Quail and Sparrows and Other Critters

I am watching the sparrows and finches peck away at a pile of birdseed on the porch. The ants are also trying to carry off the seeds. The birds try to avoid the ants.

There is a chipmunk in the yard too. I keep hoping he will come up to the porch and eat something. Or maybe its a girl. I don't know why I always think of chipmunks as boys.

I have to go to a funeral next Sat. may he rest in peace. He was 86 and his body and mind were just worn out.

I just found out my newest friend has brain cancer.

It has been a stressful week. My tarot reading says 'Just Let Go' and I also keep getting the death card.

I just saw a joshua tree fruit fall to the ground. Then I realized the chipmunk is up in the tree, pulling off the fruit.

The papa and baby quail are drinking from the water bowl. I put out more chicken wire to protect the gourds and beans from rabbits. I also saw a baby cottontail in the yard earlier today. Nature is my refuse and my strength. The portulaca I planted from seed are blooming their heads off. I hope my mom's spirit can see them, since they always remind me of her.

The yellow pear tomato is covered with blossoms. Soon I will have some fruit from it I hope. Gardening is an act of faith after all.

Yesterday I saw two roadrunners in the yard in a courtship ritual. I wonder what baby roadrunners look like.

Take care of yourself.
Blessed be.

Sizzling Summer Solstice

It's not very pagan I suppose, but I spent the solstice shopping at a Solstice sale at Michael's and Joanne's. So now I have painting and calligraphy supplies again. It was definitely a sizzling Solstice.  I thought I'd melt driving to Victorville and back.

I wanted to check out a Mexican market called Vallara's to pick up some olive oil. The produce section is amazing. But even more surprising was they have a food court inside featuring a bakery, a tortilla area, a Mexican food restaurant and a juice/ice cream bar. I had the most amazing  pineapple drink there with shreds of pineapple in the bottom. Fabulous! I also had 2 large carnitas tacos! I was stuffed. I waddled into Michael's after that amazing lunch. Now I know, so the next time I'll just do 1 taco and the small drink. The medium drink was as big as a large at most eateries.

I needed to spend  a day alone. It was wonderful to do what I wanted without having to get others to agree to the plan.

Well, Now What

As a hypnotist and a witch, I believe in the mind and body connection. In other words, what happens to you on the spiritual and mental plane will manifest sooner or later on or in your body.

And also that there are no coincidences. Even so, after a spiritually devastating day yesterday, I hadn't expected damage to appear so quickly.  As I was typing away I looked down at my right hand. You know that saying, "I know him like the back of my hand?"  Well on the back of my hand is a big angry looking mole the color of blood.  And I swear it wasn't there yesterday.

I've been worrying about the damage the desert sun is doing to my arms and hands and I've been thinking of wearing gloves even though it's 100 degrees out. I think I waited too long, because I think I'm stuck with this mole for life. (Frowny face). It looks like a blood blister, but if I had hurt myself in that way I would have felt it. It is like the exclamation point on the day and night I had yesterday.

Earlier today I got a crochet book at the library that has some cute patterns for fingerless gloves. And a vintage book I got at a thrift store has a pattern for full gloves. So yes, I'm going to do gloves. At least I can hide the stupid thing.

Well, WTF?

A sunflower to cheer me up.

Monday Is That Really You?

Grabbing some quick library time since my connection is down again. I feel like I have a hangover but I don't drink. So I'm going to focus on beauty, like roses, and my friend's smiles, and fresh apricots, and the morning breeze in my hair. I study the shadows on the hills wondering if I can capture that look in a quilt or a painting. I think of different ways to wear my hair to keep it off my neck in hot weather. Sorely tempted to cut it all an inch long. I think about eating anything I want, only in tiny portions. It can't be Monday forever, right?

Pink Silk Avatar

One of the many things you can do with a self-portrait or any favorite photo. I made this with Paint Shop Pro 7.

Magical Needlework

Today's project was inspired by this lovely book that shares how to put magickal intent into everything you make. I'm making some crazy quilt style pouches today. I'm also making a pouch for my Faery Wicca Tarot deck that says "Faery" on it in cross stitch.

And I want to make a healing poppet for a friend that is going through surgery today. But as is proper, I need to ask him first. He is having weight issues (over 600 lbs.) and is having a gastric bypass today. Not my personal choice, but that is why we have free will. This book shows how to make poppets too.

This book would be a great gift for someone into 'witchcraft' and 'witch crafts'.

Hypnotist Avatar

Since our Goddess is also known as the Creatrix and Mother Nature, and Gaia, it only follows that as her child I radiate creativity. Sometimes it gets the better of me because I just can't stop creating. I stayed up until 1:30 AM last night creating an avatar for my hypnosis sites. It combines a spiral that I made using the 'twirl' feature on Paint Shop Pro 7 with a self portrait I took. Then I played with it until I could get the spiral to wrap around me.  I wish I knew how to make transparencies, so this isn't quite  what I wanted but I needed to wrap it up and get some sleep.

Sunday's Sunrise

Sweet tranquility.

June's First Sunset

I tried and tried to post this photo to Facebook, but I get a pop-up that says, "Do you want to leave the page?" If I say 'No' the photo doesn't post. If I say 'yes', the page closes and the photo doesn't post. So I'm putting it here. The sky was amazing tonight. My damaged camera didn't really capture it as well as I would have liked. I also should have made the copyright smaller, but I'm tired and I have to get up early to be a gypsy at an SCA event. I'm carpooling so I have to be there at 7 AM sharp so they don't leave without me, which means getting up at no later than 6 AM so I can drive into town. Yep, no pressure. I'm sure I'll sleep like the dead. OrNOT.