October is DV Awareness Month

It seems that each October there is more and more promotion for breast cancer awareness and pink ribbon products are hugely prevalent everywhere one goes… but I, personally, would just like to take the time right now to let everyone know that OCTOBER IS ALSO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH.

DID YOU KNOW?

• One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.
• Females who are at the age of 20-24 are at the greatest risk for intimate partner violence.
• One in six women and one in 33 men have experienced an attempted or completed rape.
• One in 12 women and one in 45 men will be stalked in their lifetime.
• An estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year.
• The majority (73%) of family violence victims are female. Females were 84% of spousal abuse victims and 86% of abuse victims at the hands of a boyfriend.
• Almost one-third of female homicide victims that are reported in police records are killed by an intimate partner.
• Domestic Violence is one of the chronically most under reported crimes. Only approximately one-quarter of all physical assaults, one-fifth of all rapes and one-half of all stalkings perpetuated against females by intimate partners are reported to the police.
  

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

• WEAR A PURPLE RIBBON AND TELL PEOPLE WHY YOU DO. Purple is the color for Domestic Violence Awareness. Wear purple ribbons to bring national awareness to the issues faced by battered women, men and their children.

• DONATE A PHONE. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence has partnered with the Wireless Foundation for over 7 years through the CALL TO PROTECT program which was created to provide victims of Domestic Violence who may encounter emergency situations with free cells phones for that use. The collection of deactivated cell and wireless phones for this purpose has literally saved hundreds of lives over the course of the partnership. In addition to phones being distributed for emergency use, proceeds from the sale of phones not utilized for emergency use help fund agencies that work to end violence in the home, such as the NCADV. NCADV would greatly appreciate your old cell phone– CLICK HERE if you would like to donate your used wireless phone.

• DONATE A CAR. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence & 1-800-CHARITY CARS: if you would like to donate a vehicle and have 100% of the proceeds used to support the NCADV, please CLICK HERE to access the 1-800-CHARITY CARS website.

Mabon Celebration

I (and the majority of the Spoons) celebrated Mabon on Friday evening by assisting Amaset at her first Earth Temple ritual. She has been planning the ritual for months and it was very well done! Amaset works primarily with the Egyptian pantheon, so the ritual focused on Ma’at and her scales of balance. This was my first time attending an Egyptian-based rite, so it was very interesting.

The altar was lovely, all black and gold, with statues of Anubis and Ma’at, a set of amber glass scales and various other ritual items with an Egyptian theme. I wish I had a picture of it to share, but I don’t think a photo would do it justice.

I helped smudge people as they entered sacred space and then helped pass apples out to everyone in circle. We used the apples to cast circle, a very cool idea, I thought. I also called south for the circle casting, not the quarter I usually choose, so that felt a bit different. Anubis and Ma’at were invoked, Amaset talked about the autumn equinox, Ma’at and her relationship to balance and then we did a meditation where we met Ma’at. After the meditation we used information from it to determine what we wanted to attract or banish in our life right now and prepared the appropriate colored candles for burning on the actual equinox. We raised energy and then had cakes and ale (pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and homemade grape juice!) and opened circle.

It was a lovely ritual and well done; I think it was well received by the community. Amaset was given some real positive feedback and at least a couple people were interested in contacting her about more Egyptian ritual in the future.

My candle from the ritual is on my altar and I plan on burning it this evening, along with some sort of simple ritual.

May your life be filled with balance on this fall equinox!

Mudding & Laundry

That’s what I have been doing for the past two weekends– mudding the walls downstairs and doing laundry.

I’ve never done mudding before and it is hard work. But I’ve learned a lot about how to do it just by doing it– slapping it on, spreading it out, scraping it down. I’ve learned that corner trowels DON’T work for making nice, neat corners; so I’ve learned how to make corners without ‘em. I’ve learned that when you’re short, mudding requires that you have a variety of at least 2-3 step-stools or ladders handy for reaching high places. I’ve also learned that when your hands are covered in mud from scraping out the bottom of the container, it’s best to just wipe ‘em on your shirt. But the most important thing I’ve learned is that you shouldn’t mud the ceiling with your mouth hanging open. Something could fall in, and it wouldn’t be very tasty.

And while I’ve been doing all this learning with mud, I’ve been doing laundry at the same time. Laundry, AT HOME! Hallelujah! At long last! It’s only been FOUR MONTHS since I’ve had the privilege. There were a couple of times where I thought I was going to be able to do laundry at home, only to be appalled by water back-up when the washer drained between cycles. So, here comes the plumber, YET AGAIN, (”I’m getting to know your place like the back of my hand,” he says) and we determine that construction debris and some roots from the tree in the front yard are clogging our line, which he cleans out so thoroughly that he gives us a one-year warranty on the work. And just for good measure, he caps off the toilet access in the downstairs bathroom for now, until we can get the stool put back in, and he has us “shock” our sewer line with copper sulfate something-or-other to kill off any remaining roots. And NOW, finally, I can do laundry at home! Which is good, because it was reaching critical mass.

So, as of this past weekend, we have achieved our 3rd (and hopefully, last) coat of mud on the walls, and all my laundry is caught up. We celebrated on Sunday by having our traditional Sunday bagel breakfast, followed by a trip to the bookstore, which we haven’t done in ages.

Next up: sanding the walls, most likely.

Tarot for 2008~ 9th Moon

Only a week into the moon’s cycle, but this moon’s card, the 10 of Pentacles, is already quite fitting:

Keywords/phrases from TP&S: material abundance, family support, tradition, comfort, financial security, family matters, salary increase, concern about parent, inheritance, major life transitions

I think all the basement work and help from the in-laws is directly related to this card, wouldn’t you say?

Tarot: Your Everyday Guide explores the family connection in this way:

If you need help with a matter in question, whether emotional, financial or otherwise, this card advises looking to your family and extended family network for help It implies that your family has the resources you need. Think about how you can later add something to your family’s resources by way of repayment.

Also mentioned is “kin-keeping”– ways of staying in touch with family and keeping the lines of communication open, as well as honoring family traditions. It is interesting that the book brings this up, as MIL told us the only repayment she wanted for helping with the basement was for us to remember their birthdays and anniversary with a call or card– something the book specifically mentions in relation to the 10 of Pentacles!

Last Thursday vs. Today

Firehand’s parents were here for five days helping us put up drywall, mud and tape down in the basement. We actually have rooms again! Here are some pictures to compare and contrast, starting with the family room before:

And after…

Bathroom walls and framed-in shower with new shower pan before…

And after (below)… Installing the shower has been a bit tricky because of the window in the way, which is why it’s not quite finished being walled in yet. The contractor had to frame the shower stall around the window. The minus side to this is that there is a shelf in the shower stall, to the right, below the window. The plus side is that Firehand did an excellent job creating a slight slope to the shelf so that it will drain and not collect water. Because the slope is so slight, the shelf will still be handy to use for holding soap and shampoo bottles.

Also, we now have a little bathroom storage space, where before, when there was a tub/shower, there was none. MIL suggested installing shelves that slide in and out, since the space is narrow and deep, to maximize use of the space. I think it’s a great idea and we’re going to look into how to accomplish this once we get that far along in the building process.

Here we are with the laundry room before (looking through into the bathroom in the first picture)…

And after drywall installation… You may notice that we only did the mud and taping halfway down the wall; that’s because we have another idea for the lower half of the wall, more pics later when that project is completed.

And last, but absolutely not least, our shiny new support post, right where its supposed to be, holding up the house:

And here it is again, hidden in the new walls of the guest room (to the left of the doorway):

Now we just have to mud everything at least 2 more times, sand, prime, texture and paint! And then new carpet, new baseboards, new doors framed and hung, vinyl in the laundry room and bathroom, tile the shower stall, get a new sink and vanity cabinet installed, install the toilet again, install a shower door, finished the new bathroom storage space… yeah, its gonna be a while… and I’m sure I’m forgetting a few things that need done, too…

But we made excellent progress! It’s beginning to look ever so much better!

Blossoming

About 2 weeks ago, the tree in our front yard started to blossom:

Every day, whenever we leave the house or return, hundreds of little white petals float through the air and swirl all around us. It’s rather like a fantasy, reminds me of that 80’s movie with Tom Cruise and Mia Sara– remember Legend? And for the first half hour of the movie, wherever they went, little flower petals were magically wafting through the air, dancing in the sunbeams…

Yeah, it’s kinda been like that around here…

SPC~ Get Your Shine On #3

In the late afternoon/early evening, the sun shines directly in through my kitchen window, reflecting off the floor, the walls and even the refrigerator, making the entire room glow.

And as of this past weekend, the sun has a brand-new fridge to light up…

Our old fridge had been making the most horrible squealing noise off and on for at least the past six months or so. It would squeal and grind for a couple of hours and we’d beg it to hang in there for a while longer– refrigerators are expensive!– and it would stop squealing eventually and continue to run just fine.

Until this past week. It became clear that our fridge was gasping its last breath. It would only stop squealing if I came over and gave it a good solid thump; 30 seconds later, it would begin again. Our fridge was so ancient, we couldn’t even find parts for our particular model so that we could try to fix it.

So we spent 2 days pricing refrigerators at the home improvement and scratch-and-dent discount appliance stores. This is the one we ended up choosing. And since the plumber was at our house this weekend doing work for us anyway, we decided to ask just how difficult it would be to have a hook-up installed in the kitchen for an ice-maker in the new fridge. Not difficult at all, says he.

And so, for the first time ever in my life, I not only have a shiny NEW refrigerator, I also have an automatic ice maker. So luxurious! I feel extremely pampered.

To see more interpretations on the theme “Get Your Shine On” visit this week’s Self-Portrait Challenge.

Currently Reading~ To the Tower Born

A book about the two lost princes of York, a sad and still unsolved mystery which made possible the chain of events which led to the beginning of the Tudor era. The only other historical fiction novel I’ve read so far that has explored this mystery is The Sunne In Splendour: A Novel of Richard III by Sharon Kay Penman, so I was very interested to find another one with a new theory on what could have happened to the young nephews of Richard III.

From the back cover:

To The Tower Born: A Novel of the Lost Princes by Robin Maxwell

In 1483, Edward and Richard of York– Edward, by law, already King of England– were placed for their protection before Edward’s coronation, in the Tower of London by their uncle Richard. Within months the boys disappeared without a trace, and for the next five hundred years the despised Richard III was suspected of their heartless murders.

In To The Tower Born, Robin Maxwell ingeniously imagines what might have happened to the missing princes. The great and terrible events that shaped a kingdom are viewed through the eyes of a quick-witted Nell Caxton, only daughter of the first English printer, and her dearest friend, “Bessie,” sister to the lost boys and ultimate founder of the Tudor dynasty. It is a thrilling story brimming with mystery, color, and historical lore. With great bravery and heart, two friends navigate a dark and treacherous medieval landscape rendered more perilous by the era’s scheming, ambitious, even murderous, men and women who will stop at nothing to possess the throne.

Festival the Second

WHAT I ENJOYED DURING MY 5 DAYS AT FESTIVAL:

• Teaching workshops! This is definitely #1 on my list of favorite things this year; I really, really enjoy teaching workshops. Amaset and I taught 2 together, and both of them went wonderfully well and were quite well attended, with lots of positive feedback.
• Working Gate on opening morning. Even though it was 3 hours of standing and walking out in the hot sun, it was tons of fun going from car to car, welcoming people to festival and checking them in and giving them their ID bands and other stuff. Everyone is so friendly and excited to be there; it’s a great way to meet people and a great way to run into friends, as well.
• Grounding and Centering people at the Drawing Down. I was on staff as Lieutenant for the the Centering Plaza again this year, and CP’s biggest responsibility at festival is comforting, grounding and centering people after they visit with Deity at the Drawing Down ritual on Friday night. Many people are pretty emotional afterwards, so we provide some TLC, whether it’s hugs, talking, energy work or bringing them a little bit of snack food and drink, each person has someone stay with them until they feel calm and centered again. It was a real honor to do this work and I really enjoyed it.
• Seeing old friends and making new ones. Always fun to catch up on life and hang out. Never know who you’re gonna see, what you’re gonna do together or what you’re gonna end up talking about.
• My tent. My tent rocks, that’s all there is to it. It’s big enough that it’s rather a pain to set up alone, but still doable, it just takes me a while. Wind storm Tuesday night? My tent did not budge one inch, I had it so tightly staked down. Absolute deluge of rain most of Wednesday night? I was high and dry, snug as a bug in a rug. Room for my “princess bed” (camp cot with futon mattress), a camp chair, and even a little altar inside. I camp in style. Heck, I’m there for nigh onto a week, why shouldn’t I be somewhat comfortable?
• The lake, the stars, the moon, the mountains. My camp site was lovely, set up off the road, surrounded by pines, view of the lake through the trees in front of me, view of the Castle Rock behind me. Watched the quarter moon go down behind the Castle Rock at night. Stars as bright as diamonds. Made sure I swam in the lake at least once while I was at fest.
• Falling asleep to the sound of drumming. Always one of my favorite things.

NOT SO FUN:

• Drama with a ripple effect. Felt bad for those directly involved. I was caught in the ripple. ‘Nuff said.
• Being in lots of pain. Missed out on some activities I really wanted to go to, plus ended up leaving fest a day early. However, being able to take a real shower and sleep in a real bed and spend all day Sunday with Firehand kinda made up for having to leave early.

A Dry Lughnasadh

Sweet, sweet, sweet,
Is the wind’s song,
Astir in the rippled wheat
All day long.

~ Ellen M. H. Cortissoz (1833-1933)

Blessings of the First Harvest to you!

The dog days of summer are here in the Denver area for real. The temperatures have been in the mid-to-upper nineties for the past three weeks straight, and today and tomorrow’s highs are predicted to be over 100*F. All the juicy, lush vegetation of May is withering in the merciless heat, even regular watering can’t keep the lawn green or the ground in my garden from becoming hard and cracked.

The dry conditions put me in mind of the theme of sacrifice at Lughnasadh; the willing sacrifice of the Corn King, of John Barleycorn and other deity archetypes who give their life energy to the grain in the fields, so that the seeds will germinate when they are planted the next spring. What might you willingly sacrifice this Lughnasadh, so that you may bloom again in the spring?