Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Grey and Chilly Tuesday 3/31

Blessings Darlings!

Laundry started.  I'm not very started, tho', feeling very sluggish.  Laundry got hung on line, but it has been so grey and cool that I had to finish it in the dryer.  Did dishes.  Dinner is just spaghetti and sauce - neither of which I'm making from scratch, so that's trivial.  My toes are cold.

Coronovirus deaths in the US have now passed deaths from 9/11. Christ Cuomo, son of the late NY Senator Mario Cuomo/brother of current NY governor Andrew Cuomo, and journalist himself, has Covid 19 apparently.

Of course, we only know the names of the 'big name' folks who get and/or die of Coronavirus.  Local folks are too busy trying to survive it to bother to go public (with rare exceptions, like the folks who made their battle to even get TESTED public). 

Welp, I had a pretty useless day.

Frondly, Fern


Black Mass for Shut-Ins.

Blessings Darlings!

As I started blathering about yesterday, lots of us are at home with time on our hands due to lock downs due to Coronavirus.  Not just at home - but due to not being able to go to 'nonessential' shops we can't get more 'supplies' locally ... and since many of us have lost our jobs, we can't even order them online.

What's a witch to do?

It's a little late to stock up a Casting Cabinet if you don't have it in place already.  But all you really 'need' for minimal offerings would be light (usually candles, but you can use a lamp) and fresh water, or even use reading a poem or toning or for some Gods and spirits, repetitions of their names.  Tho' if you're doing any baking ... most won't turn down the first slice of bread off a loaf or a cookie or piece of cake.

If you've been told that to ground you have to go outside and be barefoot and whatever - it's WAY past time to drop that belief like the foolishness it is.  You should be able to ground anywhere, any time, and get to the point that you can do that in literally one breath.  So practice.  You're 'staying in' in an apartment on the 4th floor of a building?  That doesn't matter.  This is energy work.  And as Byron Ballard is fond of pointing out - this energy work is like the energy work in hugs.  You feel that energy just fine even if both of the people hugging are in huge winter coats. 

Many Pagan and Magical authors have moved the 'free' line on their products during this.  Jason Miller has one of his courses for free.  Morgan Daimler has some of her Fairy stuff for free.  Others have done the same.  Go look.

If you can exercise at home - some Gods and spirits will appreciate doing that as an offering. 

Have a spice cabinet?  Learn the esoteric and medical uses of all of the herbs and spices.  Make a cup of tea out of each of them, sip it, and see what your body thinks of it.  Get to know the actual spirit of the plant. 

Do . the . work . now that you have the time.  Not having money for the 'exact' item you want, not being able to hike the woods of the Appalachian Trail (and to stop the spread of coronavirus, they HAVE asked folks to keep off the trail) are NOT limiting factors.

Frondly, Fern

Monday, March 30, 2020

Lovely Monday

Blessings Darlings!

It is a gorgeous day here in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.  68 degrees, sunny, light breezes.  The Chubby Hubby and I went for a walk, after I meditated, got laundry on the line and started the dishwasher (yup, we're American).

I'm going to start today's manure hauling soon.  My current plan is to enlarge the garden, because I never have enough garden space for all my garden dreams, even if I too often have too much garden space for me to work as well as I'd like to.



The back roads here are just FILLED with wild edible plants.  All with the same calorie content as spinach.  They will fill your stomach, but leave you hungry.  For a gardener, beets and spring peas are the earliest veggies that will provide much in the way of calories.  Even strawberries are still  two months away.


If you farm and have animals ... lamb and veal are going to be looking very good to you for the next couple of months.  This my dears, even more than winter, was the hungry time of the year.  Less food with significant calories, while trying to put in crops to feed you later.

Spent a goodly chunk of time on home business stuff today, too. 

Maryland and Virginia stiffened their 'lockdowns', such as they are.

Coronavirus Cases: 783,898 worldwide

Deaths:  37,773 worldwide

US stats
  • Total cases: 140,904
  • Total deaths: 2,405 =  all as of 4 pm yesterday.
While I'm pissed that the Spawn went out and got his car fixed today - as long as he was out I gave him a shopping list of 'household stuff' we needed.

I never said I was the most consistent star in the universe.

Frondly, Fern
 




You asked for it, you got it!

Blessings Darlings!

I'm assuming that most of the folks reading this are not 'essential workers' and working full time (or more) during the pandemic.  Which means y'all are at home, and have more free time on your hands.  But along with that free time, you don't have money since you're not working.  And most of  y'all aren't trying to adjust to homeschooling (I suppose I should blog about transitioning to that sometime, too.)

Have you ever said that you wished you had free time to work on your magic/spirituality/etc?  Well my dear - you asked for it, you got it!  All the free time in the world.

So what are you doing with this time?  What books are you reading and working?  What courses are you taking?  How much more time are you putting into your daily practice?  Doing more offerings?  More meditation?  Are you doing your basic self care, and drinking water, getting some exercise, eating your 5 - 9 servings of fruits and non-starchy veggies a day?

I'm trying a little desperately to catch up on the Strategic Sorcery course, reading several pagan/magic/esoteric books, failing on drinking enough water, and ... now that the restaurant I worked in is closed, failing on my fruit and veggie intake most days.  It was so much easier when I had a full salad case to make my salads out of!  Already chopped red onions, tomatoes, lettuces, spinach, cucs, carrots, etc.  Ah well.  I'll continue to work on improving that tomorrow. 

Most of you have that time you longed for.  So are you using it?

More on this tomorrow ...

Frondly, Fern


Sunday, March 29, 2020

Soggy Sunday

Blessings Darlings!

Tis a cloudy Sun's Day here, had some rain earlier.  So no work IN the garden or hauling manure today.  I'll process the meats that the Spawn bought earlier this week - form the ground beef into 4 oz patties and freeze then bag them, cut the chicken leg quarters into thighs and drumsticks, then fry them and freeze what we don't eat.  And as always, do the never ending stream of dishes.  It's too damp out to hang laundry, so that will await another day.

Oh, I'll start more veggie seeds, and continue the reading and practice of Esoteric Stuff.  We'll take the recycling to the curb for tomorrow's pick up.  And since the trees are still insisting on having sex in my nose, I'll sneeze a lot.

For those wondering - I have NO set schedule during this coronavirus stay at home thing.  Other than trying to get up at 8:30 am.  After than, it's all about what I Will to do.  And I'm not some always-busy driven person.  But I'm still getting lots of stuff done.  A

I DO wonder if the lawn care guys are planning on starting mowing tomorrow, and if they are, what time they'll arrive.  It complicates line drying clothes.

And while all this goes on, the virus spreads and spreads FAST.  Singer/songwriter John Prine is in critical condition.  Deaths from it in the US doubled over the past two days.  It's a clusterfuck.  It's spreading in my area - hell, my town was where the first folks pushed hard enough to get tested for it ... and of course came back positive.

I'm kinda pissed that the Spawn is getting his car worked on tomorrow.  He promises to stay outside of the dealership, in a chair he'll bring with.   And I'm giving him a bandana to use as a mask.  Sigh.

Frondly, Fern



Saturday, March 28, 2020

A Day of Tea and Reading

Blessings, Darlings!

The day started with a thunderstorm.  Then just rain.  And it's still cool, cloudy, damp, and windy.  A raw day. We've more than enough leftovers that I don't need to cook dinner tonight.  I've done some housecleaning already.

It's time to sit in a chair with a cup of tea and read.  I'm starting with re-reading parts of H. Byron Ballard's "Earth Works: Ceremonies in Tower Time" (and given our times, I suggest that all y'all read her Tower Time documents) and then try to catch up on reading and practicing the lessons I signed up for from Jason Miller (I'm doing his Strategic Sorcery course.)
I have decided that I need a tea cozy for my tea pot. Having Covid-unemployment, buying one is not in the stars right now. But I have bubble wrap left over from having moved. Using that and tape, I'm making my own. If I can find some velcro in my sewing supplies, that would be a nice touch, too, otherwise I'll need to add a ribbon tie or buttons.

And that, my friends, is our Arts and Crafts class for today.
 
Frondly, Fern
 

Friday, March 27, 2020

Frig's day

Blessings Darlings!

The Spawn is just back from taking the weekly shopping trip. Walmart had toilet paper (not that he bought any, we're fine), he had no problem getting fresh lettuce, frozen veggies, eggs (limit 2 dozen), 2 gallons of milk, a 3 pound chub of ground beef, a 10 pound bag of chicken leg quarters. That's probably 2 weeks worth of meat.  But he forgot the ice cream.  Not an earth shaking problem, that one.

Oh - y'all DO know that PornHub Premium is free, since folks are all self-quarantining? Today IS the day of Venus . . . 

Finally got thru' on the Unemployment site, and filed.  Vacuumed around my desk.  Worked on a proposal to send to one company today, and planned another one to send on Monday.  Filled and ran and unloaded the dishwasher.  Wild life, ain't it?

Started a bunch of seeds today.  Parsley, basil, spinach, lettuce, beets, radish, turnips, rutabagas.  Ever hopeful spring!


While I was working the seeds, the wren was on the roof of our house, singing away.  I took that as a good sign.

Welp, that's today's boring update.  I'm not bored - but it's surely not intriguing to others.

Frondly, Fern

Jupiter's Day

Blessings Darlings!

There's a VERY new baby calf today!

This being the planetary day of Jupiter, I'm going to do a small rite during one of the hours of Jupiter.  Invoke Jupiter, make offerings, ask for blessings on our household's health and wealth in this fraught times.  Basic magical stuff.

I'm also ... actually going OUT today.  Have to mail a packet of info to the Healthcare Marketplace, as we're STILL fighting with them over a problem from December of 2015.

Did laundry.  Made Kahlua.  A new loaf of bread is on it's final rise.  Will be making Pork Fried Rice shortly.  Filled out the census.  Did lots and lots of dishes.

A nursing home here in WV is being hit hard by COVID 19.  People are idiots.  The governor ignored the problem until it was too late.  At least they've now decided that the entire presidential primary will be done by mail, so that will be safer.

Ooops, posting this Friday morning instead of Thursday night.

Frondly, Fern




Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Blessings Darlings!

Rainy and somewhat raw here today, with the temperature dropping all day.  A good day for me to throw towels in the wash, since I prefer them dried in the dryer so they get softer and fluffier.

The CEO of the hotel that the Spawn and I work for called this morning, one week after the hotel closed down, to see how we are doing.  And to make sure that we all applied for unemployment.  He's calling all the staff today.  Unexpected, and very nice of him.

Boring day - cooked, washed and dried the towels.  Got closer to finishing the unemployment application (the info on my second job took some getting, and I'm going to have to explain a lot about it.)  Cleaned house some.  Napped. Took my medicines.

Yawn.

Frondly, Fern


Tuesday, March 24, 2020

March New Moon

Blessings Darlings!

Husband is over his little nasal drip, so the man-crisis is over.  I'm still working my way thru' the unemployment application - while the site is great at 2 am, I can't wake the CH then to get the figures on what our home business has paid me over the past 18 months then. 

I have lost track of what day of the week it is.  I can't even recall if today is the dark moon or the new moon.  Probably the new moon, from the posts online about 'what magic to do' today.  I shall now go print out the chart of moon phases for this year, and tape it up somewhere by my desk ... 
Here's the site I use https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/phases/@4140844  And it's almost exactly the new moon as I type this morning, with a 0.1% waxing crescent. 

Another load of laundry done and on the clothesline.  Clean dishes put away.  I poked the yeast/flour/water mix and am waiting to see if it's alive, because we're almost out of bread.  Can't look at my bank stuff online, their web site is down, and I need that info for the next step for filing for unemployment. 

Going to wrap asparagus in prosciutto, drizzle oil oil on it, dust it with parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper, roast it, then eat it and smile a lot.  Bread is still rising.  Dinner is 'make what you want out of our abundance of leftovers.' 

Didn't work in the garden at all today.  Didn't hydrate well today.  At least I'm blogging a little something, even if it's totally inconsequential.  "I'm building a habit." 

Hmmm.  My workplace will have been closed a week tomorrow morning.  Maybe it's time that I should take my work knives out of my purse? 

I'm really impressed how day to day living in a crisis is ... immediately a 'new normal'.

Frondly, Fern







Monday, March 23, 2020

Husband has sore throat.

Blessings Darlings!

The governor finally closed the state, kinda sorta.  Hardware stores still count as vital businesses, somehow, tho.

The Chubby Hubby has nasal drip, and is freaking out.  He's in bed with a glass of Tang right now.

Due to rain, I didn't haul any manure today, but I did take a walk and harvest a lot of creasy greens (wintercress).  Probably won't cook them for dinner, will make something the CH will be more at home with.   Didn't do laundry, either, since line drying was out.

In this time of uncertainty - I wanted an egg substitute in the house that I could use for baking with.  Since no one in my house has issues with soy, my go-to for this is soy flour.  Two oz by volume each of soy flour and water equals one egg.  Of course, for the past three weeks the local stores have been out of both soy flour and soy beans, and I didn't want to drive to Frederick MD to get either of them.  So I went to order them online.  And Bob's Red Mill was totally out.  I had to buy soy flour from a vendor I knew nothing about.  The First World Horror!  At any rate - they said they'd be here between 3/25 and 4/1, but it arrived today.  I'm happy.

I should take a pic of the cherry tree - it's in full bloom and lovely.  Maybe tomorrow.

Frondly, Fern

Witching Away Covid 19

Blessings Darlings!

We're living in interesting times.  Latest thing is the Covid 19 pandemic.  I am one of the folks who thinks it's serious - but that's not what this post is about.

This post is about some of the magical responses to it, the 'let's get all the witches together and do magic to stop it!" approaches.  There was one done last week.  There was one done Saturday night.  There's a call to do one this coming Sunday.

I understand the appeal of doing this.  Times are scary and it feels good to try to heal the world.  There's a lot of virtue signalling to it.  There's the illusion of unity to it.
There's the illusion that this time it will be different - this one will actually work.

All the evidence is that all these group 'spell events' to solve problems don't work.  The rate of increase of COVID spread hasn't slowed at all - showing that the one done last week didn't work.  It's too early to evaluate if any changes in rate of spread has come from the one last Saturday, about 45 hours ago. 


Let's throw in the data from the other big 'let's witch away the problem' spell things over the past year, to see if they worked. 
 * Did magic stop the fires in the Amazon?  Nope - same amount of rain came, and the rate of arson there wasn't touched. 
 * Did magic stop the fires in Australia?  Nope - again, a little rain occurred, but not enough to dent the drought (and if folks want to take 'credit' for the rain, do you think that they are going to accept the blame for the flooding that hard rain on burnt ground caused?  I've not seen them do that, have you?) 


Here's a map of the fires TODAY in Australia https://myfirewatch.landgate.wa.gov.au/map.html:





They aren't in the news anymore, and no one seems to be working to stop 'em any more - did the folks so concerned with them get bored?  At any rate - they continue.  Big time.  The drought continues - big time.  Record heat continues - big time. 



WHY DOESN'T THIS STUFF WORK?

I'm so glad that you asked.  There are several different IMPORTANT things at play here. 


First - the aim is too broad.  The Amazon valley  is HUGE, as is Australia - as is the spread of the virus.  Focus on a smaller area that is affected, even if that mean 'some gets left out'.  Had folks worked on, say, ONE state, or part of a state, in Australia or the Amazon ... that would have helped a lot.  AND been very visible to give them positive feedback.  Magic may not exactly become 'diluted' over a larger area, but ... focus matters. 

Second - no focus on stopping humans increasing the issues.  With the Amazon fires, no work to stop the arson, so if fires went out there were immediately reset.  In Covid 19, no work to keep people at home (other than 'oh, let's call for rain!) or to shelter the homeless.  Nothing to get all the governors to shut down states, to help folks who need to pay bills, to get the US and other country leaders to shut down countries and give monetary help to individuals.

Third - ALL OF THEM ARE SET UP AS ONE-OFFS.  That you will do the ritual once, and that's all it will take.  The fires and Covid 19 have this huge amount of momentum, and folks have this illusion that they get take 3 minutes (literally three minutes for at least one of the 'group magics) and that will both stop the momentum and reverse the problem.

That's not how it works folks.  And this is why I asked earlier if the folks working on the Australian fires had just gotten bored.  Things like this need longer workings.  In the case of Covid 19, it's reasonable that you'd need to do daily workings for at least the 15 days they say is minimum for quarantine.  Better would be a full moon cycle. 

Those are things that get ignored when doing big workings like this.  Oh, there are other things, too, like unifying the group mind and such, but those are skill related, not approach related.

Frondly, Fern

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Old Projects Day

Blessings Darlings!

On top of the usual cleaning and hauling manure - today I finally put together a cheap garden composter that I bought like 4+ years ago.  Had to send the spawn to the storage locker to find it there before putting it together.  It's REALLY cheap, but was REALLY easy to put together, now that I finally had the time and will.



I weeded the obvious junk mail out of the mail that the CH had thrown on the dining room table, and got some other stuff off of there.  Might finish that tomorrow.  Might not. 

Maybe tomorrow I'll put the equally cheap 'greenhouse' together!

The purple dead nettles I wildcrafted yesterday cooked down to about a cup and a half total, even with the addition of wild garlic.  I added half of it to my scrambled eggs to get one of my servings of veggies today.  Tasted good, thank the Gods. 

If it's not too rainy tomorrow, I hope to harvest wintercress from down the road from us.  

Stock futures have opened - looks like it's going to be another bumpy day tomorrow.  Buckle those seatbelts!

Frondly, Fern

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Haul manure, bake bread (but wash up well between those actions)

Blessings Darlings!

Still working on hauling manure to the garden.  I expect that this will take a month of work, since I'm out of shape and not hauling much per day.  Garden will be very happy ... eventually.  Until then, my tendonitis will be whiny.

Yesterday's temperature hit 81F here, and beautifully sunny but windy.  Today it is only 49F, and cloudy, but at least the wind is calm. Life seems less surreal with the cloudiness, somehow. 

Went to the store to pick up my meds refills.  Virtually out of all meat and frozen foods.  Out of head lettuce, but did have leaf lettuce.   Almost out of paper towels and toilet paper, probably rationing them but I didn't check.  Staff there said mornings are still totally crazy. 

On the way home I stopped at a park and walked around for a while, then hit the empty area where they hope to build a new library and harvested some purple dead nettles.  I think I'll make crepes filled with them soon.

Today's cleaning project was our bedroom.  Got all of it done, which makes me happy.  Also did one load of laundry and line dried it.  Tomorrow - more work on the kitchen or dining room, along with manure hauling.  Maybe put together the composter or the cheapie greenhouse.  

Started re-reading Byron Ballard's "Earth Works:  Ceremonies in Tower Time".  She did an online Ostara ritual today, which I missed. 

Sorry I'm not doing Thoreau-level blogging, folks.  Not inspired to do that at this time.  Feel I should be doing SOMETHING, but this is kinda it.

Frondly, Fern

Friday, March 20, 2020

Unemployment Fail

Blessings Darlings!

Morning update:
The online filing for unemployment site is failing due to so many folks using it.  Will try later today again.  Spawn got thru' earlier this week, he's set up and will get the debit card in a few weeks.

Didn't get thru' all the To Do list yesterday, but got SOME done on everything.  Might go back to manure hauling today, but the mud IS intimidating.  So doing housework.  DAMN that shower stall is clean!

Got more stressed about the whole thing late yesterday, enough so that it made it hard to sleep.  If that happens again tonight, and if I still haven't gotten thru' the unemployment site - I'll do it at 2 am.  And probably clean more.


Husband just asked "What will we do about filling the cars? Pushing those buttons, using that HANDLE?"
Breath.
1 - we're not going anywhere.
2 - the cars have gas
3 - here are wipes I bought years ago - add some water to the package and use them. BTW -
4 - Here are wipes I made with paper towels and alcohol
5 - here are more of the gloves YOU USED YESTERDAY.
 Afternoon update:
Them senators who sold stocks instead of warning and preparing the US need to get prosecuted.

Dinner tonight is chicken and dumplings, with leftover chicken and wild garlic greens.  Used a drop biscuit recipe for the dumplings and also made my first batch of drop biscuits with half the recipe.  Successful attempt!  

Again - did a lot today, but never as much as I'd hoped to get done.  Bored during this at home time?  Oh hell no.

Frondly, Fern

Thursday, March 19, 2020

As If

Blessings, Darlings!

As if there is anything ELSE to do when unemployed due to the Corona virus pandemic, I suppose I might start blogging again.

Or get my garden well started, even if it's a bit early.

We're financially privileged enough that we'll get thru' my being unemployed (especially since I'll be applying for unemployment with in the next 12 hours) - the Chubby Hubby is over 70, and now on Social Security.  But as you might have noticed from his (and my) age, we are in at risk ages.  And the Spawn has asthma.  So I'm happy that the Spawn and I are now home (we worked in the same restaurant.) 

Oh - we live in the first town in West Virginia to officially have a case of Covid 19.  I'm sure I'll blog about that 'officially' thing sometime. 

But first I have a cake in the oven, and seeds to start, and I really need to set up a new schedule for myself now that I'm not working nights.  I might choose to start getting up earlier, now that I don't get home at 11 pm and want to eat and otherwise transition after getting home. 

At any rate - I'm likely to blog more, but it's likely to be boring stuff like what I did in the garden and what I cooked.  With occasional rants on 'why did folks clean out the dry beans from the stores, but not buy any spices to use on them?' and such.