Good Morning
28 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
This morning I woke up to a few stray beams of sunlight. They missed the memo that said it was winter. The cats were sleeping lazily at our feet and from across the hall the soft snores of the resting wild pixie could be heard. Yesterday was my birthday, according to the wild pixie I am now old, because I have now reached the age of…gasp..30. Silly little pixie.
The Amber Lady
01 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in Craft, Hearth & Home Tags: harvest, lammas, lughnasadh
Among the rays of His waning Sun
She dances across the land
Her amber grains a golden wave
Her breath the summer breeze
Soon will come time
For her children to reap
The first harvest of the year
Time for them to mill
Time for them to bake
Time for them to persevere
These gifts the Lord and Lady make
Trees
24 Apr 2010 1 Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: developers, Pagan, trees
They are building a new house near my home. Seems a silly thing to do at the moment with so many perfectly good houses standing empty. In order to build they need to clear the land. That means cutting down my ancient and wise friends. Trees that offer shade, trees that offer homes for birds, squirrels and chipmunks. Trees that I have grown up with. Trees that are my friends. I watched them cut one down today, a tall oak tree. Helpless to stop them because I don’t own the land they stand on. My heart screamed as I watched them tear through its beautiful bark, and when she hit the ground, that once tall and magnificent being, I cried. I am angry today, at the greed, the arrogance and the ignorance of my own kind. Why do we need yet another home? Will one of the empty ones that already stands not do? Why must land have a building on it? Can it not just stand natural? Can it not just grow wild as it is meant to be? Why?
Garden Toad
01 Apr 2010 Leave a Comment
The warm sun on my back , the rhythm of the wind tousling my hair, the scent of fresh turned earth, and the sound of bird song danced upon the air.
Today I decided to get my flower beds ready to plant. I spent the day merrily clearing away the old growth, the dead leaves then turning the soil. Just as I was getting into the bed along the side of our walk I was given quite a shock. Turning the earth I came upon what I took to be a rock, until I hit it a second time and raked it up more. To my surprise and horror I had unearthed a slumbering toad. Quickly picking him up and checking him over I found, to my great relief, that I had not punctured him with my claw tool as I had thought. Looking around for any more, I decided I best move my new friend down to a section I had already worked. Proceeding slowly and more gently from then on, lest I run across one of his little friends. After a few hours he moved himself into some sun, then decided to find a new spot to wiggle down into for the evening. It was quite an exciting start to my gardening season.
Spring Air
12 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
in Craft, The Pixie Tags: nature, pixie, reverence, spring
Though we are still a few weeks away from the Vernal Equinox that marks the first day of spring, here in Michigan the air is getting warmer, birds are singing in the new day and the first green shoots are breaking through.
The other day the Pixie and I went stomping in the mud and enjoying the warm sun on our faces and the balmy breeze ruffling our hair. We watched the little rivulets of melted snow flow among the stones of our road. Like our kin in nature she and I went out to stretch after our long winter confinement and greet the coming spring with exultation.
By the Light of the Full Moon
21 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment
I dance and sing with exultation
To the Lady as she glides
Bright across the night sky
Little stars trail at her feet
As she journeys on
Within me swells
The tune of natures song
I breathe as one with tree and toad
As I find my part
In the spirit of this place
By the light of the Full Moon.
~Jennifer Berry
Surprise Surgery
08 Jan 2010 Leave a Comment
A week before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring except me.
Just as I went to head off to sleep, I began having pain in the right side of my chest, it felt like heartburn, I couldn’t stop burping, and I felt nauseous. After 4 hours in blinding pain, in and out of agony, my husband and parents decided I should be taken to the E.R.
I don’t recall my dad driving that fast or anxiously before. I do recall the drive was tourtous, I was passing out from pain on and off, and every bump in the road (and there are plenty in Michigan, let me tell ya) created a new jolt of pain.
Finally we arrived, my hubby registered me, and I was off to triage, where before they finished writing down all my symptoms the nurse was printing up a hospital bracelet..not a good sign. I was immediately taken to a room and then customarily poked and prodded, and questioned. Things got a little better after my stomach cleared itself out. They gave me some nice med that made the nausea stop and a weak round of morphine to dull the pain, but not kill it, since they still wanted to poke me a few more times. Doctor dude said it might be an ulcer, he left the room and five minutes later returned and said it was probably my gall bladder (I don’t know what diagnosis fairy he met in the hall but thankfully they knew what they were doing). First was an ultrasound, had plenty of them when I was preganant, no biggie there. They decided that yes there was a big stone it was blocking things and being bad. Now I get to go for the nuclear test…yeah that sounds fun, but hey they gave me another round of morphine so I don’t really care that I will be on a slab with a machine scanning me while I stare at the ceiling for 45 minutes. They shoot me up with nueclear stuff, oh joy, I am being scanned then they stop, this machine is naughty, I must go to the other machine. They wiggle me in. I have to move from the semi cozy gureny to the unfriendly flat slab. I hate moving, my abdomen muscles shoot fire at me for this. Ok run test. Finally they come and wake me up and tell me to sit up. This I manage, hoping I get to move back to semi cozy bed, no such luck. The first scan is not nice, old doctor dude can’t tell if it is my gall bladder or bowel that is inflamed, so I get to take a few sips of cold water ( I don’t object, I am thirsty as Hades, I came in dehydrated, and now I lips and mouth are so dry I feel like they made of sandpaper), and then the doc comes in and tells me to lie back down and shoots me up with a syringe and a half of morphine, and finally my nurse from the ER appears with more of the anti nausea meds I requested. Then it was back into the machine, oh look pretty tiles on the celing that one looks like a waterfall and I am gone.
I am woken up again, move back to bed, yea. First doc returns, yep gall stones and inflamed organ, it has to come out. That means surgery. Goodie goody gummy drops. More poke more prod, financial aid lady asking questions, I am in and out. Moving now to pro op, wow that was earlier than anticipated. Off I go, ooo visitors. Here go take a pee test, we want to be super sure you aren’t pregnant. Ok not pregnant, but I has fever. Lay still, more drugs, another nap, vistors again. Can’t see a damn thing left my glasses and ring with hubby. The medical team introduces themselves, I will recognize them by voice only, god some of them look younger than me. Now it is off to operation land, here breath this, it’s crooked, ok now try. Deal ONE, TWO, THRee….
4 hours later I wake up with an oxygen mask on, and a nurse chatting away. Goody, I feel lots better. Don’t try to sit up. Take off stupid mask, nurse comes by switches to nose tube, then pops a few ice cubes at me. Joy, the feel of sand paper is gone and now my throat feels better. Oxygen levels finally go up, you can go to your room now, they were able to manage the lyproscopic type so you only have to stay a day. Joy. Here is your room, clean gown, bathroom, bed.
According to my family in the waiting room, which consisted of my husband, sister and father, the surgeon came out to say it went well, surprised he got it lyproscopically, but man did it need to come out, it was worse than they thought.
So my Christmas present was…that I got to remove the tape covering my stitches and holding them together.
Seriously though I am feeling much better, still a bit tired and run down but healthier than I have in a few months.
Cara Kitten, The Scarf Project and Assorted Bits
16 Dec 2009 Leave a Comment
As a child December passed so slowly, each day seemed to be an eternity filled with anticipation of the holidays. Now that I am the mommy it seems to fly by, with hardly enough time to get it all done.
The month started with a wonderful night out with a Vanessa. I learned how to continue my first knitting project, a new stitch (I can now Knit and Perl), and started a new one project. We talked of family and friends, of tarot cards and knitting needles. That same evening our family gained a new feline friend, a white kitten with a black smudge on her head, reminiscent of my beloved Angel cat. Our new companion was nearly dubbed hairbrush by our daughter, but was spared and christened Cara (the Irish Gaelic word for friend).
Her first Vet appointment three days later went quite well. As did our first major round of holiday gift hunting that took place the night, which thankfully did not included a trip to the toy store, because I hit them up on line.
The week that followed found me digging out our Yuletide decor. The hand me down fake tree saw the light of day for the first time in 3 years. I wrestled it into its tree like form right underneath the hank of catnip then wound the tangle of lights among its wiry branches and hung the shiny ornaments, all of which resulted in three very happy cats, at least until we moved the hank of nip. A few days later I found the candy canes I bought for the tree, and we spent 10 minutes trying to convince our four year old that she could not eat them all and it was better if they were on the tree. A garland of popcorn and cranberries was strung to top off the tree and accent our new star topper. Our stockings have been hung on the wall with care (or rather carefully placed command hooks). And the assorted odds and ends to make the house full of holiday spirit have been placed. Including the wreath that scrapped the daylights out of my arm as I tried to weave together the branches of holly and boughs of evergreen, and the snowflake lampshade that fell apart three times after gluing until I gave in and sewed its bottom back on instead. The holiday cards are half written and almost ready to send out this week, as will the annual Skittles the Schizophrenic Elf letter and the gift wrapping marathon will take place next Monday.
Tragedy at Ft. Hood
10 Nov 2009 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Ft.Hood. blessing, miitary, Pagan
It wasn’t so long ago that my hubby’s orders read Ft. Hood. It was to be our new home. Most of his friends and battle buddies (as he refers to them), had been sent on to Ft. Hood when their unit disbanded shortly after it’s return to Germany. Though he was discharged for combat related injuries he still gets calls from various friends that were with him in Iraq, he still gets calls from friends that trained with him. Right now we are wondering if any of them were victims the other day. I was part of an online community of military wives, and right now I am wondering if any of them just became widows. I can’t imagine losing my hubby, and I can’t imagine the pain of losing him on post, where he was supposed to be safe. My heart screams out in agony for those families who lost friends and loved ones, to those who were injured and now face the aftermath. 
May the God and Goddess stand beside you
Wrap you in their cloaks
Offer you some comfort in these dark hours
May the souls of those lost
To tragedy and troubled mind
Walk serenely in the lands beyond the veil
Feel now what must be felt
Seek what must be sought
See what needs to be seen
To allow you to move on.
Those who have fallen live on
In the hearts and minds of those who remain
Who eventually must go on living
Though life will never be the same.
Blessed be
May you all find serenity
Our Crazy Life
10 Nov 2009 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: child, husband, veteran
As of late we have been working on getting all of Gomer’s V.A. ratings. It is an ongoing back and forth with them, and the added bonus of yet more tests and doctors appointments. Feels like there are weeks we live up there. Now that he is sleeping well (due to meds) his PTSD is coming out more when he is awake. Panic attacks seem to be a daily occurance. His memory is getting worse to.
The wild pixie, Miss Tess, is doing great. She has her own room/playroom now, with her very own double bed, which is currently consumed under a mountain of stuffed animals and dollies. She knows how to write most of her numbers and letters, she even knows how to write her name. The drawings she does of people are getting better and better, and she tells these long detailed stories that keep us laughing. Definitely our little ball of sunshine. 
