We have much to cover this evening JulieLanders. A very busy day for Daniel and me. There were recipes to try, dinner to make, and errands to run. We were our usual ridiculous selves, all over town.
First, an update on the Bat Tree. There are now three to choose from. And he’s got another almost done. This is turning in to such a fun project. I just need to make the tree more presentable, right now it’s still twigs resting horizontally across the mantle. Not as aesthetically pleasing as I would like. 
Right, I know you can only see two here. But trust me, there are really three. I just can’t get them all in a decorative arrangement with the sticks being so Willie Nelson and un-tree-like.
We saw some foreign license plates while we were erranding: Minnesota, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado. Not the best round-up but certainly not the worst lately. We also observed some very festively dressed folks too. As I said, we make our own fun, but the residents here in River City help us out just by being themselves.
We watched another new episode of Alton Brown this weekend, but we were not thrilled with what he did to lasagna. So we created a baked dish that was more to our liking. Very cheesey, with noodles and some Italian sausage we had in the freezer. Turned out great. Sadly, we cannot say the same for the other task I demanded of my kitchen slave requested nicely of my husband.
These are the lemon yogurt muffins that Kris shared recently. Ours didn’t quite, uh … muff all that well. Thank you, to our adopted daughter from Oz, for converting all of the measurements. Unfortunately Daniel didn’t notice that the oven setting was still in Celsius, so he sort of started out the baking on way-too-low. Once he figured it out, he adjusted. But by then all the lift had gone away. Did not make them any less delicious, just a wee bit more dense. (Which equals better, as far as I’m concerned, all those light fluffy foods are just too airy for my tastes.)
This is the April page on my out houses calendar. 
Pretty cute huh? I am so enjoying these this year. The waterfalls one hasn’t been as entertaining, but then, we still have eight more months, so I’m hopeful.
Yesterday I saw that Dan Savage gave an update on how the new book version for the It Gets Better Project had hit the New York Times bestseller list. I was SO happy! The link is still current <—— over there. The new plan they are working on is to get a copy in every school library across the country (and internationally as well). I think this whole thing is just fantastic. Support it if you can, and make sure you’ve signed their on-line statement. The more noise we create around this topic the more kids we can help.
Our card today is from that unusual deck called The Celtic Shaman’s Pack, and we’ve drawn one from The Totem Beasts category. The message is a very welcome one. (Now, I have to go upstairs and clean up the aftermath of my Beloved’s kitchen enterprises.)
“The Cow ~ Plenty.
The head of a white cow with great upsweeping horns looks out from the card.
The cow was a symbol of richness and plenty among the Celts and wealth was judged by the number of cattle one possessed. There is also evidence of the healing properties of cow’s milk, making this totem an important source of well-being.
There are more than a hundred words relating to the cow in Gaelic – an indication of the importance of these animals in the Celtic world. Wealth was judged in cows and many well-known stories are concerned with the theft of famous cattle, which invariably gave rise to the fighting for possession of the animals.
Both cows and bulls represented plenty to the Celts and it is not surprising to find accounts of the sacred origin of such beasts. In Ireland three wonderous cows arose from the sea. A whole collection of lore concerns the Crodh Shith, or faery cows. These were believed to live beneath the oceans. Like horses and dogs of the Otherworld they were often white or speckled, with red ears and frequently seem to have been hornless.
The cow was also inextricably linked with the Goddess Bride or Brighid (later St Bridget). In many depictions she is shown in the task of milking. This may well have something to do with the Goddess’s connection with healing. Cow’s milk, especially that of the white cows, was said to possess healing properties. In one ancient story about a battle between the Britons and the Irish, in which the latter were losing many men from the effect of poisoned arrows, a famous Pictish druid named Trosdane told the Irish to fill a pool with the milk of 150 white cows. The wounded men then bathed in the milk and were cured.
Journey: Travel to a cow byre where stands a great white Cow of wondrous proportions. Take up the silver pail, in which there is milk from this sacred animal. Drink the foaming draught, having first poured an offering to Brighid. Feeling tired after your travel and drink, lie down in the straw and sleep beside the Cow. Dream an augury* of Brighid and on waking promise to build a fire to her in your own hearth (or garden, or quiet mental place) and to keep her flame bright in your heart.”
*Augury: an omen or precognitive vision of what is to come.
Late night update: the team that lost yesterday won today, so things are better (than they were last night at this time) in DanLand.
Even later: I tweeted about this, but I’d like to toss out the additional reminder that there is a poll up, here. Go now and give your opinion (open-minded, kind-hearted, and generous individuals only please, which of course means all who reside in or visit JulieLand), also Fokker has totally been on a biscuit since she got back from the Hinterlands of Outer Where-ever the hell she went. Be sure you are checking in with her daily.
