My clover brings all the bees to the yard
And they're like, it's not poisoned like yours
Damn right it's not poisoned like yours.
I'd teach you, and not even charge.
Blessings Darlings!
I'm finally seeing a goodly number of bees in the clover. Still mostly bumble bees, but the number of honey bees is up.
This will all change on Friday, of course, when the guy mows the lawn. And he often scalps the lawn, on top of mowing all the wildflowers.
But we persevere.
What *I* ask him to do doesn't much matter, since I don't pay him, the land lord does.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, June 17, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
I want a Witches Garden
Blessings Darlings!
If I EVER get my veggie/herb garden to the point I'm happy with it ... and it's no where NEAR that point now ... I want to put in a Witches' Garden.
This wouldn't be a happy healing/culinary herb garden. This would be a nice traditional baneful garden. It would feature poisons and other oddities - deadly hemlock, deadly nightshade, maybe poison ivy (tho usually that's easy enough to find growing around here!), pokeweed, mugwort, wormwood, foxglove, lily of the valley, yews, may apples .... I might even grow abortifacients like pennyroyal in that garden.
Yes, some of them can be used medically. But they can also harm folks.
Just ... because.
Frondly, Fern
If I EVER get my veggie/herb garden to the point I'm happy with it ... and it's no where NEAR that point now ... I want to put in a Witches' Garden.
This wouldn't be a happy healing/culinary herb garden. This would be a nice traditional baneful garden. It would feature poisons and other oddities - deadly hemlock, deadly nightshade, maybe poison ivy (tho usually that's easy enough to find growing around here!), pokeweed, mugwort, wormwood, foxglove, lily of the valley, yews, may apples .... I might even grow abortifacients like pennyroyal in that garden.
Yes, some of them can be used medically. But they can also harm folks.
Just ... because.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, June 3, 2013
Hard Won Gifts
Blessings Darlings!
As I noted a few days ago, we have a bit of a heat wave here. Today will be another hot humid day, and we MAY have air pollution warnings - DC has warnings, but I don't know about the Blue Ridge. But I digress ...
As a result of the heat wave, I was out working in the garden very early today, while the temperature was in the lower 70's. Oh my goodness, it was sweet outside then. The birds were chirping, no tractors were running yet (either mowing lawns of my neighbors or cutting hay), the breeze was NOT from the cattle barns, etc.
I, of course, was sweating exactly the way a pig doesn't. This is because to be more intimate with my immediate land base I work my garden by hand. I worked the bean bed again today, with the days work being taking a spade (and not a shovel) and turning what would be topsoil (if I was still in Illinois). Here in my little corner of Appalachia it is NOT topsoil - it is clay. Heavy red clay. I need to do another round with that now broken bed, and work compost into it so it is ready for the seeds.
Heavy Red Clay. I looked at those first spadefuls, and a soft voice said, "You know those runes you want to make? They can be made of clay." I went back to the garage and got a bucket. And a lid. By the time I had the bed turned I had 4 gallons of great red clay, 13 pieces of quartz .... and a blister.
Because the real gifts of the Gods are their quiet voices. Not in them doing the work for us.
Frondly, Fern
As I noted a few days ago, we have a bit of a heat wave here. Today will be another hot humid day, and we MAY have air pollution warnings - DC has warnings, but I don't know about the Blue Ridge. But I digress ...
As a result of the heat wave, I was out working in the garden very early today, while the temperature was in the lower 70's. Oh my goodness, it was sweet outside then. The birds were chirping, no tractors were running yet (either mowing lawns of my neighbors or cutting hay), the breeze was NOT from the cattle barns, etc.
I, of course, was sweating exactly the way a pig doesn't. This is because to be more intimate with my immediate land base I work my garden by hand. I worked the bean bed again today, with the days work being taking a spade (and not a shovel) and turning what would be topsoil (if I was still in Illinois). Here in my little corner of Appalachia it is NOT topsoil - it is clay. Heavy red clay. I need to do another round with that now broken bed, and work compost into it so it is ready for the seeds.
Heavy Red Clay. I looked at those first spadefuls, and a soft voice said, "You know those runes you want to make? They can be made of clay." I went back to the garage and got a bucket. And a lid. By the time I had the bed turned I had 4 gallons of great red clay, 13 pieces of quartz .... and a blister.
Because the real gifts of the Gods are their quiet voices. Not in them doing the work for us.
Frondly, Fern
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Calling a Spade a Spade.
Blessings Darling!
Let us all say this in unison - Fern is not everyone's cuppa. Did I hear all my Mountain Sisters (and I don't just mean Owl Mt, I mean all the Delicate Flowers of Appalachian Womanhood) snickering?
I am an opinionated, wordy, judgmental, and precise bitch. The same in person as I am online. Did I just hear an "AMEN" and "Preach it, sister" from Asheville?
I'm not the person who uses a lot of exclamation points, even tho' I have strong opinions. Instead, as you may have noticed in the previous two paragraphs, I ask a lot of questions. I am not just interested in your conclusions, the 'what' you do, I am also interested in the 'why you do it part'.
Some people seem to think that the 'why' part is an attack. I find that view odd, to say the least (see, I CAN be diplomatic). I assume that you have good reasons, even if I can't see them, and want to know what they are. Because magical and life-skills THEORY matters and informs what we all do.
Yes, I think that what words you use matter, too. If you make up your own definitions to words rather than using the meanings used in normative English and in the dictionary - then you are NOT actually seeking to communicate but to hide things or sound like you know more than you do.
Did you notice above that I did NOT say that I was "not everyone's cup of tea", even tho' that is a commonly used phrase? I'll tell you why - tea is a precise word, referring to a precise family of shrubs.
I'm not everyone's tisane, either, which is what you get when you made an infusion of other herbs.
So if you are easily offended, this is not the blog you should follow. You probably shouldn't follow me on Twitter, or friend me on Facebook, either.
Because I'm going to continue to call a spade a spade. And not a shovel.
Frondly, Fern
Let us all say this in unison - Fern is not everyone's cuppa. Did I hear all my Mountain Sisters (and I don't just mean Owl Mt, I mean all the Delicate Flowers of Appalachian Womanhood) snickering?
I am an opinionated, wordy, judgmental, and precise bitch. The same in person as I am online. Did I just hear an "AMEN" and "Preach it, sister" from Asheville?
I'm not the person who uses a lot of exclamation points, even tho' I have strong opinions. Instead, as you may have noticed in the previous two paragraphs, I ask a lot of questions. I am not just interested in your conclusions, the 'what' you do, I am also interested in the 'why you do it part'.
Some people seem to think that the 'why' part is an attack. I find that view odd, to say the least (see, I CAN be diplomatic). I assume that you have good reasons, even if I can't see them, and want to know what they are. Because magical and life-skills THEORY matters and informs what we all do.
Yes, I think that what words you use matter, too. If you make up your own definitions to words rather than using the meanings used in normative English and in the dictionary - then you are NOT actually seeking to communicate but to hide things or sound like you know more than you do.
Did you notice above that I did NOT say that I was "not everyone's cup of tea", even tho' that is a commonly used phrase? I'll tell you why - tea is a precise word, referring to a precise family of shrubs.
I'm not everyone's tisane, either, which is what you get when you made an infusion of other herbs.
So if you are easily offended, this is not the blog you should follow. You probably shouldn't follow me on Twitter, or friend me on Facebook, either.
Because I'm going to continue to call a spade a spade. And not a shovel.
Frondly, Fern
Can't Escape Classical Greece
Blessings Darlings!
Today the remarkable Suz and I went to the coffee shop to write. As it happened, we were both writing about Hellenic Paganism. Which isn't TOTALLY unusual for us, her being Hellenic and me being ... all over the board when it comes to blogging.
The coffee shop features art for sale. Some weeks we like the art more than other weeks, of course. This week, the art was okay, nothing we'd buy if we had the money. Until .... after writing a while I got up to stretch and looked at the inexpensive monographs by Susan Carney. Lovely work, in general, and one got us all tingly. We both took pictures of it to show others. A monograph entitled "Minotaur", featuring a woman, and bull, a man ... some amount of overlapping. Figuring out especially when the man and bull began and ended was not clear.
I may come back and buy it, but I'll need a frame for it.
The picture alone got us talking about an aspect of Ariadne we hadn't much considered before - that she is sister to the Minotaur that she helped Theseus kill. In a sense, she helped him kill a part of herself. What part of herself lay dead in the labyrinth when Theseus followed the thread back to her?
Gotta love it when you go out into the world and blog "Hellenic" - you're always going to find references and start you thinking!
Frondly, Fern
Addenum - after I got home the Chubby Hubby and I DID go back and buy the Minotaur monograph. I will need to find a frame for it, of course, but at least we both agreed on a piece of artwork. I want to put it up in the dining room.
Today the remarkable Suz and I went to the coffee shop to write. As it happened, we were both writing about Hellenic Paganism. Which isn't TOTALLY unusual for us, her being Hellenic and me being ... all over the board when it comes to blogging.
The coffee shop features art for sale. Some weeks we like the art more than other weeks, of course. This week, the art was okay, nothing we'd buy if we had the money. Until .... after writing a while I got up to stretch and looked at the inexpensive monographs by Susan Carney. Lovely work, in general, and one got us all tingly. We both took pictures of it to show others. A monograph entitled "Minotaur", featuring a woman, and bull, a man ... some amount of overlapping. Figuring out especially when the man and bull began and ended was not clear.
I may come back and buy it, but I'll need a frame for it.
The picture alone got us talking about an aspect of Ariadne we hadn't much considered before - that she is sister to the Minotaur that she helped Theseus kill. In a sense, she helped him kill a part of herself. What part of herself lay dead in the labyrinth when Theseus followed the thread back to her?
Gotta love it when you go out into the world and blog "Hellenic" - you're always going to find references and start you thinking!
Frondly, Fern
Addenum - after I got home the Chubby Hubby and I DID go back and buy the Minotaur monograph. I will need to find a frame for it, of course, but at least we both agreed on a piece of artwork. I want to put it up in the dining room.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Heat Wave Eve
Blessings Darlings!
An early heat wave is going to be starting here tomorrow. Temperatures will be in the 90's and the humidity will be high for 5 days. Therefore, I did some preparations to help reduce my electricity use during that time.
That means that today I totally caught up on the ironing, so I won't iron at all during the heat wave (the Spawn will, since he didn't iron his work clothes. His choice). The Spawn made blueberry muffins, and pizza for dinner tonight - we won't bake desserts during the heat wave, and will grill and/or pressure cook dinners. Bread and rolls are about to go into the oven, so we won't bake those during the hot days. We don't need the loaf bread at the moment, so that will go into the freezer for a few days.
Late spring allows me to do this. The hot weather isn't unrelenting ... nor is the cold weather. A little preparation, a little care to work with, not against, nature goes a long way right now.
Frondly, Fern
An early heat wave is going to be starting here tomorrow. Temperatures will be in the 90's and the humidity will be high for 5 days. Therefore, I did some preparations to help reduce my electricity use during that time.
That means that today I totally caught up on the ironing, so I won't iron at all during the heat wave (the Spawn will, since he didn't iron his work clothes. His choice). The Spawn made blueberry muffins, and pizza for dinner tonight - we won't bake desserts during the heat wave, and will grill and/or pressure cook dinners. Bread and rolls are about to go into the oven, so we won't bake those during the hot days. We don't need the loaf bread at the moment, so that will go into the freezer for a few days.
Late spring allows me to do this. The hot weather isn't unrelenting ... nor is the cold weather. A little preparation, a little care to work with, not against, nature goes a long way right now.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, May 27, 2013
Nature Unaided Fails
Blessings Darlings!
I want a stang. Y'all who are Pagans have seen stangs before - they are the 'staff with two or three points on the top'. Here's a grand article about them http://witchofforestgrove.com/2011/02/27/how-to-use-a-stang/. I have heard it can be used as a magical gateway, and want to try that out. I have to admit I don't quite get how that would work, or why it would be different than using a 'regular' staff, or my staff with the antler on top.
Today, a cold day with a seriously sharp wind, I moved from inertia into active on getting one. Or co-creating one.
We have a whole lot of Tree Of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) growing around here. It and I have decided that my stang will be of that wood. While a import (and, let's face it, an invasive one at that) in the US it already has a mythos here. Not only does it resist city pollution, but it's the tree that was the central image in the book/movie "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn". And it grows fast, which is part of why it and I are working together on this.
Because while I WANT a stang out of this wood, that doesn't mean that the trees here have the formation I want ready. Or at least ready somewhere that isn't 40 feet in the air. So today nature and I started working together.
I went out to the smaller of the two copses - the one my main altar and the huge holey stone is in - and started evaluating and conversing and building a relationship with the smaller trees. I removed the side branch buds forming under 6 feet high on their stems. Once they get to be about 8 feet tall, I'm going to be pruning the main stem back about 2 feet, and letting two or three branches form and grow up, competing to be the main trunk. Once those get to be a couple of feet tall, I will fell the tree and make the specialized staff.
You might have noticed that this is not an instant-gratification version of getting a magical tool. No, this is a form a relationship, grow together, work together, THEN work to turn out a tool (and working to a freshly cut tree whose fresh sap can cause blisters). This is taking time to build the right long-term relationship. This is not 'shopping for a tool'.
It is the tree working on my nature, as much as me modifying nature.
This, my darlings, is the Great Work.
Frondly, Fern
I want a stang. Y'all who are Pagans have seen stangs before - they are the 'staff with two or three points on the top'. Here's a grand article about them http://witchofforestgrove.com/2011/02/27/how-to-use-a-stang/. I have heard it can be used as a magical gateway, and want to try that out. I have to admit I don't quite get how that would work, or why it would be different than using a 'regular' staff, or my staff with the antler on top.
Today, a cold day with a seriously sharp wind, I moved from inertia into active on getting one. Or co-creating one.
We have a whole lot of Tree Of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) growing around here. It and I have decided that my stang will be of that wood. While a import (and, let's face it, an invasive one at that) in the US it already has a mythos here. Not only does it resist city pollution, but it's the tree that was the central image in the book/movie "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn". And it grows fast, which is part of why it and I are working together on this.
Because while I WANT a stang out of this wood, that doesn't mean that the trees here have the formation I want ready. Or at least ready somewhere that isn't 40 feet in the air. So today nature and I started working together.
I went out to the smaller of the two copses - the one my main altar and the huge holey stone is in - and started evaluating and conversing and building a relationship with the smaller trees. I removed the side branch buds forming under 6 feet high on their stems. Once they get to be about 8 feet tall, I'm going to be pruning the main stem back about 2 feet, and letting two or three branches form and grow up, competing to be the main trunk. Once those get to be a couple of feet tall, I will fell the tree and make the specialized staff.
You might have noticed that this is not an instant-gratification version of getting a magical tool. No, this is a form a relationship, grow together, work together, THEN work to turn out a tool (and working to a freshly cut tree whose fresh sap can cause blisters). This is taking time to build the right long-term relationship. This is not 'shopping for a tool'.
It is the tree working on my nature, as much as me modifying nature.
This, my darlings, is the Great Work.
Frondly, Fern
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