Promised answer on photo

Okay, it is a sunrise picture. I took it from my home in Whetstone, Arizona just north of Huachuca City and east of the junction of highways 90 and 82. It was a chilly morning in late February and the sun was rising far south still, somewhere between the Tombstone Hills and the Mule Mountains that separate Bisbee from the San Pedro Valley where Sierra Vista, Huachuca City and Whetstone all are located. Here is another look if you wish to see it again:

The shrubbery along the right was the row of pyracanthia bushes that edged the unpaved road and one of hte Lombardi cedars that were interspersed between them. The dark line in the center was a flagpole sitting in the front yard. My house had been built as a church and had a big wooden double door in the front and some other quirks. The pole was rusty and had no line on it so we did not use it. We were always going to have it taken out but never got around to it.   So that's the rest of the story!

And here is one more similar with my 'snowflake' holiday decorations still on the glass of the front storm doors! And yes, it did snow there a bit at times!

Already I am getting so spoiled to being in the sunny south high desert environment. Today it was overcast most of the day and as a result, chillier than it was supposed to be so I whined around all day and fussed about the 'cold' although it was in the upper 40s and a high of 52 by my thermometer. It would have been a balmy day in Colorado! I know it was mostly a state of mind--when the sun is not shining, it feels cold to me! I dug out a medium weight parka and it felt great!

So I stayed indoors most of the day and played with creating calendars in my Printmaster program. Now I want to get a new scanner--my old one that was the same vintage as the computer I recently gave up on has zonked on me. I think it is actually the disk that came with it which will not load properly anymore to provide the drivers and such that are needed. I'll get my electronics mechanic brother to tinker with it but also start looking for one that will scan all types of photographic media since I have a huge bunch of prints, negatives and transparencies to scan and save in digital form before they deteriorate too far.

My dad, my father in law and my husband were all avid photographers and so I have been also since I got my first Kodak Brownie box camera when I was about twelve or so. That's one of my goals and projects planned for 2013, actually. I'll keep you informed of the progress! And you will likely see some of the results.

Anyway I made a calendar for 2013 with sunset pictures --all mine and there were still more to choose from--and another with railroad pictures, some mine and others that I have collected. Yes, I am also a rail fan for many years starting with watching the 'local' come in to the Verde Valley two or three times a week when I was a kid. I'll save more on that for another day!

Winter Solstice-2012

This is a picture from the east coast, taken by a friend of a friend. Here in New Mexico I seldom see spectacular sunrises although we did get them in Colorado. Here the mountains to the east are high and close so there isn't the vast horizon to view the colors. But then, sunsets and sunrises have a lot in common.... I bet you cannot tell which the picture at the end of my post might be! I'll give its story tomorrow!

I did not do an all night vigil as some of my Druid and other Pagan friends did--just do not have the stamina for that these days but I was up to greet the sun and did so with a thankful and joyful heart at the promise it portends. Lugh returns! Winter will pass and hopefully the winter of spirit that darkens so many lives right now as well. The actual point of the sun's most distant place was early this morning--I read six something but forget the time zone that was for! I think a bit later here in MST zone.

The world did not end --I never thought it would!--but perhaps this can mark a new beginning for all. I too send heartfelt prayers out to the Earth and all upon it. We must never lose hope regardless of the terrible events to which we may be witness. May they be growing pains in finding ways  to move into a better, brighter future. Collectively we can at least light a candle in the darkness and show light to this new day.

After I came back inside--it is chilly here today, about 30 at dawn--the following verse came to me in a flash so I will share it with all.  Thanks be to Brighid for the gift of her inspiration!!

Go in peace. Brightest midwinter/Yule blessings to all! 

 Winter Solstice 2012

A sweet subtle brightening

Slips over the crest--

A new day begins

And once more we are blessed

As Lugh the Light Bringer

Returns to the sky.

In the chill hush of dawn

Hearts sing in reply.

A promise is kept

And we offer our praise,

Our thanks from the spirit

On this day of days.

The seasons will turn now

And spring come once more.

Thus our lyrics of joy

Resound shore to shore.

May the light of our hope

And our faith never wane

As we walk now Her path

And trust not in vain.

That in this beginning

We too may bring light

To that spiritual darkness

And  the hearts deep in night.

                          (c)  21 Dec 2012

Meet Ginger--the newest Canine Kid

I cannot call her a replacement for Belle. There could not be one because just like all our human friends, each canine partner is unique and can only fill it's own paw prints but Ginger is the newest companion to come into my life. As of today she has been here a week. And of course has me 'trained' already!!

She is a sweet but very energetic and happy girl except that she has a tendency to get spooky and skittish and have small panic attacks. It is going to take some time and patience to help her get past this. She may never lose it entirely but I think in time will be much better. She is only about twenty months old and I have no way to even imagine what trauma she has experienced in her young life. Her prior Mommy seems like a very nice lady and certainly cared a lot for her but Ginger was becoming over-protective of her to the point she worried about her grandchildren. Also, Ginger would jump a regular yard-height fence and went off on some expeditions that may have put her into danger and fearsome situations--which is probably part of her current problem. I suspect a man has been cruel to her or at least scared her badly because she is very wary of Charlie and he is a total dog person and other than yelling now in then when he gets frustrated--mostly with "things" and almost never with dogs!!--he is every canine's best friend. She will take treats mostly and allow a quick scratch or pet now and then but we'll work on that.

Ginger is the youngest dog I have had for a long time, probably since we got Alanna as a puppy from the Humane Society in Colorado Springs back in May 1977! She reminds me a lot of Flash, my first dog, actually. She is, as near as I can figure, a mixture of Border Collie and Aussie. She loves to run and is incredibly nimble and agile, twisting and reversing and leaping as if she was nearly weightless. She plays ball well--just say 'bring it' and she is trotting back with her eyes sparkling to get it thrown again. She has a rope toy and loves to play tug and has had some mad running sessions with Beebee and Rojito gallantly trying to keep up--she can run rings around them! 

She has already pretty well bonded to me and in time will accept that she is now part of a pack and not a pair. She and Rojito get along well; he isn't quite the same to her as he was to Belle but they are both red and he clearly feels a kinship. By the way, despite my original intentions he now sleeps on my bed at night.... Mostly I am able to keep him off my pillow and out of my face and so far no allergy consequences seem to be happening! Ginger sleeps at the side or foot on rugs, just as Belle did and shows little interest in getting up. Only yesterday did she get on the couch to look out the living room window after seeing Beebee and Kaycee do it ever since she arrived.

Kaycee is healing from his surgery and now has the bandage off and the wound area is shrinking quickly and hair growing where he was shaved and burned around the edges. I got two kind of homeopathic cream/salve products and we have one the vet provided. he is still a grump and we still have to persevere in keeping him from worrying at the wound but if we can hold on, it will be well in time. He is jealous of Ginger and not nice to her which is no real surprise. He and Belle never did get along and we may not be able to leave him and Ginger unsupervised together but we'll see how that works out. Anyway I am glad to have a new dogster and one who is a daughter of my beloved herding breeds. She likes to ride and is going to be a good travel partner in time.

Positive Steps--An Editorial!!

I am as appalled as anyone in their right mind would be at the continuing violence and senseless killings. No, I do not have answers and wish to all the Powers that I did but I do very humbly offer a few suggestions of what we as a people need to do. The following is strictly my opinion and I do not expect anyone to agree with me but I do want my readers to think about it with an open mind. Some humble suggestions:

First ban the media from any proximity to tragedy and disaster scenes. Shoving a microphone into a survivor's face, regardless of their age, and demanding answers like "How do you feel..." should be a CRIME!! I had to shut off my TV last night after watching this horrible situation being dissected, salivated over and splashed across my screen for over an hour. I was literally about to be sick. A very brief statement that a tragedy occurred and the simplest possible facts about it is more than enough!! No one has a "need to know" and the damned press needs to back off!!!

Second, I am sure there will be lots of screams for gun control. But if someone is so vicious or deranged as to want to kill strangers, they will find a way--bombs, crashing their vehicle into a crowd, poison and a zillion other means. People kill, not guns. So we need to focus on the real problem: fixing these broken people.

Third, if possible don't even give the doer's name, much less all the gory details and whines and blame slinging. We do not need to, in effect, glorify criminal, heinous acts!! In training animals reprimands are often seen as 'attention' by the creature being trained, giving reinforcement we do not want to give! The doers here want fame and notoriety and power; withhold it from them and their hapless families who probably are not guilty of anything but being human also!

And last, yes, we need to pray for the families and the spirits of those killed and wounded in all these hideous events but we also need to actively pray for the healing of those who are so deranged, warped or twisted that they may be contemplating acts of horrible violence. It might still be possible to turn them in other directions and collective prayer does have incredible power.

To help this on some more, we may need to get rid of the most ultra-violent games and entertainment media because for some it is hard to draw a line between playing or make-believe and real blood, gore and death. We banish toy guns but allow video games where one leaves a trail of bodies?? We flash blood and gore across the TV and movie screens and call it art and entertainment?? Only the military and first responders fully realize how ugly and final death can be unless as private citizens it strikes close to us.

We may even need to go back to a bit more discipline and consequences in early childhood for negative behavior and stop worrying so much about 'self esteem' and puffing their egos and avoiding trauma of every kind. Life is real, harsh and earnest and children need to be slowly introduced to these facts from infancy on instead of it suddenly hitting them at eighteen or twenty-one.. There are no free lunches. We do not all have the same abilities and skills but that is okay. Everyone will not be an A student, a brilliant athlete, or the prom royalty but if we apply ourselves and seek where our personal strengths are and then build on and use them, we can almost all be okay and make a contribution. and have a decent life. But we have to work and earn, not go and steal it from others.

I would not go so far as to say religion necessarily has a place in the classroom but some form of spiritual belief belongs in every home and it is the parents' job to instill it in their children--a respect for others, the concepts of right and wrong--and yes, there really is a difference and it is not being "judgmental" to say so, at least not taking judgmental as a dirty word! Hate, violence, bullying, theft, even rudeness and greed --all the traditional no-nos are still valid. I think many young people are not learning this. And it is NOT okay to go kill anyone just because you feel your parents are too strict, you do not have all the gizmos you want, other kids are not nice to you or really anything else. The fact most of these mass killers are very young seems significant to me; we are failing our youth somehow for this many to go this wrong. Whatever we have been doing the last 25 or more years isn't too successful. We need to ask why and what we can do better.

Dogs and Desert Snow

Goodness but the time has gotten away from me! But I can whine a little and you will understand why I've been silent,

First on November 30, one of our resident canines had laser surgery on his right foreleg. Kaycee is a purebred Australian Cattle Dog or Blue/Queensland Heeler. Like a lot of purebreds he is a bit high strong and given to a few neuroses! He got a wound and would not leave it alone enough to fully heal. He had a couple of light laser treatments but they did not do the job and it kept getting worse so this time they burned the whole area to get rid of the cyst and damaged tissue. It is like a third degree burn and needs serious care and protection. Of course he still wants to lick and gnaw on it so he's been in either a muzzle (when he cannot be under total supervision) or an inflatable ring collar that deters but does not totally prevent his worrying the leg. 24/7 ever since. It's been a challenge and it isn't over yet but he is showing some signs of healing now. Another 4-5 weeks and he may be able to get back to normal. If we cannot get good healing, he could lose the leg, a sad thing for a four year old active dog. So that is one issue.

The same day Kaycee had his surgery, I drove up to Carrizozo, a small town about fifty miles north and 'met' a young female dog who is probably going to be joining our pack to take the vacant place left by Belle. Ginger is a mix of Aussie and Border Collie, twenty months old, red and white, and looks like a real sweetie. Her current mom does not have time to keep her happy and exercised and she jumps a regular yard height fence and gets into mischief and danger. Our five foot chain-link should keep her corraled. I waited a bit for her trial visit so Kaycee could have the spotlight he needed but she will be here on Thursday and stay while her current mom goes on a holiday trip. If it works out, Ginger will be the newest of the canine crew and we'll be back to sixteen feet of dogs! She is very pretty and I think she'll fit in well.

As to desert snow, well, that comes from the photographs I took early last month when I visited the White Sands National Monument with some friends and we all agreed the pure white sand deep in the dune area really does look like snow! So I have used a couple of the photos for my Christmas cards which I have been printing and slowly getting addressed and ready to mail. I miss the old data base program I used to use to do easy labels and have not ever come up with a viable substitute so it is the old fashioned way for me again. And my hand writing is pretty pathetic anymore.  I address a few and then have to rest my hand!

We have had a touch of winter the last two days with hard frost both nights --"ice frisbees" in the bird baths in the mornings and a biting wind out of the north-north west. Highs in the lower edge of the fifties which after the late and very mild fall seem pretty chilly! But when I read it was sixteen degrees, wind and snow in Colorado Springs at noon on Sunday, I felt much better! What a blessing it is to be away from that. We need some moisture and I would even accept some s**w if it comes to that but more than a skiff is not too common here. We had maybe two inches once last winter. Rain, the old fashioned slow day-long drizzles my brother and I recall from our youth in central Arizona, would be very welcome but may not come in this drought ridden era. But  some showers over the weekend may be possible. Desert dwellers are always on the lookout for any precipitation. We don't do rain dances but more from lack of real knowledge of how to make this work than reluctance!

More pretty sunsets too, with some clouds, which were all the 'weather' we saw from a storm that socked the more northern regions with snow, ice, bad roads and all the wintry issues. So I'm sharing some pictures with you all!

More soon, I promise. My Christmas preparations are going to be done soon and I'll have perhaps a bit more time and maybe some Ginger adventures to share as well. Meanwhile go in peace and harmony with mild temps and gentle rain! And visit tuatha-de-brighid.org, the developing website of my on-line Druid group that is a very special circle of friends. That phrase is not grammatically correct in old Gaelic but translates as the Folk or People of the Goddess Brighid, which we strive to be, a clann or family of sorts although from many different ethnic and genetic roots.

Giving Thanks

The sun shines brightly after a couple of grayish days. We did not get much rain but every few drops helps. And that being said, I realize just how much I have to be thankful for. I've been blessed with a truly amazing life--detours, bumpy trails and all! Looking back, I can see how various experiences and trials strengthened and refined me to who I am today and that perhaps it is my duty and destiny now to pass this along in my writing and share odd bits and pieces that few will now ever have a chance for. Even when I was growing up, those in cities etc. did not get those chances. It has been a marvelous journey!

Of course the biggest blessing any of us can have is friends and family. The people that hold key places in our lives ad hearts are treasures beyond price. I just got home from a week in Arizona seeing friends and family from my long sojourn in Cochise County and that was a great joy. I lived there longer than any place in the rest of my life and it is still a place that holds a part of me. However, you cannot go home again--not ever. Things and places change; people leave and memory adds a luster and gilding that reality does not reflect. So there is a trace of sadness but also joy in a return. Still, it was especially good to come home! And yes, Alamogordo and this homely little house and its yard, gradually shifting to become 'ours' by things we do, is truly home now. Six bright eyes, three waggly tails and twelve feet of dogs cavorted and barked and jumped up on me--lovely! Belle's shadow of a shadow lingered briefly, even though she had been with me in spirit for the drive as she was in reality many, many times in the past. It's all good.

I even added a new friend to the bunch. After connecting through one of those normally worthless sites and corresponding for a bit we decided to meet--he coming down from Phoenix where he lives and me up from Sierra Vista to Tucson. Joe and I have much in common, the nerdy kids with strict parents and not much money to throw around who had to grow up and make our own different lives to find who we were. He always loved the cowboy and old west stuff and I grew up on the trailing edge of the real old west so there was lots to talk about. It was a funny 'first date' which is a silly term for finding an old friend with a new face. But there will be more shared times. At this age, friends are the best one can ask for and those with much in common a rare surprise. I like to meet people who are not strangers from the beginning as that confirms my belief that we have lived and bonded before. Love in all its forms and hues is still The One True Thing!!!

This picture is from those early days, about 1960 or so! The little mule was named Beano--since he was marked in spots like a pinto bean. That shot actually appeared in an ad in Western Horseman mag when we were selling saddle mules for trail riders.

Another special friend sent me a text this morning--I have to agree--like him I have "bunches to be thankful for." No, you cannot go home again but you can carry home with you in your heart and those invisible silver chains that join hearts and kindred spirits across miles and even millenia. To all those special folk--and they know who they are!!--Brightest Blessings today and always to you and yes, for each and every one of you, today I give soul-deep thanks. You are my most special and sacred blessings! May we always be together at least in spirit.

And this is me at about seventeen holding the brother, Alex, who left us far too soon. Glad you are in a better place, kid, but I do miss you! But we'll meet again. Take care of some of those dogs, horses and mules for me now, okay? No work, just a pat or a scratch since they are in Fiddler's Green by the Rainbow Bridge...plenty of grass and room to romp.

Veteran's Day

This holiday came into being after World War I to commemorate the signing of the armistice treaty ending that war, which was done at 11:00 o'clock on November 11. For a time it was called Armistice Day. That was supposed to be "the war to end all wars' but humanity is a contentious bunch and as the Bible says there will be "wars and rumors of wars" until the Armageddon. I think that must be a true prophecy. We need to advance and grow much more wise and good before the cycle will end.

I've often said before that I do not glorify or enjoy anything about war. it is ugly, brutal, horrific and a sad reflection upon humanity in general but it happens and there are times when violence, bullying and aggression have to be met in kind. In those times our soldiers are so important. Gordon Lightfoot in his song Don Quixote said it well; "see the soldier with his gun who must be dead to be admired."  Too often that is true.
So today we remember and honor all who have given so much since the birth of our nation to sustain and support our way of life and make us safe here at home. Only on a couple of occasions has our peace and security in our own land been broken--Pearl Harbor and 9-11. Those 'days of infamy' live in most memories and not happily. I was not around for the first but remember well the second.

This shot shows the Blue Angels (Navy flying team) going past the Statue of Liberty at an event a few years back. Both Navy and Marine pilots have flown in this elite group. The Navy and Marines are very closely affiliated but argue like kinfolk often do!

As a life member of the VFW Auxiliary, I took part in many ceremonies and commemorations of various dates important to the military community. Perhaps Veteran's Day is the greatest of these. I read this verse for one such remembrance back in 1986 when Post 10342, Huachuca City, AZ had just begun the color guard later to become state color guard for State and later National VFW Commander Allen "Gunner" Kent, who was a former Marine.

                     Veteran's Day

 I hear the drum roll in my mind

     and then I see, before, behind,

the Silent Legions marching past

   to join the Great Parade, at last....

 From Flanders Fields and Iwo's sands,

    from nameless near and distant lands

where they have fought, bled and died

   for to uphold the Nation's Pride

and secure the Peace and Liberty

  today enjoyed by you and me...

Each heart with praise should overflow

   and gladly search for ways to show

that we remember and we care

   and at least in spirit share

their sacrifice, their gift, their pain.

  We know they did not die in vain.

   

The torch still burns: we carry on

   the flame kept bright by those now gone.

They're marching still, they're fighting yet;

   and so must we...lest we forget.

             

Author's Note:  Written for a tribute for Veteran's Day 

and first recited at a ceremony held by VFW Post 10342 and its Ladies Auxiliary on 11 November 1986 in Huachuca City, Arizona.  Permission granted to use at no cost for any patriotic purpose supportive of the

sentiment in which it is written with credit of authorship to be given.  Published in an anthology by World of Poetry,         GMW. (c) 1986

BTW the photo of me was taken a couple of years later, when I was wearing that color guard's uniform. In keeping with our post being in Huachuca City, we called ourselves The Thunderguard and we were the only group in the VFW per a national commander at that time who had both post and auxiliary members in the same uniform! I was mostly the photographer but did march and carry a flag at times which I felt was a high honor. We had good esprit and for several years made a fine showing around southern Arizona.

Happy Birthday Marines!!

November 10 is the anniversary of the founding of the Marine Corps! In many military installations around the world and chapters of the Marine Corps League (retired and former Marines' fraternal organization) tonight will see festive balls and similar events to celebrate.  While I am not involved in any of this now I know and revere the history of the Corps and honor the service of all Marines from the American Revolution to this very day. Even now many Marines are serving in the Middle East, at embassies and with other military organziations of the US forces around the world. May God or Godde or however you name your primary deity hold the living in protective and caring hands and enfold those passed with eternal loving care.

I especially want to honor the service of two very dear to me:

Staff Sergeant James L Walton, service in China (1949) and Korea--Inchon, Pusan and the Chosin. Jim departed to the Great Parade November 2, 2003. May he rest in peace and enjoy the precious company of fallen comrades.

E-4 David D Walton, service in Desert Storm and now serving in law enforcement in Cochise County, Arizona.

I want to share a couple of verses which have appeared in a number of places, poems I wrote to celebrate my two personal heroes.

The Last Muster

Selfish in my love and needing

I resisted this final goodbye

But time marches on so relentless

And the last formation drew nigh.

I knew that the trumpet had sounded,

Knew you would answer that call,

Realized it was right, good and proper

And found I could smile after all.

Your step was not quite as steady

But you held your head high and proud

As you strode out to join your comrades

In that parade for the heavenly crowd.

Once again that small band of brothers

Stands assembled upon Fiddler's Green.

I blink when once more the young faces

Square shoulders and brave hearts are seen.

My eyes haze with tears as the sight fades

But I know 'tis the truth I have seen

And my heart spills pride, joy and sorrow

For my Hero, my Love, my Marine.

                                4 Nov 2003 GMW (c)

A Marine's Mother.  .  .

 Just the other day, it seems,

   you were still my little boy,

chasing butterflies and dreams

  with the effervescent joy

of childhood.  But today

  you return, and what a change‑‑

not the youth I sent away

  but a man, completely strange.

"Mom, we call this 'dress blues'. . . ."

  Whose is this stern eyed face?

From close clipped hair to shining shoes

  who is this man in my son's place?

There's so much I can't recall.

  When did your voice become so deep?

When was it you grew so tall?

  Was I blind or just asleep?

Yesterday your gun was a toy‑‑

  now you tower above the crowd,

and this man, grown from my boy,

              is making me so sad, so proud. . . .

                                                GMW,  1983 (c)

                                                                For David

Tomorrow I will add another one or two which celebrate Veteran's Day and the service of all who have given so much for our nation. All gave some; some gave all! Peace and blessings are asked for each and every one of them! May we never fail to give thanks and honor their sacrifices. Freedom is not free!!

Good Causes and Giivng Back

This will be short as I have out of town compnay and will be out sightseeing most of the day but this is important!!

First, I'm an avid fabric artist as you may know and get much of my material from www.equilter.com.  Here is the scoop on a special project they have started to help the Sandy victims!

***
Tonight I am putting out a call to quilters all over the country, to donate 5000 quilts to the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

You donated over 3000 quilts for 9/11 survivors, and over 2000 quilts after the Japan tsunami. I just KNOW that you are all asking - what can I do to help? As the media begins to report more of the vast destruction from the storm, I know more of you will be moved to make and donate comfort quilts.

So we are going to work in partnership with Timeless Treasures Fabrics to provide the means to collect and distribute your quilts to those most in need.

The first phase of this effort is over the next 3 months: Timeless Treasures is offering us not only their warehouse space, but also their staff for the huge task of processing the thousands of packages we expect to receive in response to this need.

We are working to identify multiple trusted organizations to distribute your quilts in the hardest hit areas: Rockaways, Long Island, New Jersey, and Staten Island are locations that need us the most right now, where we can channel this relief to those in need quickly.
I have posted guidelines for this massive relief effort on this page, and we ask you to read through ALL the details carefully before contacting eQuilter's Customer Service with any questions.

Please do NOT contact Timeless Treasures - so we can let them focus their resources on receiving the quilts.

Ship your quilt to New Jersey by a trackable method to confirm receipt, and be sure to put a label and message of comfort on the back of your quilt!
Feel free to share the link for the project page!

We are also going to work with Mission of Love to get a truck full of relief supplies to devastated areas that are not receiving Red Cross or FEMA aid. On Saturday night we will also issue a challenge for matching funds, to fund this relief effort...watch the newsletter for more information.

Many thanks to Ellen and David Brown at Timeless Treasures, Victoria Findlay-Wolfe who is helping us identify distribution points, and Kathy Price at Mission of Love. Thanks to many others who are helping us identify relief organizations this week. Our biggest thanks to all of you who are making and sending the quilts!!!

sharing your Passion for Fabric...
Paul and Luana Rubin

***
Next we know there were many pets impacted by this disaster too. My favorite organization to help with that is www.bestfriends.org/  They are hard workers, totally dedicated and the bulk of donations goes directly to good work--little overhead and admin as everyone works!!! I just sent them a check in Belle's memory and will do more as I can!

Thanks friends and more soon!

Samhain, Dia de Los Muertos and Encounters of special kinds

I love this time of year and our special celebration is a big part of it. Even as a kid I loved Halloween although I was not allowed to go out much when I was small. Then as I grew up and drifted into a more pagan set of beliefs and discovered my ancient Celtic ancestors and their Samhain I felt I had hit a vein of pure gold. The idea of a key turning point in the year and a  place in time where the veil between our tangible world and that of the spirits and the realm of magic thins to allow passage through is just marvelous!

Growing up in the southwest US where the Latino or Hispanic culture is very influential, I learned about the same time of their custom of celebrating what northern Europeans call All Saints' Day. They call it Dia del Muertos or day of the dead and take that time to honor ancestors and departed family and friends. Although the decor of skulls and skeletons and such may seem spooky the mood of the day is much more festive and cheerful than that. They put out offerings or treats in cemeteries and other places and it becomes almost a fiesta. That is a neat concept too!

So the next forty eight hours or so will be spent in some special commemoration by me. Some of my Druid friends will be going thru a lovely ritual that one member has developed--me included--and I will wish some of my Pagan friends a happy new year since many say Samhain was also regarded as New Year's Day (or night since they tended to celebrate from sundown to sundown for the holy days as many Jewish Sabbaths and holidays are observed.) Being very sun-focused I tend to go with the midwinter solstice but hey, I am always up for a celebration!

Of course this time my most recent dear departed is little Belle. She has come by several times--just the faintest shadow out of the corner of my eye, a whisper of motion and stirring the air, a sigh, and I can almost but not quite feel her soft fur. Then she is gone again. I will put out a tiny dish of milk for her; that was a treat she liked and maybe another tidbit or two for her. And I will speak to all my departed friends and family in my version of our ritual.

Over this past weekend I drove over to Silver City near where I lived for a few months in 2008-09 and saw some friends. I spent several hours with one very dear friend who shares much of my beliefs and philosophy and was instrumental in my finding the modern Druids and seeking to walk that path. I had sent him a text message when I got home from the vet's after saying goodbye to Belle and asked that he call when he could. Within minutes he did and his first words were, "Are you okay?" The concern and care in a familiar voice was so precious and supportive. I decided to go over and spend a few hours together and that was even more healing and strengthening to me. We have a powerful bond that we are both sure goes back to shared prior lives. We are not a romantic couple in this one but a combination of spirit-siblings, friends and just very close so this visit meant a great deal to me. I also saw a girl friend who has just met a new man and I am praying it will be HEA for her! And I sold enough 'junk' at a flea market to pay my gas and a fast food lunch LOL. It was a good trip!

The second caller the day Belle left me was Sue Ellen Welfonder, a very dear friend and a huge dog lover as I am and we had a wonderful talk. I have followed her wonderful blog Tartan Ink for some time and that was what inspired me to do one of my own that in time became two. The other is www.deirdredares/blogspot/com and it is all about writing and my books--well Deirdre's and Gwynn's (smile). Tartan Ink is at http://tartaninkblog/wordpress.com

 And here are a few of photos from my trip.... Yes it is scenic and pretty and the sky was sooooo blue! I love the southwest so  much and know i have spent several lives here and it is one of my spirit's main homes.

Blessed Samhain to one and all and a happy Celtic New Year as well!
Go in peace, harmony and beauty all my friends!

Too short the time

At 3:50 PM today Belle left to go wait at the Rainbow Bridge. It was a quiet, gentle passing and she knew she had my permission to go. I let her know her duties to me were done and it was now my time to do the best thing for her. I spent a quiet time before we left for the vet’s just holding her and she was pretty much asleep. When she didn’t try to get up for a late lunch that was the last sign I needed.

We had some quality time yesterday, a little bit of walking and her treats but she was very weak and confused today from early morning and I read in her little eyes that it was time. I would not make her struggle and suffer any longer, so it is done. Her memory will be precious to me forever and a part of her will be an unseen shadow at my side for the rest of my days. She left knowing she is loved and always will be and that is what matters. Do not weep for us; we are still together in many ways but her pain and difficulties are now over. Rojito is here to comfort me and in time a new Aussie girl—I am partial to girls—will come into our world. Go in peace, ma Belle, and may the Doggie Deity welcome you and hold you in loving arms for me.

I will remember her as in these pictures, the first and the last I have of her and with the little ID tag in the shape of a red heart that I got for her which I will now wear in her memory. She was a very special little fur girl and a dog of my heart.

It is rough yet but I did write a verse for her which I will share. Excuse the ragged rhythm and such; I will polish it later but the spirit is there.

Farewell to Belle

Too soon it ends, the time we share.

Yet I will know you still are there.

An unseen shadow at my side,

A nudge, a lick and you will ride

On many trips that I must make

And many walks that I will take

Even while you wait for me

To join you at The Bridge and be

Again a pair and partners true--

My heart will hold a place for you.

Burn’s "sauncy face" was truly yours

And loving memory ere endures.

The mismatched eyes and tender nose;

The piebald hues and twinkling toes.

Again you will be young and strong,

Agile, quick and nothing wrong

To slow your body and your mind—

That’s why you must leave me behind

But only for a little while—

We’ll share again in perfect style.

Walking in Beauty

In the spiritual path of the Navajo or Dine people, the phrase 'walk in beauty' appears often and is part of greeting a new day and some ceremonies. However they have a much broader and deeper meaning for the word than the shallow physical attractiveness we normally associate with it. The likes of Kim Kardashian and J-Lo are not truly beautiful from the inside out! Another translation is harmony but even that does not really cover the concept or do it justice.

Still, I have always been enchanted by this idea and try to fully  fathom it. I find it also fits in almost seamlessly with a good deal of the philosophy of the Druids. When you are living in harmony with the world around you you are also practicing the triple mysteries or principles of Truth, Art and Kinship. Those are the guiding lights of the branch of Druidry to which I currently belong and whose path I walk. It is a good feeling to 'fit' and feel you are a part of a much larger and finer entity, call it nature, the Universe or whatever you wish!

Today was one of those perfect fall days in the desert when you can just lose yourself in the good feelings. The sky was an almost unbelievable shade of blue--so deep and pure your eyes were dazzled. Then now and then a drift of the lightest clouds slipped across parts of it. Wind blown and frayed into feathery swirls and patterns like the wind-tossed mane of a wild horse, the pure white made the blue seem even more blue. To top it off the temperature was perfect--highs in the lower 80s and only a light breeze. Oh, it's allergy season and my nose and eyes are well aware of the fact but I can tolerate that! It was a kind of lazy day,not exactly fraught with ambition but that is okay too! Sometimes it is important just to sit, contemplate and absorb and simply be, not doing anything or solving any huge problems or  accomplishing great works! That was what I did.

Part of the time Belle was with me--yes, she is still here. For how long I have no idea for I trust she will tell me when she has had enough. I know she hurts a lot and is often confused and concerned. She will look at me with a question and worry in her dear little eyes. Mama, why don't I feel good? Why can't I do the things I used to? It breaks my heart and all I can do is stroke her tenderly and tell her she is still loved and when she gets to the Rainbow Bridge she will be like that again, forever. But I think she enjoyed the day too--we did our little 'yard walks' and she got her tidbits and treats and savors them. So even that was in harmony and beautiful--one more day we could peacefully spend together.

So I am thankful for a day in which I could walk in beauty and harmony and feel at ease and totally one with my world--and it was a lovely world today. I could ignore all the tragedy and wrong, pain and violence and bad things that were happening elsewhere just for this day. Tomorrow I may go back to tilting at my windmills but today was just for peace and serenity. And I thank the true Powers That Be for that! A day such as this is a blessing beyond compare.

Just checking in

It has been hard to write lately as I do not like to sound gloomy or down and some days it is hard to find bright spots although I do stick by my philosophy that there always is one, at least some small blessing or gift that comes your way.

For now Belle is still with me although how much longer I cannot say. She gets four tramadols a day now to keep her calm and not hurting too much and that is the most the vet says she should have. When this stops controlling her distress, I will have to admit defeat but I have kept her with me for 90 days and some more than I thought I might in July. In between sleeping a great deal she still enjoys her treats and cadging bites when we have dinner--especially watermelon--all the dogs love watermelon!--and meat tidbits. We still go on at least a short and gentle walk most days and then 'yard walk' in the evening--which means Rojo and I get Belle to go with us around the fence on the half acre of our lot that is inside the chain link. Sometimes it is very slow but keeping her moving is important I think. I am sure she has some internal issues besides the arthritis--probably from the Prednisone and maybe the lupus affecting other organs etc. besides her long-term nose situation but I am not going to go into finding out what--she could not take surgery or much in the way of other treatments now and it would just prolong things for her which would be selfish of me. She will tell or show me when it is time. Meanwhile each day is a small gift but also sad.

I'm writing--turned in three stories during the past six weeks and working on some more to include a long-postponed Gwynn Morgan novel, the third of the Copper Stars Trilogy that fell to the back burner shortly after I lost Jim. He'd helped me with them and was an inspriation for them so it was hard to pick the threads up and continue but I want to do this now. I've withdrawn the other two from Mundania so I can reissue them with some minor revisions when the third one is done. Deirdre was born out of the writer's block that hit me after my Biggest fan and long term crit and brainstorming partner and tech advisor was gone. She's done well and I still enjoy that but want to get Gwynn's worok going again too. It has been long enough!

Fall is here--still mild but no longer blazing hot. Many beautiful sunsets and sunrises. I am up well before the sun most days and get to enjoy that lovely time of the day. The hummers seem to be gone; only bees on the feeders now. I have taken one down and will get the other soon, clean and pack them away until next season. But my roses are blooming very well--for only about 6 months they are doing fabulous! I did take pictures and will try to share them soon.

For now, hasta luego and bright blessings to one and all!

Adopt a Dog Month--Part III

And the rest of the pix and quotes

Adopt a Dog Month, Part II

Dog quotes and pictures--first set