2016: Savage to the End

Two Faced

Here we are in December, and if your winter is anything like mine it's been cold, and dry (dryer than usual for these parts, at least) so, I thought I'd share two of my favorite face recipes that help keep my skin from freaking out this time of year, or looking dull and grubby.  Ok, first up is...

Baby, I'm a Star Anise Scrub

Might not know it now, Baby, but I are!

Here's what you need:

• Organic Coconut Oil
• Aluminum Free Baking Soda or Diatomaceous Earth
• Anise Seed Essential Oil
• Frankincense Essential Oil
• 8 oz Glass Jar
• Electric Hand Mixer (optional)

Here's what you do:
 In an 8 oz glass jar combine softened coconut oil, and aluminum free baking soda in a 1:1 ratio (if using diatomaceous earth you'll want to use less due to the finer grit of the substance, so try for a 2:1 ratio).  Next, add 60 drops of anise seed essential oil, and 10 drops of frankincense essential oil, and with a small whisk attachment for your hand mixer, blend until the consistency reaches a smooth creamy texture.

Use:  I reach for this scrub about twice a week (don't use it too often, the goal is to still have skin), and use it pre bath or shower, do a casual rinse, and then hop into the tub since I'm not someone whose skin needs a ton of moisturizing.  Post bathing, my face is clean, and left with just the right amount of coconut oil to feel moisturized but not greasy.  I love using coconut oil in my beauty products, and routine, but you have to write yourself a different set of rules than the ones you're probably used to following with store bought products.  Nevertheless, this has become an absolute staple in my cabinet, it's also awesome on hands, feet, or if you find your elbows are getting a little neglected and rough.  A word of caution (or excitement, depending on your stance) anise seed essential oil is well-known as a possible "skin irritant" which, technically, could mean any number of things, but what I have found is that it will diminish the size or completely remove spots and moles from your face and body.  My mother discovered this quite by accident after mixing up her second batch of face and hand cream (her own creation), when the only change she made to the recipe was the addition of anise seed oil, and much to her surprise her sun-damage spots and other moles were vanishing from her face, hands, and arms.  I've since begun to use this essential oil neat as a spot treatment for pesky moles that look a little questionable, or in an inconvenient place, and it has worked in removing them.  For me, they just sort of dry up, and flake off.  I'm not sure if they will come back once I've stopped using the spot treatments, but if anyone has any experience with this, I'd love to hear from you, hit up my email on the sidebar!  Next up...

Get ready to make everyone green with envy!

Masque Envieux

Here's what you need:

• French Green Clay
• Water
• Lavender Essential Oil
• Non-metal Dish / Bowl
• Measuring Spoons

Here's what you do:
In a small dish combine
1 Tablespoon of French Green Clay, and 1 1/2 Tablespoons (or a little more if it's too dry) of water and mix with a non-metal utensil.  As the mixture forms a smooth paste, add a drop of lavender essential oil, and fold into the paste.

Use:
First of all, it is wise to do a patch test on the upper inside of your forearm to see how your skin will react to the clay.  Once you know everything's cool, slather your face with your little green creation and let dry for NO longer than 15 minutes.  Remember, while these are pure ingredients and safe for most people to use, they are not cut with other useless ingredients that water down their effects like many store bought items we're accustomed to.  So really, if this is your first time using your home made clay mask, this is not the time to experiment with leaving it on an extra 5 minutes unless, of course, you're into that whole inflamed-face-look.

What's with French Green Clay, anyway?  Why do people use it?  This clay has been used to treat problematic skin, and inconvenient digestive issues since ancient times from Egypt to Rome, it's mineral rich, and aids in cell regeneration ... What's not to love?  A quick Google search of "French Green Clay history" will give you more information than you ever wanted about it.  Basically, it's the annoying overachiever of the clay world, but totally deserving of all its accolades.

So, now you know my winter beauty secrets aside from eating well, and drinking a ton of water, this is really all there is to it!

xoxo

Affiliate Disclosure

Yodel-YAY!-Ee-Hoo

Vintage cornucopia found: here

Stand up and take chard of your holiday appetizer tray with this recipe for Boatyard Chard.  Move over Spinach Dip, there's a new spread in the slip!  The warm flavors of ginger root, and garlic bring a cozy heat to this otherwise mellow starter.

Here's what you need:

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
• 1-2 Inch Piece of Ginger Root (grated) 
• 1 Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/4 Cup of Water
• 1-2 Bunches Swiss Chard (sliced into 1/4 - 1/2" pieces be sure to use some stems too!)
• 2 Cups Ricotta Cheese

Here's what you do:
Heat oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat.  Add garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes, and cook for 4-6 minutes (just long enough to get fragrant, don't burn it!).  Add chard, and water, cover and cook until wilted and tender - another 4-8 minutes.  Season with salt.

*HINT* If you're going salt free, however, use more diced chard stems in your recipe, they give a great salty flavoring to your dish.  The stems also contain glutamine (amino acid) that aids in tissue recovery in the body, so they're great to have around after injury or surgery!

Once your greens are nice and wilted, combine them with two cups of ricotta cheese in a baking dish, and pop into your pre-heated oven you set to 425° and bake for 12 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.  Serve with crostini or crackers of your choice, it's perfect straight out of the oven, or chilled overnight!

I stumbled upon this flavorful, yet gentle recipe when I altered, and combined one of my favorites (coconut chard) with the directions for a dip recipe that involved ricotta cheese, at a time when I had to engage in a brutally restrictive diet.  My body wasn't playing nicely with all of the other foods on the playground, or maybe it was the other way around, but this was one recipe that was a bit of a peace-maker, especially through the holiday season.  So, I thought I would share it this year for anyone dealing with food allergies, or mega-restrictions, or even weight loss, and diets that are leaving you with rather less-than-palatable options these days, because nobody wants to be unable to eat, and enjoy family gatherings, forever banished to loser-table ... it's a lot like the kids' table, but with no crayons.

xoxo

Rise & Shine!

The Leonie Dawson Shining Year Biz & Life workbooks are finally here for the masses (no memberships or pre-orders to fuss with and forget required).  For all of you swept up in the latest agenda craze, these workbooks, are weekly planners on steroids!  Mine are still in the mail, and this will be my very first year trying out Leonie's system for keeping all of my goals and deadlines on track.  I'm admittedly a little nervous (is that event the right word?) about diving into this packet, I am a complete and total minimalist when it comes to this kind of thing - like, 19¢ one subject notebook and black ink pen - minimalist aside from my old zip up calendar / address book with (ugly as hell) refillable pages from college. Almost nothing about the image above speaks to me on a personal or intuitive level, if I'm being perfectly honest.  No joke, it was like pulling teeth for my art instructors to get me to even entertain the idea of a sketchbook, and I kept maybe one and a half diaries during my entire childhood so, I am definitely not the constantly journaling / doodling / vision board-ing girl. I have, however, discovered this year that I work more efficiently when I have worksheets to check back with, and I already know that I closely follow the calendar to help keep me on task, but what drew me to this was the notion that I was missing a step in my planning that could push my productivity, and execution to the next level.  So, here I am giving it a whirl!  I'm curious to see how this all works out exactly.  If you are too, pounce on the images (hey, hey! They're links!) and snag a set that fits your life, or business goals, and see what all the hype is about!  I also recommend shaking a leg, these tend to sell out quickly, and thanks to successful pre-orders some stock is already running a bit low.

Seriously, people are bananas for this chick's products, and swear up and down that she has completely changed their lives and business, it's still too early for me to tell, but she just may be turning me into a believer.

And as always, you can check out some of Leonie's free goodies over here!

 xoxo

Ready for a Little World Building?

Alright gang, my annual Worldbuilders winter fundraiser post is coming out a little earlier than usual this year.  In years past I've posted about Patrick Rothfuss' end of the year charity extravaganza where geeks from all walks of life come together to change people's lives through Heifer International to kick off the holiday season around here on December 1st, and also help spread the word of a final two week push to the donation finish line.  This year things are a little different, Worldbuilders has announced that they have the ability to match donations made in 2016 up to a million dollars, meaning if anything near last year's total is achieved, TWO MILLION USD will be given to Heifer International to completely transform the lives of people in our own country and around the world who have been affected by the most devastating poverty imaginable.

So, how can you join in all of the merry-making, you ask?  Go HERE and check out Pat's charity launch post for an in-depth description of how this all works.  The basic idea is that there are three ways to help out: Auctions, Lottery, and Donate, but as the fundraiser goes on madness ensues with new stretch goals added, and new lottery and auction items thrown into the mix, so it's great to check back in with his blog between now and the end of the fundraiser **DEADLINE EXTENDED!!!** DECEMBER 19, 2016 11:59 UTC-11 to see what other shenanigans have cropped up that you might feel you need to be involved with.  If you're feeling generous this holiday season, or looking to deviate from the usual gift giving of this time of year give it a peek and maybe drop a few dollars to help someone out!

xoxo

Enjoy, Boils & Ghouls!

Six Word Story: Going too Far

She demanded his soul.  He complied.

-Stormy Peterson

Rebecca Steele

Update October 23, 2022:

I'm several years late in making corrections on this post, and I see that it continues to get hits quite regularly, and has been uploaded as a story on Ancestry(dot)com, and while I don't want to be precious, and fussy about asking permission first or anything, I haven't even shared this post in my own tree.  Allow me to explain: Rebecca Steele is a hell of a gal to pin down, and while I've made this post as factual as I possibly can with the information I had available to me six years ago, please do not treat it as gospel, and please continue to research her and gather evidence of the life she lived; we need all we can get.  The fact is, she did exist, but where exactly she fits in several of our trees is much more difficult to be precise about - her parentage is also heavily debated as several of us have her birth year recorded as 1625, which would only put her at 37 at the time of her hanging, while others have placed her birth at 1590, and that makes her about 72 years old at her time of death, which is a lot more in line with first hand accounts (Rev. John Whiting, minister of the First Church in Hartford) describing her appearance at the time of her cofession as being a, "considerably aged woman," but makes her a lot less likely to be the mother of her sons Micah, and Moses that we know she had with Jarvis Mudge, and would place her on the birthing bed at 60, and 62 years old, respectively.  The fact is, there are pieces of Rebecca's past that are still a mystery today (as far as I'm aware) so please, when you read this post just let it be a fun little tale until the appropriate corrections, and documentation can be made.  Thanks so much, and enjoy!

Hanged as a witch in January 1663, she was reportedly lewd, foul-mouthed (I like her already), emotional, and possibly mentally ill, or just really fed up with her thieving husband's (and everyone else's) sh nonsense ... But a real witch? Probably not.  She was, however, the last-ish person in Connecticut to be executed as one.

Three decades before Salem, Massachusetts put witch trials on the colonial map, Hartford, Connecticut found itself ground zero of a witchcraft frenzy all its own between 1647 and 1663 beginning with the sentencing, and execution of Alse Young, a woman whose trial we know next to nothing about.  In the next seven years, four more executions would follow: Mary Johnson, John & Joan Carrington, and Lydia Gilbert.  A fourth, and final wave of hysteria swept Hartford in early 1662, according to court documents, the fuss originally centered around a little girl in the throes of illness crying out accusations of witchcraft in her demented state.  The child subsequently died, and all hell broke loose. By the time 1662 had rolled around, my 7th Great-Grandmother, Rebecca Steele originally from Devonshire, England, and the widow of two (by all accounts I have found) upstanding men (Abraham Elsen & my 7th Great-Grandfather Jarvis Mudge) who had the misfortune of tying up for the third time with a certain Mr. Greensmith, a man that according to probate records seemed to have a difficult time with drunkenness, battery, truthfulness, and keeping his paws off other people's property, had been fully, and thoroughly dragged into the witch hunt.  The couple kept the company of a colorful motley crew comprising of blasphemers, thieves, liars, adulterers -- your basic rabble of undesirables from a Puritanical point of view.  It appears that this, and their late-night merrymaking under a tree on the green near the Greensmith's house which included drinking and dancing (gasp!) was a great jumping off point for neighborhood suspicions.  So basically they were those neighbors ... Every 'hood has that one house where they install a portable hot tub on their front lawn, get absolutely trashed, and then proceed to fight and yell loud enough so they can hear each other's insults over the constant thrum of jacuzzi jets ... Wait, what?  I can't possibly be the only person so richly blessed!  To be perfectly honest, if witchcraft accusations held the same weight as they used to, and I could get away with it, and depending on how much sleep I'd lost due to the "merrymaking" I dare say, I'd be tempted.  I mean, I get it ... And so it turns out that my grandmother, Mr. Greensmith, James Walkley, and Goodwives Ayers and Seager were those people, and the other villagers were sick of it and wanted them gone, granted, they went about it in a pretty savage way.

Starting October Off Right

A little Versailles double episode premiere on the tube for "ambiance" a pack of Crayola Super Tips, a fuzzy fleece blankie, and my fresh Edgar Allan Poe coloring book... What more could a girl want?


 


Ok, so I wouldn't mind a new vial of my favorite fall scent, but the store went out of business, so there's not much I can do about that except make my own, which I very much intend to do.  Stay tuned. 

xoxo

Six Word Story: Getting Lost in the Woods

The fresh canopy is my rotunda.

-Stormy Peterson

The Wind is Back...

That seems to be the only discernible difference between August, and September here -- the wind.  Before you feel that first bite of fall air, before the sun's heat doesn't seem to match up with its bright brilliance anymore, before the darkened mornings' fog horns begin their end of year song (... and the rain), there's the wind, and you know that fall is sure to follow.  The funny thing is, I forget about it every year.  Hard to imagine since it blows from September through June, but I forget about it.  I love it, but I forget.

And suddenly it comes back to me, bringing me back to life like a fresh promise after surviving the unforgiving summer heat.

It's so strange to me, once upon a time an original Sun Goddess living for high elevations, dry air, and hot, hot, hot weather -- 120°F in the desert?  Who cares, let's do this!  I now find a wildness in subtleties more alluring, and intense in a slightly playful way that tickles the imagination in the same way my hair kisses the back of my neck as the wind moves through it.  Or maybe I'm just another (overly) Romantic in a long list of many who were better with words than I'll ever be that feels the need at least once per year to create another ode of sorts to a passing season.  What I do know for sure is when September comes around, the little slice of Earth I live on breathes a sigh of relief, and me along with it.

xoxo

Motherly Advice...

Me: 15
He: 16
She: You're too young to go with boys who drive.

Me: 19
He: 21
She: And just what exactly are you gonna be doin' while he's out at the bar or club with his buddies?! No daughter of mine waits by the phone for some knucklehead to call!

Me: 25
He: 37
She: Are you sure? Men that age are usually ready for more, and want something different out of life...

Me: 35
She: You need someone around 50, these men your age today act like overgrown children, they'll never be enough "man" for you.

*sigh*

#BoycottZara

Image: courtesy of AdamJK

ZARA, the world's largest apparel retailer, and notorious 'fast-fashion' copycat brand, is at it again this summer ripping off popular independent artists around the globe and selling their poorly-fabricated, illegal / unauthorized reproductions across their main, and subsidiary companies.  When confronted they clapped back at one LA-based, indie artist, Tuesday Bassen, with a very neaner-neaner we're more popular than you, so we can steal your work kind of response.  Which, I'm sure she was thrilled to receive after dropping 2k on a professionally drafted Cease & Desist letter to the company informing them of their misstep.

She Loves in Color

She Loves in Color - Acrylic on Canvas

                                "She sees
                                 in black and white
                                 thinks in greys
                                 but loves in color"
                                                      -JmStorm

Waiting to see if my submission for the 2nd annual Michaels Art Challenge has made it into the *top ten* is excrutiating ... I'm not exactly holding my breath, but waiting isn't something I'm particularly good at, and an extra vibe or bit of luck thrown my way wouldn't go unappreciated!  A jury of 5 art experts has the laborious task of narrowing down the thousands of submissions (I think last year's contest brought in 11k) to just ten semifinalists based on overall creativity, technique, subject, and individuality, that will then be released to the public to vote for the winner beginning July 5, 2016.  Frankly, at this point I don't know if I've hit any of those marks, but I did walk away with a painting that I'm not totally ashamed to hang on my wall so, in that regard it's been fun to play, and see this little project come to completion.

Browse all submissions here (you really should take a peek, there's some great stuff happening over there, I've already got several favorites!).

***

Well, I didn't make the cut, but no one ever wins the game by warming the bench.  At least I got up and ran around on the field, so to speak, whether they wanted me there or not ... Does that make me the streaker of the art world, because I'm totally okay with that!

Voting is live until July 19, 2016 so, if you're interested in helping any of these artists win a trip to London here's your chance.  The page is now showing only 8 of the 10 initially chosen finalists ... One was disqualified in the first 12 hours for an alleged copyright violation, which seems odd to me in the first place since the jury of 5 had two weeks to narrow down the selection and vet each piece before voting was opened to the public, add to that the piece in question was never replaced by an alternate because of "unfairness" even though this entire leg of the competition is based on how hard you can rally on social media to get votes so, a 12 hour delay really isn't that big of deal when the entire voting span is 14 days.  The second has vanished for some unknown-to-me-reason.  Frankly, this entire contest looks like it's unraveling at the seams.  No sour grapes, just plain observation.  Maybe they'll have all the kinks worked out by next year, but it's not looking entirely hopeful based on how this has been handled.  

Breaking The Cycle Of Peddling The Pill

Since its inception, the Pill (oral hormonal contraception) has been almost synonymous with freedom, and a huge player in the women's equality movement, so much so, that now to come out as a woman and renounce this form of birth control (or hormone "balancing / regulating" agent as it's prescribed for some) is to be labelled "anti-feminist" or seen as someone fighting against the hard earned rights of women to look after ourselves as we see fit, and the necessary access to what we need in order to accomplish that.  Ok, ok some of our sisters are fighting on the wrong side, I'll give you that.  We see it everyday on the news, especially in an election year; women keeping other women down because ... well, I don't exactly know why, and I'd wager neither do they.
There is, however, another completely different anti-Pill (or more accurately anti-hormonal contraception) movement that's been rumbling for decades but is recently getting a little more recognition thanks to women voicing their concerns about the ravaging effects hormonal contraception (and other hormone based medical treatments) is having on women's bodies, and it has absolutely nothing to do with taking choices, or rights away from any of us.  Quite the opposite, actually, it's about empowering us to make healthy decisions for ourselves instead of relying on governments worldwide that could NOT care less about a single one of us (says the disgruntled ex-PoliSci major ... Just ask Flint, MI), a misogynistic, not to mention corrupt, medical system (especially in America, think AMA the Rockefeller Drug Empire, et al) that still seems to be thoroughly befuddled by female anatomy, and its intricate functions even in 2016 where we continue to be treated as hysterical little girls, and "prescribed" marriage and babies to fix us. Really?  When's the last time a man went to the doctor for a real physical problem, and was told to go have a baby? This is real.  This is the nonsense women have to deal with just trying to get legitimate medical help ... still.  Partner this with a wildly out of control pharmaceutical mafia that really doesn't care if each of us sprouted two tails as side-effects from the poison they fence just so long as they'll be allowed to create and manufacture a new medication to make it fall off, and then another after that to help us grieve the loss of the tails their side-effects created, and I think anyone could begin to see why women white-knuckle their freedom to choose the Pill as a form of contraception so ferociously even if it's probably not the safest, healthiest, and most accurate choice for hormone management, family planning, and cycle correction available to us.

Raindrops on Roses

Is there anything more beautiful than a cool summer morning?  I seriously doubt it.  I love a good break in the heat when everything seems to exhale, and recharge itself.  Things feel fresh again, and it seems as though all the cares that clung to you in the rising temperatures have all been washed away.  Ok, ok so it may have taken a thunder and lightning storm that lasted hours into the pre-dawn morning, and sent shock waves through the very marrow of my bones, and left me with a splitting headache (as all electrical storms do for some reason), but like all others before, it too passed, and left everything / one waking with a new, and much needed sense of calm this morning, I think -- I mean, I can't speak for every living thing in the entire Universe but, for me it was a welcome interruption to the sweltering stagnation of late.

So today, I will say goodbye to an old friend that tugged on my heart for many years, taught me more than he probably ever imagined he had, and who was desperate to convert me into a cultural anthropologist.  The sky has already opened up and released passionately, and more eloquently everything I could've possibly said.  Bon voyage, my darling ... Maybe I'll catch you at a Yuwipi ceremony sometime, and who knows?  You may just find me in the ethnography and ethnology publishing business in the future, and thanks to you I'll know the difference.

xoxo

William Willard 1926 - 2016

"The trouble is, you think you have time"

-Buddha

A lesson I'm surprised I'm still learning...

Calling All Geeks!

It's that time again ... (my favorite) Author, Pat Rothfuss, and crew are at it again.  They're celebrating his birthday today by kicking off a week long charity fundraiser through Worldbuilders over here.  We all remember coming together last Christmas to raise over a million dollars, and where I *won* this little gem out of the lottery, right?

Well, if you're bummed out you missed the last go 'round of this, and the opportunity to help people Pat's blog to read more about how you can help out while getting your paws on some super-duper swag, and wish him a happy birthday if you want to.
dig themselves out of crippling poverty, now's your chance!  Hop over to

xoxo 

I Leek You A Lot

My gorgeous, although, non prize-winning Musselburgh Leeks

I was fussing with my family tree a few years ago (yup, genealogy nerd too!) around the time I was planning my first solo-garden, and while I sat dreaming of my heirloom seed wishlist I came up with the idea of growing vegetables that my ancestors would've harvested for their dinner tables, or varieties that either originated in or were popular near locations my ancestors inhabited; a few of my favorites have been my Jaune Paille Des Vertus Onions, Weathersfield Red Onions, and since I have both Dutch, and Scottish ancestry I found the Giant Musselburgh Leeks to be totally appropriate.  As it turns out, they're also some of the easiest things I've ever grown in my entire life aside from weeds, and just when I thought my leeks were really cool I googled around a little bit and stumbled upon competition growers *sigh* ... But really, who needs a 20 lb. leek anyway?  I mean, once you're outside of the "Goldilocks Zone" taste really goes downhill on most fruits and vegetables like my Tyrannosaurus Zucchini that's basically only good for grating up for bread recipes, so why bother?  The bragging rights can't be that satisfying can they?  Maybe they can, I've never grown the biggest leek in the county, state, country, world ... So, I wouldn't exactly know, but I happen to grow tasty leeks, and that's all I do need to know!

Ok, so I've got my Giant Musselburgh Leeks, now what?  Did I mention I didn't grow up eating leeks, and had literally no idea what to do with them (if you're like me, you'll probably have to learn how to clean them as well)?  As it turns out, the heavens opened up, and gifted me this recipe for a leek gratin with coconut milk created by Sophie from A Squirrel in the Kitchen.  And yes, in case you are wondering, it did in fact answer all of my leek-related prayers.  Seriously, try it.

Bon appétit!

You Gotta Have a Gimmick

"When deep space exploration ramps up, it will be corporations that name everything: The IBM Stellar Sphere. The Microsoft Galaxy. Planet Starbucks." 

-Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club

Brand (noun)
 
1.  Kind, grade, or make, as indicated by a stamp, trademark, or the like:

the best brand of coffee.

2.  A mark made by burning or otherwise, to indicate kind, grade, make, ownership, etc.
the letter M was branded on each animal 

_______________________________________________________________________________

"What's your brand?  What's your brand?  Yeah, but what's your brand?!?  You gotta have a brand!"

I keep hearing this barked as if it really means something beyond a new catchphrase to spew, kind of like "Actionable (and literally ANY word you put after it)." Everybody's got to have a brand these days, it seems, if not BE a brand.  Even not having an overt "brand story" can be in and of itself part of your brand-identity.  Can this get any more annoying?  Only if it comes with a new and improved Kung Fu grip, which I'm sure it does ... somewhere.

Dig It?

Cultivating my green thumb

This week I was finally able to get my garden planted ... I feel a little late to the game, but it seems whenever I try to jump the gun in the PNW, there's always a late frost waiting to put me right back into my place.  So, I opted for "fashionably late" to the seed planting party this year.  Though, I won't be totally cheating like someone (pictured to the left) who will be growing from starts this year instead of seeds, news of which I'm positive has several generations of gardeners rolling in graves as I type this!  I can't blame him though, I've learned everything garden-wise that I know from him (spending much of my youth hopping from boot-print to boot-print to keep the deep soil from cascading over the tops of my tiny rubber boots behind him as he tilled 36' x 72' garden plots season after season with my coat pockets jammed full of seed packets), and he travels a lot without much time to get settled in and prepared for the growing season ... or he's just not as bored as I am, either way I suppose I'll give him a break for it, after all, my parents are the ones who inspired me to start growing my own garden after the overwhelming disdain of buying sickly looking produce from local grocery stores just became too much for me with words close to, "Girl, you know better.  Get to work!"

This year I went with my great-grandfather's recipe of planting according to the phases of the moon by syncing my Lunar Energy Chart from The Darling Tree (if you want one, scroll all the way to the bottom & sign up for her mailing list to get the free file sent to your inbox), with the Farmers' Almanac to produce the ultimate seed planting guide for 2016 that I can print out and keep in my All Things Gardening 3-ring binder.  Oh, didn't you know?  I'm a complete nerd, and this seeps into my gardening life as well (and by "seeps" I mean, flows like a mighty river).

If you're interested in trying to grow your own food, my go-to online heirloom seed stores are: The Garden Hoard & Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Give it a whirl, and see what happens!

xoxo

The Invitation

"It doesn't interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon...
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.

It doesn’t interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
'Yes.'

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments."

~Oriah Mountain Dreamer

"I Am #Transformed."

1958 - 2016

The Day The Major Arcana Was Turned Up To 11

We all knew when Priscilla Frank dropped this blurb about Ariel Hart's Lisa Frank inspired (free to the masses) tarot deck on The Huffington Post that this was going to happen, right?

Sing Me a Song of a Lass That is Gone

We are moments away from the official end of Droughtlander, almost an entire year after the air date of the final episode of Outlander's premier season (which was necessary to bring us the BEST version of this costume drama possible so, I can't complain!), and in celebration I thought I'd post my essay entry to a "contest" created March 14, 2015 by Costume Designer Extraordinaire, and all around cool chick, Terry Dresbach (these are the kinds of things that come up on misty spring mornings with a bunch of costume & apparel geeks - turned fan girls playing on twitter together) because the conversation had cropped up about how the men of the series sometimes get the lion's share of attention from a largely female audience when there's a really awesome heroine (who has carried the series into it's 9th book, due out in the near-ish future) to celebrate.  So, in honor of Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp Randall Fraser Grey (erm) Fraser (again) we were each to submit a formal essay just showing some good old fashioned love to a lead female character.

One of Those Days

So much for my promising career in camera repair...

*Swoon*

"Everyone says love hurts, but that is not true.  Loneliness hurts.  Rejection hurts.  Losing someone hurts.  Envy hurts.  Everyone gets these things confused with love, but in reality love is the only thing in this world that covers up all pain and makes someone feel wonderful again.  Love is the only thing in this world that does not hurt."  

 -Meša Selimović

Bonne Année, Bonne Santé!

My word for 2016: Resilience.

xoxo