MORE Snow and Ice!

I woke up this morning to a few more inches of snow, and now we have rain/freezing rain! Well, I guess that screws the plans I had tonight to meet friends for dinner and a gallery hop. Things pretty much shut down 'round here when the weather turns bad.

Should I go to my doc appt? I have a routine appointment this morning for some lab work. I may try to call, however, you rarely get through to a real, live human being who can tell you anything, such as whether their office has closed.

And then work. I do have lots to do today, however, the office is open (I checked). Ugh--I so do not want to be out in this mess today!

MORE Snow and Ice!

I woke up this morning to a few more inches of snow, and now we have rain/freezing rain! Well, I guess that screws the plans I had tonight to meet friends for dinner and a gallery hop. Things pretty much shut down 'round here when the weather turns bad.

Should I go to my doc appt? I have a routine appointment this morning for some lab work. I may try to call, however, you rarely get through to a real, live human being who can tell you anything, such as whether their office has closed.

And then work. I do have lots to do today, however, the office is open (I checked). Ugh--I so do not want to be out in this mess today!

Looking Toward Spring: Imbolc 2010

Took this pic of the icicles out my window over the weekend. We got around 8 inches of snow, which is quite a lot for the area. And these icicles grew even longer as the temps varied, turning into long, pointy ice daggers by end of day.

Had my 2010 Imbolc celebration yesterday, here at the midpoint between winter and spring. Much to my surprise, my partner joined in (he really is trying to salvage our relationship, which makes my ol' Grinchy heart grow a size larger). I was also surprised that, earlier in the day, he got to work cleaning the house! That-never-happens. Well, what a perfect transition into Imbolc, a time when some symbolically purified their homes by doing an early spring cleaning.

So my partner and I gathered 'round the dining room table, where I set up my altar (pictured below). After clearing the space and lighting the candles, I handed out 2 seeds/nuts (I think they're hazelnuts--not sure. It was all we had, and my partner had collected them ages ago. Hmmm, maybe he's a closet shaman and doesn't know it yet...). Another Imbolc tradition is to have a feast to celebrate the pending return of nature's abundance, so we chowed down for lunch--which included cheese; dairy products have a connection to Imbolc because it's supposedly near the time when lambs begin nursing.

Also on the altar is my white "power wand" to symbolize St. Brighid, a holly twig to symbolize spring (everything else was under 8 inches of snow!) and some books of poetry, since Brighid was Christianized into the patroness of poets. After we finished eating, we each read a poem, then held the seeds as we talked about what we hoped would grow in 2010. I mentioned my spiritual practice as well as more physical exercise. And my partner said he would keep doing whatever was necessary to keep our relationship intact.

It was a beautiful, wintry weekend, very reflective, which is 1 reason I enjoy this time of year. As to the relationship status, I'm pondering all this over. Much to sort out still, so stay tuned.

 Blessings!

Looking Toward Spring: Imbolc 2010

Took this pic of the icicles out my window over the weekend. We got around 8 inches of snow, which is quite a lot for the area. And these icicles grew even longer as the temps varied, turning into long, pointy ice daggers by end of day.

Had my 2010 Imbolc celebration yesterday, here at the midpoint between winter and spring. Much to my surprise, my partner joined in (he really is trying to salvage our relationship, which makes my ol' Grinchy heart grow a size larger). I was also surprised that, earlier in the day, he got to work cleaning the house! That-never-happens. Well, what a perfect transition into Imbolc, a time when some symbolically purified their homes by doing an early spring cleaning.

So my partner and I gathered 'round the dining room table, where I set up my altar (pictured below). After clearing the space and lighting the candles, I handed out 2 seeds/nuts (I think they're hazelnuts--not sure. It was all we had, and my partner had collected them ages ago. Hmmm, maybe he's a closet shaman and doesn't know it yet...). Another Imbolc tradition is to have a feast to celebrate the pending return of nature's abundance, so we chowed down for lunch--which included cheese; dairy products have a connection to Imbolc because it's supposedly near the time when lambs begin nursing.

Also on the altar is my white "power wand" to symbolize St. Brighid, a holly twig to symbolize spring (everything else was under 8 inches of snow!) and some books of poetry, since Brighid was Christianized into the patroness of poets. After we finished eating, we each read a poem, then held the seeds as we talked about what we hoped would grow in 2010. I mentioned my spiritual practice as well as more physical exercise. And my partner said he would keep doing whatever was necessary to keep our relationship intact.

It was a beautiful, wintry weekend, very reflective, which is 1 reason I enjoy this time of year. As to the relationship status, I'm pondering all this over. Much to sort out still, so stay tuned.

 Blessings!

Storm's a Comin'!

Brrrr! Gotta get all bundled up this weekend for the snow! Maybe the storm will even help facilitate a little romance... Weather service says we could get 6-10 inches in this area--that's SNOW, I'm talking about!

Storm's a Comin'!

Brrrr! Gotta get all bundled up this weekend for the snow! Maybe the storm will even help facilitate a little romance... Weather service says we could get 6-10 inches in this area--that's SNOW, I'm talking about!