voting Imbolc back on to the island ...

So years ago when I was with different coven, we voted Imbolc off the Sabbath island.   Nobody was feeling it you see.  In a coven of varying levels of initiates NOBODY could come up with a ritual for it.  What's more, we couldn't be arsed to give a damn about not being able to muster a connection.  Everyone decided Imbolc was not important to us in the grand scheme of our Wheel of the Year.   And in our defense, at the time it wasn't.  Whether we were all much younger and didn't need reminding of maidenly/young man energy, or we were so full of enthusiasm and zeal we didn't feel the need to desperately search for signs of the coming Spring, or it may even have been that we were just full of ourselves.  Probably it was a combination of all three.  But in the end, and for lots of years, re-organizing and restructuring of the group that once was to what is, Imbolc has usually slid by with the bare minimum of observance and Wheel turning.   I know for me personally over the past several years, I've noted what the calendar says, felt the energy of the season building, and found myself just reaching out with my mind to nudge the Wheel forward without much pomp and circumstance.

This year feels different.  I feel (at the moment at least) excited for the coming Spring.  My mind is already planning a garden  My body already pining for the feel of a warm breeze with a biting finish. Fresh greens, birdies singing in the trees, and is that baby bunny peeking out at me from under the neighbor's shed?  This year, I have definitely noticed that the harsh cold winds of Winter are becoming less harsh.  The smell of frost and snow in the air has started to take on the musty scent of rain.  And I can hardly wait to till up my earth and put plants in it.

But first, there's Imbolc.  Because I can tell we're not quite there yet.  Right now we're still cold and a little boggy from the snow melt and the rain.  And when I say boggy, I mean it.  Between the shallow depth between my top soil and bedrock, top soil that is mostly clay, and rain rain and more rain on top of snow melt my yard feels like I'm walking on a giant wet sponge.  When last I took the dog out, the ground made that sucking, squelching noise and I got muddy water in my house shoes.  There's also this bite in the air that is a reminder that Winter is not quite done with us yet.

I think this year, I'm going to do an Imbolc ritual.  Something more than the "Hi, how are you?  Move along now" -ness than is my norm.  I want a ritual that that embraces the symbolism behind it all.  I want to celebrate the right now where we are, and I'm thinking that right now that includes Imbolc.

Some traditional symbols for around this time are  a wreath of light, milk, and/or just being outright tired of Winter's shit.Imbolc is really a celebration of the very first signs of Spring.  And I mean the VERY first.  Signs like the amount of daytime in our days steadily increasing.  Or (as I was taught) the ewes letting down their milk in preparation of giving birth - I've never been around lambing sheep, so I don't know if that last is true.  (Makes for good ritual fodder though:)  The Goddess cycles throughout the year, Maiden/Mother/Crone,  This year, Imbolc feels like that cycle is resetting itself.

What are you guys feeling from the environment around you at the moment?  Can you feel the Crone settling in for a long nap, and the Maiden starting to stretch and wiggle?

Daily schedules, menus, and such

Hello Netizens.

My guys are back in school today.  No more snow on the ground.  😩  Am I a bad mommy if I say I'm glad for the break?  My super cuddly boy has been stuck to me like white on rice for the better part of two weeks and it feels good to have a bit of time where there isn't another person stuck to me like a fifth appendage.

But, back to school means back on schedule.  I was pleased this morning when things flowed so smoothly.  We stuck to schedule and everybody got up, showered, dressed, medicated, and breakfasted right on time.  GO US!! 👍💟  My monthly goal for January is to get us on a schedule because make me happy.  I have our menu planned out for the week.  Tonight we're having Buffalo Chicken burritos in honor of it being Hot Sauce Day.  My morning To Dos are To Done and my meds are about to send me for a cat nap.

This afternoon I'm heading to the pool to walk some laps and then to the post office for stamps.  Then pick up Togbert.  

y'all go out and make somebody smile today!

List and Listless

Things I love about snow days:

• Extra cuddle times with my guys
• hot cocoa
• Netflix marathons of DinoTrux and Cat In The Hat

Things I do not love about snow days:

• Too much cuddle time with my guys
• What!?  ANOTHER mug of hot cocoa?  Can I have whisky in it?
• If I hear that damn cat one more time I'm throwing my gorram TV out the window.

As with most things snow is both a blessing and curse.  I've loved having my guys home this week.  Watching Tog run around in the snow (we actually got a pretty good accumulation for Mid-TN) ... The extra adult alone time with Jim once we get Togbert settled with breakfast and Netflix ... 

But damn!  Sometimes a girl just wants to go shit in private.  I've reached the point where I am annoyed by the fact that it takes WD40 and crowbar to get Toggles off of me.  I also didn't lay in enough provisions so during tomorrow's day off I'm heading to the store.  It's mightily inconvenient that Togbert is such a picky eater when we are stuck at home.  

I guess I have cabin fever and I'm getting cranky.  Sometimes enough is too much.  ;-) 

When your DH looks so pleased with himself, smiling as he falls into a post-coital stupor, and you just can't give him the news that he's left the station before all passengers have disembarked ...

Now normally I ain't got no kind of problem letting a lover know his performance has not been satisfactory,  but this face doh!  The man is grinning ear to ear.  He's curled around me, holding my hand ... I just can't seem to bring myself to ask him to pass the vibrator.

Any who ...

It's snowing here.  Right now I see big fluffy flakes whizzing past my window.  The ground has a decent covering.  The roads are ice from where I see them.  I think today is going to be a pretty lazy day.  It's a good day for Netflix, cocoa, blankets, and family snoodles.  

My sleeping pattern is fucked.  I'm sleeping an average of 3 hours at at time.  Waking up for 3 hours or so and going back to bed for another 3 hours.  It's rather annoying.  I'm blaming my meds.  Whether it's a specific one or a combination somewhere I don't know.  My But appetite is also ferdoodled.  I'm either eating everything and anything that doesn't eat me first or the mere thought of food makes me want to blow chunks.  My pain levels have been pretty consistent though and I'm happy about that.  I'm taking like twice the Tramadol than I normally take (still below the prescribed level) but these days me and cold are not friends.  Let me restate that.  My lungs, the fact that I'm always hot, are friends with the cold.  My joints and arthritis and other problems do not like me being cold one little bit.  But between the drugs and creams, heat pads, hot showers, and the occasional backrub I'm hovering around a pain level 3 or 4.  I'm pleased with that!

Right now, I'm being sucked back into unconsciousness by pain meds.  Y'all don't do nothing I wouldn't do!  

Go spread some Love and some smiles!

Blog reimagined take 92

Journaling is something I want to start doing again. I miss keeping up with my daily thoughts and emotions. Plus I've got some things to work through.


My life for the past 7 years has been being a Stay-at-Home-Mom and Housewife. It's the longest career I've ever had. I've loved it! The freedom, the boredom, the ups, the downs, the sideways ... but ... you knew there was a but didn't you? Mostly I'm tired of being broke AF all the time. Staying home is great. I can always be here for my little man, but that has pretty much meant that the only other human beings I see are the ones I married and gave birth to. I feel forgotten, unimportant, and friendless. I know I'm none of those things. But my friends have busy productive lives, I do not.

The thing holding me back from being productive is the fibro. I can either not take the drugs, hurt and get very little accomplished because pain.  Or I can take the drugs, not hurt, and get very little accomplished because the drugs knock me out. Consistently. Every day around 9:00 to 9:30. Unless I've waited to take the meds because I had something to do in the morning. And I just can't see a prospective employer giving me a 2-3 hour nap break everyday.

I'm frustrated. Which is probably why I've been working on my planner a lot since New Year's Eve. I've gotten things planned with subplans to my subplans for my backup plans because I need to feel some control. But I've made a lot of plannery pages! Microsoft Word is awesome.  The new Word has all kinds of tools to help creativity.  And to help make interesting looking pages.  If anyone is looking for some calendars, lists, menus, goals, etc ... let me know and I'll hook you up.  😊

Anywho, look to be hearing from me here more often.  (I'm hoping at least once a week)


Spread a few smiles and lots of Love!