October??? When did THAT happen??

Where did September go? For that matter, where did August go?

Work has been hectic, to say the least. My co-teacher had surgery just before school started, so for 4 weeks I have been writing lessons, grading and recording grades for over 300 students, writing the modifications for IEP students, writing modified tests and grading rubrics, implementing Common Core, altering lessons from a 80 minute format to a 50 minute format, and translating everything into Ukranian.

This past weekend was the first time I had not gone to my building on both Saturday and Sunday.

I had a pedicure and a manicure.

Then I cleared closets. I will be moving into my 90 year-old Mom's house, so the back bedroom closet had to be cleared of Christmas decorations.  I had to clear the hall closets to moved the stuff out of the bedroom closet (vicious cycle).

I found a letter from my dad to his mon written in 1942, when he enlisted in the Navy and applied to flight school. I found his commission papers from 1947. I found a panoramic photo of his basic training group--all those young men in their white dress sailor uniforms with rifles.

Boy, I'm tired.

Not-So-Dirty Laundry

I am not airing my dirty laundry for all the world to see.

However, I did make laundry detergent this morning, and--given the price increase of just about everything under the sun due to the current drought--I thought I would share the info for anyone who wants to save a bit of money.

Needed materials:

Kitchen scale
Measuring cup
Sifter
Rotary cheese grater*

* A rotary cheese grater--just like the one your granny had.  A regular cheese grater will work if you don't have the rotary type. Or if you have one, use a food processor.  I don't own a food processor.

Ingredients:

2 cups of Borax
2 cups of Washing Soda**

5 ounces of good quality soap***

** Washing Soda (sodium carbonate) is not the same thing as Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate). Washing soda is found in the laundry aisle of the market, and can be used as a cleanser in kitchens and bathrooms. It is nonsudsing, so it rinses easily.

*** Castile Soap is gentle, and good for sensitive skin (babies) or for those with allergies.
And mea culpa, when I go to Tuesday Morning, I buy soaps; I usually use them as sachets in my linens or undergarment drawers.  Today, I used a combination of Castile and the Italian-made violet scented bar. I have also used the French milled Lavender (upper right) and the Italian Pear-Apple (lower left).  I've also used Ivory soap. (Has anyone ever microwaved a portion of a bar? That's another blog).

Putting It Together:

Grate 5 ounces of your chosen soap. To make a finer product, sift the grated soap through the sifter. Large, ungrated fragments should be dumped in a bowl. (If you use a food processor, you may not have the larger fragments. I wouldn't know).

In a large container (I use a lock-top plastic container), mix your 2 cups of washing soda, 2 cups of borax, and 5 ounces of grated soap.  If the borax is lumpy, put it through the sifter also. Shake well to combine.

Usage:

1 tablespoon of mix in a top loading washing machine.
1/2 tablespoon for a high efficiency front-loading washing machine.

What To Do With The Bar Soap Fragments:

Well, don't throw them out.  Put the soap scrap fragments in an unbleached muslin bag, and use it as a scrubby in the shower. Or use an old washcloth: stitch it up on 3 sides, fill it with soap scraps, seal it with Velcro, and Voila!

Waste nought, want nought, as the saying goes.

This, That, and Other Things

I have beautiful grandchildren.

This is a shot from my mom's 90th birthday.

Mother is doing really well.  She can maneuver that wheelchair like a pro. We went to OKC for her eye appointment, and brilliant SIL met us there and told me to go amuse myself; after the appt. she would take Mother to Dillards.

I went to Cao Nguyen supermarket, spent an hour at Sabi's with M. A., swung by Whole Foods, and got lost in Nichol's Hills. Met up with Mother and SIL at the house, where we discovered that the house is NOT wheelchair friendly. Picture SIL, Mother and Me in a chorus line to get her into the bathroom!

Went on an 8 mile run yesterday. Came up with a project idea. Went to Hobby Lobby (did need a frame for a watercolor I got in Ireland) and got some "crafty" things.  On my 10 mile run this morning, I kept stopping to pick up stuff for craft project:  pine cones, pine needles, oak galls, and spotted stuff to get later (sycamore seed balls).

I'm going to try and make a fairy house.  I have the roof done (mostly). I went out under the live oak and started picking up acorn caps to use as cobbles (maybe).  I'll post a picture when it is done. Just bear in mind that I am the most staggeringly NONartistic person on the face of the planet.

Since it is tomato season, here is a recipe from Edith Metcalfe de Plata:

"Flores" de Jitomates Rellanos  (Stuffed Tomato "Flowers")

serves 4 to 6

6 medium or 4 large tomatoes
6 lettuce leaves
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup each grated zucchini, chopped almonds, grated carrots, sliced cucumber, raisins, chopped Ortega chili, celery, diced onion
1/2 tsp each of sea salt, aniseed, dill seed, parsley, thyme, mace, and chili powder
1 small jar sliced pimento

1. Wash and cut out the centers of the tomatoes. Slice downward--almost to the bottom--so that the tomatoes will open yet remain held together at the bottom. Make 4 to 6 cuts and lay the tomatoes on a bed of lettuce leaves.

2. Make a filling with the remaining ingredients (except pimento) and use it to stuff the tomatoes.

3. Garnish with pimento strips and refrigerate until time to serve.

Thank Don Julio 1942

The past 2 weeks have been a tiddly bit busy.

Mother's 90th birthday was May 31. Everyone was coming in for a bit of a celebration. And I mean Everyone. My brother and my brilliant sister-in-law, their daughter with her significant other, and their son with his significant other; my son, daughter-in-law, 5 year old grandson, and 2 month old granddaughter; my older sister from Utah; and my little sister from Arizona.

Not a single hotel room in town was available. All the B & B's were booked. My roomie's daughter from Florida showed up (marital issues). My sisters haven't spoken to each other in 15 years.

Okay. Older sister from Utah and my son and family would stay at Mother's. Roomie and daughter get the garage apartment next door. Little sister would stay at my house. Brother and family drive in from their home. All set.

May 29th: Mother takes her oldest queen to the vet to be euthanized. At a stop sign, she begins to cry and pulls out in front of a commercial truck. She totals her hybrid Honda Civic. Both air bags deploy. She says she's all right. I take the cat to the vet. I take Mom to Urgent Med; the power is out, so we go home for an hour and go back to UM. Good news: ankle xray looks clear. Bad news: The wrist is fractured (radius, not ulna). Older sister's plane is due at 5 p.m. Then 6 p.m. I get Mom Chinese take-out. Then 8 p.m. Finally she arrives at 9 p.m. Roomie's daughter's flight also delayed (different airport) because of tropical storm.

Roomie brings Mom a walker from work. She does OK. We get older sis a rental car. Next day,we get Mom a quad cane.  She does well with that Thursday and Friday. Little sister's flight gets in Friday (early), but she rents car and drives down from OK City. Make doctors' appointment with Mom's primary care doc on Tuesday, orthopaedic specialist on Wednesday.

Little sis and I get pedicures Saturday morning .Roomie brings in dehydrated kitty that had been trapped on roof across the alley. (I must have "sucker" tattooed on my forehead).  Everyone begins arriving about 2 in the afternoon. Brother brings the Don Julio 1942. (This is very important. Any bottle of tequila that costs $200 is important). As long as I can get tequila into little sis, no fireworks. Photographer comes. Dinner reservations at 6. Stupidly hilarious dice game around the table at home with marvelous Italian creme cake (courtesy of brilliant sister-in-law) and MORE Don Julio keeps things rocking. I win $60.00 at silly card game.

Sunday is laid back. Everyone from OKC drives back down. More silly dice game. Dancing. Pizza. Dancing. Son and family head back to Tulsa.Brother and family return to OKC (taking the tequila, dammit). Little sis leaves Monday for Phoenix. Take Mom to PC doc Tuesday, get her home in time to take older sis to airport for flight to Salt Lake City.

Mom is happy that no major confrontations occurred. We go Wednesday to ortho. New ankle xray shows fractures of the fibula and tibia--she's been hobbling around on a broken ankle for a week.
Doc orders a knee scooter--she couldn't manage that so I went and got a transfer wheelchair (and it was cheaper to buy it than to rent it). Roomie called the man that makes wheelchair ramps, and he came and measured for 3 ramps. (Built 2 of them that night, too). Bought a bedside commode. Bought a transfer shower chair. Moved in with Mom for the next 6 weeks.

We are doing OK. Home Health Care preliminary interview was yesterday; rehab services start Monday. I'll be getting a laptop so that I can work more easily here at Mom's. She loves the iPad (Mah Jong app and books).

Oh. I got a call from University; more students enrolled, so I will be teaching this summer after all.

AlmaMia Cienfuegos: A Story of Blood, Scars and Nightmares

In every culture are the cautionary tales, the stories of the trials besetting those individuals who succumb to the base emotions that plaque mankind. In Magaly Guerrero's AlmaMia Cienfuegos: A Story of Blood, Scars and Nightmares, we are introduced to the Cienfuegos family, under whose fractured veneer of civility and familial bonds lies a seething, roiling mass of conflict, abuse, jealousy, rage, and denial. At the center of the maelstrom is nine year old AlmaMia and a talisman bracelet. Made of silver and handed down through the family, the frog, the skull, and the book-shaped infuser filled with rosemary serve as a protection amulet for little AlmaMia.

Most cautionary tales provide the motivation for the characters' behavior. Ms. Guerrero, however, wisely leaves motivation to the imagination of her reader. Having read AlmaMia three times now, I still surmise, I still speculate as to the driving forces that compel Mamabuela, Vanesa, Soledad, and AlmaMia to act and react as they do. Tantalizing hints fall effortlessly into the prose and I so look forward to the next tale. The Kindle edition is available at Amazon.com.

Keep a sprig of rosemary near to hand when reading the story. Slip it into your pillowcase at night. In folklore, rosemary is powerful protection. Bear in mind, though, that rosemary not only protects, it remembers. And so does AlmaMia.

Killer Clutter

Why is it easier to get rid of someone else's stuff, and so difficult to get rid of your own?



Being asked to contribute to this series caused a number of reactions.
I was flattered.
I was nervous--I'm not an experienced blogger.
I'm not even sure how to get this over to The Domestic Pagan blog.

Crap, how do I begin?

Begin by answering the question:

Why is it easier to get rid of someone else's stuff, and so difficult to get rid of your own?

The answer lies in the word "own". 

I  have nothing vested in your stuff. It holds no memories for me. I don't "own" your stuff, therefore I have no difficulty pitching out your stuff. However, I own my Stuff. I'm vested in it. My Stuff is tangible proof that I was here--or there--or somewhere. My Stuff is the Stuff of Memories, the Stuff of Dreams, the Stuff of Nightmares, and the Stuff of Fear.

Like packrats and magpies, we stuff our nests with baubles, bangles, and blings. Like dragons, we guard our hoards. We justify our collections hoards by saying "I can use this in...", or "but I might need this...", or "someday, I'll..." or "if I just lose 5 (10, 15, 20) pounds I can wear...".

The Stuff takes control. The Stuff wears you down.  The Stuff not only traps energy, it saps energy from you. (Are you tired? Depressed? Do you have to hunt for things like your keys, your glasses, your coffee cup?)

Is it conceivable that the clutter is a reflection of your mind? Your inner turmoil? Does clutter get in the way of your life, your choices, your family, your craft?

Yes.

I got tired of being ruled by the clutter.

Something magical happened.

I found a book: Magical Housekeeping by Tess Whitehurst. I bought the kindle edition. I found her clutter-clearing ritual on page ten. It worked so well that I bought a paperback edition, too. I told a friend about it--I referred to it as "a positive affirmation technique"--when she complained about her struggle with the mess in her home office. She called me 3 days later absolutely aux ange about it.¹


Tess Whitehurst's Clutter Clearing Jumpstart Ritual

Decide where you will begin. A room is too much? Start with a drawer, or the closet, or your desk. Take the step with which you are comfortable .

You will need:  

            noisemaker (bell, rattles, drum, clapping hands, whatever)

            1 white candle

            lighter or matches

            your favorite hot, energizing  beverage (coffee, tea, hot Dr. Pepper with orange slices)

"Once you've decided on this starter area, clap your hands very loudly around the inside or outside of the area to loosen and unstick the energy contained within.² Then wash your hands and prepare the beverage. Before lighting the candle, hold it in both hands and focus your attention on it as you say:

            I triumph over clutter in every way.

            I am the master of my domain.

Light the candle and sit in front of it. Hold the beverage in both hands and focus your attention on it as you say:

            I now charge this beverage with the energies

            of purity, lightness, and motivation.

Then fully relax as you enjoy the beverage, knowing that you'll be ready and willing (and maybe even excited) to begin your clutter-clearing project as soon as you've finished the last sip. Let the candle continue to burn as you clear, and don't be surprised if you end up clearing out a bit more than you'd planned. Light the candle each time you clear, repeating the ritual if desired." (Whitehurst, 2010).

I chose to start in my bathroom, a small space. I put the lit candle in the window. I threw out all of the Mary Kay inventory (I stopped using it in the 1990s). Actually, I stopped wearing make-up years ago--why support an industry that manipulates women for profit? I tossed all the old make-up. I tossed the ratty towels and stained, ratty washcloths and the harsh chemical cleansers. The unused curling irons--trash. The foot spa--boxed up and in the storage closet (which needed to be cleaned out, too). I ended up with three lawn bags of junk. And I felt good. I scrubbed with vinegar and water. I steam mopped the floor.

The next day, I repeated the ritual. My target: the infamous walk-in storage closet. I had packing boxes ready and packed up the winter clothes that were 3 sizes too big. The clothes from the garage sale that didn't sell. The boxes of floral components that hadn't seen the light of day in 2 years. Out. Repacked, restacked, organized. The clothes went to the handicapped resale shop. I think the garbage men hate me.

My bedroom. The bookcases. My clothes closet. The kitchen cabinets and pantry. The den. The dining room. The living room. My formerly-Baptist-and-now-Roman-Catholic boarder started in on her bathroom, bedroom, and her sewing room.³  I know the garbage men hate me.

I made them cookies by way of apology.

The candle sits in the dining room. Saturday mornings, instead of running, I dust, sweep, vacuum, and mop before taking my mother to breakfast. I've not lit the candle in months--but it will be lit after school is out. I'm going to get the last bastion of clutter: the desk and file cabinet.

The energy flow around here is incredible.

Walk in beauty.

_____________________________________________________________________________

1. She's not a practitioner of the craft. I am still in the broom closet.

2.   I have these nifty bead and seed rattles, so that's what I used. The sound needs to be clear and loud. Things that have been undisturbed for years have tremendous inertia.

3.  I don't think she knows what hit her; it wasn't intentional. Contagious, perhaps, but not intentional.

Spring Break Broken

Spring break--the time of year when teachers get away from their students. I was really looking forward to spring break.

Sunday I drank a gallon of prep goo for my Monday colonoscopy (and yes, I was looking forward to it. You get drugged and unconscious. And after the preceeding week--I wanted that!). Brilliant sister-in-law went with me, bought me pho with oodles of noodles to eat afterward, and let me sleep it off.

Good news: doc removed 2 benign polyps and no uber-social-conservative politicians were seen (I did ask that he check, Oklahoma legislators being SO CONCERNED about women's health).

Please look at the chart to find the evolution of politicians.

I drove home Tuesday evening. And threw some laundry in and went to bed.
Wednesday I did the rest of the laundry, took mother out to lunch and did her shopping.

Thursday drove back to OKC to pick up the bag I had left. Drove home and took mother out to dinner.

Friday I finished laundry and started my guest blog for The Domestic Pagan's Spring Cleaning series. I also borrowed 2 cat carriers from the vet's and got all 4 of mother's cats vetted. And we stopped by Pick of the Day and went crazy buying plants.

Saturday I took mother to breakfast. Then, since I had the truck, we picked up the plants were bought the previous day--and then some. Spent the rest of the day trying to find organic potting soil, and containers. Got the mints, the tomatoes, basil  and herbs planted by the light of the crescent moon.

Today I dug out a new flowerbed and put in a lilac and a Harry Lauder Walkingstick, 3 hostas, and I am tired. It took over 4 hours, as I had to do it by hand. With a spading fork. And I still need to do the front curb bed.

Popcorn. Soda. Bed.

Solar Flares, Mercury in Retrograde, Vernal Equinox, and Spring Break

Solar Flares

Being a cardinal Earth sign, the intense solar flares not only gave me the heebie-jeebies, but frazzled the nerves to the breaking point. Short tempered, on edge post-menopausal hell bitch and high school freshmen make one horrible mix.

Two weeks ago was the end of the term; spring break starts today. For some reason known only to adolescent minds, school work seems to be optional. I have 87 students, 53 of whom are now making less than 70%.

But that's not all!

Mercury in Retrograde

Monday saw the plumber in my lab because some mental midget thought it amusing to inject a tube of hot glue up one of the faucets.
Monday saw a fire in the girls' restroom because some nicotine addicted mental midget used the feminine hygiene receptacle as an ashtray.
Tuesday saw 3 fistfights outside and a police officer being required to escort one girl everywhere outside the classroom.
Wednesday saw 2 of my students suspended, and a principal had to come over and remove a student from 3rd period who took beaker tongs and grabbed a girl's breast with them.
Thursday saw a boy removed from 1st period and placed in in-school isolation for my class for the rest of the school year and a physical confrontation between a boy and a girl in 3rd period that required two principals to escort them from the room.
Friday was the end of LEGGO week (I have no idea what the acronym means); the student council held a series of activities during and after school to raise money for the local children's shelter. It culminated in a dodge ball tournament final game at an afternoon pep assembly. They did exceed their goal. The total amount raised for the shelter was $11,821.68.

Sometime last week I chipped a tooth. We were also inundated with 3 surveys that had to be completed, IEP meetings, identification of gifted students recommendations, and more superfluous paperwork, ad nauseum.

Monday the 19th is my scheduled colonoscopy. I'm actually looking forward to the drugged bliss that accompanies the procedure.

Vernal Equinox

Tuesday. I should be recovered and at home. I am going to read. And run, weather permitting. I may build a wee fire in the fire pit and sit out in the evening.

Spring Break

I will definitely smudge my class room.

Fitness Challenge

Converting to a plant-based diet.

I find that I really don't miss meat all that much.

Except bacon.

Crispy bacon.

Bacon. Bacon. Bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon.

The darn stuff is addictive.  So I try to get the uncured, no nitrites, no preservative kind. $$$$$.

Stupid bacon.

I had bacon this morning. The house still smells like bacon.  After 15 hours.

Actually, I feel kind of sick. I'm going to bed.

The Distant Hours (Reading Challenge)

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

This Aussie has some serious talent.

Having read The Forgotten Garden by the same author, I was prepared for jumping back and forth through time in this NYT bestseller.  Stifled, dysfunctional families, secrets, intrigues, castles,  mental collapse, lost loves, and murder span the generations of two oddly connected families impacted by The London Blitz. Slow at first, but persevere--I sat up to finish the novel. I was right about the ending, wrong about the motive, and didn't expect...well, I'm not going to spoil it for you, now, am I?

Tagged, I'm It. Now What?

I've been tagged. Whatever that means. I'm not really sure how to respond to this.
Apparently, I'm supposed to come up with 11 random thoughts about myself. 11? Why 11? And then answer questions that I don't know how to find. I'm a freakin' dinosaur, fer cryin' out loud.

OK.

Rules:
1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them that you have tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tagging section about ‘you are tagged if you are reading this.’ blah blah blah, you legitimately have to tag 11 people!

Now here’s the questions for my tagged friends:
1. What is one hairstyle you’ve always wanted to try but have stopped yourself for one reason or another, be it a different hair color, extensions, whatever?
2. What is your ideal pet, whether real, or mythical?
3. What is your favorite kind of foreign food?
4. What is your favorite herb?
5. Have you ever played a musical instrument of any kind (and that includes playing jugs, spoons, chimes, etc.)?
6. Do you have a book of shadows, and if so, what is it, such as spiral bound notebook, 3-ring binder, leather bound, etc.?
7. What is your favorite spell, if any?
8. The most positive memorable moment of your life, thus far?
9. What is your favorite movie of all time?
10. Do you have a favorite Pagan/Wiccan/Witchy book? If so, what is it?
11. Do you have, or have you ever made, a witches’ bottle?

I bactracked and found the rules. And some questions.

1. I love the silence of the night and revel in the starry light.
2. I do not accept the concept of duality in nature.
3. I have to bite my tongue when ill-informed people talk about equal and opposite reactions applied to energy manipulation in the craft. Newton's 3rd Law of Motion has absolutely nothing to do with energy.I teach Newtonian physics, too.
4. It's strange how much we love our companion animals.
5. I make my own toothpaste.
6. I like to till the garden in my bare feet.
7. I use a dip pen and inkwell when I write in crafting.
8. I am staggerly non-artistic (I'm talking stick trees, stick people, and stick amoeba here).
9. I have seen the face of the Earth.
10. Tea. 6 days a week.Coffee on Saturday only.
11. Sometimes, I just know. It drives my son nuts. Poor man is doomed. He's expecting a daughter in a month or so. Guess what gift he passed on, and the first 2 don't count.

Magaly said to answer questions 3 aand 9.. OK.

Favorite foreign food. Asian, I suppose. I spent my early childhood in Japan. I adore a good pho. And I use chopsticks. Asian food tastes funny on a fork.
Favorite movie of all time. I truly don't have one. I don't watch that many movies. I don't know the current actors/actresses. It just isn't that important to me.

So what do I do now? I don't follow that many blogs. Those I do follow have already been tagged.I'm not even sure where to send this, so I'll post and someone will help the antique through it all.

NYT Best Seller: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

This is a first.
This is a first novel.
This is an original presentation.
This is an original story arch.

The story has a mysterious island off the coast of Wales.
The island has an abandoned orphanage, bombed during World War II.
The orphanage contains a box of photographs of children.
The photographs are rather odd.
The children are gone.
Sort of.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.

The ending was a bit of a surprise.

Plant -based diet

I love my pumpkin chili.
I love this veggie stew.
Other recipe (cauiflower "mac" and cheese) later.

Morocco Vegetable Stew

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
•  
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 2 cups finely shredded kale
• 4 (14 ounce) cans organic vegetable broth
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 4 large carrots, chopped
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
• 1 tablespoon water (optional)

Directions

1.     Combine cinnamon, cumin, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric, curry powder, and salt in a large bowl, reserve.

2.     Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion in the butter until soft and just beginning to brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the shredded kale and reserved spice mixture. Cook for 2 minutes or until kale begins to wilt and spices are fragrant.

3.     Pour the vegetable broth into the pot. Stir in the tomatoes, honey, carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, garbanzo beans, dried apricots, and lentils. Bring to boil; reduce heat to low.

4.     Simmer stew for 30 minutes or until the vegetables and lentils are cooked and tender. Season with black pepper to taste. If desired, combine optional cornstarch and water; stir into stew. Simmer until stew has thickened, about 5 minutes.

Footnotes

• 200 calories per serving. 

• Make Ahead Tip:
• If making ahead or freezing, prepare stew through Step 3. Simmer for 5 minutes over low heat; remove from heat and cool in the pot or in freezer-safe container. Transfer to the fridge (store for up to 3 days) or freezer. The vegetables store better if not fully-cooked prior to refrigeration or freezing. When ready to eat, (if frozen) thaw in refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours, then pour stew into a pot, bring just to a boil, and simmer until heated through.

With apologies to Sid and Marty Kroft

Challenges, Pallenges; There Ain't No Rhyme for Challenges

Somewhere in the recesses of my mind is a  Sid and Marty Kroft show with "Witchipoo" singing "Oranges, Poranges", a Cockney speaking  kid in a Dutchboy bob, a magical flute and (my favorite) "Evil Trees".

I know someone in the blogosphere will enlighten me as to show title, actors, characters, etc.

I wish they wouldn't, but someone will. Some things are inevitable and must be accepted with grace.


My cousin, Hal, lost his battle with cancer on January 17th in Eugene, Oregon. Today I took my mother, the last of her generation, back to the homestead in Eakley, Oklahoma for his service at the little Methodist Church.

It's a two hour drive (one way). We couldn't go the usual way because of construction on the interstate, so I mapquested an alternate route on my iPad, closed Safari, took Mother to breakfast, and started out to the homestead.

We couldn't get the app to open on the road.

So I called my brilliant sister-in-law and had her give me directions from her computer, that I relayed to my 90 year old mother to write down as I drove north trying to meet the 1:00 deadline (no pun intended) for getting "to the church on time" (Sorry, Lerner-Loewe). It's just that the directions didn't seem quite the same as the ones I had stored...

I got lost. Three times, I got lost. Two convenience stores and one saloon later, I made it to Eakley, Oklahoma. 1:06 in the afternoon.The service was to start at 1:30 and had been moved to the church, as opposed to the originally proposed graveside. No problem.

It was a very simple service. The urn was at the front of the little white clapboard church.  Only one song on the tape player (Amazing Grace), Hal's exwife gave a glowing eulogy. His friends told stories of hunting and fishing in Canada and Alaska. The service ended with Masonic Rites. It was quite nice. Hal would have liked it. It's a pity he wasn't there.

Literally. His ashes are still in transit somewhere between Eugene and Eakley.

Going back home I did not get lost.  I saw a red tail hawk on the right side of the road perched in a tree top, and at the next intersection I turned right. I was on the 281--where I was supposed to be. At every intersection I needed to turn, a red tail hawk perched on the correct side of the road. Then a bluebird flew in front of the car. I didn't think much of it until a large crow flew in front of the car. Mother asked me why I slowed down and I told her to look for a cop car. Four tribal complexes and three casinos later, there was the sheriff's car in a speed trap. Thanks to the wee birds for the heads up on that!

Healthwise:
I bought "Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health" by Gene Stone on the recommendation of my doc. (Kindle edition, $6. The basic premise is that big pharma wants us to be unhealthy for the sake of profit). He had asked during my infamous follow-up about my diet, and I told him I was in the process of reducing/eliminating animal protein in my diet. It also turns out we are both going 90 miles to the nearest Whole Foods store to do our shopping. I have eliminated beef, reduced dairy to 2 ounces 1% milk with my oatbran, but the cheese will be hard to give up. Wheat I can do without, now that I have found rice pasta. I am still consuming bison and venison, but only once a week. Eggs will be reduced to twice a week. It is a work in progress.


Completed Reading:
Amy Stewart's Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's MOther & Other Botanical Atrocities
Now to build a Borgia Bed of poisonous plants.

Najood Ali's I Am Najood, Age 10 and Divorced
I know it's poorly educated men and women, I know it's cultural tradition, I know it's an alien concept of family honor, I know, I know, I know, but...STILL! I want the weight of a Louisville slugger in my hands and the opportunity to teach some men the true meaning of honor. Some women, too.

Still reading:
Gene Stone's Forks Over Knives (I'm in the recipe section now).
Palin's Craft of the Wild Witch
Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

The Reading Challenge

This week in reading paradise:

The Primitive Witch's Handbook: The Essential Guide for the Primitive/Country Witch in a Modern World
compiled by Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc.

As I dance a primitive path, this little gem resonated with me. The author doesn't yield to man-made redes, pageantry, rituals, ritual garments, priestess hierarchies, and a slew of other directives commonly found in the published works concerning the craft. The only deity is oneself. Do  what you feel is right, and ignore the opinions of others--this is your craft.

I like her.


Dracula in Love, Karen Essex.

A light, easy read. I was irritated at Drac at the end of the novel, though. Never before have I wanted to bitch slap a character in a novel.

You decide.

Currently reading Poppy Palin's (no relation to the godzilla of Wasilla) Craft of the Wild Witch. Also, Nujood Ali's I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced--OK, not "crafty", but women's rights are up there and if someone doesn't like it, bite me. "Forks Over Knives" was reccommended by my doc. Apparently, I was doing this anyway.

I need to wash my hair before Downton Abbey comes on.

Let's Get Physical!

Birthdays and the annual physical go hand in hand for me. Birthday. Next morning, every conceivable bloodtest ever devised is administered, and the following week is the follow-up with the doc.

Yesterday was the follow up.

Blood pressure: 106/70
Pulse: yes I have one, it's 70. (Sometimes I wonder).
Temp: 98.1
Fasting blood sugar: 99
Everything else was well within the norms. So I'm healthy, right?

Doc: You're post menopausal.
Me: Yep. But I'm no longer a Ph.B.
D: Ph.B?
M: post menopausal hell bitch, thanks to the CPAP.
D: you've had a complete hystorectomy--who did that?
M: Royce Everett. He said he never wants to operate on me again.
D: I know Royce. When was your last mammogram?
M: never had one.
D: with your history? Mother and maternal grandmother? Why not?
M: when was the last time you voluntarily put your testicles into a vise?
D: (pause) My wife doesn't like them, either. It really needs to be done.
M: (longer pause) OK.
D: what about a colonoscopy?
M: (baleful stare and silence) I won't go to the hospital here. The billing sucks. You have to pay up front, then if any other charges get tacked on, the bill goes to a collection agency before they send a bill to you.
D: I have a friend at I--- in OKC. I'd go to him.
M: have him call me.

I hate physicals. I stopped by the deli on the way home and got a slice of carrot cake.
D:

Reading Challenge Update, 13 January 2012

Some of this has been posted on Pagan Culture comments.

I read Kim Harrison's "White Witch, Black Curse" and felt a little lost until I realized that I had missed something--like the first 6 books in the series, maybe? I have a lot of catching up to do on this one. Seems like a rather good read, engaging. I enjoyed this one.


Mary Downing Hahn" "Witch Catcher", a teen novel I'm glad I did not send to a young witchling in the make, as the witches take the adversarial role in the story line. Stepping back from my personal bias, the overall structure is sound. I wouldn't joyously reccommend it, though.


Tess Whitehurst's "Magical Housekeeping" is a definite keeper. I'm no hoarder, but definitely had a clutter problem. Please note the past tense. One little declutter spell later, I was hooked. The trash collectors probably cringe when approaching my house now. Cupboards that hadn't seen the light of day in years are emptied of nonessential stuff. A non-practicing colleague mentioned that she was getting overwhelmed just thinking about her home office, so I gave her a brief outline of the "positive affirmation technique" I had just read about. I saw her last week and she was aux ange about "that declutter technique"; she had cleared her home office, the storage shed, the back bedroom...I have the kindle edition and the paperback (I think it worth the investment).


Bobby Lake-Thom's "Spirits of the Earth: A Guide to Native american Nature Symbols, Stories, and Ceremonies" requires more than one reading, especially if one is pursuing a shamanistic path or a primitive path of singularity. His teachings on recognizing when a cognisant Nature is attempting to communicate through symbolic occurrance is making me re-evaluate some interactions with wild life, flora, and crystal. This one is thought provoking and needs a few days dedication.

And I received "A Little Box of Spells" in the mail today! Thanks, Magaly!

Facing the Year of the Dragon

I have never been a morning person.

However, in the past year I've learned that walking and running interval sprints is best done in the morning. Early morning. Dark-thirty before dawn early morning.

I get cranky if I don't. And the #1 Rule at High School is: DON'T MAKE MS. R CRANKY. Rule # 2 is--well, Rule #2 doesn't matter as long as you follow Rule #1.

Starlight. Moonlight. The change of colors in the sky. The wind. Right now, the very cold, uncomfortable wind. But it's invigorating wind. Birdsong. Owls. Deer. Silence. One with nature.

I really like getting up in the morning, now.

I haven't weighed in or taken measurements. My goal is to eat less processed food (organic frozen dinners I will allow for lunches at work until I get paid and can get the real food to cook). Eliminate processed sugar. Once a week, go meatless, wheatless, sweetless. Not all that hard.  Animal protein is once a day (except for "meatless" day).

I don't think I can eliminate dairy at this point.  Beef is pretty much a thing of the past.  Will still eat bison and venison, fowl and fish. Limit pork.

And if I'm getting up at 4:40, I need to put the trash on the curb, get the cat in and go to bed.