas behind it. This is from the back cover:

"Transform your ideas into art jewelry. Learn to infuse meaning in your jewelry with this innovative mixed-media book from Cynthia Thornton, the creative mastermind of Green Girl Studios.

Harness your inspiration, create magical elements from metal clay, wire, resin, and found objects and then turn your ideas into wearable art."

The other book is Beading--The Creative Spirit: Finding Your Sacred Center through the Art of Beadwork by Rev. Wendy Ellsworth.

I have not had as much time to look through this one but it also looks very inspiring and I can't wait to get into it. This is from the back cover:

"Beading and my spiritual path are intricately interwoven. It would be difficult for me to separate the two because they are so completely intertwined with one another. As I sit and weave with my beads, I allow the Creative Spirit to flow through me, and though my hands are doing the work, another force is actively participating in the process. This force is a transmission of Spirit that fills me with deep inner peace and joy as I bead. As a result, the practice of my art form has become a creative path to my sacred center."

A Project From the Book

I also joined a bead kit-of-the-month club thingy to help me learn the whole process. You only have to pay for the projects you want and can return the others. I will let you know what I think of it but I am really excited to get started.

I hope you are all doing well. I wish you a wonderful blessed day.

Shhhhh....I Am Trying To Quiet My Mind Over Here!

2010-01-28T18:41:00.000-08:00

I read over and over--and I really do believe it's true--that one of the most important parts of a witch's practice is learning to make meditation and visualization a regular part of their day. I KNOW this...I BELIEVE this...so why, Oh WHY,. is this so hard for me to do? I mean, ya, I get busy. I have a 9 year old son and husband. I have a job. I have a home to take care of. I am sure if I really wanted to I could sit down and make a big long list of all the reasons why I have not made these things a priority in my life--I am sure we all could. The problem with this is--I KNOW I could find the time somewhere. I know there are times when my butt is sitting at this computer that I could be doing other things. So really all my excuses could fall by the wayside. In other words--they don't hold water. They just don't.

You see. I actually know why I have failed in this area of my practice. The truth? You want the honest to goodness truth? I SUCK at it--that's why. Sitting there...quietly...doing nothing...It. Is. So.Hard.

I cannot get into the zone, ya know. I am no where near the zone. Wherever the zone is.

The whole time I am doing it---trying to do it---my mind keeps telling me that I am doing it all wrong. I am not sitting right. I am not laying down right. I am not thinking right. I am not quieting my mind right.

And then, all the stuff I should be doing start flashing through my mind. I hear this voice in my head. It is telling me that there are dishes in the sink...the bathroom needs to be cleaned...that laundry pile ain't getting any smaller. I really hate that voice. But, it's there. And it will NOT shut up. So, finally after a few minutes, I get flustered and get up to go do what the voice was telling me to do.

I am not giving up, though. I am going to make a commitment to really start working on it. And if anyone has any advice to help me battle that voice I would surely appreciate it.

Hope you are all doing well. Be blessed....and be a blessing.

Got Flat Chocolate Chip Cookies?

2010-01-26T08:58:00.001-08:00

My chocolate chip cookies were coming out flat. And when I say flat...I mean F-L-A-T. Like this:

My family assured me that even though my cookies looked like they had been run over by a steam roller, they still tasted pretty darn good so, for a while, I was okay with it. But, my family loves chocolate chip cookies, so I was making them a lot and one day I just was not okay with it anymore. I wanted my cookies to be pretty, too, LOL. So, I started doing a little research and began looking for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe.

What I found was that pretty much every list of ingredients I came across was pretty darn similar. I read recipe after recipe and except for some minor variations in different things people like to add to their cookie, i.e.: walnuts, pecans, oatmeal, etc., etc., the other ingredients don't really change all that much.

I was almost ready to give up and just learn to deal with making flat cookies for the rest of my life when I happened upon some information that changed my baking life. Literally. And, now, just because I am that kind of person (and I hope that there might be some others out there who, like me, like to cook but are not yet proficient at all the ins and outs of the kitchen) I am now willing to bestow upon you this golden information that I have gleaned.

And here it is...

Use a stand mixer if you possibly can--they just do a better job mixing the thick dough (I only have an electric hand mixer, though, and it works okay)
Use dull aluminum cooking sheets; shiny sheets reflect the heat off the sheet and you want that heat in your cookie
the butter that goes into your recipe should be soft to the touch but no where near liquefied
the eggs you are going to be adding should be at room temperature--not cold right out of the refrigerator--and you want to add them one at a time and mix well after each one, this aids in the emulsifying process
Sift the dry ingredients together; you can use a simple large mesh strainer if you do not have a sifter. You want air in your cookie dough--nothing compacted.
Creaming the fats (butter) together with the sugars is very important--you are creating air pockets. The sugar is forcing itself into the butter, this aids in the leavening and helps to create a tender cookie
and the last thing I did was add a wee bit of lard in place of a wee bit of butter (1/2 cup, I think)

Do these things... and, this is what you will get...

If you are still with me so far, this is the recipe I used:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (soft to touch)
1/2 cup lard (soft to touch)
2 large eggs (at room temperature)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 12-oz pkg of semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using electric mixer, beat both sugars, lard, and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix flour; baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix until blended. But do not over blend. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by heaping tbsp's onto heavy large baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.

Enjoy!! And, by the way, I can make chocolate chip cookies for my family even though I am dieting because they are not my favorite cookie so I can eat maybe like one and I am done...it's all good...

Fine Tuning My Recipe Box

2010-01-21T08:16:00.000-08:00

Artwork by Debbie Mumm

I used to keep my recipes in a recipe book but it started getting too full. So, I put together kind of a recipe box that I think will work a lot better. I like to use the big recipe cards (5 x 7) just cuz...ahem...my eyesight might not be exactly what it once was. But, when I went to my local stationary store to pick up another pack of them, they seemed to be fazing them out. It seems that most people like to keep their recipes on their computers (so do I, but I like a hard copy somewhere close at hand, too).

I started wondering if maybe there was a site online that had some sort of interactive recipe cards that I could type the recipes into and then print out. Turns out there is. I found this website: Prints of Joy and they had exactly what I was looking for. Some cute recipe cards, too. I paid like $4.95 a piece for two different recipe card files that I was able to download. The files are completely interactive which means that I can change the size of the printable areas to coincide with whatever size card I want to print out. Then I can type up the recipe, save it to my computer and also print out a hard copy. I love it! And my recipe box is so nice and neat now.

And, recipe cards is not all they have. They also have lots of other adorable clip art available for all those other craft projects you have been meaning to do. Have fun!

Our Dreams Are Trying to Tell Us Something

2010-01-20T10:13:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have been so quiet lately. I have been a little distracted. I feel so horrible about the situation that has been going on in Haiti--just heard that those poor people were shaken up by another 6.1 magnitude "after shock". It sounds like things are getting better ironed out over there now, but it sure seems like it took longer than it should have. I also know that it is a whole lot easier for me to sit here and criticize while others are over there doing the hard work--so I'll shut up about that. My heart just goes out to everyone who is hurting over there right now. My prayers are with them.

One of the things I have been up to is visiting the website of Lauri Quinn Loewenberg. It is called The Dream Zone.com . I first heard about Lauri when she began appearing on the local morning radio show that I listen to when taking my son to school. She has been studying our dreaming minds for over 14 years and she can teach us how to interpret what our subconscious minds are trying to tell our conscious minds.

I bought her two books for my mom for her birthday and when I had kind of a weird dream the other night that really seemed to "stick" with me, I used her dream dictionary to kind of get an idea of what was going on and then I posted the dream in her dream forums to see if Lauri could perhaps give me a little insight. \

Below is my synopsis of my dream and after that is Lauri's interpretation. Pretty cool stuff.

"I heard a commotion at night outside our house. I went to the back French doors and looked out. A large black dog with markings like a Rottweiler was chasing and harassing a pig (not attacking but messing with) and in the dream I knew that this was my pig. I started to go out the doors to rescue my pig but the dog came running up to the door and since my own two dogs were in the house with me and wanting to go out to get this dog I could not go out. I went back into my bedroom where my husband was sleeping in bed. When I came in I could see someone standing outside our window. The windows were covered except for the top foot or so. Someone was holding a small round mirror up in able to see if we were inside the room. I walked up to the window to see who the heck was trying to look in and it was my little sister and she was crying. As I was trying to find out what was wrong I woke up. Can anyone provide any ideas here. I got the feeling that this dream was significant for some reason."

From Lauri:

"The back yard represents your private business. Is this something that you are keeping private from others? This may also be that this is about your own inner thoughts you are keeping to yourself.

The dog is your loyalty to your husband. The pig represents the part of you that feels you may be acting selfish and greedy by uprooting yourself from your marriage in order to obtain your own needs. This conflict you are having is being played out with the pig and the dog.

You want to rescue your pig because you seem to be wanting to rescue your needs more than standing by your man. But you can't do it because of your own dogs, which also symbolize your loyalty to the marriage. It seems your needs are being outnumbered.

Your husband is sleeping because he is not fully aware of all the inner turmoil you have over this. The mirror is your concern as to how this would reflect on your marriage if you were to move away from your husband.

Your sisters tears are your own inner tears. Your dream may be showing you that this would be quite painful. You will also need to put on your thinking cap and see how you can connect your sister to this situation. Has she given you advice? Maybe she is happy where she is and she may then symbolize that same happiness that you want for yourself. Is she married? What is her marriage like? Let me know!

Oh, I may want to use this in my new book, if you don't mind. I am currently on the home chapter and I need a good dream involving a backyard."

So if you have any dreams you are wondering about, I highly recommend this gal.

Morning Musings...

2010-01-15T10:38:00.000-08:00

So, this idea has been flickering in the peripherals of my mind for the last couple weeks. Dancing in and out of the shadows...teasing...enticing...and then fading back out of sight. So...ya...I'm just going to throw it out there for everyone to read...be gentle, okay.

Are our bodies (you know, that physical part of us) AVATARS? Are our souls (the eternal life force within these bodies) actually the intellect/mind/consciousness of other beings perhaps not even a part of this world?

I know I may not be explaining very well the thought processes running through my mind...but that is about as close as I can come to them.

If you have not seen the movie Avatar (which I find totally not acceptable and you must go out and see it right now) you may not understand--so, like I said...go see it!

Okay, off to clean up the yard. Have a great day ya'll.

Mom's 60th Birthday

2010-01-14T09:30:00.000-08:00

Someone's 60th birthday only comes along...well...once in a lifetime. Ya, I know pretty much every birthday only comes along once in a lifetime...I was being dramatic. Anyway, the big 60 is a pretty big marker and since she was NOT looking forward to turning the big 6 - 0, we knew exactly what we had to do. My sister, my brother and I knew that we had to throw her a surprise party...and not just any surprise party, either. It had to be BIG.

We began our devious planning during the Thanksgiving holidays. We did research online--okay, pretty much my sister and I did the research and my brother sent money when we told him to--but, whatever.

I did an online query for large party accommodations near Bass Lake (a really pretty lake near where my mom lives) and The Gaines Burrow is the first thing that popped up. If you get the chance check out their site and take a look at all the gorgeous pictures. I can tell you, though, that the pictures don't do the cabin justice. It was so beautiful and roomy and cozy at the same time. I am trying to get some pictures from my grandmother and my daughter of our weekend (can you believe I forgot my camera??? I know, I should be expelled from Blogland.)

We had the best time and my mom was completely and totally surprised. She had absolutely no idea what we were planning. My little sister lives on the ranch but both myself and my younger brother lives hours away in different directions. We both made up excuses for not being able to make it over for the weekend and since neither of us were able to come for Christmas either, she was feeling a little bit...ahem...sorry for herself, I'm thinking. Pretty down in the dumps. And my little sister was just kind of playing the whole birthday thing down like it wasn't really anything special.

I made the 2-1/2 hour drive early Friday morning and arrived at the ranch at about 10 am. Mom was already at work so my sister and I did our best to pack a weekend bag for both her and Jim and some other stuff we knew we would need for the weekend then we headed up to the cabin to get everything put away and put up all the birthday decorations.

My grandmother had been cooking for three days so we were well supplied with food. She had made dinner for Friday night beforehand and I was going to make Lasagna for Saturday night. She also had us very stocked up on desserts. It was a very high calorie weekend, I'm afraid, but it was soooo worth it.

So, the plan was this: my aunt was flying in from Washington State in the early afternoon and would be picked up in San Francisco by my brother and his partner, Ken, who live there. They would then start the drive over to the cabin. This got kind of messed up when her plane was delayed due to fog in San Fran but it worked out.

Some friends of my mom and Jim's picked them up from work at 6 pm under the guise of taking my mom to dinner for her birthday. When they arrived at the cabin my grandmother, my sister & her boyfriend, my niece, myself, my daughter, my son and another couple that are friends of my mom's were all hiding inside. Their friends told them they had some business to take care of inside and they all needed to go in (ya, my mom was kind of freaking out at this point, LOL (just what kind of business did they have in there and who were these people anyway!) They led her in and we all jumped out from behind a door and about gave her a heart attack.

At this point she knew nothing about my brother or my aunt coming. We told her he had wanted to be there but he had had to work.

We had a wonderful dinner of chile reyanos (did I spell that right?) The margaritas and SoCo was delightful and everyone was having a great time. My mom was beaming she was so happy. She just said that she wished my brother could have been there. Well, around 10pm who should come walking in but himself and kind of hiding behind him, my aunt (my aunt and my mom are really close and had not seen eachother for about a year). It was so awesome! Getting everything together beforehand was a bit nerve wracking but everything came together just perfect. My husband drove over the next day to spend the night and we even had my mom's best friend drive over and have dinner with us (she lives near where I do). Mom started crying at this point and said that this was the best birthday she had ever had. And that's all we wanted.

Anyway, hopefully I will have some pictures soon and if you are ever looking for a place to stay in the Bass Lake, CA area I highly recommend The Gaines Burrow home. It was very reasonably priced and the atmosphere was warm and homey and just perfect. And the owners of the home couldn't be nicer and a pleasure to deal with.

2010-01-13T09:43:00.000-08:00

While visiting Swamp Creek Farm's blog this morning I stumbled upon a video she was sharing about Monsanto and felt compelled to pass it along. It is part 1 of a 10 part series and it really should be seen by every single person living on this planet. I don't intend for this blog to become all doom and gloom and darkness, but when information comes my way that I wouldn't feel right sitting on--I just have to pass it along. So, if this kind of stuff really just doesn't float your boat, feel free to ignore. I just can't.

Back in the Saddle Again

2010-01-05T21:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, so not actually in a saddle really, but I am back to doing the treadmill. I don't think I've mentioned that in the last year I have lost 60 pounds and using my trusty treadmill at least 5 days a week was a huge part of that. I gained a lot of weight during my last pregnancy with Tino (who is, ahem...going to 10 years old this year!) and just kept gaining after he was born. I have always used food to comfort and I had to get a handle on that. It will always be something that I will battle--but, it can be done. I have about 60 pounds to go and then I will be back at my high school weight.

Unfortunately, around Samhain (Halloween) I took a day or two off of exercising and for some stupid reason I never got back on the durned thing. I could make up every excuse in the book but it all boils down to the fact that I just didn't do it. Fortunately, I did not gain any weight during the holidays--yay! I was able to maintain but that also means that it has been several months since I lost anything at all. Now, I have no problem with losing at a slow pace-- I think by doing it that way, it really gets ingrained into you how hard it is to take off each extra pound gained and you are much more likely to keep it off--but, I don't like being at a standstill.

So, tonight I got back in the saddle again and will continue to do so at least 5 or 6 times a week. Hopefully the scale will start moving again.

A Seed by Any Other Name

2010-01-04T17:42:00.000-08:00

It finally arrived...

I have been enviously reading some fellow blogger's posts about all the seed catalogs showing up in their mailboxes and have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of my own. And, today...finally...my hopes have been realized. My Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Catalog has arrived. I am pretty picky about where my seeds come from these days and Baker Creek is #1 on my list. Get your orders in early, though, folks. They sell out quickly of the more popular varieties.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds was started by a 17 year old named Jeremiath (Jere) Gettle back in 1998. Today he owns one of the largest heirloom seed companies in the United States. Jere also produces a seasonal magazine called The Heirloom Gardener.

Jere, his wife Emilee, & Their Wee One, Sasha

Don't know what an heirloom seed is or what all the hype is about?

Heirloom seeds are seeds that have been passed down through families and have come from varieties of fruits, vegetables, flowers, etc. that are at least 50 years old. In Jere's words, "some varieties even date back to Thomas Jefferson's garden and beyond."

Heirloom seeds have not been genetically modified like most commercially popular seeds available today. They have not been messed with in some laboratory somewhere and changed from the original "Grand Design". They can be saved year to year and passed down from generation to generation--which is in fact how many of them have survived to this day--without some Monsanto police stopping by your house one day and accusing you of messing with "their" patented seeds. (It has happened, people, and continues to.) You see, you are not allowed to save Monsanto seeds. But enough about the dark side...

Once you've opened up an heirloom seed catalog and spied all the different, colorful, and whimsically named produce that you will never see on a grocery store shelf--and most important, lets face it--when you have tasted some you will be as hooked as I and a lot of my fellow bloggers are.

You just wait.

And next year, you will be the one eagerly waiting by your mailbox in late December/early January for the colorful sight of a seed catalog.

Do You Dare?

2010-01-04T15:49:00.000-08:00

I Stumbled Upon the Cauldron

2010-01-01T12:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, in my half-assed, desperate attempt to find ideas for a small ritual I could perform during the Blue Moon, I stumbled upon a website I had never visited before:

http://www.pathcom.com/~newmoon/Homepage.htm

After reading through the Cauldron for quite awhile and really feeling Celeste's words resonating with my own ideas and beliefs, I knew I had to share it with all of you. Enjoy...

A Clean Slate...A New Beginning...Happy New Year

2010-01-01T12:31:00.000-08:00

I hope that everyone had a wonderful and safe New Year's Eve yesterday. We partied quietly with my husbands cousin and his wife and some friends of theirs that are now our friends as well. Nothing like a few shots of Southern Comfort to bring people together, LOL. We finally drug ourselves through the door this morning at 2 a.m. after my 17 year old niece drove us home. But, let me tell you, when my son came in to wake us up at 8:30 a.m. wanting breakfast, there was only one thought flashing through my mind (and it was not Happy New Year, LOL). It was more along the lines of "I'm getting too old for this sh*t!" The recovery time is way longer than it used to be!

Was that not a fantastic Blue Moon last night? I did manage to do a small impromptu ritual that felt very thrown together at the last minute--I will share what I did in another post--and this is one of my main resolutions for this New Year. I want to become more present in my own life. I feel sometimes like I am stuck on fast forward. For instance, I realized that it was to be a Blue Moon--and a very powerful one at that--yesterday morning right before I went to work. What the hell? This could have been an amazing opportunity to work a very powerful ritual filled with all my intentions for the coming year. Instead, I came to it half assed and not very focused. I do not want to let that happen again. This is not how I want to walk this path. I need to plug in. So, that is what I am going to start working on. I think it is a practice that can only bring more stability, focus, and presence into every aspect of my life. I am excited about the possibilities. And what a perfect day to begin. I know that the Pagan new year is actually at Samhain but January 1st is still embedded pretty deeply in my psyche, too, so I believe with the proper intentions much good can come of this.

I wish each and every one of you a very happy, healthy, safe & prosperous New Year. Be blessed...and be a blessing...

A New Attitude

2009-12-30T21:25:00.000-08:00

I feel like a dark cloud has been following me around for a couple months now. I felt like I was just moving through the days in a fog. Even the spirit of the Yule and Christmas season, which I usually love, proved elusive to me this year. Oh, don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the family time and the beautiful lights and decorations and I miss the Christmas songs not playing on the radio any longer. But there was definitely something missing in it all this year for me. The whole season seemed to be over even before it started. Feeling depresses sucks and I woke up this morning not wanting to feel that way anymore.

I know where it was all coming from. My mind and spirit have been bogged down with worries and fears about the future for awhile now. I think every possible thing that could possibly go wrong when my son and I move to the ranch this summer has gone through my mind in slow, methodical detail at least once the last few weeks. I have lain awake many nights tossing and turning with my stomach all tied up in knots. What if I can't find a job when we get there? What if my son hates his new school? What if...what if? The what if's are about to drive me crazy. Then there is the knowledge that I will be hurting someone that I care very deeply about. I imagine him here...alone...and my heart wants to break. I have to keep reminding myself that he is making a choice the same as I am. He wants to stay...I want to go.

My daughter was late coming home yesterday morning to watch Tino for me while I went to work and when she finally got here I really let into her. I mean, yes, I was mad. She was late and not for a very good reason--but, my reaction was way over the top. I think it was all of the emotions bubbling around inside me just spilling over and erupting. I even burst into tears after a long, loud tirade. Kind of embarrassing now that I think back on it. I mean, I'm the Mom. I am supposed to stay in control, right? Always be on an even keel. I was about as far off from even as you can get, LOL. I have to admit, though, I did feel a little bit better afterwards. I don't think I did anything that will require my kids to get therapy later on in life--at least I hope not.

This morning I woke up with a new attitude. I'm not real sure where it came from, I'm just glad it decided to show up. For the first time through all this muck, I was not thinking about everything that could go wrong. I was actually thinking about what just might go right.

I found myself daydreaming about the type of job that just might be waiting for me. A better job. Something that I might enjoy a whole lot more than what I am doing right now. Hey, I appreciate even having a job right now, during these hard times, but cleaning other people's toilets is not exactly a dream come true. It is what it is--pretty good money and great hours--and I am thankful for it. But, I can dream, can't I, LOL.

I grew up riding horses but never really had the money or the property to own a horse after I got out on my own. Going back to the ranch will mean that I can get back into riding again. I let myself imagine what it will feel like to feel the fingers of the wind blowing through my hair and that amazing energy that you can tangibly feel when you and a horse really become one--when it's body almost feels like an extension of your own. There is nothing like that--not that I have found anyway.

And those are just a few of the thoughts that were meandering through my mind today. It felt really, really good. I think I may even have had a smile on my face a time or two and that is a very welcome change.

We Need to Get Pissed Off

2009-12-30T09:48:00.000-08:00

Last night I watched the movie Food, Inc. directly from Netflix. I had heard about it a while ago but just never had the chance to check it out. To put it bluntly, this movie will piss you the fuck off--at least I hope it will. The only way we are going to effect any change is when enough of us finally do get pissed off enough to do something about it. They are hijacking our lives right in front of our noses and we are sitting back and paying them big bucks to do it. They don't pay any attention to our voices anymore. But, believe me, our dollars speak loud and clear. Watch it...and pass it along...

Food, Inc.

Food, Inc. on Netflix

What I'm Reading

2009-12-28T17:06:00.000-08:00

From the back cover:

"The Inner Temple of Witchcraft is a thorough course of education, introspection, meditation, and the development of the magickal and psychic abilities that are the birthright of the witch. Four introductory chapters present the history, traditions, and principles of witchcraft, followed by thirteen lessons that start with basic meditation techniques and culminate in a self-initiation ceremony equivalent to the first-degree level of traditional coven-based witchcraft."

I began reading Mr. Penczac's book about a week ago--it has been slow going because I haven't had much reading time--but I am really enjoying it so far.

These are a few quotes that really jumped out at me, taken directly from the book:

"Empowerment and responsibility are the heart, and true lesson, of magick."

""Witchcraft is an art, science, and religion. A Witch is one who 'lives the art, science, and religion of witchcraft.' "

"Divinity in all things is recognized, from the land, water, and sky, to plants, animals, and people."

"We recognize the spirit of life running through all things, but believe it expresses itself through a multitude of faces."

"Witches focus on divinity in the form of male and female energies, gods & goddesses."

"A witch is a walker between the worlds."

"We honor life, everywhere, and see the Divine in everything and everyone."

I would have to highly recommend this book for the person just finding their way on this path or even one who has been walking it for a longer period of time.

Where'd it Go?

2009-12-27T11:24:00.000-08:00

Here it is December 27th already. My little boy was in such a hurry last week for Christmas to finally get here--and I kept trying to tell him to enjoy the season because the day would arrive and be over before we knew it. My favorite time of the season is the days leading up to Christmas and especially Christmas Eve. For the last two years we have gone out to dinner on Christmas Eve--saving the big home cooked meal for the Special Day. This year, though, it just would not have happened if not for the generosity of the parents of the other boys on my son's soccer team who gave my husband a gift card for a very nice restaurant in town as a thank you for being the coach. We had a very nice evening and a really delicious meal. Afterwards, we drove around looking at the beautiful Christmas lights and decorations and later had a small group of family over for dessert (cookies, fudge and pumpkin cheesecake) and Ginger Ale Sherbet Punch (Yummy!) and Pictionary. It was a lot of fun.

Christmas morning arrived bright and early thanks to a certain nine-year-old boy I know. And after opening presents and eating a quick breakfast, we packed up and jumped in the car to drive down to my husbands family to have an early Christmas dinner.

They are all very good and loving people but it is never quite comfortable for me. We end up going to my husband's aunts house and there are always lots of people there that I don't know very well. And this year there is some friction between the three brothers--my husband, his older brother, and his younger brother. The older brother pretty much abandoned his family five years ago and dove into a pool of alcoholism and drug abuse. He has almost bankrupted their mother because she has tried to bail him out and take care of his three daughters at the same time. She made house payments so they wouldn't lose their home, car payments so the cars would not be repossessed. She lost her job because her health took a downturn because of all the stress he put her through. The younger brother tried to give him a job in his company--one that he could never show up for and loaned him money that he will never see again. We never had any money to loan him so he didn't even try us, LOL. And, he doesn't even see the devastation he has caused. So my husband and his younger brother can barely even look at their older brother--much less talk to him. But, they did try to be civil and even friendly at Christmas.

The older brother's girlfriend (the one he spoke up about at family blessing time and said basically that she was the only one who has not turned her back on him through all this) kept following me around and wanting to talk to me about things. I don't even really know her and although I tried to be friendly and caring--I know she probably feels very overwhelmed--it was kind of uncomfortable and draining. Not very festive. Then, later, after we had already returned home I find out from my youngest son that my husbands uncle kind of yelled at my son just for asking him where he should put his dirty plate. I don't have any idea what was going on there.

At the end of the day I was thrilled to go back to my younger brother-in-laws home and finish the day playing board games and watching movies.

I missed my family in Oakhurst very much and wished I could have been there. My husband had spent Thanksgiving there with me, though, so I felt like I had to return the favor. Next year is going to be different.

I hope all of you had a very nice Christmas--and that you are still enjoying the season a little bit--and that you are where you want to be.

Wishcasting Wednesday

2009-12-23T10:03:00.000-08:00

What do you wish for this holiday season?

Does it sound trite if I say that this holiday season I wish for peace on Earth? Sorry if it does, but that is what I wish for. I wish for true brotherhood and sisterhood. I wish for a feeling of connectedness between us all. I wish we could all feel the connection that we have with all things and know that when we hurt another we truly do hurt ourselves. I wish that our world was not controlled by greed and money. What might that world be like? I think it would be a world I would like to live in.

He Illuminates Inside, Too...

2009-12-23T09:43:00.000-08:00

The tree turned out just lovely, you wouldn't even know how crooked she is. One leg of the tree stand is propped up on about 3 books to make it look this way, LOL. We like her anyway.

For some reason it was really hard for me to get into the festive mood this year. It just seems like it came on so fast. But the holiday lights--both inside and outside--are very lovely and I will miss them when we have to take them down.

I saw on another blog--I apologize to whomever it was cuz I have forgotten--where they arranged white lights under the "snow" under their holiday towns and houses and it looked so festive that I just had to steal the idea for the houses below. I don't know if you can see it or not because of the camera flash.

I hope you all are having a very wonderful and warm holiday season surrounded by your family and dear ones. Be blessed...

Avatar

2009-12-21T11:46:00.000-08:00

My husband had to work all day on Saturday so after Tino had come in and told me he was bored for the 340th time I grabbed the phone and dialed for movie info. I hadn't heard very much about Avatar but when I mentioned it to Tino he said that that was the one he wanted to see.

We got to the theater about 20 minutes early--which was a good thing as there was already a pretty big line to see this movie. We had a choice to see it in either 3D or regular (3D was $3 extra) and Tino said that he wanted to watch it in 3D, so a small fortune later and we had our tickets and our 3D goggles. Thankfully, the line went quickly and it wasn't too hard to find a good seat.

So how was it? OMG!!! Awesome doesn't really cover it. The movie is 2 hours and 45 minutes long and you don't even realize it. It is one of those movies that you are kind of bummed when it is over and you have to go back to the real world, LOL. Usually Tino finds it hard to sit through a regular length movie and he DID NOT move during the whole thing.

If you get the chance, go see it. And let me know what you think.

Yule 2009

2009-12-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

Today marks the first day of winter and the Winter Solstice. It is the shortest day of the year and sunset tonight will begin what will be the longest (darkest) night of the year. There will be many Pagan rituals tonight to call back the light of the sun and to celebrate the rebirth of the sun god. And as the god grows stronger, each day will see the sun shine just a wee bit longer. The goddess, as the Crone, will also be reborn as the Maiden and the circle (or wheel) of life will continue on as it always has.

I love this time of year. It feels like a time of going within, staying close to home, encircling yourself with friends, family and loved ones. The cold weather outside works to bring everyone together to stay close and protected inside. The business of life seems to slow down (hopefully) and we are allowed time to reflect and restore. We seem to be a little more nicer to one another this time of year. There is a feeling floating around out there in the ethers that seems to promote light and love and brotherhood and sisterhood. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could sustain that feeling all through the year?

I wish you and your families a very warm and loving Yule season.

A Very Special Giveaway

2009-12-17T17:28:00.000-08:00

Kathy (or perhaps you know her better as The Celtic Witch) over at Magickal Enchantments is offering a really special giveaway to celebrate the New Year.

A Custom Spirituality Kit

The kit includes:

A Custom Blended Oil

A Custom Blended Herbal Sachet

A Crystal Specific to Your Spiritual Needs

In The Celtic Witches own words...

"Are you feeling stagnant and unmotivated? Perhaps you feel as though something is missing in your life, but your not sure where to begin looking for it. The time has come to connect to your spiritual roots and inner light. Your life is a gift and how you live it is your choice."

I am very excited about this giveaway and am just in love with the beauty and intent of the items offered. I entered...how about you?

The Greenhorns

2009-12-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

Jenna of Cold Antler Farm shared a wonderful little video from The Greenhorns.net about a documentary they are making about Young Greenhorn farmers--or all those who find themselves suddenly feeling the call to put their hands to the soil. It is pretty awesome and you should check it out.

My Favorite Holiday Frugal Finds

2009-12-16T13:32:00.000-08:00

I love me a good bargain...and I love hunting for those bargains just as much. I am a regular at our area Good Will store--I am sure they know me by name (they don't actually call me by name--but, I'm sure they know it all the same). Okay, so maybe they don't really, but they should. There are a couple of other thrift stores in the area but Good Will is my favorite hands down. I also like The Dollar Store sometimes. I have heard that the salvation Army Store is also pretty awesome but it is a 30 minute drive away and I can tend to be a bit of a homebody--my word. My family is not so nice. They call me The Hermit. Whatever.

Through the years money has been a little tight here and there. It seems like it gets the tightest just around the holidays, though. So, sometimes you have to get creative...with presents (layaway is my friend) and with holiday decorations. These are a few of my favorite holiday frugal finds...

I found this advent calendar several years ago at Good Will. I paid $3.50 for it. I just love the Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus scene on the top and there is a little mouse that gets moved from pocket to pocket as the days pass by. I fill the pockets of the days yet to come with Hershey Kisses for Tino to enjoy. He never seems to forget to move the mouse--go figure.

This handmade Christmas tree skirt came from Good Will as well. It was in perfect condition and is just lovely. I think I paid $5.00 for this.

This is my first nutcracker and I plan on starting a little collection. I found this guy brand new in the box at--you guessed it, Good Will. Isn't he great! I paid around $3.00 for him.

These Nativity figures were a find at The Dollar Store in town, so each figurine was $1.00. They are really detailed and intricate. I used to have some of the barn animals as well, but I think Tino had something to do with their disappearances as he used to like to play with them when he was younger. The nice thing about finding decorations for such a sweet price is that you don't freak out when little hands come to call.

Do you like to bargain hunt? Have any cool holiday frugal finds of your own? I'd love to hear about them.

And We Have Exterior Illumination

2009-12-16T10:01:00.000-08:00

I told you he was crazy, didn't I? He just finished with the lights last night--he did get held up a little bit by the rain, though. Crazy or not, he is one hell of a Christmassy illuminator.

What do you think?

Next time...interior illumination. Yep, he does that too.

Where I Stood

2009-12-11T16:43:00.000-08:00

I heard this song the other day and I was floored. Never before has a song captured the words of my heart so precisely...

"Where I Stood" By Missy Higgins

Utube Video

I don't know what I've done
Or if I like what I've begun
But something told me to run
And honey you know me it's all or none

There were sounds in my head
LIttle voices whispering
That I should go and this should end
Oh and I found myself listening

'Cos I dont know who I am, who I am without you
All I know is that I should
And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you
All I know is that I should
'Cos she will love you more than I could
She who dares to stand where I stood

See I thought love was black and white
That it was wrong or it was right
But you ain't leaving without a fight
And I think I am just as torn inside

'Cos I dont know who I am, who I am without you
All I know is that I should
And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you
All I know is that I should
'Cos she will love you more than I could
She who dares to stand where I stood

And I won't be far from where you are if ever you should call
You meant more to me than anyone I ever loved at all
But you taught me how to trust myself and so I say to you
This is what I have to do

'Cos I dont know who I am, who I am without you
All I know is that I should
And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you
All I know is that I should
'Cos she will love you more than I could
She who dares to stand where I stood
Oh, she who dares to stand where I stood

I've Been Tagged...Happy Holidays

2009-12-10T15:28:00.000-08:00

Miss Bella Foxglove from over at Memoirs Of A Crazy Witch has tagged me to take part in a little holiday survey thingy and since I seem to be having the hardest time getting in the holiday mood this year, I thought what the heck, might do me good. And guess what...afterwards, I get to choose 5 of you wonderful bloggy friends to pass it along to....oh, who might it be...

This little holiday questionnaire originated from Heather and you should pop in and check out her wonderful blog, Top 10 Christmas while your at it. These are the rules:

You can copy and paste the questions right into your blog and then answer them
Then tag 5 or more of your favorite blogs, and leave them a comment telling them they’ve been tagged.
When you post your blog, please spread some Christmas cheer, and leave a link back to Heather at (Top 10 Christmas), and the blog that you were tagged by.

1. Have you started Yule shopping yet? Just a little teeny weeny bit. We have had a few things on layaway for a few weeks and will be picking them up this weekend. Money is tight this year and my family has decided to buy pretty much only for the little ones this year.

2. Tell me about one of your special holiday traditions? We usually go out to eat on Christmas Eve and then come home for cookies and eggnog and hot cider. We will either play board games or watch Christmassy type moves with the kids. The young ones get to open one present from us before going to bed, after which time we will bring in the Santa presents and put them under the tree for the next morning. The next day we are awakened early by eager children, we open pressies and then have a late breakfast. After we have gotten up and around, we pack up the car and start the 2-1/2 hour drive to my mother-in-laws house for Christmas dinner.

3. When do you put up your tree? Usually a couple weeks before the big day and then we keep it up till after New Years.

4. Are you a Black Friday Shopper? Absolutely NOT! I would so much rather spend time with my family during the Thanksgiving holiday than be out amongst all that craziness.

5. Do you travel at Yule or stay at home? We travel the day of Christmas down to my mother-in-laws house.

6. What is your funniest Yule memory? Well, I don't know how funny it was--at least to me--but the rest of the family seemed to find it hilarious. My husband had brought home a tree resembling the one in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation movie and we had finally gotten it in the house, up and decorated. It was truly a beautiful sight. However, about an hour later, while we were all sitting down to a home cooked meal, we heard this weird scratching noise coming from the living room and then a whoosh and a huge crash and a loud Meee-OOOWWWW. It seems the cat had tried to roost in the bows of the tree making it a little bit off balance--she was kind of a rotund feline. The tree came crashing down. Ya, I didn't think it was very funny at all.

7. What is your favorite Yule movie of all times? It's not really even a Christmas movie but for some reason I have to watch it every year around the holiday time...A Family Man with Nicolas Cage...my husband likes It's a Wonderful Life--I do, too, but A Family Man is my fave.

8. Do you do any Yule baking and what's your favorite treat? I love to bake and used to make all kinds of different cookies. My family only really likes Chocolate Chip cookies, though, so I usually end up eating too many of all the rest so I don't bake so many anymore.

9. Fake or real tree? It has to be a real tree for us. I have to be able to smell that pine smell, you know.

10. What day does the actual panic set in to get it all done? I don't get all that panicked anymore. I have come to the conclusion that we can only do what we can do and the rest will just fall into place somehow. It usually does...

11. Are you still wrapping presents on Yule Eve? Well, of course

12. What is your favorite family fun time at Yule? Christmas Eve family time

13. What Yule craft do you like best? I always have all these plans to do things, you know, like string cranberries and/or popcorn to put around the tree. It hasn't happened yet.

14. Yule music? Yes or No, and if yes, what is your favorite song? I love Christmas music. Our local radio station plays it from Dec. 10th thru Christmas day and I love it.

15. Do you plan to finish all your shopping? Somehow, someway I always seem to be able to get it done.

Now....my little pretties...who shall be next...

1. Chronicles of a Country Girl

2. Doug & Boo + Two

3. Cue the Banjo

4. Dreaming of Rosemary

5. October Farm

Have fun!

And the Children Shall Lead Us...

2009-12-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

Diana The Huntress

I came across an amazing post on another blog that I frequent, The Anima Lifeways & Herbal School Blog, written by Rhiannon Cadhla Hardin--who just happens to be a 9 year old girl. The title of her post is Being the Heroine (or Hero) of Your Own Story and the insight and wisdom that this child-woman exhibits really spoke to me this morning. So much that I really wanted to share her post with you. You can find it here. Let me know if her words speak to you like they did to me.

Four-Footed Ranch Hands

2009-12-08T10:21:00.000-08:00

These are some of the four-footed hands that help us out on the ranch from time to time. Well, okay, some of them seem to be more prone to causing mischief than actually "helping"--I'm not mentioning any names. Let's just say that it is a good thing they are so cute....

This is Spikey and we pretty much spend most of our time making sure an owl or a hawk doesn't carry him away for lunch.

And this pretty puss answers to the name of Muddy Waters--or Mud for short. I LOVE this cat. She has the best personality and likes to sleep right on your chest at night. She hangs out with the dogs--although this might be for personal protection rather than actual preference. The ranch used to have several cats but one by one they have disappeared. We thought it was coyotes but now we think it is probably a bobcat that we have seen once or twice. When you are on the ranch you are pretty much out in the wilds.

This is Harley Davidson. He is a big ol' brute, isn't he. He is so funny. If you clip a leash onto his collar he hits the deck and will not get up until you take the leash off. Once when we were doing some tractor work and needed to make sure he stayed out of the way, my mother's boyfriend, Jim, stuck a hose through his collar--just the tip of the hose under his collar. We all looked at him like he was crazy--like ya, that is really going to hold him--but ol' Harley hit the deck and stayed that way until we were done and took the hose away. It was hilarious.

Poor guy, though, he suffers from epilepsy pretty bad so these days he has to be kept pretty drugged up. The seizures he has are pretty awful to see.

This fine hunka canine flesh is the indomitable Rose. What she lacks in overall leg length she more than makes up for in heart and stamina. She goes everywhere with us when we are tooling around in the Mule and has no problem whatsoever keeping up with the other dogs. As a matter of fact, she is usually the one out in front.

And, last but not least, the glorious Sparkle. She may be feeling her age these days (I am not for certain sure of her age but I used to ride her in drill team when I was around 16 or 17 and I am 39 years young now--if that gives you an idea). She lolls her days away now just grazing where she feels like it and taking dust baths whenever she feels like it. She's a Diva, this one, and believe me, she knows it.

That's all for now.

Gettin' Around on the Ranch

2009-12-07T10:57:00.000-08:00

This is one of the main ways we get around on the ranch. It's called a Mule and is quite handy really. When my family had first moved to the ranch about 5 years ago, and I had yet to spend much time there and had never even heard of this type of mule--I live about 2-1/2 hours away at the moment--my sister and I were talking on the phone and she happened to mention that my 75 year old grandmother and her husband Ken had gone up to the mail box on the mule. Now you can just imagine my reaction. The mail box for the ranch is out on the main road at the end of a 1-1/2 mile driveway. I had a picture in my head of the two of them riding down the road on the back of a big ol' mule--you know, the one with the long ears and four legs. I remember that I was like "what the hell?!" My sister quickly set me straight as we both busted up with laughter. If you knew my grandmother you would understand why. She stands all of 4 feet tall and is a round, plump little thing. The idea of her up on a great big mule--and her husband riding along with her-- is a little disconcerting to say the least. Too funny!

O Christmas Tree

2009-12-06T18:40:00.000-08:00

Last night was the annual Christmas Parade in a neighboring town and the Cub Scout pack that my youngest son belongs to walked in it. They were supposed to decorate themselves like Christmas trees. They were all too cute and they had a great time--even if it was REALLY cold.

We ended up getting some battery powered light strings from Home Depot and then I let him pick out whatever kind of decorations he wanted at The Dollar Store. At first he was not thrilled with the headpiece but after a few of the other boys told him it looked cool, he was okay with it.

The BlogFrog

2009-12-05T22:02:00.000-08:00

Check out my sidebar to learn a little more about The Blog Frog. I think it might be pretty cool. If you would like to, I would love for you to link your blog to mine. Let me know and I will gladly post your button if you have one. If not, thats cool, too. I'm just glad that you stopped by and took a few moments to read my ramblings. Be blessed...

Tour of The Yosemite Pioneer History Center at Wawona Part 2

2009-12-05T14:38:00.000-08:00

Chris Jorgensen painting Wawona Tunnel Tree

This is our 2nd stop on The Yosemite Pioneer History Center Tour. It is the artist, Chris Jorgensen's log cabin, called The Bungalow. Mr. Jorgensen built his cabin in 1903 on the north bank of the Merced River across from the Sentinel Hotel in the Old Upper Village. The cabin was a one-story, one-room structure. The gable roof was wood-shingled with the front decorative gable end projecting ten feet out from the front wall of the cabin which created a wonderful covered porch area. The Bungalow was the third structure that Jorgensen built in the valley. He had built an earlier cottage as a residence in 1900 as well as a separate painting studio. Jorgensen would remain in this 2nd residence until 1918.

Photo by: Daniella Thompson

The cabin was locked up tight but I was able to take a picture through one of the side windows--sorry for the blurriness.

It appears that the National Park Service (established in 1917) may have had something to do with Mr. Jorgensen vacating his cabin in 1918. It turns out that the NPS had spent a summer in what they felt were inadequate tent quarters in 1917. Then in 1918, Mr. Jorgensen suddenly "decides" to move out of his hand-hewn log home and the NPS moves on in. I don't know, sounds kind of fishy to me. What do you think?

Anyway, the cabin was made into a clubhouse for members of the National Park Service who converted it into a kitchen and a dining room. This arrangement lasted until 1921 when the Yosemite Museum was established and took up residence there. Mr. Jorgensen donated his extensive Native American basket collection to the museum in 1923 and upon his death in 1935 they also acquired 198 oil and watercolor paintings from his family. The paintings were on display until 1966 when the museum was closed for use as administrative offices. Unfortunately, since the closure of the museum, neither Mr. Jorgensen's paintings or his other collections have been available for public viewing.

In 1962 the Park Service moved The Bungalow to The Yosemite Pioneer History Museum in the mistaken belief that it was Mr. Jorgensen's painting studio. Unfortunately, his earlier residence and the actual studio had been razed by the time they figured out their mistake. Ah, the beauty of our bureaucracy at work. Oh well, I think The Bungalow is a treasure and I'm glad it survived.

If Only these Stones Could Talk

2009-12-04T09:57:00.000-08:00

This is the large rock formation above the bigger pond on the ranch. Actually right now, it is not much more than a puddle, but when it is like this it is easier to move up into the rocks and see the caves a little better. Although there is a rather grumpy badger that lives around here and one has to be careful not to run into him while exploring.

This rock formation is just amazing. I can't even begin to imagine how long it has been here.

This is a picture from last year after the spring runoffs. It gives you an idea of how tall the rocks are above you when you are down there near the caves. This is such a special place. It just has that feel to it. I know I am not describing it well, I hope you have an idea of what I am talking about. A special place that really speaks to you. Where you feel connected to something much more than yourself.

Where is that special place for you?

There are signs all over that it has been enjoyed and utilized by many people before us. These are some of the grinding holes we have discovered in the rocks out in front of this pond area:

When the water level is high and the water is flowing you can almost imagine one of the many tribes of Indians that populated this area camping here and going about their daily tasks. These are three of the tribes that I know about:

The Chukchansi

The Miwok

The Mono

If only these stones could talk...can you imagine what they might have to say?

Looking at Witchy Datebooks & Calendars for 2010

2009-12-04T09:15:00.000-08:00

I would forget my head if it were not attached to my body--seriously...I would. I have to leave myself notes all over the place to remember things. You know: school field trips, meetings, dr.'s and dentists appointments. If I can keep the information in front of my face for a few days then usually it's all good and I started thinking that maybe it would be nice to have this information in one spot that I could keep with me--I know--brilliant, right, LOL. I have never had a planner or a day book before but I think that that would be just the thing. So, I have been looking at a few and these are the ones that I am contemplating. Any ideas...good or bad...about any of them?

7th House's Seasons of the Witch Daily

7th House's Seasons of the Witch Weekly

7th House's Seasons on the Wall 2010

Llewellyn's Witch's Calendar

Llewellyn's Witch's Datebook

Llewellyn's 2010 Witches Companion: An Almanac for Everyday Living

Llewellyn's Astrological 2010 Calendar

We'Moon 2010 Datebook

Call of the Goddess 2010 Wall Calendar

Myth & Magick 2010 Calendar

Any that I've missed? Please share...

Maudy

2009-12-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

I have called my mother, Maudy, for as long as I can remember. Why? Well, I have no idea. We're just weird like that. My sister's name is Lindsey and I have called her Leonard for years. I think I got this habit from my step-dad. He used to make up little names for everyone. My first husbands made up name was Phantom--good one.

This post was not originally supposed to be about our weird family habits, LOL. It was supposed to be about my mother and the fact that on January 10th, she will be turning 60 years old. For some reason I am having a really hard time with this--could it be because it means that next year, I myself will be turning 40? Oh, I dunno...could be...

Anyway, selfish idiosyncrasies aside, my two siblings and I have been trying to decide what to do for my mother's big day. So far, we have decided that we want to surprise her with a weekend at one of the resort-type places up near the ranch and Yosemite and invite her sister down from Washington to share the day with all of us.

We had originally planned to have the shindig at The Wawona Hotel in Yosemite opened in April of 1879.

It is just gorgeous. The whole feel of the place is just charming and peaceful.

The place totally reminds me of the resort in the movie Dirty Dancing. I almost expected to see Baby come walking by...

Unfortunately, we found out that the hotel closes down in a couple weeks and stays closed until March or so for the winter season. We were bummed! My mom just loves the place and it would have been perfect.

Oh well, the search continues. I'll let you know what we come up with. And we better come up with something quick.

Old Man Tree

2009-12-01T16:26:00.000-08:00

This is Old Man Tree. He has stood in this spot on this ranch for many, many years. He watches over things around here. He has seen and heard many things. He ain't talking, though.

New Moon

2009-12-01T16:21:00.000-08:00

Have you seen it yet? I went with a group of girlfriends (we all went to see Twilight together, too) last Tuesday night. We waited for the craziness to die down a little bit--as in people camping out in line. I mean, ya, I like the Twilight series but it is too damn cold to stand in line for 24+ hours to see a movie.

I was a little surprised that the movie had just come out the Friday before we saw it and by Tuesday the theater was actually pretty empty. I was a little nervous that maybe that was saying something about the movie and that we were about to be really disappointed. The first movie was okay. It was neat to see the book brought to life--but it could have been done so much better. I was pretty happy when I heard that there was going to be a new director for New Moon--and then when I found out that it would be the guy who directed The Golden Compass I was stoked.

I don't want to give anything away for those who have not seen the movie--or read the books--but I have to say, New Moon was head and shoulders above Twilight. And, I am and always have been Team Edward...but...damn! Jacob is HOOOOTTTTT! (and yes, I know I am being very cougarish right now) I was finding it very hard not to root for him during the movie.

Have you seen the movie yet? Well, what are you waiting for...go on...you know you want to...LOL

A Tour of The Pioneer Yosemite History Center at Wawona Part 1

2009-11-30T20:54:00.000-08:00

Intro

On Saturday the whole family (all 11 of us) packed up in two cars and headed up to Yosemite National Park to check out the History Center at Wawona.

"The Pioneer Yosemite History Center consists of historic structures from different eras of Yosemite history. Originally constructed in different locations in Yosemite, they were moved to Wawona in the late 1950's and early 1960's. As you walk among them, it is important to remember that the area does not represent a village. Instead, each building represents a different chapter in the Yosemite story." --from Pioneer Yosemite History Center Online

Up until about 1955, the historic preservation of structures was considered a low priority for the National Park Service while the preservation of natural scenery was paramount. During this time many important historical structures met an untimely end at the hands of the Park Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)--among these were John Muir's cabin and the oldest building in the park, Cedar Cottage which was built in 1859. Thankfully in the late 1950's, in large part because of the extensive efforts of Park Naturalist Douglass H. Hubbard, this way of thinking began to change and several historical buildings and structures were restored and saved for the benefit of future generations.

The Covered Bridge

The first of these structures that we would encounter on our tour was to be a very old, very nostalgic wooden covered bridge that has spanned the South Fork of the Merced River at Wawona for over 152 years. All Yosemite bound traffic through this area--whether on foot, on horseback, by stage, or by car--would pass over this bridge until 1931 when a new modern concrete bridge on the new Wawona road would replace it.

When it was first built in 1857 by settler Galen Clark, it was a "simple, open structure" (as seen below). Mr. Clark established a tourist facility here known as Clark's Station and was one of the area's first conservationists and innkeepers.

The Original Wawona Bridge — Photo Taken in 1866

In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation that created the Yosemite Grant to protect the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. Galen Clark was appointed the Guardian of the Grant.

In 1875, two brothers from Vermont purchased Clark's land along the river and opened the road from Wawona to the Yosemite Valley. It would be these two gentlemen who would go on to cover the bridge in 1879. It was far easier to re shingle the roof of a covered bridge than to replace the large wood truss beams and other major supporting structures that might be damaged from sun and weather.

This was an amazing structure to walk through. The history of the place is staggering. It is almost as if you can hear the clop of the horses hooves and the squeak of the wagon wheels moving along with you. When you look overhead at the hand-hewn beams you marvel at the craftsmen who used only ax and adze to shape these huge logs. It is almost as if you leave one time zone as you enter into this bridge and come out into another time--very long ago--when you come out on the other side.

A granddaughter of one of the brothers claims that it was not only for practical reasons that the bridge was covered but also because the Washburn brothers were a little bit homesick for New England.

The bridge was almost destroyed by a flood in 1955. It's authentic and painstaking restoration by master craftsman and builder, Glenn Gordo, in 1957 was the first step in the creation of the Pioneer Yosemite History Center.

Belated Thanksgiving Wishes

2009-11-30T10:38:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know....I am waaayyyy late with my Thanksgiving well wishes. I had totally planned to send my post thru on Wednesday before we left for the ranch but it turns out that getting my family roused and dressed and packed and the animals all fed and watered and cared for before we left town took waaaayyyy longer than I had anticipated. We were actually two hours late getting out of town as it was. And then to top it off, the internet at the ranch is dial up and sparse at best and I just did not get an extra 7 hours or longer that it would have taken to try to upload anything of value to my blog. So, I apologize for the lateness but please know that I sincerely hope that everyone had a wonderful, delicious, and safe Thanksgiving holiday....pictures of our time at the ranch coming soon.

Scary Moments Because My Hubby is Crazy!

2009-11-24T09:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas is my hubby's favorite holiday of the year. I mean, I enjoy it, too, but he is a little bit fanatical. One of his ways of displaying this fanaticism is by trying to duplicate Chevy Chase's exterior illumination technique in the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Let me put it this way...I am usually quite terrified to open December's electric bill--and for good reason. But, this is not the worst part.

Our home is a two story, Swiss chalet looking behemoth with a VERY high, VERY slanted roof. This is a picture of it from the road out front:

You see the top of the roof line, above those three triangular windows? Well, my hubby likes to illuminate that roof line. And, since a bad knee makes it difficult for him to accomplish this task himself, he has taken to bribing my stepsons to do the job. The bribes usually include me cooking them dinner and a few greenbacks exchanging hands. Hey, they are starving college students. So this is the site that I came home to the other day:

Normally, I stay in the house while all this is going on because I simply do not have the nerves required to watch. Let me tell you, I almost had a heart attack!! The pictures are not the best as hubby took them himself but they do portray the hair raising aspects in good order.

So, what did I do? I said a quick prayer to whatever higher forces happened to be listening, then I went inside to start dinner and pour myself a little liquid courage in the form of some Southern Comfort and Coke. All better...

A Little Bit of A Review

2009-11-22T20:48:00.000-08:00

So, we saw the movie, The Fourth Kind, on Friday night. I had actually called the theater on Thursday to make sure of the show time as my sister was driving in to town on Friday afternoon. What the recording did not tell me was that the movie was leaving on Friday. So, we walked right up to the booth to buy our tickets and the little gal behind the glass looked at us kind of funny and said, "ya, that movie isn't playing anymore."

And, it wasn't playing anywhere within an hours drive from us. So we did what any crazy people with limited gas buying resources would do. We drove an hour all the way to Santa Maria to see this movie playing at 10:10 pm. It was crazy, but it was also fun. My little sister and I had time to really talk and laugh without anyone else around (kiddos or husband) and it was really great. We didn't get home till around 1 a.m. She is a pretty swell gal, my sister. I really, really enjoy spending time with her and wish that we lived closer to each other.

The movie was actually pretty good--a good story and scary. And if it was just being marketed as a simple work of fiction it would have both my thumbs up. But, I did not like how Hollywood is trying to make people believe that this movie is a true story--that some of the footage in the movie is actually real footage taken by Dr. Abigail Tylor during the regressions of some of her patients. It is my belief--and many others that this movie is nothing more than a big fat farce in the fashion of The Blair Witch Project.

I am not sure why, but for some reason this really bothers me. I mean, I don't have any idea if the human race is alone or not. I have never seen an alien--well, that I know about--and I have never seen a UFO, but I try to keep an open mind. After all, this is a wild and amazing world we live in.

I just know that there are going to be a whole lot of people who are going to take this movie at face value and the aliens in this movie are depicted as something approaching demons or evil incarnate--even speaking in an ancient language in very scary voices and stealing our children away from us while all we can do is look on in terror. I just did not care for the message depicted in this movie.

It's weird, I know, why the heck did this movie affect me this way? I can't answer that. I just know that it did. It actually made me angry. Weird...that's all I can say. It's just the way I feel.

What did you think of it?

The Fourth Kind

2009-11-20T17:44:00.000-08:00

My daughter and my sister are dragging me to see this movie in an hour or so...I say dragging me, but I really do want to see it...I'm just...well...I'm scared...okay? LOL. I'll let you know what I think of it tomorrow. Hope everyone has a safe and happy evening and although I adore owls there better not be any looking in my windows tonight...just saying.

How I Yearn For This Place & The People Who Live Here

2009-11-18T20:37:00.000-08:00

I love this place. The land, the trees, the rocks...they sing to me and embrace my spirit when I visit here. It is always very hard for me to leave. My mother, her significant other, my sister & my niece, and my grandmother and her significant other all make their home here. I miss them all very much and I hope that one day in the not so distant future, I will be able to call this place home as well.

This ranch is located about a half hour to a 45 minute drive from the southern entrance to Yosemite National Park. The sites and scenery are just breathtaking.

My son and my niece found a place to cool off on one of our hikes this last summer.

There are abandoned gold mines all throughout this area and gold can still be found today if you know what you are looking for. We also regularly find small quartz crystals.

One of my mother's horses having a nice leisurely graze

This is the main ranch house where my mom lives. My grandmother's house is a bit to the left and my sisters mobile home is to the right.

This is the natural spring that runs down in the gorge below the houses. There are many grinding bowls ground into the surrounded rock by the Indians who used to call this place home and back in the center of this photo is a cave that runs back a ways. I promise to get better pictures one of these days.

Some more of the surrounding area.

We will be leaving on Wednesday of next week to go and spend several days at the ranch over Thanksgiving. I can hardly wait. What are your plans for the upcoming holiday? I hope you are spending it with someone or many someones that you love.

The Whys And What Fors of Food Storage and a Giveaway

2009-11-16T20:51:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago, I began to go through something a little weird--or at least I thought it was weird at the time. Since then, I have discovered that maybe it's not so weird after all and that I was in no way alone.

I started to feel this need, this overwhelming compulsion to start gathering together supplies of food and water. I had absolutely no idea where these feelings were coming from. Okay, I mean, yes, I watch the news and sometimes read the paper. I know about the natural--and unnatural disasters that have and are happening all around the world. Ya, I get that. But, our world has always been thus and never before have I been swept away in this current of almost primal feelings and instincts. I mean, yes, I have a small pantry that I keep some extra food in, but there is no way that I would be able to feed my family for much more than a few days if the need ever arose. And yet, the feeling continued (and still does) and I had absolutely no idea how to even go about what my wacked out (or so I thought) instincts were pushing me to do.

Then a few months ago I stumbled upon a website called Food Storage Made Easy, and I was blown away. This website was started by a couple of sisters-in-law, Jodi and Julie, and it is just awesome. So many of my questions were answered. I finally learned the Whys and What Fors of Food Storage. I was given a direction and a plan of action. There is an amazing Baby Steps Checklist email newsletter that will just rock your socks and show you how to get started in...well...baby steps. There are recipes and emergency preparedness information right at a click of your mouse. I just can't say enough about it.

And...and...and, right now they are having a giveaway for a free WonderMill Grain Mill. In case you don't know what this is, here is some info:

WonderMill Grain Mill

The WonderMill Electric mill has the capacity to perform big jobs. You can grind over 100 pounds of flour in an hour. You don’t have to worry about overloading the WonderMill because of it’s large 1 3/4 hp motor. The WonderMill will not only grind wheat, rice and other small grains, but will also grind legumes and beans as large as garbanzos. (for detailed information click here)

Is that cool or what! But the giveaway ends soon, like on the 19th I think, so get your tushy on over there and check it out!

Now, getting back to the issue at hand, is my pantry everything I want it to be? Do I have a years worth of food storage put by? Honestly no, not yet. But, I will get there. And now I know how to do it. And no, I am in no way affiliated with this website. I just know a good thing when I see it and so I just have to share it.

Food Storage BabySteps

Founder's Day & Wiener Washers...Oh My!

2009-11-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

Today my husband, my son & I took a little walk into town to check out Templeton's Annual Founder's Day celebration.

Founder's Day commemorates the anniversary of the arrival of the first passengers off the train in November of 1886--exactly 123 years ago. Templeton was the end of the line for train passengers coming from Northern California. Thru travelers had to stop and transfer to stagecoaches heading south to San Luis Obispo. From what I hear, those travelers were not always the most savory of sorts. Templeton is said to have gained a bit of a reputation for it's saloon brawls and it's wild and rough streets. You would never guess it these days, believe me.

I have read that a huge fire destroyed much of the town in 1897, and that it was never rebuilt to it's former glory, but I think that what remains is very quaint and full of character--much more so than the surrounding cities and communities.

We got there towards the end of things but we actually had a really good time. There were free slices of pie (or cake), live entertainment, vintage car and tractor displays, displays of art created by the elementary school students, a face painting booth a hit-n-miss engine display, and a wonderful street fair featuring handmade items by some of the local crafters.

We were completely broke but still managed to come away with some towering ice cream cones, some goats milk soap, and um... a uh....(if you are easily offended, please stop reading here)....
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a Dirty Old Man Wiener Washer. Yes, you read that right....a Wiener Washer, LOL.

This little old lady came walking up to me as I was perusing the Victorian beads and baubles in the booth next to hers and leaned in and asked me if I had ever seen a Wiener Washer. I looked at her for a moment--not quite sure what she was asking me. Then she crooked her arthritic finger back towards her own booth wanting me to follow her. I looked helplessly at my husband, who had of course chosen that moment to spot a long lost friend across the street that he just had to go and say hi to, so I was on my own.

The little old lady led me over to her booth where she showed me her stash of Wiener Washers. And well, being me, I just had to have one. And, anyway, I was scared of her...

This is what the attached tag says:

Dirty Old Man Wiener Washer

"Hey, hey, hey" said Louie..."Look What I have for you."
A washer for your wiener,
so it can feel brand new.
Harriet made it special--
she knew you'd wear it well.
Cause where you've had that wiener
no one can really tell...
So next time that you take a bath,
be sure to wash it cleaner...
Cause there's nothing more disgusting
than a dirty, grimy wiener!

Cookbooks and Culinary Aspirations

2009-11-14T20:20:00.000-08:00

I have only been cooking for a couple of years--becoming serious about getting back to the basics and learning to cook healthier meals for my family only in about the last year. When I was growing up, my mother--who by the way was a very good cook but, who hated doing it--never really wanted any of us kids underfoot while she was preparing meals. She worked full time outside the home at a very stressful job and by the time she walked in the door in the evenings she just didn't have any patience left to teach me or my siblings how to cook. And heck, we were happy being outside riding horses and running wild so we never really complained either.

I have gotten better but when I first started cooking--or attempting to cook-- I was terrified. I mean, all that boiling water and popping oil. And don't get me started on trying to learn how to time everything out so that the vegetables are ready at the same time as the main entree instead of either cooked to mush or still hard enough to crack tooth. Luckily for me, I got my hands on some great cookbooks and found the world of blogs and stumbled upon youtube which have been my saviors--literally. Practice has helped a lot and I am actually pretty darn comfortable in the kitchen these days.

A couple cookbooks that I always have within easy reach are pictured above, namely: The Taste of Home Cookbook--I love the magazine, too, and The Better Homes And Gardens New Cookbook. I do have some others but these are my favorites.

And I have to mention a website that has been absolutely a godsend to me and my limited culinary abilities. It is called Chickens in the Road and the author of this amazing blog is Suzanne McMinn. Because of this awesome gal I am now making my son homemade pepperoni pizza completely from scratch. And baking bread from scratch. And cooking beans...yes, from scratch. And the list goes on. But, Chickens in the Road is not just a cooking blog. It is so much more than that, too. It is all about her and her family, and the scary dirt road she has to drive on to get to her beautiful Stringtown Farm in which she has to ford two sometimes flooded rivers. It is about her adorable farm animals--oh, you have to meet Clover the Goat. She is just so down to earth and friendly. Trust me, if you have not had the pleasure of visiting Suzanne's blog you are in for a treat.

So, are there any other culinarily limited women out there? Am I the only one? Do you have a favorite cooking blog or recipe blog that you would like to share? How about cookbooks? I'd love some new ideas.

That's My Boy!

2009-11-14T18:31:00.000-08:00

This boy loves him some soccer!

He and his friends play at recess and lunch break every day at school. Going to practice twice a week with his team and playing in the games on the weekends is like his favorite thing.

But, ah oh, today were the playoffs and the soccer season has officially come to an end.
To say he was bummed out is an understatement.

What could possibly make this boy smile again?

Why the team party, of course...

And a little pizza and cupcakes and video games don't hurt either.

A Belated Introduction

2009-11-13T09:08:00.001-08:00

I had wanted chickens for years but didn't really think I had the right set up for them. After all, I live in town--a very small town, but in town all the same. I love the old house we rent but the plot of ground it sits on is not very big and not much of it is level.

At the start of this year, I began to look at an area below the back gardens in a new light. It was a pretty good size and would provide enough space for a coop, a nice sized run, and even an area that I could close off so that I could let the chickens out to free range during the day. A plan was hatched...pun intended, LOL.

I began to research hatcheries online, first looking at The McMurray Hatchery. I even placed an order for 15 baby chicks--which is the minimum order that they will allow. This was going to be quite a large flock for my little suburban wannabe farm but if I wanted chickens I didn't know what else I was going to do. Then one day, in a homesteading group I belonged to someone there happened to mention a website: My Pet Chicken .com where you could place orders for as little as 3 chicks at a time. So, I clicked right over there and checked it out and liked what I saw so, after canceling my order with McMurray (who were very understanding, by the way) I placed another order with My Pet Chicken. Once I got started, I went overboard, of course, and ended up ordering 10 chicks instead of the 5 that I thought would be just perfect. I started reading about all the wonderful breeds and just couldn't help myself.

I ordered two each of these breeds--because you know, I didn't want them to be all by themselves:

Golden Laced Wyandotte

Rhode Island Red

Barred Plymouth Rock

Black Austrolorp

Buff Orpington

My chicks were born on June 28 and arrived at my post office on July 1st. I have to say that My Pet Chicken packaged them very safely and when they arrived all 10 were bright eyed healthy and bushy tailed--quite literally. I apologize for not having any pics of this exciting time. I had lost my camera right before they arrived and only just found it again--I know, I am totally bummed that I did not get to document everything but I am thrilled to have my camera back.

Anyway, better late than never, here are some pics of my girls all grown up:

In the 2nd picture above you can see Toughy whose beak began to twist almost from the time she arrived. I make sure to give her a deep bowl of wet food daily that she can eat more easily but other than that I have not had to do much different. I know she may not live as long a life as they others but she has a fighting spirit and I am happy to have her in my flock for as long as she can stay.

I have so enjoyed the girls. They each have very different personalities and their antics keep me laughing daily. And now that the egg laying has begun it is just so exciting, LOL! For anyone who has been thinking about adding a backyard flock of their own--I heartily give chickens two thumbs up!

I am EGGstatic!!

2009-11-12T18:24:00.001-08:00

So, I go out to do chores this afternoon like I always do. You know... pick up after the dogs, feed and water Stewart and Little Bit (the resident pet rabbits), clean up the chicken house, feed and water the chickens. It was a day like any other day really. Just going about my business as usual.

I had absolutely no preconceived notions. I was not expecting anything out of the ordinary.

And then...and then...

My eyes caught sight of something. I looked a little bit closer. Then I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things. It was a small brown colored object nestled quite carefully in the straw of the middle nesting box. It was kind of...well kind of EGG shaped to tell you the truth!

And that was when I am sure my neighbors all came running to their windows to behold the crazy chicken lady who was whooping and dancing a little jig.

What is a jig, you ask? Well, I don't know, but I was dancing one, let me tell you!

My babies have grown up. And we have EGGS!!!!

Well, okay, we have one EGG. But has there ever been a fairer egg in all the land, I ask you?

Nope, I am sure of it.

A Good Kind of Sacrifice

2009-11-12T15:52:00.000-08:00

It's cold and blustery out today and soccer practice has been canceled. My youngest is kind of bummed as playing soccer with his friends is pretty much the highest thing on his list these days. I am trying to be as diplomatic as possible, but to be honest, sitting out in a cold wind is something I can do without, especially just getting over a bout with the flu--not THAT flu but still not very fun.

Luckily I had just made up a batch of elderberry syrup so even though my son, myself and my hubs all came down with fever, body aches, stuffy nose, cough and congestion--it only lasted 2 to 3 days before we could all tell that we were definitely over the hump and improving.

So, I think for today, after the rabbits and chickens are all bedded down in some soft shavings and straw...

Stewart

and the dogs and cats are all let inside to get out of the chill, the afternoon will be much better spent in some nice warm pj's near a crackling fire.

Sometimes you just have to make sacrifices, you know?

Hope your evening finds you warm and snuggly as well.

Welcome

2009-07-08T16:21:00.000-07:00

I feel like it is my first day of school. I am sitting here staring at the blank posting prompt trying to decide how I would like to begin this new blog of mine, what I want to say that will in some way impart to you who I am and what I am all about. I mean, I can list all the pertinent information for you. Stuff like:

38 year old female
A Wife, a Mother, a Daughter, a Sister, a Friend
A Spiritual Person

But, that doesn't even skim the surface, you know? There is so much more.

I could also tell you that I love to garden--both edibles and ornamentals. I try to do it as organically as possible but I cannot say that a weak moment or two of chemical frustration has not been known to occur.

I love animals and currently have rabbits, dogs, cats, and chicks. One day I hope to have goats, horses and cows. I think I was a farmer in another life.

I have a strong desire to learn to cook more from scratch for my family. This is not an easy undertaking for me. I struggle to cook much of anything. My mother never wanted to take the time to teach us kids how to cook so we were plenty happy spending our time out running through the countryside either on foot or on horseback. So, it will be a work in progress.

I don't completely trust Western medicine--although when one of my kids is sick I do not waffle about getting them to a doctor if needs be. I just try to find natural alternatives for as much as I can. I have a strong calling to learn more about using herbs medicinally and hope that I finally get my butt in gear and commit to doing so very soon.

I was a Christian for 13 years. I no longer consider myself one. I no longer consider the book that most Christian revere to be much more than a collection of thoughts, stories, ideas, fears, and dreams of people just like you and I. I do not see it as the "inspired word of God." I have come to believe that God--or even the idea of God--is so much bigger than us mere mortals could ever articulate and I feel it a bit arrogant to even believe that we could. I now walk more of a nature path and feel much more comfortable here.

However, and I say this as clearly as I possibly can, I honor and respect others who would call themselves Christian. And because they revere the book, I will also honor and respect it. I just do not live my life by the entirety of it's teachings as I once did. And I say this to anyone who claims anyother religion or way of life as their own. As long as you seek to respect others in the same way and do not cause others harm I believe that you are and should be free to live in the way you see best. There are a few things in that book I was talking about before that I do hold with and one of those is the well known saying, "Judge not, lest ye be judged."

So, that is me, in a nut shell. I hope you will come back often and see what I am up to. I would love to get to know you better as well.

Be well...