Back to Work

There is no real wealth but the labor of people. Were the mountains
of gold and silver, the world would not be one grain of corn the richer;
no one comfort would be added to the human race.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Well, it's back to work today, and the first day that I will have a leisurely commute, not that any commute here in the city is leisurely. What I mean is that I will know longer have to spend time mapping routes and running here and there just trying to make it to work which is good because today is a rainy day here in the city. Transit is back to normal. I do realize that, on snowy days, I will probably need to change my route if last week's storm was a preview. I thought the old neighborhood was bad, but as I stood out there on the day of the nor'easter and looked down the block, it was obvious that this one will be worse. People no longer seem to shovel, at least not before the hours that I have to leave for work. 

Hubby spent yesterday helping his sister in Far Rockaway. He said it is like a war zone over there, totally destroyed. Everyone's furniture is by the curb, police are on constant parole, and one must wear a mask, the fumes are so bad. Everyone, including homeowners, are ordered out at 5 pm. My sister-in-law is devastated. She has lost so much. She's lived there now for almost 40 years and suffered through floods before, but nothing compared to this one. Now, she plans on fixing the house up and selling it, but worries about who would want to buy.

Can you believe it? Thanksgiving next week? My goodness, it's bearing down on us so quickly that I almost missed it. Thanks to a post over at October Farms "Thinking About Thanksgiving" I remembered it in time. This is my last paycheck before the holiday which means my last food shopping day so I bought a lot of the trimmings. This year I have that fantastic fruit stand down the block so we'll be having a lot of fresh veggies on the Thanksgiving table this year. It's such a pleasure living here. I have so much available to me that I didn't have at the old house.

This weekend I did back down on my word. Ended up making a big pot of chicken stew. This time I made a few switches of veggies and added some cilantro. Sure came out good. I also made some chili, some low sodium curry chicken, pork chops, a low sodium meat loaf, and a chicken cacciatori. That's my food for the next two weeks. Hubby has his own, normal menu.

I have been doing lots and lots of reading. Finished "The Path of the Christian Witch" and am now almost finished with "Invoking Mary Magdalene" by Siobhan Houston. Excellent book and highly recommended. Not sure what my next book will be but I am currently leaning towards "Christo-paganism". Now, there is so much more to these changes in my thought patterns than just reading a few books.  Although I didn't realize it, I have been drawn to this for awhile now; in fact, every since I moved here. There is a huge church across from the bus stop several blocks down from me called the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

There is a sign there which reads "Behold your Mother", and although I am not a Catholic, She has been calling me, not so much to enter the church, but more to reconcile two seemingly opposite belief systems. There is a beauty in both Christianity and the teachings of Jesus and Paganism and it's love of the Earth. Perhaps now, as I enter my golden years, it is time for me to find a way to reconcile the two.

Hope you all have a wonderful day.