New Years Eve 2023

 Here we are on the last day of December 2023, the year has had it's ups and downs for sure yet all in all a pretty good year.

I am taking part in a few stich a longs this year, the first is the Woven Wreath with Kathy Schmitz a designer I have admired for years.  I purchased the preprinted fabric from Spoonflower the moment I first saw the Instagram post and knew I wanted to start the year off with a simple project.

I will make one slight change and use Valdani 6 stranded floss instead of the Perle cotton, it's just a personal choice.

I will be starting the American Cancer Society's Walk 31 Miles in January.  I am looking forward to this walk not only to raise donations, I also want to increase my own walking ability.  Since the late spring I have had spine and leg trouble reducing my daily 2 mile walk to days I didn't walk at all to short walks.  I would like to be at 2 miles a day again by February.

Another challenge I'm doing is the 2024 Library Love Challenge, I did this challenge a few years ago. The first book I will read is The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl.

I will continue my Walking the Wheel of the Year journey in 2024 with plans for at least a weekly post. 

I wish everyone a safe and Very Happy New Year and look forward to see you here in 2024!

May the Goddess bless you with love & laughter to lighten your days,
and warm your heart & home.

May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.

May the Goddess bless you with peace and plenty and bless your world
with joy that long endures.

May all life’s passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Refreshing My Blog for the New Year

 We are less than 2 weeks from the new year it's a great time to refresh this blog. It has suffered for a while mostly due to illness and a few life changes and also for those that have followed my blog I began a Walking the Wheel of the Year Journey in 2023. Observing changes in nature in my own yard and neighborhood.  I had chosen a tree in my yard that I was documenting the seasonal changes during the year when the tree service I hired to take down some dead trees in my yard accidentally took down the Holly tree I was observing. I was blogging my wheel of the year on another blog As the Crone Flies. I had considered combinig the two blogs for awhile than about two weeks ago I could no longer upload my photos to the word press site, I believe the universe was telling me it was time to combine the blogs.

This year I'm planning to make changes to my wheel of the year journey.  

I will continue to add post about my hand embroidery which brings me great joy and a deep state of relaxation to an almost meditative state.

I follow a goddess path pagan lifestyle which I will continue to write about.  If you are new to this blog here is a link to my other blog As the Crone Flies to get an idea of what I posted there: https://deborahsasthecroneflies.wordpress.com/  

Mostly it's just what I am doing in my life, the usual ups, downs, ins, and outs of daily living.

Currently I am finishing these  2 little polar bear ornaments the hand embroidery is complete and I am putting them together.  By the way these photos were deemed to large for the other site.  The pattern came from an Etsy shop The Hoop In Hand.  

I am currently reading The Witching Year by Diana Helmuth, which I just started yesterday. And the Spirited Kitchen by Carmen Spagnola.

There has been so highs and lows in 2023 which I am planning to remedy in 2024, currently I have  ongoing back and leg problems which with the help of the Orthopedic center doctors I am hoping to repair or at least improve without surgery.  

I have always been an avid walker beginning each day with a 1-2 mile walk, the last half of the year my daily walks have been reduced to short walks and at times not walking at all.  I miss those daily walks and I'm determined to start them again. In fact, tomorrow I am going on a pack walk volunteering to walk a shelter dog around Silver Springs park in the morning, along with my son and daughter in law.

I just hope they have a dog that is as slow as I am lately. I will surely post about it here.

One change in my life this year include a change to my mostly healthy eating habits, by making even healthier choices including more plant based meals.  I say mostly healthy because sometimes I throw caution to the wind and just eat something not too healthy like a slice of pizza, or a hamburger.  I have several obstructed arteries so my fats intake are fairly low so junk foods are out of my diet, though if I really want it I will eat it.  I know my life depends on the healthy food choices but some days you just have to have what you crave.  I don't give into the craving right away I will usually put it out of my mind but if I still crave it a week later I will give in.

Another change in my life is to put in a garden, most likely raised beds because of my back, right now I have a few potted plants but my heart wants to garden. While I may not have the dream garden below this year, I think it's something to hope for in the future.  Right now a raised bed or two would be enough.

I do dream of having a garden like the photo above but right now I will settle for a garden like I had back in Spring of 2013.

The winter solstice has passed so each day will grow a little lighter, may your hearts be warmed by the rays of the sun.

Right now the hour is getting late and I have some stitching to do.  Tonight's Christmas Eve Eve moon is shining brilliant over my roof top.

I welcome you to leave comments, ask questions and follow along on my journey.

Winter Solstice Blessings and a very Happy Yule.

 May this Winter Solstice and the Turn of the Wheel bring you Love, Peace and Good Fortune in the coming Year. Let us Welcome the returning Sun with Hope and Joy. It only gets brighter from here!

Brightly burns the Yule log tonight,

Magic dances in firelight.

Hold my hand and join the song,

Raise the Sun King bright and strong.

Dark is giving way to light,

As brightly burns the Yule log tonight.

“So the shortest day came, and the year died,

And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world

Came people singing, dancing,

To drive the dark away.

They lit candles in the winter trees;

…They hung their homes with evergreen;

They burned beseeching fires all night long

To keep the year alive,

And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake

They shouted, reveling.

Through all the frosty ages you can hear them

Echoing behind us – Listen!!

All the long echoes sing the same delight,

This shortest day,

As promise wakens in the sleeping land:

They carol, feast, give thanks,

And dearly love their friends,

And hope for peace.

And so do we, here, now,

This year and every year.

Welcome Yule!!”

– Susan Cooper, The Shortest Day

Samhain Blessings and Happy Halloween to All!

 

Welcome Mabon!

 

The fall equinox aka Mabon, the first day of autumn arrived on Saturday, September 23, 2023, at 02:50 A.M. EDT in the Northern Hemisphere.

Yes! Autumn has arrived in north central Florida with the morning a cool 60 degrees at 7:00 a.m.  I love stepping out my door when the air is dry and cool it actually feels like autumn, though in a few hours it will be 85 or so but my walk this morning, though slow and painful filled my thoughts of cooler days to come.

I am set for the spinal injections on Thursday morning and believe me I have been counting the days down, it's been a very painful few months so I'm hoping this treatment will be effective.

I wish everyone a Blessed Mabon and a Happy 1st day of Autumn.

Here is a Little Besom/Broom Magic for Mabon.

You will need:

A broom or besom Don’t worry if it isn’t a traditional besom, any broom will do as it is always intent that is important. If you have no broom collect a bundle of twigs and tie them at the top with Twine or ribbon to make a hand broom shape. The besom/broom is a potent symbol of hearth and home, found in some form in almost every household. It is a traditional magical tool useful for everyday charms as it has the imprint of its owner firmly on it. Sweeping is a natural gathering gesture.

Ribbon.(A piece of green ribbon (for abundance), a piece of gold ribbon (for prosperity and gathering) or ribbon in harvest colors would be equally suitable.)

A Spring of Mint. Ideally a sprig of mint from your garden (but you can get this from any supermarket), or dried mint – put it in a pouch. The mint represents abundance and plenty.

Take your broom and tie your ribbon around the stave or top. Tie in your sprig of mint or securely fasten your pouch. Take your broom outside, place both hands on the stave and focus on your intention – gathering in your harvest for winter. Turn slowly three times in a clockwise direction then start to sweep towards your door saying:

By one, two, three and four, sweep Mabon gifts to my door. May abundance be a constant friend, by my hearth till Winter’s end.”

Repeat this three times, then take your besom/broom back into your house and put it in its usual place. You can leave the ribbon on for as long as want to, for a lunar month, or until winter is done. If you have made your own broom you can place it where you consider the heart of your home to be. The mint can be returned to the earth with thanks.

If you do not have an outside space you can sweep from your front door inwards to either your kitchen or hearth using the same charm.

The broom I made last year at a local broom making workshop, I plan to take it again in October.

Welcome September

 

I am not sorry to see the month of August end, it's been a very long hot month ending with a hurricane. Luckily Hurricane Idalia blew through quickly with a light steady rain most of the day.  By evening the clouds passed by enough to give view of the super blue moon hanging high above my rooftop.

Not the grandest of photos but in person she was brilliant and a welcoming sight after all the rain we had during the day.  In fact, for the 2 days after the hurricane we had more rain during our afternoon showers than we had during the storm.

This morning while the sun was rising once again the moon was hanging in the sky, shining brightly waiting for the sun.

I completed the hand embroidery on my Mabon piece and just need to add some buttons and the fabric backing.

The pattern is from a coloring page I purchase from an Etsy shop I changed out the center motif which was an apple and replaced it with a goddess.  She will be holding a pumpkin once I add the button.  Originally, I was going to have her hold a sunflower but after showing the 2 choices in a Facebook group as seen in the photos below, the pumpkin seemed to be the way to go.

Later today I will add the buttons, the sunflower will be placed between the two cornucopia motifs.

 

Lammas Blessings and a Happy Lughnasadh!

 

Demeter, Lady of Fruit and Grains,

of ripening suns and harvest rains.

I call to you, Mother, hear my plea,

Bestow your Blessing here on me.

Lughnasadh Art is by Bonny Hut

Time Whirls by.

 I put the last stitches into the goddess Morrigan embroidery piece. I put off stitching her for nearly 2 weeks because I only had two strands of the wool floss I used for the wings left and didn't think I had enough, I ordered more and it came Friday so I finished stitching it yesterday and guess what? I had just enough to finish the piece without using the new stuff. I guess I should have kept stitching instead of waiting believing I didn't have enough floss and it would have been finished. Next time that happens I will use up the last bits I have on hand then go from there. Here she is before I iron it.

Apparently the L4 has moved out of alignment and is causing all the pain, and I have quite a arthritis in the spine as well. An MRI is scheduled for Tuesday the 27th, in the meantime it's a round of steroids to hopefully reduce the swelling and relieve some of the pain. Anyway it has a fancy name spondylolisthesis.

If the doctor would have listened better a few months ago when I saw him for my knee pain and I described everything that was going on he could have addressed this much sooner and I could have had less pain filled days. I had already told him about a previous back surgery for the L5 for the same reason and this is a pattern with the condition.

On the up side the steroids have helped with the pain and I am hoping that possibly physical therapy could be an option before another surgery, but I know I have been suffering with this for over 2 years so that may not be an option.

It has been a long hot July with some high points, I turned 68 on the 1st of the month and had a lovely lunch out with my son and daughter in law, my sister found a house back in PA and is moving at the beginning of August, since she lost her husband a year ago in June she has been so miserable, she has family and friends and when she was there in March it just felt like home to her.  I will miss her and my niece Tessa and wish them all the best, we had lunch last weekend to say our goodbyes.

Lammas Ritual For Gathering In Abundance.

 Lammas begins on Monday at sunset, perform this ritual anytime over the next few days.

You will need:

A Broom or Besom

Don't worry if it isn't a traditional besom, any broom will do as it is always intent that is important. The besom/broom is a potent symbol of hearth and home. It is a traditional magical tool useful for everyday charms as it has the imprint of its owner firmly on it. Sweeping is a natural gathering gesture.

Ribbons

A piece of green ribbon (for abundance), a piece of gold ribbon (for prosperity and gathering)'

A Sprig of Mint.

Take your broom and tie your ribbon around the top. Tie in your sprig of mint. Take your broom outside, place both hands on the stave and focus on your intention - gathering in your harvest for winter. Turn slowly three times in a clockwise direction then start to sweep towards your door saying:

"By one, two, three and four, sweep Lammas gifts to my door. May abundance be a constant friend, by my hearth till Winter's end."

Repeat this three times, then take your besom/broom back into your house and put it in its usual place. You can leave the ribbon on for as long as want to, for a lunar month, or until winter is done. The mint can be returned to the earth with thanks.

If you do not have an outside space you can sweep from your front door inwards to either your kitchen or hearth using the same ritual.

Image: Lane Brown art

Time Gets Away From Me

 It's days after the Summer Solstice and weeks since I have added a proper post, time has a way of moving so rapidly I can barely keep up at times.

The tree service actually showed up on June 10th to take down the dead tree in the backyard and to trim some limbs dangerously close to the roof. They did start off cutting down the wrong tree which felt like my heart being cut out. The holly tree along the driveway that I was observing as part of my wheel of the year observations is nothing more than a stump.

I at first thought one of the workers was trimming the overgrowth at the bottom then to my horror the tree fell forward, when he removed his ear muffs I told him that wasn’t the tree to be cut down. 

They apologized several times as I walked them around the yard pointing to the tree with the orange ribbon to be cut down, the nearly dead tree, showed them the trees that need the limbs trimmed and went inside while they set to work.

  

At the beginning of June I began a little summer solstice stitchery project to make mini goddess wall hangings. I used an enlarged plain bellied goddess sticker from the ones Molly Remer of Brigid’s Grove provides with other resources for the 30 Days of Goddess practice.  

I traced the goddess onto yellow felt added a spiral sun to her belly and proceeded to embroider the piece. The 2 goddesses look identical but they aren’t I used a different embroidery stitch on each of the goddesses.

Last Saturday we had very heavy rain which continued for several hours so I cancelled my plans for a day at the beach with my sister and great niece and began another little goddess stitchery.

Once again using the enlarged goddess sticker this time I traced it onto muslin fabric and began hand embroidering it. The following photos show my progress as I moved my hoop around and stitched. She will eventually be a prayer flag.

The definition of a prayer flag, in this context, is a piece of cloth that is decorated with an image(s) and/or text that has special meaning to the maker. Making and hanging the flags is a way of speaking an intention out loud and expressing it visually, tangibly—a way to keep the important things in life within view. The flags hang outside for a period of time, and I love how they fade and tatter as they are affected by the wind and rain.

Most of the time I have an objective before I start a flag. Other times it develops as I stitch. I find making these flags almost meditative.

I have made many prayer flags over the decades, most of my flags were for specific people who were going through a difficult time. Other flags were for a trait that I wished to embody. Still others were for far-reaching hopes: a starving country, or a universal wish such as peace, hope, and love. These flags have become sort of a journal of my life, and they all share the common theme of leaving the world a better place. I’d like to believe that the wishes/intentions on my prayer flags are carried by the wind to be shared with the person receiving it.

Here are a few tips if you want to make a prayer flag of your own:

• Use a piece of light-weight fabric so it will blow in a breeze. (An old pillowcase can be cut into six or eight flag shapes).
• Leave the edges unfinished, to catch the breeze.
• Leave a space at the top so the flag can be attached to a string or rope.
• Use any markers, art supplies, ribbon, yarn, etc., that are handy. Enjoy the work!
• The flag may be silent or include words.
• Don’t worry about the flag wearing out or raveling. The earliest prayer flag makers hoped that was a sign that the prayers were lofting toward the Universe!

I am making slow progress on the Greenman but I finally moved the hoop up which is a sign of progress.  

I don't know why I'm taking so long stitching this piece, I did put it aside for other projects and then forgot about him for months.  I started this in April of last year along with the Moon Flow piece by Cozy Blue, which I am happy to say was finished earlier this month and sent off to it's new owner just in time for Litha.

This morning while walking the yard for my Walking the wheel of the year journey I noticed a new bloom on the gardenia shrub.  I don't know if it was all the heavy rain we had for the past 2 weeks but seeing the flower brought such joy to my heart.

There are several more buds on the shrub which makes me hopeful and happy, in the winter I noticed the roots were coming up out of the garden bed but it wasn't a good time to move the shrub so I covered the roots with potting soil and the stones in the bed, then all the rain came and washed away the soil and stones.  I imagine all the rain was enough to feed the roots for the flowers to bloom again. I want to either transplant it in the autumn or dig her a deeper hole to keep this from happening again.  When I first moved in June 2019 she was full of blooms and this year she had a few flowers in April and nothing by mid May.

I am slowly getting myself back into the garden, since moving here injury or illness has kept me from putting in the garden I want, nothing elaborate just something I can tend to through the seasons, herbs vegetables and a few flowers. So I began to propagate a few herbs and a pineapple top, 2 avocado pits and to my surprise somethings are showing promise.

Above is the pineapple top, basil and avocado pit all showing the start of some roots.