I've spent the last week being out of sorts. I have a sinus infection, so I've been sick, but not that much.
I couldn't figure out why I was feeling so weepy, and sad..... and then it came in a flash of understanding....
This is the week, and the month my hubby died. Thru all our troubles and woes, he was still my best friend.
To my hubby. I really did love you, and even after 14 years, I still miss you.
I have to tell you, I'm so sad I actually cried..... and I don't cry. I saw a wonderful doll on line, and I fell in love with her....at first sight!
I saw a lot of dolls before since I'm looking for one...... and I have liked a few...... and said ...."this will do."
But when I opened the picture of this one, I actually had tears in my eyes. She was just so beautiful and perfect, and more then I ever wanted in a doll.
I even named her, but while looking at her pictures... she told me she liked another name.... Rosemary. The perfect garden elf with the perfect name. I kept remembering the song..... "Love grows where my rosemary goes..." Probably too old a song for most of you to remember..... but I did.
Before you say anything to me, those of you who know me, know I have this thing for inanimate objects.... rocks and plants talk to me.... maybe it's my witch power... but this doll talked to me. I loved her!
I saved her pictures, so I could look at her.... even though I know someone else is getting her. Here are some pictures for you to see..... maybe you can faintly understand why I fell in love with her.
I'm going NUTS, NUTS, NUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This "price of gas" shit is driving me over the edge of BOREDOM into INSANITY!!!!!
I always have tons to do in the summer......
going crabbing
going to the beach
going shopping
working in the yard (that entails shopping)
and tons of other things
But this summer, because of gas prices...... I'M FUCKING STUCK HOME!!!!
And I'm sooooo frustrated, board, and cabin feverish.... it's horrible!!!!
Besides thinking about doing something drastic to keep me occupied.
Like cutting my hair, one hair at a time, or pulling out my nails and watching the new ones grow (ewwwwwwwwww!!!!!) Let me tell you I have nothing to do!!!!!!
I'm NOT good when I'm board. I can't even afford to get some new books to read.... and all my old ones that I would love to read over are loaned out to my daughter and Barb!!!!!! It SUCKS!!!!
Did I mention how quiet it is here?
Well not lately. Seems that some nasty crows decided that they were going to have some fun, and harass a Blue Jay family in the tree across the street!
Blue Jays are ferocious protectors of their area...... and they have a war cry that is shrill, never ending, and LOUD!!!!!
The war has been waged for 3 days now. And even after the crows give up, (after being chased, and dive bombed by the little blue bird a 1/3 their size) the blue jays are so pissed, they scream at anyone that even comes near their tree, and dive bombs them away!!!
So far every morning it goes on..... now I could run out there and chuck rocks at those annoying birds..... but I'm too nice for that..... besides I've seen them in action.... and I DON'T want to be their next target!!!!!
Hopefully soon the Crows will stop being idiots, and leave them alone!!!!
Case in point..... like my past story said about the bee's disappearing and the reasons for it.
My lavender is in full bloom..... I have sooooooooo many bee's buzzing around the patch of lavender, it's hard to get close enough to water the plantings!!!!!!!!
The smell is the thing! You breed plants without scent, and the bee's go away.....Without the food the plants provide the bee's die!
lavender is strong scented... and it seems the bee's are coming from MILES around to feast.
So, if you want to save the planet, make sure the plants you plant have scent to them!!!!
Don't plant all those hybrids, that look pretty, but have no smell. I know they say bee's are attracted by color, but I think it's the scent that calls them to feed.
And all I can say is that my bee's are HAPPY CAMPERS!!!!!
Dis-spelling the images Wiccans conjure Wednesday,
June 18, 2008
BY JIM BECKERMAN
STAFF WRITER North Jersey record
Are you a Wiccan?
If you plan to spend Saturday – the longest day of the year – in a comfy sofa in an air-conditioned room, drinking Coronas and watching the Yankees play the Cincinnati Reds, the answer is: probably not.
If, on the other hand, you plan to spend the coming summer solstice – which you call “Litha” – in a park or other leafy outdoor space, planting a tree and thanking The Goddess … well, you just might be a Wiccan, witches to the hoi polloi. And you just might run into Robert Vecchio of Totowa. He’ll be outdoors that day, doing much the same things.
“I’ll just sit down with nature,” Vecchio says. “Because it’s the longest day of the year, I would take full advantage of that. Appreciate the summer. And the full aspect of all the sunlight.”
Historically, witches have not been a popular bunch. They’ve been denounced by evangelists, demonized by the film classic “Rosemary’s Baby” and shoved into ovens by enterprising youngsters in fairy tales. Five hundred years ago, they were burned at the stake. But the 21st century, which has embraced the witches of “Harry Potter,” seems to also be developing some tolerance for the real thing.
Case in point: the Pompton Lakes store Practical Magick, run by Vecchio, 31, and his grandmother Annette Verra, 78, one of several “neo-pagan” supply stores in North Jersey. In the shop’s lavender-scented display room, you’ll find tarot cards, dragon sculptures, charms, bottled oils, candles, love potions, wreaths, masks and books. In the back room, Verra does card readings.
Wicca is still exotic to most people – and sinister to some. There’s plenty there to make Cotton Mather lose his lunch: pentagrams, pagan altars, spell-casting. A group of Wiccans is called – yes – a coven.
What there isn’t, says Vecchio, is Satan-worship (Wiccans don’t believe in Satan, or any evil being) or the working of harmful magic.
“We have the three-fold law,” Vecchio says. “Basically, whatever you put out there, you will receive it back three times. So if you put something bad out there, you’re gonna get it back three times. Basically, it’s karma.”
Wiccans like to trace their roots back to ancient Druids and pagans, but, in fact, the modern Wiccan movement is only about 50 years old. Gerald Gardner, a British antiquarian, popularized the word “Wicca” in the 1950s and synthesized several millennia of pagan lore – Celtic, Greek, Egyptian and so on – in books that became the cornerstone of the movement.
There are now something like 800,000 Wiccans, worldwide, according to adherents.com, a Web site that tallies world religions. But the figure is probably larger: Many solitary practitioners don’t belong to any Wiccan group, and others shy away from going on record.
“Wicca is the most misunderstood religion,” says Verra, who counts herself as a fourth-generation witch (her great-grandmother in Italy was a practitioner, she says). “But we’re coming out.”
It helps that Wicca is a – perhaps the – green religion.
Whatever you may think of pagan altars, chalices and other witchy stuff that some adherents go in for, Wicca remains a supremely earth-friendly philosophy. Nature is venerated. The seasons are all hailed and farewelled. And all life – be it animal, vegetable or fairy folk – is respected.
If you’re concerned about global warming, or just pining to get out of your cubicle and smell the flowers on the longest day of the year, Wicca might just be your cup of brew.
“A lot of people don’t even notice [the solstice] is the longest day,” Verra says. “People go through life and they don’t even know the changing of the seasons means so many different things. But in Wicca, you appreciate that. It’s brought to your attention.”
Merlin thinks being dressed up as a dolly sucks! Though I think the blonde wig on him ROCKS!!! He was NOT a happy camper!!!!! GIGGLE
CARE AND USE OF HERBS
For those of you who love raising herbs, but have no idea what to do with them afterwards, here's a few tips.
When growing herbs, make sure you don't grow them near, or use pesticides on them. Keep the growth natural, not even using fertilizer on them.
When they are grown, and BEFORE they flower, except for herbs that the smell is in the flower, like lavender..... that should be cut when the flower is in full bloom, you can always use the leaves and such later on in the year) cut them close to the ground, bundle them up (please use natural twine to do this, and tie them about half way down the stems) and hang them, stems up, in a dry, cool, shady place.
You can use your back porch, or basement, or even just a inside room away from the windows.
You don't need to use sun to dry herbs, it causes the properties to break down. Shade is best.
Let them hang for as long as it takes to dry, this could take days, weeks, or even months, and time won't make a difference, so make sure they are well dry.
Then, break them up, and store in jars or Tupperware. I love Tupperware for this!!! Keeps them air tight, and I can stack the containers on shelves till they are ready to use. MAKE SURE YOU LABEL THEM!!!
I've forgotten that before, and have to play a "sniffing" game trying to figure out what is what.
INFUSIONS
this is when you take the dry or fresh herb, and pour boiling water over it, and let it steep. Make sure the pot is covered. You don't want the steam to escape. After it cools, bottle it up and keep in the fridge, or drink it hot.
DECOCTIONS
This is used for woody herbs or stems or roots. They have to be chopped up, you add them to a saucepan, and bring to a boil, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Again, bottle, and refrigerate... And Label the bottle!
TINCTURES
They can be tricky. You have to use a mixture or water and alcohol in a 5 to 1 mixture. I find using vodka or brandy is totally dandy for the ones you want to ingest). Add the herbs,(of course after drinking some of it to make room for the herbs! GIGGLE) close the bottle, and let it sit for 2 weeks or more.
"Add excitement, herb of spice,
Restore my interest in the life.
Indifference, please, now chase away.
Remove this villain now, I say!"
I WANT TO INSTALL A PERMANENT DRYING RACK IN MY KITCHEN!!!!
As you can see from the picture below, I spend a great deal of time stringing string, tying bundles of herbs together, and then tying them to the strung string! Yeash, makes my tongue tired just trying to say that!!!! I want to install a line that will remain all year round, and is much stronger so that nothing falls down.
It would be great to have some wood cloth pins to clip the bundles to the string.... but unfortunately I can't find them!!! I think I used them all up.
Most herbs are dried in the fall, but this year I wanted to dry the lavender flowers. I usually just dry the foliage..... it still smells like lavender, but the flowers have a smell that's 10 X stronger!
By the way, herbs are cut in early morning, or dark of night.... never during the day, they aren't as potent when you do that!
So I did my first picking of the flowers this evening. I hate to cut all the flowers since they looks so beautiful outside, but I got quite a bit without making the outside looks too sparse.
In just a few days they will be dry, and I can make bags of them for putting in my drawers, or make lavender tea, bath bags, or many, many other things.
In the mean time my WHOLE house will smell of lavender, it's sooooooo wonderful!!!
In the fall I will be drying lavender leaves, and lots of rosemary for cooking. I have to make sure I have a ton of Rosemary, I'll even have enough to give some to Steph for her kitchen. Plus rosemary bags are fantastic for the bath! Rosemary kills germs and helps skin blemish's clear up. It's an astringent.
Things You’ll Need to make Lavender tea:
Dried Lavender Blossoms
(no stems or leaves)
Black Tea
Tea Pot
Hot Water
Baggie
Tea Ball
Making the Tea
Step1 Add hot water to tea pot.
Step2 Place dried lavender in to a tea ball and it and the tea bag to the water.
Step3 Bring to boil.
Step4 Remove from heat.
Step5 Let steep for five minutes.
Step6 Remove tea bag and tea ball. Serve hot or iced.
Jamie, my daughter, came up this weekend... with Brian (the new boyfriend) Morganna, Elizabeth Page, and the new baby Joshua.
AND I'M EXHAUSTED!!!!! GIGGLE
We went crabbing again..... I'm telling you this warm weather has the crabs biting
like CRAZY!
Only this time I didn't keep any, I sent them home with Jamie to PA. She loves crabs even more then I do.... if that's even possible.
But I'm telling you I'm going back Monday or Tuesday to get some of my own!
After crabbing I took them down to the beach, and they did a little swimming.... not much, because they wanted to make it back home, they weren't spending the night. And played a few games on the boardwalk.
I'm sunburned, and wind burned, and I smell like crabs!!!! I'M A HAPPY CAMPER!!!!!!
I just realized it's been 5 months..... and I'm STILL A VEGETARIAN!!!!
Holy smokes, I didn't even realize that the time had gone so fast, till I checked out some older postings on my own blog!!!! I was so sure I wouldn't last one month, let alone 5!!!!!!!
I'M SO PROUD OF MYSELF!!!!!!
I grew up with this cute little cricket. Thanks Walt!
But, cartoon crickets and real ones aren't the same! Who woulda thunk it?
Real crickets sit outside your open bedroom window, and make CRICKET CHIRPING ALL NIGHT LONG!!!!! Annoying Cricket chirping!!!!!! DIE CRICKET DIE!!!!
I know they are supposed to be good luck, and I'm glad of that, but trying to fall asleep with them gaily chirping away is fucking impossible!!!!
Thanks for the luck cricket.... NOW GO AWAY!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHRHHAHHHHHRHHHRRH
I called my sister yesterday, and she couldn't really talk since she had her friend Karen over for the week..... cool
But it got me thinking and thinking.... Karen used to be MY friend.
When I moved to PA the first time, I made a ton of friends, and I have to admit Karen was the best of them... she was so cute, and funny, but I loved them all. We had so much fun....
Then my hubby died.
And I had to move back to NJ.
Yes, I was severely distressed, even though the marriage wasn't the best, I was married for 21 years. And even though my husband was a super rotten husband, he was still my best friend.
But even after I move to NJ, my friends in Pa still came down.... but things changed when I started INVITING my sister along with us. It was so funny, because even her best friend of years and years, Joyce, begged me not to invite her along!!!
Yes, I did use the word INVITED in caps, because I NEVER actually INVITED her to join me and my fiends. I just invited her along one time when we were getting together..... and she preceded to take over.
Now, you have to understand one thing, my fiends HATED her! I'm not joking!
Every time we planned a trip to New Hope, or somewhere else they BEGGED me not to invite her. They BEGGED ME! But, she was my sister, and I had to invite her, I liked her, and she was my sister.
My friends stopped coming down to NJ because of her. They knew she would be at every thing that I planned, and they just couldn't stand her. But I stood by my sister. DUHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! What a giant asshole I was!!!
When my sis and I had the big fight about the holidays...... I wanted to keep the holidays like they were, one at my house, then at hers and then at mine..... SHARING THEM.
After all I had kids and grandkids, and she never even married........ but she wasn't satisfied with that..... she wanted them ALL AT HER HOUSE.
That didn't work with my kids. And the straw that broke the camels back, and caused the fight. I asked her to switch holidays with me. I was getting ready to move, Jamie my daughter was 8 months pregnant, and driving up to her house at the shore in NJ from PA where we lived, would have been almost impossible....... But she wouldn't even consider it!!!!! NADA, NOTHING, JUST PLAIN NO!
That did it for me, but in a way I fell right into her trap.... since now she does all the holidays herself.... JUST WHAT SHE WANTED!
But I digress. She wanted my friends to be her friends sooooo much. But they didn't like her, and that didn't stop her. So during the fight, she made her move.... she joined the club in PA!!! Yes the one that all my friends were in!
Now she lives in NJ.... so why join a club in PA? Simple, all my friends were there, and she had to have them.
Now I have no idea what she poisoned them with while I was not talking to her, what she said or didn't I have no idea.... but now they are HER friends! And they rarely even say hi to me..... that's why I'm sure she said stuff to them, and instead of calling me and asking me about it, they believed her!
So maybe they weren't the best friends after all. If they could believe someone they hated, instead of me, their friend..... well I guess it wasn't that big of a loss anyway.
Now when I moved down the shore, I started hanging with Mary. My best friend, but it's not because people didn't like her. All the people I hung with at the convention..... STAYED AWAY, And it wasn't because of Mary herself, people liked her, but it was her FRIENDS, like Kenny, and the rest that scared them away,when they saw me sitting with her. They just didn't want to get involved.
So I went from sitting at the convention with 50 people at my table, to just sitting with her and her friends. We had a great time, and I didn't even care! I just wish some of them would have taken the time to get to know her instead of taking her at face value.
But it makes me wonder about friendship, and sistership. I know Eileen's a rotten sister. She was never there for me, or my kids.... except when she could use us, yet I still try to keep close to her....... and as for her, she's just the same selfish person she always was.... she never changes.
My friends came up last year for a weekend.... I invited her....... we go the New Hope... I invited her to go along..... yet, my old friend is visiting her for the week.... and am I invited down to go somewhere with them???? Nope, not a chance!
So the invites STOP! Next time I have a party, NOT inviting her, next year at shore leave, NOT sharing a table with her. I'll stay friendly, but I'm not letting her move in on my fiends again!
I'll keep it like she keeps it, separate. Her friends are hers and mine are mine, and I'll never try to include her again.
Sometimes it takes me a while to get things. I think someone told me once that I was too trusting.... and maybe that's it. I hate to lose the trust, but you gotta grow up sometime, don't you?
First cool day in a week, and I woke up thinking 'CRABBING" and off I ran.
They were biting like crazy!!! I got a good dozen before the sun became too strong and I began to burn.
It was sooooooo nice sitting there in the sun, with the ocean breeze!!!!!!
And I'm going to enjoy those crabs as soon as they cool down from cooking!!!
Plus I'm drying a lot of seaweed, to add to my bath salts and soaps!!!
I wish the Goddess wouldn't take me so literally some times! Yes, I did say I was tired of my toes being cold all the time, yes, I did say I wished summer would come..... but PLEASE!!! A heat wave in JUNE!!!! Come on goddess!!!!
It is sweltering out. Heat index is hitting over 100 degrees each day!!!!
And no, I'm not that uncomfortable, after all I do have central air conditioning.... so I'm actually quite cool..... and my freeking toes ARE STILL COLD!!! But for another reason all together..... geeeeeeze. GIVE ME A BREAK!!!
I know they say it's only going to last till Wednesday, and it's already Monday..... but this sneak preview of summer was just plain mean!
Actually if it wasn't for the humidity, it wouldn't be bad. I can take the heat, if the humidity is low.... but with a Bermuda high (that's what they call it) the humidity is very high. It's like breathing super heated water.... YUCK!!!
Good points are..... I know my central air conditioner is working fine...... I also had the air conditioner in my car fixed (and it works good, so no sweating in the car).....the plants seem to love it (nutso plants)..... and it is going to end soon.... that's about it! GIGGLE
The bad things are.... my windows remain shut (I hate that!).... and going outside IS NOT an option......and that's about it......
So I'm going to grit my teeth, wear less clothing, and cope, cope, cope! GIGGLE
Just checked our outdoor thermometer, and it's 110 degrees!!!! and it's 8:35 in the morning!!!!! It is in the sun right now, so maybe that's why it says it's so hot, but still GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!!
Here are some picture's of where I go off when I go crabbing.
It's soooooo peaceful, yet there is a restaurant, bathrooms, and hot coffee right close by when you need it.
Hay! I'm all for roughing it, but I gotta have bathrooms!!!!!! And coffee is a big MUST HAVE! GIGGLE
Watermelon Thump in Luling, Texas
This four-day celebration takes its name from the time-tested way to tell if a melon is ripe: thump it with your fingers and see if it has a ring to it. There aren't any thumping contests, but you can test your talents at seed spitting and speedy melon eating. A lucky local grower will win a prize for largest Black Diamond melon. June 26-29, 2008; admission and main-stage concerts are free Thursday and Sunday, admission is $2 on Fridays, $3 on Saturdays, and main-stage concerts are $20.
Mermaid Parade in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Parade goers clad in flashy sea-inspired costumes turn out for this 26-year-old Coney Island tradition. (The future of some traditions is uncertain as development plans are in the works for the iconic amusement park.) While you still can, catch revelers traipsing down Surf Avenue alongside antique cars and floats. June 21, 2008; free.
JULY
International Cherry Pit-Spitting Championship in Eau Claire, Mich.
Tree-Mendus Fruit, a family-run cherry-growing business, launched this championship in 1974. The current distance for spitters to beat is a shocking 93 feet, 6½ inches, a Guinness world record set by Brian "Young Gun" Krause in 2003. July 5, 2008; free.
Telluride Nothing Festival in Telluride, Colo.
A tongue-in-cheek event created in 1991 by a local who was fed up with larger festivals in the area. Sometimes bands perform, but otherwise, as promised, not much happens — "gravity will continue to be in effect" and there's a "sense of humor search," according to the website. July 18-20, 2008; free.
Lumberjack World Championships in Hayward, Wis.
More than 100 lumberjacks and lumberjills square off at chopping, sawing, rolling, and climbing logs. The championships date back to 1960 and take place in a former holding pond for logs that was owned by the Weyerhaeuser's North Wisconsin Lumber Company. July 25-27, 2008; tickets start at $14 or $40 for a three-day pass.
AUGUST
The National Hobo Convention in Britt, Iowa
Real and aspiring hobos, those train-riding and often-sung-about migrants, gather each August for a flea market, a parade, poetry readings, and a memorial. True to form, most attendees sleep at the hobo jungle located by the railroad tracks on the northeast side of Britt. Aug. 7-10, 2008; free.
Tug Fest in LeClaire, Iowa
It's Iowa vs. Illinois, with male and female teams from each state heaving on ropes in three-minute tug contests. Keeping things lively are local bands, a hometown heroes parade, and a huge show of fireworks shot off from a barge diplomatically situated on the Mississippi River between state lines. Aug. 7-9, 2008; $3 or $5 for a two-day pass.
SEPTEMBER
How Berkeley Can You Be in Berkeley, Calif.
Poking good-natured fun at peace, love, and all that Berkeley jazz, the festival and parade were started by John Solomon, who owns a business on University Avenue and wanted to improve the neighborhood's image and sense of community. Sept. 28, 2008; free.
OCTOBER
Yellville Turkey Trot in Yellville, Ark.
The National Wild Turkey Calling contest, which attracts callers of all ages, has been a feather in this small town's cap for more than 60 years. Local restaurants cook special turkey dinners during the festival, which includes a 5K run, crafts vendors, and beauty pageants (the swimsuit one is dubbed Miss Drumsticks). Oct. 10-11, 2008; admission free, $5 for the turkey-calling contest and $5 for the pageants.
Emma Crawford Coffin Races in Manitou Springs, Colo.
Costumed impersonators of Emma — a 19th-century lady who was buried atop Red Mountain— ride on coffins pulled by teams of four mourners in this kooky, pre-Halloween race along Manitou Avenue. Emma supposedly haunts the mountain even though her coffin washed away years after her burial. Oct. 25, 2008; free.
NOVEMBER
Giant Omelette Celebration in Abbeville, La.
Ever since 1984, when three members of the local chamber of commerce attended the Easter Omelette Festival in Bessieres, France, Abbeville has been one of seven cities worldwide to host an annual omelette festival. Representatives from each city are on hand to help local chefs prepare the celebration's pièce de résistance — a 5,000-egg Cajun omelette. Nov. 1-2, 2008; free.
DECEMBER
Wilderness Woman Contest in Talkeetna, Alaska
Ladies, single and at least 21 years old, test their mettle by hauling firewood, fetching water, shooting ptarmigan, opening beer cans, and performing other tasks vital to surviving married life on the frontier — according to the Talkeetna Bachelor Society, anyway, which hosts the event and highly recommends a sense of humor. Dec. 6, 2008; free.
JANUARY
Bed Races in Oatman, Ariz.
Five teammates (two to push, two to pull, one to sit) sporting pajamas or outlandish costumes maneuver beds through an obstacle course in teeny Oatman. Once home to gold miners, it's now a tourist trap with daily shoot-outs and a herd of burros that wanders the streets looking to be fed. Burro braying contests, a chamber-pot parade — literally, people banging pots — and a toilet-seat toss (target: a traffic cone) make this event one of the wackiest. Date TBD; free.
Icebox Days XXVIIII in International Falls, Minn.
Each year, city council members from International Falls challenge those from its sister city, Fort Frances, across the Canadian border, to a snowshoe race as part of a four-day festival embracing the area's chilly winters. Among activities like a snowshoe hike and "Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard" 10K and 5K runs is one bizarre standout: outdoor bowling with frozen turkeys for balls. Jan. 15-18, 2009; free.
FEBRUARY
International Water Tasting in Berkeley Springs, W.Va.
This historic spa town boasts three times as many massage therapists as lawyers and claims it was visited by a young George Washington for the healing power of its natural springs. At the competition, judges compare more than 100 entries from around the globe in a blind tasting. Onlookers can sip samples, vote in a best-package-design contest, and attend seminars. Feb. 19-22, 2009; free.
MARCH
Ostrich Festival in Chandler, Ariz.
Live bands, kid-friendly rides, and more than 150 crafts and food vendors — some of whom sell ostrich burgers — are the backdrop for the weekend's main event at Tumbleweed Park: a series of ostrich races with participants hanging on tightly. Date TBD; tickets from $7.
APRIL
World Grits Festival in St. George, S.C.
The folks in St. George love their grits (they consume the most per capita of any place in the country) and have been throwing an annual festival since 1986. Expect eating contests, corn tossing and shelling, and the crowning of a one-and-only Miss Grits. Date TBD; free.
World Cow Chip Throwing Championships in Beaver, Okla.
The nine-day Cimarron Territory Celebration—packed with the likes of a kiddie parade and horseshoe throwing—culminates on the third Saturday of each April, when men and women fling dried cow chips with all their might across a roped-off course. Apr. 11-19, 2009; free.
For the last few years I've been interested in leaving the solitary practice, for one more people orientated. I've tried to form a coven, but I don't know enough people to form one.
Then I found out about the Unitarian's. We actually had one of their churches in East Brunswick, that I passed like a million times.... but I had no idea who or what they were.
It's a very diverse religion, that feels that everyone should be free to search out their own way of practicing their religions-. So, no bible, or anything. I could go on and on, but what I was really interested in was their chapter of CUUPS.
Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans
CUUPS was formed at the 1985 UUA General Assembly and incorporated as a not for profit organization in 1997. It was an Independent Affiliate of the Unitarian Universalist Association until 2007.[1]
Purpose
CUUPS works to enrich and strengthen the religious pluralism of Unitarian Universalism; promote the study and practice of contemporary Pagan, Earth-, and nature-centered spirituality; enable networking among pagan-identified Unitarian Universalists; develop educational/liturgical materials on Pagan spirituality for Unitarian Universalist congregations; encourage theological inquiry into the contemporary Pagan resurgence; promote inter-religious dialog; and work for the healing of the Earth. Members and friends receive the quarterly CUUPS Newsletter, which reports continental and local chapter activities and explores contemporary Paganism.
And believe it or not, the closest chapter is in Princeton, N.J. And that's fantastic. I'm going to find out more about it, and then join.... hay, doesn't hurt....as they say. GIGGLE.
I like the fact of a church with out major religious strictures, and one that promotes learning about what you want to learn about in a religion.
For anyone interested, here's the web site, go to it, check it out, and let me know what you think.
http://www.cuups.org/content2/
You know, growing up, your parents do things that sometimes you just don't understand...... until you get to that point in life when you say..... OH FUCK! THAT'S why she did those things!!!!!
I'm learning. The first I learned a long time ago, I couldn't understand why my mom left the lights off or on really dim all the time..... I figured that out after I had kids, and I realized that I spent so much time when the kids were baby's with the lights out (not wanting to wake them up) that I developed very good night vision!
I could go from my bedroom to my kitchen, warm up a baby bottle, and back to the kids room, and feed them in the dark, as not to hurt their eyes with bright lights....... and it just became second nature to me. I can basically go all over the house at night, in pitch black, without bumping or walking into walls. And except for an occasional stepping on the cat (black cat, no lights... not good! GIGGLE) I do just fine.
Now with the energy crunch, and not having much money.... I GET another thing!!!
My Mom always had the curtains closed in the summer. I, on the other hand LOVE sunlight... and always left mine wide open to let the sun in.
Now, with the high bills for cooling..... I realize that leaving the curtains closed, while leaving you in dim light, also keeps the house cooler!!!! WHO WOULD HAVE THUNK IT! DUHHHHHHH
Ahhhhhhh growing up is a VERY slow process.
So now my curtains remain closed. During the winter when I want to rooms to heat up, I'll leave them open. But for this summer, closed curtains, cooler rooms.... perfect!
Wonder what else I'll come to realize.... because campers, my mom did some weird things while I was growing up.... weird then, but I'm getting it now.
The one thing I still can't do is keep the windows closed.
I get that that was also to keep the cooler air in, and keep the house cooler during the day...... but keeping all the windows closed makes me claustrophobic. So even though the air condioner is on, I keep like the kitchen window open a bit, and my bedroom window also.
I know she was right..... but her house SMELLED!!! That funky old lady smell that house's get..... and I'm not going to let that happen here! Though with the invention of "fabreez" I don't think that will be much of a problem, just spray away the smells. GIGGLE
Another chapter in the ANNOYING habits of STUBBORN PLANTS!
Like my bamboo. I have had it for 12 years now, never grew more then 2 feet tall.... but still I persisted, and each time I moved (4 times in those years) I dug it up and brought it with me. Only to have it grow no more then 2 feet..... then I planted it here.... and as you can see by the pictures before in other blogs... IT'S GIGUNDA!!!! HUGE!!!! OVER 10 FEET TALL!!!!
Stubborn plants!
Then here is a peony. I bought it 5 years ago, planted it in front of the Buddha in the front yard. Each year I got some leaves.... but no buds, and it got this powdery white shit all over it... and looked like it died. So after 5 years of no flowers or even buds.... I RIPPED the sucker out.
Took the tuber, and left it sitting on the sidewalk all winter... no dirt around it!!! Then when I picked it up this spring, I noticed TINY shoots.... so I said, "what the fuck" and dug a hole in the gravel on the side of the house by the garbage cans, and dumped it in the hole. And forgot about it.
As you can see by the picture, THE SUCKER BLOOMED!!!!! AFTER 5 FREEKING YEARS!!!! Why? I have no clue..... but I guess it just was stubborn and didn't like where I planted it.
The lesson to be learned, if you plant isn't doing good, dig the sucker up and plant it somewhere else...... maybe it'll be happier there..... or anywhere but where you planted it the FIRST TIME!!!!!
