Tag Archives: family visits

Reinforcements.

Posted on April 5, 2013 | 5 Comments

             On this wildly wet and windy Friday (yes, it’s all of those things here right now, trust me, I was out in it for what seemed like a freaking lifetime), we are going to begin with my last April calendar view.  I know nothing about the featured country, but this image is outstandingly beautiful.

Gullfoss Falls, Iceland

Gullfoss Falls,
Iceland

             I DID just find an interesting (and interestingly translated) bit of history (or perhaps folklore) about the location though.  Go HERE, it’s a super quick read (and a better picture).

             In the card altar room, our daily draw is from that stack without a guidebook,  simply a reverse-side notation.  It echos the affirmation we received with our Gold message, again: validating.

self-care

“Dreams  ~

Think big!

There are unseen forces ready to support your dreams.”

             I love this message, I’m just not a huge fan of the disembodied bits and parts floating around the scenery.  Still, I go back to appreciating the words, and then just glance away.

Today’s Deck:

Self-Care Cards by Cheryl Richardson

             As good as I am at tuning in, and channeling with various oracles and Tarot (most recently in several readings that were focused on past lives), understanding the planets (other than on a VERY basic and remedial level) is still challenging.   I cannot express to you all how happy I am that Corina brought us Sarah and her site.

             Having proper tools to access the lessons/mysteries, and aid our progress along this journey, is essential.  The more help we can get the better.  Here is an excerpt from her latest posting.  Go read the entire thing (HERE) when you have a moment, it’s detailed and phenomenally well done.

“….. So what does Neptune look like when it can just be itself, no holds barred?  In a word: love.  It looks like love.  It is love.  Trouble is, we rarely know what that means, so we might mistake some things – such as neediness or attachment – for love, and overlook love in some of its less obvious guises.  These first ten days of April are an opportunity to learn more about love and to discover some of its less recognisable faces…..”

             Since we know that love is the basis and the foundation for us being here (that, and helping others, as well as ourselves) then now being aware of this opportunity is VERY exciting!  The fact is, knowing MORE is simply BETTER for us all.

Today’s Mileage:

was, as I mentioned, rainy and uncomfortable, to the gym and back for 8.931 miles at 9.4 MPH in 56 minutes and 30 seconds.

Today’s Sharing:

is from my Hurricane and her brother.  First up, she sent us THIS, because apparently we needed ALL of these.  And J.D. took a phone photo as soon as he’d arrived in Seattle, at THIS place.

Time warp, most welcome.

Time warp,
always welcome.

             The accompanying text said, “seriously, who has keys like this anymore?!  I love this place!”  Me too, Jade.  Me too.

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Is it already Sunday, AGAIN?!

Posted on March 3, 2013 | 12 Comments

             We all know how my relationship with Time is erratic (well, many things about me could be described that way).  So it should be no surprise to anyone that I have just now begun flipping calendar pages.  The rainbow selection is okay, not great, but perfectly fine.  I’m just not really drawn to the savanah.

madagascar rainbow

Madagascar. Apparently.

             Or whatever this terrain is here in Morondava.  So we’ll just move on to the other one that is also fine, but not necessarily terrific to look at.  Fortunately, the sentiments are beyond wonderful.

affirmations, march

“I choose to move beyond where I was when I got up this morning . . .
and open myself up to something new.”

             It goes on like this, down the side of the gridded page:

“I choose to live my highest awareness.

I choose to remember that every problem has a solution.  And to know that this, too, is something I can deal with.  Because I choose to look at a situation in this way, the present problem is a temporary thing to me.  It is something that I am working through.

I am a good person.  I choose to let go of feeling sorry for myself.  I am willing to learn the lesson and to open up to the good that the Universe has to offer.

I choose to be willing to change.  I accept the fact that I will not always know how things are to be worked out.   I can trust and I can know.

Everything is working out for the best.  All is well.”

             For what is remaining in March, I am going to stop along the hallway where this is hanging and repeat it daily.  I love it that much.

             On our card altar, the daily draw message makes a lovely accompaniment to this affirmation.

wulfenite

“Wulfenite  ~

preservation, duality, psychic awareness

Your powers of perception are strong at present and you will experience a heightened awareness of others’ thoughts and intuitively understand their motives and actions.

By drawing this card you are being encouraged to follow your feelings and instincts.  Rely on your intuition rather than on what others say – follow your gut feeling, for in doing so you will preserve the integrity of a project or situation which is dear to your heart.

In this instance, you are being encouraged not to listen to the conflicting opinions of others; listen instead to the guidance which stems from your own soul and all will work out well.”

Today’s Deck:

Crystal Oracle Cards by Toni Carmine Salerno

Today’s Travel and Visit:

we went to see my parents.  To deliver library book requests and for Dan’s first grill of the year.

knitted scarves and slippers

Please notice that the doll has a new scarf, with matching slippers.

             We were, later, joined by Emma and Ryon.  An added bonus to our day.

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Varied Entertainments. (With a late addition.)

Posted on July 13, 2012 | 7 Comments

             I’m going to begin this post with my activity report: no biking in the (moderate) heat for me this afternoon.  We had some erranding to get done before Dan left for work, and a bit more tidiness had to happen (in preparation for our guests) here in The Burrow.  So instead, I walked later on.  My five mile route.  Very nice, very energized and pleasant.

             I haven’t marched along that entire circuit in a while, and there were some changes.  As well as wonderful (and meaningful) finds.

eugene streets

The first penny.

            There was another one right after this.  And before I spotted them, there was this on the sidewalk.

feathers

NOT a color found in nature.
Here, anyway.

             I also saw two plates while I was out, but one I had to capture in stealth mode.  Damn nosy neighbors!

license plates

             It looks much less suspicious if I just have my phone out, than when I’m standing at the end of someone’s driveway aiming a camera at their car.  (Whatever.)

govt plates

Light and shadow play,
unintentional bonus.

             Other foreign plates were: Minnesota (you can thank Daniel for that one), Colorado, and Montana.  That’s it.  I guess all the track fans went home.

             One of the things I was thinking about while I was out today was how my attitude has changed over the past almost-year.  My feelings about movement in water have always been positive, but now I’m more a fan of so many types of outdoor activities.  Odd, just plain odd.

oracle cards

“Pleasure  ~

Do something just for fun.

Pleasure is one of life’s essential nutrients.”

             I’m not quite to the point of walking for FUN yet.  But I’m close.  I went out this evening because I knew I needed to move more than I had done earlier in the day.  (Evidently cleaning is a calorie burner, news to me.  I just know I still hate it.)  Other than the cats in this one, I don’t mind the illustration too much.  The colors and tones are very nice (except, again, for the animals).

             When we do things that make us feel good, we are uplifted.  When we do things to help others, we are uplifted.  All of the things I keep reading say, and I’m finding it true in my own life, that when we move around, we are also uplifted.   So, really, there is no reason why we can’t help ourselves to feel improved, if even for a moment.

             Speaking for my own emotionally tumultuous self elf, I’ve been doing all three of these.  Preparing things around here for Han’s visit, going outside and moving around, and later on, when my work is done, reading for my own entertainment.  They all help, briefly.  The cool part is, they help for longer and longer periods of time.

             In gratitude news, I’d like to thank everyone who passed my info along.  Thank you.  For sharing that the work I do is valid, and for showing up here every day to see what my next ridiculous move will be.  I appreciate it more than I can say.

             ACK!  This just in!  My computer is coming home next week.  I am SO excited.  There will be pictures, I promise.  (Thanksthanksthanks Michelle and Barbara, my sisters-in-California.  Again.  Some more.)

Today’s Deck:

Self-Care Cards by Cheryl Richardson

             Oops, almost forgot.  When Barb* was here I took her past the pool, and we gaped at one of the yard projects I’m keeping my eye on.  Here’s the progress report as of today.

*Go to her place and take a peek at her summer adventure pictures.

hilly yards

Lookin’ good.

             Everything on the left side of that driveway (which is not painted gray, and is not a plant or tree) is new, including the cement, the stairs, the big deck-porch dealie, and that pop-out entry way.  I wish I knew them, I’m dying to see inside.  (And walk up the steps, too.)

LateNight Travel Update:

just got word that my Hurricane was driving through a thunder and lightning storm with the dogs in a rental car.  Her ETA is about the same time her father takes lunch.  Yipee!

             Here is our Daily Dog (crap I hit PUBLISH before this went up).

helper dogs

Max!

             It came via text from Emmy while we were madly trying to get shit done.  “This is what helping looks like.”

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Full day plus double message.

Posted on July 1, 2012 | 9 Comments

             Oh we are a fun bunch.  Traveling with Dan and one of the kids is a bit of a new experience for me.  For so many years it was us and them, three of them.  The last Grand Adventure down here was with Empress (and Max, of course), this time it’s with J.D.  When we were in Seattle it was all Hanna all the time. Spending time with my witchlings, one on one like this, is different for me.  Good, but different.

deer

Our urban zoo freeway.

             Here is what Daniel spotted from the deck while I was racing around the house trying not to forget shit.  I sent him out there with the compost so Emmy wouldn’t have to deal with fruit flies while we were gone.  (Turns out, all this NATURAL eating creates lots of smelly, highly biodegradable, waste.)

shadow box painted ladies

WANT!

             While we were driving, ever more south, my sister-in-law Michelle sent me that above view of some artisan’s work on Pier 39.  They were touristing it with Auntie Kris (and Son) who is also here for the Blessed Event.  Oops, have I NOT told you all about the wedding?  Remember that Dan has two sisters, right?  Younger version (aforementioned Mick) has one daughter, Sara.  Her.  She’s getting married today.  To Robert.

Medford

Ivy COVERED house.

            We stopped for fuel, both people and car type, right before we hit the state line.  Across the street (because ya know, we had to take a short constitutional around the parking lot) was a row of businesses.  Way cool history here, I’m sure.

big sky

             There were angry looking clouds.  Which we thought were so picturesque that we needed to document them.

guns and lighters and knives

My son unloads his pockets.

            And then we arrived.  It was late, so we didn’t stay up long (wedding!).  The Inn here is quite full-up so Jade slept on the couch.  Here (above) is the coffee table near his make-shift bed.  Right, I don’t try to explain it, merely share.

The Emperor and the Queen of Wands

Emperor and The Queen of Wands

             This is a nice couple, so much balance here.  He has the foundation (4) and she has the energy (wands).  It gives us a nice example of how working together can get big projects done.  He has an inner strength, as well as the knowledge, needed to accomplish anything.  She has a glowing inner core, a warming radiance that welcomes and cares unconditionally.

             When we apply these elements to what’s going on in our lives right now, we will be guided by their team-work and cohesion.  Allow them both to help, it’s what they’ve arrived specifically to do.

Today’s Deck:

Robin Wood Tarot

            The Daily Dog is a double.  First Rocco and then Tess (who got into my room today and ate some people food that didn’t belong to them).

small dogs

NOT napping this time.

             No shot of the non-dogs (which, to be fair, my glorious and considerate hosts keep hidden from me, as to avoid any stress on ALL of us) and I couldn’t get a view of Lucy Liu the Shih Tzu.  Maybe tomorrow before we leave.  (But don’t hold your breath.)

large dogs

How can she still be hungry?

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Pointedly.

Posted on April 12, 2012 | 16 Comments

             As I sit down just now to type, my Hurricane is in the air, whizzing over the land, heading back to her boy and her dogs.  I have been alternately sobbing and distracting for hours now.  Will it EVER not be like this when she leaves?  Or do I ask you guys that every time?  Impossible for me to remember right now.

            Let’s leave the crying behind and move on with more distractions, shall we?  We had what was probably our best visit in all the history of her coming-home-since-she-moved-away-from-home.  Our time* together was festive, it was silly, it was loving, it was therapeutic, it was educational, it was nourishing, and it was simply what every mother would love to do, for and with, her children.  There are no words to describe how grateful I am to the babies who chose me for this painful/joyous adventure.

*Our time together was also too brief.  But then, it always is.

              Would you like to see some of the gifts Han gave me?  Of course you would, and it’s a great transition towards what I want to discuss today too.

             Even though I am still reading Beck, this one by Kathy will be next.  And since I own it (THANK YOU Hanna!) I’ll be able to make notes in the margins, attack it with Post Its and highlight the hell out of pertinent passages.  I am SO looking forward to starting it.  (Here is the article on it that will tell you more, in case you’re curious and I’m taking too long.)

             The weights and DVD kit go along with the Kimberly Fowler yoga work-out she sent down with Emmy last month.  My hope is to incorporate them both into a daily half-an-hour.  What needs to happen now is a refocusing on the Programme.   Using the conversations I’ve had with J.D. recently, all that I’ve learned from Hanny this week, plus Em joining me in the pool on as many Wednesdays as she can manage, along with the new Clean Eating and Lean info, there is even more progress I can make.

             That re-committing, re-aiming my sights, was one of the ideas I zeroed in on to distract while I walked my full-length five-mile Route this afternoon.  There were also the lovely signs of Spring to catch my attention too, though.  Like this sideyard belonging to one of the cottages.

             They have a metal cut-out, like the horse decoration from the other day, but this one is a frog.    Another thing I noticed up there was that the For Sale house is not any longer.  I never saw a Pending sign, so I’m not sure whether it sold or not.  I hope so. 

           And speaking of homes, Empress has a new plan for hers.  She wants to buy one.  And we’re all for it.  She can’t afford to lose any more thousands of dollars on stupid rental deposits that don’t come back or get fucked up because of selfish idiots.  Plus, she hates moving.  The next step is talking to some professional folks who can help her get going on the banking end.   We already have some irons in the fire, so fingers crossed that this goes smoothly and quickly.

Not worried a bit.

             When I become overleaped with emotion about my children, I’m never concerned with whether they are in danger.  I hardly ever panic about their safety.  Those are not my worries, which doesn’t mean I can’t use the reassurance.  Apparently this was JUST what the Universe thought would be the best way to distract me as well.

“Safe Travel  ~  St Christopher

This card signals a safe passage and lets you know that St Christopher is by the side of the one who is traveling.  This trip is blessed by the angels, who will ensure that all the details are taken care of.  The transportation, luggage, meals, and accommodations are being overseen by Heaven, so the way is clear for an enjoyable trip.

This can also be a message that it is time for you to take a trip.  Have you been hankering for a relaxing vacation?  Is there a place that you are drawn to for research or business purposes?  Is there a loved one whom you would like to visit?  If so, this card is a validation that it’s time to set this plan in motion.

People have long carried St Christopher medals to ensure safe journeys.  He became the patron saint of travels because of his occupation, which involved carrying people across a river.”

            Dan wore a really nice St Christopher medallion for years before we found the right pentacle pendant for him.  This is one of my favorite saints.  Well, honestly each saint is kind of my favorite for their own individual reasons, I’m not sure there’s a saint I’m NOT overly fond of.  I mean, really.  They are saints!

             As I transcribed this definition though, it really rang true that this particular travel experience WAS quite blessed.  I am more grateful than I can say for the time and effort everyone expended on my behalf, and on the behalf of our entire family.  Seriously, this was one for the record books around here.

             (Oops, forgot to mention, if there are words here that don’t work well for you, please feel free to switch them out for more comfortable choices.)

  Today’s Deck:

Saints & Angels Oracle Cards by Doreen Virtue

LateNight Link:  you guys have GOT to listen to this week’s podcast, recorded right here in The Burrow (while I was sleeping).  I haven’t heard it yet, but apparently, it’s a banner event as well.

 

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