Fern's Fronds

Coven Rituals

2012-02-03T04:00:00.000-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

As you may know, for my PERSONAL practice I use my local climate/watershed/landmass for my cues. So it's still a few weeks from Imbolc for my personal practice.

However, last night I celebrated Imbolc with my coven. Because we set dates for celebrating High Days all at one time, once a year, so we are better able to arrange everyone's schedule. And because the group members are spread over such a large geographical area that, say, hawthorn leaves are the size of a squirrel's ear at vastly different dates for some of us.

If we were all in the same neighborhood, rather than spread across 3 states, we might better be able to see the local signs and then celebrate as a group 3 days later. But that's not our reality. And even with everyone knowing the date in advance - had the celebration been on a night the Spawn was called in to work I'd not have been able to make it, and one coven member had to miss the ritual as it was.

That's life.

Frondly, Fern

Havamal, Part 3

2012-02-02T06:41:00.000-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

So, we've gone over some of the rights and responsibilities of host/guest, or neighbors, or business interactions, or politics (for all of them are social situations, thus fundamentally the same). Now the Havamal moves on to more situational awareness and survival, then 'thrival', strategy.

Who travels widely needs his wits about him,
The stupid should stay at home,
The ignorant man is often laughed at
When he sits at meat with the sage.

Of his knowledge a man should never boast,
Rather be sparing of speech
When to his house a wiser comes:
Seldom do those who are silent
Make mistakes; mother wit
Is ever a faithful friend.

A guest should be courteous
When he comes to the table
And sit in wary silence,
His ears attentive, his eyes alert:
So he protects himself.

I consider the above verses wisdom on situational awareness, especially when on the road/in a business situation/in ANY social situation. It's less succinct and ... cutesy than "you have two ears and one mouth, so listen twice as much as you speak".

They speak about a really basic truth - anyone who is clearly trying to impress others DOES tend to impress them ... negatively. If you're so hot, those around you won't need you to tell them. And if you're talking smack about how rich your family is, all that you're going to do is set them up to be raided, especially if you're explaining exactly where your defenses are at the same time!

And if you keep YOUR mouth running, you can't evaluate those around you. You need to know who is sensible, who bullshits, who sees everything negatively, who sees everything too positively, who talks behind others' backs, etc.

Fortunate is he who is favored in his lifetime
With praise and words of wisdom;
Evil counsel is often given
By those of evil heart.

Blessed is he who in his own lifetime
Is awarded praise and wit,
For ill counsel is often given
By mortal men to each other

Evil counsel and ill counsel are only different in what motivates them. Their effect, if you follow the counsel, is the same for you. You'll be sorry. Always consider the source when folks give you advice, and their motivation.

BTW - you ARE evaluating my words here that way, too, aren't you? What are my motives in posting this, and in my amplifications?

Better gear than good sense
A traveler cannot carry,
Better than riches for a wretched man,
Far from his own home.

Better gear than good sense
A traveler cannot carry,
A more tedious burden than too much drink
A traveler cannot carry.

Less good than belief would have it
Is mead for the sons of men:
A man knows less the more he drinks,
Becomes a befuddled fool.

Yes, drinking can cause problems. I suppose that this advice comes from the time before everyone drank because the water was fouled by human contamination? It's a bit of a wonder, tho', since in all the Eddas and Sagas you don't hear about people being served fresh cold water to drink, or even herbal teas, and the only time I recall milk being mentioned was when it was poured down a well to drive out poison. For that matter, the only time I recall Thor drinking water was when he was enchanted and thought he was drinking ale from a big horn .... the other end of the horn was the ocean! So just what WAS one expected to drink if not mead and ale?

On that note, I'm off to make myself another cup of tea.

Frondly, Fern

Daily Affirmations

2012-02-01T10:59:00.000-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

I'm all for doing magical spells and workings to improve one's life. I do them from time to time myself. But doing daily affirmations that change, well, daily? Nope.

Slow it down. Remember the adage Festina lente: make haste slowly.

You are NOT going to change or create a long-standing mindset in a day. Give it more time! I'd say at least 3 weeks, and that a full moon-cycle would be better.

Yes, that means you'll do fewer affirmations in the same time period. But it also means that you will make deeper and fuller changes. And .... you'll have to prioritize changes, not just throw everything including the kitchen sink in.

Quality over quantity for the win!

Frondly, Fern

Crumbs

2012-02-01T04:53:00.000-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

The Julian calendar says today is Imbolc - which is a milestone and high day to be sure, but it's still just the middle of the 'hungry time of the year'. So making food stores get thru' till first good harvest is still a priority, especially for those of us who farm and/or garden.

Part of the art of frugality (and surviving, and MacGyverism in general) is the 'expanding the marginal utility' of everything. You know - re-use, re-purpose, re-cycle type mind set. Like - I just started onion seeds in egg cartons.

That's a feature in my kitchen as well. Not JUST pre-planning use of leftovers, tho' I certainly do that.

Let's talk bread.

We who make our own bread know that it has, especially in winter, a variable lead time from starting it to getting it on the table. Yeast prefers warm weather, and we who use as little heat as possible have house temperatures that vary greatly day to day. This is because, while I raise the temperature for a few hours in the morning and evening, after that the rate at which the house temperature drops varies by how cold and windy it is outside. So I have to pre-emptively bake bread, anticipating need.

I don't always do this well. Sometimes I get a lot of bread in the house at once, and there is risk of some of it getting moldy before it all gets used. That's where making bread cube dressings for chickens and such comes into play, or making bread puddings, etc.

So the LOAVES can have their marginal utility expanding. But what about bread crumbs? After all, slicing that lovely, crusty home-made bread really does produce a heck of a lot more crumbs than you get buying pre-sliced bread!

First, how would you collect the crumbs from slicing? In my case, I've set it up so the cutting board we use for bread sits in a low-sided quarter baking sheet. It nests very nicely! Slice bread, the crumbs stay contained. And they build up FAST.

So, you have lots of crumbs, now what? First you use them in the dishes that normally require bread crumbs - topping casseroles, frying foods, buttered crumbs on veggies, etc. But when the Chubby Hubby or the Spawn leave slices of bread out that they've cut badly (like, they only got half a slice, etc) then I end up with LOTS of stale bread and crumbs. What then?

The you look online, and find lots of recipes for cookies made from bread crumbs! They aren't half bad, either. I'd share them, but I really haven't changed them at all, and I don't have the links handy (Printed them out LONG age).

Crumbs. They're for dinner. And dessert.

Frondly, Fern

Ahhhhhhhhhh

2012-01-31T06:07:00.000-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

Stress. We all have it - life is full of things that we feel are stressful. So, what to do about it?

Short Term Fixes

I get tension head aches. Which are caused by holding stress in my neck and shoulders. So I have to take time during higher-stress times to work on relaxing those muscles. Head circles, shoulder circles, getting the Chubby Hubby or Spawn to give me neck/shoulder rubs, rubbing my neck myself, all those type of things.

Visualization works here as well. I can close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. While doing that I visualize the breath going to my shoulders/neck, breaking up the tension there, and the tightness leaving with each exhalation. Done when I first feel the headache coming on it can take care of it in just a minute or two!

It can be hard to concentrate when feeling stressed. Start by having a cup of tea (or water). First, doing this interrupts the stress-building pattern. Second, the extra fluids help 'dilute' the cortisol your body produces when stressed.

Again, visualization can be a tool. While I work at home, so can always light a candle and visualize it burning up the stress, allowing me to be calm and focused, you can visualize the stress going to a plant in your office where it is transmuted (like the plant transmutes carbon dioxide into oxygen), or you might have charged and lit a candle for this at some time at home, and when snuffing it charged that, say, 'the flame burns forever in the worlds beyond' so you can send the stress to the candle to be transmuted any time, any day, any where. You can wash your hands, and visualize the stress washing away with the water.

Long Term Fixes

But wouldn't it be best to set up life so there is less stress? Spend a little time early in the day (or the night before) getting things ready for the day. Make a to-do list, many lists, so your day is organized and you don't forget things. Do all you can pre-emptively. Pay attention to details that will trip you up later. Check your facts. Exercise and eat right, so your body can better deal with what stress is going to happen. Give yourself extra time to do, well, EVERYTHING.

Frondly, Fern

Imbolc Preparations

2012-01-30T13:11:00.000-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

Want to prepare? Okay.

Turn off the podcast. Put down the book on Wicca. Step away from the computer.

Instead ... go outside. Spend time there.

Make it a point to notice when it's sun rise and sun set each day. Feel the lengthening of the light in all your being.

Leave offerings for the local manifestations of the nature spirits. It's still the hungry times for them, and will be for rather a while. Coat a big pine cone with peanut butter (or melted tallow) and roll it in bird seed. Tie it on to a local tree.

Frondly, Fern

Havamal, Installment 2

2012-01-30T06:19:00.000-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

In our last installment of the Havamal, I sort of declare that it was aimed at .... a business traveler. Doesn't matter it the traveler is a trader or raider, I suppose, ultimately, the point is to return richer than when you set out. So, where does the text take us now?

The man who stands at a strange threshold
Should be cautious before he cross it.
Glance this way and that:
Who knows beforehand what foes may sit
Awaiting him in the hall?

Greetings to the host,
The guest has arrived,
In which seat shall he sit?
Rash is he who at unknown doors
Relies on his good luck.

Well, what do you know - it sound like skills from the Ninjitsu training I had! Situational awareness - scope out your surroundings at all times. Especially in a group of people you are meeting for the first time, you will not know all the alliances, and certainly not all the history.

We were rather in that situation a year ago, when we moved. Among our neighbors, who were the power brokers? Would the HOA really enforce the rules on garbage cans, and if so, who would be reporting violations? What families don't get along? Scoping out the hidden alliances and sand traps was necessary!

Our approach - rely on courtesy, our operating motto "Don't embarrass the neighbors". Keep the yard neat, help neighborhood upkeep, wave at every car we pass/passes the house if we're outside.

It's also our business approach, but more on that in a few verses.

Fire is needed by the newcomer
Whose knees are frozen numb,
Meat and clean linen a man needs
Who has fared across the fells.

Water, too, that he may wash before eating,
Handclothes and a hearty welcome,
Courteous words, then courteous silence
that he may tell his tale.

The ball is back in the host's court here. Hosts have responsibilities. Hang up their coats. Show them to the restroom. Get them a cup of coffee, or meal or whatever the situation is. And then scope the guest out!

The assorted rights and responsibilities of guests and hosts are very much like the handshaking done by the machines when you send a fax. They make sure that everyone is using a communication platform that works at both ends.

While you're at it, check their company's D&B listing.

More in our next installment!

Frondly, Fern

Havamal, Part 1

2012-01-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

So, how does the Havamal start? Like this:

Young and alone on a long road,
once I lost my way:
Rich I felt when I found another;
Man rejoices in man,

A kind word need not cost much,
The price of praise can be cheap:
With half a loaf and an empty cup
I found myself a friend,

Two wooden stakes stood on the plain,
On them I hung my clothes;
Draped in linen, they looked well born,
But, naked, I was a nobody.

Too early to many homes I came,
Too late, it seemed, to some:
The ale was finished or else un-brewed,
The unpopular cannon please,

Some would invite me to visit their homes,
But none thought I needed a meal,
As though I had eaten a whole joint,
Just before with a friend who had two.

We start the poem on the road. Which makes sense, since Odhinn would be talking to His people, not to Thor's people or Heartha's people, etc. (Thor's men, being working men, are more tied to the lands/fields of home.) Being on the road means you have given up the comforts of home in search of something more. It's not like doing this make you the equivalent of the 'superior man' in the I Ching, but it DOES speak of a certain amount of ambition or drive to better oneself and ones position in life.

Or, as we say in Ar nDraiocht Fein (ADF) - why not excellence?

And yet ....

There's clearly a difference between leaving one's comfort zone and being lost and alone. Guides, companions ... humans were then, and still are now, tribal. We may define tribe differently now, it can be family/kith/kin, neighbors/garth, religion based, politically based, economically based, whatever. But no one does it totally alone. Your tribe IS part of your riches.

Which leads, of course, to the issue of hospitality and how one treats strangers and travelers. Not only could you be the stranger/traveler soon, but the stranger at your door could be Odhinn (or Zeus, or Hermes, or Macha, or Finn, or.... well, you Pagans get it). True, being on the road now isn't a much a life-threatening challenge it was back in the day.

Simple politeness is clearly the essence of hospitality. Giving kind words, sharing half a loaf.

Then the 'don't mistake fine clothes for a fine person'. Just as true now with fashion ad pricy clothes as it was then with linen vs. rough working folks clothes!

And don't mistake having fine clothes with being well-fed, either on the road or at home, actually. Assume that others need care and feeding - offer food, drink, again, common courtesy.

Actually, this sort of brings up eating with your guests/business meetings/etc. "Gosh we've run out of food' for you, or "we don't eat good food here, so have none to share" are old tricks. Egyptians not eating with others is mentioned in the Bible, and now kashrut laws for Jews and Halal vs Haram food issues for Moslems, not to mention trying to offer hospitality to vegans or trying to account for food allergies, can really cause problems in offering hospitality. Where do the responsibility of good host vs good guest get drawn? Back then, it was just 'share what you have'. Now - we smoke a damn fine pulled pork here, but it's sure not something I can offer my kosher relatives (some of which won't eat in my house at all).

Thus ends part 1 of our look at the Havamal. More to come! This WILL take a while, and may or may not be a daily thing - depends on how life goes. After all, I still have recipes to share, and opinions on what's happening in the world to spout, too.

Frondly, Fern

Winter Nights

2012-01-26T06:57:00.000-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

Back in the day - and I mean REALLY back in Europe, from the iron age until industrialization - winter was the time for learning history, poetry, culture, wisdom. After all, in summer the herds would be out in the fields being watched by the original cow boys from dawn till dusk. And dawn was really early, and dusk really late.

But in winter, the thinned herds were kept in the village so you could easily feed and water them. Dawn was late, dusk early, so you didn't crash as soon as the sun went down. And, in Ireland, even the Fianna bunked in towns during the winter. So after dinner you could head over to the neighbor's place and the elders would tell the stories, share the poetry and tales.

So I think I'll go there in this blog for a while. I'll start with the words of the Havamal and some of my own commentary on it, how it applies to MY life. I'm not going to pretend to be overly knowledgeable about the time it comes from, after all!

The Havamal is part of the Poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse poetry. It is, fundamentally, common sense served up by Odhinn. Common sense being, well, awfully uncommon lately, it seems like a great place to start.

I'll be using the Auden & Taylor translation, which is all over the interwebs and appears to be public domain.

If any of y'all are knowledgeable about the times this comes from, or have other insights to add, PLEASE add comments as we go along! I'm no expert historian, nor am I Asatruar or anyone who has really studied this in context.

Frondly, Fern

Kotatsu Heating

2012-01-25T02:08:00.000-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

Winter has finally arrived here on the east coast of the US. It's 31 degrees F as I type, and not due to get much warmed today. A second round of freezing rain is due tonight/early tomorrow morning. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary.

Being broke, cheap, and green, I keep the heat here turned low. The house is set for 60 F right now. Spawn has a tiny space heater he occasionally runs in his bedroom, Chubby Hubby has a larger space heater in his lab. My areas - the kitchen and my office - have no space heaters. I feel the cold less than they do, for one thing. Second, when I'm in the kitchen I'm cooking and otherwise moving.

But in my office I'm sitting at my desk all day. And my office is in the basement. With the heat vent closed. What I do to keep warm on days like today is, well, first line of defense is dressing warmly, but what I'm typing about today is a modification on the Japanese Kotatsu heating system.

Kotatsu heating is having a small heating element under the table you are working at. Houses in Japan aren't the Tyvak'd air-tight things we aim for here in the US - they allow air in, so here weren't problems with carbon monoxide poisoning! So you'd have the tiny smoldering fire under the table, a light table cloths, and you'd be kept warm in a cold room.

Now they use electric heaters.

Me, I've got another system going. I have one light tea light candle, in a glass jar. My desk has a partition (so my legs don't show if you were sitting across from me) so that side holds in the heat, and it has sides on the left and right. My legs go into the cubby hole ... and I have attached a curtain (using Velcro) to that opening. This keeps the heat in.

It really makes a HUGE difference in my comfort level on cold days. I'm not saying my upper back is very warm, it's not (I might put on a sweater on colder days), but my legs are VERY happy and my hands are very happy (I can put them under the curtain for warmth, but they don't seem to need that with my legs warm.).

And tea candles are cheap! Craft stores have them for about a dime each on sale, and I get the for way less at garage sales.

One candle. An unused piece of material. Hours of warmth for a nickle.

I'm a happy Fern.

Frondly, Fern

Winter and Honor

2012-01-24T07:53:00.000-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

I'm writing this on Friday morning, tho' I think it'll be posted on Tuesday next week. (I'm trying to post almost daily thru' Monday thru' Friday right now). And tonight we're due to get some Seasonally Appropriate Weather, for the first time this winter. A few inches of snow overnight, followed by sleet then rain tomorrow.

Which means the Spawn has to go to his job obnoxiously early tomorrow morning on snow-covered roads (they don't plow here unless there is more snow).

Being our son, he will be there and be there on time. Normal weather is not a reason to not go to work. Even tho' I'll be the one driving - because our car won't run if it sits out in the rain all day in the parking lot at work.

His job. His honor. My getting up and being out of here before dawn.

Oh well. That's life.

Frondly, Fern

Soup Stock Making

2012-01-23T06:43:00.000-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

So, you already know I'm cheap/frugal/broke-ass. And Green. So I made stock yesterday, from bones and veggie scraps. Having an open can of tomato paste from a previous day I added some of that, which of course made the stock that much nummier.

Husband and I discussed that nummier-ness. I mentioned that Emeril puts tomato paste on veggies and roasts them before using them for stock. But I use the peeling of carrots, ends/leaves of celery, etc in my stock (being cheap, ya know), etc so don't roast them. OTOH, I NEVER have enough onion scraps, so I can put the tomato paste on sliced onions and roast THEM before making stock next time, along with roasting the bones. (BTW, I tried putting tomato paste on the bones before roasting them, but the tomato paste burned before the bones were well browned, wetter veggies are the way to go if roasting tomato paste.)

So that's the plan for next time. Which could be soon, because I sure go thru' a lot of stock in winter!

Frondly, Fern

It's Elemental

2012-01-19T17:43:00.000-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

Last fall, my life turned into a series of leaks. The car. The toilets. The refrigerator. The refrigerator at my MOTHERS when I went THERE. One damn water issue after another.

By the time of the leak at my Mothers, it was clear that elemental Water was trying to get my attention. I started daily water meditation (crystal bowl of water, sun or at least daylight reflecting in it), doing some stuff my High Priestess suggested, doing an Invoking Water pentagram with every cup of liquid I drank, etc.

I can't say that I got any specific deep messages from Elemental Water, but we have rather more of a relationship that we had 6 weeks ago. And the leaks have all been fixed and not returned.

A working relationship.

That type of relationship is what seems most important to me in magic. Being intimate enough to know you and the Elemental can can do communicate. Or the herb, or Spirit, or whatever.

Build those relationship, my fronds. Network. That network is often what tirns into your safety net later.

Frondly, Fern

Spaghetti Sauce Search

2012-01-15T17:33:00.001-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

Once upon a time, I used to make my own spaghetti sauce from scratch. That was 30 years ago. I've long since lost the recipe.

But our finances being as they are, I've got to go back to making that from scratch instead of buying even sale priced jarred sauce. So we're trying on recipes.

This morning I made Alton Brown's Pantry Tomato Sauce. Thick, layered flavors, zesty - too spicy for us to use on pasta for every-day use. OTOH, we think it will rock in lasagna where we've found that most pasta sauces don't bring enough to the party.

This afternoon I made America's Test Kitchen's Quick Pasta sauce, from the Big Red "Family Cookbook". That's a fine and simple recipe with a bright fresh flavor, but not as much layered flavor as I'd like. I'd probably like wine added at the very least, and probably more basil and some oregano. I think it will make a banging 'pink sauce', with the addition of some heavy cream. If I could afford heavy cream. And I wasn't on a diet.

I might mix the two sauces for our spaghetti dinner tonight as well as do the official comparison test.

Do y'all make your own spaghetti sauce? If so, is the recipe online? Or do you buy jars?

Frondly, Fern

Homelessness & Occupy Camps

2012-01-12T12:58:00.001-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

It's just a few hours since I did that last blog post. But I've been challenged about what I'd do about homeless folks at OccupyDC that aren't participating in the Occupy movement OTHER than having the police evict the homeless (who had been using the park/plaza first). For the record, I worked for ages with homeless people in various parts of Illinois.

Since I'm in West Virginia without a car, I've only been to OccupyDC once. I don't know all the committees - is there one aimed at Resident involvement? If so, that committee could look at things like ....

Dudes, you have rules. Add a bit to them. It doesn't take many changes. Enforced rules work in shelters that aren't just 'sheets and eats' shelters. If things like this aren't covered then maybe add things like minimum work or volunteering requirements for residents, and/or required AA/NA/whatever meeting attendance for recovering addicts and/or everyone up and attending sleeper meeting in morning for those without jobs, and/or everyone attends GA, all residents have to be on at least one committee, etc, etc, etc. I'm sure that there are more things that could be considered.

Would the rules need to be enforced? Sure. Would that take people to do? Yes. How would they be enforced? I'd suggest ... nagging. Or a 'buddy' assigned to .... as others have termed them .... 'unfriendlies' to walk 'em to GAs, their chosen committees, etc.

Given how many folks who do not choose to participate in the program at shelters with strong case management and instead choose to, simply leave, changing from sheets-and-eats format to managed format seems likely to .... cause walk outs of those not participating in OccupyDC.

Is it guaranteed? No. Is it fast? No. Is it easy? No. It is building a new world and that, as you already know, is slow and hard work.

But my fear is that the other 'solution' offered is to turn in those non-participating to the police for eviction for 'not being part of the vigil' is just, again, throwing the homeless under the bus.

Frondly, Fern

Prove It!

2012-01-12T09:53:00.000-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

Yesterday a guy left a 13 month old alone in a tent at OccupyDC, wearing very little clothes. In 40 degree temperatures, and a cold rain. Occupiers heard the baby crying, found her neglected, called the police, cared for the baby until the police arrived, and when the guy came back (at least an hour after leaving the baby alone) he was arrested. The baby is okay. The response to the situation was correct.

Apparently the guy had arrived a few days earlier and set up a tent. No word on if he was homeless and just there because he could put up a tent or if he claimed to be part of OccupyDC.

So some folks (NOT campers, BTW) want OccupyDC to 'vet' everyone who stays in the park. As if OccupyDC OWNS the park and can and SHOULD say who can camp there. Because, they say, only folks who are 'totally unimpeachable' should be in the park, or part of the movement, so .... I guess so that no one not a part of it won't have an excuse to dismiss it.

Unimpeachable. Gandhi wouldn't qualify, as he sexually manipulated his female followers (he slept with them - without sex - as 'purity tests'. Just sleeping.)

And, let's see. Gays make some folks uncomfortable. Unwed mothers. Transexuals. Homeless. Undocumented workers. The poor. The handicapped. Ex-cons. Legal immigrants. Blacks. Browns. Asians. Gingers. Old folks. The hearing-impaired. The visually impaired. Pagans. Jews (and, yes, there are a few folks who post on Twitter under the #OccupyDC hashtag who want all Jews out of the OWS movement). Catholics. Mormons. Buddhists. Hindus. Atheists. "Radicals". The list goes on and on and on, if you want to screen out all those who are in some way "impeachable".

But some folks want OTHERS (who, in a leaderless movement, I'm not sure) to vet those who stay in the park and/or are 'part of the movement' for appropriateness. I'd love to hear what criteria they would use. And, since they say that this is to weed out 'bad apples', why they think that 'bad apples' would tell the truth in such a screening?

And how they'd 'prove' to the press if a person was vetted and a 'real part of the movement'. Issue ID cards - official papers? Keep a list of the names (so handy for the govt to round everyone up under NDAA! Good going, do the fascists list making FOR THEM!)?

At least I'd never make it on to their list of "real Occupy Protesters", since I'm totally impeachable. I swear, all the fucking time. I've had tax liens, so clearly I've violated tax regulations. I'm Pagan and say it out loud - and have an electronic trail of that.

Some folks would throw all those who are 'not unimpeachable" under the bus for political gain. And some of those people CLAIM to be part of OWS. In MY never humble opinion ... they lie about supporting OWS's principles by holding that view.

THOSE people would fail the vetting if *I* was running it. Pack up your tent and leave.

Frondly (sarcastic snort), Fern

Full Moon in Cancer

2012-01-08T08:22:00.002-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

Today's the Full Moon, which makes it a Wiccan Esbat. Many of us will be working magick today, as esbats are good for that. With the full moon in Cancer, it's probably especially good for family/relationship magicks, I'd guess.

I wish that there was going to be an Esbat working at OccupyDC, but none is planned. I'm too far away (and have no car today) so can't make it there to see about organizing one. OTOH, this is as good a time as any for me to start looking into if the DMV (that District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia) Pagan community has anything going to support OccupyDC, and if not try to get something going. Nothing based on the coven I'm in or the two Pagan denominations I'm in, but Pagan individuals working to support the protestors, especially the ones sleeping in the Plaza. I'd REALLY like to make sure that, if Occupy wants it, that there an be an Imbolc celebration there.

Frondly, Fern

Dreaming of cookies.

2012-01-07T09:45:00.000-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Weird dreams. The intersection of 'Tara and Frank, in Chicago' (or north suburbs?) was important. Gathering wild bamboo shoots was important. But they were not shaped like they really are. And ... oddest of all .... Roman Catholic communion wafers that were shaped sort of like palmiers but had the image of crucified body on them, but often just skeletons, colored differently each which might have related to the Loa or to chakras - it wasn't my path, either Christian or Eastern or Afro-Caribbean, so I didn't examine it closely. And we were getting cookies from a Jewish Temple as well. But the hosts HAD been consecrated at a Mass, and I was surprised that they were being handed out in bulk.

The oddest part is that I so rarely remember any of my dreams at all. Maybe it's the influence of tomorrow's full moon? Or the siren call of cookies?

Frondly, Fern

SSDD

2012-01-07T09:31:00.000-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

I have to admit, I was hesitant to blog about trying to lose weight and modifying recipes. And then I remembered that about half my posts are ALWAYS about me and food. So it's not really any different than usual....

Frondly, Fern

Recipe Modification

2012-01-06T13:45:00.000-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

So, since I'm trying to lose weight to lower my blood pressure, I suppose I'm going to have to modify a recipe or two. Like the chicken & Dumplings I'm planning on serving on Sunday. The guys like it, uh, with puff pastry instead of dumplings. That's probably not my best choice in starches ... and, really, it's not my favorite starch anyway.

I'll probably serve THEIRS that way, anyway, since I heat the chicken/veggies/sauce apart from baking the puff pastry. But for me, hmmmm.....

I thought about serving it over brown rice, sort of like chicken a la king. That would be okay. Over barley? No, not appealing. Lentils? Oh! Now THAT sounds good. I'll use brown, only because the red ones become more of a puree and I don't happen to have any green ones. And, yes, I'm using evaporated skim milk instead of cream in the sauce.

First-world problem solved!

Frondly, Fern

These Dreams

2012-01-04T06:55:00.000-05:00

I was in the desert southwest. Most or all of the coven was there, too, tho' I only remember Monica, Daniel, and Jen. Petroglyphs, all sorts of 'big stuff' to see. But then ... looking closely and quietly, there were these small things, about an inch in diameter and two inches tall. They were shaped sort of like the Capitol Dome, out of wicker or grass. With an opening/doorway and .... I'm sure that there was another opening, but I can't really say where. On the 'floor' of each was a stone or other .... item. Were the woven things offerings, or were they altars and the item inside was an offering, or a symbol of the Divine? I'm not clear. I do know that Wakan Tanka was referred to in the dream, but I've NO idea if Wakan Tanka is from that area.

I do know that I'll be working on making some, and seeing what info comes to me then.

I'm Back! And Front!

2012-01-03T12:48:00.000-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

Yes, I've not blogged in FOREVER. I haven't had anything to say that didn't sound like whining to me, so I didn't impose it on y'all.

I'm planning on being back now. Not that it's a RESOLUTION or anything. I have goals, not 'resolutions'. SMART goals - specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-limited goals.

Some of them have to do with our finances: reduce debt by $12K this year, and increase savings by $5K. These aren't the most realistic and achievable, but I'm aiming high this year. Last year was all about surviving, and nothing more. Of course, this means that my spending money will be just as limited this year as it was last year. And I'm considering selling my blood plasma for a bit of extra income.

Yeah, I also have fitness goals. I want to drop my blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides. To do these things, yes, it's lose weight, exercise, and work on stress management. I started exercising, some, while I was away from the blog. I kicked it up at the end of December. My upper body is unhappy right now, due to yesterday's workout, but at least my butt isn't complaining about the bicycle seat any more. If I EVER got the tendonitis in my arm reduced I'll get back to pumping some iron. My minimum weight goal (notice that here, unlike finances, I'm NOT aiming high?) is to drop 25 pounds this year, about two pounds a month. Diet specific goal is to eat at least 5 servings of fruit and veggies a day, and aim for 9 servings. Right now having even 5 is being a challenge.

So, that's what's up here right now. What's new with you?

Frondly, Fern

Road Trip!

2011-11-02T17:44:00.000-04:00

Blessings Darlings!

My life features a monthly road trip to central Maryland once a month for business stuff. Today was that day. Lovely day for driving (well, after the intense morning fog cleared (both in my head and in the real world)), the leaves had peak fall colors, the sun was shining, the temperature was lovely.

Instead of just my usual stops, I added OccupyDC to the list of places to go.

See, I had cooked a huge batch (75 one-cup servings worth) of Lentil Vegetable soup the night before to bring over there. It's a damn fine thing I spent a semester or two volunteering at the Maryland Food Co-op, helping prepare Vegan Lunch for 350, because I used all of that knife and big-ass cooking skill for this! It WOULD have been easier if I had real restaurant quality and number soup pots, cutting boards, measuring cups (measuring quarts/gallons?), prep bowls, etc. And I gave up cutting veggies at 75 servings, instead of making the 100 had planned, but I admit I'm out of mass-chopping practice!

So this morning I loaded up the car, the soup in re-purposed frosting buckets (Yay for prepping, which meant I had them on hand), printed out directions to McPherson Square, and headed in. Was stopped for a while due to an accident on 270. Okay, no biggie. Then, something was up on Clara Barton Parkway. Lots of police cars at the parking for the C&O Canal. Get to Canal Road - traffic is not moving. Turn on radio. Not only are the police closING Canal Road ... but they've already closed off the freeway the directions want me to take. How was I to know that President Obama was giving some speech at the Georgetown Waterfront? Oh Dear. I do NOT know this part of DC.

Inching my way forward with traffic, I think, okay, I couldn't make a right onto the freeway, I'll make a right here... Oh - I'm on a bridge going over a river. That means I screwed up, and am heading into Virginia and AWAY from my destination. Oh! A sign for the Roosevelt Bridge! Zoom! Back in DC, and on the Mall, where I could find my way easily again.

McPherson was easy to find, parking was not. Ended up parking illegally, just long enough to drop off the buckets of soup (neatly labeled as vegan and gluten-free).

I'd love to go back, catch workshops, work the kitchen or cleanup, take part in an action if one is going on. But for that, I'll need to take Metro in from Montgomery Village or something, with the Spawn dropping me off and picking me up. And even that metro stop CLOSEST to home is 50 miles away, requiring a lot of family help. Not an everyday thing. Maybe once a month? We'll see...

Frondly, Fern

Washington DC & Occupy

2011-10-29T14:35:00.000-04:00

Blessings Darlings!

I moved out of the DC suburbs under a year ago, so I feel qualified to comment on why the government of Washington DC and the OccupyDC occupation are getting along so well. So I'm going to share my unique insights with all y'all.

There are two major reasons, IMNHO. The first is the unique relationship that DC and it's residents have with the Federal Govenment, the second has to do with .... the reality of the type of folks who so often get elected in the US.

I'll start with the fact that Washington DC and its residents do not have any federal political representation ... and that the Occupy movement is focused on the relationship that corporate money has on ... the federal government. DC government can't even make their own laws without 'review' by Congress. Washington DC is a not-represented US colony. As a result, most of the city government is more than happy to help folks pressure the Federal govt about ANYTHING. Poke them! Harass them! DC Govt will stay out of your way as long as you don't cause any more problems than the constant federal motorcades cause. DC is used to protests. They've been thru' calm ones, mild ones, and everything in between. After the WTO ones, OccupyDC is a bunch of scouts camping out in a park. The police like protests, in my view. They justify keeping lot of police hired, and dealing with them is FAR safer for the police than dealing with criminals and far FAR safer than going on a domestic violence call. Back under Police Chief Ramsey the size of protests were routinely overestimated, the better, IMO, for the police to ask for more money from the city.

Sidebar - for some protests under Ramsey I'd go into DC and watch them, taking the Spawn and teaching him to estimate crowd sizes. I'm pretty good at crowd size estimation, in my opinion.

The other major reason that OccupyDC and the Washington DC city council are getting along is .... Sigh. We once again have a mayor who is under investigation of possible criminal wrongdoing. Having protestors in town and having the press give THEM attention takes media attention off of him. Personal political power is at stake, but only if the residents follow the story (and care about the story). Even if there is enough evidence to prosecute him, even if he's convicted, none of that matters. What matters is voter memory. The less the press carries the story, the shorter the memory of voters.

So, those are, in my view, the major reasons why OccupyDC is smiled upon by the DC city council. They see it as something that can only help the status of the city and/or their careers.

Frondly, Fern

Pushy Jewish Broad

2011-10-27T22:23:00.000-04:00

Blessings Darlings!

I was raised Jewish, and I was raised in Skokie, Illinois. That's sort of the epicenter of Chicagoland Middle Class Conservative Jewry. By any ethnic consideration, I am a Jewitch, or Druish, depending on if you are coming from Wiccan or Druid perspective. The 'woman of a certain size' version.

Which means that in business and social situations I tend to speak right up with my concerns/issues. I do not suffer in silence - I make sure that everyone else suffers with me. Add that to my Survivalist leanings, where a basic tenet is that s/he who hesitates is shot, and ... let's just say that when pushed I push back. Solidly.

Do you think I need a warning label? Or just a camera crew to record the fun that occurs when folks don't realize this about me?

Frondly, Fern

Life, The Universe, and Everything

2011-10-24T02:51:00.000-04:00

Blessings Darlings!

It's been REALLY busy around here lately, but nothing worth blogging about! Switching the garden from summer to fall/winter. Switching my COOKING from summer to fall/winter (stews, soups, baking again now that I don't have to worry about heating the house in summer). Working out transportation issues now that the Spawn works and we still only have 1 car that we are sharing among the 3 of us. Trying to find time and money to visit my mother in the nursing home in Chicago. The hard work of feeding a family on what we'd get if we were on food stamps (which I can only do because I work at home and can make damn near everything from scratch while still working).

In fact, I'm going to go throw some bones into the oven, because roasted bones make better soup stock. Then I can bring them and saved carrot scrapings, etc, and water to a boil, and make more soup stock. I've been going thru' GALLONS of that this month, and am trying to get every particle of flavor out of every bone.

Business has been busy, but as you hardware and software geeks know - all development takes longer than you think it will. Which means we are behind on several client's projects, which means we haven't been paid for several client's projects.

And I'd prefer to be at OccupyDC than here. Partly because I'm still having hot flashes and camping in the cold sounds REALLY nice, but mostly because I'm fully behind forcing our congresscritters into making real campaign finance reform.

Frondly, Fern

Gritty Reality

2011-10-22T01:53:00.000-04:00

Blessings Darlings!

To continue on the grain theme from yesterday ... I've been grinding my own flour again, now that it's cool and I'm doing a lot of baking again. I don't bake 100% whole grain bread, for the record, because my family isn't fond of it. Over time I'm raising the percentage of whole grains, but that's going to be a LONG LONG slog.

But since I am grinding and sifting and making corn meal mush and frying polenta and all, I ended up with a jar of ... well, *I* called the stuff corn grits, but in reality it was mostly husks. Being ~~cheap~~ frugal, yesterday I figured I'd see if they WOULD cook up into grits.

The answer was ... not exactly. Too many flakes of husk. But ATSHTF, I'm sure we'd eat them happily. They weren't AWFUL. But we're not going to eat them until then.

Unless....

Okay, I'll probably try them mixed into a loaf of white bread and see what happens next. Shhhh. Don't tell my family. Let's keep it a secret.

Frondly, Fern

People Food

2011-10-21T11:35:00.000-04:00

Blessings Darlings!

As many of you know, my food storage program is built around a base of feed-store bought wheat and corn (and, damn, I wish feed stores around here sold whole soybeans). Some people have wondered about whether humans can/should be eating food that's sold for feed for animals - sure grains sold for direct human consumption are better somehow. Cleaner? Better inspected?

Certainly the same products sold for human consumption are more expensive. But better/cleaner/certified? Nope!

While the Chubby Hubby isn't at all into prepping, really, he DOES bring a serious knowledge base into this part of the discussion. While in college, he worked summers at a Huge Corn Processing Company. They made (I'm sure they basically still exist now, but have been swallowed by an even LARGER Huge Corn Processing Company) most of the types of corn products used across the US: corn starch, corn sugar, corn syrup, glutens, flours, etc. He has told me stories of how things work there.

The corn the company got was the same corn that the feed producers get. The same silo spits it out into the same train hopper cars. The silo tests ALL of the corn for toxins.

The feed companies and the Human Processing company both use the same process to 'clean' the corn - fundamentally, using fans/compressed air to blow away things not the right weight as the kernels should be. After that, the feed company fills 50 pound bags with the grain. Meanwhile, the Corn Processor starts to play.

Corn Processor 'cleans' the corn .... by dumping the kernels water with sulfer dioxide in it, making the water a weak acid. Yummy! This kills stops any mold from growing during the 24 hour soak, but allows enzymatic action in the kernels. They then wet mill it, and the slurry gets divided into it's 4 main component parts - hulls starch, germ, and something I can't recall right now. Dang. The splashing acidic slurry eats away at the concrete around the milling machines, by the way.

Anyway, let's talk about where the starch goes. It gets refined in TONS of different ways, for different purposes. Every now and then, they take out a sample to test it. When they take a sample, some spills on the floor.

How do they clean the floor? Oh, with water. Where does the corn starchy water go? BACK INTO THE MIX FOR PROCESSING. How yummy is THAT?

So, yeah. I grind my own flour, from whole grains meant for animals.

Frondly, Fern

Journalistic Integrity

2011-10-20T14:14:00.002-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Do you work in a large business, with lots of branches around the country (maybe around the world)? Or, in ANY work situation do you ask the same probing questions of co-workers that you would of others? Would you say to a co-worker that what they are saying doesn't make sense to you, and push them HARD for better answers on a non-work related issue they promote?

Like, oh, for instance ..... if your co-worker was to organize some political thang. And you were assigned to cover that political thing. Would you push your co-worker for clear answers as hard as you would a stranger, knowing that you'll still be passing each other in the halls, hanging out with the same folks at work? Would it be as easy for you to ask them the tough questions, and try to insist on answers? If you had more questions, and your work in the same building, would you seek them out and push for more answers? Would that person then feel that they were in a hostile work environment?

I'd hope, that as a news person, you'd be able to do that. But I understand why your employer would feel that you might have a hard time doing that, and that it might at least subconsciously affect your reporting.

Which, obviously, brings me to National Public Radio's (NPR) rules against any of it's employees participating in that NPR covers. The issue also is whether someone on NPR's payroll should be allowed to say something in one venue that NPR would not allow on its air. NPR’s ethics code says they cannot.

I'm betting that NPR would not allow it's employees to advocate, on the air, that congressional office buildings should be occupied. Which is what StopTheMachine2011, the group that Lisa Simeone is on the board of directors of, did the other day. I dunno just what they did today at the bank. And I blame the editor from the National Standard for the incident at the National Air & Space Museum.

I don't think that their policy is a great one. I understand why they have it, but I think that there area better ways to promote journalistic integrity, like just saying they can't participate in things that they themselves cover. But the policy is clear, and has been VERY public since NPR fired Juan Williams a few years back.

I AM amused at the folks crying censorship over this who were fine with Juan Williams being fired. Just because I'm amused by folks who rationalize things like that.

Frondly, Fern

Purple Sweet Potatoes

2011-10-18T12:32:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

I removed all the sweet potato vines from my garden. They go into compost unlike the tomato vines which, due to risk of blight, don't get composted. While removing the vines I found yet MORE potatoes. Bringing my harvest up to about 18 pounds. I'm VERY happy with those numbers, given I had NO idea what I was doing and planted only 3 slips 'lasagna' style over solid clay soil. These are, after all, a crop that loves SANDY soil, the opposite of what I have!

So, I hear you asking, how are they for eating? Remember - I've grown these in the wrong soil and in a drought/heat wave, so YMMV. Not as sweet as most orange sweet potatoes to me, and while the skin on most of them is thin ... just under the skin is a fair amount of fiber which can be nasty. But I'm sure that I'll learn how to deal with that better soon.

I expect that the leaves are edible, too, but haven't tried them yet. The deer LOVE them. I let the deer in at the end of the season, so they could help remove the vines. Working WITH nature rocks!

So, again - nice flavor, GREAT color, GREAT yield.

Frondly, Fern

Baby, it's cold outside

2011-10-02T10:23:00.001-04:00

Blessings Darlings!

Actually, it's cold AND damp. Rain, and the temperature hasn't gotten out of the 40's in days. It's a colder snap than usual this early in the year.

So we're trying to acclimate to fall/winter temperatures a bit earlier than we'd like to. The Chubby Hubby even turned on the heat in the bedroom last night! The house is 63 now, instead of 78. I'm very unhappy - I have a cold and I'd be uncomfortable under the best of circumstances, and this is ... okay, it's a first world problem. We CAN turn on the heat. We CAN afford it right now.

Since the weather is no longer nasty hot, I'm back to making soup and we're having that for most lunches. Last week I made Huge Batch O' Chili. We're still eating that, and there's a half gallon in the freezer for some other time. I'll probably make Barley Veggie with Beef next - we love us some barley! The guys will probably insist on chicken noodle after that - they are kind of predictable.

Soups have been one of my favorite foods since I was a baby, apparently. My Mother says that I couldn't get enough the first time she fed me chicken noodle soup. I immediately became a soup addict. Or at least a salt addict. It's likely that was the first salty food I was given as an infant.

I often make soup in big enough batches that I can freeze a couple of quarts for some time when I'm too busy to make more. I consider that good use of the freezer. I'd probably can some of it but I'd have to can the full batch to fill the canner, and then what would we eat immediately? Okay, that's not an insurmountable problem.

To sum up today's post: Weather cold, soup good.

Frondly, Fern

Trading Stocks

2011-09-27T11:01:00.000-04:00

Blessings Darlings!

I love puns. In this case, I'm trading talking about soup stocks for talking about trading stocks. Or at least options on stocks. I considered using 'stocks and bonds' as a title, but more than a few of you would have thought I'd be posting on some BDSM stuff. Alas, this post isn't THAT interesting.

Anyway....

I've started back trading stock options. But only in a small way - I've spent most of the investment money to pay for frivolous things like rent and food over the past couple of years. So I'm only buying/selling one contract at a time and being very conservative ... even while doing investments where I can easily lose the entire investment if I don't do things right.

I didn't structure my last trade very well, but still made 5% in 4 trading days. Not a fortune - that was $55 in profit. But once I get more up to speed, I'm hoping that I'll double the return per trade while keeping my ASSets covered.

I like options because they take little up-front money (compared to buying stocks), don't risk more than you invest up front (unlike currencies), and can make money on either an up or down market. Right now I'd say that the market, using the S&P500 as a marker, is going sideways, and I can handle that, too.

My biggest problem is that I tend to cut my wins off too soon. I'm still working on that, among other skills.

Frondly, Fern

Pantry Stuff

2011-09-20T17:08:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

My son just finished making a sheet cake, and I've just started a sponge for a loaf of bread. All this yummy use of on-hand ingredients leads to a question - do you know how much of what you use in a typical month? At least of staples like flour, sugar, coffee?

I've been thinking about that, and compiling next-month's shopping list. So I'm going to ~~bore~~ treat you to some of my figures. Most are a bit more than I use in a typical month, but buying this month allows a LITTLE natural accumulation of supplies.

Minimum purchases from Aldi's (staples, no name brands, store profit goes to Germany, but GREAT prices):

Flour - 5 5-pound bags
Sugar -          2 5-pound bags
lunchmeat       3 pounds
croutons         1 bag ( really should make them myself)
soup - cream of mushroom      5 cans
peas             2 cans
canned mushrooms 9 cans
canned tuna    5 cans
canned ham     1 can
onions              6 pounds
potatoes          10 pounds
canned tomatoes     6 cans (pints)
cooking spray        1 can
oil                  2 bottles 48 oz
napkins            2 packages
hash browns        1 package, frzn
frozen veggies       9 bags
Milk                10 gallons
eggs                 9 dozen
half & half          4 quarts
OJ                   4 half gallons
cereal                4 boxes
mac & cheese mix       3
scalloped 'tater mix      1
canned nuts        2 cans
bar cheese          1 1/2 pounds
sliced cheese        2 pounds
butter                  4 pounds
Coffee                4 pounds
salt                    1 round
Brown sugar        2 lb
saltine crackers     1 lb
apples                   15 lb
oranges                 8 lb
bananas                 11 lb
hamburger buns       2 packages
hoagie rolls              1 or 2 packages
yogurt                1 qt
lettuce                 5 heads
carrots                 8 lb
cabbage                2 of 'em
celery                   1
green peppers       1 package
garlic                    lots
paper towels         2 rolls

And those are just the 'normal' purchases I make each month. The meat, meds, cat stuff, etc are all at other stores (and on sales if possible). I didn't even include chocolate of ANY type!

What are you 'every month' purchases? How much money do you need to allot to those, before you can even think of buying other stuff?

Frondly, Fern

Canning Pumpkin

2011-09-20T09:33:00.002-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

It's that time of year again - the hard squashes are in! I'll be stocking up this week, while they are on sale at the grocer, but on Nov 1 your can probably get 'Halloween Pumpkins" for free at pumpkin patches. Not the best tasting flesh, but great for seeds (especially the tiny ones).

I usually just keep them fresh, if you buy good quality ones they don't go bad quickly. But I have canned them if I have a bunch and several go bad at once.

Always can cubes - home canning puree doesn't work, you risk botulism. You do NOT want to risk that.

Clean 'em of strings and seeds, wash 'em, cut 'em into 1 inch cubes, remove rind. Boil for 2 minutes. Fill jars with the cubes and the water you boiled them in, leaving 1 inch at top of jar. Add tops/rings.

Pressure can at 10 pounds (15 if over 1000 feet) pints for 55 minutes, quarts for 90 minutes.

Frondly, Fern

Infinity and Beyond!

2011-09-12T10:11:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

It's a quiet morning here in the mountains. Well, not totally - the Spawn was awoken by an emergency call from work, asking him to cover another shift ... on top of the short shift he's working tonight. Being woken up by the phone is jarring.

Still, it's the first sunny morning in days. I can sit out on the deck sipping a cuppa without getting wet. Instead I'm going over my e-mail, facing where Infinity lurks.

Infinity - something boundless and endless. I'm not talking about the Internet, actually I'm not referring to the computer/online at all. I'm facing a part of myself, evoked by e-mail.

The evocation came from a Woot ad. I LOVE reading Woot ads - they have the best damn copy writing on the planet, and I read the ads daily for inspiration (I stole styles for business letters and ads more than once). However, this ad was different.

I want the product.

That doesn't happen all that often. I'm not that into what they actually offer most of the time. In the years I've been reading the ads I've bought two items - both for the business not for 'me' per se.

And in wanting the item, I allowed myself to wonder how I'd fit the purchase into our budget. Which meant having to think of all the other things I wanted to spend money on.

That, my dears, is where I came face to face with the Infinite. My own needs, wants, and desires.

From the actual necessities (basic food/clothing/shelter, paying off what I've already got, and maintenance of what we already have), to my wants (different home cooked food, tailoring of clothes, etc) to my desires (everything else in the universe that I want!!!! and want NOW!!!) - there was infinity.

It was scary. And humbling - I don't usually think of myself as being as materialistic as I am. Denial works, but only for a while.

But I'm sure I can achieve denial again. So I'm writing a blog post distract myself from the reality of the experience, and with the distance of a few minutes of time I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get back into comfortable denial.

And then I'll get back to work on my basic needs, by planting some turnips and spinach in the fall veggie garden.

Frondly, Fern

Fire Protection

2011-09-09T20:36:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Have you noticed that the Land, Sea, and Sky seem rather upset lately? In the US alone this year, we have had unusual winter cold in west Texas and New Mexico, spring floods, spring tornado sprees, summer droughts, unusual earth quakes in Louisiana and Colorado and Virginia/DC, unusually severe heat waves in lots of the country, fires in Texas, and now a couple of hurricanes causing severe flooding.

Most of the things line up well with global warming, and the fires include humans preventing smaller fires and letting available fuel for fires build up. The Earth quakes in Louisiana for sure, and maybe the one in Virginia, was directly related to fracking for petroleum/gas. In other words - most of this has roots in human actions and hubris.

Hubris.

Typically I'm down with pride and arrogance. I am a magic user, I hang with Mages. But I admit that I've screwed up magic and other things at times and so do the other magic users in my life. Well, most of them. But even the most arrogant are up front about magic being a hand grenade which can take out the user with shrapnel along with the intended target. Because magic is powerful. Still, none of the magic users I hang with think that the Elements are their bitches.

Apparently not all share these views. Over on FaceBook there's a group that's going to do weather magic for Texas. The two main forces in that group have written that they intend to make Tropical Storm Nate into a hurricane and move it into the affected parts of Texas, and that flooding and such are 'lesser evils' than drought and fire. I asked them about what the nature spirits, land spirits, and divination on this indicated. I pointed out that floods are more damaging to everything than fires, both in deaths, nature affected, economic destruction, toxins left everywhere.

Oh, look at the thread http://tinyurl.com/3qcoxfr , plus the link for flood and toxins and such http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44449393/ns/weather/ .

They want to make a hurricane their bitch, and the heck with how many people it kills, how much property it destroys (hint - it would end more human lives and destroy more property than fires will).

What magic would *I* use in a case like this? I'd start with the protection of fire insurance that covers wildfires. I'd add the insurance of evacuation. And then I'd do the magic of PROTECTION for people/pets/property. I'd work on becoming intimate with the local land there and the watershed before doing any work - for their spirits might not want the same thing that we humans want to impose on it.

The protection magic in this case would be among the easiest, when working with the local land spirits and elemental fire. Wild fires are already big on being arbitrary, burning one house and not touching the one next to it. That's a feature that magic can influence.

Existing feature. Magic can influence. Not making fire my bitch. But protection plus work with local land and the elementals earth, wind, water, and fire.. Not a working guaranteed to spread toxins across the land and into the watershed.

I'd not use the same hubris based approach that caused the problem in the first place.

Frondly, Fern

Zucchini Experiment Redux

2011-09-05T19:18:00.001-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!I'm declaring this batch of pickled zucs a failure. They ended up bitter. I'm guessing that it was because I fell way behind harvesting and they got too big and got bitter. I will try again, this year or next. I will try with smaller zucs, and I will try with some more 'mature' ones that I will salt, let sit for an hour or two, then rinse. Just like how I prepare eggplant, which can also be bitter, for cooking.Frondly, Fern

Zucchini Experimentation

2011-09-04T12:25:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!Since my garden is producing an over abundance of zucchini/marrows/courgettes this summer, and my kirby cucumbers died, last night I tried making spicy half sour pickles out of the zucchini. For a NORMAL batch, you put the sliced cucumbers in the brine, leave them out 2 days, and they are done.This being a Laboratory Experiment .... I refrigerated them immediately instead of leaving them out. And I just tested them, about 13 hours after the pickling started.They are done. Really really done. So done that I've just replaced half of the brine with water.For some reason they are a bit bitter, but the texture is great as is the level of sourness. Perhaps the zucchinis I used were a bit too old for this? BTW, the stink bug collection experiment continues, but we've been having lots of overnight rain and I think that inhibits their travels. Or this technique is just good for indoors/attics. Or the technique fails. As the damn bugs move inside I'll try it in the basement and see what happens, but I'll keep trying it as a garden pest treatment until the garden is done.Frondly, Fern

The More Things Change...

2011-09-02T09:50:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

So, the Spawn is working, after 9 months of job searching. He's the host at a family restaurant. On weekdays, which are slow, he makes more than the servers, since his salary is not dependent on tips.

Last night he got a call from another job he applied for recently, to see if he could come in for an interview. Too late, guys.

Two jobs calling in two weeks would seem to be an improvement in the economy. Except....

Yesterday at his job, a whole flock of folks from the big expensive supermarket across the street came in for job applications. So either that place is lousy to work for, or they are going to be laying folks off or closing. About 6 weeks ago that store had claimed they were hiring - Spawn applied, even took the 'psychological evaluation test' there, and never got called back.

Maybe the Spawn slipped into jobs that opened because people quit as the school year began. This is the same time he got a job last year, after several months of looking. But the group coming in for job applications seems to show that there are still WAY more folks looking for jobs out there. Even entry-level jobs.

Yes, new applications for unemployment benefits are slowly dropping. But today's job figures from the Fed were abysmal, even tho' they claim that the unemployment rate is unchanged. New jobs being created aren't equaling those destroyed, let alone new people coming into the job market from population growth. IF the unemployment rate actually IS unchanged, it's only because they consider those working part time (even if they need/want full time work) are 'employed' and because so many workers are 'discouraged' that they've given up on finding work.

Frondly, Fern

Kids Online

2011-09-02T09:23:00.000-04:00

Blessings Darlings!

I was reading my friend Daniel's blog this morning http://sayencrowolf.net/2011/09/rules-of-the-road/ . He really DOES post darn near anything. He CAN be edgy at times, typically because he addresses important issues.

Reading that got me to thinking about how so many people work so hard to control what kids can see online. And from there, on how my reading habits helped make me what I am today.

I was, shall we say, not the most popular kid growing up. Socially awkward. First to get boobs. I escaped into reading. Library books at first ... not just the kids section, too, I edged into the Grown Up Books. Then I got older, and started buying magazines at the drug store and grocery store check out. Yes, "Young Miss" was one of them, but I also read my parent's subscription to Time, and bought those little 25 cent booklets on astrology, psychic skills, etc.

High school, and I was more mobile, biking and taking public transportation where ever I wanted to go. I discovered a HUGE used bookstore in Evanston. More books on psychic stuff, into to Theosophy, etc. And I subscribed to Ms. and The Village Voice. TVV was perhaps on odd choice, since I lived in Chicago, but whatever. I totally would have lived reading stuff on the internet if I could have back in the day.

I'm sure that my reading choices we not ones that made my mother happy. She totally freaked at an article on masturbation in Ms. But she never tried to control what I read.

I took that same approach with my Spawn, who had the advantage of the the Internet. Okay, ONCE I didn't let him look up something online. He was in grade school, and was to write about an animal. He was assigned the beaver. I kind of figured that Google would give him a whole lot of results that would be about twats, not the animal. I had him use an encyclopedia.

In middle school, some of his friends got in trouble with their parents for trying to access porn online. If he was doing it at that age, I'm unaware of it - which means he was good at keeping it private. His computer access was in our home business office, sitting 10 feet from his father. I THINK that if we had found him looking at porn I'd have done a quick evaluation and let it alone. He didn't have a credit card, after all, and that was over a decade ago. He'd have seen boobs, maybe full frontal nudity, and that was all.

At any rate - one the whole, I let the Spawn travel the internet at will, reading everything he wanted to, from a very young age. I figure it encouraged reading skills, search skills, and exposed him to more ideas than he'd get from being overly supervised.

I think that's a good thing.

Frondly, Fern

Frakkin' Stinkbugs

2011-09-01T20:10:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

The garden is going great guns right now. I've lots of green beans in the fridge to get thru' the next week or 10 days 'till my next bean patch starts producing. I've lots of zucchini. The tomatoes are still behind, and I noticed a very wasp-larva-encrusted tomato horn worm on them. I have no clue if the sweet potatoes are doing anything but producing incredible amounts of vines. Tasty-leaved vines, to be sure.

But I've had to remove two of the 3 zucchini hills due to wilt. Or maybe because of stink bugs sucking the life out of them and killing them. I really don't know which.

So I'm putting out a stink bug trap that I saw online. I do NOT know if it will work effectively, but it has the advantage of being cheap. I took an empty 2 liter soda bottle. I cut the funnel top off. I turned on a small battery powered LED light and put it inside. I inverted the funnel top back on. I put it in the garden at dusk.

Tomorrow morning I'll see if it worked. Or if we'll get rain and if that will kill the light (and maybe take a few bugs with it?)

Stay tuned ....

Frondly, Fern the killer

Douchery Vs Persecution

2011-08-26T09:21:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Why is it that in US history, Jews have come here, built temples, openly lived as Jews, handled prejudice, but so many neopagans don't seem to be able to, thus huddle in broom closets?

Are the Gods of such neopagans weaker than the Jewish God? Are the magical abilities of those neopagans as powerful as tissue paper?

Zoning laws getting you down? Whoop di do. That's douche baggery. Persevere until you win. Others have.

You are not delicate flowers. You are kin to the Gods.

I'm sure I've posted this before - but what you are experiencing is 'loss of privilege'. You have left your at least nominally Christian upbringing and now are being treated LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. Get over it, put on your big boy/girl undies, and get on with life.

Frondly (or not), Fern

Four Wonderful Years

2011-08-17T18:32:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

It's almost exactly 4 years since my hysterectomy. I posted on that sometime before, under the title "Uterus-free womanhood".

But even without a uterus - and what ever gender or combination of genders we all are - we all have hormone cycles. Even after menopause. Even when on hormones (since the body still produces its own), and despite the best work of anti-androgenic meds for those on them.

This afternoon I realized that I was experiencing what would be PMS if I was still menstruating.

I had what I've learned over decades of cycles are my classic symptoms: I was up most of the night Catastrophizing (over bills now, when I was in college it was over grades, when I worked for others it was over job reviews/performance), and I spent the day crabby and practically looking for fights. Finally I realized what was happening. I had gone over EVERY bill by then.

I don't have a clue about how fast or slow my hormones cycle any more. I'm gonna note this on the calendar and try to keep aware of this more in the future.

Frondly, Fern

Growing Up.

2011-08-16T14:15:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

I just had an interesting little interaction on Twitter. One of the folks I follow tweeted that she wanted parents to not let their children call stores to ask questions (about their hours, if they carry certain items, etc). She, as an employee, didn't like to take such calls. Rather than saying "fuck you, they are your CUSTOMERS, take their calls and do it with respect", I asked how she expected anyone to learn how to make such calls without, well, making them? She told me she expects parents to handle all that until the kids are teens.

Just ...wow. Now we're going to have totally screwed up teens, who don't even know how to make a simple phone call to a store to ask about products/hours. Just because an employee doesn't want to do their job and help customers.

By the time my spawn was a teen I expected him to have PERFECTED the skill of using a telephone. And mowing the lawn. And doing dishes, cleaning bathrooms, etc. But now someone expects me to parent HER and protect HER as an adult from doing HER job, and thinks I should RETARD my own children.

Nope. Not gonna happen. I expect MY children to grow up. And I expect all people interacting with customers to grow up, too.

Frondly, Fern

Farmers, not markets

2011-08-09T19:30:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

We got paid by a client and two of our distributors yesterday (well, checks came from two of 'em and money was deposited electronically by the third). Thus I had to go to town to deposit checks and buy some staples. All well and good: shopped at one German-owned store, a Big Box store, gas from unknown country of origin, another Big Box store, finally hit a chain grocery store - damn, it was HARD finding canning lids!

But there was one more stop to be made. A family run farm stand. Where a half-bushel of peaches - seconds, and not organic - is $10. Way less expensive than at a farmer's market. Way WAY less expensive than from the store. And, obviously, as local as they come.

Tomorrow I shall be back at canning.

There were other fruits and veggies - LOVELY grapes! Lots of tomatoes - I bought two (yes, seconds). I may get a half or full bushel of tomatoes for canning next week. Alas, no corn, the drought plus deer have pretty much totaled the sweet corn.

I love food!

Frondly, Fern

Git Your Biscuits In the Oven.....

2011-08-07T19:20:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

I have a history of making really really lousy biscuits. No matter what I did, they came out heavy and flat tasting. Not worth the calories.

Which is a shame, since unlike big ol' loaves of bread (which I now rock at), biscuits can be cooked on a balcony or patio or porch in a toaster oven. A great plan for summer baking without heating up the house.

This changed last week. Since I was still working on the half-bushel of peaches I had bought I figured I'd that) so I figured I'd do a peach cobbler. Because they are 'just quickly cobbled together', you know. Well, usually they are, but I went with the Test Kitchen recipe which has you par bake the cobbler and biscuit topping separately. So I had to make biscuits. Intimidating!

BUT these weren't the type of biscuits I had tried to make before. I had always tried making cut biscuits - THESE were drop biscuits. And they turned out AMAZING. I also added two pinches of freshly-ground cardamom to the peach mixture, which kicked it up too.

So, tonight, dinner is soup from leftovers. Fundamentally a beef barley soup. Great soup, but it needed a little something something to make it special. How about drop biscuits? Husband said - how about cheesy drop biscuits? Okay!

They SO rocked. I made a dozen and I don't know if there will be any left by the end of the evening. And there are only three of us.

Since I love you folks, I'm going to share the recipe.

                                             CHEESY DROP BISCUITS

2 Cups all purpose flour                                       1 tsp dried wild green onions
1 tbs baking powder                                            1/4 cup shortening
1/4 tsp baking soda                                              3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp salt                                                               1/4 cup cheddar cheese, small dice
1/8 tsp garlic salt

Oven on, set to 450. Baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
All dry ingredients plus the cheese into bowl, stir.
Melt the shortening. Mix it into the buttermilk. The lumps are a GOOD thing. Add liquid to dry ingredients, stir 'till just mixed. I had to add a smidge more milk, you might not have to.

Use the 1/4 cup measure you used for the cheese to dole out dough on to baking sheet. Bake. In my oven it took 10 minutes - it could take up to 15 in yours.

Eat. Smile. Repeat.

Working Thru' Pain

2011-08-05T08:56:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

There are a LOT of obstacles to self-improvement. It doesn't matter what type of self-improvement it is: educational, emotional, physical, business, spiritual, whatever.

They all take work. They all require overcoming inertia. They all require that you do that incredibly scary thing - change.

There is pain associated with work and growth and change. On the whole, we humans don't like pain. Thus, we tend to get into patterns that limit the amount of change we have to do. Which means we don't grow, we don't improve.

But facing the pain, working thru' pain, overcoming inertia, is the only way to improve your life. The only way to grow and become more of your ideal self.

Mundane example: I've written about my knee before, arthritis and now torn meniscus that I can't afford surgery on (and, yes, we're working on the finances, painful as THAT is, and things are somewhat better thank you for asking). If I don't do my exercises (physical therapy PLUS biking and walking) not only will it not improve, but it gets worse. Walking and taking stairs HURTS if I blow off exercising (which I admit I hate doing) for as little as 3 days in a row. And if I give in to the pain that starts when I don't exercise, then the knee continues to get worse - I could end up just sitting on a couch, my leg extended, having trouble even getting up to hit the bathroom.

That's not the life I want. So I exercise. And if I do hit times when I miss too much exercise (because I have screwed up my schedule!), then the BEST thing I can do for the pain is work thru' it. Do the physical therapy routine. Walk a mile and a half, tho' it hurts. Get 20 minutes in on the exercise bike, even if I have to do it in 5 minute segments. Because if I don't avoid the pain, if I work thru' it, then quickly I'll see improvement.

If I complain that my knee hurts, my husband will ask what he can do to help. The WORST thing I could ask for is for him to take over things so I can stay on that couch. Instead, if he handles answering the business phones while I exercise, THAT is the help I need to improve myself. Patting me on the head, saying "oh, you poor dear, stay right where you are" would SOUND supportive but would in FACT be undermining my health.

It's no different for others types of healing or growth. You don't need codependents working to keep you where you are. You need to work thru' the pain. You need to celebrate the challenges - roar at them take them on with vigor. Make challenges your bitch.

Am I able to do this 24/7 right now? Nope. Is it what I am working for? Damn skippy I am!

Join me. Rawr!

Frondly, Fern

Can It.

2011-08-04T10:30:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

It's canning season again! I've been doing fruit so far, but tomatoes (okay, technically a berry) and corn and beans are going to be canned soon.

It's hot and time consuming work, but not exactly intellectually demanding. Which means I have time to do magic and to ponder things. I'll talk about the magic in this post.

Back in the day, when I was a kid, one of the stories we were told about Benjamin Franklin was that he and his father were putting up barrels of pork (no doubt layered with salt). Ben, who was NOT impressed by the long time spent at each meal saying grace, reported said something along the lines of "Dude, why don't we do the grace thing now, over the whole barrel, and get it over with? We'd get our eat on faster at dinner..."

Well, I'm not taking quite that approach to the canning, but I AM invoking the blessings of the Gods on each batch I can. Working for health. For wholeness. For it to feed us body and soul.

I layer flavors in my cooking (even the peaches I just canned had added cinnamon), it's time I started layering blessings in all I do.

Frondly, Fern

Playing With Fire

2011-08-03T17:55:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

As some of y'all know, I have some issues with depression/Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It started when I was very young, around age 10 or earlier. Over the years I've tried a large assortment of therapies and drugs, and currently it's pretty well controlled with Effexor and having set up a system of accountability (so I don't try to duck/ignore anything that makes me anxious, a 'solution' which of course causes more problems than it solves).

Still, there are times when stress is high and it kicks in, and I have to change or increase medications or add some talk therapy for a while. When that occurs ... I cut down or completely cut OUT doing deep spiritual work.

You may be asking 'why' - why would Fern 'turn from the Gods' when she seems to need them the most?

Well, I don't turn from the Gods - I still talk with them (and they get their messages across to me). Same with the nature spirits, and the ancestors. And I still meditate, since that helps (as does exercise, for that matter) But I do respect the intertwining of body/mind/spirit. And I've found that it's best to work with one variable at a time.

J. H. Brennan wrote about this in the introduction to Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki's WONDERFUL book "The Ritual Magick Workbook". He talks of having nervous breakdowns after starting his occult studies, and goes into why esoteric training easily and often increases depression to such an extent that it will push you over the edge. The short reason is that MOST spiritual/occult things you do - in any system - are DESIGNED to influence all of your energy systems. And all of your energy systems (physical, mental, spiritual, chi, endocrine, emotional, sympathetic and parasympathetic, kundalini, etc - ALL OF THEM ) interact in ways that are intricate and powerful.

So, the last time this happened ... probably not coincidentally while the coven I'm in was doing a year of Kabalistic workings (and I was prepping the working on Binah, for goodness sake!) .... I took a leave of absence from the coven I'm in that allowed me to have space to adjust drugs/therapy without the added variable of continuing the Kabalistic (and other) coven work. I felt it would be detrimental to MY mental health to continue at that time, and unfair for me to burden my High Priestess with mediating any effects my out of control spiritual/occult energies could have on the coven's Group Mind. (For the record, I'm SURE she could have handled doing that!)

And I bring this up now .... why?

I'm so glad you asked that! I bring this up because lately I've seen a whole lot of folks who have depression or other emotional and mental challenges who really really want to work on their spiritual development ... whose depression or mental illnesses are not currently under any control at all. And I'm scared for them. These paths we walk are dangerous even for those who aren't pre-disposed, and for those who are pre-disposed but controlled and aware of the dangers and early warning signs of trouble. For those whose mental/emotional issues are NOT in control - on this path lies madness.

Literally. Madness. Dousing yourself with gasoline and jumping into bonfire madness. Not peace. Not initiation. Not MORE control, but LESS control.

Stop. Don't do it. Don't do energy work. Don't do trance work. Don't do Pathworkings. Don't attend 'transformative workshops'. Don't attend Pagan festivals, where folks get ungrounded as it is from all the energy darting about.

Pray, yes. Talk with the Gods. Make offerings. Honor the cycles of nature. Attend generic public rituals. Stay grounded with exercise, good food, good air, talking with real counselors, try on the appropriate prescribed drugs.

Frondly, Fern

Focus, Dammit

2011-07-12T08:07:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

I've already lost one Twitter follower over what I'm going to post here (and I sure didn't go into as much detail in 140 characters as I'm going to do here). But, for goodness sake folks, if you are getting something out of your life - be it meat, or refined carbs, or people or whatever - then really get the things out of your life. Stop blogging/posting/commenting on what is OUT of your life, and focus on what is IN your life.

Focusing on what is 'not in your life' keeps the stuff IN your life.

If you've gone vegetarian, stop the obsessing with other people eating meat - otherwise 'meat' is still a focus of your life. If someone offers you some, you just say 'I don't do that anymore, thanks" and eat something else.

Same thing if you have decided to no longer let your past limit you now. Stop pointing out the scars you got from your past. Pointing them out - focusing on the scars - keeps the past as your organizing principle.

Friends/family keep bringing up your ex? Calmly say that you are not going to discuss that issue any more, it's over, and change the subject. And do NOT change it to "why do you keep insisting on discussing 'this topic'. Change it to something positive or future oriented. Like your planned vegan meal for dinner, and how you love it (see? not how you are 'replacing meat with X, Y, or Z).

Remember that Zen allegory: "Older monk and younger monk walking to the next town together. At a river, there is a woman trying to cross, unsuccessfully, so is back on the short, crying or whatever. As monks, they aren't even supposed to NOTICE women (which I think is bullshit, and that this is an American story 'set in Asia to be cool', but, well, whatever). The older monk, saying nothing, picks the woman up and crosses the river with her. On the other side, still silent, he puts her down and continues on his way.

"Younger monk is fuming! They walk for a few hours, and then younger monk turns to his companion, saying "WTF? We aren't supposed to touch women, we aren't supposed to NOTICE women, and there you were, picking one up. You are SO full of crap!" Older monk looks at him, and replies "I put the woman down hours ago - why are you still carrying her?"

Just do it.

Frondly, Fern

Cheap, Not Easy

2011-07-11T11:16:00.002-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Did you know that the USDA estimates how much it costs to eat? "The Thrifty, Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost, and Liberal Food Plans each represent a nutritious diet at a different cost. The Thrifty Food Plan is the basis for food stamp allotments." The site with ALL the links is here http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USDAFoodPlansCostofFood.htm.

The most recent data - for May, 2011 - is available here: http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2011/CostofFoodMay2011.pdf (where they also have links to what they figure people will each on each plan.) According to them a family of thee, one woman my age, one man my husband's age, one man my son's age, will need to spend $494.90 a month ON THE THRIFTY - the LOWEST COST - of the plans.

Right now my budget for all 'grocery' type items (food, cleaning supplies, cat supplies including Frontline but NOT including the vet) I'm spending $400 a month. Which I suppose explains why I'm finding this really really hard to live on. That's rather a relief, as I had begun to think that I was screwing up somehow.

I could not do this without having a freezer - which allows me to shop sales and stock up on things. And I certainly couldn't do this if I wasn't cooking almost everything from scratch, which probably means I couldn't do it if I had to leave the house to work.

Castle of Arianrhod

2011-07-09T20:39:00.004-04:00

Castle of Arianrhod

presented by

TheFellowship of the Ancient White Stag

Assemblyof the Sacred Wheel Elder Michael Smith will be teaching a fascinating workshopand leading the Castle of Arianrhod ritual.

This is an open & free event--however donations are welcomedand will benefit

the New Alexandrian Library.

Class size and ritual size are limited to 40 people.

For more information and topreregister,

contact

Monica (witchrabbit1@yahoo.com) orLyndsay (h_lyndsay@yahoo.com).

Date:July 30

Time: Gather: 1:30,workshop 2:00

Location: Sandy Spring Community Center

17801 Meeting House Rd

SandySpring MD 20860

Dreams

2011-06-02T11:11:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

My Spawn had one of those really neat dreams recently, that I'm going to steal for a magical working soon.

In his dream, he was playing video games (yes, he's a young male through and through). As is so often the case, the character he was playing had the option of buying some tools/skills. One of the options was to buy 60 dreams. He bought that.

Apparently, since that time, he's been remember his dreams FAR more than ever before in his life.

I'm wondering what he paid for this ability, mind you. Still, this concept is one I can work with!

Frondly, Fern

Holiday Eats

2011-05-27T11:26:00.001-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

I'm working on the food for the holiday weekend right now - menus and shopping lists.

Pulled pork meal: have roast, made rub, have slaw ingredients, have rolls, need to make sauce but have sauce ingredients.

Beer-can chicken: have beer, have can, have chicken, have rub. Have taters. Have green beans and have salad ingredients.

Brats meal: have brats, buns, more slaw ingredients, mustard, need chips.

Need one more dinner .... I guess eggs or spaghetti and sauce, since I've got all ingredients for those meals.

What's on your menu?

Frondly, Fern

Memorial Day

2011-05-27T11:17:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

What are your Memorial Day plans? We'll go to a parade, and pay respects at either the Antietam graveyard or at one of the markers where a body was found from that battle closer to home.

Frondly, Fern

Taco Recipe

2011-05-27T07:14:00.001-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Dining well while broke continues. Tonight was taco night. But since the temperature was in the 90's, I chose to NOT fry tortillas into taco shells - we did soft tacos by just pan warming corn tortillas.

The shredded cheese was a bar of cheap cheddar from Aldi's. The tortillas were from a big package bought cheap somewhere else (Aldi's hasn't had corn tortillas at all this year!). No sour cream, but the Chubby Hubby could have used plain yogurt in its place. Tomatoes, well, I wasn't paying $2 per pound for fresh, so I used ones I had canned last year.

Taco filling was a mix of ground beef (sale priced) and black beans.

Taco Filling

1 large onion, chopped
2 green or red or yellow or orange bell peppers, chopped (I used ones I dried last year)
2 or more cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp chili powder
4 tsp cumin
2 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper
1 - 2 tsp ground coriander seed

Add a bit of oil to pan. Saute onion and pepper until onion is translucent. Add garlic, cook about 30 seconds more. Add and brown meat. Drain excess fat.

Add the dry spices. Cook them for about a minute. Add the tomato sauce, beans, and maybe up to 1/2 cup water. Simmer 1/2 hour. Done!

Today's Oracle

2011-05-26T09:10:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

As I added cream to my coffee today, it took the shape of a whale. Could be that there will be a Twitter problem today ("Fail Whale").

Or not.

Frondly, Fern

Analogies

2011-05-25T11:56:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darings!

I read a lot of what is posted at www.Patheos.com . It covers all sorts of religions and religious topics (even if some of the folks there, in my NEVER humble opinion, post on politics and NOT on religion).

Well. Today there was this post. I responded to it on Facebook, and I'm sharing my response right here, right now.

My Reply:

How odd. If 'fat' was no longer an issue, I'd think that people would have to listen to their body and their taste buds, and see what actually tastes good and works best for their bodies. "Fat" is not a medical diagnosis of illness. Diabetes, high blood pressure, etc are.

So let's try THIS analogy instead:

What if all food was 'free' - that is, you didn't have to pay cash for it, and any ingredient you wanted was available in any amount you wanted ... and close to your home. No more food deserts in the cities. Fruit, vegetables, all cuts of all meats/fish/tofu just down the block from you. No one would starve again.

Would people eat only Twinkies? Or, no longer having to fill up on inexpensive refined flour/rice/sugar based foods (and having less pressure on their wallets), would they now select food for flavor, texture, nutrition? Would they, now that they were no longer choosing food on a basis of scarcity, select food on how it worked with THEIR particular body's needs? Without commercials pushing unhealthy food by this food lobby or that one, would they really pick the 48 oz cola that makes their blood sugar funky and their brain wired as their drink with lunch, or would they have one chilled beer? Having a bowl of organic fruit on the table, would they go out to track down gummy bears?

Or, to use another analogy - now that they have lean, grass fed, incredibly flavorful steaks (and garlic, pepper, salt, and steak sauce) at home, would they go out for greasy unflavored hamburgers?

Yes, I said steaks. Multiples. Maybe not all at one meal, because being overfull is not comfortable and your body TELLS you that. Just like it TELLS you if you listen and you feed it only junk food, even if the junk food is free.

Some people would still choose to be vegan - and it would be easier for them. Some would choose to be omnivores. Some bodies would still do best on Atkins diet, or Dr. Weil's anti-inflamatory diet. But, wit food free .... they would be able to follow the diet best for them, and listen to their bodies, without the pressure of a for-profit (or for-prophet) sales system.

Rain.

2011-05-24T04:24:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Rain and thunder are happening as I type this. Which is typical for this spring. Which means my garden is FAR FAR FAR from in.

The soil here, being clay, really is sticky and heavy when wet. And rock hard when dry. We're trying to turn it, then add compost, but it's been really slow going. The guy who the landlord hired to mow the lawn is willing to till it, but his tiller needs welding so that hasn't happened yet, either.

So my seedlings wait, rather root bound and impatient. And I never got the greens and turnips and such in. I'll try for a fall crop of those.

How does your garden grow?

Wicca 101 - Class 1

2011-05-23T10:30:00.000-04:00

I'm kind of noodling about how I'd teach Wicca 101. I'd love some feedback! I've got ideas for the first three classes (I expect that there would be 10 to 13 classes in the series.

Class 1 – nature, not nurture.

In this class everyone is outside for the entire class. Summer is the best time for it. Tick, and maybe mosquito repellent is recommended. Go out looking at wild flowers. See that sex is everywhere in nature. See that all the sex isn’t hetero – much of it is a 3-way of one male flower part, one female flower part, and it doesn’t work without a female bee in the mix (or wasps or flies of any gender, for that matter). Note that some flowers are male only (easiest to see in spring, when mulberries and pine are spewing semen/pollen all over the place), some are female only, some are hermaphrodites.

Actually, with the mulberries, I suppose Wind/Air takes the place of Spirit. I'll have to ponder the implications of that, besides the obvious connection of air/east/beginnings.

Also note that sex is, sometimes, NO WHERE in nature. Ferns – a topic dear to MY heart – are asexual, with a whole different type of reproduction that includes not just spores but a haploid version.

Note the yews, with sexed plants PLUS asexual spreading/survival.

Meet some chickens, where the female are XY and the males are XX. And where XY females have been known to become fully functioning males if the flock needs it. Thus, transexuality is build into nature, too.

From here, the discussion goes into how polarity is not duality, it is subtle, shifting, mutable. Much of Wicca’s theology and magic is based on the dance of polarity. Remember this when talking of The God and The Goddess. Mutable. Dance. Subtle.

First World Wicca

2011-05-23T10:08:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

I know, the title of this is redundant.

But I keep getting amazed at the Wiccans I run into on-line who approach Wicca as something to be purchased. Yes, I ranted about this before, which is why I put forth the "don't buy ANYTHING MORE" challenge.

Alas, it seems that not everyone on the planet has read my blog. [Darlings, aren't you re-tweeting the link?] I keep running into new Wiccans who aren't DOING a thing, their entire focus is on BUYING things. Not buying one book, but buying every tool, everything they might want for their altar, etc.

This idea that you BUY Wicca is, to me, abhorant. Okay, to me the idea you can buy ANY religion, any connection to the God/dess/es, is. But to say that you don't DO any Wicca until you have all the bling? Screw that! It's just an excuse to keep consumerism as your religion, to continue to build a relationship with what you own (and owe) rather than the Gods.

Seriously - you don't need to 'buy all your supplies' before you can build a relationship with the Gods. Unless in truth it's all about shopping therapy, and not truly the Gods.

Instead of spending hours online deciding what to purchase - and asking fucking strangers online if "this is the right thing to buy for my BOS" - START TALKING TO THE GODS. And, more than that - LISTEN TO THEIR REPLIES.

THAT is what Wicca is about. Not buying altar clothes. Not buying overpriced 'Charmed-style' notebooks for your Book of Shadows - use a spiral notebook. Or, often better, a 3 ring binder and loose leaf paper. I get my 3 ring binders from garage sales. and re-use the blank back side of printouts of our office computer programming printouts for the pages.

Stop confusing affectation with content.

Do the WORK.

All you need is yourself and the Gods. All else is optional, but, in fact, you already have them. Incense? Cut an orange or a lemon. Athame? Grab a kitchen knife. Chalice? A sippy cup would do, let alone a water glass. Wand? I've used a stick from outside my apartment or chopsticks. Candle? Does not the fire of life run thru' you?

Doing the work makes you Wiccan, not owning shit.

Frondly (or not), Fern

Could it be .... Satan?

2011-05-09T14:01:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

I've said most of what I'm about to blog before, not so much here in the blog but in oral discussions, old Prodigy bulletin boards, and in various chat rooms. The impetus for putting it together here came from the following exchange on Facebook (in a discussion of the movie Thor):

Lucy Castellon Goffan I love to know when they are going to GET THAT WE DON'T WOSHIP SATAN !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kristi A Gilleland Lucy - probably when their preachers decide to quit telling them that.

I'm not going to argue about who 'we' are here - tho' I'm thinking that they aren't Asatruar, since I've never seen any Asatruar who spend any time wondering when 'they' are going to do ANYTHING. I'll assume that they are 'generic neopagan'.

Yes, I know very well that generic neopaganism doesn't involve the Christian version of Satan. I know that polarity is not duality.

But, oh you who demand tolerance, nay, demand acceptance - when are y'all going to accept that in traditional/standard Christian monotheism all Gods but their own are defined as Satan (or a Satanic delusion)?

Seriously: demanding respect by disrespecting their beliefs is lame.

So what if their religion defines 'our' religion as Satanic? Get over it. Maybe read my earlier post http://fernsfronds.blogspot.com/2010/09/rite-of-passage.html.

Frondly, Fern

Unpacking. Still.

2011-05-09T12:29:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

You remember that I moved? Back in November? My computer tells me we're now into the second week of May.

We still have a whole bunch of unpacking to move. We do not travel light. We are book people.

Actually, MY books are unpacked. I have a few boxes of papers that are not unpacked .... okay, maybe 10 or so of them. But the husband .... he has boxes of crap in the bedroom to be unpacked, boxes of equipment to be unpacked (most of which I have just neatly stacked so I can move around the office and lab better), and over 50 boxes of books to unpack.

But yesterday one of our clients sent an e-mail, waving money and asking the Chubby Hubby to work on a new project. For which the CH needs to get at his books on SNMP. Which are, as we say a lot around here, "in a box, somewhere." So the CH mentions that he wants our Spawn to find the books. Which were last seen 'on the floor by his desk' before we moved.

Spawn and I, after we finally cut back the pampas grass, head to the detached garage to go thru' the pile of CH's boxes of books. Nothing is labeled "floor by CH's desk". (Yes, I had boxes of my books labeled "floor by the couch". I found all MY books.) I send the Spawn to drag the CH to the garage.

"Okay, there are boxes labeled 'Lab 1'. Those are from the bookshelf unit that was by my desk. I would have packed the books by my desk in those boxes." Ours not to ask why. I have the spawn move all 'Lab 1' boxes to the front parlor, which has no furniture, just boxes of CH stuff, and tell the Spawn to open them there and look for the books in question. It takes us some effort to go thru' the 50 boxes to get all the 'Lab 1' boxes identified and liberated, but we do it, Spawn schleps them, and finally finds the right box. CH is now thrilled, as the box has a whole LOT of books he really used often.

But, had he just labeled the damn box "books from floor by my desk", we'd have put that box in the office IMMEDIATELY when we moved, and he'd have had them all along.

OTOH, CH wanted us to open EVERY ONE of the 50 boxes, rather than try to figure out which label was most likely to succeed. So I think I scored efficiency points.

Frondly, Fern

Cream Sauce Recipe

2011-05-09T09:59:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

As I said, I made a quick and sleazy cream sauce yesterday - well, a cream sauce that featured no cream, nor even half and half, but was still tasty. It was almost entirely made with storage foods. Time to share the recipe!

3 tbs butter
2 tbs all purpose flour
1 12 oz can evaporated milk (I used evaporated skim, it would have been better with evap. whole)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
dash or two or three of hot sauce
a nice slug of dry sherry (I had to use extra dry vermouth, as I'm out of sherry)
1 small can mushrooms (if you want to make it a mushroom cream sauce)

Melt butter in saucepan, let the foaming come to an end. Add flour, cook for a few minutes to cook the butter. Slowly add the can of evaporated milk, stirring well and constantly - use a whisk if possible! Add the other ingredients. Simmer for a minute or two, adding more of any of the seasonings to taste. I added more salt and nutmeg this time, for the dish I was making.

That's it. Easy peasy.

Frondly, Fern

Neglected

2011-05-08T14:40:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

It's Mother's Day. I called my Mother, but can't afford to send her anything. I don't think that the Chubby Hubby has called his mother yet. The spawn ... well. He got me nothing, didn't say Happy Mother's Day or anything. Around 11 I told him I was hurt. Around 12 I told the CH to order the Spawn out to get me a card. So now I have a card. CH didn't get me a card, or say anything, but he's overwhelmed by our finances so he's getting a pass this year.

So I'm cooking for me today. I made a cream sauce, and then Eggs Florentine for breakfast. I'm baking one of my favorite cakes right now. I'm considering forcing the guys to eat vegetarian for dinner, but might make dol sat bi bim bop for dinner.

Le Sigh.

Frondly, Fern

Secret Stuff

2011-04-26T18:18:00.002-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Today I started planning for my husband's birthday. Which is not until the end of August. But at the end of August he will be in Phoenix at the Microchip Technology MASTERs Conference .... and I will be here on the east coast.

So getting him some birthday on his birthday is going to be a bit of a challenge. However, since he NEVER reads my blog, I can plan it here safely.

The MASTERs conference - and I'll probably put up banners for it later, we tend to be the 3rd party vendor who out performs everyone else at promoting the conference - gets at least 500 people in attendance. It used to get about 900, but since then they have started offering them all over the world, so far fewer Europeans and Asians come to the main one. Still, 500 people in one dining room is a substantial amount of people.

So .. I've e-mailed one contact at MCHP so far, and tweeted another, and may e-mail yet another. What I want is for someone to lead the folks eating dinner in singing "Happy Birthday" to the Chubby Hubby.

Now, the fact that this would get a bit more attention to our business at the conference, and the classes that the Chubby Hubby teaches there, isn't the point of this .... but I suppose that type of thing could happen.

I did something like this once before. Back in 1987 I was very pregnant, and we were on vacation in Oregon. We were up at Timberline Lodge at Mt Hood. I could not walk 10 steps without having to stop and rest. The Chubby Hubby wanted to hike. I sent him out without me - hiking was NOT an option for me. It was his birthday. I called the dining room, made our dinner reservation. I made sure that they knew it was his birthday, and that his dessert should come with a candle, a group singing, and an extra helping of embarassment. That night, as I did request, so it was done.

The Chubby Hubby LOVED it. Ate it up with a spoon. Loved the dessert, too.

This might be as epic, if I work it right.

Frondly, Fern

Shopping is Eternal

2011-04-25T15:40:00.001-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

It's Monday. I usually do most of my grocery shopping on Mondays, because one chain of stores near me has GREAT prices on meat on Mondays (they reduce the stuff that didn't sell over the weekend).

So off I went this morning, with a list carefully made up after talking to husband and son yesterday. Shopped at 3 stores. Noted gas prices, posted them on Gas Buddy when I got home, after putting the groceries away.

I have been home for 3+ hours. NOW my husband tells me he has only one beer left, and that he'd really really really like it if I could pick up some today or tomorrow.

Growl.

Mutter.... gas prices .... already shopped.... checked with him BEFORE shopping..... gas prices .... my time .... it's not even GOOD beer, it's just f'ing Killeans..... gas prices....mutter.

I really am frustrated by this. Less because I will go out for it, again, but because of the waste of gas involved if ANYONE goes.

And ... this is the man who whines that I don't review my lists in detail before I leave and make sure that I have everything I need to do all that is on my lists. What good is it to go over my lists when I know HE hasn't told me everything that needs to be done?

Easter Weekend

2011-04-22T19:15:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

This is the hardest weekend for our mixed-religion family. Passover for the Jewish Spawn, you see, doesn't mesh well with the Chubby Hubby's Methodist Easter Feast. The Spawn loves his flakey layered rolls, but .... it's Passover. And Easter baskets were out when he was a kid, too.

So what can I serve that makes everyone happy?

Traditionally, we have a rib roast as the main meat. But the stores here in WV don't have them on sale for Easter - the stores in Maryland do. And with things being as they are, I couldn't afford one this year, at $35+.

What to do? What to do?

The answer - read the food ads, stupid.

Aldi's had a sale on frozen ducklings. We haven't had duck in AGES and AGES. We used to rub them in 5 spice powder, slit the skin, and roast 'em indoors. But the smoke filled the house - fatty little delicious buggers!

The duck is thawing, we're going to salt & pepper it and grill it out in the smoker. With a pan of taters under it, so the taters can roast AND get the fat dripping on them. We'll have salad (Spawn will have strawberries in with his greens), duck, taters, broccoli, and baked apples for dessert.

Everyone should be VERY happy.

Or else.

Frondly, Fern

Gas Prices

2011-04-21T16:38:00.001-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

You might not have noticed - but since y'all are brilliant enough to read my blog you almost certainly HAVE noticed - that gas prices have been going up incredibly. As in the prices are up almost $1.00 over the past year. As in a 33% increase in one year. How's THAT for an inflation rate?

So, one of the people I follow shares an article about this on Facebook. And someone - Gods, may it be a troll and not a supposedly thinking individual - responds "You know, if $6/gallon gas would make people decide to own fewer cars, drive less and give up the gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs, I think I could find a way to live with it." It's the first time I've seen the bumper-sticker stereotype "Democrats think high gas prices are a good thing" actually from a supposed liberal. Because, of course, it's not like high gas prices are actually going HURT anyone, ya know. They aren't going to make anyone have to choose between travel to work and food. They won't cause food prices to rise. It's not like the people who have the least ability to HANDLE gas prices - and they aren't the stereotype SUV/Hummer drivers - are going to suffer. No, no, the rise in prices will just affect people who can afford new cars. And, of course, manufacturing new cars takes NO oil products, no fossil fuels at all, let alone more fossil fuels than using them saves. Oh, wait, manufacturing them takes MORE Energy than they save, and MORE petroleum products than using up existing cars. Who'd have thought that? Not the writer, clearly. Or she doesn't think that the poor suffering is too much for THEM to pay for HER goal of getting 'the rich SUV owners' to buy different cars. The poor, especially the rural poor, are either invisible to her or don't matter to her. Or both.

I hope, the everyone's sake, that the writer is a troll, not a fucking moron.

Fern

Banking

2011-03-30T14:41:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

No, I'm not going off on the Banksters and Quantative Easing ... I've been trying to iron out issues in our Online Banking and on our credit cards (from a different bank!

I love the people who work in the local branches of the bank we use for business and personal checking/savings accounts. They are professional, personable, and work hard to make my life easier. But our account is an OLD OLD OLD one - we started at Mellon bank, it got bought by yet another bank, and that got bought by the bank we are now with. As a result, suddenly the software or something realized that they don't have signature cards for us - they were with the original bank, and no one knows where that paperwork is now. So, when I went to link our personal account with our business account for online banking ... things blew up.

But I went in and filled out the paperwork, took it home, had the Chubby Hubby sign, brought it all back, the person helping me faxed it all to the main office, called the main office, and was assured that I'd have everything online the next day. I went home, relieved, but didn't need to do anything online right away - I had done it at the bank at the same time.

Fast forward one month .... to yesterday.

Knowing that I'd be going to the bank (some 30 miles away), I checked the online banking. STILL no access to the personal accounts. Went to the bank. Spent an hour with the branch manager HERSELF calling and being transferred around Main Corporate Office as she tried to figure out what had gone wrong. We ended up having me do all the paperwork over, now for both business accounts and both personal accounts. I'll take the paperwork back on Friday, after the CH again signs it, and see if we can get it done then.

Sigh.

While I was at the bank I deposited a check from a client into the business account, which we still can't do from home but the bank has explained to us how to set up. I get home, ready to pay bills, but cooked dinner instead. This morning the CH tells me that one of our monthly bills didn't get auto-paid due to a credit card problem, I need to look into it. I call THIS bank. The robotic voice tells me what our balances are, and that there is about $2K in headroom. But I added the balances on that account (both of us have cards that contribute to the total) and in fact we were within a few dollars of our credit limit, so of course the charge wouldn't go thru'. I made a payment so we SHOULD be able to clear this up tomorrow .... but I do NOT understand why the robot info says we have lot of headroom on the card!

Just one of those frustrating financial times, with the bank central offices NOT helping.

Frondly, Fern

Exercising Sucks

2011-03-29T21:34:00.000-04:00

Do I really need to say more?

Blessings, Darlings!

Today I re-started exercising, for about the 20th time. As a result, I'm in full whine mode. My feet hurt, my knee hurts (okay, it has been pissy for the past few days), my arms hurt, my back is getting ready to hurt..... I've taken an ibuprofen so I will be better able to sleep without pain tonight.

I do NOT enjoy exercising. I like being able to say that I exercised any given day, but that's not been enough to sustain the habit of actually doing it.

Incidentally, by training/degree I'm a Health Educator. Never mind my overweight, out of shape, high cholesterol/triglycerides/blood pressure self. I know WHY I should exercise and be fit and eat right. I just don't do it.

But, again, I'm going to try. I'm also, again, giving up procrastination - yes, starting immediately.

My plan is to get my pasty white ass up every day at 7, brush teeth/wash face/feed cats. Meditate. Do some warm-up exercises, then get on the exercise bike for 20 - 45 minutes (right now 20, will work up to the 45), then jump in shower, then healthy high protein breakfast, then on with my productive day. Add another round of exercise in later most days (weights, stuff to increase core body strength, etc) and a walk.

Doing this, I should be in great shape in about 30 years.

Stay tuned.

Frondly, Fern

Elders

2011-03-28T10:20:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

As a consumer, I love Groupon. When I lived in DC I got several wonderful deals using it. Now that I'm rural, it's not as useful to me.

However, I have subscribed to it in my Mother In Law's city, South Bend, Indiana so I can follow deals there and maybe pick up coupons for her. Over the weekend they had one for the Studebaker Museum, for example, and that was a good option for her.

And then there was today's offer.

Tandem skydiving. For $70 off.

I pointed it out to the Chubby Hubby, who laughed. "And everyone thinks that the Eskimos are tough, 'sticking old folks on ice floes' and all. But even THEY don't throw them out of air planes!"

Frondly Fern

It's Spring

2011-03-26T20:46:00.000-04:00

Except it's not, because we're getting more snow.

Blessings, Darlings!

I've been starting seeds, and getting house plumbing issues fixed, and all that neat stuff lately. OTOH, I'm going to have to turn lawn into a garden, AND fence it (groundhogs and deer), using practically no money. I'm afraid to borrow a tiller from a friend because I fear that I'll hit a huge rock while using it and break it.

The spring wild veggies, dandelions and wild onions, are growing in the yard, and I'll be added them to omelettes and such. But due to the cold weather we're going to have this week, on the stove as I type this is veggie barley with beef soup. We finished the miso soup today, but will be having that again soon - it's easy to make and I'm pushing sea veggies on the family just now.

I'll probably post the soup recipes in a few days.

Blessings, Fern

Mantrums

2011-03-23T14:54:00.002-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

The Chubby Hubby had quite the tantrum last night.

After months of job and financial stress, and a long-ass day, he was putting a cup of coffee into the microwave oven in order to heat it. But he fumbled. Coffee spilled.

And he lost it. Totally.

Grabbing the lid of a Glad Ware casserole (which the Spawn was making Rice Krispy Treats in), he yelled, swore, beat the counter with the lid sending shards of cheap plastic all around the kitchen. Spawn and I rolled our eyes.

Once the CH stopped, I ordered him to NOT return to work that evening and sent him to his room with a bottle ... of George Killians Irish Red beer.

Supermoon

2011-03-19T15:07:00.001-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Most of us Pagans have been bombarded by 'supermoon' info - that the full moon yesterday/today is the closest to earth (by 10% or so) and brightest (by 30%) in 19 years.

Many Pagans on Facebook and Twitter are reporting feeling the energy quite clearly.

Which all makes me wonder - what of the Super DARK Moon? Was the last dark moon, or will the next dark moon, or some other moon, be the closest DARK moon to Earth in ? And what would the energy of THAT be? Chaos?

It sure wouldn't be peaceful! But, oddly, at least one person has noted that the energy of THIS is peaceful.

Huh? If full moon is about fertility, especially when combined with Eostre and spring equiniox ... fertility is total chaos, when looked at in sexual reproduction. Scores of sperms (or the equivalent from pollen) putting forth all sorts of energy towards hitting that ovum. Or all those ova, if we have spawning in water. Mate or die. Well, mate AND die, but your genes go on, even tho' you may die just from the exertion involved in being successfully fertile.

I'd say that if this moon doesn't go all the way to chaos, it certainly is about Madness. Isn't the worship of Dionysis around now? Bacchanalia, baby! Maenads tearing up animals alive and eating their still quivering flesh.

Peaceful super moon, my pasty white ass.

Frondly, Fern

Weekends

2011-03-19T11:28:00.001-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Weekends are when we get to work ON our business, not FOR or IN our business, focusing on the internet marketing aspect. We catch up on marketing and sales webinars and reading, we work on the website, we work on e-mail follow-up sequences, etc.

We are an affiliate of Infusionsoft (links and more promo of that coming soon! Whoo hoo!). For now, just a link to the book by one of the founders, which is a good (and cheap) buy: Conquer The Chaos: How to Grow a Successful Small Business Without Going Crazy. We are also members of (but not affiliates of) Stompernet.

Someday I'll do a blog full of all my favorite people/resources here. But not today.

Back to sharpening my saw!

Frondly, Fern

Japan

2011-03-16T11:15:00.000-04:00

Blessings, Darlings!

I'm going to assume that y'all, like me, have prayers and money support going to Japan already, and won't be nagging about that.

But, holy shit, the situation there keeps going and going and going. Earthquake, tsunami, reactor problem, more earthquakes, more reactor problems, more reactor problems, more earthquakes, more reactor problems. And I do NOT think that the reactor folks are telling anyone the whole truth, and I do NOT think that the Japanese Govt is telling us all the partial truths that the reactor folks are telling them.

That point in the news conference from the Japanese govt a few days ago, when, after the Prime Minister did his dance and some other govt minister (energy or nuclear) was being questioned ... he was asked if the Japanese Govt had called in IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) experts for help. His reply - he didn't know! WTF? The Japanese press being well-behaved lap-dogs, they didn't press on the issue. Holy MFing Shit!

Even the usually very diplomatic IAEA is saying that the Japanese are holding back info http://www.sify.com/news/iaea-wants-faster-information-from-japan-news-international-ldqhafhhaig.html .

Yes, 'it's not Chernobyl' in that the core is not flamable, no graphite involved. HOWEVER - the containment buildings are breached at the #2 and #3 reactors, the stored used rods are exposed (and not at ALL contained) at the #4 reactor, #1 has known issues but not known breaches, #5 & #6 have temperatures rising. They had to pull the poor schmucks still there trying to get the place under control for a while due to the radiation leaks. They couldn't bring in helicopters to drop water or sandbags because of the excessive radiation leaks.

Oh, but with prevailing western winds (as if the wind is ALWAYS from the west?), 'most' of the radiation will 'harmlessly' go out into the Pacific. Where the cesium will be taken up by the algae and seaweed, and from there into the oceanic food chain. Will it reach the US, contaminating US crops? The same experts who said that this wouldn't happen at all say no. Remember, if it DOES get here, it's going to include not just cesium (nasty nasty nasty stuff), but radioactive iodine and strontium as well.

Do I have a horse in this race? Of course. My husband is older than I am. He was part of the generation where doctors 'treated' enlarged tonsils by irradiating. Yes, it shrank the tonsils. His generation also has an incredibly high thyroid cancer rate in those who have had this treatment. The Chubby Hubby had this done, and has had most of his thyroid removed due to pre-cancerous nodules already.

It's too late for anyone to order potassium iodide pills - they got snapped up fast this last weekend, and resellers are charging a HUGH amount now. There are rumors, with no sources cited, that the US govt has bought up all that manufactures had in reserve and all currently being produced. Skin application of liquid iodine, like my mom used to use for splinters, would still top off the iodine supply of the thyroid, preventing accumulation of radioactive isotopes.

It's not clear that there is anything that can be done to prevent problems from cesium and strontium in the food chain, other than not eating exposed foods. How would we keep them out of the food chain? Dunno. Strontium will mostly accumulate in milk products if it makes it here (?and maybe in bones of small fish then larger fish? like sardines, then canned small salmon and mackerel? all in the Pacific ocean?) because it's in the same family as calcium. Cesium will be in plants, it being in the potassium elemental family, but is usually a bigger problem from skin exposure - that part will probably only be an issue in Japan.

This all sucks, mostly for Japan, but for the world in general.

Frondly, Fern

My Food Storage Approach

2011-03-11T09:21:00.001-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

With the latest natural disaster - today's massive earthquake in Japan, and the resultant Pacific Rim tsunamis - it seems a good time to answer a question I got.

The question, obviously, was what is my approach to food storage?

Well, it's multifaceted.

For short-term disruptions, like our recent hit to income or anything under a month, I'd rely more on canned goods and emptying the freezer, as well as home-baked breads/etc, sprouts, garden in season, and the 'usual' rotation of the long-term storage.

For long-term food storage, I have a tiered approach.

First tier - calories and vitamins/minerals. That mostly means grains, and my obsession with 50 pound bags of wheat, along with rice, corn, and quinoa. Add to that vitamin and calcium supplements. Vitamins for everyone, calcium for me, as I am a woman and need to keep the bones strong. With 400 or so pounds of grain per person plus vitamin and mineral supplements, we would make it thru' a year. We'd be undernourished, but alive. Actually, I have oils in this level, too, since we humans need some essential oils in our diet. Here I have olive oil, sesame oil, canola oil, peanut oil. Alas, oils have a fairly limited shelf life, so I don't store as much of them as I'd like, and the extra olive oil is in the freezer.

Second tier - protein. Beans, mostly, which also help with calories. I'm still WAY light on them. Ideally, I'd have 200 pounds per person of beans stored, or 600 pounds total. Instead, I have 66 pounds (plus the 'in use' supply in the kitchen, about 10 more pounds). However, beans don't store as well as grains do. After a few years, they become too stale to cook.

'Tis a dilemma.

I also have a lot of nuts stored, to help with the protein levels, (and they also help with essential oils and calories) and a nice supply of canned fish along with a little canned chicken and beef.

Third Tier - Everything else. With an emphasis on dried fruit, dried veggies, sweeteners (sugar, maple syrup, honey), seasonings. A little dry milk, a very few cans of freeze-dried meals, cocoa powder, etc.

Water gets its own category. One 55 gallon water barrel, one 80 gallon water heater, 13 gallons in bottles that I rotate regularly. We are on well water, so if power goes even short term, we have no water except what is stored .... or that I carry from a nearby stream and run thru' a water purifier. And I'm not talking a Brita filter setup, I'm talking Katydin filter or, someday, a Berkley set up.

Clearly, I also have a hand crank grain mill, and general cooking supplies. Cooking fuel I'll cover later.

Frondly, Fern

Supply Cabinet

2011-03-11T04:58:00.001-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

My Menfolk FINALLY put the doors on my Occult Supply Cabinet. And I've found almost all the boxes of stuff that go in it. And I unloaded those boxes and loaded the Cabinet.

I'm still missing the incenses, oils, charcoal, most of my candles, and sewing supplies (the patterns and material for robes, altar cloths, etc). But I'm still a much happier camper!

And Suz, if you're reading this - I found that Domination candle I bought for you some time back.

Frondly, Fern

Cultus Interruptis

2011-03-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Well, Pagani, it's Lent for our Roman Catholic friends. And I'm sure it's one fast or another (or a fast is coming up soon) for our Greek Orthodox friends. And my Jewish family is gearing up for Passover.

There is Cultus around us, but not Amongstus - not much cultus in the general neopagan community.

I'm not saying that there is NONE. Suz does her monthly fast and offerings, my buddy Poison Spoon did a year of fasting a while back, not just her 'regular' periodic fasts (obviously not a 'no food at all' fast) .... but they are Reconstructionists, specifically Greek and Roman ones, respectively. I really haven't seen Celtic or Heathen Reconstructionists do that level of cultus.

I'm just sort of puzzling over the idea of this level of cultus, not yet sure if it's a good model for everyone, if it's got something to do with the lands of origin (the middle east, the Mediterranean), or what.

Anyone with hints?

Frondly, Fern

Penises are Weird and Scary

2011-03-09T03:43:00.005-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

I assume that most of my Pagan readership has read about the woman (separatist Dianic Witch) vs woman (trans woman, intersex women, gender queer women) issue at Pantheacon: that some trans women were not allow to attend a woman's ritual (apparently including one woman who had already had bottom surgery). If you missed it - check out the threads at The Wild Hunt, at Patheos, and most of all at http://fruitofpain.wordpress.com/2011/02/27/in-response-to-the-lilith-rite-at-pantheacon. Oh, it's covered other places as well, trust me.

While I've posted a reply or two on all those sites, it's time for me to 'officially' address it here on my very own blog.

I'm going to focus on just a few things, and not some other things:

1 - I'm not speaking as a diplomat, so assume that if I screw up on some language/reference it's not to be offensive. I promise to let you know when I'm trying to be offensive. I'm trying to be 'good' here - I even left out the words 'just fucking' before the word "assume" in the previous sentence.

2 - Transexual women ARE 'born women'. I'm not speaking FOR the transexual community here, I'm quoting the transexual community and my friends within it. I cannot and will not deny their experiences and lives.

3 - The US constitution gives everyone freedom of association and assembly. For the purposes of THIS blog post, however, I'm not going to address private groups and criteria for membership, or private (not mixed group) venues. Instead....

4 - I'm going to focus on rituals/workshops/etc held at Pagan conferences/festivals, where the space is paid for by EVERY paid attendee (and where presenters may have rooms/meals/transportation/etc comped by those in charge of the event. AND where everyone separates and goes home away from almost all of the presenters afterwords.

A) What are the PURPOSES of Pagan Conferences?

A conference is NOT a meeting of a tradition

I totally admit I have a set of biases here.

A Pagan conference is not the same as a gathering of a particular pagan tradition.

For me, a Pagan Conference is all about introducing people in the pagan community to others in the community, to find out about and experience open rituals for different traditions, to attend workshops, lectures, etc to find out about new things.

It's about open rituals, darlings, open lectures, open workshops.

In my view, at no conference would it be appropriate for, say, one tradition to be given a conference room by the conference management to do, say, their private initiations, leaving out non-tradition members at the conference. I would see that as inappropriate.

Now, as Pantheacon's web site points out, many traditions there had their own hospitality suites (presumably paid for by the traditions themselves). For a trad to say "hey, lots of us will be at this conference, how about we do some long-awaited working there privately, in our own suite" - cool. A tradition-specific, and tradition-paid-for, hospitality suite is private tradition space in such a context.

But for a tradition to use conference paid for space for a tradition-only ritual - no. Conferences should not be subsidizing specific traditions private events.

I'm going to copy and paste a statement from Sacred Space Conference, held last month in Maryland, because I love how they word this:

The Sacred Space Conference is a place and time of respectful sharing and thoughtful learning among the many rich and varied traditions, beliefs, paths and organizations found in the DC/Baltimore metropolitan region, the surrounding Mid-Atlantic area, and the world. It is our hope that through this conference we will increase understanding and religious tolerance between the many traditions within the esoteric community, as well as within the public at large.

Sharing and learning among.

B) Conferences and festivals are NOT good places to do deep transformative work.

I suppose that to some folks, I just typed heresy.

But I stand by the statement.

Truly deep transformative rituals should be done in a group close to home, a group that the individuals are already intimate with, groups that can and WILL do intimate follow up with the people afterwords. You don't do life changing rituals - and that INCLUDES deep healings, not that anyone has said what the ritual in question aimed to to at Pantheacon - and then let the participants loose in the world. At BEST, some level of personal chaos is going to be kicked up by such rituals. At worst, psychotic breaks.

In either case, or anywhere in between, you don't abandon the participants to float off on their own after such a ritual.

I'm going to end this here, tho' I believe that entire books could be written on this.

Frondly, Fern

Instant Rice

2011-03-08T02:17:00.008-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

I've discovered that I'm making instant rice today. That wasn't really my plan, just a happy coincidence.

Original plan: Pie crust

My plan was to create a nightshade and gluten free recipe1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes for baked pie crust. From there, I decided to go for a crispy crust and to go for a creamy filling. First thought - get a box of crispy rice breakfast cereal, mix it with beaten egg white, form the crust and bake it.

But the name brand product, and the generic spin offs, aren't actually gluten free. I could go to supermarket and see if the gluten-free shelves have something appropriate, but I already have one day of car use scheduled this week.

Modification of Plan:

So, I figured I'd make Chinese Crispy Rice, such as is used in Crispy Rice (or Singing Rice) soup. To do this, you make rice (kind of overcooking it - a full 30 minutes on the stove), then spread it no more than 1/4 inch thick on a baking pan. Leave it in a 300 degree oven until dry.

Once dry, you deep fry it. It puffs! If you put it in hot soup, right after it's been fried and is still hot, it 'sings' and crackles.

My plan was to fry it, crumble it, THEN glue it together with egg white and bake it. And I'm still doing that, but came to another realization....

Prepper Realization

So the first tray full of rice is drying in the oven. I'm waiting for it to finish. But, since I look at everything thru' Prepper eyes, it dawns on me....

If I take the dry cooked rice, I have instant rice. Just add water. Duh. It could be mixed with dry veggies and a bouillion cube. Add water, and it's a really nice side dish, not even the 15 minutes of white rice cooking involved, let alone the 45 minutes of brown rice cooking.

Double Duh.

Therefore....

Instead of just doing one tray of this, I'll be doing several. I'll still hold enough 'fresh cooked' rice around for tonight's stir fry dinner, but there won't be leftover rice in my fridge tomorrow. It will all be dried and in well-sealed jars.

Frondly, Fern

Beyond Polarity

2011-03-07T08:53:00.000-05:00

I just read a glorious essay on the current limits on God/dess images in the Pagan community. Here's the link:

http://foxfetch.wordpress.com/2011/03/01/in-our-own-image-transcentric-paganism/

Go forth and be wonderful.
(Oh - I clicked on 'all results' to be shown for the Amazon link - some of the offers Amazon will show will be vile, I'm sure. Just thought I'd warn y'all.)

Frondly, Fern

Cupcakes

2011-02-16T06:14:00.009-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Being broke is one thing - feeling deprived is another. The Chubby Hubby is happy that I'm making sure he doesn't feel like he's broke AND on a diet. Instead, I'm 'medicating' our stress by baking nummies. Lots of nummies. From scratch.

But now that we're several weeks into Even Harder Times, my recipes are changing. Last week I had to decide if I was going to buy butter or shortening for baking with. I went with shortening. In recipes that call for butter I'm now using half butter and half shortening. For recipes that call for shortening, I'm using shortening.

The shortening container (all vegetable shortening, BTW) does creative measuring, using a serving size just small enough that they don't have to say it has trans fats in it. I'm not falling for that trick, but I'm still buying the stuff. Even if I wasn't using it in the baking now, I'd still use it in pie crusts, because having been raised Jewish I just can't do leaf lard crusts.

Back to the baking at hand: the first cupcakes I baked to perk him up was from a recipe, probably from America's Test Kitchen. It called for four eggs and two sticks of butter, among the other ingredients. The Chubby Hubby LOVED them. The spawn and I found the distinct egg flavor and stiff - even rubbery - texture off-putting.

To keep the baked goods going, and keep all of us happy, I'm switching cookbooks. Farewell, America's Test Kitchen, hello Betty Crocker!

The Betty Crocker cookbook is probably the oldest cookbook we own. The Chubby Hubby bought it when he was still single (along with some Sunset Cookbooks). We still use it heavily. It contains the duct tape of cooking - the standard recipes that hold a kitchen together.

From Betty, I decided to do the One Egg Cake recipe, in cupcake form. Only one egg, not four eggs, only 1/3 cup of 'soft shortening' (that means regular vegetable shortening to you and me), not two sticks of butter. The recipe DID make 3 less cupcakes than the other recipe, but the taste and texture made the Spawn and me happier, and the Chubby Hubby was content if not ecstatic.

Neither recipes cupcakes needed any frosting, BTW. They rocked standing alone.

Oh, the Spawn has made his first yeast dough baking - soft pretzels - and he did a WONDERFUL job. He followed Alton Brown's recipe.

Next, we will either bake brownies (both America's Test Kitchen and Betty Crocker have easy cheap ingredient recipes) or I'll add chopped semisweet chocolate to the one egg cupcake recipe.

On a TOTALLY unrelated note - I've dropped 3 pounds since moving. I think it's all the stairs. It's certainly not my diet....

Frondly, Fern

Minestrone

2011-02-15T01:40:00.003-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

As regular readers have already discovered - we eat a lot of home-made soup here. Partly because we DO like it, partly because it's easy to heat for lunch, partly because it's cheap when made from scratch.

Today I decided to make minestrone, for the first time.

Looking it up I discovered that 'minestrone' simply means 'first course'. Which makes sense, when you consider the 5-course meals at good Italian restaurants that we share as a family. Soup, salad, pasta, main course, dessert. Small servings of 5 courses (one meal, split 3 ways, maybe with an extra salad thrown in).
Lot of variety, but SMALL SERVINGS.

I digress.

Every area of Italy apparently has it's own style of minestrone soup. And to my husband's amazement, "Campbells" is NOT an area of Italy.

Not being in Italy, I looked at recipes and winged it, using what I had on hand. Meaning no zucchini, which I have ALWAYS seen in minestrone soup. And I have several bottle of 'tomato water' - the liquid left over after I canned jars of tomatoes.

So I took one quart of 'tomato water...
One quart home-canned tomatoes
One onion.
One 15 oz can of commercial canned carrots
one stalk celery
a little leftover spinach
three cups of chopped cabbage
a little leftover ham
a pint of home-canned green beans
a quart of cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans
two bouillion cubes
a little freshly-ground black pepper
Some salt.
Leftover whole-wheat rigatoni, chopped a bit
1 1/2 tsp oregano
a clove or two of finely chopped garlic

I quickly cooked the raw veggies, everything else in a big pot, added enough water that it was soupy. Simmered it a while.

Done.

And it was .... excellent! I really enjoy using the 'tomato water' as a major part of soup bases. It adds a great depth of flavor, and reduces the amount of salt recipes need (I can that without added salt).

All regular pantry stuff, and it equaled a gallon and a half of soup.

Happy family!

Frondly, Fern

Necromancy

2011-02-14T09:09:00.001-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

NeoWiccan (who frequently comments on this blog) and I were hanging out together the other day, shopping, having nails done, and discussing, among other things, necromancy. A pretty typical Crones Day Out.

NW was wondering what the big deal is - why so many folks get their knickers in a knot over this type of divination. Not that they (in this case, a comment from a Roman Catholic) are happy with ANY type of divination, but that necromancy is clearly more upsetting to them than, say, the attention lavished on the groundhog on groundhog's day, or even tarot readings. Heck, even in Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files series necromancy is one the things banned by the White Counsel (the Good Wizard's Union). And the series has the good guys calling up demons to work with without blinking an eye!

So we discussed the ancestors and the Ancestors (family vs. Big Name/religious), we touched on the real and perceived role of spiritual entities involvement, etc. And I figured I'd do more research and blog about it.

For those desperately googling, Necromancy is divination that relies on contacting the dead for the info. Clearly, to be able to do this means you have to believe that the soul or spirit hangs out after death, and that it can communicate with living beings if the living do the right thing, and that the dead have insight/knowledge that they didn't have before. In other words - even if they were morons before death, they are now morons with access to a better library now that they are dead! Okay, to put it more ... gently ... they are 'closer to the sources of real knowledge'.

So, what's to fear?

Well... First there is the fear of the dead and ghosts and undead and vampires and zombies. What DO they want from the living? Apparently, in the gut-level view of a lot of people, all the dead want to do is live again, at any cost to the actual living. They will eat our brains, they will drink our blood, they will possess our bodies. I dunno if the afterlife is supposed to be that boring, or at least it's not seen by most people as the dead REALLY being 'in a better place'?

Second, some see an impenetrable barrier between the dead and the living. Whether the dead are 'unconscious' until resurrection, or live is live and disembodied are disembodied and never the twain shall meet. People with this view tend to see any purported necromancy as demons pretending to be the dead. And that demons have access to all knowledge, too, the better to imitate the dead (and, I suppose, promote science the better to use scientific advances to take people away from religion). I CAN sort of see how people would get this idea from contacts with their departed friends and family - they would have a different perspective after death, being now spirit not primarily soul and flesh. The answers/responses are going to show a different focus.

It's probably pretty clear I don't hold to these views. OTOH...

So, what's to give even ME pause?

Okay, at Samhain I invite the Honored Dead to come by, have a meal, say hi. No promise, no demands that they show up. An open invitation. Once a year - it's not my 'standard' form of divination.

I've seen some people who have been unwilling to let go of the dead, mucking up their own lives with this. There's a nice scene of Edith Piaf doing this in the movie "Le Vie En Rose". It's not always emotionally healthy for the living person - not because of the dead's focus, but because of his/her own. It can practically be a form of necrophilia!

And I DO wonder how healthy it is for the dead to keep being called back to this plane. They have moved to be more spirit than soul, in my belief system they have new things to do/work on rather than still work the family issues they shed with their bodies. Let them move on with their afterlife.

Frondly, Fern

Coming Monday!

2011-02-12T09:54:00.000-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Given how most of us are pretty much brain-dead on Mondays .... I'll be blogging about Necromancy then.

Stay tuned!

Frondly, Fern

Working It

2011-02-11T10:35:00.000-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Now comes the nitty-gritty of working the 'no more accumulation' challenge. Working the stuff I've not sufficiently worked before.

I'm starting with a Ivo Dominguez, Jr.'s book "Spirit Speak: Knowing and Understanding Spirit Guides, Ancestors, Ghosts...". Wisely, he has his main preparations work chapter early in the book, so you can start work right away before you're too tempted to do anything else! But, as in all good books - there are so many exercises! The Emerald Heart (to be one only once every week or so), chakra exercises, and such that can be done daily. And stuff that is best to work to memorize - chakras and their locations and associations, etc.

How long will it take for me to really have worked these things?

I'm figuring a month for daily workings, hopefully only two weeks to memorize associations. But doing the Emerald Heart (which I will NOT be posting - it would not only be another 'info dump' into your overcrowded piles, but would also tend to deprive an author another eventual sale) once every week or so means that mastery of that is going to take .... well into reading another book! And this is even with me having been exposed to all of this before, since I've been attending Ivo's workshops for well over a decade, been attending Assembly of the Sacred Wheel events for a decade, and been a MEMBER of the Assembly for over 5 years.

If I was re-working Ivo's "Castings" book, and giving each of the 6 castings alone a month of practice each (and those aren't the only things to practice in the book) it would take me half a year to work it.

Clearly, really working the books/etc. that we Pagans accumulate would slow down our Pagan reading ... and slow our accumulation! Not the best thing for our already under royaltied Pagan Authors, but a better thing for the spiritual/magical growth of our community.

So, while slowing our reading of Pagan books, what do we do with that reading time freed up, even after we add working?

Read deep background books/magazines!

Deep background includes at least popular publications on science, history, primary sources (well, okay, translated) of paleopagan mythos, following the daily national/world news, etc. Most of these are at your library, BTW - you can read 'em without buying them! Don't have time to read every story on the cover of the NYT? Read the front page of USA Today!

Anyway - so far today (1 pm yesterday now, I'm playing catch-up on blogging) I've read a few chapters, done two exercises, and did some note-taking to help me memorize associations. And this while sitting in the food court of a grocery store as a friend does tarot readings at another table, kids are loud healthy kids, the PA system makes announcements, and there are general 'busy grocery store' noises going on. I'll save the Emerald Heart for when I DO have quiet space!

But I DO give thanks for the distractions - for if I can hone my focus under these circumstances, then I should be able to have really great focus in rituals/magical situations where I have built a better/quieter/less distracting more focused environment.

I give Thanks!

Frondly, Fern

Sorry

2011-02-11T09:29:00.002-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

Adding the Amazon links sure screwed up the formatting of yesterday's blog. I'll try to do better today!

Frondly, Fern

What Makes a Wiccan .... Wiccan

2011-02-10T05:46:00.003-05:00

Before I write about what makes a person Wiccan, I’m going to start with makes Wicca Wicca.

For me, Wicca is a fairly recent inspiration of the Gods, and features pantheism, functional duotheism, small group structure, coven hierarchy, liturgical format based on ceremonial magick, liturgical cycle based on combining the agricultural cycle and herding cycles and diving those holy days into 8 evenly spaced ones, noting and often working with Lunar cycles, working with polarity, and being an experiential mystery religion. How many of these things can something called “Wicca” be missing and still be Wicca? I’m not going there today!

With its roots in Ceremonial Magick and mystery religions, Wicca-the-religion doesn’t accept just anyone who wants to join the Group Mind/Egregore – it is going to be into growth and evolution, yes, but not self-destructive changes.

You don’t have to be ‘actually’ Wiccan to worship The Goddess and The God, or to worship ‘Wicca Style’. Not being Wiccan doesn’t keep you away from the Gods, after all. But is DOES mean that you are not connected to the Egregore. It’s sort of like the difference between Kosher and Kosher-style. The taste – the liturgy and ritual actions – can be the same, but it’s not connected to the same Egregore. Kinda like planning to work with Bridget, but working with Hecate instead (hey, both are Goddesses and have 3 aspects, how different can they be?)

So the question becomes “How do you connect with the Egregore of Wicca?”

Seems to me that the Gods set it up as study and practice (outer court work), which then is made active by the Egregore acting through a HP/SS (or coven) that chooses to give the person membership or initiation.

Can the Gods or the Egregore initiate a person themselves? Yes, but in my experience it’s pretty rare. The Gods put the coven system in place when They inspired Wicca (or caused it to evolve out of CM), and aren’t going to lightly put it aside. The person the Gods are going to make an exception for is going to have to be special, and desperately needed for the growth of Wicca … and not just as a bad example. I’m thinking that anyone They do that for is going to have to become as important as, say, Gerald Gardner, or Victor Anderson, or Doreen Valiente. And even then, I’d expect that They would do it after the person, having lived in isolation somewhere with no chance to study with a coven, and no chance to move to study with one (and no chance to move away to even go to a university, which is harder to find time and money for than finding a coven), still did all the studying about Wicca, and practicing as much as they could get from books, for years on their own. In other words, They don’t do it for the human individuals convenience, but to better manifest the Wiccan Egregore’s Higher Will.

Frondly, Fern

Other vaguely related blog posts: Preparing for Samhain

Ancestor Worship

Challenge

2011-02-09T05:56:00.003-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

This post is for my Pagan readers. Foodies, preppers, and snark-addicts - read it if you want, but the challenge is not for you!

Modern technology has made information virtually free. You're reading this via the internet in some form. You can get this from a terminal at your local library for free. While there, you can pick up books on neo-paganism, or witchcraft, or herbalism, or astrology, or whatever - for free. Most of you are accessing this in the convenience of your home.

Many of us spend our time accumulating not just things, but information. Can we ever get enough of either? Yes. In fact, most of us here online have TOO MUCH of both.

So....

Stop the accumulation of "Pagan information". Use - WORK THROUGH - what you already have, at least until Lughnasadh, preferably until next Imbolc. No new books until you're read and done all the exercises in the ones you've already got. No downloading new rituals to try out. No new tarot spreads until you've mastered the decks and spreads you already have information on. Do every meditation/visualization you already have in your possession. Master every tarot deck. Become intimate with the Nature Spirit of every herb/spice/resin you work with before getting more information on how to make potions or incenses.

Use, rather than consume/amass/hoard.

If that means not reading my blog, I'll understand, altho' I post rather less on Pagan/magic/worship/Gods/power than I'd like to be, and I always think I'm rather light on adding to the information overload in general. Still, if you have to decide whether to read a blog or work a book you own - read the book, not me!

Work it. Internalize it. There is no 'Wicca 400' level books/blogs - there is introduction and then the working, the making your path manifest in the challenges of life.

Frondly, Fern

Vaguely related links: Altars, an Alternative View

Dry Soup

2011-02-08T06:13:00.007-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

The other day I did a soup experiment. Well, let me back up a little.....

Over the past few years I've dried a whole LOT of veggies. I have not USED most of those veggies. Now that the food storage and I share the same office, I've heard them calling my name, asking to be used.

So I did.

Dried veggies aren't always the easiest things to re-hydrate. Therefore I decided to make them into an experimental soup. A quart of water. Two bouillon cubes. A double handful of dried tomatoes - I chose the somewhat ... uh ... over-dried ones (some might call them burnt, the Chubby Hubby generously calls them 'smoke flavored'). A handful each of dried wild green onions, eggplant, carrots, potatoes. Cover. Simmer for a few hours. Add leftover cooked wheat berries and some just-cooked chickpeas.

It worked! The tomatoes even DID add a nice smoky flavor.

This food drying stuff might just be a good idea.

Frondly, Fern

Other vaguely connected links: Drying Pumpkins
Tomatoes

Money Magic

2011-02-07T05:10:00.003-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Some of y'all might be wondering why it seems I haven't been doing money magic, given how our finances are going this month. No one has ASKED - but getting any of y'all to comment is like pulling teeth!   Sheesh!

Anyway...

The answer is that, you're right - I'm not doing any specific 'money magic'. I've been concentrating on magic to help us as we learn to better run a business, better tweak our website, better do our product marketing, and investing time in honing those skills as well. For the record, I'm the one with the better copywriting skills, the Chubby Hubby is better at web design.

I don't recall if I've told this story here before ... but about 10 years ago I did some spellwork aimed at improving my husband's consulting marketing. It worked INCREDIBLY well. So well we had more business than he could handle. We ended up sued by a company that ran into a cash flow problem while we were working for them, as the work took so long. (We ended up getting our money from them, and they didn't get any from us, but all we got from them went to the dang lawyer!)

I've learned to be pretty specific in what I do magic for!

That said, I'm considering doing some work to help move the current batch of customers who owe us money to pay us more promptly. And to send the checks to the right address - SEVERAL of them have conveniently been sending the checks to our old address, delaying us cashing them for about 10 days each. This after we repeatedly gave them our new mailing address.

Oh, I'm going to be flogging a product I really like soon, and that we're an affiliate marketer for. I'll be up front when I do that. So far, no one has paid me a DIME for any products I like and have mentioned here.

Frondly, Fern

Other vaguely related blog posts: Smith & Wesson Protection Spell
                                                   Magickal Metrics
                                                   Curses

Super Bowl Sunday

2011-02-06T11:25:00.000-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Yesterday they announced the list of retired football players who have been voted into the Football Hall of Fame. Richard Dent is on that list.

Back when I was pregnant with the Spawn ... I lived in the Chicago area, where he was playing. It was the season the Bears ended up winning the Super Bowl. I was also working at a homeless shelter at the time.

We women were following the Bears, and discussing them over lunches. One day when I was VERY pregnant we were discussing Dent.

"He's certainly not pretty".... "well, not his FACE. But on the field, in those tight pants, his butt is a thing of BEAUTY".

I laughed so hard I pulled a round ligament. Was in pain for DAYS.

Totally worth it. And a true statement to boot.

Richard Dent - I salute your football playing abilities/career, and your sweet hind end.

Frondly, Fern

Egypt

2011-02-05T09:48:00.000-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Yes, the Mubarek government has to go - they have a history of oppression and are the tool of the oligarchy. Yes, some coalition has to take its place that is not totally tied to the oligarchy (but, clearly, has to have the approval of the military).

I'm no policy or urban or economic development wonk, or an economic history buff (either professional or hobbyist). But SOMEONE out there must be!

How do you turn an oligarchy into something that allows for economic opportunity for everyone in the country? What exactly does a government to do promote job development in this case, when just a relatively few families hold all the assets and apparently only hire people they know?

Are they historic examples of this happening? If so, tell me about them, please!

Frondly, totally at sea Fern

Test 1,2,3

2011-02-04T10:48:00.002-05:00

Blessings, Darlings - this post is just to see if I've screwed up adding something to the HTML.

Sprouting Beans

2011-02-03T08:53:00.000-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

I got a question on how to sprout mung beans. So here's the answer!

Buy a bag of whole mung beans, still in their green 'skins'. Take about 1/4 cup of them, pick them over (broken ones out, stone out, etc), and soak them for a few hours or overnight. Drain and rinse.

Put them in a sprouter ... or in a big jar and put a piece of cheesecloth over the top. Put the jar on its side in a cabinet or in a paper bag - you don't want a lot of light on the little darlings at this point. Rinse the beans, draining well, two or three times a day.

Depending on how warm your house is, they will take 3 to 7 days to sprout to the point you'll want to use them.

They last well, in a covered container in the fridge, once you 'harvest' them, for up to a week. I've frozen them the rare times I've had too many or when unexpectedly called out of town and that worked just fine.

Frondly, Fern

Cheap menus

2011-02-03T03:07:00.001-05:00

Blessings Darlings!

I was asked what my menus are for this funds-free time/cash-flow problem. So, here you go!

Breakfasts are mostly hot cereal - oatmeal with dry milk, dry fruit, nuts or grits or cornmeal mush.

Lunches are soups, often with open face grilled cheese, and with an apple or orange. I make a gallon or so of soup once or twice a week. Currently we are having split pea soup.

The dinner menu is where the variability is. Now, while we are currently working on a $40 a week budget for 3 adults and two cats, before we were on an $80 per week budget. That allowed me to fill the freezer and pantry, and is allowing us to eat a larger variety of foods now. I'm only buying meat for one meal in the next 3 weeks, altho' I am buying eggs and cheese.

So, our dinners for the first 3 weeks of 'middle class survival' eating are:

Shrimp Yaki Soba, using cabbage, carrots, and home-sprouted bean sprouts.

Sausages (in hot dog buns), potatoes, cole slaw.

Stew with beef (beef is leftovers from a previous dinner.)

Eggs - veggie omelets for Chubby Hubby and I, sandwich for Spawn; and fruit and home made rolls. We'll do this once a week.

Pork Fried Rice, featuring more home sprouted bean sprouts.

Fried Chicken - we will have this 3 times - I made a lot and froze it because chicken was on a GREAT sale; home-canned corn, veggies

Pasta Carbonera, salad, veggies

Superbowl Sunday - okay, I'm buying a pound of deli meat/cheese and one tomato and making subs. But I'll make the bread and cole slaw myself. And pop corn, not chips.

Corned beef - I've a corned beef brisket in the freezer. This will be at least two meals, maybe 3.

Chicken or pork stir fry - more cabbage/carrots/bean sprouts in use, rice. Once a week.

Pasta with meat sauce, salad, veggies. Some pasta once or twice a week.

Home-made steak and cheese, because we have thin sliced raw beef in the freezer and I can make rolls. More cole slaw with this, and potatoes.

Tacos - filling half beef and half black bean. Taco bell has nothing on me. I can make tacos where the filling is only 38% beef myself!

Spanish rice.

Pulled pork (we smoked a pork shoulder that was at a GREAT price recently)

Veggie Flautas

Mackerel/salmon patties/crouquettes

Pancakes

Waffles

Remember

I can do this because I have a fairly full pantry. I've not even worked the canned ham or tuna into rotation, mostly because I think the guys will be using them for half sandwiches at lunch when we don't have cheese. Or we could use them at dinners with soups, an have peanut butter at lunch. We have options.

More Cheap Eats

2011-02-02T06:37:00.000-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

Since we're still digging out from moving expenses (not only was moving more costly than we had figured, but when you're self-employed all that time spent packing, loading, unloading, unpacking you don't earn a penny!) my choice for February is to either have a working cell phone or food. And my cell phone isn't that expensive... so it's going to be a very low food budget month. Like $200 for the month.

So last Friday I did shopping that will get us thru' 2 - 4 weeks, with some fresh food added at times. I bought 15 pounds of white flour (I grind my own whole wheat flour already, but husband and son aren't yet hungry enough to eat 100% whole wheat everything), two dozen eggs, two gallons of milk, lots of sale priced apples and oranges, two pounds of carrots, a bunch of celery, three pounds of frozen green veggies, cat litter, and a few other things. I do wish I could have afforded more veggies and a few cans of cream of mushroom soup, but I just didn't have the money.

I figure we can get thru' February spending maybe $40 a week on food and such. That would be $8 on milk, $15 on produce, $15 on meat, and $5 on 'misc'. "Meat" includes eggs and cheese, for those keeping score at home.

Oatmeal with dried milk and raisins for breakfast. Soup and maybe peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. Lots of cabbage and carrots featured in dinners. I've 2 1/2 weeks of dinners planned, and we'll see what meats may or may not go on sale for meals later in the month. Sunday night we had shrimp yaki soba (the shrimp was a BOGO purchase, and we used bean sprouts and cabbage in it), Monday night we had a little sausage with cole slaw and buns, Tuesday pot roast leftovers became a stew that will double as a lunch later this week, tonight is veggie/cheese omelets and home made rolls......

Of course, as this hits it has also become clear that the bag of mung beans I've been using for sprouts are past their prime - the sprouting ratio has dropped. Instead of getting 3+ cups of sprouts from every 1/4 cup of dry beans I barely got 1 1/2 cups the last time. I've one more bag that's about the same age - we'll see how that goes - but I also have two newer bags I bought this fall. They should still be in good shape.

Chocolate

2011-02-01T19:49:00.000-05:00

Blessings, Darlings!

I've been on a chocolate binge lately. Chocolate frosted yellow cupcakes, hot cocoa, chocolate pudding, moon pies, candy bars, sleazy Hershey's Kisses (TM), you name it - if it has any chocolate in it I've been eating it.

This has happened to innumerable people before, and will continue to happen in the future. No news there.

The only thing new was that I made chocolate pudding from scratch. This was ENTIRELY the fault of @jmfield on Twitter, who tweeted "Cheffirmation: I am never more than 15 minutes away from homemade chocolate pudding. :)". Well! I took that as a challenge.

In fact, it took me 18 minutes - mostly because my husband or son had put my whisk away in .... well .... a place I would NEVER had put it, and it took me FOREVER to find it.

One of the many joys of chocolate pudding is that the ingredients are mostly pantry-stable. I could have used powdered milk instead of fresh (and, while looking at recipes, I saw that the 'instant chocolate pudding' recipe by America's Test Kitchen uses powdered milk), I suppose I could have used baking chocolate instead of cocoa powder and butter (yes, the cocoa powder is shelf-stable, but the butter isn't), the flour and cornstarch and salt and vanilla the recipe called for last forever.

It was fast to make. It was easy. It tasted WONDERFUL.

Everyone to the kitchen, grab that 2 to 3 quart saucepan, set your timer (so you can see how fast this really is), and GO!

CHOCOLATE PUDDING - served the 3 of us because we showed some restraint

1/2 cup white sugar 2 3/4 cups skim milk

3 tablespoons dutched cocoa 2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup cornstarch 1 1/2 tablespoons amaretto

Into that saucepan you grabbed, add all the dry ingredients. Whisk them a bit to make them as smooth as possible, it helps reduce lumps later. Add the milk. Heat at medium (medium high on my stove, but your stove will vary!) until boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce to a simmer, keep stirring. Soon it will be thickened. Take off the burner, add but butter and amaretto (you may prefer the more traditional vanilla). Try to let it cool long enough that you don't burn your tongue. Can be served warm or cold.

We tasted it before the amaretto was added - it was nice, but 'flat'. Amaretto and butter kicked it up wonderfully.

Frondly, Fern