Magic happens to me all the time. Sometimes I give it a little encouragement, and sometimes I’m in the right place at the right time; flowing with the river, living in the groove, letting go of expectations and just being joyful in the moment. However it happens, I live in gratitude of the playful nature of the Universe.
I did a tarot reading for a woman a few years ago. There was nothing spectacular that came up for her, good or bad. Just a few odd things that made me question if I was really listening that day. One of the messages I received for her was that she would be coming to a fork in the road; my interpretation was that she was coming to a crossroads in her life. But there was no emotion tied to it, just a “flat, even place”, was what I told her.
Afterwards we had coffee and chatted a bit. As she left to get into her van that was parked in front of my house I saw her bend over to peer at something on the street. A moment later I heard her howl with laughter. She came running up to me on the porch–with a flattened dinner fork in her hand. Someone had dropped their fork, and someone else had run over it!
Now if that isn’t a playful Universe, I don’t know what is! I am grateful for laughter!
my job in the greenhouse
the cooler temperatures of fall
the color of crystal clear seas
the smell of apple pie, baking
the taste of joyful abandon (that would be an apple, still warm from the afternoon)
and the wisdom that comes from children.
This repost is for pure enjoyment–and to remind me of happy times…..
Waking up this morning was a real tragedy…well, not waking up, but climbing out of bed. I am a crone; old. Pain in the back, achy legs, knobby knuckles that scream when the temps drop below 30. It was 18 degrees when I got up; in addition I had 4 house quests over New Year’s, one of them a darling and vocal 15 month old, and they just left yesterday afternoon. The combination became a deadly concoction for anyone within arm’s length.
Treading slowly down the stairs, feeling my bleary eyed way through the dining room toward the Great and Mighty Coffee Pot, I could see where my day was going. The great beast Diesel was extra happy to see me. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Diesel-dog—all 130 lbs. of him, but cheese and crackers! Do you have to bowl me over, sweetheart? Really? Do you have to give me those big sloppy kisses so early?
My significant angel offered to take the dog out. She had seen the look in my eyes before and delicately scooted out the door with him, giving me a few minutes of quiet. I carefully poured the coffee into my morning mug, slide my way along the wall toward the old kitchen table, and eased the arse into a chair. Breathing deeply, I began to savor the warm, nutty scent, giving myself permission to take it slow.
The phone rings. ‘yes’ to the grand-daughter. ‘you can stay with me for a couple of weeks. Sunday?’ Don’t get me wrong here. My grand-kids are the most amazing people in the world, but I am not awake yet and the thought of two weeks with a teenager, with very little warning, is a little more than my crony old brain can handle…at least yet. ‘call me back this afternoon, sweetie. I love you too!’ mmmm………
Back to the coffee. Just as I lifted the cup to my sleep-parched mouth, Diesel and Donna come romping in the door, followed by the neighbor man. ‘can he borrow the chainsaw?’ The hair on my neck stood up (matching the rest of my bed head). Oh no, this can’t be happening. At 8:30 in the am? They didn’t come too close and when I nodded my head, I heard her tell him, in a hoarse whisper ‘better wait till 10.’ I imagine I looked like Jack Nicholson when the Witches of Eastwick decided to dump him.
Ok, so you get the idea. Ever have one of those days? It starts out grim and goes downhill? If I ever needed some practical magick it was after today. No wands or secret spells, just a plain old-fashioned recipe. Midnight Margaritas! It’s called changing the energy, booting the bad in the ass, calling in the happy. I’ve included the recipe for you, along with a little feel-good music to help things along. Btw, you don’t need a bad day to enjoy!
Midnight Marguaritas
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz. Tequila
3/4 oz. Triple Sec (or Cointreau)
Splash of Sour Mix & a dash of Lime juice
Directions:
1 1/2 oz. Tequila
3/4 oz. Triple Sec (or Cointreau)
Splash of Sour Mix & a dash of Lime juice
Shake with ice & serve in a salt rimmed glass on the rocks
or strain to serve up
Add more liquid and blend with ice for a frozen variation
Garnish with a lime wedge
Sour Mix
Whisk one egg white in a medium sized bowl until frothy.
. Stir in one cup of sugar.
. Add two cups of water.
. Squeeze enough fresh lemons for two cups of juice.
. Add lemon juice.
. Stir all ingredients well.
. Pour liquid into container large enough to hold one quart.
. Seal and store in refrigerator.
My last days at the greenhouse for the summer season were stinking HOT! After the big blow of 2012, the straight line winds clocked at 89, and the searing 104 degree temps, I am so ready for a siesta. That’s one hundred and four degrees in NW Ohio. O. My. Stars. From Wikipedia***
A derecho (/dəˈreɪtʃoʊ/; Spanish pronunciation: [deˈɾetʃo]; day-RAY-cho) is a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms. Generally, derechos are convection-induced and take on a bow echo form of squall line, forming in an area of divergence in the upper levels of the troposphere, within a region of low-level warm air advection and rich low-level moisture. They travel quickly in the direction of movement of their associated storms, similar to an outflow boundary (gust front), except that the wind is sustained and increases in strength behind the front, generally exceeding hurricane-force. A warm-weather phenomenon, derechos occur mostly in summer, especially during June and July in the Northern Hemisphere, within areas of moderately strong instability and moderately strong vertical wind shear. They may occur at any time of the year and occur as frequently at night as during the daylight hours.
This storm tore up my little Midwestern town. Many people were without power for 6 days. I was lucky and only had to deal with three days without my guilty pleasure-air conditioning. We were lucky and had no damage.
Mother Nature has a mighty hand and I am reminded of her power when I see this:
This is just one of hundreds of trees that were shredded, had tops blown off, or completely uprooted by the powerful winds of June 29.
After driving around to help friends and neighbors and seeing the devastation, I come away with the renewed awareness of the tenuous hold we have on “normal”. I have never been one to put too much faith in ‘normal’, believing instead that each of us has a divine destiny and although they differ, all paths lead in the same direction. But this is the year that life may be altered on December 21 and watching the climate changes, freaky weather, and the atrocities that humans heap on each other, I begin to wonder if we don’t have some kind of tilt coming, a ‘hump day’ so to speak, when enough of us are ready for change to make the change happen.
That’s a good thing, if the majority is ready for peace. But what if it tilts the other way? What if the majority of us is tired of our neighbors eccentricities, our governments’ rants, our dying planet? What if….?
I am grateful for ice cream, grandchildren’s messy kisses, friends that stick by me. What are you grateful for? What will you do on December 21, 2012? What majority do you belong to?
I cannot believe it’s been almost 10 days since I’ve posted. But that’s summer at the greenhouse. I’ve been working, working, working all the time and I am so grateful for my job there. I am also grateful for my partner’s health, my rotti’s beauty, and the fact that most of the time I’m old enough to know better.
A lot has been happening…lots of changes, all good! I went to visit my daughter for a few days in North Carolina, then on to visit my spiritual sister in western NC. Loved it so much I took my partner to see it; it looks like we may have found our new home! Exciting and scary.
Since we are in the Growing Tide (Spring Crossroads to Summer Solstice) I am focusing my thoughts and actions towards manifesting the perfect home in Black Mountain. When trying to produce such a complex thing, it takes a lot of visualization and clear thinking to let the gods know exactly what we are looking for. Size, cost, location; all are important to me. My partner picked the name from the map, saying it sounded good. She repeated it several times during our travels, unwittingly answering a subtle call from this little town outside of Asheville. So we drove there on a beautiful spring morning and were both instantly in love.
We toured the town and now have a good grip on the energy and vitality of the land. Stopping at a little bistro for lunch, our waitress just ‘happened’ to have recently moved there and during our conversation we discovered several options for finding a house. These little synchronicities are so important in following your bliss. Flowing with the river, dipping into the magickal realm and listening closely for clues is the secret to manifestation. It felt right, and so I did my part and set the ball in motion, so to speak. With realtors phone numbers, pictures, receipt from the bistro, and a sprig of dogwood laying on my altar, I let go and let the powers that be do their thing.
Moving is a very big deal, as most people know, especially when I am beyond the hump in my years. But the advantage of being older is that my faith is stronger. Years of experience have taught me that allowing things to happen in due course is the best way to find a peaceful path. So! I am slowing packing, still letting go of unnecessary possessions, and waiting with joy for the next clue!
“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”
~Albert Schweitzer (1875 -1965)
German theologian, musician, philosopher, and physician.
