Rose petals

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Some rose petals I’m drying for some pen pals. Brandy (my Canadian twin) had mentioned on yesterday’s photo that I would never want for rose petals for spell work. ::chuckles:: So I thought, why not offer them to others as well? They may not have the bounty I have. So I’m offering them to the members of the Pagan pen pal group.

I got all my assignments for Storytelling done and turned in. I just have to respond to someone’s discussion post by Monday night and I’m good for this week. And I’ve taken a look at the Diversity’s assignment. It doesn’t look like a major project. I just need to sit down and do it and turn it in. I should also sit down and really look at all the future assignments. I might be able to take on a 2nd job to start the work on the hours required in library work. I was planning to wait until December, but honestly, the sooner I could get started on that the better.

Roses & Hopes

written: September 28

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My super happy rosebush! ::chuckles:: Told you we were going through a secondary Spring. I really do want to try my hand at making my own rosewater at some point. Maybe next Spring, when I’m only taking one class.

I seriously need to get my own printer. I have so many photos I want to put in my journals, but by the time I finally get around to getting them printed, the inspiration has left me.

So Zander (my emotionally disturbed Spec Ed kiddo) might not be coming back to my program. He’s signed up for a basketball camp and the camp director brought him back saying that she had been told he wasn’t in the basketball camp anymore because he’s no longer in my after school program. But for now, he’s still in the program so she took him back to basketball. I meant to ask the mom about this, but totally forgot. So instead, I sent her an email, so if he is staying, then she should talk to the basketball camp people to keep him in it. But seriously, I am not going to lie. I do hope he’s going to a different program. It would take such a stressful burden off of me and my staff. Maybe we’ll know something Monday.

Planning for the Future

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Making note of when I have to apply for graduation, when to apply for the EOP (End of Program exam), AND when the EOP will occur. ::deep breath:: The end is in sight. Just gotta keep putting one foot in front of the other.

My half of an oil swap arrived today – I swapped my bottle of Pythia (which I was “meh” about) for a bottle of Mentalism. The only way to get Mentalism was to buy the monthly set to the tune of $59, so there was no way I would have gotten it except through a swap. Anyways, it arrived today, and I LOVE it. So an awesome trade from where I’m sitting.

Mabon Realizations

written: September 26

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A sneak-peak of one of the pages I’m working on in Sharmila’s journal. (Note: the trees photograph is from a National Geographic magazine).

I must admit that I’ve neglected her journal so much more than I thought I would. Life got crazy…hell, I GOT crazy. ::shakes her head:: But now I’m working to make up for lost time AND am really enjoying the process. I had forgotten that collage was my first foray into art journaling and I had forgotten how simple and intuitive the process really is. And with the subscriptions to the National Geographic and O Magazine, I have plenty of cool and eye-catching artwork to incorporate into my journals.

I’ve been working on my application to the TK Coven. I have a while before I would “need” to turn it in, but given that Aesa has gone to the bat for me on this, I do want to get it done in a timely manner. Just sitting with some of the questions and finding a good way to properly answer them.

I haven’t done much of anything for Mabon or the Full Moon. Though…I’ve been weeding out things in my life that no longer serve a positive influence in my life, so honestly, I think that’s a very Mabon thing to do. I’m cutting ties with certain individuals. I’m putting more space between me and other specific individuals that I’m not quite ready to cut ties with completely.

Mostly, I just find myself tired. I’m tired of defending myself and my position. I’m tired of fighting for the right to be heard just like everyone else. I’m tired of “friends” being the ones to attack every single word I speak and to tear me down. I’m tired of these same “friends” to shit all over the little things in life that bring me joy. Sure I don’t have a Ph. D. in botany, but damn, I love my roses and all the other little growing things I’ve managed to keep alive!

Fuck man, I’m over here STRUGGLING so hard…..for the past year or so (if I’m being honest) with my mental health being down in the gutters. So every little, tiny win I get? No matter how small? THAT is a light in the darkness for me. So I cannot understand why others feel the need to squash that tiny little flicker of HOPE just because it’s not Record-Setting-Amazing. But, that’s where my Scottish side comes out – instead of letting that destroy me, it ANGERS me instead. And that gives me more motivation to kick their asses and protect my little fire from their bullshit in the future.

Is it really SO difficult NOT to rain on someone else’s parade? I mean, sure, it might just be a simple dog and pony trick show…but hell, that might be ALL they have going for them right now.

So yeah, I’m clearing out the “dead” and the “dying” husks of harvest past, to make room for a more bountiful harvest in the future. I’m clearing out the dead brush so that the plants I WANT to live, have the room and resources to flourish. And I’m already beginning to hope and plan for next year’s garden – be it literal, or metaphorical. And that seems to be the CORE of what Mabon is about. So I guess I am celebrating it after all. Just INTERNAL this year. And I’m ok with that.

Not every year will be about the external. Not every year will I put together stunning altar layouts and powerful rituals to enact. Some years it’s all about the internal. I can go through the motions, but if there is no Soul to the words, then the words are just air.

Damn, I have a feeling the dark half of the year is going to be an intense one for me. I wonder what dreams will come during the hibernation time? Fuck! Is THIS the meaning behind all the damn dragonflies? This major change? The culling of “friends”…the impending DEEP introspection? Maybe the possibility of a Coven next year? Maybe it is time I break out the Oracle cards and see what insights they offer.

Roller Coaster of a Day

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The most amazing surprise waiting for me at work. Emily H. gifted me this bottle of Muse, which is my all-time, hands-down, absolute most favorite Sage Goddess scent. AND it’s a kiss top – which means it’s an older batch, which typically means the aroma is stronger. So cool of her!

Continuing on the Coven talk from yesterday…apparently Aesa went ahead and talked me up to her High Priestess. So the High Priestess told her to go ahead and give me the application to fill out, even though they aren’t taking students until Ostara (mid-March). I dunno…just really humbles me.
So Zander is now on probation at the after school program. Basically it means if he has another major fuck-up, he’s out of the program. His mother says she’s already looking into alternative programs for him because she recognizes that he isn’t doing well in such a big program. And I totally get that. He’s going from one-on-one during the school day to dumped into a program of 71 OTHER students and no wonder he’s losing his shit.

And then one of my students decided to tell a female student that he was going to stab her with a knife he claimed to have in his backpack. Turns out, he meant part of his necklace that looks like an arrowhead. Still, NOT fucking cool. Why the fuck do boys (and {some} adult males, while we’re at it), think it’s ok to say this shit to females???? I’m just so fucking over it.

But to end it on a good note – one of my favorite students, Colin. A while back, his mother told me that this would be his last month because she’s no longer working for the school district and is staying home with her youngest child…so he wouldn’t be coming to my program after this month. Talk about breaking my heart. But today…his father told me today that they had a talk with Colin and he told them on no uncertain terms that it would be THE WORST THING EVER ™ to happen to his life. Dad joked that it would cost them less month to let him continue coming to the after school program than to pay for the counseling he would require if he was forced to leave my program. ::laughs:: I’m happy. They are a great family (I taught their oldest son as well) and I’m happy to keep Colin in my program. ::smiles::

A Good Day

written: September 24

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Selfie on the Old Burkett Bridge. It was one of my birthday goals and now I can cross it off my list. ::smiles::

I had my final post-op checkup today with the gyno and it’s all good. She did ask if I could tell when I should have a period and I said yes. So she told me that most likely, I will get all the hormonal stuff when menopause hits because ablation only stops the period, but menopause is all about the hormones and ovaries (which I knew, but it was nice for her to go over that info just in case).

So hurray, haven’t had a period since May!

Aesa posted on FB that she was culling her friend list again. And she did something awesome – she wanted people to let her know if she was friends with their abuser on FB, because she would remove that person immediately. So I tentatively reached out and let her know who exactly is my Psycho Ex because they LARP together. She thanked me for letting her know and told me she had actually already unfriended him the day before.

And then the coolest thing? She basically invited me to apply to join her Coven in late spring (that’s when they’ll be taking new students). Super cool of her. We met in a Coven (that has since imploded and exploded), and she thought that her current Coven would be a good fit, if that was something I was interested in.

Made me realize that I apparently made a big and positive impression on her for her to go out of her way to reach out like that. I dunno. Most of the time, I feel like I’m flying way under the radar, so it always shocks me when someone pays attention like that. ::smiles:: So yeah, I’m thinking I will apply to her Coven in the late spring, which works better for me, as I’ll only be taking one class at that point and will hopefully have the free time available to dedicated to a Coven.

Rosita

written: September 23

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Photo of Rosita, female Maned Wolf. I took this at the Abilene Zoo. It was a really productive photography day.

Luckily the rain held off for most of the day so my trip back to my little hometown went very well. Mom and I went over to the Abilene Zoo and had a really good time.

I got all of the reading done for my Diversity class. Actually really enjoyed most of the readings this time around. I should have brought some of the books I checked out of the library for my Storytelling class. I have to find a story that I will work on for the remainder of the class. Guess I should really read the requirements on that as well. ::chuckles::

Wicked Witch

written: September 22

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Cute sign I saw at Michael’s today that I chuckled at. If I had the space to store it or hang it permanently, I would totally get it.

Holy rain day, Batman! Apparently we set records in rain fall for the past 24 hours. I think we’re up 8 or 9 inches of rain. I can’t find where I saw that info, but I know it’s around there. And it’s still raining. And it’s supposed to rain for a few more days as well.

I got my Storytelling assignment written and submitted early. And now I just have to do the reading for my Diversity class and submit that assignment on Monday.

Work Woes

written: September 21

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A wall of morning glories on the ally neighbor’s fence. Seriously love them.

Rain, rain, and more rain today. We were getting flash flood alerts all evening.

Zander (one of my special needs students) wasn’t allowed to come to the after school program today because he had such a rough, ROUGH day at school. I emailed Esmeralda about it because it’s so very unfair to us to have a child that is THAT special needs in our program with all the other kiddos as well. We have to do so much one-on-one stuff just for him that it’s really putting our other students at risk. And he’s not doing well in our program, because there are so many other children and we cannot devote one aide to just him. Emeralda said she would come talk to me about it on Monday. I shot back that I look forward to talking to her in person on TUESDAY, when I would be back on campus.

I’ve just really lost so much faith in the program and upper management these past few years. It’s a total joke. They don’t take us seriously. They sure as shit do not back us up ever. And more and more it just feels like upper management is flying by the seat of their pants, hoping shit lands right. That is NOT the way to run a child care program.

Happy Dance

written: September 20

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Look it! My little tomato seeds that I planted on SATURDAY are beginning to sprout!

Here’s a photo with the tiny little sprouts circled to make them easier to spot.



Alas, no coloring today. But I made this foam guitar magnet with a handful of kiddos today. I’m sure I’ll make some more tomorrow.



We had a wicked storm blow up out of nowhere. In between the storm cells, I noticed a very unusual brassy gold colored light and headed outside to check it out. Snapped these photos around 7:30 pm…looking EAST:



So that bright spot of light in the center? Yeah, that ain’t the sun. I’m guess it’s a reflection of the setting sun in the clouds:



The caterpillar invasion seems to be dying off. Gods I hope so. Nasty little buggers.

I dreamt of dragonflies last night. I get it, I get it! Spirit can STOP sending me all these messages now. I KNOW there is some HUGE change on the horizon for me. I just hope it doesn’t pertain to my upcoming doctor visit (gyno). That’s the only thing I don’t think I could handle a crazy big change in. I need those appointments to go as smoothly and quietly as possible – having a cancer scare in your early 20s tends to make you very gun shy of the whole process for life.

War Path

written: September 19

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Finished coloring this bad boy up at work today. It’s been over a year, I think, since I’ve colored anything. But I’m rather proud of how nicely this one turned out. Especially given that I was using the cheapie colored pencils we have up at work. Not going to lie, I kind of want to get some PrismaColors and some blending sticks and try my hand with those as well. Maybe I can get me a set for my birthday.

I had a lovely tiff with an old friend (Weldon) over the “not all men” bullshit comment he left. I don’t know if it’s because I’m still riled up from the whole Ray & JoAnn battle or if I’m just really sick of this bullshit (probably equal measures of both), but man, I am on the War Path here recently. But the gloves are fucking off right now and I’m swinging for the fences.

I am tired of being told “how” to protest. “How” to choose the best words possible. How the fact that one uses the word “men”, it somehow morphs into meaning ALL THE MEN THAT EVER WERE AND WILL EVER BE. Damn, narcissistic much? But I guess that’s to be expected when so much of the world revolves around men and their wants and desires and rules. Well fuck that noise. I’m not going to be your pretty, tame, docile woman…ASKING politely for equal consideration. Nope. That shit hasn’t worked in the past, why the fuck would it work in the future? I’m going to tread in the Bitch Territory – be loud and call this shit out (like a man would). And the little men’s egos are going to take a beating from it.

::bares her teeth:: So be it.

And just for my own notes here, this is the tweet I shared on FaceBook that started today’s “engagement”:

Flower Babble

written: September 18

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Just a tiny sampling of all the rose buds getting ready to bloom. ::smiles:: Crazy how one single plant launched me into having/wanting a garden. I mean, the crepe myrtle David planted in Holly dog’s memory is nice and all. But with the rosebush – I can readily see when she’s doing well and when she’s doing poorly.

I also may or may not have bought more daffodil bulbs. ::attempts to look innocent:: Yeah, gonna need to get a planter to put those in asap. I would love to get David to build some raised planting beds for me, but I’m not sure when we can get that done. So I’ll get some more plastic tubs from Lowe’s and get them started there. Ooooh, I need to grab some bluebonnet seeds as well. I definitely want to try my hand at growing those. Just sucks that all the plants/flowers I like need FULL sun…which they only get in the back or side yard. I wish I could do something pretty and cool in the front yard, but it almost always in full shade due to our ancient mulberry tree and the neighbor’s (the ones WITHOUT the asshole dogs) huge oak tree.

Rough Day

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I found my very first Crow feather on my walk today with Josey pup. It’s pretty beat up, but I love it all the same.

I got all of my assignments completed for the week. Now I can focus on getting all of this week’s reading done so I can get started on the next round of assignments. I need to get those done and off my plate as soon as possible, as I’ll be headed down to see my mom (and go to the Abilene Zoo) on Sunday and then I have my follow up gyno appointment on Monday. I am hoping after this appointment, I can go back to just seeing her once a year.

Another shit-tastic Monday. My lil SpecEd kinder got upset today and told one of my staff members he was going to shoot her. ::sighs:: I don’t know how much more of this I can take. This kid receives one-on-one supervision throughout the day with a SpecEd teacher. We can’t give him that level of attention in the after school program. And I can’t have a kid threatening my staff either. I dunno. There’s no easy answer to the whole situation.

In Need of Chickens

written:  September 16

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My yard is CRAWLING with these damn caterpillars – Striped Garden Caterpillars. There are THOUSANDS of them in the side yard. I haven’t spotted any in the front yard or the back yard, but we’ll need to pick up some pesticide to get rid of them. They are super damaging to plants. Honestly, I wish I knew someone with about 10 chickens. I’d be happy to erect some temporary chicken fencing and just let them get fat and happy off eating all the damn caterpillars.

Sunshine

written: September 15

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A beautiful sunset. The first time in a week or so that I can kinda sorta see the sun.

A nice, quiet day at the house. No major assignments needing to be done – just standard, weekly ones. A day to just relax, kick back, and go with the flow.

Speaking of which, given how all my plants are sprouting again, I thought I’d give the veggies another shot. If nothing else, I have plenty of seeds to plant next spring. So we’ll see if these sprout and grow before the first frost hits.

Super Helper

written: September 14

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A close-up shot of a student’s T-Rex toy. Man, I am so jealous of the awesome, realistic dinosaur toys the kiddos get nowadays. This dino’s jaw is moveable, so you can open and close it as you see fit. Not gonna lie, I am hella tempted to buy myself one. ::chuckles::

Josey pup was soooooo helpful today while I was trying to record my storytelling assignment, as evident from this photo:



::shakes her head:: Damn goofy-ass pit. I did end up getting the story recorded without issue. Now I just have to figure out where I’m supposed to share it for class? I have until Sunday to figure it out, so I am not too terribly worried yet.

And apparently, I also have a discussion question to do for that class, plus watch a video and write a paper for my Diversity class as well. But none of those are major productions, so I’m not overly worried. I’ll get them all done in time.

I’ve rediscovered my love for Peter Hollen’s version of “I See Fire” on YouTube. I’ve been listening to the song on repeat for 90% of my internet time at the house today. Fucking love the song, and his vocal abilities are nothing short of magick.

Kindness

written: September 13

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Awesome, little bite-sized cupcake Colbi, one of my kiddos, shared with me today (it was her birthday).

I got a sneak-peak at my upcoming pay check and had to do a double take. It is DAMN nice. Like, holy fuck balls, I can pay all my bills, pay a little extra on some, sock some away into savings, and still have a sizeable chunk left over. And I’m not going to lie. I am super tempted to do some retail therapy and am working so hard to curb that impulse right now. Gotta be smart with my money. Man, I can’t wait to get a full time job and make full time money. Because getting regular paychecks like this? That would be amazing.

I received the nicest surprise today. Emily H. and Mambo (her dog) sent me a lovely card and Petsmart gift card for Leviathan. Emily H. is a sub at work that I’m fairly good friends with. She received one of Leviathan’s hatch-day cards and this was her kind gesture back. ::smiles::

Happy Birthday, Hubs

written: September 12

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JoAnn, one of my online buddies, asked about my athame from my altar photo yesterday. So I got a better shot of the blade part. It’s Damascus blade – 13 inches long total. She’s heavy and razor sharp (on the account that she’s not used to physically cut things) and her handle is made of buffalo horn. Just friggin’ love this knife.

Today is David’s birthday. He had the day off of work. I would have loved to have taken it off as well, but with Jess coming in late (due to class) and Emily calling out, there was just no way to make that happen. We got Mackenzi again and I swear she has a work crush on me as well. ::laughs:: It was so much fun working with her today. Seriously, can I keep her yet?????

We did dinner at Texas Roadhouse – David selected it as his birthday dinner place. And apparently a LOT of other people were also celebrating their birthdays because it seemed every time we turned around, there was the Roadhouse crew making a huge, embarrassing production of someone’s birthday. We are not at all about having a crowd of strangers screaming happy birthday to us and having us do something ridiculous in front of the massive crowd that was eating there tonight. Not even the allure of a free dessert is worth that introvert hell.

I didn’t take any photos because David and I were both already anxious enough with the sheer crush of people and all the noise they were creating. So maybe this weekend I can get photos, when we are calm and full in Introvert Mode. ::smiles::

Momma Dragon

written: September 11

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Blessed New Moon!

My inner Dragon has been unleashed. I’m a Scorpio, through and through. And if someone is attacking one of the people I call “friend”….then the gloves come off and I will scorch the earth and everything the bully holds dear, if that’s what it takes to protect my friend.

I learned today that I can go all Wolfie Dragon on a friend, if he is in the wrong, and is bullying and harassing and just all around being a MASSIVE DICK to another friend. I also learned today that I will readily fly to the defense of a Christian and Christianity. ::chuckles:: It’s always an interesting day when a Witch will swoop in and go toe-to-toe with an Atheist to defend a Christian.

I am still trying to process everything that went down, has gone down, and has the very real potential to go down later. But apparently, Ray has been attacking and bullying and harassing JoAnn for over a GODDAMN YEAR now. I just happened to catch part of it, when I saw she had posted “My Atheist friends are blowing up my timeline with their belief, will some of my Christian friends please send me some positives” – on her own FaceBook page. And I saw all the horrible, vicious things Ray posted…attacking Christianity and people who hadn’t even commented on the post. And we know that JoAnn has her mental demons that she is fighting on a daily basis, and to just see him attack her when she was reaching out to her people for solace, comfort, and safety? Fuck man, I just saw red.

Candle Light

written: September 10

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Just me, playing in the candle light.

I had intentions of doing my New Moon ritual tonight…but that just didn’t happen. Between class work and work work, and husband things and watching The Walking Dead…yeah, time and energy just slipped away today. Hell, I ended up taking this photo at 11:53 pm, so cutting it close on the daily part. ::laughs::

Man, I dunno if I have it in me to do 1001 days of daily photos. I don’t know what I was thinking when I made that a goal. ::chuckles:: Hell, just doing the 365 photo challenge usually burns me out. I still have 838 photos to go! I have a feeling I will take a break from photography for a bit once I complete this challenge. ::laughs::

First time in a while that the kiddos could go outside to play today. It was wonderful to have the bulk of them outside, having a grand time, and me inside with just a handful. No major issues, behavior or injury wise, even, which was so nice. Too bad it started raining at 5 pm and is supposed to rain for the rest of the week. I sincerely look forward to crisp autumn days that can have them outside for the majority of the time at the after school program.

Get Yer Witch On

written: September 09

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My…what big TEETH you have. ::chuckles:: My fabulous galaxy painted coyote skull.

Today, David had one of his co-workers over for the day. They spent the day out in the yard working on part of the privacy fence on the carport. Which was nice, because it gave me the time to write my discussion answer for the Storytelling class and to finish reading for the Diversity class. After they finally finished up with what they could do today, we all did lunch at 5 Guys Burgers. A nice end to a good day.

I fed Leviathan today. I think she’s gone blue…which would explain why she’s been grumpy the past few days. I’ll need to make her wet hide for her asap, just in case. It really makes a huge difference in the ease of her sheds.

I even spent some time up in my room, dismantling my old altar and setting up one for the New Moon. And I spent a LOT of time just doing basic house cleaning in that area. It’s really become a catch-all for all my spiritual/magickal shit. So clearing all of that out, finding a real place to put those items, and setting up for the New Moon – man, it changed the overall feel for the entire room. Not just the sacred space. I tried out this cone incense sent along with one of the perfume oil trades I did. Holy hell, it STUNK. Smelled like a mixture of wet dog and black licorice. ::gags:: I ended up burning a stick of Dragon’s Blood to get that smell out. I am so glad I only had one of those cone incense. That way I wouldn’t feel bad if I had to chunk the rest in the trash. ::chuckles::

Better Day

written: September 08

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Practicing a bit of self-care today. I wore my absolute favorite Sage Goddess perfume – Muse. And I painted my nails – Diablo (a gift from Wendy, my pen pal).

Today was a much better day mentally for me. We didn’t do much – we are currently binging The Walking Dead again. And the torrential downpour we are currently getting has nixed any ideas of things to do outside the house. Which is fine with me. I love to listen to the rain. And with the crows having a field day in the tree, it really is giving me hope that Autumn will be approaching soon. Granted, I know the truth – we’ll be back up in the 100 degree days again shortly, but for now, I’m holding onto the dream.

We did venture out for dinner at On the Border. Talked about our very first date to that very restaurant and what it set into motion. Our server tonight was good at his job…awkward for sure, but not so much that it made a person uncomfortable. Just really nice all around.

I got my Mabon cards written and addressed and stamped. Now I just have to wait a little bit before mailing them. No sense in them arriving WEEKS before Mabon actually occurs (Sept 23rd). But at the same time, I do want to give people a few days before to gather up the items in the blessing I’ve included, in case that’s something they want to do to celebrate Mabon. So we’ll see when I actually get those in the mail, because I’m either terribly impatient and cannot wait….or I’m terribly late. ::laughs:: There doesn’t seem to be an in between for me.

Sprout

written: September 07

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This is either one of my lilies or one of my daffodils sprouting up again. I’m super excited about the possibility of having them come back up for another round of blooming.

We had Mackenzie out again today. Work crush is still going strong. ::laughs:: Even though all of us were exhausted and not running at 100%. But I did manage to go to the public library and pick up some movies for our movie day at work. I picked up <U>FernGully</U>, the original <U>Jungle Book</U>, and the first <U>Land Before Time</U>. The kiddos got to vote and so we watched <U>FernGully</U>. ::smiles::

All in all, not a bad end to a very shitty week. I was able to actually talk about my depression with David earlier this evening. It’s just hard for him to understand because he doesn’t have major depression…he doesn’t have chronic depression. But he’s very supportive of whatever avenue I choose to try to help my depression.

Rough Fucking Day

written: September 06

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A note on our vending machine at work that made me chuckle out loud.

Damn, depression was BAD this morning. Like....REALLY, REALLY bad. Hello suicide ideation. Haven’t been that bad in ages. I’m just thankful it wasn’t ACTIVE suicide ideation – I wasn’t actively planning how to kill myself. It was more passive – like, “why NOT spend money on a certain item? Not like I’m going to stick around long enough to have to pay for it.” One of the VERY few times you will hear me say, thank GOD for a staff meeting! ::laughs:: But seriously, it got me out of my house and forced me to focus on things OTHER than how shitty I was feeling, and that is usually a good cure (even if only temporarily) for the Oily Voice inside my head.

Due to a mix up on Megan’s part (one of my aides), we got Mackenzie as a sub today, even though we didn’t “need” her. And holy crap, I still just adore her. It’s like a friggin’ work crush. I’m not sexually attracted to her at all, but holy fuck, I’m in love with her as a coworker. ::laughs:: I’m not sure that makes any sense, but hey, that’s what I’m dealing with. I do hope we get her again tomorrow, when Megan really will be out for the first half of our work day.

Fuck, to show just how much of a work crush I have…I willingly offered and gave Mackenzie one of my Starbuck’s Frappuccinos (the ones in the bottle). I don’t share those with ANYONE. ::laughs:: But, thanks to Jess (my stellar aide), we have a mini-frig in our office, so I’m able to take advantage of 7-11’s sale (buy 2 for $5…instead of one for $2.99). So I had an extra one in the frig that hadn’t been opened. And I didn’t even hesitate offering it to Mackenzie. THAT’S how deep this work crush goes. ::chuckles:: And this is like the 2nd time I’ve ever interacted with her. Seriously, I would willingly give up ANY of my aides (other than Jess…I’m keeping her no matter what) to have Mackenzie on my campus full time.

12th Hatch-Day

written: September 05

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One of my roses finally bloomed.

Happy 12th hatch-day to Leviathan!

Here’s the front of her Hatch-day card:



And the back:



I think they turned out pretty damn cute. Hard to believe my serpent is a friggin’ pre-teen! ::cackles::

I was hoping to get a photo of my Lil Beast on her hatch-day, but she wasn’t feeling overly photogenic today. I will try again another day. I can’t believe that next year, she’ll be friggin’ THIRTEEN years old.

And I need to be honest with myself. She’s getting older. She’s definitely slowing down. I need to take more photos of her. I need to let her spend more time outside, climbing in the little tree. She definitely deserves more than just hanging out in her tank, day-in and day-out.

Stalked

written: September 04

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Some of the lovely morning glories on the back-neighbor’s fence. I would love to have some on our own fence. I don’t think I would go with the “traditional” lavender, such as these. Maybe the royal blue ones? Or there are apparently some “black” morning glories that are a deep, deep maroon color (Kniolas Black Night morning glories). Those are stunning.

Man, dragonflies were STALKING me big time today. On my walk with Josey pup, I saw at least four dozen dragonflies. And I’m talking the BIG ones as well. And I saw more on my drive to work and more once I got home.

Ok, ok, ok, Spirit. I get it. I need to actually LOOK into the Dragonfly totem and stop just glossing over it.

Labor Day

written: September 03

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Small rose blossom in the rain.

Rain, rain, and more rain is what we got today. And I loved it. Josey pup and I got up early and took a walk. There were no people out. Even the birds were mostly quiet. So it was just me and the pup, and the soft pitter of drizzling rain for the bulk of the walk. Talk about heaven on earth! I wish more of my morning walks were like this. Humans tend to just irritate the crap out of me. ::chuckles::

David swapped out the handles in my shower – I broke the cold water one a few days ago. They originally were these horrible cheap plastic spiky ones (like the ones you see in cheap motels). Honestly, I’m surprised they lasted 2 years. ::chuckles:: Now I just have regular handles, which are so much nicer to my hands. ::smiles::

I am not allowed to buy any more granola. I thought I had zero willpower when it came to glazed donuts…but apparently zero willpower is achieved with granola. I bought a bag today and it’s almost already all gone. ::laughs:: I really need to look into finding a recipe I like and making my own. Because this is ridiculous!

Let’s see what else did I get accomplished today? Oh, wrote 2 pen pals and a Postcrossing post card. Yay me! I still have 3 more pen pals to reply to. ::chuckles::

And I got some more reading done in The Woman in the Shaman’s Body. It’s such a good book, but chocked FULL of information. So it’s not a light, quick read. I’ve been working my way through this book for over a month now. But I’m getting close to the end now. I will definitely be buying a copy of this book in the future to keep in my own personal collection. And I definitely want to look into all the books and articles the author references throughout her book.

Dragon

written: September 02

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We went to Home Depot to pick up new handles for my shower (I broke the cold water one) and we found their AMAZING Halloween decoration area. I seriously wanted this dragon. It was a good 5 feet tall, lights up, roars, and comes with a smoke machine so it can breathe smoke!!!!! But it’s massive and it’s $300…so sadly we were unable to bring the dragon home with us.

The hubs and I were complete and utter bums today. We are re-watching all of the Walking Dead on Netflix currently. And yeah, that’s about the extent of what we’ve done today. ::chuckles::

Dive In

written: September 01

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Cute coffee mug I saw at the Cracker Barrel. I was seriously bummed that they didn’t have any more of the Ouija board mints. But I have to say, it doesn’t surprise me. I’m sure someone had a hissy fit about it and they had to get rid of them.

I did end up finding some at the Spirit Halloween store that popped up in the local shopping area. They are a dollar more expensive, but I’m just happy to have found them. I picked up a few more that I plan to send to some pen pals and friends. Which reminds me, I need to start figuring out who all I’m sending Mabon cards to. I have a blessing I want to include in the cards, so I’m waiting for that to arrive (I had them printed). Then I guess I should really get a handle on that, with Mabon coming up on the 23rd.

I had forgotten how busy life gets once we hit September – with all the birthdays, anniversaries, sabbats/esbats, not to mention work requirements and college requirements – life doesn’t slow down again until Winter Break in December. Just gotta take a deep breath and dive right in.