Normally, you’re not the most direct person in the world. Nor are you the most concise. You sometimes display tendencies to sidestep the main issues and take the long way home to the truth. Why, then, have you apparently turned into a sleek paragon of precise communication? To what do we owe your crisp new efficiency, your knack for cutting through the crap, and your commitment to saying exactly what you mean? Maybe it has to do with the alignment of the planets. Or maybe you really, really don’t want to be misunderstood.

Hmmm. That doesn’t describe me I don’t think.  Thanks to Mercury in Leo and Saturn in Capricorn, I’m pretty darned direct.  More so than some folks think I oughta be.  Perhaps it’s the concise part that has been lacking.  I know one thing for certain.  I really, really don’t like being misunderstood. 

Had a rough night and day.  Women stuff folks.  Just in case you want to read something else…

Couldn’t get to sleep last night what with the awful cramps. CRAMPS. I got my tubes tied in 1991. Me no want kids.  And me no want some of the equipment that is used specifically and only for that purpose.  Take it out.  But they refuse.  I mean I really shouldn’t be rolled up in a fetal ball in tears after taking 4 vicodon and 2 aleve now should I?  Thank god for oxycodone.  Yes, I have to take that for my cramps.  And if I only take one, they still hurt.  But I can’t stand being as messed up as 2 is unless they are really bad.  So last night I didn’t sleep until 2am waiting for the meds to kill the pain.

Today? The migraines hit.  Hadn’t had enough sleep, the barometric pressure dropped, muggyness abounds and I spent the afternoon sleeping.  Don’t think I’m going to make my meeting tonight.  Darn it.

Why oh why am I one of the peri-menopausal whose monthlies come more often?  *grumble*

I’m surrounded by the smells of the herbs I harvested last evening.  Angelica, artemsia, sage, rosemary, lavender, fennel.  Mmmmmmm. Lovely smells.

I’ve been working hard to get the last pouches done for the solstive Concentric Circles event.  And to get my autumn necklace done.  All the little charms have been waiting patiently to be wired to each other for many months now. I’ll have something to show you all very soon.

Ta for now as I go take drugs and watch movies and bend wire.

I promised my brother the other day that his recent photo from Dubrovnik would be the first thing I would post on my next blog post. I lied, sorry bro, it was that bit about Palin…  took the time to read the blogs on my list today, get caught up and feel as though I should have been outside enjoying the September.  My favorite month of them all.  I live for September’s.

With no further dithering and screwing around I present one of the loveliest sites ever.

He’s so lucky!  Two weeks on the Dalmatian Coast.  *sigh*

I’m sitting here applying for jobs while the sun finally shines.  After almost two weeks of rain and cold temperatures, cold enough to turn on the heat fer crying out loud, we are back to our typical September.  I love September.  Sunny days, blue skies, a slight breeze, a hint of turning leaves in the scents… 

My blackberries molded on the vine thanks to all the rain.  I’m pretty sad about that. But I do have some frozen from last years bumper crop left.  What berries didn’t mold I’m leaving to the wild beasties.

I walked around the lake yesterday, it was incredibly gorgeous.  I took photos. I can’t seem to get any of them to go to my email. Darn, I had a lovely shot of a dragonfly with striped wings resting on a huge blackberry leaf next to some plump berries that didn’t actually mold.  You’ll just have to imagine.  I had photos of the mimosa trees in bloom, the seagulls with their wings all cattywompus from the wind, it was a lovely day.

I must get out in the sun again today…  Warm up my toesies.

After much thought I have renewed my petition to join a local Kingstone coven.  I went through their outer grove class, learned tons, it was a blessing. But I wasn’t ready to go further.  So I didn’t pursue it.  Now that my schedule is my own and it no longer matters if circles go until 2am I’ve renewed my request.  I meet with my beloved and much missed Higher Priestess on Monday to talk.  I will of course have to be interviewed and re-meet folks and then they will vote.  There are no guarantees.  No worries there. What is meant to be will be. 

My experiences with the two women I met recently showed me that I wanted structure but that I wasn’t interested in being the creator of it just yet. That I have much to teach but more to learn.  I finally have designed my life so that I have time.  Oh goodness plenty of time.  Perhaps a bit too much. 

Have been applying for jobs and the opportunities present themselves but so far no bites.  Launched a new site last week, they were very happy, perhaps some other work will come out of that.  Visualizing my ass off.

Off to go worship September and do some herb harvesting…

Response to my email “recall the product pimple ball with bell.”  Pass it on.  Just keeping them honest.  Check your pet stores to see if this is true

From: “Haley Birk” HBirk@fourpaws.com
Thank you very much for your message.

Like you, Four Paws is deeply concerned about reports of injuries suffered by some dogs as a result of a manufacturing defect in some of our Pimple Ball with Bell toys.

We want you to know that we have stopped shipping these toys to our distributors and we have asked them to have retailers remove the toys from their shelves immediately and return them at our expense.

We have also stopped all shipments of the toys from the manufacturer, and we are sending Executive Vice President Barry Askin to personally inspect the manufacturer’s facility in order to make sure that the defect has been corrected.

We are also changing the packaging of the Pimple Balls to make it easier to inspect them for potential defects, and we are individually inspecting every one of the toys in our inventory in order to identify any that may be defective.

Thank you again for your message and your concern. Please be assured that the safety and well being of pets is our top priority and we are doing everything we can to make sure that this problem is solved as quickly as possible.

Sincerely Yours
Four Paws Products
Allen Simon
President/CEO

Yes, you have our permission to forward our response. We appreciate your feedback and are doing everything in our power to remedy this unfortunate incident.

Sincerely,
Haley Birk
Office Manager

Couldn’t help myself. Woke up thinking I was going to get to some sewing and ended up wiling away an hour making seasonal changes to the blog…

Summer didn’t return this morning as promised, we might just have to face facts that this was less of a growing season that we wanted.  I’m preparing for higher prices on the grains and produce…  Which has already happened due to gas prices. Which is now below $4 in my area, WTF???

Going to put out the autumn decor this week as well as finish the new black linen pants and banner.  I’ve got several bags to finish, both tarot and wand, and a couple hats possibly before Concentric Circles.  I work better when it’s not hot so this helps me if not my blackberries, which just need 2 days of good ol hot summer to finalize juicing up.  This rain might ruin them.  Good thing I have some stashed in the freezer…  I needs me some cobbler vera soon.

Off to putter through my day as I wait for the frikking phone to ring inviting me for an interview.  In the process of transferring my domain names to my new web hosting service, my websites were down for at least 24 hours.  Perhaps they went to my sites and thought, this gal don’t know her shit… Hmmmm.

feeling cranky and confused and in a state of what the heck am I supposed to be doing???

As soon as I woke up enough to get out of bed I made some tea (my current favorite is Celestial Seasonings “honey vanilla white tea chai”) and sat down the couch. Thumbed through a magazine on holiday crafts, not really getting into much. Still wondering what I want to do. No energy…

Got online and there was a response to my offer to teach free workshops to our local witch meetup group.  That was the catalyst.  I’ve scheduled and reserved rooms at two local libraries for the full day.  This will give us 7 hours to make one robe each.  And now I seem to have energy for my day.

It is quite clear that I need structure in my day or I get a low-grade depression.  Time to start thinking about how I want to go about this… 

I will do some sewing that has been calling my name today.  I will look online for a job. I will do some organizing of seasonal decorations and see what I want to use this year.  Tonight I go to my recovery meeting.

Okay.  This I can do. And like it.  Not bad for a Monday.  I need to remember today.