new year eve sunset...

 wishing you a happy, healthy, magical new year!

love & magicks

~*~

 

magicks are real...

december already?

wow...

i'm here again, finally.  

so...five things friday? 

1 - i love walking in the woods. it is one of my favorite things and equally as special to me as walking along the shore of the ocean.

2 - sometimes, when i get what i call a 'wild hair' i just go with it and 9 times out of 10 i love the results.

3 - magicks are real

4 - i'm already missing winter. i know to most of the world winter doesn't officially begin until dec 21. but to me, winter solstice marks the middle of winter. living in the south it is hard to really have the kind of winter i love, full of cold weather and tons of snow. so knowing it is almost over makes me sad.

5 - this goes back to #3 above. this week, while walking in the woods, i kept hearing these strange sounds. my first thought was dear antlers cackling against each other. i stopped and looked, but could never find anything. then, i kept wondering if it was the trees creaking in the wind. today i heard the sounds again and still couldn't see anything. i made my rounds through the trees and paths and i kept thinking how much i would love to see a deer. i had the thought (when i heard it again) 'the bucks must be playing. i wish they'd come down where i can see them.'

as i passed onto the last trail, headed back to my car, i heard the sound and it was close. i stopped and looked into the trees. and up on a ridge i saw movement. then i heard it again and saw two young bucks playing! i couldn't get a good look but tried to get a photo (the first photo in the post) but then i stopped and just watched as they played.  it felt so magical and special that i was in tears as i made my way back to the car. 

yesterday i saw a post on IG about synchronicities and how if we pay attention we can see the magic in the world. :-)

so i'll reiterate #3 - magicks are real!

well...that's what i've got for this second friday in december. before we know it, it will be january and a new calendar year.

how've you been?  how was your november? 

thanks for being here...

love & magicks

~*~ 

 

really sleepy...

 a painting from last week, part of my book of days art journaling for last week.

it's been a pretty quiet day. i ran a few errands this morning and spent the rest of the day arting and cleaning the kitchen in preparation for delivery of my new range. my delivery window is 7:30-11:30 in the MORNING. ugh!

on my walk this evening, i had another scary low. not as bad as the last one. i was able to finish my walk and get myself home, though.  maybe i need to eat before i walk. idk...

that's all i've got for today. i'm really sleepy and i need to get up really early to get everything done the delivery.

thanks for being here...

love & magicks

~*~

 

lifeline...

it was a weird day. i had a super early appointment with my diabetes educator. everything was great, my numbers are fabulous. but it seemed like a waste of time. i really thought it was something we could have talked about over the phone. 

before i left i headed down to the imaging department to schedule my yearly boobiesmash. as luck would have it, they had an opening within 30 minutes. so despite not being dressed for easy off and on, i went ahead and signed up. as i was changing my top for the sexy gown, i realized i couldn't find my phone. 

immediate panic mode. i tossed my top back on, ran to get the tech to tell her i needed to go out to check for my phone. she looked through my bag, tried calling it and everything. no phone. we went out to the waiting area and one of her coworkers said they'd found a phone. luckily it was being held at the check-in desk. 

it took hours for me to calm down and i was more uncomfortable than usual having my scans. 

my phone is my lifeline. pretty much literally. it is how i monitor my blood glucose and control my insulin pump. without it, i feel completely vulnerable. ugh...

in an effort to calm down after i arrived home i went to the art table and my art journal. yesterday i'd watch a video about abstract art. so i thought i'd give it a try.

when i was done with the first layer, i hated it. abstract is just not my thing. i've tried it several times and my luck is hit or miss. 

what do i do when i really can't stand what i painted? i paint over it. i usually use gesso, but i went with titanium white. after i covered it i pressed the pages together to give it a bit of texture. i have no idea what will happen once i go back to it tomorrow. hopefully i can find something i like.

so, that was my day today. honestly, my anxiety is still a bit high and my walk didn't help this evening. we'll see.

so, how was your day?

thanks for being here...

love & magicks

~*~

ps...for Debra: i spray my finished painting with Krylon low odor gloss, once that is dry i rub it with a thin coating of wax (tealight or beeswax) and buff it down. it keeps the pages from sticking together. :-)

 

a beautiful morning...

 

a beautiful morning and warm enough for a walk. 

today was for sealing this weeks art journal pages, prepping next weeks planner pages and processing the last of the jalapenos from the garden.

hope you had a lovely day.

thanks for being here...

love & magicks

~*~ 

 

grow softly, slowly...

today was a good arting day.  i spent some time with the art witches on zoom and a lot of time working in my journal. 

yesterdays work settled in my mind, so i'm calling it done (bottom photo)

top photo is what i worked on today. i think she's done.  but, again, i'm letting it sit in my head for the night before i decide.

my new earbuds arrived so i was able to listen to music on my walk, and let me tell you, it makes all the difference to me.

that's my day... hope you are having a great weekend.

thanks for being here...

love & magicks

~*~ 

 

finding a happy medium...

 

five things on this friday evening...

1 ~ an art journal wip i started yesterday (top photo).  after working on her today, i think she's finished but i'll let her sit over night to see how i feel.

2 ~ today's walking skies behind my lovely tree (bottom photo).  i've been having to walk in the afternoons since the weather turned and i really don't like it. morning walks are more my thing, but too cold for me right now!

3 ~ my earbuds that go with my phone have only half worked for the last month or so. yesterday they kept sending shocks into my ears. i took them out and most of my walk yesterday and all of today was without music. :-(   (i have new earbuds on order and will be here tomorrow!)

4 ~ i'm trying to find a happy medium. all the things i want to do seem to get lost in time. painting, knitting, reading, walking, writing, yoga, cooking/baking... so many things.  then there are all the adulty type things like cleaning/paying bills/etc. 

5 ~ my fingers and hands (and mind) are craving playing in clay. i brought some home today and hope to get my fingers in it soon, maybe even tonight.

hope you are having a lovely day...

thanks for being here.

love & magicks

~*~

 

 

walking through fallen leaves...

one of my favorite things about autumn is the sound of walking through fallen leaves. i love that crunchy sound. the tree in my front yard has dropped most of her leaves in my driveway and the little strip of yard. i know the landscapers will come through and remove them all soon, so i'm enjoying them as much as possible.

the colors of autumn found their way into my art journal for this weeks Book of Days spread. i'm really enjoying this form of documenting my days each week. plus, it helps me with building my art skills as i'm spending more time arting. :-)

Debra asked me what book i was reading in yesterdays post, so i thought a current reading wip photo would be good. the book from yesterday is Cerridwen by Kristopher Hughes.  i'm currently reading from all in this stack except The Morrigan and Put Your Anxiety Here.  i tend to read non-fiction very slowly. (i don't know why) A Spell in the Wild is broken down into monthly sections and i started reading it thinking to read each month during the particular month, but... :-)

what i'm really loving is Moonlight Graditude.  it is a book of nightly gratitude practices/prompts to ruminate on at bedtime.  i keep it beside my bed and love reading each night.

so that's a little snippet of life for today. hope you are having a great day.

thanks for being here...

love & magicks

~*~

 

november...

hello you, hello november.

i am very sad to see the end of october, but that last day was just what my halloween/autumn loving heart always yearns for.  it was cold, rainy, overcast and windy. i loved it, even if i didn't have a single trick or treater at my door.

this morning dawned very cold and sunny. i woke much earlier than usual and with a very sore throat.  hot tea with lemonade (i'm out of lemons) and honey helped a little.  it's still sore and my afternoon walk breathing in the cold air probably didn't help. :-)

i've been putting away halloween decor and working a little on an art journal spread, paying bills, that sort of thing today.  it was nice to get out in the sunlight for a bit on my walk.  

anyhoo...that's what's happening around here.  how are things where you are? what are you up to today?

thanks for stopping in...

love & magicks

~*~

 

happy halloween and a blessed samhain...

helloooooooo! it is that most wonderfully, fantastically, magical day!

yes, yes...it is Happy Halloween! 

so grab your striped stockings and your most lovely frocks...
 

let's gather with the witches 

and head to the party!

look at that table! what lovely treats!

 

 grab a mug and a plate and dig right in...

have a bite...

i hope you enjoy our time together. i love this time of year and parties like this are so much fun.

have a treat and stay for a while...

happy halloween and a blessed samhain.

thanks for stopping in...

love & magicks

~*~

ps...sorry for the grainy pics, i really need to work on my photography skills.

today looked like...

  a cold early morning walk...

   signs of autumn...

 

   beginnings of an altar for Cerridwen...

 

   art table cleanup...

 

homemade chili with cornbread (and a steelers win over the ravens!)

 

overall, a pretty good day...

 

how was your day?

 

love & magicks

~*~

 

part of my september...

a few of the many sights i experienced during september...

~ a heart rock at my beloved ghost ranch, abiqui, new mexico

~ sunrise on my last morning at ghost ranch

~ the view of pedernal from my room at ghost ranch

~ the rio grande gorge north of taos, new mexico

i have more photos and i'm sure you'll see a lot of them here.  it was an amazing trip. i met up with a friend in tennessee and we drove backroads through kentucky, illinois (just the southern tip), missouri, kansas and colorado.

from pueblo, colorado we drove the rio grande national forest (amazing!) south into new mexico.  i was able to secure a few extra days at ghost ranch for hiking, exploring and just being there.  it was so wonderful.

we were there for another Red Thread Retreat. it was a lovely time and i found another new thing i'd like to add to my creative adhd cabinet. :-)

after the retreat, my friend and i drove to taos and then to santa fe the next day. there was a good amount of thrift/antiquing and just general shopping.

when we left santa fe, we took I-40 the whole way home.  :-)

it was such an adventure and i enjoyed it a lot.  that's some of my september.  how was yours?  did you do anything interesting?

thanks for reading...

love & magicks

~*~
 

 

october greetings...

 october greetings to you...

september was a whirlwind and i'm still getting my feet under me.  i have a lot to share and will be back to do that soon.

but on this first day of october, i wanted to come in with a pretty photo (book is The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden).

the mornings here are cool even when the heat comes back late in the day. i am enjoying every cool breeze and cloudy sky, even the sunny days and the afternoon heat. 

i'm just starting to read the backlog of posts that i've missed and hope to get caught up reading your adventures this week.

i hope that october brings you everything you hope for in the season.

thanks for being here...

love and magical wishes...

~*~

 

hello september...

august has passed and it did so rather quietly. that is always a blessing to me. i think we might even be making friends, august and i.

we spent the month with long walks, lots of moon gazing, garden tending, painting and even a finished knitting project.

i woke this morning to very chilly winds and it was a wonderful way to start the morning off with a walk.  i even had to wear my hoodie. :-)

september is here and i am excited.  i love that we are closer to sweater wearing and cozy candle light evenings. color changing and falling leaves, apple everything and, of course, pumpkins. 

what do you love about september?

thanks for being here...

love & magicks

~*~

ps...i won't be around much in september as i have some things happening and will be offline. (everything is fine)  i'll be back soon as i can. xo

 

just a little bit of...

the days have gone by in a blur. i've been keeping busy with painting, knitting, garden time, and riding the doombus. (doombus is what i call doomstash busting)

i've been figuring out how to save seeds from the lone sunflower that bloomed this year. and thanks to Heather at northridgefarm (site is down so can't link) i've been harvesting my first ever grown celery and dehydrating it for use in soups and stews over the winter.  it never would have occurred to me to do that.

anywho...i finished my shawl!  i still need to give it a soak and block then weave in the ends.  but it feels SOOOOO good to have finished a knit that i've had on the needles for two(+?) years? i'm sure i'll share a photo once it is blocked.

that's pretty much what is going on around here. i'm uncovering all kinds of things during my doombus rides and it is giving me all kinds of ideas.

well...i hope to be back again in a day or so.  

thanks for being here...

love & magicks

~*~

 

it feels like a sign...

 

today i went for another walk and it felt good. that's been happening a lot lately...

the sky in the early mornings lately are so beautiful...

insomnia provides a wonderful opportunity for moon and star gazing, despite the light pollution...

today i put on a cute new dress and lace kimono, i did my hair and put on my jewelry and went out to run my errands before therapy (despite the beginnings of a migraine)...

a gift from the morrigan found outside a big box store, it feels like a sign...

there's a storm brewing outside and it makes me happy...

this is all i have to offer today.  i have a visit with the art witches in a couple of hours and my head is pounding and screaming at the same time, so i need a bit of a rest...

how are things in your corner of the world?

thanks for being here...

love & magicks

~*~ 

 

a bright light of magical goodness...

today was a good mail day, and boy did i need it...

first, the mail... several years ago i came across an account on IG called wild_inthe_woods. sirena is a wonderful wool dyer and maker of fantabulous things. she was creating the boxes inspired by Practical Magic (the movie and the book).  i have purchased one every year since i first found them and they never fail to deliver beautiful wool and so many amazing surprise treats! this year i was so happy to see she was doing another box and immediately ordered it. 

today it arrived and it is, i think, the most magical one yet!  as long as sirena makes these, i intend to purchase! she has other lovely boxes she creates as well and i highly recommend checking out her shop. 

and now, why it was such a wonderful and timely arrival.

ya'll...i am exhausted. i mean, dragging around, can barely move, in bed by 6pm exhausted. i fall asleep exhausted and i wake up exhausted.  i've been tired for years. really tired. but this...this is next level. this is utterly ridiculous.

i get that having multiple chronic illnesses can take it's toll on a body. and the longer these illnesses persist, the worse the effects. but, c'mon...this is just too much.  

i'm still functioning every day.  getting things done around the house, taking walks, working in the garden. i just am moving slowly and wearing out much more quickly.  seriously...f'ing exhausted.

so, today, when things are seeming a bit bleak, i'm feeling lost and alone, opening this box was a bright light of magical goodness.

if you're on ig, give sirena a follow. her feed is a magical and visual feast. and if you love yarn, check out her shop. 

hope you are having a great week...

thanks for being here...

love & magicks

~*~

 

wordless wednesday...

 

 

love & magicks

~*~ 

 

faerie wishes...

in the garden this morning, the most curious thing happened. i was out watching for the little tomato thief.  he's decided that not only should he steal and eat only a few bites from the tomatoes, he should cart them up into the spinach pot and dig around in there, tearing out my seedlings.

as i sprinkled a little cayenne around, hoping to scare him off, i heard a whispering at my ear. i looked up and looked around, but didn't see anything.  then suddenly a wave of faerie wishes appeared, floating here and there.  so pretty, with all the colors of the rainbow wrapped in each wish.  

"make a wish, make a wish," the whisper said, so that's what i did.  i made lots of wishes for every bubble i could see.  some of the wishes landed in the sunflowers, some in the flowers and some floated off into the woods and some up into the sky farther than i could see.

i think i might take a blanket out to the garden and lie in the grass watching for faerie wishes. maybe a little picnic or tea party? doesn't that sound like fun?

i've been painting this morning and am headed back to that. so a break in the garden sounds good. right?

well...i'm off to explore with paint. see you soon!

thanks for being here...

love & magicks

~*~