Poetry in Motion and Last Day to Enter Summer Giveaway

 (the following was written in response to winning "Alice", a figurine, in a giveaway from Linda in New Mexico's blog) 

Alice Escapes
(A badly rhyming poem, but true nevertheless)

There once was a young girl named Alice
Who came to live in a palace
Her ticket said “Dallas”
But quite without malice
The bus dropped her off….in Albuquerque!

Her eyes grew wide
Once she came inside
“It’s Casa du Cuckoo!” she cried.

There was a bedbug of plaid
A tea party gone mad
Well, maybe it won’t be so bad.

The Olde Bagg returned from her roamin’
“Oh, Alice“, she says, “Welcome ho-em!”
“Our food is quite good and the kids are quite grand”
“Shall I write it all down in a po-em?”

“That’s okay,” Alice replied in a hurry.
“I think it’s time to scurry“.
“Don’t leave in a flurry
I’m about to make curry.”

And the Olde Bagg and Kids started dancing…..with turtles!

Things were getting a bit quirky
“I must be leaving Albuquerque!”
She caught a passing turkey
Who walked a tad jerky (oh, you know turkeys can’t fly).

Somehow through magick mostly
She traveled through the postly
Like a bird that was a-bobbin’
She’s come to live with Robin.

Forever and evermore

 Thank you to Linda in New Mexico Olde Bagg and Stuft Shirt blog

A great giveaway she hosted!!

Today is the last day to enter my Summer Giveaway! Closing the entries at 7:00 pm eastern daylight savings time. Hurry! (click here to read about the Giveaway)  http://wiccanwrites.blogspot.com/2011/06/summer-giveaway.html

Wordless Wednesday--Guest Photographer

Curious Sparrow by Chris Strait, family friend and wedding photographer

(click for a better look)

Wedding Garden Update

Thriving. The colors are gorgeous. Now if I can just keep them happy for 6 more weeks.

This photo really doesn't do the colors justice. The various shades of purples are quite vivid, and the contrasting dusty miller's silver is delightful.

Aspargus Fern

 These three pots of Asparagus Fern are lush. The pots will have purple ribbons tied around them for the wedding and placed here and there at the reception.

The Wedding Garden, phase 2

 This long raised bed is planted with larkspur, bachelor buttons and zinnias. You can see a bare spot in the middle which I am puzzled about. Nothing came up. The solar frog is watching over the garden, day and night.
These flowers will be used in bouquets or in tiny vases for the reception.

Rosemary

 Two pots of rosemary, fragrant and sweet (sitting in between planters of lettuce and spinach). I plan on using the rosemary for the boutonnieres for the Groom and his groomsmen. Have not decided whether to use the rosemary in the corsages yet.

Elephant Ear, Lone Survivor

 Harking back to the infamous squirrel rampage, here is the one elephant ear that survived. It just opened up yesterday and if all goes well will become a large tropical plant. This is a non-wedding plant. I like to plant elephant ears every summer.

Summer Giveaway

If you haven't entered my Summer Giveaway, please do!! Five winners. Last day to enter, June 30th. Winners announced on July 1st. Just be a follower. Read all about here

The cauldron is bubbling and full of Giveaway entries. I stir it daily.

Short and Sweet

Congratulations to the State of New York for becoming the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage. Maybe more states will soon follow suit. Loving couples have the right to marry and to receive all the benefits of a legally recognized union. Marriage is a right, not a privilege for a select group. I am very happy for all the people who can now enjoy a happily married life.

Sunday Sampler

Don't laugh, but I am going to sing the praises of Gel Pens!! Daughter Raethan here for the weekend to press me into service addressing wedding invitations. We spent a few hours Saturday at the dining table, writing addresses and watching the Travel channel. No cramped hands though. We used these lovely purple gel pens that glide beautifully across the envelope without needing pressure or a firm grip. The pens turned a possible tedious and painful task into a pleasure.

Rewarding ourselves for our completed task, we three (Raethan and her dad and I) went to the movies last night and saw a very entertaining film called "Super 8". Well done, well acted, great effects, suspenseful, great "jump in your seat" moments. Highly recommended by this family.

Grilled sirloin steaks for dinner last night, with enough left over for beef-fried rice tonight. A favorite of ours. Just thought I would throw that in to make you hungry!!

Blogger is being naughty to me again, this time about loading photos. I have received a message in the dreaded red font color when I try to upload a photo. Apparently I have used up all my space? Suggestions, dear friends?

Don't forget to enter my Summer Giveaway. Last day to enter is June 30th. Winners announced July 1st. Five winners. Just be a follower and comment. You can read about the Giveaway on my June 24th post.

Have a wonderful Sunday!! Off to stir my cauldron. 

Bright Blessings!!

Summer Giveaway!!

The words Summer Giveaway sound kinda nice. Actually it's a Summer Anniversary Giveaway. Almost one year ago, August 1, 2010 I launched this blog.  I decided to celebrate a little early due to the fact I am Mother of the Bride, and August is going to be ka-razeeee!!! The wedding is August 13th. I do not think I will be in any condition to host a giveaway....you know, pre-wedding hyper-mode, LOL!!

I have been having a lot of fun writing the blog, and visiting other super blogs. My lovely followers are the best!! You are the Best!

Five winners this time. No significance to that number, just that I have five great books to giveaway. All you  have to do is be a follower, and leave a comment. If you have a preference to which book you would like, if you are selected a winner, just put that in the comment. Easy. Open to all my followers, international included. If you win and live in Canada, I will hold on carefully to your prize until the postal strike is over.

This is an eclectic assortment of books. Here they are in no particular order:

Book Number 1: 

Ellen Dugan writes in a light, witty style about all things magickal. She is a Wiccan author and I own a good number of her books. The title explains it all. If you are new to the Craft or new to using herbs or just interested in finding out about Herb Magic, this will be an excellent resource for you.

Book Number 2:

Silver Ravenwolf is a popular Wiccan author who "shares her personal notebooks, tracing her own spiritual path of enlightenment" in this book. Discussions of magickal work on both basic and complex levels, an extensive herbal section, rituals and spell work are included along with her story of living life as a witch.

Book Number 3:

This organic gardening book from Yankee Magazine describes "1,001 ingenious ways" to use common household items to control weeds, beat pests, cook compost, solve problems, and make tricky jobs easy. This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in organic gardening.

Book Number 4:

This beautiful book from Better Homes and Gardens is a guide to developing and designing comfortable outdoor retreats. It has gorgeous photos and helpful ideas that will make your summer retreat beautiful. Garden Rooms is a great read.

Book Number 5:

And now for something completely different! If you are a crafter/sewer, this adorable book is all about handmade holiday/winter decorations. Now is the time to be crafting for the Season...Yule, Christmas, Winter. It is loaded with excellent ideas, instructions and it is all about Felt.

So that's the Giveaway. Which of these books would you like? I will select winners in one week, on July 1st.

Summer Giveaway

Blessings from Robin!!

Odds and Ends

Squirrel defense--not for the faint of heart. They are wily little creatures; smart, inventive, tenacious, comical. I am thinking of placing screening over the pots of my container garden, held down by rocks. I expect to see tiny bulldozers at work in a few days, driven by helmeted squirrels with names like Hunk and Mac.  Harm none is the code I live by. I am normally a gentle, loving witch. These little guys will have to work a little harder to steal my garden booty. No rest for the Wiccan.

Uh-oh

 image credit

Any opinions on the new J.K. Rowling Pottermore website? Just read a little about it this morning. It is a place for fans to read more about all the characters, new material, get assigned to a house in Hogwarts, receive a free wand and a lot more. Serious fans will love it. I enjoyed all the books and the movies, but I am not tempted by this. I would have liked a new series from Rowling; such an excellent writer.

The Syracuse newspaper, The Post Standard, for the last couple of months, has been running a daily column written by various religious and spiritual leaders in our area. This column has featured writers of Islamic, Hindu, Catholic, Jewish, Native American faiths. The aim is to expose and introduce other views besides the daily Christian column written by the Reverend Billy Graham, a column that is nationally syndicated. This week's writer is Mary Hudson, the pagan chaplain at Syracuse University. It runs from June 19th through June 23rd. She writes about the Summer Solstice and how to put the energy of the Sun to work in our lives. Here is the link to June 19th's column and you can link from there to read the successive articles. Mary Hudson.  I think you will enjoy seeing a pagan writer featured in the newspaper, and her words are stirring. She is a friend of mine, and is also going to be the Officiant at my daughter's wedding.

Tomorrow is Friday. Hey, I will be announcing my giveaway on Friday. Tomorrow! Be sure to tune in.