Monday This and That

It is such a blessing to have this extra day off. If I had my way, every week would be a four day week. We have to work far too hard,with very little rest, just to survive in this country, but I am not going to complain.  Some people, some societies, are just not able to survive so I am just so grateful for what I have.

Saturday I headed out to Rite Aid.  Bought a 'Vanilla Sugar, Toasted Coconut, and Hazelnut' candle as well as a 'Cinnamon and Nutmeg' candle.  I'm so glad hubby isn't giving me a hard time about them anymore.  In fact, he is actually liking them now. For those of you who don't know, hubby's mom raised her kids with some old Dominican superstitions and one was that candles and incense draw spirits into the home. For the life of me, I never understood.  The woman, bless her soul, was an avid Catholic who never missed a Sunday in church.  Now, it has been awhile for me, but as recall, they used BOTH candles and incense at church.

Then, I stopped at the fruit stand.  I wasn't a happy camper there, to be sure.  Swarms of bees had overtaken the place and shopping turned into quite an adventure as I very, very carefully chose my fruits and veggies, always making sure there wasn't a lone bee sitting on one just waiting to sink that stinger into my hand.  The fruits did not look so appealing to me; gone were the marvelous melons, cherries, and dinosaur plums, but I did buy some Anjou pears, prickly pears, Clementines, October Red Plums, grapes, and some Kiwi.  

Then I headed home, and I am still here.  No plans to leave the house until tomorrow morning. Yesterday was cold and rainy, the kind of day one is thankful to be able to stay in. I slept late, did a little reading, packed away a few more summer items, and took out some more things to wear in the fall. Later, I cozied up in my chair, pulled the curtains aside to watch the rain, and sipped on some ginger ale while nibbling on some dark chocolate with hazelnuts. (sodium free, of course)

Recently I applied to and was accepted into the 'Reformed Druids of North America'.  This is quite an honor.  Some of my favorite authors are members of this group, and I look forward to meeting them and everyone else in the organization, online, of course.  I've also signed up to take a free course,'Ladies of the Lake'  with 'The Daughters of the Sacred Grail'.  I am just so excited and eager to begin with this one.  I am so fascinated with the Avalonian Tradition.

On a sad note, I was looking for updated information about the Phoebe, the hummingbird, and the Decorah Eagles, all of whom I follow through egg laying, hatching, growth, and fledging.  Sadly, I discovered that D14, one of the eaglets from 2012, was electrocuted when he flew into some power lines. The eaglets feathers were distributed to the various Indian communities who have been mourning the loss and plan to honor the eaglet by using these feathers in their ceremonies. This news just took the wind out of me and left me in tears.  RIP D14.

And finally, I wanted to introduce you to my newest pet:

Yes, I am a sucker for a new toy.