tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32263406073620189812024-02-06T19:50:56.761-08:00Gurgle Burp"...not perfect, but passionate and full of wonder..." ~ David Bowieddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.comBlogger275125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-75809203374758861002018-10-16T14:13:00.000-07:002018-10-16T14:13:29.130-07:00Daily Oracle and a Small Snippet of Anniversary<div style="text-align: justify;">
10/9 - <b>Mummy/Change</b>: <i>The sand in his mouth, the bandages wound. Jealous of the living, eternal life bound. </i>Like the Tower card in Tarot only slow and gradual. Change for the positive.</div>
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10/10 - <b>Skull of Flowers/Creating through the ashes</b> (3rd time drawn): <i>To blossom and bloom, the work must be done. Through fire and ashes, our fortune it comes. </i>Phoenix energy. Rising stronger from the ashes. </div>
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10/11 - <b>Zombie/Control</b>: <i>The dead arise, voices a-mumbling. After our brains, our screams they are tumbling. </i>Being smart about control, making sure you have autonomy, easing up on the reins when necessary.</div>
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10/12 - <b>Joy/Rejoicing in the present</b>:<i> I stand here, I am what I am. Fully alive and present. Stress is a sham. </i>Living in the moment and embracing what each moment has to offer. </div>
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10/13 - <b>Vampire/Emotional intelligence</b>: <i>The deepest, the coldest, the craving of the blood. The hole never filled, the longing like a flood.</i> Ancient empathy, protecting yourself against emotional drains.</div>
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Today was our anniversary. It's been a year since I became the legal thrall of my vampire wife. We went with our friends to Scarywood and enjoyed such delights as Pharoah's Tomb and Blood Bayou. I also did Total Darkness and 3-Dimentia and wondered around Clown Town and Spider Alley until my toes were quite cold and tired. I rode the log ride twice (even convinced my besty to ride it with me once, much to her horror and chagrin). Overall it was a good time though I do think I might opt for a Thursday next year so that I can ride the rollercoasters without waiting in long lines. Also I want to try and do some serious Zumba this year so that next time we go to Scarywood I can ride all the rides. Even the ones that I will regret, hehehe. </blockquote>
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10/14 - <b>Skull of Stars/Infinite possibilities</b> (2nd time drawn): <i>Why think so small when galaxies spin within? Realize that you are made of the stuff of stars and infinite possibilities begin.</i> Don't limit yourself. Work toward your goals believing they are possible. </div>
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10/15 - <b>Invisibility/Authenticity</b> (3rd time drawn): <i>Heart beating, we sense but do not see. They touch, we chill, they come unseen. </i>Authentication of the self. Transparency of truth. </div>
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10/16 - <b style="text-align: justify;">Mummy/Change </b><span style="text-align: justify;">(2nd time drawn)</span><span style="text-align: justify;">: </span><i style="text-align: justify;">The sand in his mouth, the bandages wound. Jealous of the living, eternal life bound. </i><span style="text-align: justify;">Because one good mummy deserves another. More premonitions of change. Still positive though!</span></div>
ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-16460424048446679132018-10-08T15:21:00.001-07:002018-10-08T15:21:53.594-07:00Oracle Time<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBUGCxo5Lcdk5NQ5uhuPte9IhcAQrxsm6P31vcooVmtL8iTifOLqWBNhnmyzeB4pTS-IH08CtgYjvF200TE4u_nRZC-vthSy9BWwpozmnqTEO8kIf73JlVuTZnr8xpLlrCSE_mLzdhlc/s1600/halloween-oracle-card_death.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="348" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBUGCxo5Lcdk5NQ5uhuPte9IhcAQrxsm6P31vcooVmtL8iTifOLqWBNhnmyzeB4pTS-IH08CtgYjvF200TE4u_nRZC-vthSy9BWwpozmnqTEO8kIf73JlVuTZnr8xpLlrCSE_mLzdhlc/s200/halloween-oracle-card_death.jpg" width="135" /></a>Friday the 5th: I drew Death. And, because it sort of jumped out at me: Scrying. The Death card was particularly interesting because earlier that day I had expressed my fears to a friend, telling her how during the darker time of the year I always imagine my loved ones and myself as dying somehow. To draw the Death card was a good reminder that death is part of life and not to be feared or conquered and also that death itself is the beginning of the cycle. Again, <i>solve et coagula</i>. Something must be taken apart (die) before something new can be formed (born). Pagans put death at the beginning of the life cycle. Death is the great beginning. So something is starting for me - on the surface it is definitely the beginning of my tough emotional time - below the surface perhaps I'm going to start some spiritual and creative projects. The other card that jumped out at me, Scrying, is a card that calls us to abandon the desire to make logical sense of everything and to let our subconscious feel and understand. Mostly the card wants the drawer to try the actual act of scrying and so at some point during this month or Samhain season I will definitely give it a go.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVpyfgmF1UqGIQTdAnL7LXZHNUQrNayrgpeRhek4BOX3BleU3nLYaWT1KHEuOifgUOTNPhIe0qPUdjZm-fjY_I0MRy7gpNc19EzYp7j8u0jThc9vGu-mThi12B0dfkhGjBXsR25uTpa0/s1600/7ab59347440b78386b8cb956a223b31e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1035" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVpyfgmF1UqGIQTdAnL7LXZHNUQrNayrgpeRhek4BOX3BleU3nLYaWT1KHEuOifgUOTNPhIe0qPUdjZm-fjY_I0MRy7gpNc19EzYp7j8u0jThc9vGu-mThi12B0dfkhGjBXsR25uTpa0/s200/7ab59347440b78386b8cb956a223b31e.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
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Saturday the 6th: Invisibility. This is the second time I've drawn this card. Again it is a call to reveal my true authentic self and to be careful of my desire to be invisible.<br />
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Sunday the 7th: Skull of Light. A reminder to let my true self shine forth. A great follow up card to the Invisibility card. It speaks to 'stop hiding.' <i>We can stay in the dark, Exist only in the midnight hours, But shining the torch, The victory is ours. </i> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSkhQx5OFfe7sdcgZ56rIa78UDDkC2CsqnVnZ48XobXs3iGGd82S6J_RhfyNEL_-H2d96I-ipLrvIyUbkeKZke0afq_UpgICjwOtnQICKVLUBD71Vuuf013eibok79JwhueIZFx2KoL58/s1600/img_6892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1085" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSkhQx5OFfe7sdcgZ56rIa78UDDkC2CsqnVnZ48XobXs3iGGd82S6J_RhfyNEL_-H2d96I-ipLrvIyUbkeKZke0afq_UpgICjwOtnQICKVLUBD71Vuuf013eibok79JwhueIZFx2KoL58/s200/img_6892.jpg" width="135" /></a>Monday the 8th: (weirdly enough, I knew I would draw this card today) Skull of Stars. <i>Why think so small when galaxies spin within? Realize that you are made of the stuff of stars and infinite possibilities begin. </i>This card talks about broadening your view of the future and your role within it. Also it mentions letting go of old beliefs that no longer serve you. For me this means moving forward and researching some of the darker/stranger things that have called to me lately.</div>
ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-77939555930325706552018-10-04T09:47:00.002-07:002018-10-04T09:47:45.422-07:00Halloween Oracle and Plans<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuUobPiOmtKDPv_y3OPvYGGH9glH2-R7k9KW3LoXiO9BEJxdncGd7wYjhZ51iliL84jZJXjamg_LVhkaf_aTsuaZ68nYnekJsk6NheFVmpr001W1buDnCniKnQ8vMkETeobnT4eOy1tQ/s1600/xxcxcxc.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuUobPiOmtKDPv_y3OPvYGGH9glH2-R7k9KW3LoXiO9BEJxdncGd7wYjhZ51iliL84jZJXjamg_LVhkaf_aTsuaZ68nYnekJsk6NheFVmpr001W1buDnCniKnQ8vMkETeobnT4eOy1tQ/s320/xxcxcxc.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This the new attraction at Scarywood this year and Hannah and I are excited to check it out!</td></tr>
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This October Hannah and I will celebrate our 1st anniversary as a married couple. It will be our 11th year as a couple. I have to figure out some sort of anniversary gift for my human and I'm a sucker for old traditions so I'm contemplating a 'paper' gift as that is the <a href="https://ideas.hallmark.com/articles/anniversary-ideas/anniversary-gifts-by-year/" target="_blank">customary symbol/gift</a> of the first year of marriage. Our friends are giving us a lovely gift of taking us to Silverwood Theme Park's Scarywood on the actual day of the anniversary, the thirteenth. Leading up to that I have three days off from work and I think Hannah has some fun themed things planned. We're broke at the moment so our fun will have to be free or cheap until the payday on the twelfth (and that is the first time I think I've ever written out the word for 12th and holy crap it looks weird!). So I'm looking forward to having some Hannah time and seeing what sorts of mischief we can get into. Now for the daily Halloween Oracle draw.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_DKgnpRns-tFcLnQA7R-4xG00UoR6USkcB6wwoccSqC24yAezz311HiwTc6NnETwb1XhJCEwpjRjdI9moonz64hZRBtVAsp08mR5yAK-x-wVUPylvUX2yIgquztcSXS6sMCe8yr3AFbQ/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_DKgnpRns-tFcLnQA7R-4xG00UoR6USkcB6wwoccSqC24yAezz311HiwTc6NnETwb1XhJCEwpjRjdI9moonz64hZRBtVAsp08mR5yAK-x-wVUPylvUX2yIgquztcSXS6sMCe8yr3AFbQ/s320/Capture.PNG" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>To bloom and blossom, the work must be done.<br />Through fire and ashes, our fortune it comes.</i></td></tr>
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Wednesday the 3rd I drew the Skull of Flowers again. This is after extensive shuffling and cutting. So obviously there's a lesson or an energy that I need to be aware of. I'm going to write the full card meaning in here so that my fingers and brain can ponder what this card really means for me. </div>
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Before flowers are born, they are sweet buds on a plant that came from a smaller form like a seed or a bulb. The seed needs prepared, nourishing soil to grow to its potential. Some plants and trees only seed after fire or a period extreme adversity like drought or flood. </blockquote>
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Sometimes we wish for a life different from the one we have and that can mean radical change. Sometimes to have that new life, everything falls apart to make it so - and that can be uncomfortable. We may lose our relationships or they may change. We might lose a job, have to move house or become ill - all big events that lead to a reassessment of the 'how' of our lives. </blockquote>
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The Skull of Flowers illustrates that there is a sureness and yet a rawness to creating again, to starting afresh. Sometimes the universe gives us a blank slate to work from, so we can build what we really want, rather than just settling for less. The Skull of Flowers celebrates not just a kind of phoenix energy but an energy of success and full bloom through adversity. </blockquote>
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So essentially I really need to eat shit before I can have my cake. Fair enough. It stands to reason that wading through muck will eventually get you to dry land and your legs, though tired, will be stronger for it. So I suppose this card is telling me to hang in there in a way. This time of year is very difficult for me as the darkness hyper charges my depression something fierce. Maybe that's why this card has shown up twice: to tell me that I'll get through to the other side and that I'll come out stronger and better for my journey. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWAO1PndsSGJqRJjZ4sFqaCnB3WVSQrRsGlz7miXXBU9b5OxCChbapDjtnteXSSQUBaiBdXpel-8RfuJIRYovvkzplonWGwzV2jq-O0yAPrNH1QitJsQb8lJ7Sh0DLBVfuGhWwvsBnBE/s1600/Capturesdsds.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWAO1PndsSGJqRJjZ4sFqaCnB3WVSQrRsGlz7miXXBU9b5OxCChbapDjtnteXSSQUBaiBdXpel-8RfuJIRYovvkzplonWGwzV2jq-O0yAPrNH1QitJsQb8lJ7Sh0DLBVfuGhWwvsBnBE/s320/Capturesdsds.PNG" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The stones they mark, The eternal resting place<br />Yet the spirits they are walking, and they are ready for the chase!</i></td></tr>
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Thursday the 4th I drew the Graveyard card. This card delves into unnecessary fears. This is particularly appropriate for me as this time of year crushes my confidence and fills me with a plethora of fearful thoughts and hypothetical ends. I tend to constantly worry that my loved ones are going to die or that I'm going to die, or that I'm going to get into trouble at work, and I imagine random acts of violence befalling my family or property. I do need to 'chill the fuck out' and relax. Just because the days are shorter doesn't mean I need to fear the unknown. So far my home has been very safe and comfortable. The people I know and love are safe and sound. I need to stop letting bad thoughts in and I especially need to stop letting bad thoughts out.</div>
ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-7864907961081892172018-10-02T13:13:00.001-07:002018-10-02T17:52:47.463-07:00October Halloween Oracle Daily Draw<div style="text-align: justify;">
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So I haven't updated in a long time. So much has happened this summer: gardening, an anime convention, a visit from a dear friend from back east, the desire to start up Taiko drumming, a call to volunteer for the Kuroneko Cultural Association, Hannah doing assistance work at our friends' bakery, a lovely Rocky Horror Birthday for a friend, and a wonderful birthday/Mabon for me, all sorts of things. I have lots of pictures which I want to photo dump into a post on here. But all that aside, I wanted to talk about October.</div>
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This month is so very precious and stressful to me for all the obvious reasons and for some not so obvious ones. In years past this month has been an initiator of change. I started work at the Spokesman-Review on October 9th, 2015. I began moving to Spokane at that time. In 2017 Hannah and I married, forced to re-home, went on a honeymoon, and began the home buying process. This October I want the change to be less physical and more spiritual and mental. So to get that going I'm preparing for NanoWriMo and also doing a daily card draw from the Halloween Oracle Deck. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKjg5ksOGmaYJcj9tGzczeeDgGrfqldkarpVMp_25fYrYp_xLGjm5lez1DWXzq4CnqAYAV_ruapU5bHD-Mzjjpc5JlJlHAlxSxPiKkJiCOQSYvV4ZhAvVWwj0h597mMVh4GZUvDl6p7A/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKjg5ksOGmaYJcj9tGzczeeDgGrfqldkarpVMp_25fYrYp_xLGjm5lez1DWXzq4CnqAYAV_ruapU5bHD-Mzjjpc5JlJlHAlxSxPiKkJiCOQSYvV4ZhAvVWwj0h597mMVh4GZUvDl6p7A/s200/Capture.PNG" width="140"></a></div>
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~MONDAY the 1st~</div>
Skull of Flowers - phoenix energy and an understanding that sometimes things must burn/fall apart before they can come together better/newer/stronger. I've been feeling Baphomet a lot recently and written upon the deity's arms is the phrase: <i>solve coagula. </i>This means 'to separate' and 'to join together' and stems from the principle of Alchemy that you cannot build something that is not, without breaking apart something that is.</div>
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~TUESDAY the 2nd~</div>
Invisibility - the idea that being unseen can be a good thing when it comes to gathering information or doing an anonymous good deed. Also the acknowledgment that certain creatures/beings practice invisibility as a way of concealing their true selves for protection or to exhibit power or superiority. However when looking at invisibility in ourselves we should examine the intention of our hiding. If we are hiding ourselves due to fear or showing our true selves, or shyness, or unwillingness to share our gifts and talents... then that may be a case of unhealthy invisibility. For me this card means I need to continue pushing myself to explore new things and not be afraid to showcase my abilities and be proud of what I have to offer. </div>
ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-89378755565457481112018-07-18T15:03:00.000-07:002018-07-18T21:23:30.664-07:00Tanabata 2018 (Photos and Script)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Quick update: Hannah went to the ER and got her gallbladder out on 7/7! Yay! Without health insurance the cost of the surgery is enough to purchase a new vehicle! Boo! But we are so poor that the hospital is writing it all off... so yay again!</div>
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Because Hannah's gallbladder decided it wanted to jump ship on Tanabata, we pushed back our annual celebration to the following Friday the 13th. This is totally my jam. I get pretty super excited over three celebrations: Yule (and Christmas Parties), Halloween/Samhain, and then Tanabata. There are other various things that get me really excited but these are my set big Holidays. For those who might not know what Tanabata is: it's a Japanese Star Festival celebrating wishes and love. I'll include the play I wrote for the celebration at the end of the blog post - but for now, behold all the pretty things:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0KwIYoMR_VdKB07t0opD3-D0KhhHdvHkLsmcNpbDUwSgaIvA7gryQ9KMqYkVlvvsjJkLuYuKh1ASYqoR8OzIj7CvhMbs88QNtww3pD4X9usx5krkxxn0m4VJI1MbY2AlhUjCpXJDIRU/s1600/20180713_165322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0KwIYoMR_VdKB07t0opD3-D0KhhHdvHkLsmcNpbDUwSgaIvA7gryQ9KMqYkVlvvsjJkLuYuKh1ASYqoR8OzIj7CvhMbs88QNtww3pD4X9usx5krkxxn0m4VJI1MbY2AlhUjCpXJDIRU/s320/20180713_165322.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite sushi! Vegan and delicious. <br />
This was my share item for the potluck. I brought 6 packages.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_yR1icH16hEHcxo8eXQgLrTA761ia9q1DgU9uQRR0hnKaUjxGE4zP9zDELz8VBNeWev3dly1LbHze0e2mSBJHWff-Wwwedi4himGvUvM_XX7Tz7JlZERFc-PGsBWUojFpVk5fQ3JHX0/s1600/20180713_212038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_yR1icH16hEHcxo8eXQgLrTA761ia9q1DgU9uQRR0hnKaUjxGE4zP9zDELz8VBNeWev3dly1LbHze0e2mSBJHWff-Wwwedi4himGvUvM_XX7Tz7JlZERFc-PGsBWUojFpVk5fQ3JHX0/s320/20180713_212038.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We strung a rope across the yard to represent a bridge across the Amanogawa (Milky Way) River. <br />
Below the bridge is our Altar. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMaV-I6tfAtpevAGshv539_nnVVt1CbTIVrXWEVE5O3qcC0h3D57KkzdfLb90GPt-nLPTAcHvXq3WuaHOEdbV1B8UJpP5pXActNEcxqlosiXHuV2dBco4iYVRbc6yIS6gtblSmwO9Swk/s1600/20180713_212110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMaV-I6tfAtpevAGshv539_nnVVt1CbTIVrXWEVE5O3qcC0h3D57KkzdfLb90GPt-nLPTAcHvXq3WuaHOEdbV1B8UJpP5pXActNEcxqlosiXHuV2dBco4iYVRbc6yIS6gtblSmwO9Swk/s320/20180713_212110.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overview of the Altar. The long packet in the middle contained consecrated wish strips called tanzaku.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3a-xMxDL1UjCvfjQahUxGuaDU5YZ6vU6JBg_Jzbb-pGiWswgumUGzTS_NtYHSBNen3JWZHC_dupr0Q4IQeeWoFHIzP80Vy-ExMK_q9rgH3ud6oRLTo2OQdUaqnXpCt1eev0nPWpME0hA/s1600/20180713_212125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3a-xMxDL1UjCvfjQahUxGuaDU5YZ6vU6JBg_Jzbb-pGiWswgumUGzTS_NtYHSBNen3JWZHC_dupr0Q4IQeeWoFHIzP80Vy-ExMK_q9rgH3ud6oRLTo2OQdUaqnXpCt1eev0nPWpME0hA/s320/20180713_212125.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view of the Altar. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhyAy2-ZmACFQ4AlaPO1_zoaVyBt3iSKBZv4lRcD4PevHpPNh6IuxC1YVDGZI9eY8c8X_J-gt1sqO82MVRw41uc6zruUBaZ3edJCtrRj5zVX3x8eMjIZILYwWgisIlOJnCUNaF-rcpBI/s1600/20180713_212137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1522" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhyAy2-ZmACFQ4AlaPO1_zoaVyBt3iSKBZv4lRcD4PevHpPNh6IuxC1YVDGZI9eY8c8X_J-gt1sqO82MVRw41uc6zruUBaZ3edJCtrRj5zVX3x8eMjIZILYwWgisIlOJnCUNaF-rcpBI/s320/20180713_212137.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We burned this absolutely lovely Japanese incense. <br />
(Not very Shinto, I know but we loved it and it appealed to our witchy sensibilities!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzQubhcYUIEgQuQPtmfldEzdFh3s5n5TKHdCzkmmHS2q5IBPq-_1uIpdnpqNZp0xWoUMtAQ6aJnywBiXpWJICJDSoB59JdNVkzyptqNneNi_61mCwp5e17nROKUwZe3VR8MLKKqwkaMQ/s1600/20180713_212155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzQubhcYUIEgQuQPtmfldEzdFh3s5n5TKHdCzkmmHS2q5IBPq-_1uIpdnpqNZp0xWoUMtAQ6aJnywBiXpWJICJDSoB59JdNVkzyptqNneNi_61mCwp5e17nROKUwZe3VR8MLKKqwkaMQ/s320/20180713_212155.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello Kitty Lantern decoration for the bridge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1JfbrRPVVBwL768gT-dK7qdmgkmP9KYxRD4ze34M0GlZdVbhWvOMC1bMEVF8VnmhdVYfDfGICRCL6DaLm_snaH5T0XCLojxPsMAnlsva0QxWBN1XQkh1jcr3Evoahdk1s_Z0xmpFcRE/s1600/20180713_212211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1JfbrRPVVBwL768gT-dK7qdmgkmP9KYxRD4ze34M0GlZdVbhWvOMC1bMEVF8VnmhdVYfDfGICRCL6DaLm_snaH5T0XCLojxPsMAnlsva0QxWBN1XQkh1jcr3Evoahdk1s_Z0xmpFcRE/s320/20180713_212211.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A long view of the Amanogawa bridge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xtPs7EgpBvhuIv-60V2aGzuLmzPTsPdD1jLzzOLTrfXfJRL_DSKMnXlFuHkKijdT4HMohduj1kTjI4Emmwg-EUIKzRZq0DWVj9OK_WgTUyCvrKK96-LBREkTK-aoN3bexqFg2SFU9fk/s1600/20180713_212248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xtPs7EgpBvhuIv-60V2aGzuLmzPTsPdD1jLzzOLTrfXfJRL_DSKMnXlFuHkKijdT4HMohduj1kTjI4Emmwg-EUIKzRZq0DWVj9OK_WgTUyCvrKK96-LBREkTK-aoN3bexqFg2SFU9fk/s320/20180713_212248.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These were Hannah's balloons that mom and I brought her for after her surgery. <br />
We offered them up to the Amanogawa as well.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEins5HeXbtY_p2VwyPje92qnS3jeQglXVftS1whrU0_RK6okxPykbZ6N3sbyOprbfn2OYAkQ-deLRac0rDmKj_q_fdC5382QldScilXf0FfE9OdeUFWi74iu_pm14jfwhYyFdCG7jVPcyA/s1600/20180713_212306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEins5HeXbtY_p2VwyPje92qnS3jeQglXVftS1whrU0_RK6okxPykbZ6N3sbyOprbfn2OYAkQ-deLRac0rDmKj_q_fdC5382QldScilXf0FfE9OdeUFWi74iu_pm14jfwhYyFdCG7jVPcyA/s320/20180713_212306.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had lots of different decorations for people to try and mostly people did the lanterns, <br />
but someone did the pretty dangling rhomboid chain. I love it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCR01kGkc9wz5V62pnhxFZUh8ZUed7NCMAgqH0pPNfrcYbitwziYAIPMd4qO6g7UJCXhezxIk7iXd5shU2NeKC-WzAO37wMtUONXujSMbvEQUNjqsJfObbGmkwLaiUNbXTKUXb_QjV1o/s1600/20180713_212322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCR01kGkc9wz5V62pnhxFZUh8ZUed7NCMAgqH0pPNfrcYbitwziYAIPMd4qO6g7UJCXhezxIk7iXd5shU2NeKC-WzAO37wMtUONXujSMbvEQUNjqsJfObbGmkwLaiUNbXTKUXb_QjV1o/s320/20180713_212322.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a view of some participants and a sweet goblin child with red glowing eyes. <br />
She's a mini-me. I love her!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU56dJY7gyH5WWc_L0YDw500MzXm94qNg7vE11Raxi1_e1kmi-NopPnMWViyo8lods6mfFk8nBXpErmZ6T4TZb7-IOyNVEXwvfBmALtAzBimROJ7xBW09elmQM2y_xtadL_xrXzEuIveE/s1600/20180713_212342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU56dJY7gyH5WWc_L0YDw500MzXm94qNg7vE11Raxi1_e1kmi-NopPnMWViyo8lods6mfFk8nBXpErmZ6T4TZb7-IOyNVEXwvfBmALtAzBimROJ7xBW09elmQM2y_xtadL_xrXzEuIveE/s320/20180713_212342.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out the exciting crystal ball in this picture!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7HSsVg9Oeqk9N5B1d9PoFPkImvxhv0Betia8dBV4QqjUXxYsiCc94slFIy-dEQYkKTJUYXY7aGwZJGZWLi2UpVzYBgPGWHYAW_JgUYTk6CEGNTPhbHnpmveaefP6chfznwXsA9xmaEYk/s1600/20180713_212404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7HSsVg9Oeqk9N5B1d9PoFPkImvxhv0Betia8dBV4QqjUXxYsiCc94slFIy-dEQYkKTJUYXY7aGwZJGZWLi2UpVzYBgPGWHYAW_JgUYTk6CEGNTPhbHnpmveaefP6chfznwXsA9xmaEYk/s320/20180713_212404.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a fun shot of the Altar. <br />
You can see Orihime really close and in the distance is Hikoboshi.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoU4jqMLA1ZVOHkMcpMzzGQp3gAhoDuLALXjzhkkaQ44vjUyxN5SLvx3ADhemDpf9lIS4Y0hPEl6ty6USOMZe4_6_U2HwObX2wAGsv-ew1vFpFFnzq6Pi06_8Im4kpR6MkchS3a6-S8lU/s1600/20180713_212412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoU4jqMLA1ZVOHkMcpMzzGQp3gAhoDuLALXjzhkkaQ44vjUyxN5SLvx3ADhemDpf9lIS4Y0hPEl6ty6USOMZe4_6_U2HwObX2wAGsv-ew1vFpFFnzq6Pi06_8Im4kpR6MkchS3a6-S8lU/s320/20180713_212412.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this fox. He's guarding the tanzaku.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgettP7VRs5QyXG8wpA5q_-kPlwSsnG1P2L7i3-yDHu6WsFzmTydqVq2w8CEB27kSvbmbf-wb-vV_x8vXjSqvB9oLMNd-uXyRJ6rwdc_vlh4FZhc_aS5cRnYFHCJVCwfBEO198B5gRqNoM/s1600/20180713_221842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1521" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgettP7VRs5QyXG8wpA5q_-kPlwSsnG1P2L7i3-yDHu6WsFzmTydqVq2w8CEB27kSvbmbf-wb-vV_x8vXjSqvB9oLMNd-uXyRJ6rwdc_vlh4FZhc_aS5cRnYFHCJVCwfBEO198B5gRqNoM/s320/20180713_221842.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excellent close up of the after festival treats!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8S6olSC-L1e1SuCddC5lYHgXOzQtULnOWAmt7S0JLLYR_zAe-D7arffh8Eixzhg-XpRD4RahzeIaR4j5FrF2qOGLtoeq51OlQn4D7DTkq7a-zJV-dTv47k9_xICeVRR7gzhwn5KOP_Ws/s1600/20180713_214214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="990" data-original-width="1600" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8S6olSC-L1e1SuCddC5lYHgXOzQtULnOWAmt7S0JLLYR_zAe-D7arffh8Eixzhg-XpRD4RahzeIaR4j5FrF2qOGLtoeq51OlQn4D7DTkq7a-zJV-dTv47k9_xICeVRR7gzhwn5KOP_Ws/s320/20180713_214214.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel of Lavender Moon Bakery provided two cakes to represent the lovers<br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> and Hannah baked Milky Way (Amanogawa) cookies!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><br /> </u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><br /></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 24pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 24pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Across the Amanogawa</span><span id="docs-internal-guid-0990119c-af5e-e720-adf0-fbc4bc693f8e"></span><br />
<span id="docs-internal-guid-0990119c-af5e-e720-adf0-fbc4bc693f8e">
</span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-0990119c-af5e-e720-adf0-fbc4bc693f8e"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A short play for Tanabata</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-0990119c-af5e-e720-adf0-fbc4bc693f8e">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Retold by Amanda LaFantasie</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Narrator</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: A long time ago, in a Kingdom in the Sky, there was a beautiful princess called Orihime. She was a very talented weaver and seamstress and she made the the most beautiful robes in all of the Sky Kingdom. Her father, the Sky King, was very proud of her and praised her often. For many years Orihime weaved in happiness, but as time wore on, her smile began to falter. The King noticed his child’s diminishing mood and grew worried.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">King</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I’ve watched you working these past few weeks. You look sad, my child. Do you no longer enjoy weaving?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Orihime</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: It’s not that. There is nothing I love more than weaving and bringing joy to those who wear my garments. But I’m lonely. All of my sisters have married and moved away to live with their husbands and I miss them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Narrator</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: This got the King thinking. Perhaps it was time that his treasured daughter should also take a husband. So he journeyed across the great Milky Way River, the Amanogawa. There he searched for a man honorable enough and brave enough to marry his precious daughter. He searched until he was exhausted. He went to the field where the Sky Kingdom’s best cows grazed on the finest grass. As he walked among the cows he rethought his plan. After a while, a young cow herder named Hikoboshi approached him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hikoboshi</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I hope I’m not bothering you, but you seem troubled. Is there anything I can do for you?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">King</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Only if you can find me an honorable man worthy of marrying the most beautiful girl in the kingdom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hikoboshi</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I’m very sorry but I don’t know anyone like that. I’m all alone now that my brothers have taken wives and left their herds to my care. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">King</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: You mean you watch all of these cows by yourself? Doesn’t that get stressful?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hikoboshi</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Not at all. There’s nothing I love more than tending the cattle and keeping them safe. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Narrator</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: The King asked Hikoboshi many questions and, in the end, invited him to dine with the Royal family in the Sky Palace that night. The cow herder hated to leave his cows but knew it would be rude to refuse. So he made his way across the Amanogawa to the Sky Palace. The King made sure to seat Hikoboshi next to Orihime and before the night was through the princess found something she loved more than weaving, and the cow herder found something he loved more than tending his animals. In no time at all, they were married. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">King ties a ribbon around their clasped hands</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">]</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Orihime and Hikoboshi</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I will love you until the stars burn their last flame.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Narrator</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: With each passing day their love for each other grew. Over time they forgot about things like weaving and cow herding. Soon the fine garments of the Sky Kingdom became tattered and torn, and the prized cows across the river began to wander. They left their safe field and traveled on rocky, dangerous ground. They ate grass that made them sick and many of them died.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">King</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Orihime, you’ve neglected your duties far too long. Look at my robes! They’re in shambles. I’m the Sky King and yet I look a beggar. Get back to your weaving and sewing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Orihime</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I’ll do it. But please, allow Hikoboshi to sit with me as I sew.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">King</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Absolutely not! Hikoboshi, you must leave at once and go back across the Amanogawa and tend your cows.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hikoboshi</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I’ll do it but I won’t leave Orihime behind. Please, let her come with me and join me as a cow herdess.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">King</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: No. I forbid it. She will stay here and weave and you’ll return to the fields. Your King commands it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;">Hikoboshi</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>: </b>I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but if she stays, then I stay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Orihime</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I won’t be alone again, father. If Hikoboshi must go across the river, then I have no choice but to follow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Narrator</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: The argument continued until the King had no choice but to remove Hikoboshi by force and banish him back to the field across the river. To make sure that his daughter stayed in the Sky Palace and did not run away to join her husband, the Sky King destroyed the only bridge between the two banks. With a mournful heart, Orihime resumed weaving and sewing. The Sky Kingdom dressed in fine garments once again, yet somehow they were less radiant than everyone remembered. Across the river, Hikoboshi returned to herding the cattle. They regained their health, yet somehow the beasts were less impressive than they’d been in the past. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">King</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I had to do it. They cared only for each other. They didn’t care about the kingdom anymore. If I’d left them alone we’d all be naked with no milk and no meat. The kingdom would fall into ruin. Wouldn’t it? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Narrator</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Orihime worked diligently. But she never smiled anymore. The King didn’t want to recant on his order but he couldn’t stand to see his daughter so miserable. After a long time he came to a decision. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">King</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: The kingdom cannot do without its best weaver and its best cow herder. But, because they cannot do without each other, I will allow Orihime and Hikoboshi to see each other one day each year. On the seventh day of the seventh month, I will order the magpies of the sky to fly down and form a bridge between the banks of the Amanogawa. That is how they will meet and part. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Narrator</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: And so, every year after the King’s proclamation, the lovers met on the seventh day of the seventh month. Sometimes the princess would travel to the cow herder’s side. Sometimes the cow herder would travel to the Sky Palace. But always, when the time came for them to part, the King’s magpies would seek out and carry the displaced lover back to their own bank. Many years and many meetings later Orihime’s weaving resumed its former brilliance, and Hikoboshi’s cattle grew into extraordinary beasts. But what they were most proud of was the vow of love they had managed to keep despite the river that ran between them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">FIN</span></div>
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ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-62117207686947028402018-07-18T13:14:00.002-07:002018-07-18T13:14:55.697-07:00Goodbye Hugh and Erica<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Things were weird in June. Some pretty big things happened, not happy things though. First off, Hannah had a horrible gallbladder attack. I've never seen her eyes roll back in her head like that before - it was actually pretty scary. So the family ushered her out the door and to the ER we went. This, in and of itself, was pretty upsetting for the Hannah, but shortly after that her grandfather, Hugh, went downhill. He passed on Monday June 25th. Her grandmother bought plane tickets for Hannah and I to come down for the funeral on that Friday. It all happened so fast! </div>
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The funeral was kind of amazing, filled with 1930's charm and home-cooking. Everyone was beautifully polite and gentle and supportive. At the grave site Hannah felt her grandfather's presence. A bugler played taps. A very handsome and somber member of the US Military knelt before Hannah's grandmother and presented her with the flag as a sign of respect to the years grandpa had served. It was all so beautiful and perfect. And sad. Click <a href="https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/kansas/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=189411873" target="_blank">here </a>to see the obituary.</div>
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While we were still in Kansas, my best friend from college called me to let me know something awful. Something that is still hitting me in a hard, weird way. Friend Erica passed away. I graduated from Mesa State College with Erica. I helped her flunk statistics because I always managed to seduce her to come with me to Johnny Carino's for Happy Hour Bellinis instead of attending class. I was in a one-act play with her where we got into a crazy food fight and had ketchup in our ears for days after the show. We used to take naps together between studies and play rehearsals and she used my boobs as pillows.<br />
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I went to Germany twice with her. At Camp Lachenwald, her camp counselor name was Eeek. Three 'e's. My name was Quetzal. I remember one time she called me to her tent in the middle of the night for spider relocation (so many spiders!) and I was Quetzal the Hero. And there was another time when we were both so homesick we slept together on a cot at camp. A small cot. But we made it work and neither of us fell off. One of my favorite memories of Germany: the first night we arrived there I drank the hotel bar dry of Gin and then Erica and I skinny dipped in the Main river with a Marine named Wu. The next day he sang to us, "I wish they all could be Colorado girls."<br />
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She was a sweet, sassy, crazy woman who liked things like Modest Mouse, Dashboard Confessional, luscious lipsticks, and shoes. Never did I know anyone who had quite so many shoes. But the things I think about with Erica are the little conversations we had. We said 'I know friends drift and I don't want us to drift apart' and we swore up and down we wouldn't. But we did. We drifted for a while until my college bff said I should add Erica to my super secret Facebook that only has (right at this moment) 21 friends. So I sent the invite and Erica accepted immediately. That was on June 12th. Eighteen days later my friend calls to tell me she's gone.<br />
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Nothing I could write here will really do her justice. She was surprising and wonderful and I have so many amazing memories because of her. <a href="https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/daily-times/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=189456247" target="_blank">I found her obituary online</a>. It's too simple in my opinion. Erica's obituary should be like a Music Video from the early 90's. Fashionable girl in amazing shoes follows David Bowie into a painting and proceeds to dance through a variety of artistic renaissances until she ends up drunk on Bellinis and napping on my boobs again. </div>
ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-61725775431059492962018-05-31T08:02:00.000-07:002018-05-31T08:02:14.363-07:00Because I don't have instagram...<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've been working very hard in the backyard. These are some of the 'in progress' shots. I will do a final fancy picture blog of the finished and growing products sometime next week (or whenever!) but I did want to share a few pretty things and also some video. All of this is from my phone which means, yes, I'm glad to to have upgraded from my old faithful Blackberry. Hello, world, I've finally arrived in the 21st Century!</div>
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The above video is from May 12th when we went to the SCC campus for the Garden Expo - I sent the video to my friend who 'loves' garden gnomes.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSIln_-eiqCGh_4SJZWtMB-sygONkTEtVrlstDWQNRr8Ty3rECU649pqbE5bOe_mQiKCc4RLOifJYv4GXsu11VSI3CXuS91yg-wYC6aG-Bbr3qdx2udWLoiUtBWn6jhq56MOGCfnjldE/s1600/20180516_061747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSIln_-eiqCGh_4SJZWtMB-sygONkTEtVrlstDWQNRr8Ty3rECU649pqbE5bOe_mQiKCc4RLOifJYv4GXsu11VSI3CXuS91yg-wYC6aG-Bbr3qdx2udWLoiUtBWn6jhq56MOGCfnjldE/s320/20180516_061747.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not my tree - this belongs to the person at the end of the street near my bus stop, but it's the same kind of tree in my backyard and I used this picture to help me identify it later as a Paul's Scarlet Hawthorne</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEtpf6QFRfhZqMspRaumD-rGa_fsTqO_s64ojJaXj9oPuYw0fvLKB76PvMylSYkjwT1Ub8TI53tbmGl_I5AbD0Jsj-EAp29X87Q2TD2BdK1URCsOdmPth4q5KSJMRi3peI0Ygmw9J92PE/s1600/20180529_165258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEtpf6QFRfhZqMspRaumD-rGa_fsTqO_s64ojJaXj9oPuYw0fvLKB76PvMylSYkjwT1Ub8TI53tbmGl_I5AbD0Jsj-EAp29X87Q2TD2BdK1URCsOdmPth4q5KSJMRi3peI0Ygmw9J92PE/s320/20180529_165258.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hannah's Japanese Maple - we were hoping for more red but Seiren is turning out to be a very vibrant little boy and we're excited to watch him grow!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_7WxVgJ10LNe2KofPkrIS7GYR4maDrmPNtJAQwaqDhP9Ej__noID_y6CxFaNmk8ZvjuK-sxwgC2oYbMTjPhOQEi1awqctCmbT82rhZli46lCZse5kA-HLhFMhDWubP0fqgIRnoWypuE/s1600/20180526_173743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_7WxVgJ10LNe2KofPkrIS7GYR4maDrmPNtJAQwaqDhP9Ej__noID_y6CxFaNmk8ZvjuK-sxwgC2oYbMTjPhOQEi1awqctCmbT82rhZli46lCZse5kA-HLhFMhDWubP0fqgIRnoWypuE/s320/20180526_173743.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hannah made this shabby-chic herb wall!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggM5Ssg0_Ql4M3lmfdJ2bMtZ1HKdT8uhXo6EYtpFVa5coD8bKG5SG_u-1GU0iTwEw__hgOi1Lbul9MRqEwI68DZx6AYZbV1mTOc7CgrbhXwAp06KMaf1RGYJQpnkwOuEteQQ7Mm8t8R4Y/s1600/20180526_173759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1163" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggM5Ssg0_Ql4M3lmfdJ2bMtZ1HKdT8uhXo6EYtpFVa5coD8bKG5SG_u-1GU0iTwEw__hgOi1Lbul9MRqEwI68DZx6AYZbV1mTOc7CgrbhXwAp06KMaf1RGYJQpnkwOuEteQQ7Mm8t8R4Y/s320/20180526_173759.jpg" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The herb wall is up against the house overlooking our two veg patches. Well... one of those veg patches is actually a strawberry patch, as seen above.</td></tr>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyLuQYVOSqIq3ymuxzb0TqW1FOC6X5YAThTWXqSKnj2Ip0bzpb9cforQWmVA77nCD_tDwwgVCetBgII6O6khQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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I felt silly talking to no one - but I'm trying to get comfy doing small 'vlog' type video. My friend Dani did some awesome vlogs a couple of Octobers ago and I really loved getting to see her and hear her as she talked about things in her life. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBv71j02f-4ShJUhALogGq_kKCUiUR8r88ysIPl8lKHz_JTezrgEjr82SIu1Lz_piibN63OJKzwmZ8cTB5SuGkiCzlMG-dotUFIEIPRJDRSuxMtccWlETGOKbjNPPeJAsaXnGw3DNgXxs/s1600/20180526_130858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBv71j02f-4ShJUhALogGq_kKCUiUR8r88ysIPl8lKHz_JTezrgEjr82SIu1Lz_piibN63OJKzwmZ8cTB5SuGkiCzlMG-dotUFIEIPRJDRSuxMtccWlETGOKbjNPPeJAsaXnGw3DNgXxs/s320/20180526_130858.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Django! He is one of the resident store kitties at the Northwest Seed and Pet on division. He did an excellent job holding down those pesky soft pots.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UquPviZ8_cn18JYwBAQ4jEOm-tO_w6eODmnD6jp5lXMfLPL1cSVDbR05UEh8krZ7y0ulZ9cPnUcEiDFh9u99USEtivGQrltwpoSrC0pxBy9YTc1s7O3uVuUhBXCdMD_EXrKtX2GVrb4/s320/20180529_165402.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our strawberry patch is starting to produce! And they taste wonderful <3</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UquPviZ8_cn18JYwBAQ4jEOm-tO_w6eODmnD6jp5lXMfLPL1cSVDbR05UEh8krZ7y0ulZ9cPnUcEiDFh9u99USEtivGQrltwpoSrC0pxBy9YTc1s7O3uVuUhBXCdMD_EXrKtX2GVrb4/s1600/20180529_165402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUVYPmrOVrbhM6L_Eq9JteNL74JPlix1exMPejMiBpRMifXUpIT9eAdFCSI2ROu1MWtO3QSSJSzZB8aFX4gpUk0ZjqJhTeCcR0Js-jOHs__pM0Ww0BKtoXnPjampX276n9DkOhC7UHZ4/s320/20180529_165452.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite pair - lavender and sage - the lavender plants are from the Garden Expo and the large sage plant is one that I planted myself from seed about two years ago.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUVYPmrOVrbhM6L_Eq9JteNL74JPlix1exMPejMiBpRMifXUpIT9eAdFCSI2ROu1MWtO3QSSJSzZB8aFX4gpUk0ZjqJhTeCcR0Js-jOHs__pM0Ww0BKtoXnPjampX276n9DkOhC7UHZ4/s1600/20180529_165452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUVYPmrOVrbhM6L_Eq9JteNL74JPlix1exMPejMiBpRMifXUpIT9eAdFCSI2ROu1MWtO3QSSJSzZB8aFX4gpUk0ZjqJhTeCcR0Js-jOHs__pM0Ww0BKtoXnPjampX276n9DkOhC7UHZ4/s1600/20180529_165452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9B0TdPL_rVn4Fr7ElXs4_j6_vJ-eXyivgwwv_sd5JIzMnY2A7dCv4Nz5tInApxFx4o8WJXYfS32afcgqGkkqJI4Uv5whFSL2DuMQadB7-wA9hmOEPFxdYjpenhvJQpwsCB58k-ergByU/s1600/20180526_180135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9B0TdPL_rVn4Fr7ElXs4_j6_vJ-eXyivgwwv_sd5JIzMnY2A7dCv4Nz5tInApxFx4o8WJXYfS32afcgqGkkqJI4Uv5whFSL2DuMQadB7-wA9hmOEPFxdYjpenhvJQpwsCB58k-ergByU/s320/20180526_180135.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Scarlet, our enormous Paul's Scarlet Hawthorne. This picture hardly does her justice.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lUD-DWOf3ZOUuhHEy9lJvqowg_So5nWcrzk-DT7ZdmN3Nc3dbi9gGnZUqmXWYZO9al4_tE4izIhMklacRLCLZ6tIuAf12BGG8kpXbLdt4d0pxIjbovRXSGE-q8M8LpsByWeeSOvdbrQ/s1600/20180529_165438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lUD-DWOf3ZOUuhHEy9lJvqowg_So5nWcrzk-DT7ZdmN3Nc3dbi9gGnZUqmXWYZO9al4_tE4izIhMklacRLCLZ6tIuAf12BGG8kpXbLdt4d0pxIjbovRXSGE-q8M8LpsByWeeSOvdbrQ/s320/20180529_165438.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we have Sigurd (right) and Yukiko (left). Sigurd is the tree that was at our wedding and represented laying down roots to our new life. It's a Dwarf Norwegian Evergreen. Yukiko is a Japanese Snowbell tree that I got free from the Arbor Day Foundation as part of a community outreach program.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8ODaK3BCDJb9yPci_cTfnK0k092uDU14JeWZQ9D3B4h-ZHHTzqt3WtuFhiyFClZqK0CTc4ZYjVgvZTSOkl99PV56EewLKcjzqYeyzCbD0MgWrZSB4jp79hJSj7zIjoz0V3ydprmvbbE/s1600/20180529_165509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1015" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8ODaK3BCDJb9yPci_cTfnK0k092uDU14JeWZQ9D3B4h-ZHHTzqt3WtuFhiyFClZqK0CTc4ZYjVgvZTSOkl99PV56EewLKcjzqYeyzCbD0MgWrZSB4jp79hJSj7zIjoz0V3ydprmvbbE/s320/20180529_165509.jpg" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A close up of some lovely sage buds.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuVXTxp0eJJKOt3Vs5T4TrFufDnLkaXJ9SJ3vMRVkBIs1y0lVoxQ1PTow5QGDKFgxygx7Cq3GKtzO5HVnNWfABfgNIbt7tUD5g6WVl9jqUl92PVf2Z1nNz-PZSyn8K_tEI4GOnQxltH8/s1600/20180516_164915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuVXTxp0eJJKOt3Vs5T4TrFufDnLkaXJ9SJ3vMRVkBIs1y0lVoxQ1PTow5QGDKFgxygx7Cq3GKtzO5HVnNWfABfgNIbt7tUD5g6WVl9jqUl92PVf2Z1nNz-PZSyn8K_tEI4GOnQxltH8/s320/20180516_164915.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This azalea plant was here when we moved in. There are two of these in the front yard under the pine trees. We've since added two more azaleas and a coral bell to enhance our curbside appeal.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHN4fX_t_PhO4vw84-vgF02cxrHpGmpYWPNjBHDx4HcZWJD1p66UbBXeR3KGMGiCiDmKQgzJkCBtbbTJ7z_I5e85O9AaRZJTI_0xiAH7t8BEAoOXB9SPmiBMjOgSJWjoiR95teKgyTofM/s1600/20180526_180702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHN4fX_t_PhO4vw84-vgF02cxrHpGmpYWPNjBHDx4HcZWJD1p66UbBXeR3KGMGiCiDmKQgzJkCBtbbTJ7z_I5e85O9AaRZJTI_0xiAH7t8BEAoOXB9SPmiBMjOgSJWjoiR95teKgyTofM/s320/20180526_180702.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Kim Lilacs in soft pots. They are done flowering for the season but they smelled so good! Also please note the lovely brace we've had to put up against the fence to keep it from leaning into our yard. Aint being a homeowner fun?!</td></tr>
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<br />ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-64421333763530680762018-04-13T14:27:00.000-07:002018-04-13T14:27:31.531-07:00Ostara Top 12<div class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
We have moved past Ostara and are headed like a comet toward Beltane/Walpugisnacht. During my Ostara celebration at the end of last month I composed a list of ways that we can enjoy the gifts of the goddess this spring. I'm going to try to take pictures of me performing each item of the list but we'll have to see. </div>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
1. Meditate on something you want to do this spring. Maybe you want to plant something, maybe you want to visit a friend you haven’t seen in a while. Meditate on the joyful results you wish to manifest.</blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
2. Spend some time organizing a room in your home. Make sure it works for your needs. If you are always ramming your knee into a table, try moving it. If you can never find the remotes, try making a small space just for them.</blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
3. Eat something you enjoy very slowly and meditate on the way it makes you feel and imagine it becoming fuel for your body and thank the Goddess for the gift of the food.</blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
4. Spend some time being creative in nature. Draw a picture, write a poem, or take a picture (or do all three) of something beautiful that the Goddess has given you.</blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
5. Wake up at dawn and greet the morning. You might light incense or read a poem to the Sun. Let the Sun and the Goddess know that you are thankful for the lengthening days.</blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
6. Go outside at sunset and greet the Night. Cherish it, for it grows shorter each day until Midsummer. Ask the darkness to watch over you as you sleep.</blockquote>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
7. Play in the mud.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
8. On a windy day, go outside and dance. Observe the way everything moves around you and let nature teach you the moves.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
9. Open up all the windows of your house to let in the fresh spring air! Let the Goddess’s breath flow through the rooms and renew the life force of your home.</blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
10. Put a flower in your hair, or behind your ear. Wear it all day to remind you of your connection to the growing earth around you.</blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
11. Spend time with a tree. Read to it or play it music. Hug it and thank it for being part of an ecosystem that keeps you alive.</blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
12. Lay on the ground and stare up at the sky. Let the clouds tell you a story with their shapes and, if there are no clouds, get lost in the hues of blue and understand that the universe is open before you and you are indeed a part of it.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VHkoDzzLOIWb1o9lssqZS_wjgmAaDJAPaec1C3NZZZsLu_XpM_rirZ-OmUSLThPKihWQyGYi1QtA-kXOTPkZz_Rs6DiiY27glVbK0X6JJ2PeUeSM6_fOszjWddV_5VVkzQbFFoYgKZU/s1600/Honeycomb_by_jdillon82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VHkoDzzLOIWb1o9lssqZS_wjgmAaDJAPaec1C3NZZZsLu_XpM_rirZ-OmUSLThPKihWQyGYi1QtA-kXOTPkZz_Rs6DiiY27glVbK0X6JJ2PeUeSM6_fOszjWddV_5VVkzQbFFoYgKZU/s320/Honeycomb_by_jdillon82.jpg" width="246" /></a> </div>
ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-4391785988452809992018-03-29T14:40:00.002-07:002018-03-31T11:31:31.268-07:00LaFrittata<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3226340607362018981" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ktyQZLT-IUbYqZzMQLzP0vcuzhDi_6R14lXUT55ZtX_fuZydHZewMX9gKlM0mmbuBIB3u3cyPqiykgEk3tQ6S3ExufZcFxW-_-qcfzqg6QmoIJezscMr6pcXt2LrPgdHXYkoa6nJ2uA/s1600/_witch__s_cooking_by_kler_z-d4r66qi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ktyQZLT-IUbYqZzMQLzP0vcuzhDi_6R14lXUT55ZtX_fuZydHZewMX9gKlM0mmbuBIB3u3cyPqiykgEk3tQ6S3ExufZcFxW-_-qcfzqg6QmoIJezscMr6pcXt2LrPgdHXYkoa6nJ2uA/s320/_witch__s_cooking_by_kler_z-d4r66qi.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My LaFrittata was partly inspired by hunger, a surplus of egg and also a <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/sunday-frittata/" target="_blank">Pioneer Woman recipe</a>. </td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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So here's what I used:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Cheese - 1.5 cups of mozzarella also a bit of feta for the top<br />
Eggs - 12<br />
Asparagus - 2 cups, cut up and frozen<br />
Onions - 2 cups, cut up and frozen<br />
Baked potatoes - 3 whole ones to be cut up<br />
Hot Sauce - 1 tablespoon<br />
Garlic Pepper - lots<br />
Salt - lots and lots<br />
Olive Oil - several drizzles<br />
Butter - a small hunk</blockquote>
<br />
And here's what I did:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
First I had Dad microwave-bake three potatoes (one at a time). Once nuked, I put them in the freezer to cool them down. Next, I sauteed the asparagus and onions with the olive oil and butter in a large stove top skillet. I seasoned these with garlic-pepper and salt. </div>
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While letting that cook on a pretty high setting, I beat up a dozen eggs and stole their lunch money! To the egg stuffs I added the mozzarella and also some fiesta blend cheeses as well as the hot sauce. Then I set that shit aside. I grabbed the potatoes from the freezer (they were still hot!) and used a knife and potholder to manhandle the little fuckers until they were cut into smaller chunks. I added those to the asparagus and onions and added a little more seasoning. </div>
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I poured the egg mixture slowly into the pan until it covered all the fixings. Using a giant ass lid, I covered the skillet and let it cook for... I think about 20 minutes. I'm a very exact chef as you can tell. When the egg stuff looked almost completely firm I sprinkled feta cheese all over the top, put the lid back on, and then moved the skillet off the hot burner and let it cook with its residual heat for another ten minutes. </div>
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The result:<br />
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So. Fucking. Good. </blockquote>
ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-58570857101519883522018-02-28T15:38:00.000-08:002018-02-28T15:38:36.196-08:00I'm a real grownup! Maybe?<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDt3pJdhkMahjOES82y5IsBddT8hjLO1xBVrM74KX1sKzPCty1vEFWUecwy2zIVWAyLGj6JGXCizE4LFDZrAKtTHncH4EivoKg5ubuur9Ao-V3MeC4Hep7rxSILR6vCGvqEiySJVgwWxM/s1600/you-literally-cannot-order-a-starbucks-dragon-frappuccino__743086_.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDt3pJdhkMahjOES82y5IsBddT8hjLO1xBVrM74KX1sKzPCty1vEFWUecwy2zIVWAyLGj6JGXCizE4LFDZrAKtTHncH4EivoKg5ubuur9Ao-V3MeC4Hep7rxSILR6vCGvqEiySJVgwWxM/s320/you-literally-cannot-order-a-starbucks-dragon-frappuccino__743086_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is going to be a sort of a list update. Firstly I want to say that I did get a new phone with new phone number. So if you don't hear from me, or you've texted me with no reply, that's most likely why. Send me a message or email me with your number and we'll get all square. In addition to a new phone I now use apps! Shocking. Scary. I know. I was even able to upload my Starbuck's gift cards to the Starbuck's app so that I can use my phone to get coffee. Mind. Blown.</div>
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Speaking of adulting, last week I went to the Pin for Goth Night. It was a bit dead. Which is funny because it was Goth Night, hurrhurr. But it was kind of neat. Hannah and I and one of our witchy friends went out to unleash our inner macabre. It was interesting. And it was free. That's the big key here, it was free and it was an excuse to go all out with black lipstick, dark eyes, frizzy hair, black clothes, and awkward swaying. I actually had a very good time. I had to work the next day so we ended the evening at 10:30PM. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3gRi9XB3cj4Cx_4Fh9Jspck2FjI_E0cCGGhTqj4Wpgont0FgKbUHHs76BxWr1Yg8oNwEI6DV5njtfOzfm_xzIZ71D1r3NSUAP84i83M4plTP7pbZ-XjNzKPlKlsw3ZHLbVEjNmWo9N0/s1600/6128b19fdd436b47838f9664bf655b04.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3gRi9XB3cj4Cx_4Fh9Jspck2FjI_E0cCGGhTqj4Wpgont0FgKbUHHs76BxWr1Yg8oNwEI6DV5njtfOzfm_xzIZ71D1r3NSUAP84i83M4plTP7pbZ-XjNzKPlKlsw3ZHLbVEjNmWo9N0/s320/6128b19fdd436b47838f9664bf655b04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In other news, I finished the first book of the Seventh Tower series and am now working on number two. This weekend we are celebrating Hannah's birthday. The plan so far is for her and I to go on a writing date at Barnes and Noble starting as soon as we get our butts out the door. And then about 6 or so that night we'll meet people at Peking North for dinner. I'm excited for this as I've been yearning to get back to work on some Death Man. I've been a terrible person - or actually - you know what - I haven't been a terrible person. I've simply not been actively writing. Which doesn't make me terrible. Damn inner critics and mentor's echoes in my head have convinced me that I must be terrible if I went to school for writing and am not currently writing. But that's bullshit. I'm not terrible.</div>
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Last news: I'm playing DnD with some friends. I'm going to play a straight & narrow Paladin. He's the babysitter type who doesn't cuss, doesn't drink, doesn't do anything improper. He abides by a strict moral code and is generally not very fun at a party. This should be fun considering he's teaming up with a succubussy tiefling, a rogue, and a clumsy monk. And then another character who I don't know yet. Anyway, it's interesting. I think this is what he's going to look like - see below!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0xmKlTJmPRf9LkLCb0uQbWDqeS_a0oRspcw54WcJqbl6lQOwJyHud4aiXEVSoS-Sg-xri3_jIxrk9CYE8a4kwhJX3ONxv2I-tWAKS9C6jB6yhwkCBVG16dhXzqP4UUERQj-8bCF0jsI/s1600/3d06c81c0d453208743c22b553d75c62.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0xmKlTJmPRf9LkLCb0uQbWDqeS_a0oRspcw54WcJqbl6lQOwJyHud4aiXEVSoS-Sg-xri3_jIxrk9CYE8a4kwhJX3ONxv2I-tWAKS9C6jB6yhwkCBVG16dhXzqP4UUERQj-8bCF0jsI/s320/3d06c81c0d453208743c22b553d75c62.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-40970562886647491162018-02-15T15:11:00.000-08:002018-02-15T15:12:30.997-08:00Back to the Books!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYQ0aMJXzU7OcUUxuqrOvux49nobn2aJUcwDyF1ZIIRBQ56LNsQUPugbNPJkrMjjnci38j5pUedwPFLd25LsSyrg7uBDlAUwB69bKls4lubV9AxomH0d2mgMfyBZWCp86QFerUQVEanM/s1600/reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYQ0aMJXzU7OcUUxuqrOvux49nobn2aJUcwDyF1ZIIRBQ56LNsQUPugbNPJkrMjjnci38j5pUedwPFLd25LsSyrg7uBDlAUwB69bKls4lubV9AxomH0d2mgMfyBZWCp86QFerUQVEanM/s320/reading.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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Hannah and I are picking out books for each other to read as a sort of "Wifey Book Club." The book I selected for Hannah is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Alchemy-Stone-Ekaterina-Sedia/dp/1607012154" target="_blank">The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia</a> and the book she selected for me was one that she read many times as a young adult (and it is the book that got her really excited about story-telling and becoming a writer): <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mara-Daughter-Puffin-Story-Books/dp/0140319298" target="_blank">Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw</a>. I haven't read <u>The Alchemy of Stone</u> yet but I picked it for Hannah because it looked very much like something she would enjoy, but she picked Mara for me because she wanted to share a very important memory and piece of her past with me. I'm delighted she picked it. I had tried to read it once before and wasn't feeling it, however this time around I ate it up hungrily.</div>
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Last night I did something I haven't done in a very, very long time: I stayed up past my bedtime to read. Don't get me wrong I stay up later all the time (because I'm so responsible!) but it's usually to chit-chat with Hannah or to watch a show or something like that. It's been ages since a book has kept me up. It felt really exhilarating to get carried away by the written word again. So I didn't wait for Hannah to pick the next one. I chose one she had recommended to me a while ago: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Seventh-Tower-Collection-Books-Pack/dp/B003ZINQ8C/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1518728282&sr=1-2&keywords=the+seventh+tower+series&dpID=61c5JsDZn8L&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch" target="_blank">The Seventh Tower series by Garth Nix</a>. </div>
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This series has been on my mind for two reasons: 1)I'm excited to read this author and 2) it's called the Seventh Tower series but there are only six books. This bothers me greatly! I realize that the name is due to there being seven towers of interest in this fantasy setting. And I realize that Garth only needed six books to tell his tale. But damn. It would have felt so incredibly satisfying if there had been just one more book. That aside, I am excited to get back to reading. And then... back to writing. Gotta work my muscles, my mind, my imagination, my everything so I can start getting my brain back in the game. </div>
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ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-48739947352085141112018-01-09T20:17:00.000-08:002018-01-09T20:17:00.438-08:00Life in the House so far<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUheuzBTraXHAgESNrw7Hk105paeXo-oMiB1220S4nQF1OKdH-65blatoAuzNgfFr2W8H-8YG8Kf5KAVcwaiqMm-E2VYWWNKP535oxpO65_l0xCt2VjZFl6l-Axzjtfr6AM9rYGaDWiE/s1600/8d4f44f0d142123f1a8f5a24658b22d7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="871" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUheuzBTraXHAgESNrw7Hk105paeXo-oMiB1220S4nQF1OKdH-65blatoAuzNgfFr2W8H-8YG8Kf5KAVcwaiqMm-E2VYWWNKP535oxpO65_l0xCt2VjZFl6l-Axzjtfr6AM9rYGaDWiE/s320/8d4f44f0d142123f1a8f5a24658b22d7.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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I'm learning every day...my knees and elbow ache and I've learned the value of Aleve. I've learned I don't really like shoveling snow but that once it starts melting it's good fun to chop up the ice blocks and throw them against the fence. I've learned that 75% of the shit we throw away can actually (and should actually) go into the recycle bin. I've learned the bigger the fire place the better - and that being said I will see about purchasing a cord of wood for next year because daddy and I like to burn things! I've learned that I don't really notice the noisy street. I don't even bat an eye at the fire truck sirens anymore. And the dog next door has realized we're supposed to be here and so he hardly barks at us. He does bark, but not even that bothers me. </div>
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It's an energetic and strange atmosphere on Wellesley and I'm slowly adapting the oddity and comforts of it all. I have yet to see a utility bill and am sort of dreading when I learn how much it costs to run a house. </div>
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The living room is painted black and is a fun mixture of Goth and Witch and as we get more and more organized it will become even more dramatic. The upstairs is going to be like an Asian Fusion of Indonesia, China, and Japan complete with teal and magenta for decor. The cats love the king sized bed. And so do we. We are still paying it off but I kind of think it's worth it. So large and comfy. And we did manage to get it up the narrow stairs to the master bedroom. There were people who doubted this could ever happen. </div>
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The basement is where the troll lives. The troll is my father and my mother is called Sister Catherine. Someday I'll write a kid's story about Sister Catherine and the Troll who live in the basement and only come up to deliver freshly laundered clothing to their Witch overlords... or to burn shit. I had worried that with mom and dad living with us Hannah would be extremely unhappy and I would be very frustrated. So far at least my worries for nothing. We have enough space for all of us to live quite comfortably and for most of the day it feels like Hannah and I live alone in the upstairs. I don't want my parents to feel they can't come up, but I think they like feeling like they don't 'have' to come up. They have pretty much everything they need downstairs and we're working every day to make the house (all of it) more comfy and more like a home. </div>
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There will be some fun before and after pictures once we get things a bit more organized. And this summer we are hosting a Black Moon Ball. It will sort of serve as a 'here's all the shit we wanted to do at our wedding but couldn't' and 'unofficial house warming' party.<br />
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ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-76908696098338835512017-12-26T12:09:00.002-08:002017-12-26T12:21:26.060-08:00Merry Yule and Christmas and Happy New Year<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
Friends and family, loved ones near and far, Hannah and I
wanted to take a moment to extend some Holiday warmth and cheer to you and
yours. As most of you know, our 2017 has been wrought with change. As if we
jumped into the Tower card of the nearest Tarot deck, we have been faced with
sudden and life altering situations that have made for one intense 2017. Early
in the year Hannah underwent a surgery that brought with it a slow and painful
recovery. Later in the year, on the first of October, in fact, our apartment
complex gave us 30 days to vacate as they had become a tax credit property and
we no longer qualified to live there. The good news was that they gave us a
rehoming stipend to help; the bad news was that October happened to be the
month of our wedding. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It was only with the help of our amazing friends that we
were able to accomplish a Friday the 13th Wedding, a honeymoon to Seattle, and
a move-out in the span of a month. Sanity aside, we then began the very adult
task of shopping for a house. No more renting for us. We were ready to put down
some real roots. We stayed with friends and my parents while looking for a home
and finally, two months to the day after our wedding, we closed on a house on
Wellesley. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I cannot thank you enough, all of you, for helping Hannah
and I make it through this turbulent time to find peace just in time for Yule,
Christmas, and New Years. Making it through this year wouldn’t have been
possible without your helping hands and encouragement. </div>
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Thank you so much to all those who listened to our woes and
helped us ground our emotions, who walked backwards up a ramp hauling a
handcart loaded with hundreds of books, who arrived early, who stayed late, who
donated money to our honeymoon, who stunned us with generosity, who humbled us
with kindness, who kept us going with positive energy and litanies of ‘good
luck’ and ‘hang in there.’ Hannah and I have been so stressed that we may not
have seemed as grateful as we actually felt. So I tell you now: dear friends
and family, know that we love and appreciate you and wish you peace and joy
during this magical time of year.</div>
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ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-8377082043419565692017-10-16T14:58:00.000-07:002017-10-16T14:58:11.465-07:00Wed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is going to be a quick post and not really do any justice to the event but I felt it was important to at least do a short update.<br />
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Wedding happened on Friday the 13th as planned. That was about all that went as planned. And that's okay. Ir rained hardcore all day until it a couple of hours before set up. It was super cold all evening (beautiful and brisk) but super cold. My wedding team were great and got everything put together while I had a slight meltdown. I hadn't done make up or nails and felt a bit like everyone was prettier/more made up than I was and I felt awful about it. I gave up on my antlers and had B wear them. They looked adorable on her though. So I opted for a top hat which was kind of cute because it meant I matched my dad.<br />
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There were several technical difficulties, the least of which being a crazy bride hiding in the bathroom trying to get some make up done. It finally took shape though and it was really lovely there in the midst of darkness and wrapped in a loving circle of protection. Hannah and I bawled during vows because... that's what we do. I loved the exchange with the elements. It was a unique wedding. One of a kind. That much I know for certain. And that makes me really happy. The woman who lead the IEPG when it was still going came up to me and asked if I could send her the ceremony. I had said sure at the time but the more I think about it... this ceremony was my gift to Hannah and it was tailored to 'two women' and specifically 'women writers' and so it would not feel very organic being used for anyone else's wedding. I think in the end I will send over a script sans all of my additions. We'll see.<br />
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Anyway. The wedding happened and then we ate food. We didn't get to dancing or anything like that but I figure we'll just keep the playlist and use it for mood music during the honeymoon.<br />
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Next big adventure is to get ready to buy a house. And a projector. I plan on having lots of parties and lots of movie nights. I can't wait to share my hearth and home with those I love.ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-62244946986568869192017-09-07T17:47:00.000-07:002017-09-08T13:18:28.133-07:00Nancy, Faces of Death, and Dry Ice Birthday<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Cousin Kat came up for Labor Day weekend to say goodbye to her Grandma Nancy. Even though she couldn't be there for the funeral and won't be there for interment, being able to come up and say goodbye in her own way was really necessary for closure. So she came up and Hannah and I pretty much adopted her for while she was in town. It was really nice getting to spend some time with her and I am sad that she's gone already. I'll get to spend some more time with her in October at the end of the honeymoon though and that will be good.<br />
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Our goodbye to Nancy was a crazy day. First of all, Washington and Idaho and surrounding areas are absolutely filled with wildfire smoke right now. It's like a permanent haze of filth and yuck and it's making everyone sick. We woke to this smoke on Labor Day and knew already the day was going to be weird. That morning we went to see friends and to go through some of the things they are getting rid of. I found an athame among other things. Also she lent me her stature representation of the god Herne (Cernunnos) so that we could work with him before the wedding. I'm going to spend some time with him over the weekend.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bVg0IIoBH6sRNMqUR3j9UnKYYmvKyuriADxWN8VQXU4f4YfsMDmXnAdFfR1d_X0jMUYxWatcUidSCeMGLrCVeYKcouKiAgLlzdQAeh3XdgvmOLY1lM7QExPKpi3XmuEpzqzua_xB5P8/s1600/Cernunnos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1147" data-original-width="1600" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bVg0IIoBH6sRNMqUR3j9UnKYYmvKyuriADxWN8VQXU4f4YfsMDmXnAdFfR1d_X0jMUYxWatcUidSCeMGLrCVeYKcouKiAgLlzdQAeh3XdgvmOLY1lM7QExPKpi3XmuEpzqzua_xB5P8/s320/Cernunnos.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">For me he's 'horned god' instead of a name because I always feel like I'm saying or using the names wrong. I want to really meditate on his aspects and find out which aspect I would like to write into the handfasting ceremony script. All aspects are welcome of course, but I would like my words to make sense when I write them and for that I need a little time to get to know him better.</span></div>
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After visiting our friends we headed to my mom's house and debated whether to go all the way over the hill to visit Nancy's 'soon to be' grave or not considering the awful weather. In the end it was just too important not to go. So we headed over east and stopped in Kellogg to look around. Kat was feeling very nostalgic so we drove around some of her old haunts and relived some memories. We also went to where Nancy's spirit burned down a building - at least we're pretty sure it was Nancy's spirit. An old hotel and a bed and breakfast burst into flame on the night of her memorial rosary. The cause of fire is still yet to be determined. Which in my mind means Nancy did it. She was a feisty lady in life, of course she would be just as feisty in spirit form. </div>
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While we drove up in that area we happened up on a video rental store going out of business and we decided on a whim to go and check it out. Turns out it was more than just a rental store. The man running the store was a witch, if not Pagan, and had a ton of really neat witchy stuff as well as super rare and bizarre collectibles. He was also a gore and horror movie aficionado and had movies that most of us will never see a hard copy of in real life.<br />
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He had 'Faces of Death' and 'Nekromatik' and many others. I picked up Chaos and Martyrs since I, too, enjoy horror and gore. I also found a small cast iron cauldron with pentacles on either side. And Hannah found some CDs and an old copy of Gothic Beauty magazine which we will most likely be framing some articles from. Kat even found some neat things. It was a really surreal experience going into that shop. He said he works a different job and so he only opens up this store on Mondays. How fortuitous of us to be there on a Monday. </div>
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After this we went to the Day Cemetery in Osburn. Nancy remains are going to be laid to rest with Uncle Frank's remains. So we visited Uncle Frank's grave to visit him and also to say goodbye to Nancy because we were pretty darn sure her spirit was already there even if her ashes weren't. We gathered around the headstone. We lit some sage and a grandma candle for Kat (she can take it home and light it when she needs some grandma Nancy love) and did a small blot, passing around a growler full of Pepsi, to praise Nan and share our memories of her. It was really nice and at the end of it I felt goosebumps. I know that Kat really needed to have that moment and I'm really glad we made it down there for her.<br />
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Since that night, the house had felt a little weird. I noticed something funny in the Bowie room the other night and then again after we came back from the Silver Valley (Kellogg area). I know that Narcisa freaked out horribly after we got back from the Silver Valley and we think it might have been something (a smell? a spirit? a emotion?) that we brought back with us from the old DVD rental place or maybe from the cemetery. Anyway, I think we should do a little smudging this weekend and see if we can't reinvigorate the house for a while and keep things positive.<br />
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Last thing: my birthday is coming up. My mother had planned to do a murder party for me (yes, it really is as cool as it sounds!) but she just had surgery and so we're going to put that off for another time. Maybe for Hannah's birthday next spring. Instead, I'm going to put together a lab for 'easy to do at home' science experiments and play the mad scientist for the evening. One of the things I'm definitely going to do is use my old, old fire extinguisher (as long as it's a CO2 based one) and make some mutha-fuckin' dry ice! Please observe this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcnbCgOeimk" target="_blank">video </a>where the process is made simple and fun.<br />
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ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-86387907482221709872017-08-22T18:01:00.003-07:002017-08-22T18:01:36.358-07:00Nanny Goat's Legacy <div style="text-align: justify;">
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I spent last Saturday morning planning our the framework of the wedding ceremony with our officiant and her husband. It was a wonderful morning and I felt about a million times better about the wedding once we were done. I now have to write the script and make a logistics list and then on to the other million and one things!</div>
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Such a great morning and great lunch. I feel so blessed to have these people in my life and I was especially happy to get to spend so much time with them that day.</div>
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Saturday afternoon, however, was a little different. I found out via a quick voice message from my mom that my Aunt Nancy was dead. Just like that. I couldn't call mom because she was already on her way down to the silver valley and her cell was out of working range and my dad didn't have much more info than what was in the voicemail. Of my aunts, I have three that I speak with on a semi regular basis and feel are on my side. My two Aunt Bunnies (Lola on my mom's side, Barbara on my dad's side) and then Nan. Mom called her Nanny Goat and, sometimes, Fancy Nancy.</div>
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She was quirky and tall and dressed like Dorothy from Golden girls. She didn't like reptiles but she loved my iguana. Her favorite treat was a bottle of ice cold Pepsi and a slice of Tillamook sharp cheddar. She was probably my greatest fan and even after my vocal nodes destroyed my chance of professional singing, she still found ways to force me to perform here and there, talking me up as if I were actually someone to talk about. And, dang, did she love her wild animal prints. Her bedroom motif was Africa. She was particular and there were times she was a downright turd. And for as wild and rebellious as she was, she was also a total prude.</div>
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She had eight children. One died shortly after birth. Born and died decades before my parents had even met. I visited his grave in Colorado. Another child died in a car accident. A grown man with two children of his own - that was the first horrific tragedy our family had known. We'd been lucky thus far. A third child of Nancy's died while hitchhiking between towns in the silver valley. The third child was a grown man who was so sick by the time he died that he looked older than his own mother. Of all her loses, though, the one that nearly killed her was losing her husband. She said losing a child is the worst thing you can imagine. But losing a mate is like losing your soul.</div>
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Nancy leaves behind five children and plethora of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Also her dog, Taffy, who came to her shortly after Nan lost her husband. This little doe-faced dog saved her life I think. For many, many years it's been Nanny and Taffy, the inseparable duo. They are separated now, though, and my mom told me that she held Taffy on Sunday and cuddled her and the dog cried. It was like she finally understood that mommy wasn't coming back.</div>
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Mom told me how Nancy went. She woke up Saturday to get ready to go to dialysis. Her neighbor had checked in on her. When the bus arrived to take her to the hospital, they waited and waited and no one came out. Finally they went in and she was asleep in her chair. Asleep forever. I thank the gods for her peaceful passing. This woman had spinal meningitis twice. She suffered from a myriad of medical problems and was a chain smoker for most of her life. She'd been on dialysis for years and years. She was no stranger to pain and had been in such pain once that she'd prayed for her god to take her. So for her to have passed as if she were sleeping is something I am eternally thankful for. Until we meet in another life: farewell, Nanny Goat.</div>
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ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-43224111720258810462017-08-17T13:58:00.001-07:002017-08-17T13:58:34.246-07:00Two Pagan Princesses Passionately Paired - Handfasting 101<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've read a good deal about handfasting and I've had the pleasure of witness our Officiant marry/perform the handfasting for a couple of our good friends. Also I have a good brain! I think. But despite reading about it and witnessing one ceremony, I realize two things:<br />
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1) I have no fucking clue what I'm doing! I have never written or drafted anything like this before. I love writing rituals (possibly one of my favorite things to do) but trying to compose words to the feelings of my quickly arriving hand-fasting is proving nearly impossible. I've found some fun sites that provide scripts so that I can get a feel of the rhythm and flow of the ceremony, but I'm still worried. I think it's the Virgo in me wanting this to be perfect. Eventually the Libra cusp side will slow the Virgo's roll. But until then I'm emotionally back in high school broaching a weird life altering deadline - and speaking of life altering...<br />
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2) I never thought in a million years I would actually get married. By the time I was in college I had consigned myself, quite readily, over to being a spinster. Even after Hannah made cute, coy love confessions and decided she wanted to be my person, I didn't think we would ever get married. Or I guess I figured it was enough to just say 'ah, we're together forever and that's the same as marriage, so on and so forth,' but then Washington began recognizing same-sex marriage and then marriage equality really became a thing. And then Hannah and I fell in love with the Pagan community and felt like part of a larger family. And of course there was the Facebook incident (wherein Hannah hijacked my social media account and changed my status to 'engaged' in the most passive-aggressive proposal of all time). It worked though. Because here I am, less than two months out from Friday the 13th, frantically trying to create the best damn ritual/ceremony I've ever conceived of!<br />
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So now I have to pause and remind myself of two more things. 1) I'm not doing this alone. Hannah and our Officiant are right there with me. And, 2) it doesn't need to be perfect. Just as my quote says above: not perfect, but passionate and full of wonder. That's a relationship. That's a life. That's art. That's love. <br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hTcBnxxuAls/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hTcBnxxuAls?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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Here's a quick list of some of the fun sites I found as well as some of the books I have at home for reference - the last four books are borrowed copies:<br />
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<li><a href="http://www.marrymeinindy.com/pagan-wedding-ceremoy.html" target="_blank">Marry me in Indy, LLC</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.revdawnearthsong.com/page2/page14/" target="_blank">Rev. Dawn Earthsong</a></li>
<li><a href="https://allseasonsweddings.com/wedding-ceremonies-readings/wican-pagan-wedding-ceremonies" target="_blank">All Seasons Weddings</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/explore/handfasting/?lp=true" target="_blank">25 Best Handfasting Ideas on Pinterest</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Passages-Handfasting-Pagan-Commitment-Rituals/dp/1598694472/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=0C7CZXT5QGW2C2J7MWK2" target="_blank">Passages Handfasting: A Pagan Guide to Commitment Rituals</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Magickal-Weddings-Handfasting-Traditions-Sacred/dp/1550224611/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1503002773&sr=1-1&keywords=magickal+weddings" target="_blank">Magickal Weddings: Pagan Handfasting Traditions for your Sacred Union</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1578634849/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I211ZC8Q4E161J&colid=1AYYJ59LJGFS8" target="_blank">A Pagan Ritual Prayer Book</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1578632552/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I3JWX546RA7422&colid=1AYYJ59LJGFS8" target="_blank">A Book of Pagan Prayer</a></li>
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ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-63895364048899155262017-08-14T23:13:00.000-07:002017-08-14T23:13:25.004-07:00Animal Totem Talk<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In recent conversation with a friend, the topic of Animal Totems came up. I was reminded a long time ago of a side conversation with someone in the past when I mentioned that I don't eat Octopuses or Squid anymore because I've recognized them as deities/totems for me. The person was shocked that I wouldn't "eat my totem" and I suppose, given the act of transubstantiation in Catholicism whereby they eat the body and blood of Christ every Sunday, that the eating of a totem might make sense. Well, I don't have to worry about eating <i>any</i> animal totems now since I'm no longer eating meat but I am actually very down with a little transubstantiation of my own. </div>
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I believe in the power of symbolism (more so than the protestants who claim the break and wine to be just symbols). If I wanted to partake of my totems, whatever animals they may be, I would symbolically ingest and, therefore, truly ingest the archetypal essence of the creature into my being. For Hannah, who has a fox totem, we could eat fox shaped cookies or make an alcoholic beverage to honor the Arctic Fox or the Bat-Eared Fox. You get the gist. I don't need to put the actual matter of the totems flesh into my body to incorporate it's nutritional (spiritual) value. </div>
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Moving on. I don't know for sure that the Octopus is my official totem as I am sometimes more in awe of it than I am relating to it on a spiritual and characteristic level (or I could be wrong - who knows!) but I know that in light of the conversation with had with our friend the other day a few fun things have happened reinforcing Hannah's totem and opening me up to, if not a totem, an animal spirit guide who has some valuable lessons to teach me. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0r9kqRBYaDxIbE-Z2ZRnMGRubw6ndTkn8whtcLEy2TW4tM6UuqiVkvbleTT1tEDTgETU5S3g_EZdJ8-_1Ft-UA8_bHLsKboKahEYL0gdrAKqXpkSSk08EEZW8VmnSUofYCZg4nQshuE/s1600/51s%252B0ZP77lL._SX340_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="342" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0r9kqRBYaDxIbE-Z2ZRnMGRubw6ndTkn8whtcLEy2TW4tM6UuqiVkvbleTT1tEDTgETU5S3g_EZdJ8-_1Ft-UA8_bHLsKboKahEYL0gdrAKqXpkSSk08EEZW8VmnSUofYCZg4nQshuE/s320/51s%252B0ZP77lL._SX340_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Speak-Spiritual-Magical-Powers-Creatures/dp/0875420281" target="_blank">Animal Speak</a></td></tr>
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Here's what happened: Hannah and I were telling Rachel about the Animal Speak book that had been the basis of the initial conversation and the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Magical-Menagerie-Personal-Through-Energies/dp/0738705055" target="_blank">Magical Menagerie</a> deck fell from its shelf to the floor. We all turned to look when it dropped all we could made out was something falling - we didn't know what had caused the plunk. Later that night I discovered that it was the Animal oracle and I went, "Hmmmm," and told Hannah we needed to draw a card that night! Well we completely forgot. We are quit often enormous dinguses (dingii?). We drew a card each the next night. These puppies had been shuffled too. So shuffled. Hannah had shuffled them the first night when they fell and then I shuffled them again. Well I drew first and got Griffin/Gryphon. Hannah drew second and *boom* she drew fox. We are going to make a small Inari shrine in the house at some point as fox has been a huge animal in Hannah's life (and, through being with Hannah, in my life as well).<br />
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So Hannah's draw made ridiculously perfect sense. Mine was a little weirder. I didn't think the Griffin was very fitting. At first. I took an online, for fun, Spirit Animal test and got Eagle. I didn't put much stock in the test, but I kept it in the back of my mind because why not? And then I started to hunker down and really think about what the Griffin meant. I am fond of Griffins and since that day I've been seeing them, or reminders of them, everywhere. In fact, that other day I saw a large pink heraldic griffin splayed across the bottom of an extra large license plate. How random? Or not. I found many pictures of griffins with the heads of Bald Eagles and felt that was a neat tie in to the previous test I'd taken. Also I found numerous sites offering pretty similar <a href="https://mara-gamiel.blogspot.com/2009/06/griffin-symbolism.html" target="_blank">information</a>: the Griffin is a cross between the King of Land (lion) and the King of Sky (eagle) and is known to symbolize a spiritual quest. That the Griffin is a guardian and a guide, usually as you journey a new spiritual path, or go through a particularly challenging trial. </div>
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So I've been paying attention. I do feel that I need some guidance right now. There have been a lot of changes in my life, and new challenges. My sibling (whom I've been somewhat estranged with) is sick and dying; I'm less than two months out from getting married; my computer is broken and is going to the manufacturer for repairs; we lost a full time employee at work and are going to lose another on the 28th of this month; the house is in a perpetual state of mess; my car may or may not be road worthy enough to go to Seattle; I don't want to keep living at Valley 206 now that they are becoming a tax credit community and will have A) the authority to get rid of us at any time due to how much money I make and B) full access to my bank account information and C) they will be making us sign a year long lease in the next few months after we've been on month-to-month for almost a full year already. And it's getting darker sooner now. I can already feel my brain and body reacting to the waning summer. I'm bracing for the shit emotional time ahead but it's hard to see how everything is going to turn out at this point. And maybe that's why a Griffin jumped off the shelf for me the other night.<br />
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A while back I did a written role-play with a friend wherein our two protagonists, a married gay couple, were dealing with ghost possession as well as ancestral bloodline awakenings. It was pretty cool role-play concept and, who knows, we might revisit in the future. We both want to write novels and short stories and it could be fun to turn some of our RPs into novellas or novels. Anyway, my character in the RP (the one dealing with an awakening of his bloodline) was a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamrosh" target="_blank">Chamrosh</a> (which is essentially what you see in the above pic). A chamrosh is a griffin with a wolf's body instead of a lion's. It is the lesser known Persian winged guardian and I spent a lot of time for that RP delving into what a griffin/chamrosh meant and what function one might serve in a story. So when griffin showed up the other night I felt a fun pang of familiarity.<br />
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Speaking of RPs, Hannah and I are finally writing one again. Just for fun and also to whet our writing chops again. I've already shared some of the beginning story that spurred her to say 'hey, let's write this out together!' It's been kind of fun to delve into these characters. Neither of them comes from what I would call a horribly tragic past or abusive situation. Both have had shitty moments as well as comfort. It's been fun throwing challenges their way, but mostly they are just a cutesy-nervous couple full of unnecessary, self-depreciating worries and woes. Kind of like most people.<br />
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In other news, I recently discovered Leo Moracchioli on Youtube. I will be purchasing a few of these fantastic covers. So far my favorites are Adele's Hello and Frozen's Let it Go. I leave you with a song for now. This started as such a focused blog post (started it a few days ago) and then more and more and more just kept happening. so here we are. Please enjoy Leo's cover.<br />
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ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-78183302476958278832017-08-03T14:16:00.001-07:002017-08-11T22:57:08.319-07:00General Update - A Weird Tuesday and Other Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness. <br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7715.Robert_Frost?utm_medium=email&utm_source=quote_of_the_day">Robert Frost</a></blockquote>
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I hope everyone had a blessed and wonderful Lughnasadh. For me, the Harvest day of August 1 brought some rather interesting things into my life. I was sick in the morning and stayed home to try to sleep off my discomfort. I had wanted to go to work around 1pm so that I didn't have to use a full sick day but I called in a little later and let work know that I couldn't make it in. I now only have two sick days left but we're already in August so I'm not too worried. Also I'm going to be off for most of October so if I can't hack it with two sick days then there's something seriously wrong. </div>
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It turns out that being sick on Tuesday was a necessity because that meant I was home to comfort Hannah upon her return from a very rough doctor's appointment. She really needed me that day and I'm glad I was there for her. She's been dealing with so much, and a lot of it she's trying to tackle by herself with little help from anyone. While that's very admirable she is still healing from surgery and I want her to feel like she can ask me for help. And ask any of our friends. She still has such a hard time doing that though.</div>
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The other reason I'm glad I was home on Tuesday was because my mother and father needed to come over and share good news and bad news. The good news was fun but the bad news was pretty dark and life changing. I'm not going to talk about that too much for now. I want to know more about what's going on before I try to come to terms with things. I just know that there will be some very hard times coming and I'm not sure how to feel about it. </div>
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Even the day after this news I was pretty out of it at work. Today I'm doing better. Tonight I'm going to a Stargazing event at the Spokane Valley Library. Should be neat. And on Friday I'm going to ride the Hillyard bus up to meet Hannah at our friend's house for a tea and coffee date. Maybe I'll bring the Nutpods creamer to try. </div>
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On the vegetarian front Hannah and I are doing well however we're getting trapped, or feeling trapped, in what we eat. We need to research more recipes and be more adventurous. I recently saw a cool way to cook eggplant that I want to try (I can't believe I'm eating eggplant and actually enjoying it) and also I want us to invest in more salad toppings like fruit, nuts, and seeds. I'm still eating cheese and I've decided that for now I'm not going to stress about going dairy free until we are past the wedding and the honeymoon. I would like to limit animal products to just about nil but that will take some time and adjusting.</div>
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Recently, Hannah and I spent some time with the twins in Moscow. They are going to take care of bachelorette party planning and also they are going to be my smudgers! I'm really excited about this. But thinking about parties and about the wedding makes me realize how much there still needs to be done. I am worried about money (always, always, always... story of my life is a worry over money) but I'm not as worried as I thought I would be. Hopefully that's a good sign. </div>
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ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-48589402856521852022017-08-02T14:05:00.002-07:002017-08-06T10:51:04.810-07:00Storytime! So gay... so very, very gay...<div style="text-align: justify;">
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From the start of our relationship, storytelling has always been an important element of bonding for Hannah and me. At night we often read out loud to each other or I will make up a bedtime story for her to listen to until she falls asleep. More often than not I'm the one who gets put to sleep but that's beside the point.<br />
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Sometimes my bedtime stories are innocent and about animals and mythical beasts. Sometimes they are epic Dungeons and Dragons type adventures. Most of the time though, regardless of setting, they are romantic (a.k.a. smutty) in nature. And because I'm a big old pervert I usually make the 'mating couples' same sex, related, or involved in some heavy BDSM. Because that's just how I roll. </div>
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Last night's story was cutesy. Before bed Hannah and I had just finished watching Junjo Romantica Season 3 and were feeling particularly fond of jealous semes, embarrassed ukes, and light-hearted angst. So the setting for my story was of course college life and my protagonist and love interest were the nerdy virgin and the rebellious older boy. I do enjoy a good archetypal pairing of The Fool with The Devil. </div>
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I'm going to chronicle it here for fun. This is going to be quick writing (don't expect amazing prose) and will involve male/male romance. I figure if you've followed this blog for very long the latter will not surprise you in the least. With that said, here's some word vomit:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvr4GnvGVfbh6XoHXxmamTyjfUAl_yLGQE5Tm6k88U9iZTJ6hMzjc46rcB13Oyst5VBUY7v3bOwNKthTzYKq2q1NAQTvODVQR9wBaZpYaF0vavZkRYzdhZq2rFZoMD_F3vIj7tIGx_rE/s1600/d3cd69d5da43bb84bc91ff35384a413c--romantic-writing-prompts-writing-ideas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="500" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvr4GnvGVfbh6XoHXxmamTyjfUAl_yLGQE5Tm6k88U9iZTJ6hMzjc46rcB13Oyst5VBUY7v3bOwNKthTzYKq2q1NAQTvODVQR9wBaZpYaF0vavZkRYzdhZq2rFZoMD_F3vIj7tIGx_rE/s320/d3cd69d5da43bb84bc91ff35384a413c--romantic-writing-prompts-writing-ideas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Donovan Sharpe was the kind of boy who didn't go to bars. So how he ended up at Balboa the night before fall semester started was a bit of a mystery. Maybe he just wanted to feel normal for once, like he wasn't a complete antisocial loser who preferred books to people, or maybe he thought this qualified as an act of defiance against "the man." His brother was always telling him that he needed a little defiance in his life. But Donovan was more about compliance than defiance. Perhaps he was at the bar trying to comply with the expectations of every other college kid he'd ever met. Drink. Fuck. Party. Have fun. Well, he supposed he could at least drink. But not too much. There was class in the morning after all.</div>
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So he went out to the bar best known for regrettable hookups, mob-like brawls, and a stunning consistency for health code violations, looking for trouble. Maybe trouble. Mostly looking to eat something and have a beer. He ordered the Rocky Burger and Bud-Lite. </div>
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Weirdly enough, on this night, right before classes at Hamilton Bay Community College were about to start up again, the bar was practically deserted. He guessed the fighting, fucking, fun crowd must have stayed home in preparation for classes tomorrow. That suited him just fine. On the few other times he'd been out to the bar -- dragged by those who pitied him enough to be seen with him in public -- the atmosphere had been chaos. This was better. He preferred the quiet.</div>
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When he finished his burger he brought the plate to the bar and took a seat there. The bar tender asked if he was ready for another Bud-Lite but he shook his head. </div>
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Someone entered the bar. The air in the room changed. Barometric pressure or maybe cologne.</div>
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Donovan turned to see who had just come in and for a split second everything seemed to move in slow motion, like some bad guy intro from an 80's flick. There was a man there, walking - more like strutting - into the bar. He wore black leather pants and a black leather jacket. His shirt looked like this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1n7bzgSOVISB4wKz9MKkB_bMkT_8jqZk7Bhlwy0dDBlVT6UdKFwz4VKdMTVQascutF4HUWpFXNlVd16rHzY2y_UdByOE2YJ7EOah_KLLFkfs9lClt0-vPd2f1Tg7rCvDfPGJvs48p6c/s1600/Schock_Tour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="625" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1n7bzgSOVISB4wKz9MKkB_bMkT_8jqZk7Bhlwy0dDBlVT6UdKFwz4VKdMTVQascutF4HUWpFXNlVd16rHzY2y_UdByOE2YJ7EOah_KLLFkfs9lClt0-vPd2f1Tg7rCvDfPGJvs48p6c/s320/Schock_Tour.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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Donovan didn't know what Eisbrecher was but he figured it was music that could only give him a headache. However, it wasn't the man's shirt that really struck him; it was the man's eyes. The man had entered wearing a motorcycle helmet, but he'd just taken it off. Donovan found himself staring at at pitch black tousled hair, matted to the forehead, framing along the cheeks. All tufts pointing toward ice-blue eyes. And the man stared right back. He raised and eyebrow and looked around the bar then approached.<br />
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"This place always like this?"<br />
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Donovan swallowed hard and cleared his throat. "You mean, is it always this blessedly empty? I wish. It's usually a madhouse."<br />
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"Well, that's a relief," the man said and chuckled. "No offense, but I hate dead bars." He took the seat right next to Donovan. "I'll have a Guinness, please."<br />
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Donovan looked away then. This many was totally not his type. Which, he supposed implied that he had a type. Which was utter nonsense because the only chemistry he'd ever had between himself and another person was during science lab last year when the beaker exploded all over his partner. Donovan was a rock. He was island. He was all the lyrics to that song.<br />
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"So what you do for fun around here?" the man asked.<br />
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Donovan looked up. "What?"<br />
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"I just moved to town. So I don't really know the scene yet. What do you suggest for kicks?"<br />
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"Oh, I'm not the one ask about kicks. Or scenes. Or fun. Or anything you'd probably enjoy." He shook his head and lifted Bud-Lite to his lips.<br />
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"Wow." The man grinned. "Okay, forget about me for a second. What do you like? What's a fun night for Mr. Lite-Beer?"<br />
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"You'll laugh."<br />
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"No, I won't." The man said.<br />
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Donovan narrowed his eyes. "I like reading."<br />
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"Really?" The man said and nodded with consideration. "Where do you like to read?"<br />
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"In bed."<br />
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"In bed. I see." The man was quiet a minute. His lips curled into a sly grin. "Naked?"<br />
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"What?! No!"<br />
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"That's too bad." He took a gulp of Guinness. "So what do you like to read?"<br />
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Donovan stared into the man's blue eyes for a moment and then looked at his beer. It was almost empty.<br />
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"Books. I don't know. Stuff. Look, I just came here for a burger. I don't even know you..."<br />
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"Name's Peter." The man hailed over the bartender. "Another round of whatever piss beer he's drinking please. It's on me."<br />
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And five beers later Donovan had told him pretty much every book he had in his personal library. They'd talked about music and poetry and science. Nothing too heady, just fun facts and popular ideas. They talked about Peter's shirt and the man even played an Eisbrecher tune on his phone and held it up to Donovan's ear. He was right, it was music that would give him a headache. And yet he didn't pull away, he leaned into the phone and picked out the a few German words he knew. All in all it wasn't too bad. And the music smelled like musk. Or maybe it was the man's wrist, dabbed with some earthy cologne, that smelled so good.<br />
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I was going to write out a lot more of the story thus far but this is all I'm in the mood to spit out. Also Hannah and I have decided to RP these goofballs a little bit. A lot has changed since I wrote this blurb last Friday (yeah, I know I'm a late poster!): Donovan's name has been changed to Declan and his major is now English and Writing. Peter is much the same, though we've learned now that he's much more insecure than he lets on. Yay for storytime! </div>
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ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-6023458576396626522017-07-16T04:29:00.000-07:002017-07-16T04:29:02.411-07:00Meatless in Seattle<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well not really in Seattle yet. That's the plan for the Honeymoon. But first let's talk about the meatless part. For health reasons as well as ethical reasons Hannah and I have decided to adopt a meatless lifestyle. I am pushing toward full vegan in the future but that's for myself. As of right now we do still eat some cheese and butter. But that's really it. We no longer use eggs or milk. Also we're avoiding things like rennet and lard and other sneaky animal products that people like to put in seemingly innocuous things. It's going to be an adventure for us, that's for sure. </div>
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We've been eating differently for two going on three weeks and while I haven't felt the miraculous surge of energy that our friend (who is going veggie as well) has felt, I do feel better. I am happier when I eat and I don't crave for the sweets. That alone is an amazing improvement. I am a giant sweet tooth and used to demand dessert after every dinner or I just didn't feel right. In fact I would opt for dessert over dinner if I could. I do still enjoy a sweet dish (such as vegan pancakes with fruit topping, or an apple cinnamon oatmeal breakfast cup) but I'm not longing for candy and pastries. That being said there are a few vegan treats I definitely want to try when I get the chance, but there's no intense rush.</div>
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In other news, Hannah and I are not only cutting meat from our diet, we are beginning Yoga classes. I really enjoyed the first one that we went to a little over a week ago. It was damn challenging and the next morning my hips felt like I'd been fucked by a steam roller. We are going to dip into Yoga the same way we are dipping into vegetarianism: gently and slowly. These are long term changes we are making and don't want to do jump ahead of ourselves and get overwhelmed. But I am very excited about both of these changes. We are beginning to resemble the quintessential stereotype of 'American white girl:' pumpkin spice is our creed, we're vegetarians, we like home brewed and craft beers, we do yoga, and we're into earth bound spirituality. On the surface we're new-age yoga yuppies. And I'm kind of okay with that. </div>
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ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-44713159842527904802017-05-31T01:20:00.000-07:002017-05-31T01:20:53.565-07:00Sensitive Schmucks: or how I learned to stop worrying and just be offensive<div style="text-align: justify;">
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I recently saw an article about <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2017/02/how_sensitivity_readers_from_minority_groups_are_changing_the_book_publishing.html" target="_blank">Sensitivity Readers</a> and what they mean for the publishing ecosystem. According to <a href="http://writeinthemargins.org/sensitivity-readers/" target="_blank">Writing in the Margins</a>, "A sensitivity reader reads through a manuscript for issues of representation and for instances of bias on the page. The goal of a sensitivity reader isn’t to edit a manuscript clarity and logic, although that may be an additional service offered. A sensitivity reader reviews a manuscript for internalized bias and negatively charged language." Essentially they are word aggression police. They will help your characters be less offensive to a broad readership. They will also help uncover stereotypes and marginalizations that may exist in your narrative. They are here to help us poor writers who just don't know any better. </div>
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Fuck them.</div>
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I know we live in an eggshell world comprised of social justice zealots and trigger warnings but isn't writing supposed to be an escape from that world? My characters use harmful slurs, my characters think in stereotypes. They're flawed and ugly. Bitter and broken. My bad guys rape and murder and whisper things that make me extremely uncomfortable to write. Even my YA writing is squick-worthy. </div>
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But wouldn't I reach a larger crowd if I kept the overall voice of the narrative just a little less offensive? </div>
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Do I care? If my book has any merit, it'll reach the people who need to read it. So what if someone's offended. In fact, wouldn't it be worse if no one was offended? I write about theocracies that degrade and humiliate women. Please be offended! This is horrible. I write about people who molest and harm children. I write characters who are assassins who value money above human life. I write people who struggle to be decent and fail, fail, fail. So they're going to think, say, and feel horrible things. So go on. Feel something. Be angry. Be angry at the story, at the writing, at the writer, at the barbed-wire world all around us hidden under everyone's niceties and social gloss. Be angry because somewhere in the world there's a woman who has to wear an anti-rape tube inside her vagina for when, not if, she gets violated. Be angry because the best we could do for presidential candidates was Tweedle-dee or Tweedle-dum. </div>
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I'm not saying don't wince at the N word. I'm not saying go out and be rude. I'm not saying use "faggot" when you want to call something "stupid." I hate that. It's very offensive to me. Which is why I continue to use it in my writing. It's why some of my characters marginalize women. It's why some of my characters think foreigners are evil. It's why some of my foreigners really are. </div>
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If we tame our narrative to the standards of social justice, then we're cheating ourselves. And, worse than that, we're cheating our characters. In the example from the article a character thought to himself that it would be easier for girls to come out as lesbian than for boys to come out as gay because everyone seems to like lesbians. This apparently was very offensive. Sure, in the real world, it is offensive because it's bullshit that one should be more accepted than the other. But in the book, why should the author have to change her fucking character's personal thoughts just to downplay an incorrect social assumption?<br />
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Perhaps a character says something offensive that you the writer hadn't intended to be offensive. Well, unless it's a legitimate typo on the author's part, I'd say your character just told you something about himself, and you should listen and expand on that. The straight choir director calls the Altos the "Flaming Lips" as a joke. You as the writer are innocently trying to reference the musical group, but your reader understands some form of latent homophobia. Play. That. Shit. Up. Your straight little choir director just became a lot more flawed, a lot more interesting, and a much better character. Not a better person, mind you, but definitely a better character. </div>
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During my MFA, Sterling Watson shared one of his many mantras, "Make it worse. Make it hot." If you've got a racist character, then let him be racist. Make it as horrible for your character as it is for your reader. Make your reader feel something. The sensitivity reader would have us objectively portraying difficulties between characters without allowing the inner voice to dip into the crude sludge that shapes the human condition. I would use the sensitivity reader for one thing: seek thee out all of my offensive bullshit so that I may pour gasoline on it and watch people lose their fucking minds. </div>
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"I am not afraid that the book will be controversial, I'm afraid it will not be controversial." ~ Flannery O'Conner</div>
ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-52109670272310719902017-05-20T23:13:00.003-07:002017-05-30T23:21:47.857-07:00Flower Power: A Divine Pair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past full moon (Wednesday, May, 10th) I led a small ritual with a few friends. We were trying out a new space and just sort of getting a feel for the land spirits as well as trying to tame a bit of the magical chaos we had all been feeling lately. We celebrated the full flower moon with candles, sage, flowers, and a water centered magical activity. I had planned to write out a meditation to lead but as I began writing it felt off somehow. So, instead, I selected a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wreEIz0LzvA" target="_blank">Plant Ally Meditation from Youtube</a> that I believed would encompass what I wanted to achieve with the meditative portion of the celebration. It probably would have. But it was recorded too softly for us to be able to utilize it during the ritual. I was faced with either improvising a meditation or scrapping it. </div>
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Thank the Goddess I chose to wing it. I did a Plant Ally Guided Meditation that took us into a dark and thriving forest to a small plant hidden within a rotting log. We each drew our respective plant-life from the decay and formed a bond with the spirit inhabiting the flower. After the meditation I asked everyone what their flower was and what the spirit looked like. It was really neat to hear everyone's experience. Magically I was able to relax enough, even while speaking, to find my own flower. At first I wasn't sure what it was but it was a red full bloom, thin, tissue-like petals. I realized it was a poppy. This surprised me as my favorite flowers are Bleeding Hearts, Tulips, and Fuchsia. So I tucked this away, planning to look into the symbolism and the 'why' later. Hannah's flower was a blue daisy. Again a bit of a surprise since she's an Orchid and Rose girl all the way. </div>
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Hannah learned later that the Daisy is Freyja's flower. It was sweet, like the goddess was waving to Hannah saying, "I'm still here with you!" </div>
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The fact that flower was blue in Hannah's meditation is also interesting. It's one of the most calming colors in chromotherapy. It is also healing and it is the leading favorite color of the human race. It is above us and below us and universal. When I think Daisy I automatically think white so the blue was very deliberate. To be honest I didn't think blue daisies actually existed outside Hannah's meditation. I was wrong. They are quite real and quite lovely.</div>
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Inspired by Hannah's flower Ally and symbolism, I did a little research into the meaning behind the Poppy flower. The Poppy, of course, produces the poppy seed which leads to opium and all sorts of sleep inducing highly addictive substances. But the archetypal correspondence for the flower is actually Morpheus, the Greek god of Dreams. Which is rather appropriate as my last name literally translates into: the dreamer. </div>
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I'm a huge fan of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series and of dream analysis/divination and mythology in general. One of my stories deals with a Baku which is benevolent creature from Japanese folklore that survives by eating dreams, specifically nightmares. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQZCgmSUBVjSVrDhe-LM4Ct1xWeHxPmsYe_g2gRtVBHqZhu-TYePKjNRG3iWmnh5-5hz_K9i_G2ydvB5y6Ln19uC5qyqZF5kBee92Xl3poJ_7KugDQuut04RImTxmoDnu0YBSgYuEEmE/s1600/1200px-Poppies_in_the_Sunset_on_Lake_Geneva.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQZCgmSUBVjSVrDhe-LM4Ct1xWeHxPmsYe_g2gRtVBHqZhu-TYePKjNRG3iWmnh5-5hz_K9i_G2ydvB5y6Ln19uC5qyqZF5kBee92Xl3poJ_7KugDQuut04RImTxmoDnu0YBSgYuEEmE/s320/1200px-Poppies_in_the_Sunset_on_Lake_Geneva.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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When I was younger I had vivid reoccurring dreams about an old robed woman who came down every night to make sure my family was asleep and if were caught awake, she would kill us presumably. It was a terrible dream, one which I had every night for months and months. Looking back on it now I wonder if it was my fear of mortality already creeping in at the tender young age of 6. Many of my dreams live on in story form or help me to create characters. So, long story short, the Poppy seems a very apropos Ally. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMoBDyT4O7GTTfVvk9HcA57h9ipoiQ4t7Xh1oofT3gpuZ1hC8uiunXRtfuDoH0Bhpd69FQS6wnDhno_O3XVuwN6CeqZfPSmI-gNg0dvY0E0JnatTK_1_R3nIY-NGM5Tf4t5SZ6r-_1ks/s1600/b4ab143426cb659758f02661c9538dc2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMoBDyT4O7GTTfVvk9HcA57h9ipoiQ4t7Xh1oofT3gpuZ1hC8uiunXRtfuDoH0Bhpd69FQS6wnDhno_O3XVuwN6CeqZfPSmI-gNg0dvY0E0JnatTK_1_R3nIY-NGM5Tf4t5SZ6r-_1ks/s320/b4ab143426cb659758f02661c9538dc2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's where it gets really interesting though:</div>
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For about two weeks I've been working as a freelance transcriber through <a href="http://rev.com/">Rev.com</a>. It's not a huge amount of pay but I figure I can bring in an extra $25 or so a week and get a few side bills paid down (or, more than likely, put it all toward wedding expenses). Well, the other night I had a job that gave me some pause. As a transcriber we are supposed to type what we hear and not correct things that are misspoken by the speakers. Well I had a speaker say an author's name but she said it way off. I discovered the correct name and was debating on whether or not to put the correct spelling in or try to phonetically tackle the speakers gross mispronunciation. So I went to the forums on the site to see if anyone else had asked a similar question.</div>
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I didn't find my question but I fell down an immediate rabbit hole. There were so many interesting topics and threads. After perusing for a few minutes I stumbled upon a thread of a transcriber asking for help listening to a 3 second sound bit to see if anyone could pick out a certain word. The content dealt the energy and balance and the goddess. So of course I was curious! I clicked on the link to the audio and found that it was actually a video recording. I saw a woman speaking to a camera and thought nothing much of it until I noticed what was behind her: poppies and blue daisies.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZFm166HbBCY29NJ65FoVmTAQD1U04ysGlZHJMs6MxN-XOik7qfji1KB7qLvrTbVAgTGcgQq-1JgrHeiO-I4Z6hvSZyWOIZ9LPYxbNXsAWxQxzq4KRLaBd2-UYzdBhUb69BKwwTPJEfg/s1600/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZFm166HbBCY29NJ65FoVmTAQD1U04ysGlZHJMs6MxN-XOik7qfji1KB7qLvrTbVAgTGcgQq-1JgrHeiO-I4Z6hvSZyWOIZ9LPYxbNXsAWxQxzq4KRLaBd2-UYzdBhUb69BKwwTPJEfg/s400/image.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Until that moment I would never have thought that red poppies and blue daisies could be a thing. Hell, I didn't even know blue daisies were a thing until researching them after Hannah's meditation. Shocked and inspired by this, I went on a google search to see if I couldn't find a picture of the painting behind the woman (you know, on the off chance that it was a classic or well known painting). I didn't find the painting but what I did find was further evidence of the marriage between red poppies and blue daisies.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7IgFHNCwnGXqmtteRenqjCT0s_g6XG2GVCBqNrl5NUxehys2Ep_8ePc2nFYPBxJ1maxqWw9u0lV52_OvWt-aYvvw8lRWpbELXH0BscN-S7uvClF0wdOqmW2xnvCgNbY68kU09MyUBik/s1600/libertyart-poppyanddaisy-L01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7IgFHNCwnGXqmtteRenqjCT0s_g6XG2GVCBqNrl5NUxehys2Ep_8ePc2nFYPBxJ1maxqWw9u0lV52_OvWt-aYvvw8lRWpbELXH0BscN-S7uvClF0wdOqmW2xnvCgNbY68kU09MyUBik/s320/libertyart-poppyanddaisy-L01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Apparently these two flowers pair up nicely on many fabrics and prints. Perhaps a more popular pairing is poppy with cornflower or poppy with white daisy, but there was enough red poppy and blue daisy to convince me that not only is this combination a thing, it must somehow stem from some kind of archetypal knowledge. How random for Hannah to see a blue daisy and how utterly strange for me to pick a poppy. And yet, maybe it wasn't random or strange at all. Maybe it was just what we needed. I'm not entirely certain yet what the synchronicities mean for me or Hannah, but I know there is meaning and I find deep comfort in that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-vdnYGHPPLt-B3xDxBJpK0F24t-e9Oy9tZqaQuBXxvKRoK7qo2wkyUJsnAcD71Ki5uisOS86SewvcW2qsb5T3LAigqsOC45nECQx-8AYbescSACpGncRehab1maBZFm9aDOy5-IJ8zk/s1600/il_340x270.1153711387_jtfd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-vdnYGHPPLt-B3xDxBJpK0F24t-e9Oy9tZqaQuBXxvKRoK7qo2wkyUJsnAcD71Ki5uisOS86SewvcW2qsb5T3LAigqsOC45nECQx-8AYbescSACpGncRehab1maBZFm9aDOy5-IJ8zk/s320/il_340x270.1153711387_jtfd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-87930296203469524542017-05-05T18:53:00.000-07:002017-05-05T18:53:09.596-07:00Pendulum of Self Doubt and Malaise and my OTPs<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLWPtP3ECWFuLQIie6jEGPvemjuhK1rN63ljMkDs7zDsXZgycCu8i2SDkEC18MzmYRTdGeaN94ptqNU-VFgRVINBi7RRCBXZ_61ygKABwa2SxwsdmC6wSyEaZ-URWeb7-0wAKrSjCTjg/s1600/72118c1689fc5f2ab6fc8844eb700486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLWPtP3ECWFuLQIie6jEGPvemjuhK1rN63ljMkDs7zDsXZgycCu8i2SDkEC18MzmYRTdGeaN94ptqNU-VFgRVINBi7RRCBXZ_61ygKABwa2SxwsdmC6wSyEaZ-URWeb7-0wAKrSjCTjg/s320/72118c1689fc5f2ab6fc8844eb700486.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fanart of Craig and Tweek from South Park.</td></tr>
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I'm very much in rollercoaster mode these last few weeks. While I'm doing better with longer days and more sun, I'm still riding a pendulum that moves from "I can do this, I can accomplish all the things," to "who am I kidding?" at a rate that makes my head spin. Worse is that I think my body is reacting to my mental state in a very real way. For instance, I had huge and glorious plans for Beltane yet I ended up sleeping about 17 hours off and on from the time I got home from work on Sunday until Monday evening. I whimpered and fussed and cried a little. I couldn't keep my eyes open. I had a similar experience last night. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0Qauz18Rxu-w1ruy8f9YB16VUpIKm3p6wiPCd4GTECeHm7qWdutWwejiagODQaeKKLdcEhRjsPcjcYQa1k3RhHVM70ZxiMwoGle-epupW26PJwE2HS8Ru2DsEtGgt0Tdp81nICdFTvs/s1600/6a75633ada1eeb4fc6b9a59d1850fd9b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0Qauz18Rxu-w1ruy8f9YB16VUpIKm3p6wiPCd4GTECeHm7qWdutWwejiagODQaeKKLdcEhRjsPcjcYQa1k3RhHVM70ZxiMwoGle-epupW26PJwE2HS8Ru2DsEtGgt0Tdp81nICdFTvs/s320/6a75633ada1eeb4fc6b9a59d1850fd9b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One and Shell from Blood Bank.</td></tr>
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I got home and unveiled all these plans to Hannah--plans to finally make the Bowie room into something useful for guests and for us, plans to get some writing done, plans to wage war with the squirrels in the back yard who have decided to attack my plants this year--and in the end all I could do was weep and whine and curl up in bed. I slept my 8+ hours last night and then crawled out into the living room for two more rounds of sleep. It's late in the afternoon now and I fear if I closed my eyes for even a second I would pass out all over again. I can't seem to wake up. I can't seem to make things happen. I did manage to write a small 5 page scene the other day for a friend. That is the first finished piece of writing I've accomplished since graduating from Solstice. It was a triumph and yet it reminds me of how far I've fallen in this respect. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDiIchBnaD-v9LHxyDFgt9b4Vv9ZQ2DfSqQAK9qnNn-zsouIyP9Zj3vemMcD7T7yudVlA22vWsiaWGy4vt42qpPv4PZrpAEnIwovFvmfMKnKPjZFrFkBMDiK18x0f6hT6MsBI4ut78ds/s1600/e04ab0752f79de910a8ef3ab1bf72d49.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDiIchBnaD-v9LHxyDFgt9b4Vv9ZQ2DfSqQAK9qnNn-zsouIyP9Zj3vemMcD7T7yudVlA22vWsiaWGy4vt42qpPv4PZrpAEnIwovFvmfMKnKPjZFrFkBMDiK18x0f6hT6MsBI4ut78ds/s320/e04ab0752f79de910a8ef3ab1bf72d49.png" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Craig and Tweek again.</td></tr>
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Full time employment makes it very difficult for me. I know that's just a huge excuse. I know that there are lots of creative people who still make time to hone and perfect their craft while holding down a 9-5. I admire those people and wish I could be one of them but the truth is... there isn't enough of me right now. I give so much at work. I try not to over exert myself, I try not to let out all of my good energy while there, but more often than not that's what I seem to be doing. Leaving only my negative side for home. Leaving only my doubts and darkness. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWTc8fqaFnQJcRITqhoSvVNcOJga10lJkwMyWBQAQZgJK0xUWXJxxKhnFANZ03oYRe94Of0lxtN0OCF1eeO32Jh6D1HBmchyphenhyphenJ7Bvf-okHc_fIVeZKD23zjsbCU8kA2civL62YBFVAAvI/s1600/16230683_1827398630866934_2336573229633634304_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWTc8fqaFnQJcRITqhoSvVNcOJga10lJkwMyWBQAQZgJK0xUWXJxxKhnFANZ03oYRe94Of0lxtN0OCF1eeO32Jh6D1HBmchyphenhyphenJ7Bvf-okHc_fIVeZKD23zjsbCU8kA2civL62YBFVAAvI/s320/16230683_1827398630866934_2336573229633634304_n.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One and Shell again.</td></tr>
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It doesn't always feel like that but lately I can't seem to shake it. I'm going to try to mess with the Bowie room today. But even just now, while writing this, I closed my eyes and ended up nodding off in a trance and typing a hundred or so w's. I just want to wake up. Even when I'm at work I fight to keep alert. I think if I could open my eyes I could do amazing things. Why am I so tired? </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcdhGCZiiC-N5rsBh4pztl8ZadkoeSQaKfubD6XTneyLBDlHMHv6KnhrucbAXGNcuhJt7chEmlwDu1_DSMfhVNtWe-_LZGVTeGPUq4iolru1iZ5V9UU-cYOzzz_NXPCGsf6HqArDdnag/s1600/tweek_x_craig_by_psinok-d9f9z8v.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcdhGCZiiC-N5rsBh4pztl8ZadkoeSQaKfubD6XTneyLBDlHMHv6KnhrucbAXGNcuhJt7chEmlwDu1_DSMfhVNtWe-_LZGVTeGPUq4iolru1iZ5V9UU-cYOzzz_NXPCGsf6HqArDdnag/s320/tweek_x_craig_by_psinok-d9f9z8v.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my absolute favorite fanarts of Craig and Tweek. If you know anything about the show, <br />you'll notice that they've switched idiosyncrasies in this picture. Love it. </td></tr>
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On a different note, I wanted to share and promote the <a href="http://www.mangahome.com/manga/blood_bank" target="_blank">Blood Bank Webcomic by Silb</a>. It is absolutely amazing and it is a constant source of happy place for me. I don't know when or if a printed edition will be coming out but I'll put aside money and buy the shit out of it. Such a great fresh look at vampires and BDSM. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE35GZ3rENcCYNyq5JiX2RuEW4qllQJaPqEyOOA4ePEiSdYTrGSw43afxxzqBwFgMH9yND3hpA1ywiRa9YMvi0FZqYVirFBqJAsrNaBPnBWsp4gN5nQZj-I4-BFfzUWa3menNb-9ct4Os/s1600/wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE35GZ3rENcCYNyq5JiX2RuEW4qllQJaPqEyOOA4ePEiSdYTrGSw43afxxzqBwFgMH9yND3hpA1ywiRa9YMvi0FZqYVirFBqJAsrNaBPnBWsp4gN5nQZj-I4-BFfzUWa3menNb-9ct4Os/s400/wide.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shell and One from Blood Bank. I can't stress enough how excellent the art and writing are.</td></tr>
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The other source of silly happiness for me has, of course, been Craig and Tweek from South Park. I've recently binged on more South Park than you can shake a stick at (even a large stick!) and I am rather in love with Creek (the fandom name for shipping Craig and Tweek.) It's silly. But I don't care. It makes me happy. Also as fill this blog with pics of my two OTP couples, I notice that I do sort of favor the black-haired-blue-eyed seme with the blond-haired-green-eyed uke. Interesting.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another great fanart of Tweek and Craig.</td></tr>
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ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3226340607362018981.post-90105429544984025712017-03-22T17:59:00.000-07:002017-06-04T18:16:07.910-07:00Welcome Spring!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRSSCXzRtRFJLAnEp_SArI8b-9lvIW1FEVNOZjvv9m6v7Lk7aUm6WIf2Ss54aaYxBo-CbxFoJnhjzYR7bbTOA17jFnSRSypOLk4H4dfa0ADINoQh7xGJVhMM1926X_ouUP8MybsYnicQ/s1600/tumblr_o5fgsmRgLZ1tkkze0o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRSSCXzRtRFJLAnEp_SArI8b-9lvIW1FEVNOZjvv9m6v7Lk7aUm6WIf2Ss54aaYxBo-CbxFoJnhjzYR7bbTOA17jFnSRSypOLk4H4dfa0ADINoQh7xGJVhMM1926X_ouUP8MybsYnicQ/s320/tumblr_o5fgsmRgLZ1tkkze0o1_500.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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The snow is almost gone. Things are thawing, melting, flooding, growing. Mud is the medium for Earth's expression. Mud and vines and the waking green. This past Monday I celebrated Ostara with a few friends. I started my period too, which, is kind of right on the money for Ostara. During the evening we talked about things here and there and in the end we drew Rune eggs from a cauldron. The Rune suggested things we have to look forward to/work on/focus on for the following year. My rune was Ansuz. This rune means Odin or god. It is the 'A' in our modern alphabet and how fitting because I have no less than eight letter A's in my full name. Three in my first name alone. </div>
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A friend interpreted and divined for me that maybe this is the year to really form a connection with a god or goddess. While I'm very drawn to many deities, I have yet to feel one really claim me and become my patron. Maybe that's just not in the cards for me, but at the same time, I feel I really do want that relationship. I've thought about Thor, Freya, Skadi, Elen of the Ways, Herne, Innana, and several others as potential patrons but I don't know that I've really made myself available to them. I know that I am too in my head most of the time for even the smallest of meditations so really listening to the gods and to the wights and to the fairies and to everything around me is never easy. </div>
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I am always looking to the fallen angel and watcher: Penemue. Enochian lore is very interesting to me from a spiritual and literary standpoint. About ten years ago I played around with a novel about a little fallen angel named Dobiel but didn't get very far. I wouldn't mind revisiting the idea but I would like to learn a lot more about the fallen angles before I do. </div>
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Lately I've felt a huge pull toward 'darker' entities and deities. Sometime in summer I'm going to, with the help of a few friends, perform a ritual to honor the scary, misunderstood, dark, and commonly considered 'evil' of our spiritual brethren. Some of those I want to include are: Lilith, Lucifer, Loki, and Princess Luna. Yes, L was a very intense theme here. But there are more gods and goddesses and creatures that fit this category and I'm open to expanding it or even adding a second part. I know I want to keep the feeling of this ritual light and inquisitive and educational. This is a ritual to explore the necessary and positive aspects these beings represent, not to emulate their less admirable acts. </div>
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In other news, the Hannah is doing amazing. She still has really bad days but more often than not she is finding solace and healing in her writing and I'm very proud of her. Right now we're working on building up strength in both of us. I'm walking to the bus stop again (and bitching about it because damn am I out of shape!); and she's going to start going to the mail box and walking me to the property line of the apartment complex when I leave in the morning, We're hoping that we'll both feel able enough to go and see the big cats at <a href="http://www.cattales.org/" target="_blank">Cattails</a>, which is a big cat rescue reserve in northern Spokane.</div>
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ddshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561186803031542520noreply@blogger.com4