Category Archives: Uncategorized

Traveling, second try.

I just pre-wrote this post, and I’m in a stupid noisy place where I can’t concentrate, so it went up, and I had to trash the entire fucking thing.  I am more angry than I can say.

We are on the road, stopped to see a friend of Em’s.  All I wanted to do was share the card and give a bit of an update.  But now, you get the definition.  And that’s it.  Tomorrow we’ll be home.

“Angel Of Communication  ~

Communicate clearly; don’t  be afraid to say it like it is.

One of your major lessons in this lifetime is to learn to communicate what you want clearly.  You assume that those around you know what you want or how you feel.  Yet the truth is that they do not.  Because of your failure to communicate honestly and clearly, those around you often end up confused or, at best, having to guess what it is you want, feel, or expect.  

Do not be afraid to say it like it is.  You cannot lose anything by simply stating your truth.  You do not need to blame or accuse others in order to speak your truth, just state your case clearly.

Underlying this whole issue is a fear of not being accepted or not gaining the approval of others, and therefore you are often afraid to speak up.  Know that it is an act of love unto yourself and others to communicate clearly, lovingly, and honestly.  The Angel Of Communication is here to help you work through this issue.  Through this process you will honour and empower yourself and gain much respect and love from others.”

Today’s Deck:

Angels, Gods, And Goddesses by Toni Carmine Salerno

(Irony du jour, Dan and I are arguing, and FAILING TO COMMUNICATE!)

 

Special, and still visiting.

On this day, 25 years ago, I gave birth to my first daughter.  Here is what I said about her last time.  (And the one before that.)  She is currently dealing with a plumbing situation that will (hopefully) be finished by the time they go out for drinks tonight.  Fingers crossed.

Happy Happy Birthday, Hurricane!  See you in a few short weeks.  (So glad you liked your gifts.)

Matching tote bag, cozy throw, and socks. With a donation on the side.

 For this momentous event, we’ve gone with the Special Occasion deck.  (I did remember to pack that ahead of time.)

“Cockatoo  ~  Illumination  ~  10

Some say that in the beginning there was perpetual darkness – a gentle Void, a blanket of nothingness that tenderly swathed the universal plains.

Within this fertile emptiness the Great Mother stirred, as if waking from eternal slumber.  As though trying to recall some distant memory she began to unfold, twisting and churning, dreaming her self into fruition.   She began to reach out into the darkness as a massive expanse of nurturing energy that seduced everything it encountered, willingly drawing all into her protective Womb.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo’s dark sister, the Black Cockatoo carries the Genetic Memory of this sacred time and, within her Dreaming, helps us to take control of our life by insisting that we grow at our own pace and learn what we need to know in our own time.

She encourages us to just sit in contemplation and wait for the mysteries of our life to unfold without consciously seeking answers.  At the appropriate time, when our mind is still and our heart is at ease, Black Cockatoo passes the torch of illumination to her sister, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.

To have Sulphur-crested Cockatoo appear in your cards is an indication that you are being primed for clarity to dawn in relation to one or more aspects of your life, and for stability to once again reign supreme.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo offers a time of illumination when truths will be revealed, when energy will flow more easily, and obstacles will begin to dissipate.

As a guardian of the East Gate and emissary of the sun, the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo promises a time of mental clarity, clear vision, enhanced intuition, and stability.”

Let’s notice, first off, that the number here is symbolic of new cycles.  As in, a new chapter, a new portion of life, a new beginning in some way.  We’ve started down a new path, this is our validation that we are going in the proper direction.  Remember, when we do this, we are rewarded.

As much as I keep saying I’m not all that fond of birds, turns out, I kinda am.  I love the great big ones, and the (to me) supremely exotic.  Having this one arrive for Han’s birthday is so lovely.

Today’s Daily Dog will be the oldest guy in residence.  And you can usually find him here.

Rocco, caught in a nap.

To quickly up date you on our travels, yesterday we went to a neighboring town, with much history.  Some of it my own.   But most of it actual facts.

We found a quilt shop (which is AWESOME, with Eugene connections!) and a frozen yogurt place.  Then we went to see Cousin Brad, who got Emmy’s phone situation worked out.  Thanks, Bradley!

I want to make one (or five) of these.

Here are a few of the trees in this yard.  (We grabbed some fruit for our breakfast on the first day.)

Front yard lemons.

Dan’s dad also has citrus over at their house.  THAT is one of the hugest things I miss about here.

Back yard tangerines, with Mermaid Water for perspective.

Earlier today we went to a ball game.  Sadly, “our” team lost.  But it was still an adventure!

Seats in the shade with a great view.

And as I’m writing this, our hostess is showing my daughter that Costco has booze.  Oh, look.

Bargain? Buy in bulk?

They also have caskets.  Well, that’s handy to know.

Today’s Deck:

Animal Dreaming Oracle Cards by Scott Alexander King

Foreign License Plates That I Saw In The Coliseum Parking Lot:

Missouri and Tennessee.

 

Visiting: Day Two.

We are having a fabulous time!  Spent yesterday with Dan’s sisters, brother-in-law, and niece.   (Some of them went to breakfast but Empress and I stayed home and did some brisk walking after a quick exercisey work-out.  Don’t be impressed, it wasn’t that strenuous.)  Then we played tourist!

This was taken from the pedestrian bridge as we left the parking garage.  The day was lovely, a bit windy for some, but I thought it was delightful.

Me and a new friend.

It was slightly breezy enough that I pulled my hair back in a braid though.  (I was going to crop this picture, if I could figure out how, but then I decided that I loved the look on that woman’s face behind me.)

Can you see that there are dolphins on this building too?  We enjoyed much wonderful and gorgeous architecture in the city.  The houses on the hills are something I’ve love for lifetimes, even read quite a few books about them over the years too.

It’s a shower curtain.

These are people after my own heart, in that window are pink flamingos and palm trees!

Fruit!

We got some cherries, dried cantaloupe (interesting!), and an apricot (which I’m going to have for breakfast* here any minute now), plus a few other snacks (lots of fudge, which we did NOT get at this booth, but it was wonderful too).  Tonight Barbara and Emmy are in charge of dinner.

*Yes, I’m pre-writing again.  We have another adventure day planned.

We saw this tour group as we headed back to our cars.  Sara (who you can just barely see) and I thought it would be a cool activity.  Not everyone agreed (Emma!) with that idea.

Some fog rolled in.  But I was out there in the sand, barefooted, soaking up my beach time.  Very rejuvenating!  (No clue who that person is, I was just snapping shots in all directions.  Believe it or not, this above view, was the best of the group.)

Thank you Barb, Michelle, Bruce, and bride-to-be Sara for a terrific and nearly perfect day!  (It would have been perfectly perfect if that restaurant supplied the stalls with paper in a more efficient manner, and our dinner waitress hadn’t been quite so less-than-ideal.)

On my make-shift card altar (the dresser-top in our delightful guest room) we got this.

“Goddess of Justice  ~

What seems an injustice is actually a blessing.

You feel that a certain situation in your life is in some way unfair.  Yet be assured that justice, which is the natural state of balance inherent in the universe, does exist.  Justice is actually the universal law of cause and effect through which all in life is kept in balance.

The recent event which you perceive to be unfair is actually a blessing in disguise, here to guide you towards your highest purpose.  It is understandable that you cannot see the blessing at this time, however the Goddess of Justice is asking you to surrender the strong emotions and resentments you have attached to this situation.  Trust!  By letting go of this issue she will help clear your path and create the space for something wondrous to occur.”

Today’s Deck:

Angels, Gods, and Goddesses Oracle Deck by Toni Carmine Salerno

Our Daily Dog, as brought to you from afar.

This is Tess.

Here at the Family Inn, there are three dogs and thee cats (none of THEM I’ve seen yet, THANK YOU Mick!) in addition to the Grand Dog we brought with us.  In the above picture I’m sharing one of them.  The other canine examples are much smaller.  I can’t say anyone is much kinder than this one though, she is super sweet.  And yes, you might also call her large.

Visiting Day, the first.

We arrived!  Safely, and only moderately tardy.  (There really was no time frame, so we technically couldn’t have been late.  The middle of the night is the middle of the night for day time folks.)  Notes I took along the way:

~  Canadians right out of the box!  (By which I meant, right on the freeway not a mile from our house.  Alberta plates.)

~  Hey look, there they are again.  (We had to stop and check on the tarp situation, oh and get those other people I was traveling with some coffee drinks.  Local, of course.)

~  Great blue heron.  (It was flying over our heads.  Gawd I love those things.)

~  This happened.

Not as safe as Nana would like.

And then I apparently stopped noting crap, because there’s nothing more.  Eventually it got dark and we listened to music.  Then I lost my shoes.  (Long story, suffice it to say I set them down when we switched seats, and never picked them up again.  We’ll be purchasing some new flip-flops while we’re here.)

Our card today is from my working deck, the real live on, that I work from.

The Sun  ~  19

We win!  A brilliant shining day full of happiness.  (Also, this is my Son’s card, so that’s cool.)  Glory and triumph are the key words of our day.  Warm and welcoming, shining brightly, that’s our message.

We are reminded to be playful, enjoy our childlike wonder and sense of fun.  Have a good time?  Why, I think I’ll go do that now!

Today’s Deck:

Robin Wood Tarot

 

Travel Day, the first.

            There are not packed clothes, so much as the garments of three individuals strewn across two floors, upstairs, downstairs, and from every cardinal direction of this house.  With luggage near to hand, sort of like charming accessories.  Only limp, and not even close to being tasteful.  (I won’t mention the shoe bag.)

             We leave in under an hour (fingers crossed).  I’ve gone for a bike ride, gathered as many plug-in cords as I can find, set out some snacking items (not all, haven’t located the To Go cooler yet), and Dan’s cleaned the car.  No panic yet, though.  And hardly any bickering.  So far so good!

             There won’t be a Daily Dog this time, sorry about that.  See above mention of half-assed packing job begun.  We do have a shot from last night for you though, as promised.

Some projects.

             These are needlepoint canvases from Kathy, a wonderful designer friend of mine.  I still need to set at least one of those onto stretcher bars, but it might not get done before we leave.  I can just pack up the supplies for that too if I run short of time.  (Ha!  Me and Time, how very amusing.)

            Our last card before I hit the road for this trip (the first of FOUR* coming up!) is actually a stone I’ve heard, and really like.  It’s ocean colored and themed, of course I like it.

“Aquamarine  ~  moderation, energy, tolerance, gentleness, compassion, feminine, goddess.

Whether male or female, you can overcome a current conflict by reflecting upon and applying moderation, tolerance, gentleness, and compassion.  These qualities are not a weakness, rather, they are strengths.  What is called for at present is greater compassion and tolerance coupled with a little patience and gentleness.  It is possible to resolve things in an amicable way to create a positive outcome for all concerned.

As you look back on this current episode, you will realise a valuable lesson.  Compassion and tolerance are a sign of maturity and strength of character.  They are qualities that infuse all with love and light.”

            I really like this definition, it goes so nicely with my New & Improved version of Me.  Also, it’s simply a very worthwhile message and something we can all apply to so many situations.

              Next check in will be from afar.  See you there!

*Yes, this will be history-in-the-making for me.  I’ve NEVER gone so damn many places all in one summer.  Don’t worry, you’ll hear about each adventure as they come up.

Today’s Deck:

Crystal Oracle Cards by Toni Carmine Salerno