I won't be checking in here anymore or posting.   I can be found at the new covenspace site under the same name, or at Pumpkin Hill.   I hope you will all come be my friend at the new site!

Harvest Gathering will be held on September 27 & 28th at my house. That is the LAST Saturday in September.

Please RSVP if you think you can make it!

I have space available for sleeping, plus  ton of camping space in the yard.  It's getting a wee bit chilly, but nothing too bad.  Please bring a sweater or hoodie though, it might get cold sitting around the fire or when you first get up.

Time Line: 

Friday: Come if you want, nothing planned, but we can have a fire and I always have food.

Saturday: Please try and arrive EARLY! Ritual will be at noon  (but we like to talk a lot, so come and chat before hand and help us set up)                                                                                  

 After the ritual, we will have lunch and relax a bit.  

Afternoon:  We plan to have a book share, so bring your books and we can browse and talk about them.    Tarot cards or other divination methods can be brought also, as Merle will be talking to us about what she has learned and maybe giving a reading or two.                                                    

We also welcome you to browse the garden, consider a hike to Tannery Falls, or just sit and chat in the late afternoon.  One of the girls coming is planning to bring her Crystal Singing Bowl and show us how it works and the beautiful sounds in makes. 

We will be preparing "Stone Soup" for supper.  Everyone will have a part in the preparation and you are cordially invited to bring something to put in the pot.

S'mores and hot chocolate/Tea by the Bon Fire will round out the day.  A good winter will be had by any who successfully jumps over the bon fire, but knowing men like I do, yoare better off waiting until morning when the fire  dies down to attemp this!

Sunday: breakfast and yoga and talk about our own meditation techniques.

After that you can hang out and chat or head out for home.

Please Bring: Warm Clothing....your own blanket....any books you want to share......any divination cards to share....a specialfood item to put into our soup (you choose what to bring)....a yoga mat or towel for the yoga session....email me for food contributions for other meals....your camera.

Remember: cell phones don't generally work up here.  After I get your RSVP,  will give you directions and our phone number.  I hope that you will join us for this fun event!

I was thinking this morning about a day 7 years ago.  I was lounging in bed, waiting to get going ad get ready for an event I was working at for a club I belonged to...we were serving lunch to a group of tourists as a fundraiser.  I was watching the weather, I think and all of a suden, it sounded like a sonic boom or explosion had happened somewhere.   Every window in the house rattled and bowed inward.  Luckily, they didn't break, but it was odd.  The phone rang and my usband told me to turn to the news.   We lived in Alexandria Virginia and the Pentagon had just hada plane crash into it.   Ed was in North Carolina workng at the time.  After a couple of hours he called again and asked what I wanted him to do, Isaid "come home".  He and a couploe of other guys managed to get one of the last car rentals available and drove home.  Our son was stationed at Fort Meade, right accross from the Pentagon.  Some of his unit, though not him, thankfully, had to be on body detail, dragging bodies out of the building in the coming days.  Sam's fiance was in a panic because the area hit was where his step mother worked...luckily she wasn't working that day.

The thing that struck me was the fact tht all my life, I had been brought up with the fact that America had never been attacked on it's own soil. How concieted we had grown, how smug we were.  I will never think like that again.  I remind myself of those thoughts every year.  Life as smug complacent Amercans, would never be the same again.  My tribute to the day is done, thanks for listening.

It nearly frosted last night here! Yikes - I have to start cleaning up the garden I guess. Those of you who are coming to the Harvest Gathering should remember to bring a jacket and long pants so you don't get chilled in the mornings.  On te other hand, the evening will be nice with a cheery bon fire! 

So far for the Gathering, we will be having a main meal of "Stone Soup", a luncheon b-b-q, yoga, a ritual, a ok discussion, tarot reading and perhaps a demo of a Crystal Singing Bowl.  All ideas and thoughts are welcome to help make this another special Gathering of Pagan friends.

We are headed to a country Fair today! I am excited as I haven't been to a fair in at least 10 years.  I was the 4-H leader for our little town and they used to compete at the local county Fair each year.  The kids learned a lot, and the prize money would pay for their rides on Children's Day and by volunteering at the 4-H building, we were given passes to get into the Fair.  I always liked the animals and the craft displays. 

Ed goes to Virginia next week, so I'll have time to get some craft work done.  It's a good thing since my crafting partner found us a consignment shop to show our wares in.

The Addiction:

An addiction is all consuming.  It makes you plan your whole day around it...you have to make sure you have your drug of choice, you have to plan and take time to use that drug. You need to find a space for "it".

My Addiction is smoking, and it is a giant time suck....you have to have equipment, money and space for it.  You time your day around a "smoke break" (or 40)...it stinks, it's messy, it's unhealthy...but you always think "do I have enough to get by for the next day".  Then there are the non-smokers to think about and the fact that you are ruining your health.

I have quit before, when my kids were little.  A hypnotist came to town and we went.  I worked for 10 years...until I met and fell in love with a smoker.  5 moved and two step children later, I was smoking along with him.   I quit when Sam was pregnant with Evan, but when she went into labor, I picked up a pack of smokes and puffed a trail outside the hospital waiting for her to deliver.   I quit again when we put our house on the market...I wanted a new start, better health and I needed to not stink up the house while we were selling it.  Unfortunetely, the day we moved, Ed ticked me off big time and left his smokes in the truck when I took off....seemed like a good idea at the time.  However, as an offering to the Godess, I decided to quit again on September 1st.   There is another guy in town (my friends Dad) who wants to go with me to the hypnotist, so I'll at least have company.

Now, the count down is on and it makes me nervous....it makes me "panic smoke", lol.  I have done this before and it's not so bad, but I find myself puffing frantically and worrying.  I will use my Wii Fit and suck on lollipops and be fine.  My house will look better and smell batter and I will feel a ton better.  I won't have to worry about finding a place to smoke, buying smokes, making time to smoke...but still, the thought of giving them up makes me panic.

Addictions of any kind, SUCK !

Have a great day!

I went to two places today that were just down the street from each other and found absolute disappointment in both places. I found a beautiful store that was basically a consignment shop for local artists and craftsmen. It was lovely, well laid out and the man was both helpful and friendly. Unfortunetely, he is going out of business. Just down the street I went into the healthfood store...after walking right by it. The had no "healthfood store smell", no bulk herbs, no loose herbs, no granola (except for a few prepackaged boxes of granola cereal), it wasdirty and the help was ...um, UN helpful. Unfortunetely, they are not going out of business. I guess I will be ordering my herbs on line. Ah well...I woke up from a nap having a horrible nightmare. I was having the biggest arguement ever with Ed. It's probably a side affect of going off the meds. I'm hoping some cleaning therapy will help. lol

Have a great day tommorrow.