awesome

It is a magnificent red bud year. Red buds in bloom thread through still bare trees all the way up red bud mountain. I'm giddy empty headed walking to the river. A dance lightly whorls about me.

Red Bud Days

In the back of my mind, I figured that my digital camera had a timer; but the instruction book is no where I can lay my hands on. Finally, yesterday, I played with the menu long enough to find timer mode. One picture later I couldn't seem to manage another. Will have to suck in some patience and try again.
Lovely walk to the river with Mr. Lee after a morning with DD. A perfect sitting log was stranded on my small island that some beaver had cut. Returning home and checking email, I find news from the VA Conservation Network that Virginia is SECOND in the nation in number of polluted waterways. I know I can't be the only person who lives along the Little River who cares to keep it clean, but I know that there are too many land owners who DO NOT CARE. I remember being the only land owner who researched State Scenic River designation and who spoke at the board of Supervisor's meeting for scenic river designation - in a room full of angry landowners, who were ignorant early precursors of Tea Party types. Grrrr. What good is land on a river if neighbors pollute and if there is no way to stop the pollution. The Tea Party does NOT seem to fucking care and desires the emasculation of DEQ. So I sit by the Little River almost every day and send what healing I can muster, visualize the water rushing thru my heart. I know my children care and hopefully more folks do.

The first mowing

Even though we may see frost tomorrow morning, John Weeks is mowing my lawn. The dogwood, pink, by the house is about to unfurl; the smoke tree by the studio that this weekend I thought was dead, has bright green tips. I want to go for a long walk with Mr. Lee, but we're ensconced until mowing stops.
I wore my new t-shirt, THIS SLUT VOTES!, to the Empty Bowl yesterday at Floyd HS with Alma. Several folks were delighted by it, but I garnered some disapproving looks. Perhaps the eyes did not recognize the reference. I both wanted to strut and to cross my arms over my chest; in an awkward solution, I bent over my delicious asparagus/mushroom soup from Mickey G's.
ah, fini!

This Slut Votes!

In solidarity with the woman whom Rush "Limpdick" called a slut, Web 6 ordered these t-shirts! I didn't realize until I was putting the pictures on the computer that the writing would be reversed - ha!

Sitting on an island
in the river
in the sun
with three dogs
When they bark
I know I am here.

so goes my day while the Blue house visits friends in northern VA!

afternoon on the sofa

Blahs and gray skies led me to spend a good part of the afternoon on the red sofa watching tennis and switching to March Madness between segments of "the Corporation" on LINK TV. Lazy day except for a slow walk to the river with mr Lee and even short efforts at qigong in attempt to raise the mood. But mood didn't budge from apathetic until sun showed itself around 5.
Positive self coaching style, learn new thing every day, walk, good diet, social interaction - suggestions from New Dimensions tonight on keeping the brain active into old age. I will do so, tomorrow! Time to wander out to the chicken coop.

seeds sprouting, rain and thunder

Mr Lee, curled on my overstuffed chair, looks like a lamb; I clipped some of his beauty globs and gave him an all over trim. Now I should finish with a bath, but the bath will be for me tonight! Have sniffles which I think might benefit from a Epsom salt soak. I am waiting til dark to close the chickens. Outside in the garden the rain has fattened peas; I know because I discovered one uncovered popping open and I tucked it back into earth. Arugula has sprouted. I'm including dandelion flowers and greens in my green smoothie.
ah, I'm off to close the chickens.
This morning sitting in the sun streaming through the door with grand-daughter and mentioning that I needed to trim some spots on Mr. Lee's coat which I had missed yesterday; P pipes up, "Mama doesn't trim my hair because I'm not a dog." I refrain from giggling too loudly, what delight! We are looking at a small catalog for children's clothes and P has definite opinions on what she likes. While Baldwin fences off one half of the chicken yard, we are debating party clothes. A new level of discussion for me and P which, no doubt, she and her mom have been covering.
Too soon, Baldwin is finished and I am left to rake the half of yard without chickens and to sow clover. Hopefully in a month the chickens can return to enjoy a lush ground for scratching and dusting. Perhaps I'll sow clover in the other half!

Moving into Daylight Savings

What's not to like about lighter longer evenings? Nothing really, just takes old bones a bit to adjust, especially after an overnight with grand-daughter, of endless energy! Mr. Lee and I hiked to the swim hole to sit and oogle; disturbed at first by the sound of all terrain vehicles which mercifully passed on the logging road shortly after we had gained our purchase. I would so outlaw these vehicles along with jet skies if I ran the world. They are NOT sustainable. They are damaging to the environment and to the peace of wild places. They are disrespectful of all life. I rest.
I planted a few of my rooting potatoes from last year's crop; I only put six into a raised bed because I fear they could take over and I want to grow more than potatoes. I'll till a place for more potatoes out of the raised beds. I dug clumps of grass from the garden and tossed them to the chickens in their poorly sod yard. I'm tempted to keep them fenced off from the garden section of their yard long enough to grow some clover - or else to open up a new section of yard for them. I need to buy some chicken fencing. I am in love with the earth as must be the roots of tree.

planting time

Every day I am picking watercress for green smoothie in the morning and for salad at dinner; arugula from the garden still provides leaves along with beet leaves and a bit of chard that has escaped a vole attack. Speaking of voles, Katrina was playing with one on the deck yesterday! Cheers to her as I had asked her if she could find the vole who was munching down on the few tulips I have left by the house. My yard contains a mole suburbia which the voles must equally enjoy. I don't mind the yard's uneven topography; but I do hate to see the tunnels moving down a row of freshly planted seeds. The moles eat the slugs which is a boon, but unfortunately, their cohorts, the voles, follow and chop down on veggies, loving sweet potatoes. But it is Spring and I am planting in my raised beds! I love that I can get my fingers into soil this early and not have to wait for tilling. Today after DD went home with her Baba, I planted two rows of peas which she had brought. I put in a spinach row along with several rows of onion sets. I planted tendergreens and beets and more arugula and parsley and cilantro.

March 7 at 3:41 in the altar-noon

About to be before my makeshift altar to repeat several affirmations which will begin to alter an issue in my natal astrology chart: Mars opposition to Jupiter, which apparently alludes to a karmic issue. I can muster no argument against doing this ceremony and have no doubt that after upteen million incarnations there must, indeed, be lessons still needed to learn. I've got to put on the blues - which is no problem as I found blue beach towel, blue Yoga blanket, blue flannel sheet - and old blue pants and sweater; this after I announced to no one that I had nothing blue to wear, black being in profusion in my wardrobe.
Mr. Lee and I have already enjoyed a walk under blue skies to the swim hole where I did find a blue slate rock to add to my altar. Earlier I went in the garden to pick greens from under one of my small hoop houses. First Katrina crawled under the plastic and then the wind tugged the whole side out from my hands, shedding water and tearing the plastic loose! Yelling a Katrina, I dropped the cover - only to realize that at this date, I can do without a cover most probably! So it is off and tucked into the woodshed. Enough greens for a smoothie are in the refrigerator.
I've put a picture of me and of Mimi and me in the altar as I wanted to include her. And I've put a homeopathic remedy which helped this morning with my acute reflux since I had the stomach flu Saturday. Oddly it is Ignatia - and I took one dose of 6C when I realized that I was suffering a horrid lump in my sternum, as if I was grieving. I realized that I was grieving from the information from the seminar. It is also the remedy which I left on the window sill at 1127 Sixth st when I spent the night (12 yrs ago) in the house where Mimi died and where her astral body lingers. Looks like we came into this world 3 minutes apart and we will leave this world together (astrally and for me physically). Perhaps I too will die violently or perhaps the ceremonies over time will change that too.

Three Evenings

Traveling with Diane to Anna's Breathing Space three evenings in a row this past week was a journey, at least partially, not of this world. Diane is always inspiration to the metaphysical and I am a willing follower. We both giggled over the Rosicrucian man who was offering us this wisdom teaching; Charles was in sorry shape the first night after spending the night at a Starbucks and failing to remove his contacts - a "needy man" - beware.
But as the evening progressed, with three other woman, I opened to the teachings; as they struck an inner cord. That the density of human incarnation on Earth will reach a peak on 12/21/12; that we are indeed at a most dangerous time in the history of the Earth. We have the weapons to annihilate all life. Something similar to what happened on Mars (and i thought of my bumper sticker I wanted to create: DON'T MARS THE EARTH). Charles says that Lucifer ruled on Mars - I am curious to know more.
So many thoughts have been stirred up by these classes. At least one nagging worry has been elucidated. It seems that if one dies prematurely, their astral body lingers on Earth until the time its "battery runs out." Hence, Mimi's body I saw akimbo on top of her coffin and her ghost remaining at the Sixth Street house in New Orleans (with whom a friend communicated). She will probably die about the same time I do (matching charts 3 minutes different), as I have felt might be the case. Now I realize that my dad's body may have been hanging about New Orleans; no wonder the thought I'd stumbled upon that the ghosts of suicides pull on the hearts of loved ones to join them.
Lots to contemplate!