January last day and the Wheel of the Year welcomes Imbolc

  In the last days of January winter finally arrived in north central Florida bringing temps in the mid 20's and hard frost for several mornings.  It doesn't last long, a few days and then the temps rise again though last week the temps hovered around 55.  It's nice to have a few brisk cold days to remind me in the land of perpetual green that it is indeed winter.

Imbolc comes on the tail end of freezing nights and the Cailleach is slowing releasing her hold on the winters cold.  The first dandelions have started to appear along my driveway several already 3 feet tall with the tiniest of yellow flowers and white puffs of cottonlike seeds.  The tree beside my driveway once filled with bright red berries has given way to dry brown berries which seems to happen at the end of winter here in my corner of the world. Tonight it's only suppose to drop to 39 degrees.

Recently my next door neighbors cut down all of the trees in their backyard so I've added an additional bird feeder to the backyard. There is quite a bit of bird activity in the trees and the feeders are visited on and off through the day. Early morning the air is filled with birdsong before dawn and then again about 10 in the morning when all sorts of birds let me know if the feeders need a refill.  I have been blessed with cardinals, though very elusive eventually I may get a photo or two.  

I finished the hand embroidery on The Moriae, or the Greek Fates “spinners of fate” controlling the lives of humans in pieces of thread. Clotho spun the thread, Lachesis handled it, and Atropos cut the thread at the end of one’s life.  I thought a fitting piece for this hand embroiderer.

  I was ambivalent about using the 3 shades of pink floss in the end I am happy with the piece. I decided the eyes should be a haunting blank white. 

After much thought I decided I wasn't going to do a Goddess a month challenge or any other theme of the month challenge this year. Now that I am recovering from the ills of 2020 and half of 2021 I don't need the personal challenge to keep me stitching. I'm confident I will keep stitching among other activities that I missed during that dark time and I continue with projects that I have put on hold unto I felt well enough to work on them.  I will still do a few goddess pieces throughout the year, in fact, I have the Morrigan prepped and ready to stitch along with a new Greenman piece.

I have several new books to read and a few that have been waiting on my to be read list currently I am reading Gateway to the Crone by Jude Downes, I had started this in November but had to put aside all 

reading because the online shops were so busy I only had time for short spurts of stitching, my brain was too tired to retain anything I read. Does that ever happen to you?  You read a few pages or a chapter and can't recall a thing you read.

I also started reading Yemaya by Raven Morgaine, this was a Yule gift from a friend so it's on the top of my list.                                                         

Well it has warmed up to 56 so I am off for a nice walk in the park.