Presently I am feeling frustrated.  We had a very nice time while away in Vermont.  But, as vacations tend to do, the trip wound up costing more than we had anticipated.  On top of that, Hubby accidentally backed into a utility pole with our rental car.  Luckily no one was injured and the only damage was to the vehicle.  But, it is gonna hurt when this bill comes in.  While I won’t have to pay it until after AVIS settles with our car insurance it is going to cost us $1000 (our deductable).

I just want to cry! Or more honestly I want to hide under my bedclothes and have myself a tiny tantrum.  But I am trying to stay positive.  It’s only money.  Money is easier to replace than health and safety.  Things could’ve been a lot worse.

Sigh!

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama Kelly

We had known for months that we wanted to end summer vacation with a bang and go on some kind of trip in the 3 week period between daycamp ending and school resuming.  Due to financial restraints flying anywhere was out of the question and so we were limited to traveling only as far away as we could get to in a day’s drive.

We toyed with returning to a bed and breakfast place that we love in New Hope, PA.  But, in the end decided that the restful pace we would want to take advantage of there would not be exactly to the taste of our 6-year-old and 11-year-old.  And besides, we tend to go to New Hope a couple of times a year anyway just to visit the shops.

We talked about using some free night comps in Atlantic City where the days would be filled with the swimming pool and local attractions and nights filled with mommy and daddy tossing the college fund nickels in slot machines.  But, this also fell into the category of having been there and done that.

We wanted an adventure!

In the end, spurred on by the concept of attaining the life you desire by living it as much as possible now, we went North to wider, more open spaces, and dreamed about country life.  We went, my readers, to Vermont.

We filled our days with activities and pushed our bodies beyond their usual limits of couch surfing and are happily now paying the price.

We left Monday and returned earlier today.

Because I work for a pitiful excuse for a company I only earn paid time off by working 12 Mondays in a row for a minimum of 4 hours.  This required working until 12, but as we were all packed and hubby merely had to pick up the rental car and throw the bags into it we were on the road by 1:00 and arrived in VT around 6:30 PM.  This gave us enough time to settle in the room, meet our innkeepers, and go out and grab a bite to eat.

We stayed at the Kitzhof (Baby Goats’ House) Inn.  The inn is comfortable yet rustic.  Due to our girls’ ages they stayed free (and even had their own bedroom) and our fee included a full breakfast for each of us every morning.  Let me tell you my girls can eat!  And boy did they.  With 6 mornings of meals and armed with a menu the 2 of them managed to sample almost everything.  Meals were made to order – 4 kinds of pancakes, french toast, eggs, the best bacon I’ve ever tasted, and at breakfast’s end you were presented with fresh baked muffins to take with you for later snacking.  Obviously no inn or hotel provides a perfect stay but any inconveniences were minor and I would recommend it to anyone planning on visiting the area.

For our first meal we ate at a local establishment TC’s family restaurant which I tell you mainly because it is a bit of a local attraction due to its being owned by the family of an Olympic Gold Medalist (snowboardist Kelly Clark).  We actually wound up eating here twice during our stay and have to say that the food was very enjoyable.  Between both meals the 4 of us sampled seafood, burgers, chicken, and even ribs.  Burgers are HUGE, seafood whether steamed or fried was tender and obviously fresh, ribs were FALL OFF THE BONE tender.  Another point of interest is that the restaurant houses many of Ms. Clark’s medals and trophies.  Be warned that the resaurant is home to two lovable golden retrievers who will sit by your table and beg as if they have never seen food before. 

The main attraction for Tuesday was the Olallie Daylily Gardens.  While we had already missed the peak season the flower beds were still a riot of colors.  I never imagined so much variety in one type of flower and hope to plant some bulbs on my own my father’s property this fall.  While the children were bored silly, my husband and I enjoyed the leisurely pace of browsing the blossoms.  However, the kids’ interest returned when we walked up a hill to their secondary blueberry patch where we picked 2 pints of fresh berries.

Wednesday night and Thursday day found us at Adams Farm.  Wednesday’s entertainment included a wagon ride through the woods, a bonfire, live entertainment (including a spooky story that reduced my 6-year-old to a quivering mass of tears), and s’mores.  Not just any ordinary s’mores, but marshmallows freshly roasted on farm implements mushed with graham crakers and homemade fudge.

Thursday we returned to the farm for the daylight activities which included various agricultural demonstrations (sheep herding, milking, etc.) and many many animals to feed and interact with.  My girls got to play with baby rabbits, young kittens, and 8 week old chicks.  We fed a young calf and sheep (young and old) and grown chickens.  My daughter may never again eat a chicken and I don’t think that I can ever eat lamb or veal again.  And while I have only eaten veal on the rare occassion I do happen to enjoy the taste of lamb.

We even got to gather eggs!!!  Who would’ve thought that I, who grew up in one of the 5 boroughs of NYC would have stuck my hand under a chicken to hunt for an egg.

We had talked about maybe getting chickens when we get “our home in the country” and now that maybe has turned into a resounding YES.  I believe that we can actually DO it!

On that note I shall say goodnight and I will continue with our adventures on another day.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:family, vacation

I’m getting excited about leaving on our 5-day family vacation tomorrow to Williamsburg.

I called where we are staying and they only have dial up, so I am not going bring my laptop since I don’t think it will work (our only modem is a wireless and our provider is cable – so I don’t think it’s compatible with dial up). I will be bringing lots of books and notebook paper so I can journaling and also hoping to draft some pages to post on the blogs too. (I have a few new pages over on our Incredible Shrinking Ladies blog already.) I also started crocheting again this week, so I’ll be taking along some projects to work on while relaxing at the pool or on the sun porch. The first one is a lovely light purple shawl for myself made from alpaca yarn.  This is the first project I’m making for me (everything I made last year was for my daughter, friends, and a small throw blanket for upstairs family room).

I was thinking last night and its been years since we’ve had a “relaxing” vacation just to go away and have fun without some other purpose (other then an occasional one or two day stay here and there).  Here are some of the places we have been:

• Our honeymoon Sept. 1991 to Niagara Falls (3 days), with a stop over one the way home at the Finger Lakes area of New York State, where we stay at a bed and breakfast for 2 nights.
• Our annual weekend stay at a cabin the State Forest (which we haven’t done since 1996).
• For one of our early anniversaries – we stayed in bed and breakfasts in the Catskills in New York and visited Howe Caverns. I forget the year, but it was the early 90′s.
• A three day trip to Hedonism Jamaica for my husband’s best friend’s wedding, it was an awesome resort. That was also sometime in the early 90′s.
• Our totally awesome trip to southern region of China in Oct. 1996 (for 12 days) to bring home our baby daughter (she was 5 1/2 months old). We didn’t see much of China, but we didn’t care – our focus was our beautiful daughter and getting through all the paperwork.
• A weekend trip to Dutch Wonderland when our daughter was about 4 or 5.
• And a couple years ago another two-day stay in Lancaster & Dutch Wonderland to meet up with the other families in our group who adopted from China.
• About 3 years ago a four day trip to Flordia for my daughter’s Karate world tournament. We got to visit Disney World while we were there.
• We have been to the Pocanos a couple of times for Karate tournaments, but haven’t been in the past two years. This Oct. my daughter is competing again, so we’ll be staying for two days. There really isn’t time to do or see anything though because the tournment takes up most of the day.
• Last summer my daughter went to spend a few days with friend in North Carolina – my hubby drove her down and did some sight seeing and drove her back.

We do take day trips and an occasional overnight some where within driving distance for concerts, museums, such as New York city for a show, boat ride to see the dolphins.   When we were dating we took a group trip to London and Paris.  And decades ago traveled been to Ireland (1 week) and Egpyt 3 weeks) – but those are tales for another time.

Hope everyone has a lovely week and I’ll post all about the trip when I get back.

Bight blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:vacation

We are leaving early on Sunday (August 27) for Colonial Williamsburg and returning late Thursday (August 31).   I’m not sure I’ll have much time to post since I’ll be packing today and tomorrow I thought I’d put up a few links to share of the places we will be visiting.

Colonial Williamsburg - the main attraction we’ll be visiting.  We also will be visiting Jamestown to see the museum and Indian village (recreationto show the way of life and crafts)

King’s Creek Plantation – this is where we are staying, we rented a two bedroom townhouse.  There is a playground, indoor and outdoor pool and more.

Capt. George’s World Famous Restaurant - a haunted dinner theater.  We have reservations for Tuesday night.  They have a large buffet and as you have dinner a mystery unfolds (title: “Get A Clue”) – sort of like a “murder mystery party”.   It sounds like a lot of fun and I’m really looking foward to it. Two places we hope to visit:   Virgina Living Museum and Norfolk Botanical Garden

Bright blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:vacation

This past weekend Mama Kelly and I had an awesome visit, and as usual we discussed where we are along the our individual path. We both felt we had reached a point in our lives where it felt “right” to begin again, to re-explore and re-learn and refresh our spiritual interests.

I had a sort of revelation the other night before our visit that I shared with Mama Kelly — that even though we felt like we had fallen off our spiritual paths, and that we disconnected from our inner witchy selves and felt lost (after the past decade of our lives being stressed and in crisis) — that actually another way to look at it is we had been at a rest stop (which is still part of the journey) – we got married, we had children, we dealt with financial and family issues, we lived – that is all part and parcel of the spiritual experience too. Now that our lives were calmer and we are working on getting our lives and our selves healthier and in balance, that we have actually grown, gotten stronger, gained insights, and wisdom. We need to do some inner house cleaning and make repairs to our inner temples, but we have and always will be on a spiritual journey and the Witch within is always there (though some times she falls asleep) even when we are totally unaware of it or consumed by what is going on in the real world around us. It was very healing and empowering to look at it from this perspective.

As I begin the first steps back on to the highway and leave the rest stop for a little bit – I find the need to do a lot of inner searching and getting to know who I am now and where do I want to go. For me I don’t feel as if I resonante with the current form of popular “wicca and paganism.” Do I still want to be a witch? I’m know I don’t want a religion in my life, but rather a spiritual path. I find that I feel drawn to Buddhism, Native American teachings, Unitarians, Science and even sometimes atheist. Do I need a label? What do I really believe in – as probably truth (for me), as possible, as nonsense?

The answer to whether or not I want to be a Witch is definitely a Yes – I still want to be connected to the history that is associated with being a Witch. However, what that means to me and how I want to express it in my life is though similar to when I first began the journey over 30 years ago, has grown and evolved and doesn’t fit any particular model of wicca that I am aware of.

Do I need a label or to belong to a particular branch of wicca? Probably not. It is nice to visit and enjoy large group rituals to recharge the inner batteries and enjoy the company of others who are like minded, and there is always great opportunity to learn from others and expand one’s thinking. But I’m not sure I want or need to fit into any one else’s mold.

I know I believe as my truth – We have one life and no matter what happens before or after we are born – living to be your best in the here and now is what is important, I believe that the spirit continues to exist after death (in what form I don’t know); that there is a Life Force which connects all living things and that in Nature there is peace, power, and wisdom; that focused thought, emotion, will and action can cause change and affect the world within and around us; I believe we are each responsible for our actions and that those actions have reprocussions. I think its very possible that there is an afterlife and if so what a spirit experiences in that after life is most likely determined on how they lived their lives (though I don’t think it’s possible and is total nonsense that any one can KNOW for sure what happens). I believe it is very possible that our souls reincarnate (but again I think its nonsense to think any one knows for sure).

For me Witch means living my truth, living my life to the best I can be, (and forgiving myself when I am not), being open to new ideas and experiences, learning, growing, respecting Nature and others, keeping the connection to the Life Force (symbolozied as the Goddess and God) open and flowing,

Will I one day seek out a group or start a new one myself or with Mama Kelly? – that is a question to ponder at a much later time. For now, I am content to explore on my own and reawaken the inner Witch and reclaim the power and magic within, and follow the Goddess where ever she may lead, and share my journey here so that it may of use to someone else one day.

Blessed Be, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:about Lady Rose, spirituality, wiccan beliefs, witch in you

Tarot of Gemstones and Crystals

I got this deck a few weeks ago but waited to do a reading with them until my visit Mama Kelly (which was this past weekend).

The cards are lovely photos of various crystals and gems, some raw, some polished, some gem quality. They are simple and uncluttered images. The only reference to the Tarot on the card itself is a simple line reference on the bottom naming the Tarot card the gemstone card relates too. The small booklet that comes with it gives the meaning of the gemstone pictured on the card, the tarot interpreation, and shadow aspect (we assume this means reversed meaning – but that is not stated the booklet).

I enjoy the deck for its imagery and glad to have it as part of my collection, because I just love crystals and stones. However, I don’t really relate to it as a tarot deck for a reading (but perhaps more as an oracle deck using 1 to 3 cards). Mama Kelly and I agreed the deck offers a wide variety of magical uses. The deck would also be useful as a “flash card” study device to learn the various stones.

Some of the uses we thought of:

• Mediation focus point
• Create a medicine wheel of gems stones to perform ritual work in or under your bed for healing, dream work, etc.
• Cast a stone circle for ritual work
• Place card(s) under pillow, on desk, or carry with you to draw energy of that gemstone (if the stone itself is not available).

(back of the cards)

Mama Kelly and I each did a one call draw focusing on the question “What should be the theme-focus of our vacations that are coming up soon”. She will be posting about her reading when she gets back — but the general meaning of her card was “happiness.”

For my vacation I drew Silver (seven of swords) – symbology of silver: fantasy, intellectual quests, dreams, love, malleability, and sensibility. Stengthens the intuitive, emotional and feminine qualities, which can help develop new plans based on dreams.

Tarot meaning – new concepts, courage, hope bluff, well-devised plans.

I had planned on taking time for myself to relax, reflect, and make notes and plans for getting my life organized, improving my health, renewing my spiritual path. The reading supported this plan and added the insight that I need to be true to my dreams and open to my intuition. I will be sure to wear a bit of silver while I’m on my vacation too, to keep me focused on staying in touch with my inner voice and to remind me to stay open to love and to be flexible as well (which is always a good thing to be to avoid stress).

Bright blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:tarot, tarot reading

1. “I never meant to cause you any sorrow,
I never meant to cause you any pain”
Purple Rain

2. “Sometimes everything is wrong. Now it’s time to sing along
When your day is night alone, (hold on, hold on)”
Everybody Hurts

3. “Tomorrow there’ll be so much to do
so tonight I’ll drift in a dream with you”
Lullaby

4. “Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?”
Landslide

5. “It’s the heart afraid of breaking That never learns to dance
It’s the dream afraid of waking That never takes the chance”
The Rose

6. “So many dreams I kept deep inside me
Alone in the dark but now You’ve come along”
You Light Up My Life

7. “Sometimes I wonder, where I’ve been.
Who I am, do I fit in?”
Out Here On My Own

8. “She paints her eyes as black as night, now
Pulls those shades down tight
Yeah, she gives a smile when the pain comes,
The pains gonna make everything alright”
She Talks To Angels

9. “I’m so tired of being here, Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave I wish that you would just leave”
My Immortal

10. “Here comes the rain again falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again becoming who we are”
Wake Me Up When September Ends

11. “Spend all your time waiting for that second chance.
For a break that will make it okay
There’s always some reason to feel not good enough
and it’s hard at the end of the day ”
Angel

12. “Laying close to you feeling your heart beating
And I’m wondering what you’re dreaming wondering if it’s me you’re seeing”
I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing

13. “For no one can fill those of your needs that you won’t let show”
Lean On Me

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Written by Mama Kelly

While not specifically a Pagan book, it’s theme and lesson would certainly be welcomed by a Pagan parent.  I am sad to report that the edition of the book on our shelf is now out of print.  However, sometimes you can find it seeling from third-party sellers via Amazon.com

The Story in Summation

A long line of men, all named Mordreth, have reigned over a land. A land where people have lost their connection to the earth, to nature. A land of famine and disorder and hatred. The reigning King Mordreth has been killed in the hunt, his fair wife has died while giving birth to his heir. Luckily she sent for a wise and learned friend before the end and placed her babe into his care until he was of an age to reign. The Ancient One took the child, Amor, up to a castle, deserted for 100 years, at the summit the mountains to raise with love and to teach the ways of a King.The Ancient One taught Amor wisdom by having him observe nature and the animals. Amor learned to honor and respect everything in the world around him. He learned the uselessness of fear and anger.When he reached his 20th year it was time for him to rule his kingdom. He left his home of light and beauty and entered a world of filth, poverty and fear. He could have returned to the mountain, but did not turn away from his people.  Instead he thought of a way to help them find their way back to the light.Years ago a bird brought him a seed of a glorious blue flower. He remembered the joy it gave him to plant it, see it grow, and marvel in its beauty. King Amor  proclaims a law in which every man woman child and babe must plant the seeds he will give them, and help them grow. Those who do not own land, may plant them anywhere there is free space.  In a year he will go across his land to make sure that the seeds have in fact been planted by all. 

People who had never worked before found themselves happy to be out in the air, working in the sweet earth. People found themselves talking about how best to grow the flowers, and found less time for petty arguments. People started keeping the town clean, clearing away weeds and rubbish. People started helping their neighbors, so as to ensure that no one would fail.

Slowly everyone found that they were becomming happier, healthier and more productive.

As time does, the year passed. The King rode through the town finding every breath sweet and fragrant, every ugly place hidden. The people looked indeed both healthier and happier.  Until he came upon the house of a little lame boy. His home was no more than a hovel and there was not a blue flower in sight. Everything was tended to, the yard clean and free of weeds, but no flowers grew.

What happens? I don’t want to spoil the end.  But, you can read the full text here thanks to Project Gutenberg.

Why I love this book:

- it is visually beautiful. The artwork is bright and vibrant. In addition, each page is trimmed with borders of golden branches, buds, leaves, blossoms, and birds.

- rich poetic language. The author weaves pictures with his prose. You see the world he created. Your emotions are stirred.

- it reinforces a connection to nature

- it is spiritual without preaching ANY religion

- it touches on the idea that the Divine is beyond human understanding

- it explains that while everyone experiences dark emotions sometimes, that they can be controlled and overcome

Quotes I Love:

“Your brother the wind is bringing to you the breath of your brothers the trees.”

“Hold your soul still and look upward often.” “All these wonders in one world and you a man upon it.”“There is no time for anger … it is a worthless thing.”

Written by Mama KellyTags:book review

Got this in an email and thought it interesting enough to share. 

The year is 1906.   One hundred years ago.   What a difference a century makes!

Here are some of the U.S. statistics for the Year 1906:
The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.
With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour.
The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year. A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at HOME .
Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had NO college education!  Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as “substandard.”
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.  Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn’t been admitted to the Union yet.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn’t been invented yet.
There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
Two out of every 10 U.S. adults couldn’t read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Eighteen percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE ! U.S.A. !

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

Wonder what life will be like in the next 100 years!  Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:blog things, odd

We have yet to try this, though I admit I am highly curious.  My first exposure to the concept that acorns were fit for human consumption came from reading the book Tree Medicine Tree Magic many years ago.

More recently it came up in a conversation with my husband.  Hubby and I have a dream to own our own home on a rural plot of land eventually.  In pursuit of this goal, which will probably take many years, we have decided that one way to work towards it is to collect information.  Additionally, we both have to start deciding exactly how far we would be willing to take a “live off the land” mentality, especially as we are both predominately tech-geeks.

How to prepare harvested acorns

method 1 (source)

1. All varieties of oaks have acorns that you can eat. Different varieties will have different levels of tannins, and therefore bitterness.  All acorns must have those tannins removed.
2. Remove the shells. 
3. Grind the nuts into a paste. If using a blender, put the shelled acorns in the blender, fill with water, and grind until you get a thick, cream-colored goo.
4. Line a big sieve with cheesecloth or a clean towel and pour in the ground acorns. Hold the sieve under running water and and continuously stir with one hand, for about five minutes. A lot of creamy stuff will come out. This is the tannin. When the water runs clear, stop and taste a little. When the meal is no longer bitter, you have washed it enough.
5. Squeeze out as much water as you can, with your hands.
6. Use the ground acorn mash right away or store in the freezer in plastic bags.

Nutritional information available here.

Eating your acorns:

• use as a soup base
• use like corn meal
• use in pancakes, etc if finely ground (especially with wheat flour to help it bind as acorns have no gluten)
• add to stews

An article I read mentioned a cookbook, apparently no longer in print, Acorns and eat ‘em.

Be aware that if you suffer from tree nut allergies you SHOULD NOT eat acorns.

CAUTION

Tannic acid gives the acorns their bitter taste. Eating an excessive amount of acorns high in tannic acid can lead to kidney failure. Before eating acorns, leach out this chemical.

I also came across a good article by the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department here.  Includes information on prep and recipes.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Please be aware the contents of this post are for informative purposes only. We here at 2 Witches have never harvested, prepared, nor consumed acorns as food. We make no claims to the nutritive value or safety of doing so.

Written by Mama KellyTags:food