Sunshiney Tuesday

So lovely to see the sun shining brightly in the garden. We have had a slow spring, in that it has been mostly cool, cloudy and rainy. Everyday I wait to feel that warm caressing air, and instead the chill in the breeze makes me scurry back in the house!

Forget-Me-Nots

Raethan and I planted these forget-me-nots 6 springs ago, right after we moved into our house. We had a pack of seeds and sprinkled them around. Now these tiny blue flowers are springing up all over. Love them! The sun was a little bright, so I don't think you can see the true blue of the flower.

Wild Violet

This little violet is a volunteer, perhaps placed by the Fae to welcome the spring. In the house I grew up in, we had a small hillside in the backyard that was covered with these tiny sweet plants. I am very fond of them, and hope they will proliferate!

Tulips in our yard. Every fall, we plant about a dozen or so tulips. The winters are hard here, and most tulips last only one or two seasons. They are a delight while they last though. (and sometimes our little "friends" the squirrels, dig them up and move them around. You will find tulips in the oddest places!)

Five Trees waiting for planting

Crab Apple blossom

Our project for this spring is the planting of these five trees: Red Maple, Weeping Willow, Pink Dogwood and two Crab Apple trees. I will dedicate each tree for a special magickal application.

If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees.

  ~Hal Borland

Monday Medley--Mother's Day

Hoping all the Moms on the blog-o-sphere had good celebrations on Sunday. I certainly did. My adorable husband gifted me with two delightful items:

Beautiful herb basket!

Lovely basket of flowers

Phone calls from my two darling children. They both live a little over two hours away from us, and with their schedules we don't get to see them too often. So nice long chats on the phone are so pleasing to me. Son nicarus had gifted me with this stoppered jar a couple of weeks ago when he was home. On one side is the symbol of the Goddess, and the other side, the symbol of the God. I will use this jar for charging water during full moons for use in rituals and spell casting. I love this thoughtful gift so much!!

The Goddess Symbol

The God Symbol

So about an hour after I had hung up the phone from chatting with daughter raethan, lo and behold, she and her fiance stroll into the house to surprise me. Sneaky girl!! LOL! Presenting me with a bouquet of lovely spring flowers we spent an afternoon of fun and all of us went out to dinner. What a joyful time!! May I just say here that I have the BEST kids around! (in my humble and non-biased opinion, of course!)

My brother gave me a sweet gift. Look at this mug in the shape of a Robin!

Robin Larkspur's coffee cup

Early in the evening I called my mom. She lives in Virginia (about 500 miles to the south of where I live). She is 95 years old and she is beloved and dear. Her sense of humor and gentle spirit endears her to everyone. Even though she has some health issues, she maintains a positive attitude. What a blessing to have such a mother.

Have a great week everyone. I will have lots more photos throughout the week, as planting season is finally upon us, and the Wedding Garden will be under way!!

New Camera!

Lexie-Girl

Gwennie

The girls and I are happy to announce that I have a new camera! Oh, how I have missed it. So today I will spend clicking away and hopefully have all kinds of things to show and tell!!!

Happy Friday!

What's in a Code Name?

The ubiquity of political correctness gets a lot of people in hot water these days. Some of these people don't know any better (yes, this is true), some people don't think before they speak and some just don't think it matters. If one is in the public eye, sensitivity to the feelings of all people and awareness of right and wrong is essential. It is more than an issue of being polite. Being respectful of people's race, religion, ethnic background and beliefs should be an obvious and intentional way of interaction.

I do not know how military code names are selected. What is the meaning of the code name? What is the intent? Would I be politically incorrect if I said that those "military types" are playing cowboys and Indians? Of course, when I was reading the newspaper article that morning when the execution of Osama bin Laden was announced, I did not really think anything of it when I saw the code name "Geronimo". I just kept on reading. Then later, I read that there was an uproar over the use of the Apache chief's name, and I thought "huh? What's the big deal?" Now granted, it was very early in the morning and I was not fully awake. Obviously this is a big deal to the native Americans. They feel the use of Geronimo's name, for one reason, equates him with the terrorist bin Laden. To the Apaches, Geronimo is a hero.

Now all those years ago, Geronimo evaded the American cavalry. He was said to be able to walk without leaving footprints. Bin Laden had evaded the military for 10 years. Whatever the reason for the choice of the name of Geronimo for this particular mission, a large percentage of our population has been insulted. Does a code name really matter? An evil person has been executed, mission accomplished. Will Geronimo's name and memory be tarnished because of the association with this mission?  My only answer can be: I hope not. This is a regrettable and disappointing situation.

What do you think?

Geronimo

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Observations from a Bookstore Cafe

A good place to be on a very rainy day is the neighborhood bookstore. Specifically, the bookstore cafe.  Routinely heading directly to the favorite shelves, grabbing the next book in the series, or the latest from the best author. Maybe selecting a gardening book to peruse, or that interesting-looking but too-expensive pagan book. Grab a glossy magazine, dodge the kiddies by the toy section and claim a table by the window in the cafe.

Appropriately supplied with a fragrant coffee, maybe a large oatmeal-raisin cookie the next half hour or so is spent flipping through the magazine (carefully, of course, so as not to spill coffee on the pages, because this will go back on the shelf for others to look at, before possibly being purchased by someone who thinks it is crisp, new and unread. Sometimes the music that plays from the ceilings is soothing, today it is a little loud and perhaps a bit too off-beat. Still it will not drive the customers away.

An elderly couple have just finished their soup of the day and are setting up a game of scrabble. Three giggly teenaged girls are drinking gigantic frozen coffees and texting like mad. A very studious man is engrossed in his laptop and chugging mineral water. The baristas are making a lot of noise behind their counter and machines are whirring and blending. A steady stream of mothers with babes enter the cafe, order something sinful, and leave quickly. The babies are restless and cannot be relied upon to be quiet and still while moms chat.

The manager of the bookstore is a very tall fellow. He towers over his employees, the bookshelves and the customers. He seems quite friendly. And very knowledgeable as he explains the features of the e-book his store is selling. Serious, middle-aged women listen with rapt attention, raising their gazes to the manager's face, high above them. They seem awe-struck as he goes through the various applications and mysterious workings of this device that could well be the hammer that nails the coffin closed...the coffin being the bookstore itself and his very job. Does he see the irony in this?

As the rain falls steadily, more customers come rushing in, seeking solace, a chance to spend a little time amongst the books and music, stationery and puzzles, coffee and cakes.  Everyone seems amiably occupied. It is a rich atmosphere of companionship, literature and good will.

There have been rumors that this bookstore may close. The hours of operation have already been reduced. What a sad thing it will be if this happens. There are no small, independent bookstores around this town anymore. They were victims of this particular large store. The coziness of those little shops went the way of the general store, where folks gathered to talk around the cracker barrel long ago. Even though these big stores can seem corporate and commercially oriented, they have supplied the means for social commerce that many people crave.

Surely, books won't disappear too. It could never happen. Not in this day and age. Right?

And now for Something Completely Different

If you would like to spoil the day for a grouch, give him a smile.  ~Author Unknown

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So, It's Over?

They killed Osama bin Laden! As an American, I do feel satisfied. But I can not say I feel elated. Perhaps if this had happened a few weeks, or months after that terrible day I would be giddy with justice service. Yes, justice has been served. He hid like a desert rat for years from the fate he deserved. But, allow me a lurid metaphor: evil hatred is a many-headed beast; cut one head off, another grows back. After ten years of sowing the seeds of this evil, there is more than one of these beasts. We certainly can not think we are safe, even though the world is better off without bin Laden himself living and hating in it.

The news says this provides closure for the families who lost loved ones that day. I hope so. Maybe they will find a little bit of peace. We will take a moment of peace whenever we can.

But, we all know this does not end the evil. It is not over. And that is why I really can not jump for joy about the death of bin Laden.