in my garden today...

Hello, lovelies...

I spent a little over an hour in the garden earlier today.  Above you can see the first bud of the season on my lady of shallot rose.  I had cut it way back last month, cleaned up the pot and gave it a boost from my rose fertilizer spikes and it has just exploded with growth and makes me so very happy.

This is the plant below.  In the blue/green pot on the right, which I usually plant with veggies I have several tree saplings coming up.  I'm planning to pot them up to see if I can get them to grow so I can hopefully plant them in the woods in a few years to help block the security lights from the building behind the woods. (Or, if I find my dream home and move take them with me and plant at my new home. 😊)

While I was working it started to rain, which felt wonderful as the humidity was ridiculous and felt like breathing through soup.

I went down to check on the new fleur bed and I *think* I see some sprouting things.  Gosh, I hope all those seeds will sprout.  I NEED fleurs!

Did I tell you about my new muck boots?  Aren't they cute?!  They fold down and can be worn 3 different ways and are super fabulous! I have large calves so it is hard for me to find boots/wellies like this.  Luckily, someone suggested I look at The Muck Boot Company and I found these on sale. 

Now I need to find a tray or something to keep them on by the back door as they sure do get dirty.

My spinach is growing nicely.  Yay!

Below you can see where I've cleaned out the veg bed and started prepping it.  I need more manure and planting mix to increase the depth, but other than that it will be ready for planting tomorrow.  

The black pot has the lettuce I started when I started the spinach.  Well, that's what I've been working on today, between, watching the news, my usual everyday stuff and waking up a few hours late.  I swear it takes me 3x as long to do things than it should and is very frustrating.

I'm glad I gave up when I did and came in (I worked in the rain for about 40 minutes) because about 30 minutes later, the bottom fell out of the sky, and we had very heavy rain.

I think that is it for me today.  I've a bag of limes I need to juice/slice/zest and freeze so I need to head to the kitchen for a bit.

I hope you are having a good week.  What are you up to this week?  Any exciting projects?  

Thanks for reading along...

love & magicks

~*~

 

april...

Happy April, my friends.

A short hello today as I'm completely distracted by Senator Bookers filibuster.

I hope that you are all having a great day.  We're moving from the 60's for highs today to 85+ for the rest of this week.  Crazy stuff.

Well, I'll be back tomorrow with a more interesting (I hope) and longer post. 

love & blessings

~*~

downhill quickly...

Hello loves, 

And how are you all fairing on this beautiful warm spring day here in the South? 

That's actually a rhetorical question, because if you read my blog, you have a soul and the only people who would be doing great with the way the world is right now, are people who don't have a soul. 

So...yeah... let me rephrase...

Are you okay?  Are you safe? Do you have something to eat and drink? Do you have somewhere safe to be? I hope so.  I hope so with all my heart and soul, as there are so many in the world right now who are in danger, who don't have any of the above.

Wow...that went downhill quickly.  I didn't come to post about sadness and the gut-wrenching insanity that is the current state of the world. but it just kind of fell out.

I know we aren't all okay.  But maybe we are as okay as we can be for now, in this moment, yes?

I came today with a bit of a ramble wrap up of my week and a little something new to share. Onwards I'll go...

I was able to get a photo of the wreath I made for my mum a couple weeks ago that I shared previously. 

This is it, hanging on her front door.  It is made with fake flowers my grandmother (mum's mum) had kept in a few vase displays in her house over the years. It means a lot to mum and to me since it is something we share over grandmother.

I finally, FINALLY finished painting the bedroom.  It isn't perfect and took me a LOT longer than I thought.  Part of that was having to wait for the roller to dry which usually took 2-3 days, and part was not feeling well for a good portion of march.  Damn old new meds!

This morning, I was able to get drapes hung that I found on sale at a big box going out of business sale early in the month.  I'm soooo happy with how they look and how they will help to block the light.

I can't wait to see how it looks tonight after dark.  The shopping center behind those windows have very bright security lights that make my room seem like it is daytime at night.  I'm hoping these help.  If they are too sheer, I may take some black fabric and tack onto the back just to help a bit.  But I really like how they look up against the sea serpent color of my walls.  And the grey matches the grey of a bookcase on the other side of the room.

I'm still working on putting the room back together, which includes a major, touch everything I own and do the keep, toss, giveaway, repurpose thing and consolidating some things.  I will share as I go along and get the room together, I promise.

I have no idea how anyone ever gets anything done anymore.  I feel like I spend hours and hours doing things and only get half (or less) of the quests I've set for my day done.  I've fallen down on all the challenges I gave myself for the month. Except to paint the bedroom. But that's okay.  I'll select new challenges for April (WTF?!?! How is it we are only 2 days from April already???) and see how they go.

This year is my 'see if you can thrift it before buying new' year.  And I have two Goodwill's right around here plus a few other close by thrift shops.  This past Tuesday after leaving an appointment I went into one of the goodwill and came away with these two beauties for $10 (i did the change round up thing).  The floral fabric is what I would consider a house dress type thing.  It is big and very long and I may end up having to cut some of the length down.  But it is beautiful, and I can't wait to wear it.  I hand washed it and let it soak (ok actually I forgot I was soaking it) for a few days and that water was nasty so I washed it again and it is hanging in the shower to dry now.  I wanted to take it outside into the sunshine and warm air to let it dry, but the pollen counts are way too high and I'm really allergic. I might do it anyway for an hour and then use a lint roller to get the pollen off.  We'll see. And I thought the little tray would be a great plant holder.

And lastly that I wanted to share today.  You might remember this post from earlier in the month about my site on Substack honoring the Ancestors.  Well...it turns out it wasn't really a good fit.  

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE substack and have kept my account there and just changed up the name.  The discussions and writings and art sharings (and memes) are fabulous!  Plus, people like Dan Rather, Adam Kitzinger, Robert Reich, Jim Acosta (the CNN newscaster who left CNN rather than blindly play follow the crazy train) and others are posting and giving great information and insight into what is going on here in the US and also around the world.  

There I was, trying to have a spiritual led site to share the guidance the Ancestors want me to share, but I was also wanting to dive into these comments and articles about current events and yes, I may have "restacked" a few (or more) FU tRumP kind of things.  It felt like I was being disrespectful to the Ancestors and also kind of giving mixed messages to anyone who read my posts.  I kept thinking on it and decided to go with a dedicated blog, just for that communication and work the Ancestors want me to do.  (I'm also posting a link to it in the sidebar.)

Well, I think that is all I had in mind to share today.  I hope you'll check out the new blog.  And if you are on Substack let me know or send me a message over there (spiritwitch523). 

If you're still here after all this long ramble, I truly thank you.  Sometimes I feel like I'm just writing this out for myself (and my one stalker, Deb).  HAHAHA Just kidding Deb!!  xoxoxo

To end today, I'll go back to my semi-original question.  Are you okay?

blessed be...

with love & blessings

always & forever

~*~

 

my love of fleurs...

Hello again, my friends.

It's been a very busy week and has taken me longer to get here than I wanted it to.  I've been finishing up the painting of my bedroom and trying to get some work in on the garden.

I've set up a new fleur bed at the woods.  Technically, it is HOA common property, but many people have done things like this, and it won't interfere with the landscaper's work.  I was able to get it sorted and then get a bunch of fleur seeds in the ground.  yay!!

I've planted so many seeds in this small bed and am very hopeful that they will grow.  With luck and love, I'll have a cute little English style cottage garden to pick flowers from. 

Below is my little seed box.

I've got so many old packets of seeds I'd saved from my old cottage garden.  I added some to the new fleur bed and will see what happens.  If nothing comes of it, I'll dump the seeds for the birds later this summer.

All these beauties.  I really hope they take.  I so need fleurs in my life right now.  

I've so much work to do now on the veggie plot and the bedroom side of the garden.  The hydrangea desperately needs to be cut back and the blackberry is coming up like crazy.  I hope to get some time in the veggie bed tomorrow so I can get my veggies planted.  I'm starting from seeds, so...  who knows.

Yes, I'm probably being a bit over ambitious here, but with everything going on in the world, I'm really anxious about where things are headed.  I'm starting to work on my self-reliance skills. Looking into things like solar powered generators, water storage, food storage.  That sort of thing.  Honestly, I'm terrified. So, I'm hoping to grow as much food as I can and learn to can and preserve.  All the things my grandparents knew how to do, that I never learned.  I really should have spent less time reading and more time following my grandparents around as they canned, grew vegetables, sewed, fixed things around the house, etc.

At least my lettuce and spinach are coming up.  

Speaking of which, I've got to run out and cover them as we are under a frost warning tonight.

So that's what I've been up to.  Hope you have had a good week.  I'll try to get back soon with some photos of my bedroom.  I'm taking my time putting it all back together and changing some things.  I'm wanting to really make it very me and have a space I'm very comfortable in.

Anywho...

Gardening plans, anyone?  What about survival skills?  Are you worried about what could be coming with the world in chaos?  Are you ready for long power outages, shortages in food, etc?

I'm very curious and would love to know what type of plans you have, if any.

love & kisses & magical wishes...

always & forever

~*~

yes... I know I'm spelling it in French(?) but I really love the way it looks.

consider me mama bear...

Back in February, I mentioned that you may see some political writing on here.  Well, today is the day, for now.

Part of me has always secretly been ashamed of being American.  I've never been able to accept the way that people have been treated.  We were supposed to be built on equality, but that only seemed to exist for privileged white men. It wasn't just the African people or Afro-Carribean who were enslaved. The Irish, Scots, Welsh, Chinese and Indigenous peoples were slaves as well, but no one talks about that.

When I started doing my family history research way back some 30 years ago, I was always surprised by how few ancestors I found that were slave owners.  I suppose it was because they were quite poor and probably couldn't afford it.  I did find a lot of them fought in the Civil War as Confederates.  I wish I could go back in time and ask them why.  I've yet to come across any old diaries, letters, etc., that would provide any clues.

Growing up, none of my immediate family (aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc.) were out right racist.  At least, not on the surface.  I remember being very young, staying at my aunt's house (she kept me while my parents were at work) and listening to my 3 male cousins (all older) talk about how many "n" were moving into the neighborhood.  My four-year-old mind was horrified.  I asked why they said that, and I don't remember ever getting an answer.

Yes, I am from the south, but I am no southern belle. I grew up in a racist family that tried to hide their racism from the outside world. But I never thought of people as anything but people. 

Okay, I'm veering off topic a little, but the past influences the present, right?  I'm having such a VERY HARD TIME interacting with my family due to the current political climate and some health issues some of them are having.  I don't want to be accused of "triggering" a death or bad episode for those that are ill.  

I cannot understand how someone with a working brain cell, could continue to stand by the traitor in the cake house and his overlord and puppeteer.  I truly believe that all that is happening is to break us down so that when he hands Russia the keys to this kingdom, we are too tired to fight back.

I cannot understand, as the Traitor and Puppeteer are SUCH A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER to the Constitution and the continuation of this country as a democracy, that they are still in power.  Why have they not been removed?  What will it take for the political leaders to step up and have him arrested for treason, inciting insurrection, etc., etc...

I posited this question on substack the other day and the only response was this meme:

Does that mean that I can walk into the cake house and make a citizen's arrest?  Would that work?  If we surrounded the cake house with thousands calling for a citizen's arrest of the traitor, the puppeteer, and anyone colluding with them (ie: republican congressmen/women, republican senators and some dems, his entire staff, every cabinet member)?

Who would do the arresting? Where would they be housed? How can it be accomplished with no violence or bloodshed or vandalism?  I truly think that is the difference between the moogoos and those who oppose the traitor.  One side not only incites violence, but revels in it, while the other would prefer to handle things without violence.

But let me make one thing very clear.  If left with no choice but violence, consider me mama bear and America my cubs.  I think there are a LOT of us who feel that way.

I think the REAL reason we haven't had a woman president yet is because men and women (especially the meek, tradwife type) is terrified of being shown up. The men, terrified of having their legacy upstaged by a woman.  And the women, well, they don't want to realize just how weak they've been.

So... who's in?  Time for the traitor to be removed and executed for his crimes.  The overlord can go back to his country and know that we will NEVER submit to him.  And the puppeteer heavily fined for crimes against the people, have his citizenship revoked and be prosecuted for falsifying the application to begin with, and sent to a black site prison for the rest of his days where he will have no access to anything technological or electronic.  

I am so proud of the countries around the world that are standing up to this insanity and preparing themselves for what could come.  Thank you.  We know you aren't against us, the general populace. But that you stand with us as we figure out how to get out of this situation.

I know this is a long rambling type of post, just what I'm known to do.  But this is important stuff.  This is life and death stuff. Not just here, but around the world.  We need help to fight this.  If any of them come to your country for meetings, have your government arrest them for treason, insurrection, etc. 

Oh, and another thing which I love how is being handled, is countries removing US products from their shelves. I'm using this flier below as my guideline of what I can and can't buy.  I've canceled my Amazon Prime account that I've had since Prime began, I'm refusing to shop in certain stores and trying very hard to find other places to purchase needed items and I'm trying to follow the if it doesn't have to be brand new, then thrift for it.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading.  I hope I didn't go too rage monstery on you.  :-)

thanks for stopping by, 

love & blessings

always & forever

~*~

ps... we'll be back to seeds and gardens and art and collections of nifty things next time. :)

revisiting old things...

I know I promised photos of my seed grab from last week, but I haven't actually had a chance to do that.  I've spent a little time working in the new planned flower bed and most of the rest has been spent either resting (my body is being VERY demanding lately) or painting my bedroom.  I'm thisclose to being halfway done with the bedroom painting and canNOT WAIT to start putting things back in and arranging it.

Today I spent time painting the bedroom and then did something I have not done in I don't know how many years.  Probably not since I left the little cottage with the blue door, so...11 years!?!  Wow.

My mum had given me a bunch of old fake flowers that had belonged to my Grandmother years ago and then asked me to make her a wreath with them.  It is something I used to do for my Grandmother.  I took it up actually to make Spiritual Wreaths.  If you've been with me for a long time, you may have seen some here before. (You can see a picture of a few in this post about halfway down.)

Anyhoo, mum's been mentioning for a while now that she'd really like to have it. So today I pulled out my supplies, the old flowers, some ribbon and the only large wreath I had left and sat at the old card table to see what I could do.  The movements came back pretty quickly, and it wasn't quite as hard as I imagined it would be. So, I put a wreath together for her using old plastic fake flowers that her mother used to keep in arrangements in vases or other strange containers.  

I like how it turned out and how it took less time than the Tar Heels took to beat Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament today. ;-)

Wreath in Progress...

I've already given it to her and hung it on her door to see if I needed to make any adjustments and how she liked it.  She says she loves it, but I don't know if she's just blowing smoke.  She took it down, as she is still using her UNC Snow Man wreath since the Heels are still playing.  I expect this new one will go up as soon as the Heels season is done.

I'll try to get a pic of it hanging on her door at some point and show how it looks.

I had enough of the flowers left that I'm probably going to make a small one for me.  I'm such a softie when it comes to sentimental stuff from family. Plus, it will be pretty for spring.

Tonight, depending on your location, is the Full Blood Worm Moon and Lunar eclipse.  I talked about this on Messages from the Ancestors today, if you'd like to take a look at that post.

I think that's all for today.  I'm pretty wiped out.  It is amazing how tired I am all the time, even if I get a lot of sleep.

How are things where you are?  How are you handling the global situations?

stay strong, 

blessed be, 

love & kisses & magical wishes, 

always & forever

~*~

went absolutely cuckoo...

About that cheesecake...

I believe I mentioned before that my sis-in-law and I are on a cheesecake making binge.  Our first was many, many years ago; back when I was still in the little cottage with the blue door. It was a Caramel Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake and was perfection! 

With that under our belts we went for the chocolate for our second attempt.  Mmmmm.... (click the link for a reminder of what that looked like and the description/link to recipe)

February was my sil's pick and she chose Key Lime Pie Cheesecake, pictured above. The recipe wasn't hard, (we haven't tried a water-bath bake yet) and it looked and sounded great in the recipe. The flavors were great as we went along but I couldn't help thinking something just wasn't right.  It turned out beautiful, zesting by sil, lime twist by me, and when we cut into it, well... it just didn't have the consistency of a cheesecake.

It tasted good, but something was just off about it.  I don't think either of us was happy about it. I'm going to try it again this summer, I don't like to let recipes defeat me.  I THINK I know what went wrong and if I'm right it was something left out of the recipe, but...

Well, 2 out of 3 aren't bad, right?  I get to choose our cheesecake for May and have already picked one that I think will be great.  If it turns out I'll share a link to the recipe for it.  And when I remake the Key Lime, if it turns out good, I'll share and link to it with my adjustments.

Anyhoo...

I'm in the middle of painting my bedroom and making it my own.  I've been really inspired by Kate from littlebohocottage on the utoobs. I love her style and am trying to find my own now.  After almost 8 years, it's time to stop letting this place feel like a rental.  Even if I found my dream home tomorrow, I would not regret making this place more me.  I promise pictures when I can.  

And speaking of promises...I'm still trying to figure out how to get that flip through video to fit on here.  I may just have to put it on my own utoobs and link it here.  We'll see.

I'm off...I have appointments all but one day this week, the weather is going from winter to summer then back to spring, so the garden is calling.  My poor garden was completely neglected last year.  Those blackberry runners are everywhere and I've a LOT of digging of roots to do to try to get them all out. 

I did get these in some pots this past Tuesday and did a little bit of clean up.  Yesterday I spent an hour outside cleaning up an area I had started several years ago so I could have more flowers.  Of course, it's become overtaken a bit by forsythia but I'm working on digging it out and getting it ready.  I was at the garden store for potting soil the other day and went absolutely cuckoo for cocoa puffs at the seed selection. Oh man.  I'll get a picture of them for next time, promise.

I really do need to go; it is late here, and the DST switch really throws me off balance.  I've still quite a few things to do before I can toss myself in bed.

What are you up to this week? Is it garden time in your neck of the interwebs?

thanks for being here...

love & kisses & magical wishes...

always & forever...

~*~