Right, so it’s the weekend. The “weekend” weekend. Still odd. Still kind of feeling not quite correct. But I’m getting there. Today we had to go get headlight bulbs. Or maybe not. Dan’s Testosterone Machine (which is currently packed to the roof top with more of Em’s household belongings) had a light go out last week. Then a couple of days ago one went out in my Wee Walnut. But did it? AFTER we bought a bulb for the truck and an entire new light for the VW, Daniel went, “hey. Ya know what? It COULD have been the fuse.” Jeez. (And he has a college degree in this shit too. It’s a good thing he’s funny…)
He needs to check the fuses now, and we may have to take the headlight back tomorrow. Or not. We aren’t very good at this weekend thing yet. Hopefully we’ll get better.
We are excellent, however, at ordering dinner though. No matter what day of the week it is. 
Looks good huh? It was. (Ignore the towels on the floor behind the sign, they were having some sort of issue with that tank thing, nothing more to see here, no where near the kitchen, move along, the food is fine.) This is a restaurant in our city’s next door neighbor town. (If you ever watched The Simpson’s, which I did/have/will not, then you know the story: Springfield is Eugene and Shelbyville is based on Springfield.) A local family are the new owners, and Empress went to school with the son. He recognizes us now when we come in for To Go orders. Lovely place, super nice folks. 
Great food, and very good prices for the amount you get. We can eat for several meals-worth from just one or two items.
Speaking of my Baby Girl (I have been so much lately, because she’s still homeless, and consequently HERE all the damn time), I realized we hadn’t put up a photo of her lately. And we should. 
I took this picture with my phone (sorry) and she was at work. But it’s cute, and so is she. That’s a new apron she’s wearing, it’s purple. Usually she has spots of water and dog hair all over her, but now they have some much nicer aprons. As a mother, I am very pleased.
The runner’s up from our contest have made their selections, and I’ve stitched them. On Tuesday (because Monday everything will be closed) I will be popping these in the mail to Lora and Kristin. 
Lit Diva needed hers to be more “child friendly,” as she wanted to hang it in her (second grade) class room. Kristin and Bruce (the Seattle Bruce, not the newly tattooed Bruce) thought this was an appropriate seasonal greeting for their home, so I made another one. (Julie Jackson has some new Valentine themed patterns on her website right now, very funny.) Congratulations to everyone, and again, thanks for playing along. I’m thinking of another video idea, so stay tuned. (Lol, get it? Stay tuned? Ah ha ha ha ha, I crack my wee self elf up sometimes.)
Our card today did one of those odd turning manuevers again. I flipped it over but it sort of spun on top of the stack. Didn’t throw it self at me like last time, but it didn’t exactly fall straight up or straight down either. After I saw what it was (and had to read all about it in the guide-book) I better understood why it behaved that way.
It was telling us that we needed the entire message from this one, not simply a quick definition. “The Traditions of the Hind. A female red deer is known as a hind, and this graceful animal was considered especially sacred by the Celts and Druids. In Scotland they are called ‘fairy cattle’ and it is said that they are milked on the mountain tops by the fairies. Others believe that the hinds themselves are fairy women who have taken the form of deer.”
“Hind ~ Eilid (pronounced Elij) ~ Subtlety, Gracefulness, Femininity
The card shows a white hind in the forest in late summer or early fall. Acorns hang heavy from the oaks. The hind calls us to follow her deeper into the woods. Standing in a shaft of sunlight, she appears so elusive we are not even sure if she is of this world.
Eilid brings us the gentleness and grace of the feminine principle. Whether you are male or female, opening to the qualities of the hind will enable you to achieve a greater degree of sophistication, subtlety and elegance, in the best possible senses of these terms.
Deer, and the white hind in particular, call to us from the Otherworld, from the realm of Faery, and invite us to look beyond the material, beyond the realm of causes rather than effects. Poised in moon- or sunlight, Eilid invites us to begin an exploration of the Otherworld, of the spiritual dimensions of life.
Drawn reversed, this card may be warning you to be less self-effacing. Rather than adapting yourself, like a chameleon, to the perceived demands and expectations of those around you, you may need to become more assertive. You may also need to be wary of becoming preoccupied with the Otherworld. Our psychic life has its seasons, and at times it is good and balanced for us to explore the inner mysteries for our growth, but at other times it is important for us to focus our awareness on everyday life. You may have reached a time when an interest in the esoteric needs balancing with a period of outer activity. Do not worry that you will lose touch with the Otherworld, for the magical white hind will always be waiting for you at the edge of the woods, ready to guide you into the heart of the forest.”
Late Night Notation: Stormy remarked that she always enjoys it when my Beloved drops in for a comment, or three. He signs in under different names every time (who the hell knows why, he just does what he does, we don’t question it, but this means he’s constantly in moderation and I have to go yank his ass out, and add something about THIS being him) so you need to go searching for him sometimes. Go back a few posts if you missed his thoughts lately.
Mmmm butter garlic prawn. Maybe I’ll do my own version of that tomorrow.
Em looks good. I’d be apprehensive about working with other people’s animals.
Love Diva’s cross stich. I think I’ll be needing something similar soon but referencing “home” rather than a parent. A few of my kiddies don’t live with their parents.
“You may need to become more assertive” – this is funny for me as I posted recently that I’d decided that instead of being passive-aggressive, it was more efficient to pick one. So I was going to pick aggressive!
Em does so well with all animals I no longer worry too much. Saw her clipping the nails of a huge, and very poorly behaved, dog once when I was in there. She’s an all-being whisperer, otherwise I think she’d probably get eaten alive.
Come up with a family friendly saying and I’ll stitch it! Also yes, I am all for being assertive, and when needed, aggresive.
Your Simpsons reference is reversed: Springfield is still Springfield, Shelbyville is Eugene. If there was any doubt, the Simpsons movie makes reference to their Springfield being “just east of Shelbyville, south of Capital City.” Also, Shelbyville was named using the founder’s first name (Shelbyville Manhattan, once partners with Jedediah Springfield, though they parted ways after Jedediah refused to allow people to marry their cousins in his new city).
Also, Matt Groening sent a picture to then-mayor of (real) Springfield Sid Leiken, which he autographed with the phrase “We know which is the real Springfield” around the time of the premier of the Simpsons movie.
Of course I’m wrong. I won’t watch that show. Only know the local gossip. But thank you, figured one of you would know this.
One of my favorite bible quotes (growing up in a Catholic household imbued me with them in a way that they’re indelibly tattooed to my synapses) is as follows:
“The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hind’s feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.” – Habakkuk 3:19
It’s a reminder to me that somewhere in me lies the ability to weather any storm, the armor I need to face every day and deflect the oncoming foe. And in the midst of all the loving support around me, I need only reach within myself and awake the dormant gifts to lift myself upwards and onwards – as the deer amble their way up the craggy mountain faces.
Sorry. I didn’t mean for this to be a lesson. I’m no longer “Catholic” (for many reasons), but it’s a part of the fiber from which I’ve been cut. It is a good passage, especially with all the “real life” and “facing the dragons” posts floating among the Betties lately.
I’m taking this card too =) And yay for me being mentioned in your post!
P.S. I’ll have the Buttergarlic baked sockeye. But then, I’m a salmon sort of girl.
Stormy, have you read Hinds’ Feet on High Places? It’s a Christian allegory, and the Christian part was just too thick for me to enjoy personally. But the friend who sent it to me has significant health problems, way more serious than mine, and she’s found a lot of comfort in it. If that verse is meaningful to you, then you might like the book as well.
It’s like being a Marine, you are never NOT a Marine. We love lessons here, share away.
Your mention was well worth it, you brought up a good point, he peeks in late, and not everyone notices.
I love the “Save the Drama” one. A lot.
Do you need it on a quilted pillow perhaps?
(This is all your fault ya know…. giving me a book that’s all subversive and shit. You know how I am!)
I <3 my prize!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So glad! I used the design from another chart and graphed your phrase to (not quite, but almost) fit. It’ll be in an envelope with your name on it tomorrow.
Actually, I think Eugene is Shelbyville and Springfied is Springfield.
Em’s so cute. I like her little apron, too. Sometimes when I drive down the annoying numbered one-way street where she works, I see her car parked and I want to go say hi or something but I have no dog to, well, suds.
We stop in all the time, without a dog in tow, just to say hi. Okay, usualy we are delivering food, but you can just go in and say hi.
Oh, oops, just saw that you already got corrected on the Simpsons thing.