Meh...and other such moping around...

If this post completely bores you, please to click the title and be whisked away to the magical land of all things wrong.

For everyone else remaining:


My bio dad is out of the hospital, has been for a couple of weeks. Sorry I didn't update sooner. Thank you for all the contact and well wishes...I believe they helped not only him, but me...as I was completely devastated that I might never meet him. Well, the hospital experience must have shocked him into contacting me because I received an email shortly after his release that went a little something like this (only spelling edited) "Hi, girl. Guess I'm the very one you can call dad." That, as incredibly simple as it is, was enough to BREAK me. With those 11 words...one man acknowledged, not only me as a person...but also as a girl...and then he went a step further and admitted to being my father.

The next line goes on to say that he was sorry he wasn't there to be the dad and father that I deserved...then he wrote that he got the pictures and wants to meet my family, that my daughter is beautiful...and that he wants me to call him. *ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT* I have severe phone anxiety...and have spent the past few weeks trying to urge myself to call him. What is wrong with me? This is my father...and I've already chatted with his mother and sister and soon to be ex wife...and with my half siblings...what makes this so much different? OH YEAH...he's my FATHER! The one who wasn't there...who didn't look for me...who was content to take his family's word for it that I really wasn't his and not to worry about it.

I'm sure he has his reasons and guilt and lots of bad feelings about what occurred...and I got out of the ex-step-mother that he mentioned that he might have a child in the world when they first got together...but that he was unsure as to whether I was a boy or a girl. So sad...so very very sad.

But, I must now muster up the ability to press on...to call him...to meet him...and maybe to form some sort of relationship with him. I'm a very very guarded person so this may take years...bear with me not so avid readers. Who knows when I'll next post...I'm just so jaded by being jaded.

One more topic for tonight...

I give world. I give. I want people in my life that will be there for me. People I can open up to, or not. Just people who are all aboard in my life. I will put forth as much effort from here on out as you put in to our relationship...regardless of what it is or how close we've been...or have not been. I don't really have beef with anyone. I'm so easy going...sometimes I stop going without others to propel me. If my husband and myself can have different friends and still survive as a functioning family (albeit not a well oiled machine) it should be totally possible for you, as a friend, to be able to do the same. We choose our own friends and we work for them and we can't just let them all go...but, even with that being said...if they don't want to be around because of your other friends...what are you to do?

No one is asking anyone to hang with, be friends with, or even enjoy any of my other friends in order to be great friends with me...there are personality conflicts and a whole LIST of complications that I can't even begin to understand that can occur between two or more people. Just be you and be good to me and I promise to do the same...that is all for now...I'm le tired.

Unfortunate, Catastrophic, Dreadful, Grievous Tragedies

So, my life as of late hasn't been...fruitful? I suppose that is the best word here. I've lost connections, I've gained others...but all in all I'm at a complete emotional wall.

I'll start at the beginning. I've been searching for four people since I was 12 years old. My three sisters who were taken when I was about 10 or 11 and my biological father. I've made some headway regarding my sisters, I'm in the system if they ever want to find me. It's all up in the air really because they were adopted in the state of Florida. Florida has some of the strictest adoption record laws on the books in this country.

My mother contacted me in June and texted me for about a month. I found out the case workers name, etc...but turns out all my mom wanted from me was her birth certificate and SS card. The fact that she is a grandmother and her daughter/granddaughter almost died 18 months ago was no skin off her back. Her own grandmother died in 2005 and I found out she was divorced from my step-father who I found on MySpace a few years ago. He remarried and filed that she'd abandoned him, which she had. She took all my sisters and beat it. Then got them all taken away and had a nervous breakdown or three? So she lost them and my own blood family wouldn't help us take in my sisters to keep us all together. A little bitterness, maybe? But, like I said...she shows no remorse, she can't care, or won't care...either way I'm terrifyingly done with my mother's bullshit.

And now that I have my abusive ex-step-father on my friends list just to have SOME kind of link to the past, my mother once again has shown she could give two shits that I'm even alive, and my sisters seem like three long lost precious gems in my dwindling collection of blood relatives...I'm at a standstill because:

About six months ago I found my "bio" aunt. She introduced me to her mother via Facebook and gave me my alleged biological father's email address. I sent him pictures...I sent him letters...and never a response. I even tried different combinations. His mother invited me to a family reunion...while my own husband was in the hospital with kidney issues and 60 lbs of water weight in his system because of poor protein retention. After his kidney biopsy he was sick for months. Then the found an abscess...which became a fistula...which required surgery. Needless to say, I couldn't go. I was filled with guilt and remorse. I kept telling people that was probably my last chance. Everyone tried to reassure me that it was not. And now? It seems that it might have been. My bio dad is on life support in the CICU at a local hospital. Turns out he'd been living in the town I lived in the first half of my childhood. Funny how those things work out. He didn't start settling down until he was in his thirties but once he did...he had four children. 3 boys and a girl. This is what I know about a man I can't visit because I have no "proof" that I am a blood relative...and someone I might never know.

This is ripping out my heart...it's a slow tear. I might NEVER have the opportunity I've worked more than half my life to find. What hurts more...is that a part of me is laying dying in a random hospital on life support and kidney dialysis...and all I can do is pray...for his recovery and peace. Because, more than I could EVER need him...his young children need him, his mother and sister need him. The people who know and love this man NEED him.

Regardless of our past disagreements or arguments or random bouts of crazy, I need all my friends right now. I need you to pray for my father and his family that they all gather the strength to push through this...that he finds within himself the will to fight for the life he wants. I only want happiness, peace, strength, and love for all of you. Friends are friends as long as they both still love each other...end of story. Family is family until the end. I don't want it to be the end of his story.

I just can't hold all the hurt in anymore. I apologize for the length and depth of this post. I know it's a bit of a downer, but it had to finally "voice" it all.

Long Time, No Blog...

I sometimes wonder, and this time "out loud", that I got lost. Lost in the shuffle. That a part of me lives on in every estranged family member. When I was little I put every ounce of myself into my family...the only family I had...the only one I wanted. Then in one whirlwind moment (ok, two years) I lost half of every one...of every thing that I had grown to know and trust.

It makes me think and rethink every relationship I have as an adult. I hate cutting people out...so I don't...I let nature take its course. This doesn't mean I just leave it all alone, I do what I can to make sure people know I'm still open and receptive to fixing things because I especially hate feeling like there's nothing I can do when people cut themselves out. I have spent entirely too much of my life trying to please others...and that shows in the fact that when I need to take a selfish moment (translated: month) for myself, I am ostracized and contradicted and made to seem like a completely cold heartless b*tch who doesn't think about how her choices affect those closest to her.

The painful truth is that I FULLY recognize how every action I've ever taken in my life affects every person I ever come into contact with. Believe me, having that line of thinking and a big heart makes for some serious pain. But...what tops the sundae is when people who know you and care for you and tell you to make yourself happy don't, won't, or can't accept that sometimes making yourself happy involves *still thinking about and accounting for others' feelings* making a few others feel temporarily uncomfortable or momentarily unhappy.

But to let everyone know I'm for sure in Yellow Springs, OH. I love it here. I'd love to move this whole city with me should I ever have to leave Ohio. The people are amazing...the restaurants are just...wow. Lots of health issues and disease have plagued our family since we moved. The hubs has kidney issues, has had an infection, and has to go on immune system suppressants. I am still working  myself slowly out of this ridiculous depression and dealing with my past/present/future all at once. Brain system analysis states, simply: Overload.

I'll be back to share some awesomeness from YSO soon enough. Don't hold me to anything specific at the moment. OH and me thinks I'm going to start studying Druidry again. I am seriously lacking good spiritual conversation and my once explosive love for nature subsided  drastically when I moved so much closer to it? Who knew? Anyway, I'm investing in a bike in a month or so with a place for little Nixie...maybe one of those covered screened in Jobbies? Like I said, we'll see, don't hold me to anything. <3 you world.

So, I took an unscheduled hiatus!

As I am sure, the few of your who actually read this blog, may have noticed. So many strange and interesting things have happened over the last few weeks I feel I owe you an explanation!

1) I started feeling magickal. Like I could do anything and be anyone and just go go go! I know this sounds silly...but that is who I used to be until a decade of life and responsibilities beat me down into the realities of just trying to make it. I have a former E-friend who is now a current IRL friend (more on that next) to thank for quite a bit of the faith and confidence it took to retrieve that inner me.

2) Steve's great migration. I have been talking to Steve for the better part of two years, getting to know more about him, and he about me. We exchanged kind words and helped each other to feel better about ourselves. Not that my long time friends didn't do that for me already...it just felt nice coming from someone new. A third party, if you will. I started to notice that Steve's luck with women, his mental health, and general well being was turning for the worse several months ago. I just held my tongue until I really couldn't stand to see another human being suffer in that manner any longer. Then I mentioned he should move here, be closer to us, have similar friends who are giving and caring. We're all very open and caring, honest and hard working, and have an obsession with helping those less fortunate. He was at his wits end and started really considering my words. I guess, I was his only real and true friend...well, that's not so now...he's off forming the sparks he needs to build those great burning fires of friendship. He never ceases to amaze me...even after all his maddening stories and crazy adventures...he (on a wing and a prayer) hopped a bus to Ohio with only the things he could carry. He landed on his feet at the bus station. After a few hours we were there to pick him up. So, with a box and two bags he gets into the vehicle. We drive up to a hotel that had been advertising a live in position in exchange for some work. He landed the job in less than an hour. So amazed. He had a job and a place to live in just over two hours after getting off a bus in the middle of Ohio from North Carolina. /sigh...the will power of some people. Even after he'd been beaten down by life and was living on little to no sleep.

3) The joint "birTday" party. Day after Steve gets in he agrees to come to Super M's husband Phil's and MY joint b-day party. He's had little sleep, is on edge from the move, already has anxiety disorders...but he still wanted to be there for me, to be a part of something bigger. He had a minor trip up at the party dealing with his nerves but Super M and her Super Hubs stepped in to help with words of kindness. We ate, we drank (too much), we fooled around, we played a murder mystery game that wasn't very good, BTW. We laughed, we cried, we were fearful and happy...angry and obsessed...we were human, and the beauty of it still hangs on my soul. I think we broke Super M as you can see from her BLOG post about the party...the only major down side to this whole ordeal, really...but I'm glad she re-found some of what she lost during the party. Now she's just got other major life poo to deal with. I love you Super M <3 with all of my E and IRL heart!

4) I received a package from Jill Medicine Heart for Nixie Pigeons late Bday. She got a full Tinkerbell plate cup bowl set with a fork and spoon...and an awesome quilt that she loves...also an Easter rubber duck that looks like it's in a basket. SO KYEWT! Thanks Jill! <3

5) Heckety sent me my spot prize of a hot pink tea coaster and a matching egg cozy for my little Nixie baby to have something like Mama at the breakfast table. HOW AMAZING! She just loves it...with or without the egg. The bookmark is just amazing...and she also sent me these bonus wrist warmers that she sells in her Etsy shop. They are warm and comfortable and fabulous to wear at the computer to keep your wrists from resting directly on a hard surface. I'll have pictures up later, but I was just wanting to make it public that you should SO visit her BLOG and SHOP to check out what her fingers of fire can put together. PS her quilts are AMAZINGLY beautiful. If you're reading this Heckety, I need your return post for I have a rather large amount of here and there items for your crafting needs! :)

6) Notification from the complex of DOOM. We have been notified that we are to be out by the end of this month or have to sign another lease. It is so silly as we have already been paying month to month without fail for the last six months...but what can we do? Complain. HA!

7) Sending in application to the town homes in Yellow Springs. We spent SO long looking for places and not applying for them that we are now in a pickle. Oh well, application filled out/goodjujued/sent. They don't meet all our needs...but then, nothing in our price range DOES there. At least this way the MIL gets our washer/dryer as there is no hook up AND I get out of doing all our laundry as she has volunteered to do it because she's getting the W/D! WOOT! So, if you're reading this please to send some good apartment getting juju...we really need this place. I need to jump start my new life style and Nixie needs a place she can toddle around without getting told "No! Put  that down! Come here. I love you, but please don't eat that." etc...and she needs a safe neighborhood where we can walk to the park and play or have a picnic. It's just that simple, people. We wanted to be out of here two months ago...and we held out as long as we could...I should have known we'd end up at the first place we looked at. We always do. ALWAYS.

8) My new melding of old me and new me. I'm a happier, better adjusted person now. I know what I want and what I want I will go to the ends of the Earth to get it. I'm tired of being unhappy, depressed, unhealthily fat (not just plump), and most of all I'm tired of letting what others might think of me hold me back. I AM DONE. Sorry if I anger you with my ME-NESS world...WATCH OUT!

CANDI IS BACK!

Spiritual well being, eating your veggies, and Norsk somethings.

If you like cute babies and Beyonce/Sasha Fierce have a look at the video linked to the title of this blog!

I'm in serious need of a smudge stick and some house clearing. Years of built up tension, hate, aggression, and mystery meat need to be banished from our dwelling. Ever feel like you're under spiritual attack? For some reason, lately even the baby is picking up on the tension in our home. I mean, there is the stress from not being able to find a suitable home and now we're on a deadline...but it's nothing we haven't had to deal with before. For some reason I think events are in line, then they're dashed against the rocks in life's rapids. But with our tension, the baby's teething, allergies, and now this unseen "force" that's steering our life lately...I am unsettled and uneasy. Hopefully, once we land our perfect dwelling in the perfect town for our new lifestyle we'll feel more content and less troubled.

In other less gloom and doom news: I love Asparagus! For real! Add some salt, garlic, and butter...seared in a pan until just soft enough or slapped on the grill and I'm in heaven. The problem is finding Asparagus grown in the United States...let alone OHIO! I know I should eat as locally as possible but there are a few products that I can't get and can for later because they just don't taste right. Asparagus is one of them. So, I'm stuck with a craving for these lovely green (and white and purple) stalks, and I always feel a little guilty picking up vegetables that were trucked in from halfway across the continent. Maybe later this year when they come in in droves to farmers markets, I'll feel a little bit better about myself and my cravings. I also turned my Grandmother on to Asparagus. I made it for her once oh so many years ago. I made it from a can (big mistake) and it was after she had been sick (second mistake) and they tasted AWFUL. Made her sick and she never tried it again. So, recently with my new culinary skills I seared her up some yummy tender stalks and to my amazement and hers she now wants to make that her favorite and eat them all the time. Maybe I'll make that a part of Phil (Super M's hubby) and my joint birthday dinner? We'll see.

Did I mention my birthday is May 4th? And Phil's is OH look it's midnight! TODAY! HAPPY BDAY PHIL! You're the bestest DUDEPAL EVER! We're doing a murder mystery dinner party and I suppose a little more planning should be done soon...AKA whenever I can get ahold of Super M!

On another note, this is not so Norsk...but is kinda? Anyway the uber Northern Norwegians speak an old tribal language called Sami or Saami. Here is a video of a beautiful song sung in this very distinct language using a traditional method. Vajas performing Star Girl:


Here are the roughly translated lyrics...so beautiful:

In a dark world
we need stars
So that lost people can find their way home again

In a world that has become gray
we need colors
So that saddened people find their joy again

We yoiked the star girl
she shined
She was bright

In a soundless world
we need tones -
So silenced people find their songs again
Hope you enjoyed! All my love blogospherians!

OH KAY EL AE AICH OH EM AE...OKLAHOMA! And Van By The River!

So, this has nothing to do with the fair state of Oklahoma, I've just always wanted to use that title...and life will never present me an opportunity to use it for real, so I just typed it out and there you have it!

So, I went to see the house in YS today. It's a beautiful old house with a large yard and big big trees and I love it...but has some significant drawbacks for the husband and I. I can see our family there, but the cons of living there certainly outweigh the pros. I wonder will this be right? Can we afford SO many bills? or the Deposits? So, we took the whole day and did the adult thing and argued back and forth until we came to a semi-conclusion. But, I'll delve deeper into housing once I'm officially there and unpacked and lovin' it.

Then there's the monster dilemma I created...Steve, my totally rockin' e-dudepal for the last few years has decided he's had ENOUGH of people being hateful and rude in North Carolina, wants to be closer to his son, and that he wants his life to start looking up! Good for him! He wants to be around people with heart, like us. Good for him! He wants it now! Uh Oh...lol. So, without further ado I say: well, won't you consider finding a place first? Super M helped me to change his mind about jumping in his van and immediately driving cross country to be with super awesome dudes and chicks here in Ohio. But, that didn't change the fact that he still wants his move date to be Apr. 30th into May 1st so he can be here for the Phil/Candi b-day extravaganza! Oh, and because he really wants to participate in this amazing murder mystery dinner party...and because, apparently he doesn't mind being the man in the van down by the RIVER! LOL

So, we have him a resume and a cover letter...and we'll have him a place to at least shower and potty and all that...and a place for his Lucy (snake) to slither this way and that...but we'll still need to find him a place once he gets up here...and a job...and zomgz *reeeeekreeeekreeekreeek* but yeah, I do it all out of love...and the fact that I apparently thought my life needed more spice!? Oh well, this should be fun! I'll keep you posted! :D

PS: My Hovercraft is Full of Eels! = Luftputefartøyet mitt er fullt av ål
(luft poot eh fart uyeht mitt air foolt ahv ohl)

OH MAN! The Norwegians are going to LOVE ME! Or lock me up in an institution for a VERY long time. HAHAHA

Is there a Norwegian Tax day? Flutes! And other such Norsk-sense.

The bestie (AKA Super M) went to the post office on the wrong day at the very last few minutes to send in her tax day forms with her rabid husband. From her blog she seems to have found a really rockin' place to hang out next year just before close! I recommend the read. I seriously wonder if Norwegians or other Europeans have a tax day...and is it the same day every year...or have they developed a system of awesomeness that far surpasses (yet again) the United States' policies on tax? I'll have to look that up. I mean, I've recently learned that nearly every country in the world does the income tax thing...it seems only natural that they'd all have to file those taxes for refund. But, could it be possible to only take out the correct amount of taxes from everyone's paycheck so that no filing need be done by your citizenry? So many questions so few answers.

We went to the Half Price Books store today and came out with a STACK of very useful books we've been looking for forever. the Prose Edda, Starhawks "Spiral Dance", "The Pagan Book of Living and Dying" also by Starhawk, "The Galdrabok An Icelandic Grimoire" by Stephen Flowers, Two intermediate flute lesson books as I need some serious help remembering my scales We also got "Wiccan Warrior" by Kerr Cuhulain a must read for all who follow a Pagan and/or Warrior path. A World Atlas Sticker Activity pack was also dug up that Nixie will be using years from now, but it was two bucks and shall go in my teaching tub. I can't possibly pass up cheap teaching materials. Then this giant dinosaur pop up book which produced much laughter.

You see, before the adventure to Half Price Books we  found ourselves with a wonderful guest Mister JoeJoe Monkey. K, that's not his legal name but that's what I like to call him so there you have it. Anyway, we go off to eat some Chinese at a buffet that's normally phenomenal...Hong Kong Buffet...I've posted on it before. We get there and the food is dry and the place is not busy and the staff looks at the end of their ropes just standing about. it was SO unusual for this place. Afterward we went to the book store aforementioned. Mister JJMonk upon exiting holding the dino pop-up book decides once he found the pop out T-rex head that he'd follow me around the car opening and closing the book just slightly so it looked like the dino was going to bite us. I'm sure the Pizza Hut employee across the parking lot thought we were either crazy or a riot, hopefully the latter.

I've been playing my flute a little bit each day to build my face muscles back up so that I don't sound all airy when playing. I'm also working on scales so that I can play these intermediate pieces without a second glance back at the key signature again. lol. For those of you who didn't know I have played since 5th grade, though I came in late, I was caught up very quickly by a few high schoolers and my MOST excellent band teacher, Mr. B. I certainly hope the hubby can do band camp this summer for him (silly tuba players). I really do miss Mr. B...he was my favorite teacher...and still one of my favorite human beings. Seriously underestimated as he is...he still manages to motivate a throng of young people year after year. Too much trouble and too little pay and all his side projects later...you have one Mister B, worn down, a little older, a little wiser, but still a trooper and a wonderful man.

I really need to talk to Super M because something wonderful happened during our brief disconnect! The lady with the house had actually called me before I called her on Monday but my phone decided not to deliver the message to me until Wed. morning? I'm still like WTF? So, I call her back Wed. morning after I check her VM. She still wants us to see the house on Sunday afternoon at 215pm. Very precise time, I know, right? So, if all goes well and we like it there, and they like us, with all your thoughts and prayers and good house renting JuJu we'll have a place to live in Yellow Springs! This would be the biggest relief to me and my bundle of nerves. I've started pre-packing cleaning in the living room. I need to finish the kitchen tomorrow and start packing up what we don't use after it's all cleaned up. Ever since that leak in our apartment (see former posts a few months ago) and the deconstruction of our living room...I don't even feel like taking anything with us it's so cluttered from having to be moved away from that corner (which still occasionally leaks and no, no one has come to fix it since we told them in February).

Typing up a resume and cover letter for a friend, Mr. Steve who'll be relocating here in a few weeks, so he says and will need a job or else suffer living in his van down by the river. He still might have to for a while until he can save up enough for a small flat in a decent area...but we'll be there for moral and shower support lol.

Lastly, I promised more Norwegian lessons:

How to order crab...or anything  really, just substitute the word you learned by asking the first question into the place of the order in line three.

1: Hva heter det? (vah det-air deh) - What is called that...or what is that called?

2: Det heter en krabbe. (deh het-air en krahb-eh) - That is called a crab.

3: Vi vil ha en krabbe, takk. (vee vil hah en krahb-eh, tahk) - We would like a crab, please.

And there you have it, ordering seafood in a very sea-friendly area. Can't go wrong with crab. But if you're allergic or it's breakfast time try these words:

1: poteter med smør (poh-tate-air meh smur) - potatoes with butter (*nom at any time of the day*)

2: lefse med smør (lehf-sehh meh smur) - a soft flat bread with smur of course *me and my butter cravings*

3: en kopp kaffe (en kohp kahf-eh) - a cup of coffee (med fløte {meh fluh-teh) - with cream)

With that you should survive anytime you encounter a non-English speaking Norwegian town or village...which is ultra rare, but possible! This way at least you won't starve! OH and the most important phrase anyone can learn:

Hvor er toalettet? (vor ar toh-ah-let-eh) - Where is the toilet? And remember the doors might be labeled with pictures but if they aren't D is for (dah-mair) or FEMALE and H is for (hair-air) or MALE...I try to remember Dah as in daughter...and Hair as in hairy...it's one of those remembering tools. Girls = D Boys = H

Jeg Elsker Deg! *covered a few blogs back* I Love You!

God Natt! *go naht* Good Night!

NORWEGIAN WOOD BABY!

Sometimes I just link the blog titles to random sites I've never been too. It excites me, just like this song:



My favorite Beatles song...EVER. Maybe this is a little bit of why I'm trying so desperately to learn Norwegian? It's been a repeating theme in my life. Of course, so is Djibouti, Africa...and honestly I have no idea why.  I'll chalk it up to past lives. I was born in the WRONG era. Period. End. Of. Story.

Blogger fails

I am serious fail at teaching people something new every day so let's go with at least every week and hopefully more than twice a week? HA!

Anyway, today I learned how to say a new phrase in Norwegian thanks to my "Norwegian in 10 Minutes a Day" book and cd. I also got a Norwegian-English, English-Norwegian dictionary and another book on Norwegian that's for beginners last night at Half Price Books here on Lane Avenue in Columbus (gods I love that store). I also got Aaron some Polar Bear blank cards that has a cartoonish bear head over a background map of the arctic circle. So very cool for scribbling out thank you notes and/or Birthday/Retirement wishes to his co-workers.

I also hit the unique crochet patterns jackpot with a cheap book I found there. The last book I found was about a "fairy ball" for Nixie pants. It has a pop-up faerie castle at the end that I figure she'll get more use out of when she's 5 or 6 and wants to play paper dolls. But for now she'll just laugh in amusement every time I open it up and clap her hands in appreciation. Oh yeah, that's worth a dollar. Not to mention it's very well illustrated and a cool story with misbehaving pixies...yep just like my Nixie Pixie. There's still one more on the clearance shelves there at the store if you're interested. I cleaned them out of Norwegian books except for one dictionary published in 1965. Yeah, I knew that wasn't going to work.

Anyway, on to your daily Norwegian lesson:

Today we're going to learn how to say a very important phrase and examine the situation you would use it in! Don't worry, this isn't a structured boring stereotypical class...it's a Class by Candi! Next Blog will include three more cool Norwegian phrases. So here it goes:

Jeg Elsker Deg. Prounounced e-i but put together to sound like yi... el-sker...die. E-i Elsker Die. This means what lala lala lala lala laaa means...I LOVE YOU!

This phrase could get you out of a lot of gnarly situations. Say you've taken on that random prostitute who knows only a few words of English and she's screaming at you "YOU PAY NOW!" Just drop this one-liner on her "Jeg Elsker Deg, Baby!" and watch her expression change to either an amorous or a very confused one. That's your cue to beat it, Jack! OK OK, so not paying a prostitute in a foreign land is probably the worst thing you can do, actually visiting  said prostitute is the worst. Not paying only intensifies the burning you're feel later. That "love burn" will last longer than this phrase will in your mind. JEG ELSKER DEG everyone!

Happy Easter...Fools?

So, yeah. Again, too long between posts here! Anyway, I had an uneventful April Fools Day, which was awesome. And I had a very very full Easter Day. Brunch with the fam, visiting in-law fam, dropping off lost things found in the car, going to Starbucks and chilling, then finally home, then to the grocery for some noms before finally getting in the door and being able to relax. *big sigh* Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I got some really cool necklace findings and glass beads for necklace making and for my ultra-huge-mega-epic crochet project that I will post here about Summer time. Waiting on some awesome sauce charms for the crochet project as well. Man, it's gonna be an awesome sauce kinda gift. I know, I work and work and work on something I'm just going to want to keep...and well, I'm totally going to have to find the willpower to hand it over. BUT it will make me feel MORE awesome to see someone else enjoy what has taken me a good majority of that precious free time I do have.

Green Tip Of The Day: Spend a little extra on fresh organic, cage free eggs...as long as you know they really are what they say they are. Being crammed in a tiny pen with a thousand other hens and fed organic crap is just as inhumane as stacking them on top of one another and feeding them inorganic crap. I plan on buying local when I get to an area where I can just walk to a farmers market and shake hands with the person who plucked it out from under the chicken that morning! How exciting, I can't wait.

With any luck we're going Tuesday to look at a house in Yellow Springs for rent. It's in our price range *barely* and has the amenities we need *hopefully* and if that is fail we'll look at the three bedrooms for rent in town. We could really use a three bedroom for say 900 or less? With a W/D hookup and that allows one small 18lb pug. With a potential for room mates...another married couple with a couple of cats. Possibly two bathrooms? But just one is doable. We're all clean, we all have excellent rental history, and we'd be willing to do some light maintenance. We would be looking to live there for an extended period of time as well, say two to three years at the minimum and possibly more?

If you have any ideas on who where or how...PLEASE email me. CandiRhae00 at Gmail dot com. We could use all the help we can get!

More blog for your mental health to come very soon. Goodnight readers!

Something ado about you...being Earth friendly! Pt. 2

There is some truth in the, sometimes coarse sounding, phrase: "If it's yellow, let it mellow...If it's brown, flush it down." Just take a minute to ponder over this fact...FORTY PERCENT (yes, that's 40%) of all the drinking water supplied you your home and all the homes with indoor plumbing...gets FLUSHED down the toilet! 

Sink in yet? Yeah, I know, almost half right!? So, next time you're tinkling and conscious of your efforts in the little girls/boys room just take a second to turn around and look at that dull silver handle. It doesn't really NEED you to push it. It's sole purpose exists to get rid of hazardous waste and/or contaminates. Is your urine really that disgusting that it needs to immediately be flushed? What about closing that lid and waiting until your next wee wee or boom boom to let that water out of your sight?! I think it's doable, right? OK, I'm going to agree that the first morning wee should probably be the first flush of the day too, it can be a bit odorous from time to time. But, just think of cutting your flushes down by a third! How much uncontaminated potable drinking water would that save for the rest of the planet? If everyone did it, it would also be the social norm, and think how happy that would make your pockets in the long run. Cut your water usage down that much and watch those few dollars just build back up in your wallet.

On to something else very doable. You know how your house just has to be that perfect 68 degrees in the summer and 72 degrees in the winter? What if you suffered your "poor freezing/burning tootsies" one degree? It wouldn't be THAT despicable would it? 69 in the summer and 71 in the winter? OR if you can manage it, a nice crisp 70 degrees year round. Not only does not jerking your thermostat around make it very happy, it also decreases your electric bill and makes your heating/cooling system very agreeable as it doesn't have to put in over time because it's been switched off or turned up or down five degrees at a time. Did you know that if you can keep your temperature as close to constant as possible you can save upward of a HUNDRED dollars a year? OK, Candi...now you're just talking crazy talk, right? Wrong, my friends, wrong indeed. So you take that approximately 50-60 dollars saved from above and add it to this 100 here, and...you're all math geniuses...you can figure out where I'm headed here. Not only is it nice to keep a clean home, and a well temperature managed living space, and to save the rest of the world some non-poo water...just keep reading for something else extraordinary you can do for your purse, and for your fellow Americans/Earth residents.

When you're in your kitchen (now with thicker socks or sandals on and most recently letting your yellow...mellow) cleaning up those veggies and chopping up that meat/potato/tofu for dinner and you're thinking "Now, what on Earth can I do in here to make a bigger impact on the world market?" Candi is supplying you with an answer! We've already talked about putting those veggie peels and pre-cooked food scraps in your (or your neighbors) compost heap. So, what I'd like to talk about now is your food waste (yes, I know we already talked about pre-cooking and freezing)! On average, American's waste more than double the average for the entire planet. Yup, that's right. Those starving children in your local homeless shelter/soup kitchen that recently ran out of food because everyone's out of work...could be having a meal this very second if the country would get on board.

What I'm suggesting isn't the end of the world. Think globally, act locally. Yes, cliche...but completely appropriate when talking about where you get your food from. If it is something you regularly eat and it has a made in or grown in Ohio label on it, for the love of Pete, buy it! It's not rocket science here. You're helping not only yourself (now you can pinpoint right down to the street where your food is grown) but you've helped your neighboring farmers AND the world by allowing them to act just as consciously by donating unused/unsold food to those pantries. Also think about eliminating post cooked food waste. If we could all eliminate the amount of waste equivalent to one slice of bread, each day, we could save twenty POUNDS of food waste each year. How much do you pay for 20 pounds of food at the grocery store each week? That's about 16 meals! If all U.S. households (yeah that's everyone in your house collectively saving one slice of bread a day from finding it's way to the garbage can) would reduce their waste by this much, that savings would be enough to feed all of the 1.35 Million starving homeless children in this country alone THREE square meals a DAY for an entire YEAR! Not kidding. Just ask "The Green Book" by Rogers and Kostigen.

So now we're to the part where I make a food recommendation. Yeah, I know, that girl always pushing products down our throats! No, seriously this snack proclaims that it's "Better than food!" What's that you say? Can't be! Oh, but it is. If my body could sustain itself on this blend of two very fiber full yet so so yummy foods, I'd do it! The Amazing Jennibean decided that her semi-annual gift basket from work should be so bestowed on me (well, most of it as she keeps the stuff she love to NOM on). She decides this...well...semi-annually, I suppose! Anyway, I got these last time and NOM'd them until there was just dust in a bag then forgot about how delicious they are! So, this time I'm telling the world! Grandpa Po's Originals Slightly Unsalted mix of organic popcorn and soybeans is so delectable that I decided to share this time around. Lady McAwesome, Super M, and I couldn't stop chowing right down on this textural beauty! The tiny popcorn nuggets and the roasted soy nuts accompanying them are just too much and when you sprinkle on just the right amount of sea salt, they are just HEAVEN. When an entire 5 ounce bag equals ONLY 5% of your daily sodium intake!? I'M SOLD! Not to mention the grand fiber source and it even boasts a little of the vitamins and proteins you need in a day. OK, enough of my advertisement...now get eating!

PS:

Grandpa Po's Originals are also:
•  Certified Organic
•  Low in Saturated Fat
•  Trans Fat Free
•  Gluten Free
•  Wheat Free
•  Dairy Free
•  Peanut Free
•  Sugar Free
•  Vegan
•  And best of all They Taste Great!

And that's straight from the website!

Something ado about you...being Earth friendly! Pt. 1

I am not here to yell and scream and raise my voice or show you a happy little video after buying "carbon credits" to make myself feel better about going against everything I'm preaching here. I am giving it to you straight. Everyone is conscious of the pollution problems, no one WANTS to live on a dirty Earth...but many don't think about what they do to contribute to the, sometimes disgusting, places we live. Myself, included!

Just think before you do...it's a good rule for any life situation, as I'm sure you were told by a parent or elder to look before you leap. When you are out and about and all you had to grab from the fridge was a bottle of water, don't feel ashamed or shunned, just do the smart thing, when it's empty...refill it! It really is that easy. We were raised in a not so conscious society so it will take some time to get past our little hang ups. But, reusing everything you get that is plastic (for instance freezing soup or storing leftovers in butter tubs) at least once will free up a significant amount of landfill space. If you really think about it, I'm sure you have MULTIPLE uses for plastic bottles, tubs, and wrappers all over your home and yard.

Something else you can do for...fun? Is to cook your meals a week or more in advance. This really eliminates waste and you can use those "leftover" pieces of veggies and meat scraps from cooking in a giant soup or stew for freezing for those nights (read weeks lol) you just don't feel like cooking after your hard days of working and prepping or building up your land. Just remember those potato peels, if not being eaten should be going straight into a compost heap OR a bucket to be taken to a communal pile weekly. If you have no such community compost, ask around to your neighbors, surely one of them has at least a place for you to put them back into the Earth safely and out of sight and smell.

That's really all I have today. I'll put a few more way easy tips in here some time this weekend! Much love and many blessings!

Greenery becomes brownery...

Ever had one of those days where everything you touch turns from beautiful to totally ruined? No worries, it's never 100% your fault...unless of course you didn't feed and water it. I just can't grow anything indoors, I kill cacti people! I'm serious. I follow directions for every plant, even corn plants, fig trees, and hanging baskets fail under my direction. Even when watering them and snuggling them and doing everything you're supposed to...they die, a tragic death. Sometimes, it's a responsibility issue, as in my daughter came home from the hospital and our longest living (like 4 or 5 years!) house plant EVER by a landslide suffered the consequence of new responsibilities coming in...but that's a rarity. Mostly it's just not enough sun or not enough shade or not enough air? I don't even really know. What I do know is that when I plant outside like veggies and herbs and whatnot, they thrive, literally grow ginormous! Maybe I'm just made for farming, it is in my blood, after all.

I can't wait to find a place to lay down my first plot. To mulch and till and topsoil and fertilize (wooo manure!) and to put my hand in each little hole, cover it, water it, nurture the Earth into providing me It's abundance! it's going to be such a wonderful experience! GO EARTH! GO VEGGIES!

So I bought this book...right? POPOVERS!

And it's going to help me bring you WAY cool stuff to do to save as much as possible from your daily cooking scraps and your small veggie gardens and just basically cool stuff about living off the land around you. I'll pick a few things to do over the next few days and get back to you on  how each thing worked and if I am going to implement it in my own life or if I will leave it out there for some of you to experiment with and get back to me on your own findings!

Making tea from the silk and husks of tea, creating "nut huts" or tree incubators, and just being able to save every bit of leftover to upcycle into something terribly delicious and nutritious. Don't throw those veggie peels out just yet ladies and gents! As a matter of fact, never do it again! Throw them straight down into your compost heap, or directly into your nearest pile of backyard dirt to start one. If they aren't old, eat them in some to be announced fabulous leftover recipes!

POPOVERS:

 Found this amazing recipe in Circle Round that they call Persephone Rising Spring Equinox Popovers. I'm just calling them delicious! You can also vary the post production to include cheese, honey, fruit or butter as a serving suggestion.

You will need:
3 eggs well beaten
1 C milk
2 T melted butter
1 t sugar
1 t salt
1 C flour

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, though I found 400 to suffice for my own oven. Mix together all ingredients except flour. Then add the flour and whisk to avoid lumps. Butter up a muffin tin REALLY well as these WILL stick. You can also use individual custard cups according to the book, they say you'll need 8. Fill the tins or cups 1/3 full. Bake for 15 (or 16) minutes, then turn the oven DOWN to 350 degrees and bake for another 10-15 minutes for a muffin pan or 15-20 for those custard cups. They should be golden brown and firm. As SOON as you take them out of the over poke the tops with a knife to let the steam out so they stop cooking themselves dry and run the knife around the edges so you can pull them out and serve them immediately. These didn't even make it out of my kitchen. YUM YUM!

I hope you enjoy them with a little butter and honey or fruit and cottage cheese, both very nom worthy! Blessed Spring everyone!

Poi fail...going postal...and other life mishaps via Norway.

So, my ambitions to rock out with my sock (poi) out were put on hold because of the weather and the fact that I don't have any sock poi. LOL. Though, I rock a mean fire and tennis ball set! Ok, so I more like light jazz them but that is neither here nor there. :P

I went for the first real walk of the season with Nixie to pick up the mail. That darn book just isn't here yet and I hope it didn't get lost in the mail, or worse, stolen by my sticky fingered neighbors. It is very important that I get that book as I want to share it with the hubs.

I've been thinking a lot lately about having a place to entertain again. It will be so wonderful to have a few friends over to spend the night, weekend, month (lol). My MIL and G'ma will be able to visit and help me/play with Nixie a lot more which will make them feel good, I'm sure. Super M and Jennibean and The McAwesome and well, EVERYONE will have a crash pad in the YS area so as to make shopping and dining into the night less cumbersome.

I was just reading through the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce website the other night and found myself in tears...tears of joy, actually. At the fact that I'm going some place where I can just be free to be me. Where, as I have stated in this blog before, I will have like minds and a peace and simplicity about my daily living. I'm so tired of big city drama and feeling propelled by a not so friendly undercurrent that this will be a welcomed place to me. To make friends, to visit old friends, to live in a van down by the river...OK, so scratch that last one, but you know. Just to be.

I started typing this blog yesterday and decided to hold off until I had another point to make. My last "point" is more of a goal than just a random happening or statement. But, it starts with this statement: I want to learn Norwegian. Plain and simple, I'm on a mission now. Stay tuned for future updates on my awesome Norwegian skills! PS anyone have a Rosetta Stone for Norwegian out there? LOL!

Off to begin my learning for my mad Norwegian skills!

Super Eco-friendly Trashbag Giveaway!

Yup! I'm offering up one free sample of a tried and true plastic garbage bag that ACTUALLY biodegrades! Yes, ladies and gentlefolks, this bag is the real deal. Throwing out your garbage (that you can't recycle) will no longer make you feel like you're causing SO much damage to our Mother. Like most of the contents in the bag the exterior will break down via the help of tiny microbes. Because these bags are made with some natural materials that those little buggers love to munch on they will start the biodegrading process almost immediately. Just add some moisture and soil or mulch and voila! Thus begins the great break down *does a little break down boogie*!

Pictured above is the whole box of trash bags that are really no different, price wise, than your leading name brand garbage bag. When they say "Ridiculously Strong" they are NOT kidding. This bag is packed already and we're still shoving things down in there. No rips or tears thus far! I'm really trying this baby out. Plus it has a uniquely nice smell. It's not fragranced, but it just smells a lot better than regular trash bags. Still no match for baby poo, but it's managed to mask the other smells contained within prior to said stinky poo diaper. The second picture you see here is their amazing ridiculously strong yard bags! Super excited that they sell two sizes yet? I know! A free no-guilt trash bag!? WHA? Unheard of! lol

If you don't want to wait on the people at Green Genius to send you your free sample and you'd rather receive it (maybe even as an additional sample for good measure) from me in two to three days from Thursday...AKA Monday-ish of next week...just put your name and a way to contact you for your address in the comments below! Please remember that I'm only running this until Thursday! So, enter NOW and tell your Earth conscious friends so they can get in here too! Name randomly selected based on the eeny meeny miny mo theory! LOL, just kidding, actually I'll be randomizing zeh number of your comment! GO GO ENTER NOW!

Moon Pad Tutorial

To be watched AFTER you've had some convincing from the post below! :)

Part One:



Part Two:



Hope you've enjoyed Super M's Moon Pad Tutorial! I was a bit camera shy when she started and she knew much more about what she had been doing ALL day and the night before this tutorial was made. Sleepless pad making nights. We should get our sewing machines out together and go into the wrap pants/legging/shrug/pad making business! lol

See you in the next webisode...and the next bloggety blog! Also, check out more videos to come on the livinggreeninohio channel! Super M is the awesome sauce with those webby type blogs!

The Quadrilogy...Finally! Moon Pad Bonanza! Here's the WHY!

Nevermind I look just AWFUL in most of the scenes my lips were itchy and I was nervous? Who knows why I do that with my lips even after I've scratched them. LOL
Part One:



Part Two:



Part Three:



Part Quad: *snicker*

Poipoi Passions, Crochet Projects, and Bolero's: OLE!

So, I thought I'd just take another minute to blog about something slightly more on topic than poop and plastic bags for a minute. I know, I know...but it will only take a minute. Bear with me?

Ok, so these past few days have been just beautiful! This is driving me mad because I live in "the ghetto." Well, it's not THAT bad but it's just a few steps behind. I can't just take my baby outside with me in her stroller or playpen while I do what I'm just looooonging to do which is to bust out my poi! I've been fire spinning for about, oh six years now? It's not like I'm that great, it's just a hobby of mine, but it morphs into a passion about this time of year. I can't wait to be in YS where I don't fear for my life or my wallet. I'll be able to go outside and just be in or around my home doing something others there won't stare at me (the reaction I get here) or honk at me (the reaction I get in West Alexandria when I visit my G'ma and spin in her driveway) like what I'm doing needs to be acknowledged in that manner because I'm crazy. If they were on fire, I could totally understand the stopping and staring, but how interesting is a plump chick with flailing arms and a weapon? Alright, that might actually be momentarily interesting, but these people just stick around and watch until I feel uncomfortable or if it's an "IDC" day until I get tired and go inside. They never approach and if it looks like I'm walking toward them they walk away. Am I the weird one here, or is this behavior warranted?

Enough of my complaints! I'm just so excited that I might get the opportunity to spin a little this weekend. I need to prepare for summer festivals as I haven't done anything more than practice spinning since my one year old, Nixie, was born. I need to get out there and whirly twirl it up to relieve my pent up winter stress. I also need to get my equipment out and get it tightened and checked since it's been half a year since I last used it. Oopsy? lol I've been watching videos like mad since I'm almost completely self taught and only watching things repeatedly seems to work for that. Someone could explain it to me a million times and I'll never never get it but pop in a video or put someone in front of me doing it for a few hours and I'll work on it. I just can't believe how much about muscle memory poi spinning really is. OH now I've talked myself into a frenzy and I'm going to go re draw some labyrinth patterns up after this to calm down again. More about those pesky labyrinths in a later blog. :)

Lastly, I'd like to thank Super M again for showing me this t-shirt upcycling technique she found last night on a website. A T Shirt Bolero? What!? Can it be true? Yes, yes it is true and amazingly easy! I made two tonight in just over an hour. THAT'S how simple this is. Once I get the ribbon in these I'll post pictures. But I have one camo in a size medium shirt and another one in purple that I made for Super M as a tester shirt to see if she liked the design ON her. If she does then I'll be pumping these bad boys out to order! Minimal fee if you provide your own T! Did I mention I also do wrap pants? lol Anyway, I can't wait to move...maybe I mentioned that one too. It will provide me with a place where what I do isn't so strange and maybe, just maybe someone will approach if they're interested in what's going on?

Forgot my bit on crochet projects: still ongoing...zomgz fail kill die yarn! Making the little samples for M is a nice break in my larger project which will likely take me until the summer to finish. I torture myself by using thread. GAH! fail. Thank you, that is all.

Pink heart doo doo bags, ninja poop, and eco-friendly trashbag giveaway!

Let's start with why they waste the dollars, time, energy, and insist on polluting our planet just a little bit more to create colored plastic dog poop bags. As I was sitting here thinking about poop (we'll get to that later) and what to blog about tonight, I looked over to the samples Super M gave me (one for me to test and one for me to do a super bloggy giveaway with) and then directly above them were these monstrous (but the only ones on sale in the pet store at the time) bright pink dog poop bags with lighter pink hearts embellishing them. I should never have to use the word embellishing when talking about crap bags, but I digress...or rather progress? Anyway, these bags are rarely used by us as our dog poops near the dumpster in our back dog patch area and since she is the only dog pooping there it just lends to the SUPER green grass that begins growing there (soon) this spring. Plus, it's less polluting to let her fertilize the grass and surrounding tree line than it is for us to deposit yet another non-biodegradable bag in our dumpster (of which the smell pouring out from it overpowers the doggy doo). That was really all I had but I couldn't help noticing how many different colored dog poo bags there are. Is there a problem with using recycled plastics and just letting them come out whatever color they do naturally in the process? I don't feel BETTER about having to handle dog crap because my hand is wrapped in a pretty pretty princess colored (and sometimes) scented bag.

Now, on to the dreaded NINJA POOP that I mentioned in the title. Have you ever been a little timid about using public restrooms or even not-so-close friends restrooms? I think we have all been a little pee shy in our time. I have to say there are a few things that contribute to this mentality. One is our pre-programming that peeing or pooping are unnatural or need to be hidden from the general public and another is the notorious "turd burglar" AKA The-Guy-Who-Knocks-Mid-Plop. While it is a horrifying, pantie grabbing, toilet paper unrolling experience to be "burgled" by the rapping at the stall door, or worse the jiggling of the entrance into your once peaceful commode abode...I think we can all agree that the WORST scenario is the *dun dun duuuun* NINJA POOP!

The NP comes on suddenly and we are often times completely unaware of it's mere existence, let alone its power to destroy your reputation, your "cute factor", and a toilet...or two. Imagine you really have to pee, innocent enough, we do it 4-10 times a day depending on many physical factors. You ask "Donde esta el bano?" They answer "What?" So you repeat "Where is the bathroom?" They cock their head sideways and point down the hall or to the back of the establishment. You give a curt thanks and head on your merry way. Once inside you notice the roll is low, but no matter you are just there to urinate. You drop trowel and begin your business when all of a sudden you're STRUCK. Completely unannounced to you your NP has seen the light and decided to make a break for it. Water hitting your tushy is your ONLY notification that it has begun and you know it is too late to "pinch" this one off and courtesy flush the rancid odor now building at your midsection. Ninja Poop has yet another victim. No one knows where it comes from or what foods cause NP to build silently in your depths, but everyone fears NP and avoids the foods they ate before their last NP until it strikes again after a totally unrelated meal. What makes this totally unavoidable mishap even worse is that NP makes sure you are in a new location nearly or with newly found friends or on a totally blind date nearly every time. Add to this factor that even on the off chance the roll ISN'T low there will be odor fighting agents in your vicinity adding to your walk of NP shame, all the sideways glances, and twisted up faces in your wake. If you are as terrified of NP as me you'll carry tissues and body spray with you EVERYWHERE, yes, everywhere you go. This has been a public service announcement.

Now on to the GIVEAWAY! *insert Oprah audience screams and cheers* As I said before, Super M the awesome sauce, ordered me these most amazing trash bags thag are eco-friendly because they actually break down in the landfills! They are made by Green Genius and are advertised as "Biodegradable trash bags so ridiculously strong, it's ridiculous."tm Go to their website by clicking the words Green Genius above and watch their oh, so cool video on the microbe and how their trash bags work! I will be testing this baby starting tomorrow. I'm really going to take it through the wringer and I'll announce my findings with the start of the giveaway beginning on Monday with my blog post. This is just a heads up for the few of you awesome enough to have stumbled upon my humble blog so you can get in on this super special (yeah, and cheap lol) giveaway. If you like it you can order another sample from their website or use the 2.00 coupon on the wrapper to purchase your own! Support the cause man!

Unintentional intentional communities...

Have you ever found yourself wondering "Where is my community when I need them?" Well, so have I. In this day and age of apartment living new neighbors and new flats every year just gets...well, disgruntling? I've lived this way for 9 and a half years now and I'm just sick and tired of moving my whole life for school, for work, for living where I want to live. We are going to be making the great migration westward in the next month and I'm already dreading just boxing and unboxing, lifting and moving, and getting readjusted to yet another stock-box-cookie-cutter-home.

Thankfully, with this move I anticipate having a community I can actually enjoy. Occupied by people who have similar interests, open minded individuals, and those with a variety of backgrounds in career, finances, ethnicities, and even religions. Tolerance is key when first introducing one's self into this variety. Yellow Springs is where I WANT to be, where I CRAVE to be, and most of all where I'll finally fall into my unintentional intentional community. I'm not saying this town is all hippy dippy dreamy and fluff utopia. I'm simply saying they are anti-urban sprawl, which is what I most love. As a village it is small enough to keep the noise (accept for street fairs and weekends lol) and violent crimes down to a minimum, yet is a tourist town and so has a variety of tiny shops to keep my need to make finds and shop at a market doable.

I grew up first in Drexel which was a little Dayton border sprawl-over on your way between there and the country before you get to the second place I spent significant time in which was a rural Preble County village called West Alexandria. For the country-dwelling personality this is heaven. Two gas stations, a carry out, general store, corner eatery, a school light and one nice four way traffic light in the center of town. They even got a Subway after I left! "woohoo" Again, like YS there are few people so it is quiet. But, the one drawback of West Alexandria was the lack of diversity. About 98% caucasian and similar housing, values, and maybe 75-80% standard Christian teachings applied to everyone everywhere.

This is perfection in simple, laid back living for the majority who live there. The mayor is a grandmotherly figure, just a lovely woman who works hard. The towns council filled with the here and there's, the good old boys, and the town's oldest last names. There are churches on every corner, activities held in basements and cabins on their grounds, and children playing on nearly every back street. The real downer here was that everyone knew each other. Opposite of what is happening in my life now which is also a downer. I know, no pleasing me right? My point here is that I didn't fit into the mix very well. My values, be they spiritual, mental, or just my general spirit of open arms and mind DID NOT FIT. I wanted everyone to get along to unclique themselves? The problem is that when everyone is alike, there's a need to branch off into "groups" to make yourselves distinct.

Now some soccer mom is peering out the door to see those terrible chubby non-sports kids eating an ice cream cone and accidentally kicking a rock and hitting the tire rim of Mr. Henderson's new sedan. Oh No! So now Soccer Mom is on a tyrade, calling chubby ice cream's mother and telling her how awful her little rock (now) "throwing" child truly is. When chubster gets home he gets a tongue lashing and grounded for a week. Yep, you read that right. It happened ALL.THE.TIME. Problem when there's no drama and everyone's a Stepford wife or perfect parent? Anyone? What seems so perfect on the outside ends up a catastrophe of backstabbing lies perpetrated by SAHM's or someone on their way to work who saw you...uh oh JAY WALKING!? (yes, that last part did, in fact, happen to myself and my bff Jenni).

YS is not without its faults but they are available at the surface or very near it for people to gingerly extract and deal with as they will. I'm sure there's some perpetrating amongst the mothers and fathers here as well...but the beauty is in the diversity. People unintentionally making an intentional community of people who can either choose to get along or not but live peaceably along side one another. To work beside their fellow human beings to make this world a little bit better. I know I'm still glorifying it from the outside, and I'm sure I'll find life's little annoyances on the inside...but it won't be anything I can't deal with because I'll have my family and my friends closer by for support and I'll have the luck of the draw with finding like minded individuals in this old "hippy dippy" village! THE Yellow Springs for which the community is named was once thought to hold healing properties day spas and natural healing hotels sprung up around them. See, even a mystical start. :)

PS SOUL FIRE TRIBE!? HELLO! Me loves the fire, these spinners, and this video:



~peace~

OMG! How can this even be allowed?

Do the Japanese have an issue with endangered animals or something?  First whales, now THIS!?

Knitters tip of the day...as read on Facebook.

This blog is obviously not for ME as I do not and refuse to ever knit. But I thought these tips were amazing:

Danielle S. says:

You know you have a knitting addiction when you have yarn but no needles... So you use mechanical pencils.
She also adds that chopsticks work well too. I suppose she means the nice rounded or hair pick kind. So, you CAN carry knitting needles without having to tote around a bag! You can also knit on the plane this way! Just stick 'em in your hair and away you go! Thanks Danielle for your knitting craze and makeshift needle needs.


Also Super M brought this site to my attention tonight and this story made me bawl like a little baby.

Where did you come from? Where did you go?

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the planet. Yes, I am still having limited connection. Today (as in March 1st) was my daughter, Nixie's 1st Birthday. She woke up giggling and smiling and just a generally happy baby all day. Uncle Nick, who shares a birthday, came up to Columbus to visit and have a good old fashioned Cracker Barrel dinner. Nom Nom! Their party is on Sunday at the pizza place! I can't wait.

I have learned a lot about people over the years, a majority of things by simply shutting my trap and watching the world go by. In the process I also learned the very fine art of patience. There are still a few areas of that broad field I need to work on, but generally speaking I am a patient individual. I have just seen a lot of entitlement and impatience lately and it is trying my last nerve not to say something to these jerks. The biggest lesson of my life: Nothing truly belongs to you accept your pride, hope, and dignity. Hold on to those tightly and the world will shake loose everything else about you...but in the end you'll be able to walk back into life with your head held high, knowing that you came out on top even if you were abruptly thrust to the bottom. With a little pride and a lot of dignity and hope you can recompose yourself and make magic happen!

Living the dream isn't always about living your own dreams. Less cryptic more informational communal living links and stories to come! Keep an eye on sky!

Holy Crap! This guy WAILS!

I wish I knew more about where this was taken or even who that is...freaking amazing!

My Art Is Love...ly :D

Get ready...get set...ALTERRRR ART!

And they're off to complete their Your Art Is Love project. My bestie Super M has had a brilliant idea and you can find all the nitty gritty details here! But just so you know all you need is a standard sheet of printer paper and some effort to transform it into a work of art based on this quote:

“Perhaps love is the process of my leading you gently back to yourself”

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery 

Get yourself involved in something you can follow online at the Your Art Is Love blogspot! Get your kids and friends involved...the more the merrier! Give to the altered art book and make your love your art in the process.

Also, don't forget to add this lovely button to your website or blog to share your love and your art with the world!

 

Remember to follow the basic rules and have a blast, I'll be submitting mine to be scanned in once I fully see my idea within the theme and scope of this project! Be on the look out world!