My Contribution

I've been pondering how best to respond to the Peak Oil crisis (now that it has actually arrived!) in my own life. How to best cushion financial blows, and build resiliancy into our daily life.

I done a couple things, like reducing energy use ALOT (saves money right off the bat!), keeping up my canning skills, and cleaning with simple products like vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda...growing my own herbs and tomatos, and learning more technical stuff, like home maintenance and Norwegian embroidery.

But at other things...not so much. I've tried to drive less, but since both my parents live at least a 45 minute drive (in opposite directions!)..a teenage daughter who is extremely busy with a summer job and social activities..and my job as overall errand person for the family - I've completely failed at it.

In September, I may need to look for another job - but maybe then I can also work on getting on a bike for the near errands. It's a start!

Summertime...

is when I tend to get some stuff done. Unfortunately, it's also coincides with the busiest work schedule for the part-time/on-call job I currently have. Be that as it may, I'm excited about OCF this year, they've got a new Art Nouveau style logo for this year's fair, it's very pretty!...and I will be going alone, (for the 1st time ever! so I can just wander around and do whatever I want, when I want. I'm contemplating getting a 3-day entrance bracelet, even though I'd probably only go 2 days. You get in a smidgen earlier and you don't have to worry about keeping track of 3 days of tickets.

I'd like to attend the Faeriworlds Festival during Lughnasa, but it's also the same time as REACH's Paint & Repair-A-Thon, so there will always be a conflict...I'll just have to decide one year to go!

Finally, I've been following Lunaea Weatherstone's blog for quite some time...at last she put up some new Goddess Rosaries, (you'll need to scroll down just a little to see them all), and I bought one! I'll put up some pics once I receive it...she also has a great ritual for a "Spiritual Bath", which is easy and fun. I plan to get a colorful bucket (like the pink one she has a picture of), and use the flowers from my pot garden. The miniature roses are just coming into bloom (both pink and yellow),as well as the thyme, parsely and lavender. Soon the Easter lilies, along with some California Poppies and Calendula I recently planted should bloom, so I can have several "Baths" all summer long!

Workin'

Wow, the May full moon's come and gone already and the Rhodie's are in bloom! We'll be visiting the graves this Sunday for Memorial Day and working more on the house to get it ready for painting. My Bleeding Harts are in full force as well, and I'm enjoying all my herbs...still have to plant some seeds and tomato plants a neighbor gave us.

....am excited for Midsommer this year, and hopefully will be able to celebrate Lughnasa as well (it will be in the middle of my full working months...). I read in Cunningham's Encylopedia of Magical Herbs that some folks make a blackberry pie to mark the holiday. I think that fits in perfectly with the seasons around here, although I prefer cobblers to pies!

It actually got hot a couple days ago, into the 90's! Seem like we went straight from late winter (it hailed just a couple weeks ago) straight into full summer! I've changed the decorations around the house from May Day to summertime fruits...it's sure nice!

Ok, A Fun Post!

* The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
* Each player answers the questions about himself or herself.
* At the end of the post, blah, blah blah...this is all Swinebread's fault!

Ten Years Ago I Was

Working long hours at a stressful job and being a single parent to a crazy fun kid!


Five Things on Today's To Do List

1. Something (said w/a Kids in the Hall simper...)

2. Finish weeding the front flower bed and buy some barkdust for it also.

3. Recover from yesterday's drive to Everett..

4. Figure out what the hell else is happening this week.

5. Housework.


Things I'd do if I were a Billionaire

Build a bill ol' house (ranch) in the country...with the whole off-the-grid renewable energy thing....

Start a charitable foundation and give loads of money away to education, environmental causes, Theater groups, and social justice organizations.

Have some blow-out parties for friends and family at our "ranch" for all the 8 Wheel of the Year celebrations (Mabon, Halloween, Yule, Candlemas, Easter, May Day, Litha and Lughnasah).

Start a collection of Native & Historical Dress (Norwegian Bunads, Scottish Kilts, German/Swiss Volktracht, Mountain Man/Metis wear, French Norman Paysan & BOURGEOISIE RURALE, as many 1930's repro's as I a lay my hands on...etc.)

Visit Norway, France, Ireland, England, Switzerland/Austria, New Zealand/Hawaii, Japan and anywhere else that strikes my fancy.

Work on my French, learn Spanish, relearn my German...maybe pick up Russian, Classical Greek and Classical Latin...maybe some Norwegian too


Three Bad Habits

(these are the same!)

1) Food
2) Daydreaming too much
3) Not enough exercise


Five Places I've lived

Santa Clara CA, Washington DC, Saltillo Mexico (6 months), Portland OR


Six Jobs I've had in Life (not in order)

1) Hotel Maid & Schwimmbad Putzen!
2) Operations "coordinator" for overseas ER response.
3) Undocumented English Teacher.
4) Fille au pair (glorfied babysitter or "nanny").
5) Bookkeeper
6) Many, many Food service jobs...


I'll tag anyone that reads this blog and feels like doing it...

Amazing Dream!

...and the answer turned out to be 42! (My future age upon my birthday this year)...

I turned a really negative, increasingly dystopian dream into something VERY empowering! I finished it, consciously, in a most positive and satisfactory manner just after I woke up! I remembered almost all of it, and could identify many aspects as I went through it several times in my mind (mostly to secure the memories..which I will post later in a shortcut)...as well as spontaneously interpreted or "deduced" you might say, it's larger message at the same time.

Which is don't let yourself unconsciously acquiesce to society's games...and don't let a bad decision set you on a dead-end course...change it!

This gives me such a boost for the future, that no matter what happes, even if it's bad-I can change my approach, use confidence in myself and my decisions to go for what I want!