Happy Vernal Equinox

Blessed Ostara.

Happy Spring.

The Wheel of the Year turns once again.

Ignore the snow falling and embrace the magick of Spring!!

My Spring Table

On the D/L

D/L:  Disabled List.  Pain and numbness in left arm caused by a neck issue. So off to physical therapy for the next month. I am unable to type very well; but hoping to be off the d/l soon.

I missed St Patrick's Day in the blog-o-sphere so here is my belated greeting:

Please enjoy your Thursday.

Did Someone Say Pi?

Here's a link to read about the man who first used the Greek letter π  for the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.  The Man who Made Pi

(just so you know, in the interest of full disclosure, I looked up what Pi is. I knew it's usually written as 3.14, but had no recollection from school days as to what it means; I am thinking I am not the only one.)

Not This Pye

Anyway, this year's Pi day is unique, and won't happen again for 100 years. March 14, 2015.

So I think it is worth noting.  And possibly baking a pie as well. After all, a pie is a circle, so you could go ahead and calculate the Pi of pie before eating it. Yummm!

It's a Lucky Day

Friday the 13th is a good day. Not a scary thing. Be happy and enjoy. And, after all, it is Friday. Doesn't everybody love a Friday? (unless, of course, you work on the weekends).

There are many superstitions surrounding the number 13. There are people who are outright phobic of the number 13.

For me 13 holds a strong positive power. The number 3 is quite prevalent in magickal workings, in a very good way.  Don't let it scare you.

Just be happy and embrace the number 13.

Have a wonderful day!

Wordless Wednesday--Soon

I Might Get Crazy

There was a strange, but wonderful occurrence yesterday. First the thermometer rose past the freezing mark. Then, there was a large yellow round thing in the sky. Spreading light everywhere. Wow. Sun. Sunshine. Naturally one immediately contracted Spring Fever. We are supposed to have a repeat today. Like the John Denver song, "sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy".

um....the chicken's name is "Sunshine"

This weather makes me want to get all crazy and start decorating for Ostara! Ostara!!! Yay, next week we celebrate the Spring Equinox! Time to get those rabbits, chicks, eggs out of the storage container. Wait. Wait. Before I can decorate, I have to clean. Drat. Drat, Spring Cleaning. Oh, well.

I'll just get out my brooms.

Enjoy the day.

Monday Mayhem

Pyewacket here. No good deed goes unpunished. All I wanted to do was to keep my Mom company. Really.  I had no idea what those black cords on the table were for. I thought Mom had put some fun strings to play with there for me. Because she know how much I love strings and such.

Is it my fault that her box of sound and pictures got stuck to those wires? Is it my fault that I am a lovable and fun guy who likes to play tag with my sister. Can I be held responsible for causing my Mom to say bad words when the blinking box sort of slid kinda off the table?

Geez.

Squirrely Friday

Found this absolutely hilarious gif on Reddit this morning. A perfect chuckle for Friday. Please click on the link.

A Squirrel and His Nut

Gift-Giving Crows (Nature is Awesome)

I am amazed and awed by this story out of Seattle Washington. An 8 year old girl has a murder of crows that visit her yard, and she keeps her bird feeders full.  The crows, in turn, bring her gifts. Little trinkets, buttons, paper clips, tiny bits of metal, shiny things. Anything they come across. It is a wondrous act of Nature. Crows are so intelligent. I see them by the side of road, usually in threes. Often I wonder what are they doing and thinking about.  To read more about girl and the crow, click on this link Gift giving Crows. You can also Google "girl and crows" and there are quite a few stories about this. Isn't this fantastic?

Some of the gifts the little girl has received from crows.

Secret life of crows

March Forth

March 4th, today. And the synonym of "forth" makes bloggers happy because one gets to make a play on words. So march forth you all and enjoy March Fourth. Sorry, I can't come up with a funny pun.

Shhhhh, it's 30 degrees F right now. Can't believe it.

I have a movie recommendation. If you don't mind reading captions, this is a good movie. Not an Academy Award winner by any means, but an enjoyable way to spend some time.  A couple of years ago I recommended a Norwegian film, "Troll Hunter" which had been recommended by a lovely friend, blogger Jeanne Candy Corn Chronicles blog (and I loved it!). The movie I watched last night is also Norwegian. These two films showcase the spectacular landscape of Norway. Truly breathtaking. Ragnarok (Gåten Ragnarok), is a fun little movie with a typically formulaic plot, but has a couple of cute kids, a 1,000 year old secret, a pretty good monster and of course, the aforementioned scenery. Sometimes the captions were not quite in sync with the dialog, not giving enough time to read. But that is a little minor thing. I loved listening to the Norwegian voices. Give it a try.

oh and FYI. Apparently there is a Ragnarok anime which has nothing to do with this movie (as far as I know)

Enjoy your day.    Robin.

Dream On

I saw White and Gold. What about you? Hilarious "controversy" over a dress posted on the internet by a Scottish woman. Because of the rods and cones in our eyes and reflection of light and other scientific mumbo jumbo, people either see the dress as a blue and black color or a white and gold color. The dress actually is blue and black, which is astonishing when some of us see white and gold. What an uproar, though, practically broke the internet!!

So, whatevs!

Another very early morning today for hubby and unpleasant medical testing. We should know results by end of the week. I think we both need a nap this afternoon! (Actually we both could use a vacation!)

Looking out the window it is snowing. And an ice storm is headed our way tonight. Therefore, I am throwing myself into this magazine:

Gardening for Birds and Butterflies

Let the daydreaming begin. Beautiful summer gardens and wonderful songbirds. That's the Eastern Bluebird on the cover which is New York state's official bird. (in case you didn't know, I live in New York state).

So dream on and on!!   Robin

TGIM

Thank Goddess It's March. Very happy was I to turn the page of the calendar. And only 18 days til Ostara, The Spring Equinox. Wahoo!!

Small confession:  I was a sci-fi nerd in the 60's. Actually I started reading sci-fi books when I was 9 years old (the same year I started drinking coffee). The news of Leonard Nimoy's passing was saddening. Was he not the greatest thing to happen on tv way back then?! To watch old reruns now, Star Trek looks a little cheesy, but when I was watching first run episodes, that show was amazing. Mr. Nimoy was one of the good ones.

Speaking of looking back in time, I got very nostalgic on Sunday. For some reason, I was listening to music on You Tube and got into a marathon of Crosby Stills and Nash. Good grief those songs take me back. Southern Cross, Helplessly Hoping, Guinnevere; that music can send you into the memories of good times and not so good times. I think we all have those soundtracks to our lives. I had to stop listening after a while to avoid becoming a bit too maudlin.

The weather remains awful, and that is all I am going to say about that.

Have a very good day!!  Robin.

Normal is on the Way

Here we are, the last Friday in February. What a crazy month for weather here. March better behave itself and begin a fast trek to Spring. I'm just sayin'.

My husband has begun his trip back to complete physical normalcy. He had Phase 1 this week of preliminary testing to prepare for what we hope is the last surgery. He has been dealing with an ileostomy for many months now, and after a few more tests the surgeon will be scheduling the "reconnect" (of his small intestine). And then, he will be done with this over-two-year tribulation. Thankfully and at long last!!

Thoughts are turning to the blooms of Spring. Looking for color! The landscape is bleak and harsh right now. Those blackish snow banks everywhere. Won't it be wonderful when bulbs burst into full flower!!

My tulips from a couple of springs ago

My reading marathon continues. My son keeps busy shoveling and clearing the cars of snow. Hubby is working daily and we all enjoy the woodstove and the fireplace. The cats love the warmth, but our dog Gwennie gets scared by the popping and sparking of the fire. I guess it is too much like fireworks on Independence Day, poor little thing!

Keep safe and cozy.  Robin.

Ridiculous

Greetings from the Arctic Circle, New York annex!

It is almost becoming ridiculous how much snow we have. And the sub-zero temps. That is all we can talk about.

Our kitchen window

Occasionally, for 30 seconds or so, there is a little tiny spot in the sky where the sun wants to peek out. But if you blink, you will miss it.

Snow is almost past our deck railing

Surprisingly, only minor symptoms of cabin fever because there is a lot to keep occupied with inside. (watching snowplows go by, and the son out there with shovel and snowblower are mildly interesting).

I made a library run a few days ago before this latest snowfall. I adore reading.

Visiting the Blog-o-Sphere is also a pleasant activity.

And streaming British tv shows on Netflix.

Baking and cooking, playing with kittens and thinking about summer gardens.

If you are snowed in, how do you keep from going stir crazy?

I watch the springs, the summers, the autumns;

And when comes the winter snow monotonous,

I shut all the doors and shutters

To build in the night my fairy palace.

~Charles Baudelaire, "Paysage," compiled from multiple translations

Sheepish

Time to change out my lucky animal. The Chinese New Year is here, and no, I am not Chinese, but I enjoy celebrating. I have put my Horse out to pasture and replaced it on the mantle with a Sheep.

She's wearing a sweater (wool, of course) because it's below zero

Although I have seen in other places that it is the Year of the Goat. I guess around our house we will use Sheep; I don't have a goat.

Another foot of snow fell overnight. I think it is the Year of the Abominable SnowMan!

Have a great Thursday!!    Robin

Wordless Wednesday--Find Yourself a Sun Puddle

Oh, It's Pancake Day

Pancakes, hot cakes, flapjacks, griddle cakes, crepes whatever you want to call them, today is the official day to eat them. It's Mardi Gras. A tradition in my family for many a long while is to eat pancakes for dinner on Mardi Gras.

En francais, Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday of course.

How about a stack of these babies:

If one were following the traditional religious reason for eating pancakes on Fat Tuesday, one would stuff as many carbo-laden pancakes as possible into one's mouth in preparation for fasting on Ash Wednesday.

But who needs a reason? Everyday could be pancake day as far as I am concerned.

So get in the race and get those flapjacks flapping, those frying pans griddlin' and whip up a batch of delicious pancakes (guilt-free I assure you). You don't mess with tradition.

Merry Monday

Pixie has a good viewing spot for watching the birds at the feeder, and the squirrels that sneak and lurk.

Monday has dawned sunny. Blindingly bright. Reflecting off the mounds and peaks of snow. The arctic temperatures remain way below zero. Despite the cold, I can hear the sparrows that live in the eaves of our covered porch chattering happily away. Amazing how they can survive.

But Nature has a way to help wild things survive. Here's a prime example:

I would like to wish daughter raethan and her sweet hubby Happy Housewarming as they have moved to a lovely new place in Connecticut. Good luck with the unpacking too.  Hopefully this didn't happen:

Enjoy Monday (is that possible?).   Robin

Snowed In

Woosh!! We have a lot more snow, and we are under a wind chill warning. It is expected to feel like minus 40 degrees F through Monday. Frostbite can occur within 15 minutes.

Our deck

View from my kitchen window

The wood stove is keeping us toasty and we have plenty of hot cocoa.

Yesterday before the weather deteriorated I scurried to the grocery store. As soon as you enter the store, you are bombarded by mega displays of Valentine offerings...flowers, candy, balloons and random heart-shaped items. I did actually, purchase the heart-shaped strawberry shortcake and 6 chocolate dipped strawberries.  Very delicious.  But I drew the line at this heart-shaped item:

Valentine Meat!

Hey everybody, stay safe and warm and enjoy your Sunday!!

For Those Who Do and For Those Who Don't

Happy Valentine's Day, Wiccan Wreaders!

If you are opposed to Valentine's Day

here's a random picture

Happy Saturday!

Oh, Lucky Day!

13 is a lucky number!! Nothing to be scared of. Witches love the number 13. There is power in that number. So enjoy the day.

As if Nature wanted to celebrate the day, at 8:00 a.m. this morning the thermometer read minus 13. Yes, -13 degrees F.  The icicles have icicles.

I don't think I will be venturing out today. Okay, call me a wuss. I readily admit to a dislike of breathing arctic air; searing my sinuses and freezing my eyes. All the schools here are closed because of the cold. Wind chill factors are way down there.

Stay warm and don't run out of hot cocoa.

Honestly

May I just take a moment to say "Happy Birthday" to President Abraham Lincoln; we always made silhouettes in grade school of both Mr. Lincoln (Feb 12th) and President George Washington (Feb 22nd) to honor them (I guess); and let us not forget the ubiquitous penny and quarter that bear their likenesses (though I admit I hate pennies).

Happy Birthday,  Honest Abe

Enjoy your Thursday.  Must fly.   Robin