May 30, 2010

The Cure For Any Illness Is Hot Wings.


So...I forgot the Farmers Market Saturdays post - but I'm not going to do FM Sunday or even Monday. I'm going to reject the guilt and come back next Saturday to do it right. Sometimes you just have to move on.

Speaking of which, it's been a rough few weeks battling a cold that I mockingly stated that I would breeze through because of my ultra-great immune system. Um...no. No breezing through for me. It wasn't even one of those "I was so sick I lost 8 lbs in one week" colds. I couldn't even get lucky that way. Oh well. I'm feeling better and am ready to start the week. Mostly.

Some things that do help, in case you are one of the unlucky few that are dealing with a Spring cold right now (because the weather is ridiculously cold when it should be almost Summer:)

*Laughter. I saw "Date Night" with Steve Carrell and Tina Fey. Ridiculous - but funny. I am in love with Steve Carrell and Tina Fey. I would marry either or both of them, simply because they are insanely witty and deliver a line like no one else. Except...each other.

*Getting out of your comfort zone. My girlfriends and I went to an open casting call for extras in a scene/scenes being shot in my Valley for the move The Big Year, with Steve Martin and Jack Black. I think they were looking for "birding" types as the movie is about some guys who spend a year searching for the most rare birds they can find. We are definitely not "birding" types and so very likely won't get a call back (also there were almost 400 people who showed up for the call) but that's okay, because the thought of being on a movie set makes me kind of want to throw up. But we all firmly believe you should do things you've never done before - so there we were, getting our picture taken by an assistant to some super-fab casting director.

*Friends. The above-mentioned girlfriends are my life-savers/shrinks/partners in crime. When all else fails, we eat and drink and solve the worlds problems. There is no cure for the blues/a cold/heartbreak/violent mood swings like hot wings and libations with great friends.

I hope all of my American neighbours are having a wonderful Memorial day weekend!
Blessings!

May 27, 2010

May Full Moon


May's "Flower" or "Hare" full moon is upon us, and while the East coast is getting super-hot spells, we in the West are chilly under a rather constant haze of cloud and rain. This does have some positive results for us locals though - it greatly increases our water sheds and keeps the mountains green and verdant for a while longer, staving off the inevitable dry spells and risk of wildfires. It's not so great for our tourism trade though.

At any rate, I'll be putting on my woolies to brave the rain tonight and head to a cathedral-type building at one of the local lakes, where there is a woman doing a crystal bowl meditation for the full moon.

Mary at Moontides has a great take on the moon in Sagittarius this month, and there is also a nice little article at About.com.

Some possible themes:
*Moments of exquisite aliveness, realizing the magic that's all around us everyday.
*A greater appreciation for the diverse species we share the planet with.
*A growing global connection, as people band together for a unified response to societal/environmental/economic change.
*More hidden truths revealed, with networks of people making/sharing the news and facts on the ground.

Full moon blessings to all!

May 23, 2010

Blown Away






Mary, at Dreams, A Pathway to the Soul and Moontides gave me this lovely award. Thanks Mary! If you have not visited Mary's blogs (there are several) then please run over there and check her out - she's a wonderful woman and a wealth of knowledge about Goddesses, dreams, and much, much more!

What do I find mind blowing?

-Birgit at Swapping Howdies pictures. She is an amazing photographer - pop over and see!

-How Jake Gyllenhaal went from this, to this.

-Super-intelligent and witty men who podcast, like Devin and Fire Lyte.

-X and his Chicken Tractor. Before and After. So cool.

-That anyone has any interest in what Jessie James has to say about how wrong he was to cheat. Repeatedly. Or...um...get caught.

(Okay - I know that's not exactly how this game is played - but since when do I play by the rules?)

May 22, 2010

Farmers Market Saturdays

A short news clip from the Portland, Oregon Farmers Market shows that there is much more than just fruit and veggies at markets across the country. Most markets also have many booths of artisans selling their goods, as well as healers, readers, and entertainers.

At our market today, we had a Spanish Guitar player who was incredible, and on the next block, a four-piece jazz band was playing. Each week the musicians are rotated to give so many of our talented locals a chance to perform.

If you are in the area, Portland's market runs every Saturday!

May 15, 2010

Farmers Market Saturdays - Garden Centre Edition

This Saturday, instead of going to a farmers market, I'm taking you on a tour of the garden centre that I take my mother to each year for her Mother's Day present. I took her yesterday and we filled her car with bedding plants and veggies for her gardens. It was a little hard on the pocket book, but Mom is worth it!

This place is in Keremeos, British Columbia, Canada. It's called "Don and Anna's" because...well...Don and Anna own it. You see them working here non stop until almost every plant is sold by the end of June (or sooner!)

There is so much to see and covet here...

The veggie and herb greenhouse:

Pretty clover:


I'll bet the fairies in Mom's garden would have liked this!


Beautiful Basil!


One of the flower greenhouses:

"Failte" means "Welcome" in Irish. Wishing I had bought this.

Thanks for visiting my favourite place to buy plants!

May 13, 2010

Life Is Good - It Really Is!


Dreamwriter over at Spiritual Expression, and Nydia over at Bringing up Salamanders, have passed on this "Life Is Good" award/quiz. Since I've been remiss in keeping up with these over the past month or two, I'm going to do my best at getting it right this time! I promise to try not to ramble - as this will be a long enough post.

I've noticed that some of the questions are similar on both posts, so I'm going to try to combine them:

Dreamwriter asks: What's your most memorable dream?
Nydia asks: Favourite clothes to sleep in? Favourite thing to do before sleep. First thing to do in the morning?

Unfortunately I'm prone to nightmares, so a dreamless sleep is what I crave. I'm a tank top and undies girl. Before I sleep I say goodnight to the Goddess and God. First thing in the a.m. is start the coffee maker!


Dreawriter asks: Do you have a Spirit or Totem animal?
Nydia asks: Favourite moon phase?

Crow and Horse have shown up consistantly in my life. The best moon phase for me energetically is the waxing phase. I find that the full moon is overwhelming sometimes and the waning phase leaves me with lower energy.


Dreamwriter asks: If you could go on any journey, where would you end up? A cozy winter's eve by the hearth or a warm summer's day by the sea?

I've always wanted to go to Greece - especially Crete. And I'd take a Winter's eve by the hearth.


Both ask: What is your favorite poem/book/quote?

It's too difficult to pick just one author/poet. I am a Constant Reader of Stephen King. I love poems by Frost, Rumi and Mary Oliver. I love the quote "The only difference between a sinner and a saint, is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future." I think it's by Oscar Wilde, but I can't be sure at the moment.

Both ask: What are your most frequently used/favourite herbs?

I use my cooking herbs the most frequently. Rosemary, oregano, chives, thyme, basil. On everthing! Favourite magical herbs are Rue and Sage. Nydia asked what my favourite food is - and I'd have to say herbs too - if you can classify them as a food.

Thanks so much for sticking with me through the long post. And thanks again to Nydia and Dreamwriter for the tag!







May 11, 2010

Tuesday Ponderings

***I'm considering starting a once-a-month women's group. I'm feeling the need to gather with like-minded individuals for some discussion, meditation or whatever activities come up. I'm not thinking "coven" for several reasons, most of which involve not being entirely out of the broom closet, and not being able to find many Pagans in my area. But I wouldn't be adverse to doing some moon or elemental work, as those are good cross-over areas of practice and wouldn't offend most people regardless of their spirituality. It's a bit of an undertaking though, so I see this as an Autumn project, with research to begin soon...

***My friend has four kittens up for grabs. The same friend who rescued Dexter and Daisy two years ago and I brought home 5-week old kids to raise (and feed every four hours by bottle!) This time the kittens are with-Mom and healthy and will be ready in July. And there is an orange one. May the gods keep me strong. I cannot have another cat. I just have to stay away from her house for two months...



***A really fun podcast I ran across recently, Witches BrewHaHa (hosted by the awesome Velma Nightshade) has a segment called "Practical Magic" where she takes all these wonderfully innocuous items and figures out myriad ways to use them in her magical work. I love this idea and have been out collecting random items that strike my fancy and am now brainstorming ways to use them in a magical way.

Just a few rambly thoughts for today. Hope your week is fabulous so far!

May 7, 2010

What Is That Bright Thing In The Sky?


Woo hoo - it's the sun! Thank the gods and whoever else is responsible! After a week and a half of rain and dark grey clouds, we have SUN!!!

It was getting a bit hairy there for a while. Everyone in the Valley was wandering around with their heads hung low, and I contemplated the merits of tossing myself under a bus a few times. It was a really bleak week.

But things are looking up, and just in time for tomorrow's market. We froze last weekend, so I'm hoping with the nice weather, people will be out to shop. We just ordered some more books and decks for our business, as well as some crystals, smudge, and essential oils, so we should be well stocked this weekend.

I also want to wish all you amazing mothers out there, a very Happy Mother's Day! I hope you get spoiled by your children and feel very appreciated. I've not had the pleasure of being a mom, but being an Auntie is a gift (and sometimes exhausting!)

I hope you all get some some sunshine this weekend! Now...off to the yard - with all that rain, the grass is four-feet high!

May 3, 2010

Is It October?

Strange things are afoot.

Our weather has chilled to the point where I'm in my coat and scarf again, and the news is calling for snow and heavy rain tomorrow.

Jennifer at The Mare's Tales and Carolee at King of Mice Studios went to a fabulous Haunters Convention and both of them blogged about their fun and purchases. Suzie at Cat in the Pumpkin Moon is having a Halloween Blog Crawl.

And I went to a Spring dance show to highlight the best performances of a local Arts Festival, and was treated to a group of 20 zombies dancing to "Putting on the Ritz."

It looked a little like this:




I'm not sure if this is May or October. But as long as there's a slice of pumpkin pie somewhere with my name on it, I don't really care!

May 1, 2010

Spring Flower Market

Welcome back to Famers Market Saturdays!

This is the first in my weekly posts about Farmers Markets going on all around the continent (and some off-continent too!) These posts are designed to inspire you to attend your own local Farmers Market and enjoy the wonderful food and flora grown in your neighbourhood.

I will be posting a new market each Saturday (or Sunday if I've been lazy...) Do enjoy, and get out there and support your local growers!

Our first market is the Detroit Flower Market - set to run this year on May 16th (so you have time to plan to be there!)