The Wolf Moon greets us on Friday, the day of Venus, while Mercury is in retrograde. It is a time when deep emotions swirl together and the unspoken needs to be heard, witnessed, and expressed. I struggle in the cold, dark times to release the words clogged in my throat. Superhubs and I had a deep conversation recently about death, afterlife and near death experiences. This is what emerged:
The Twin Jet Nebula, or PN M2-9, is a striking example of a bipolar planetary nebula. Bipolar planetary nebulae are formed when the central object is not a single star, but a binary system, Studies have shown that the nebula’s size increases with time, and measurements of this rate of increase suggest that the stellar outburst that formed the lobes occurred just 1200 years ago. Photo from NASA image library
Life, Death and Dirges
I’m sorry I couldn’t stay time has come for me to go that’s OK, I’ll be fine I’ve just run out of time when I’m gone just remember what we had the good times and the bad now that my story’s reached the end would you smile for me now and then
I know that you’re sad I know that you’re blue but I know you’ll make it through there’s more to life than we can see you’ll be fine even without me I promise you that the sun will shine again so smile for me now and then
now that I am gone remember life goes on when you keep me in your heart we’re never far apart I promise you’ll be happy once again so smile for me now and then
Winter flares are no fun, at all fatigue and fuddled thinking are a nuisance at the best of times and for me at least, holidays are NOT the best of times. I’m out of spoons and trying to do way to much. Slowing my roll, so I’ve been cavorting about on Canva again. Here is my latest doodad to remind me to deal with seasonal bluesy feelings in a positive (low spoons) way.
I’ve been feeling short of muse lately and so have refilled the “Great Jar of Inspiration” also known as a prompt jar, aka an empty salsa jar filled with scraps of paper which contain wordy things known as prompts.
Today’s prompt from the Jar of Inspiration: In my mug
In my mug – coffee because it smells like magic and tastes like hopes and dreams.
Lately I’m struggling a bit with inspiration. Could be the weather, could be the new meds. So I’m grabbing some December Prompts from my prompt jar just to see what happens.
Today’s Prompt: What Joy Means to Me
“Joy is what happens when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are” ~Marianne Williamson
Winter Joy
Winter mornings with cerulean skies reflected on the snow and ice creates a blue tinged aurora while acres of diamonds glint in the sunshine my breath creates little puffs of fog in the frigid air and my face tingles with snowflake kisses Inside hot tea, biscuits and a fire in the hearth lie waiting to warm the cockles of my heart I find a blissful joy in Winter the sparkling beauty of nature the coziness of home and hearth Winter and Joy walk hand in hand as Mother Nature sleeps I slow down and recognize how joyful life can be when we stop and look around
Til next time ~Stop, look around, and be amazed ~JP
The older I get, the quieter I become. Life has humbled me so deeply. It has taken me many years to realize how much time I’ve wasted on nonsense. I am only now beginning to find a place for my sparkly star-shaped self in a beige world of square pegs and round holes. To listen to the words of the wind in the trees.
“A perfect blossom in a rare thing. You could spend your life looking for one and it would not be a wasted life.” ~ Katsumoto ~The Last Samurai
~Til next time ~The answer is blowing in the wind ~JP
I see people my age out there, biking, mountain climbing, running marathons and all I can think is that I feel really good about myself today because I managed to get my leg through my underpants without toppling over.
Welcome to Flashback Friday, where Fandango invites us to take a look back at some of our older posts. This one goes way back to the dark recesses of pre WordPress days.
Travel Journal – Kapaa Hawaii. Departure day – today we bid Aloha to our Kauai paradise and head back to the mainland, back to real life. Insert big sigh here. I don’t cry every time I leave Kauai … oh wait yeah I do. But life goes on, I have work to do and heaven knows my back misses my mattress!
Tomorrow marks one year since we arrived at our new home. It seems so different and yet, it seems at times that I’ve never lived anywhere else. I have settled in to this new life quickly, oh so quickly. Yesterday I posted a picture of a huge Jill-o-lantern from Osaka, Japan and I began reflecting on how many different October views I’ve had over the years. I’ve spent a good many of them overseas for both business and pleasure and the balance have mostly involved significant amounts of domestic travel. It seems odd to not be moving somewhere at this time of year and yet I find I have no real desire to journey beyond my little town, my gated courtyard, or my front door for that matter. I don’t know, maybe my traveling days are done, then again, maybe not. Sometimes when the leaves turn red and the breeze is still warm, I dream of Hobbiton, of Mt. Kurama, of the Yangtze River and Shanghai Hairy Crab … shudder. That’s a tale for another day.
Til next time remember ~Fall is nature’s way of reminding us how beautiful it is to let go ~JP
Welcome to another Friday Flashback where Fandango invites us to share some of our older work. It’s October and all I can say is my little witchy heart sings. Now first off, I love all types of witchery but by far my favorite is Kitchen Witchery. Secondly, it’s flipping cold and windy in mid-October and soups and teas are just my thing right now.
Kitchen Witchery
When recipes drive you up a wall and make you want to shout here’s a little kitchen spell you should never be without
Grab a pillow from the couch and find some place to slam it and as you whack it’s stuffing out yell ‘DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT!’
Works every time! 🙂
Witches Stew
1 box Troll Sweat (32 oz chicken broth) 1/2 chopped Cyclops eye (medium onion) 1 Tbs crumbled grasshopper legs (chicken bouillion granules (or 2 small cubes) 1 Griffin breast (large bone-in chicken breast) 2 large Gargoyle toes (carrots) 3 Mummy fingers (celery stalks) 1 Cup Newt Eyes (ditalini pasta or pearl couscous) 2 handfuls swamp weed (fresh baby spinach) 1 handful lizard bones (stick pretzels) several drops wicked fairy blood (green food coloring)
1. Add chicken broth, onion, and bouillon to a large pot. 2. Bring to a boil. 3. Add chicken breast, reduce to simmer. 4. Cook until chicken is cooked through, 30 to 60 minutes. 5. Remove chicken from broth and set aside to cool. 6. Add 4 cups of water to the broth and bring to boil 7. Add carrots, celery, and pasta. 8. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently. 9. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until pasta is fully cooked. Stirring frequently to keep pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. 10. The broth will soak into the pasta. 11. Add spinach and stir into soup. 12. Add green food coloring a few drops at a time until the desired coloring is reached. 13. Add back the cut up chicken and more water if a soupier soup is desired. 14. top each bowl with a few pretzels
Witches Brew tea (meditation tea)
6 tsp black tea (I like Irish Breakfast) 2 tsp chamomile buds 1 tsp rose hips 3 tsp lavender buds 2 tsp mint leaves
mix all herbs together and keep in air tight container. Use 1 tsp per cup of boiling water steep for 4-5 minutes
Wide Eyed Wonderings 