Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Bugs. I got 'em.

Blessings Darlings!

Yesterday evening I noticed the squash bugs are back.  Leaf damage, some wilting, lots of eggs, some nymphs, and two of them mating - the bastards.  And the beans are being attacked by bean beetles.  I'm going to have to treat them all.  Because eating matters.  I went out and finally found one lone bottle of spray-on bug killer - and it was Sevin, not my favorite.  But at least I have some pesticide for them.  And, yeah, I harvested the squash early today, and will treat the plants now, so at least there will be some gap between treatment and the next harvest.  Spawn has agreed to help, and we'll removed detritus and spray when the garden is in the shade later this afternoon.

Sitting in the twilight last night, I heard a catbird, greater horned owl, the wrens, and the swallows.  The swallows didn't put on the nice air show last night, tho'.  The Saharan dust must have eased for last night, because the moon was way less obscured.

I'm making kahlua this afternoon as well.  The Chubby Hubby didn't tell me when he finished the last bottle.  But he likes it to 'age' before he starts drinking it - so when he opens the back up bottle, he really needs to let me know so I can start the new batch.  This batch will barely have enough time to age.  Aging, in this case, means the vanilla bean in it flavors it.





Spawn and I cleared some detritus, smashed some egg clusters and two pairs of mating squash bugs, as well as sprayed the squash and the beans and the cucs and the unknown volunteer plant that's clearly in that family.  Garden is desperate for more water, but it will have to wait for tomorrow.



Anthony Fauci spoke before a congressional committee.  His message is, pretty much, we're screwed. Since there is no actual national plan to handle the coronavirus, we will soon hit 100,000 new cases a day.  I hope Bob and I somehow avoid getting it. 


Time to make the dinner type stuff. 

Frondly, Fern

Monday, June 29, 2020

Working on cast iron pans, day 3, dammit.

Blessings, darlings!

Let me tell you - this re-seasoning of cast iron pans stuff is getting old.  If it was cool out I'd be using the oven inside rather than the toaster oven outside.  That would hold ALL the pans at once.  THAT would be easier.  And if I wasn't the only one who wants to use the toaster oven, it would be easier.  But this is the most efficient use of electricity, even if NOT the most efficient use of me and MY energy. 

We're about 2 days from Full Impact Summer Squash.  I only put in two plants, and it's STILL intimidating!  But that should be the start of mostly eating our own veggies for the rest of the summer.  Which is a good thing.  And I have some turnips ready to be eaten, too.

Boy, it's hot and steamy out there.  Not 'heat wave' bad, but ... uncomfortable enough.  And there's been another 'bagged salad' recall.  So I finally planted the swiss chard, late, but it's in.  That can work for salads, as well as stir-fries, once it's going.  When ever that is ...  okay, 50 to 65 days after germination, and germination is 7 days ... so in two months or so.  Oh well. 

Chubby Hubby finally fixed the biggest issue in the sink in the master bathroom!  It now drains properly!  And I ordered parts to fix the rest of that, and to fix the garden hose right.  I dusted the bedroom, but didn't vacuum it yet.  Did lots of laundry (line dried), and dishes, finished the re-seasoning of the damn pans, watered the garden, exercised.

Frondly, Fern

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Working on the cast iron pans, day 2.

Blessings Darlings!

The rhythm with the cast iron pans: heat pan 1 minute. Rub oil on.  Wipe off excess oil.  Put in toaster oven outside for 1 hour at high heat (pan upside down).  Let it cool in oven, slowly.  Repeat, like 3 times.

Forget to turn on oven?  Big delay.  Fall asleep?  Big delay.  So I'm still on pan #1.  Of 2. 

It's hot and steamy still.  Like, ya know, summer. 

Have you priced KFC lately?  Holy fuck, the prices have soared.  It's a comfort food for me, which I used to be able to afford at a family level once a year or so.  But I haven't gotten it in a few years due to, ya know, being poor.  I priced it now, and it's even FARTHER out of my reach.  No 'just chicken' buckets available, either.  I'm gutted.  KFC was my first 'real' job.

I just spent the twilight outside, watching the end of the aerobatics display by the barn swallows and the full display of the fireflies.  A wonderful time was had.

Frondly, Fern

Working on fixing the cast iron pans, day one.

Blessings, Darlings!

Quarantined witch life: I just used the last of my Kosher Salt in an energy trap. But I saved the pretzel salt for pretzels. 
It's hot out, and my husband screwed up my cast iron pans, so I'm re-seasoning them, one at a time ... outside in the toaster oven. I might boil the pasta for dinner outside, to help keep the house cooler and less humid.  
Oooops - one hour screw up on re-seasoning the pans - I forgot to turn the toaster oven ON.  This is probably going to take two days to accomplish, given all the pans and how thorough I'm trying to be.  But how thorough AM I being, if I forgot to turn the oven on?

The beat goes on with CoronaVirus.  New record daily numbers in the US.

Male blooms on the grey squash.  Yellow squash took some storm damage the other day.  Latest batch of black beans are sprouting.  I should spray for bean beetles.  

Posting late again, because I fell asleep.  Whatever.

Frondly, Fern

Friday, June 26, 2020

Fumble-fingered Friday.

 Blessings Darlings!

I'm wilting in humidity today, but got lots of housework done.  Having some computer stupidity, tho - that's ME being stupid with my computer, not any software's fault.

The US is back to the high daily rates of new coronavirus cases we had in April ... and then some.  We are fucking idiots. 

I've managed to eat all my produce today.  In fact, all I really want to eat is summer fruit, and maybe ice cream along with it.  And I did my basic upper body weights work out, and hope to get the 'extra' upper body stuff in shortly.

My first tomatoes are blooming, the grey squash has a few female flowers forming, the potatoes are blooming.  We used - okay, the Spawn used fresh basil from our garden in our home made pizzas last night. 

Parts of life are very sweet.

Frondly, Fern


Thursday Dreams, posted on Friday.

Blessings Darlings!

In my dream last night I was in a Master Class on cooking, taught by Alton Brown.  I had to make a vegetable dish with a sauce, a carbonated drink, and something else that I don't recall right now.  The veggies were going to be spicy - I used the peppers from my garden for it, and 2/3 of them are hot. Alas, I woke up before I figured out what carbonated drink I was going to make, but I was leaning towards a mango based one.

Oh well.

Drizzly out, but cool.  Did some weeding, then Spawn and I loaded his car and dropped off glass bottles at the recycling place.  They don't pick them up here.  They get too low a price for the glass to bother.  Yesterday Spawn dropped off plastic bags at the grocery store during grocery pick up.  Due to coronavirus, not only can we NOT use our own bags when shopping, but we get a crapload of new ones from Walmart during our pickup.

Frondly, Fern


Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Landscapers

Blessings Darlings!

The landscapers rang the doorbell at 7:30 am.  I was asleep.  Chubby Hubby was at this desk in the basement and heard nothing.  I had to go over what I wanted them to do/not do semi-awake.  I forgot to tell them I had winter squash in an area that I didn't think that they were going to work in.  I'm afraid to look at the rest of the stuff they did.

I made a big batch of ham/egg/cheese sammies.  Worked in garden.  Ground a lot of coffee.  Etc.

That's it.

Frondly, Fern

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Rainy day.

Blessings, Darlings!

Welp, it must have been a few days since the Spawn swept the kitchen floor - a job he's supposed to do every night.  He just swept it as soon as he got up.  Me, I'm heading out back to hang laundry and plant more black beans.  And transplant the cucs.  We got rain yesterday, finally, the ground is nice and soft again.  I should do more - but it's hot and humid.  I'd prefer to clean house ... and that's saying something!

Did lots of cleaning.  Got lots of rain.  Really, that's it.

Frondly, Fern

Monday, June 22, 2020

Fireflies!

Blessings Darlings!

We got some thunderstorms this afternoon, AND had a whole ocean of fireflies this evening.  Both were lovely.

Other than that - housework, harvested and working on peeling the stems of burdock (not doing well at that), made chicken and dumplings, husband still on death march with products for Micro Electronica made more complicated by the windows update fucking things up.

Frondly, Fern

Sunday, June 21, 2020

Father's Day 2020

Blessings, Darlings!

Happy Fathers Day to those of you who are into that sort of thing.

We'll have a dinner feast for the Chubby Hubby tonight.  I bought him a new spatula for non-stick pans as a present.  I'm ... uh ... pretty sure that the Spawn thinks that buying the damn expensive steaks was his gift to his father.

It's hot and dry here.  I've been killing more flies in the house, damn them all.

Microsoft did a Windows 'upgrade' early this weekend that fucked up all the software CH wrote, so he's been on a death march trying to find and fix the problem.


And how about that 'one million tickets claimed' Trump rally yesterday night, with like 6600 people who actually bothered to go to it?

That's about it.

Frondly, Fern

Saturday, June 20, 2020

Ecentric Energies.

Fuck, I had most of a post written, and was finishing up with some shit about the Mercury Retrograde screwing up communication, and fucking Blogger erased my entire post.  Irony is some bullshit.

Blessings Darlings!

I guess I'll just have to start this post again.  After I drink some water, because I am also over due on that.  You get yourself some water, too.  I'll be right back.  And, no, my husband has NOT yet made me that little every-half-hour pop-up for my computer, reminding me to drink some water.  It's still my own responsibility, and I'm not doing well at it.

I've been getting lots done in the garden since my last post.  The phone has been ringing a lot. Laundry washed and hung.  The landscape plastic is down.  Replacement tomato plants in.  Many big ass weeds pulled.  Garlic harvested.  12 heads of garlic, and not huge ones at that.  Enough to last us 3 months, IF I didn't want to save some to plant this fall. I discovered that my cucs aren't sprouting because the seeds are 6 years old.  So I went out and bought a few cucumber plants.  Not ideal, but the cucs will still be better than store bought

The internets are full of people going on about new moon, and eclipse, and summer solstice.  And retrogrades.  Retrogrades aren't a thing I worry about - I use their occurrence as a cue to back up computers and check status of insurances and such.  Do the maintenance that you know you should do.  It's not a big deal. 

But, sure, there are a lot of different energies out there, and folks are aware of them.  They also think that they can control them.  Or 'harness' them.  On the whole - they can't.  And add to the not great ability to control or harness the rare assortment of cosmic energy, even I admit that with both Venus and Merc retrograde that communication is more difficult ... you're not going to be clear in your statements of intent.  Being unclear in THAT means your magic is going to be more inclined to fail to begin with.  So my magical focus this weekend is very very very ... grounded.  I'm clearing ground.  I'm putting in seeds.  I'm harvesting what I've sown.  I'm eating what I produced.  I'm sharing it with others.  I'm trying to perfect a recipe for Strawberry Lemonade.

Maybe I just don't have the spoons - or the loom - to weave with these energies.  Maybe as an old white woman it's my time to step the hell back from doing to weaving and let the next generation of weavers take it on, with my support.  Yes, of course I'm struggling, like everyone else, with depression with all the coronavirus disruption and the evidence of failure in progress that my generation produced, as well as my 'usual' depression.

For now, tho', I'm planting cucs and beans and whispering encouragement to my potatoes and beets.  While Florida has just had over 4000 new cases of coronavirus in one day.

It is what it is.

Oh, we're in Fly Season here on the cattle farm.  At this point it's the middle sized slow flies.  I smashed at least 18 of them so far today, and there is at least one more left.  We had the big horse flies two weeks ago.  In about a month, it will be the somewhat smaller but VERY much faster flies.  And there must be some big wasps nests around, too - there were 6 paper wasps eating the clothes pins on my clothes line as I tried to hang clothes today.  I wish that the swallows would do something about them ... except that the wasps eat other bugs. 

Frondly, Fern

Friday, June 19, 2020

It's Juneteenth!

Blessings Darlings!

Welcome to Juneteenth!  While THIS year more of you than ever before know what it is/celebrates, if you're not clear on it, here is a link - https://www.oprahmag.com/life/a32893726/what-is-juneteenth/.  What I'm going to point out is that while Texas likes to claim that it wasn't part of the Old South ... in fact it totally WAS part of it. 

Juneteenth is going to be celebrated somewhat differently this year, due to Coronavirus.  Which is, of course, hitting Black people hard BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT ALL HEALTH PROBLEMS DO - THEY HIT THE ALREADY OPPRESSED HARD.  Alternet has an article blaming it on Black churches continuing to meet.  The article doesn't go into the historic role of the Black Church, the services it provides, the distrust in the Black community of the government and if the govt is for or against them (Tuskegee study, anyone?), and that churches are where many folks ORGANIZE to survive/resist racism ... and that racism is even more of a problem than Coronavirus. As epidemiologists have been pointing out for the last few weeks. 

Coronavirus isn't acting in a racism-free environment.


I have a bunch of solstice and eclipse things to work on - so this is the whole of today's post.

Frondly, Fern

Boring Thursday.

Blessings Darlings!

Cattle Farmer is continuing her battle against milk thistles.  Today she's mowing them.  She tried chemicals against them last fall - that cut them back a little, but not very much.  I don't mind them, but the cows don't eat them so they are not wanted in the pastures.

I've little energy today.  Not that this matters - still have stuff that needs to get done.  I have some rocks to find (I ONLY found quartz in my garden.  Oh, the horror).  I have plants to, well, plant.  Dishes to do.  Meals to cook, and plan.  I should exercise.  I should eat my veggies, and my fruit.

Didn't find the needed stones yet.  There's always tomorrow ...

Frondly, Fern 

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Wednesday is for Wandering.S

Blessings Darlings!

Got most of the stuff I set out to do done today.  Except ... I forgot to drop off bottles for recycling.  I can do it next week.  Or, since it looks as if I'll have to go shopping again before the end of Sunday (the Chubby Hubby wants rib steaks for Fathers Day.  All I found out today is that HOLY FUCK THEY ARE EXPENSIVE THIS YEAR), so I need to track them down still.  So that might take me to Martinsburg, where the glass recycling drop off is.  I could have gotten him a TON of ribs inexpensively for Fathers Day, but noooooooo.  He wants steaks. 

Not many folks in masks.  One guy removed his mask to cough.  Others leaving their noses exposed. 

I did remember to eat my fruit and yogurt before I started running around, and took coffee with me.  Chubby Hubby ate my peanut butter sandwich and orange for HIS breakfast.  I didn't get hungry crabby, and I took my meds, so that worked out good for both of us.  BUT - he didn't bother calling me when the pharmacy called to say that my monthly meds refill was ready.  AND I WAS GOING TO THAT STORE TODAY.  So I'll have to go out for them later, too.  Grumble.

A friend of mine who was in Florida as it geared up and opened and spread Coronavirus is now at a family reunion in Myrtle Beach - where another outbreak is happening.  And she keeps telling OTHERS to 'make good choices'. 

Love you Peyton.  But keep your germs to your own self for at least 2 weeks after you get back up here.

The dealership has the part for the Spawn's car, so he's going in there tomorrow.  And probably to Costco for shelves we need ... and to look for steaks for Fathers Day.

Since I was on the road from 11 am till about 3 pm, that's all I got done today.  Well, that and putting away groceries, and making dinner, and doing dishes. Now for reading and bed.

Frondly, Fern

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Busy day. Busier tomorrow.

Blessings Darlings!

They ... mowed the lawn today.  But isn't today Tuesday?  They have been mowing on Wednesdays this year.  As if I wasn't already confused about what day of the week it is, THIS happens.

Did lots of dishes today, pulled more weeds before the lawn folks got here.  Lots of online meetings today as well.

Tomorrow - WEDNESDAY - I do the weekly shopping.  Along with the usual Walmart pick up, I'm going to have to hit Lowes for a bunch of stuff, and do a bottle recycling drop off.  And, no doubt, hit Aldi's for stuff Walmart doesn't have.  And hit the food bank to drop off food.  Etc.

This one day different than the rest has been ... no ... I have screwed up my schedule every Wednesday for the last .... most of quarantine.  I haven't been eating before leaving, I try to do too much on one trip, my blood sugar goes wonky and I crash, etc.  I need to do better tomorrow.  So I'm planning on doing this in two trips.  And tonight I'll prep a peanut butter sandwich and some yogurt and fruit, so I can gobble a quick breakfast in the morning - and take the meds I need to take with my breakfast, instead of forgetting them and missing a day.

Meanwhile three states are reporting over 2000 new cases of coronavirus a day. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/16/world/coronavirus-live-updates.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&fbclid=IwAR3tI949B4tyF04iAOw7x6WDeNzTw8UjyhdpFtCtsVutwRZ9qndxNwl2AsQ&fbclid=IwAR3UxhoQwyYespaApXXK3UWS3_8HPo5eqJMus_1DkSXnlI0lMVgJXWhjN7c&fbclid=IwAR2JuJ1yx3MgKzDkGsNyBSesjxPu4RgJDqhhTqICpyvyJc2lQ2DXgJijLW4&fbclid=IwAR2aOvRpOr7i8Aw_zTbit-qPwxXzJjk4rDViwxRFM_yZCoA8ALLEa_8lc-Y&fbclid=IwAR1xD618UokW49MCtl_tA1tkV34I05P7Iep0j4e2rIMD_zNG0iW45GLtXf8  Apparently I'll be wearing a mask in public until I reach official retirement age, some 3 years from now.  And this is NOT the 'second wave'.  We're still fucking up the FIRST wave.

Welp, I have to go dice fruit and slather bread with PB&J.

Frondly, Fern

Monday, June 15, 2020

Fireflies still MIA

Blessings Darlings!

My research into vinegar based weed killer shows that it's not going to work for me. So I've been working on removing Satan's Scrotum Hair by hand.  When my back is less unhappy, I'll cover it with black plastic to try to finish the job.  I got about 1/3 of the area that I need to work on done today.  It was a GREAT day to work in the garden, not too warm and only partly sunny. 

If this was an emergency food situation, I'd have run to what ever food store was open (because who knows WHAT would be closed in an emergency now) - let's say the local grocery store, 3 miles from here.  I'd get every single cardboard box they had, and ask them to let me raid the dumpster that they have cardboard in.  I'd take all that home.  I'd cover this area two layers thick in cardboard, using anything I had to hold it down.  Lawn furniture?  Sure!  The bricks I have saved to make a rocket stove?  Yup!  Jugs of oil for the car?  Yes - ANYTHING.  And I'd be taking Advil and keeping at it.

But at this point, I'm only 'concerned' about our food supply, not terrified. 

I used the garlic snapes that I harvested the other day in bi bim bap today, along with lambs quarters, zucchini, black fungus, spinach, and bean sprouts.  It's wonderful.  And we're going to have lots of veggies and meat left over, so it will be lunches or another dinner later this week.  But damn the soaking and harvesting and de-leafing and steaming and marinading took forever, and dirtied a shitload of stuff. 

In Coronavirus news, Florida alone keeps having 2000 new cases a day.  Some church in my county started having in-church services and now has a cluster fuck of cases, but no one will say which church.  And POTUS says that the problem is that we test for it. 

Such bullshit.

Still not many fireflies.

Frondly, Fern

Sunday, June 14, 2020

Today Gardening is overwhelming

Blessings Darlings!

Dishes washed, laundry going.  Ground coffee beans for the next week.  Just another quarantine Sunday.  Going to have pancakes for dinner, might also make crepes while doing it, and use them for dinner another night.

It's really cool today, 68 degrees at noon.  I'll be out in the garden working in a few minutes.  It is SO DRY here, tho.  Whoops - that 10% chance of rain is a very cold drizzle that started the damn instant I started out the door.  Just enough to stop my from gardening and prevent hanging the laundry.  I sure hope it passes before the laundry is ready to go on the line.  And the temperature has dropped to 60.

1 hour later ... still very very cool out.  Rain stopped, laundry on line.  An hour later yet ... warmer.  I had my cup of coffee outside, and transplanted all of the herbs into proper enough spaces.  "Proper enough" because I found poison ivy growing where I wanted to put some, and I must put effort into eradicating that before some go into their forever spaces.  But they are all in the ground now, so won't be as susceptible to me forgetting to water them.

All the beans planted so far are sprouting.  Need to plant more for dry beans, but not today, says my back.  Also need to harvest the garlic ... some other day.  Should buy a tomato plant or two ... the ones I planted have died, but two volunteers are going in another part of the garden.  So I only need to replace 2 of the 4.  Oh, need to plant cucs, too.  And still need to try to kill off the zoysia grass.

Holy fuck, there's a shit load of stuff to do.

Frondly, Fern


Saturday, June 13, 2020

I'm awake!

Blessings Darling!

So I slept most of yesterday.  Then I slept all night.  Today I'm back at work.  Worked in the garden. weeding and watering.  Worked cleaning house, scrubbing the shower stall.  Always loads of fun, that.  Did the exercise bike thing  Have researched 'how to bake bread in a slow cooker', but I fear that the product will mold as quickly as bread baked in a breadmaker molds.  Oh, I'll try it, but I will be looking at it carefully.

I've had almost all of my 5 servings of produce today, and it's still early.  Go me!

Basically, got a lot done, but ... it doesn't feel like I made any progress anywhere.

 Would like to be organizing monthly Pagan/witch meetings at the coffee shop in Books A Million, but that has to wait for Coronavirus to like, drop.  Which it isn't.  I don't know what I'm going to do when things open up.  I've got 3 different 'high risk' issues going - and while I'm working on the weight and high blood pressure, I can't reverse my age. 

Well, that's that for today.

Frondly, Fern

Friday, June 12, 2020

Too wiped to work

Blessings Darlings!

This week's focus in my garden (and yes, on occasion I actually DO have focus) is on getting rid of Satan's Scrotum Hair - most often called Zoysia  grass.  It sucks.   I hate it in my lawn, but I'm only working on getting rid of it in my garden.  I spent yesterday covering it with plastic in half the garden to see if that will take care of it - but that will take weeks.  I'm going to try to use vinegar and Dawn dishsoap on the other half of it.  Because I test stuff like this.  I also still have to transplant the rest of the herbs, and plant more beans, and stuff like that.  And remove weeds in front, and maybe seed that with turnips.  And get rid of more bindweed ... at least the stuff I don't want to save for spell work. But none of that is going to be done today - I'm wiped out from the work I did yesterday. 

Bored during self quarantine?  Nope, not me.  


Frondly, Fern

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Pampering is not self care.

Blessings Darlings!

Still working on getting the car repaired.  It has to go back in tomorrow, AGAIN.  That will be a full week.  And since June 4 - one week ago - the number of coronavirus deaths IN MY AREA have gone up 300%.  You bet your sweet ass that MY pasty white ass is still in deep social isolation.

Given how much I LOVE my carbs, it's really hard for me to work on my self care with English Muffins and hash browns around the house.  Which brings up a discussion we have had before, but from what I've seen in FB pagan groups (um, specifically in one that I've now been booted and banned from) it needs to be stated again.

Self care and pampering yourself are two different things.  Self care is always a good thing.  Pampering isn't always a good thing, depending on what you are doing, and how.

Self care is ... work.  It's eating right, and the right amounts.  It's making sure you get the sleep you need, the exercise you need, the shadow work you need to do (and that shit can be hard AND terrifying and you will need to push yourself HARD), the counseling you need, the learning to say no - and to say yes - that you need to learn, exercising, etc.  Breaking old patterns, that served you in the past but don't serve you now.

Pampering yourself is a pedicure, the English muffin or dessert or whatever once a week or so, a fancy restaurant, a fancy vacation.

Good knives are self care.  They will hold an edge and make your kitchen work faster and easier.  They will hold a sharp edge, and you are WAY less likely to cut yourself due to that fact.  A knife set that is very pretty but doesn't hold an edge and the pretty shit peels off is NOT self care.  It is pampering.  I'm not trying to sell it to you, but I want to show you this set that a friend bought, and it SUCKS DONKEY DONGS.  https://chefsvisionknives.com/products/cosmos?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5Kbs-8T66QIVlIrICh3SSgz-EAQYBiABEgICPPD_BwE  

Showering and doing a spiritual/emotional cleanse - you doing the work - is 2 minutes deep self care. Four minutes if you're also washing and conditioning your hair. Bath bombs are pampering.  I admit to some attitude towards this one, because I also find that cleaning the damn bathtub after doing on is a pain in the ass and not worth having done the bath bomb. 

Cleaning the house is self care.  Even if  you only have the spoons to do 10 minutes of it.  Learning to ground and center is self care, because then you can do it anywhere, any time, at a moment's notice and IN a moment.  Having to have the right crystal around to be able to ground ... at best that's training wheels.  Having to be outside barefoot on an organic plot of forest to be able to ground is pampering. 

[pardon me while I go do some research - we are suddenly having a discussion about whether crystals of quartz are igneous.  They are, but are a precipitate.  It's very strange to me.]

Things that make your life easier (in the short or long term) are self care.  Buying that 1 pound container of Organic Spring Salad Mix is self care, if that means you'll actually eat salad, while if you buy a head of lettuce that you need to wash and chop means you won't eat salad.  Frozen corn instead of corn on the cob, since you don't have to clean the silk and husks off the cob?  Self care.  Boneless chicken breasts or thighs instead of cheaper chicken leg quarters?  Yup.

It's not that milk shakes, and lots of chocolate, and big bowls of pasta slathered with butter pedicures or fancy vacations or going to Ruth's Chris Steak House are evil.  You just shouldn't mistake them for self care.  Pampering yourself isn't evil (unless you are enslaving someone else to do it, but prison labor, slave labor, etc are issues for another day). 

I'm just saying to not confuse the two.

Frondly, Fern

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

June Land Base.

Blessings Darlings!

It's Mid June (or close enough) - what's going on in your land base?
Here we are having occasional HOT days, right now we're on the second of two days in the 90's in a row.  Hay has started to be harvested, the corn is pretty much all planted, wheat harvest has not started yet.
Poison Hemlock is at peak bloom, daisies are blooming nicely, the first of the mullein flowers have been sighted.  And the first thistles are blooming.  Grape leaves are big enough to harvest to make dolmades (and I did harvest them today, on the vines growing wild near Aldi's.  But I had to be careful due to all the poison ivy that likes the same locations.) 
And the cool hours are FULL of the scent of honeysuckle.  Swoon.  One whiff and you know why it's used in love spells!
But it's SO DRY here right now.  I have to water the garden at least every other day.

Atlanta (home of the CDC...) and Arizona are still being ravaged by coronavirus.  I'm still wearing masks when in public, and going out in public rarely.  Being unemployed ... I have that option right now.  Only place I saw that was hiring is the A&W/Long John Silver fast food place, for that matter.  I live in a college town where there won't be students spending money until sometime next year.  Damn right no one is hiring here.

Second U.S. Virus Wave Emerges After State Reopenings
 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-10/second-u-s-virus-wave-emerges-after-state-reopenings?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_medium=social&utm_content=tv&cmpid=socialflow-facebook-tv&fbclid=IwAR1dILU_kgDtG2vCzjxkNVc7GviqrxIkCUNJu-a0tBkCNippi4I60YcEnY0

And if you missed the stories - the US went into recession in February.  Before Covid affected the economy.

Oh! Oh! Oh!  A baby fox just trotted/danced around the cow pastures.

Today was shopping day, so I'm behind on most things in my life.  I'm going to end today's blog here, and go do more dishes.  At least we were able to finish off the leftovers for dinner tonight, instead of them going to waste.

Frondly, Fern



Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Lightning Fast Round up.

Blessings, Darlings!

Election day here, primary election for president and state and federal offices, day we elect judges, etc.  And it's hot.

Dinner was leftover pot sticker dumplings.

Worked in the garden.

Lots of states hitting new highs of coronavirus.

Gotta run!

Frondly, Fern

Monday, June 8, 2020

These Dreams

Blessings Darlings!

Oh, what a dream last night!  I was YOUNG again - middle school - and got my period.  But my mind and attitude were in my current settings.  I was writing revolutionary stuff on the walls of bathrooms with it.  Then segued into high school, driving with friends, and listening to CSN both for the amazing harmonies and for inspiration for continued political action.

So I give you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2PH-prm8M4 
It's not that we don't know.  It's just that we don't want to care.

Worked in garden.  My back hurts, and I'm unhappy.  Tomorrow's going to have a heat advisory, and I told my back that I should get back in the garden this evening, and it cursed me out and refused to cooperate.

Frondly, Fern



Sunday, June 7, 2020

Summer Cooking Issues.

Blessings Darlings!

Summer weather is fully here.  The air conditioning has been turned on.  Do you fully understand the impact of this?  THIS MEANS IT'S CHEAPER FOR ME TO BUY BREAD THAN TO BAKE IT.   Yes, that loaf that would only cost me 25 cents to bake in the winter now costs over $1 to bake ... since the air conditioning would have to handle the extra load of heat from the oven baking it.

This does not affect our baking of cookies or biscuits, done in our usual small batches.  For them, we use the toaster oven, and we can move THAT outside for baking, eliminating adding heat to the house.

I'm also baking pieces of chicken for dinner outside in that handy dandy toaster oven.  And any other meals I can bake that fit into it. 

What about grilling, you ask?  We don't have a propane grill, so we'd be using charcoal.  And while that has the advantage of not heating the house when we use it, charcoal grilling gives off a shitload of greenhouse gases.  FAR FAR FAR more than using propane does.  There are times we grill still, but it's really rare.  Typically only for smoking pork shoulders, so only 3 times a year.  And when we do that, I measure out the number of charcoal chunks out VERY judiciously.

I WOULD like a propane grill some day.  One with a side burner for one pot of something.  But they start at $250.  I don't anticipate buying one any time soon, since any extra $ we have is going to civil rights, election, and caring for folks in need. 

Meanwhile - South America seems to be the current world hot spot for Coronavirus, but, like in the US, the numbers are being hidden/testing isn't being done/etc, so various 'strong men' can look stronger than they are.

Bah.

Frondly, Fern

Saturday, June 6, 2020

Magic for Justice.

Blessings, Darlings!


Today, in a FB group:  "Does anyone know any spells for justice?"
Responses: 1 - "Justice Candle" - that includes a burnable item of the target.
2 - Binding and banishment spells could also work
3 - Be swift, be just, thou who rules our lust. For time is with us, and with time all shall be dust.
4 - And then I took it, possibly places the OP didn't mean it to go ... AND added a focus on multiple layers of magic:
 "For all big workings like this - you're going to need a multilayered approach.
For the first spell, the MacroSpell, Put it under a God or Intelligence or Angel or other spirit that relates. Jupiter and Hecate are always good for this, but Themis or other spirit that relates is also good. Give offerings, tell them what you're after. REPEAT AT LEAST MONTHLY.

Then micro working for every 'little' action. Involve spirits/energies for stopping qualified immunity for police. Ending the school to jail pipeline. For ending the militarization of police. For promoting civilian oversight of police. For the various aspects of justice in the criminal court system. And in the jail system. Do workings to get good media coverage of your events aimed at systemic change. Do sweet jars on local officials whose help you want. Hot foot and use war water on the offices of candidates that are problematic.

And be prepared to do daily work - both spell work and mundane work - for decades. It's going to be a marathon.


Oh, I later added "Oh, if you mean for a single person going to court - keep the first part. Then do sweetening spell on the judge, on investigators, get dirt from outside the courthouse to use in a spell on the entire building. Do a confusion spell on the prosecutor if you're the one on trial. Do a clarity spell on your lawyer if that's the defense lawyer.   Reverse those aims if you're not the defendant.  Do a glamour on yourself so you look particularly innocent or victimized or believable." 

Meanwhile, around the country - Corona virus still spreads.  Some areas hospitals are full up, or even at 125% of ICU capacity.  We're still self quarantining, and wearing masks in public.

Meanwhile, in my back yard - planted green beans.  It's hot and humid.  Dealing with car repairs.  Water pump on Prius is going, and the dealer didn't do a previous repair right on something else.   Need to get off my ass and exercise.  Which I hate to do even more than my usual hate to do when it's hot and humid.

It's one of those days in my household where we particularly wish ... that everything was better.  That the Spawn and I had jobs.  That everyone had justice.  That poverty and other lacks were being addressed. That ... we were young and fit and had most of our lives ahead of us, rather than going full tilt into inevitable and relatively rapid decline.  As a result - we're having a meal that's too fatty and high carb as  'comfort food'.  Oh, I did exercise.  No one else did. I don't even know if I'll get the guys to take a walk with me tomorrow.  But Fettuccini Alfredo they are willing to eat as a family.

Friday, June 5, 2020

Blessings Darlings!

Tired day today.  Went to the protest at the wall at noon today, even made a sign for it.  Everyone was masked.  I don't know about the center of the protest area, but where I was (sitting on The Wall, in the shade, right over the Town Run stream) everyone was 6 feet apart.  There was while of thundershowers AFTER the protest, glad that they held off. 

Did that, read, cleaned today.  fds


That's it.  More protests on Sunday, but need to work on car repairs tomorrow, amongst other things.


Frondly, Fern

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Sage? Naw. This year needs an Asafetida smudging.

Blessings Darlings!

I'm sweating my ass off working in the garden in 90 degree sunny weather today.  So I might not post much at all.

We're seeing increases in covid 19 cases that are related to the anti=mask/open everything protests and from, well, opening shit up.  In another week to 10 days we'll start to increases from the human black lives matter protests, especially since the chemical warfare being inflicted and the coughing it causes will spread the virus.

I'm probably going to tomorrow's protest in Shepherdstown, and Sunday's protest in Charles Town - but for the latter I'll just do the 'car protest'.  Then on the 13th of every month, there's the protest in Martinburg over the lack of investigation of the police killing of a black man there.    I missed a Martinsburg protest last week, and a Charles Town protest the other day. 

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

First hump day of June.

Blessings Darlings!

Tomorrow, June 4, is Hug Your Cat day.  I don't know who designated this.  I do know that not all cats like to be hugged, so I suspect that this holiday was created by a company that makes bandages.  Always follow the money.  Always.

Sunday looks like it will be busy for me - one protest, one occult book launch party, family time, and goodness knows WHAT else that I've forgotten so far.  My gracious!  And I'll need to make signs for the protest ...

I exercised my ass off today.  Unfortunately, I'm trying to get my belly off.  I don't have much ass to begin with.  I guess I should add some dead lifts to the mix to help my ass a bit.  Blew the diet this morning, but was good the rest of the day.  I did laundry and hung it outside, I voted, I didn't get a darn thing done in the garden other than water.  I'll do the dishes shortly.  I did cook the chicken outside, in the toaster oven, as it was in the 90's today and I didn't want to heat the house.

Just a day in the life.

Frondly, Fern




Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Alert! More stupid magic coming!

Blessings Darlings!

 They're doing it again.  "They" being the part of the witch/pagan community that always calls for 'let's put on a show to address some issue!"  So now it's a night of  magic for protection and peace and justice ... nothing about racism or police, mind you, because that's 'too small' for them to work on.  Never mind that none of the other 'let's get together and do magic!' shit has worked.  As I keep pointing out here and to them.   Like this post from March https://fernsfronds.blogspot.com/2020/03/witching-away-covid-19.html?spref=tw

Protesters are still being attacked by the police.  In DC, BEFORE curfew, police and national guard tear gassed TOTALLY peaceful protesters to move them out of the way of a Trump photo op in front of a church.  The priest of the church is VERY upset and feels he desecrated the church.



https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/05/30/bad-apples-come-from-rotten-trees-in-policing/?preview_id=812040&fbclid=IwAR3SVHBteLqPf60uwhGaTt9iDR5VluB-sibj500aYyy2DDmz7R6im5TtQps Bad apples come from rotten trees.

 Cloudy today, and had some rain.  But the rain stopped, it's getting warm, and clothes are on the clothesline drying.  I managed to transplant California Wonder and Anaheim peppers and put in seeds for black beans before my back said to stop.  Not as much done as I wanted, but it never is.  Caught up on dishes as well.  I've been working on our guest room - which ended up full of boxes of stuff when we moved, and none of use have even started going thru' them until two days ago.

Tomorrow I need to pick up groceries, probably vote, and I want to at least transplant cayenne peppers and tomatoes.  I'd like to do more, but I doubt it will happen.   I do hope to put together bookshelves for the guest room, and get further along on emptying boxes in there. 



Monday, June 1, 2020

It's going to be a long, hot summer.

Blessings Darlings!

It's another perfect day here.  My solar dryer is full of clean laundry and hard at work. Dishes are caught up with again, and washer emptied.  Sugar bowl has been filled (a Monday task).  I believe that we'll have Italian Beef sandwiches and oven baked fries for dinner, with cole slaw for the CH and salad for me and the spawn for dinner. 

Protests continue across the country, with police and white boys inciting violence.  SSDD.

Whew.  Just worked on all the damn Johnson grass in the garden.  Dug up what I could, put heavy cardboard down since I'm sure I didn't get all the rhizomes.  BUT - since while I'm far from 'fit', having been exercising lately doing it didn't kill my back.  Got it all done, and not in pain ... at this time.  I also watered the plants and sprayed the vole/mole repellent.

Oh, yeah, I'm feeling that work in my muscles now, 5 hours later. 
Latest Coronavirus numbers:

,
Global cases - 6,185,523                    Global deaths 372,377
US Cases        1,790,191                     US Deaths     104,383


Trump keeps saying that he wants the Republican convention to be mask free, and no social distancing.  I say he's bluffing - that at least the folks who would be there and mingling don't want that.  And that if the Governor of NC gave Trump what he wants, Trump would be embarrassed by the lack of attendance.  And be pressured by the Republicans to cancel a physical convention.

Presidential conventions and civil rights riots.  Ain't nothing new under the sun.  I remember the summer of 1968.  I lived in Chicago during the convention. 

Why haven't they brought back the chant 'The Whole World is Watching!"?

Trump has just brought the Insurrection Act into play, calling all protesters traitors and working to overthrow the government.  THAT is how ingrained racism is in the US - if you fight against it you are deemed 'an enemy of the state'.

Fern