Momma Nature and Old Man Winter ... it's a tag-team effort.

Call me crazy. Call me a person swimming in wishful thinking and vain hope. Call in an order for a large White pizza from Roma's Italian Restaurant and have it delivered. Call Momma Nature and Old Man Winter and tell them the party is over and this is the final call from the bar. I'm ready for warm weather now, thank you very much.

I've been eye-ballin' the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administraton page for my location and watching as the nasty stuff crept closer and closer all week. We got dumped on Monday with a foot of snow. We got another couple of inches of sleety/snowy/freezy stuff last night. Been steadily drizzling more of the same all day. Calling for more of it tomorrow. Did I already tell you I'm really, really ready for warm weather?

This is what I woke up to this morning ...

I will be the first to admit it is beautiful ...

But despite the beauty, I look out my window and see how the weight of it makes the pines lean over like hump-back old men. I can't quite get the "this stuff makes trees fall down really close to my house" thoughts out of my head. Living in a house surrounded by trees it nice, but it does have it's down side at times.

So, the furry vermin and I found parking spots and enjoyed ourselves ...

I chose the sofa with a hot cup of Earl Gray and a book ...

Tuck got comfy on my side of the bed ...

Zipper got his blankie at the foot of the bed ...

And we had a good day.

Namaste, y'all ...

I have been hereby summoned ... duly noted. I'll bring my knitting.

Back in November of last year I had to renew my driver's license (got a terrible photo, by the way). When the assisting officer asked if I wanted to register to vote I thought, "What the heck!" and told him okay, sure, why not?

Now, some people out there might blow a gasket at my stating the fact that I don't vote. Let me go on record right now and tell you I've heard all the arguments, all the opinions - both reasonable and dumb-ass - from people over the years about voting and non-voting. I stand firmly by my own opinion that if, on that ballot, there isn't a single person I feel worthy of giving my vote to then I'm not voting. It's like being given a choice between being snake-bit by a copperhead or a rattle snake ... I'm supposed to choose between the lessor of two evils? I prefer not being bitten at all, thank you very much.

But there's another side to being a registered voter I'd completely forgotten about. Jury duty. Needless to say, getting a summons for duty in the mail the other day was, well, a surprise. And ya' know what? I'm not complaining. I'm kinda' thinking it might be cool.

Years ago I lived in a small town in South Carolina. It was 1992 and the only year I have ever registered to vote. I got summoned that year, too. Only that time I was called for jury duty in Superior court and would have had to serve for the entire year. Somehow, they had too many people and ended up throwing everybody's name in a hat, pulled twelve names and two alternates. My name didn't get pulled and that was that. Never served, life moved along. Didn't give it anymore thought.

Thanks to that officer at the DMV I've been offered (okay, summoned) a second change. While I know for some serving on jury duty is a big hassle and everybody always gripes about it I'm oddly looking forward it. It's not out of any feeling of civic duty or other such stuff as that. It's about having a new experience. Who knows what might happen?

No, I'm not looking for drama of a murder trail or tangled intrigue of illegal mayhem. Surprisingly, for being relatively small, this county has had it's share of such doings. But I'm not sure I'd want someone's future in my hands ... to be part of a panel of people that could put someone in jail for the rest of their life, or worse. Doesn't sound like something anyone would find enjoyable unless you were nuts. It's simply the process of it all. Learning about the system (which, I know - I know, is flawed) and what all goes on when you serve on jury duty. What kind of cases do you hear? Etc, etc, etc.

So, on February 23rd I'll be at the courthouse in my Sunday-go-to-meetin' clothes and see what's what. I'll stuff a book and some knitting in a bag in case they make me wait around. Who knows, they, too, might just send me back home.

Namaste, y'all ...

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day ...

... when it's cold outside I've got the month of May ...

It starts with this very pretty Fancy Sparkle Organdy from Hancock Fabrics (color is Sunny Jasmine) ...

Which, naturally, must be inspected very closely ...

Because being creative is tiring you have to take a breather ...

But then you get busy and make some cute little pleats ...

Add some rings ...

Measure up a nice big hem ...

Which, naturally, must pass another inspection for accuracy ...

You get to hang this lovely bit of sunshine and sparkle on your window ...

And admire your handiwork ... or sniff it, depending on your preference ...

Namaste, y'all ...

Momma Nature smacked us again ...

Have you ever noticed the way the whole world seems to go quiet after a snowfall? It's both peaceful and spooky. Out here in the boonies, where it's usually quiet anyway, the snow quiet is even more pronounced. No birds chirping. No faint sounds of cars and trucks on the main road a couple of miles away. No dogs barking. Nothing.

I drove into town on Friday and did a few errands, bought some groceries, prowled the library for some reading material, then vamoosed myself back home as fast as I could. I wanted to beat the "snow shoppers", you know the ones, like locust, they descend on the grocery store at the slightest hint of snow and buy up every single gallon of milk and loaf of bread within a 50 mile radius. Freaky. I try my best to avoid them.

The sky was cloudy and you could smell the snow on the air. Didn't need the weatherman to tell me what was coming. Good ol' Mother Nature had decided we needed more snow, and snow she gave us. While not as much as the last time (about 15 inches at my house), she still dumped us with about a foot of that fluffy, sparkly kind on Friday night. Then she graced us on Saturday with a full day of a very fine sleet/snow mix. So fine it looked like a thick, heavy fog through the woods.

The sun came out briefly on Saturday morning before the sleet stuff and I went outside to clean off the front and back steps and to make sure the A/C unit wasn't buried under a ton of ice like last time. Going out the back door I nearly walked face-first into this ......

Icicles as long as my arm. Hanging from the gutter right over the back door. I could have been a shish-ka-bob! Fortunately I backed up in time, made a U-turn to get my camera, and snapped a couple of pictures. I'm not sure what it is about icicles that fascinates me so much, but they do. I think they are amazing and beautiful. These were lovely and sparkled in the sun. Bad photography or whatever prevented capturing the sparkle. Oh well ... they were pretty.

 

 

Namaste, y'all ...

Signs of Spring!

On the way out to check the mail this morning I was most happy to see three of these little fellows ...

 

Bluebird:
Keynote: Transformation. Passage into happiness and fertility.

In an ancient Pima tale, the bluebird is described as having been an ugly color, but then one day it found a sacred lake where no water ever flowed in or out. The bird bathed in it four times every morning for four mornings, singing a sacred song. On that fourth morning, it came out of the river with no feathers at all. When it bathed itself again on the fifth morning, it came out of the sacred lake with its blue feathers. The bluebird became a symbol of transformation through sacred song and sacred acts.

In the Pueblo tradition, great importance is placed upon rituals and ceremonies honoring the six directions. In the Niman Kachina ceremony, the bluebird represented the southwest direction. The southeast and southwest directions represented the rising and setting of the shortest day; thus the bluebird was a symbol of the setting on the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice. Hence the bluebird is considered a winter bird, but it often indicates that each day that follows will have greater sunshine.

The bluebird is also often considered a spring bird, representing the movement out of winter into spring. It is a bird of transition, of passage--from winter to summer, from child to adult, night to day, barrenness to fertility.

In the north the appearance of the bluebird heralds the coming of spring. Its habitat is one of open fields with scattered trees and is one of the few birds that has benefited by the spread of agriculture, and thus it is often a sign that we will also benefit from the agriculture within our own life. The things we have planted and the seeds we have sown will come to fruition.

Among the Pueblo, bluebird feathers were used to promote snow and ice, moisture that will bring new growth. Because of this and other similar associations, the bluebird is also related to fertility on all levels.

The bluebird is a guardian of all passages and transitions that we make or are about to make. We speak often of the bluebird of happiness, and this is rightly so. It makes our movements more fertile, productive, and protected so that we can attain the happiness we need in life.

When the bluebirds show up, we are about to see a change in the climate. Darkness will soon fade and more sunshine will arrive. Our own fertility in our endeavors will increase, and our passages and movement in all endeavors will be protected. Those things or people who had hindered our endeavors will find themselves bogged down in their own "ice and snow."

*Animal-Speak/Ted Andrews
Keynote: Modesty, Unassuming Confidence and Happiness
Cycle of Power: Winter and Summer (changes of seasons)

The bluebird is a native of North America. Although once common, they are now quite rare. This often is a reminder that we are born to happiness and fulfillment, but we sometimes get so lost and wrapped up in the everyday events of our lives that our happiness and fulfillment seem rare. When bluebirds show up as a totem, it should first of all remind you to take time to enjoy yourself.

Bluebirds are part of the thrush family, and you may wish to read about thrushes to learn more of the bluebird. The males are entirely blue, while the females are blue only in the wings. Occasionally there will be some warm reddish tones on the chest as well. Pay attention to the colors and where they are located. This will provide some insight.

To the Cherokees, blue is the color of the North, while in many magical traditions, it is the color of the East. The edges of many Jewish prayer shawls were often the color of blue. Blue is associated with the throat chakra and creative expression. Blue is symbolic, so ask yourself what blue means to you personally,.

The idea of the bluebird being symbolic of happiness is fairly recent. The concept has developed more within this century than any other time. As far as I have been able to discover, the bluebird did not play any major role in Indian myths or tales.

This bird always has a plaintive song and modest, unassuming appearance. Its shoulders are hunched up when perched, giving an impression as if ready to dive. This can be symbolic of a need to work hard and play hard. Are you trying to shoulder too much responsibility?

To the Pueblo, bluebirds are considered winter birds because they descend to the lowlands with the snow and cold during that season. This transition from winter to summer is dramatic in the area of the western home of the Pueblo. It is a transition from great coldness to summer heat.

This is symbolic of a passage, a time of movement into another level of being. Specifically, it is connected to the transformation of a girl into a woman, and thus the bluebird is also sometimes connected to puberty rites. This, of course, has connection to human fertility and a new confidence and happiness in coming into your own.

Other Pueblo rites revolved around the use of bluebird feathers as prayer sticks. They were considered beneficial for snow and ice, and for bringing the summer rainy season. There are also rites in the Pueblo tradition that tie them to the fertility of the land.

Bluebirds are gentle and unaggressive. They do not push or bully other birds, but they are very scrappy when threatened. They have been known to put to flight jays and even larger birds. Their homes usually have an entrance facing South, the direction for awakening the inner child. If a bluebird has come into your life, look for opportunities to touch the joyful and intrinsically native aspects of yourself that you may have lost touch with.

***************

Even though it's only 37° and the weather is calling for more snow later in the week I can't help but feel thrilled to see them. They are what I consider a sign of Spring coming 'round the corner. It can't get here soon enough!

Namaste', y'all ...