Remember watching on the news about how credit and debit cards had been compromised at Target over the holiday season? Well, my debit card was one of those. Unfortunately, my bank did not have a phone number on record to alert me but they cancelled my card on Christmas Eve, when I was trying to finish up my shopping. It had been a long day, and I was rather crabby. I had stopped at the local grocery store, and my card was refused, so I had to resort to my credit card to make payment. But not before I made a stink and called over the manager. He was very polite, suggesting that perhaps a deposit had been made but not posted at the bank yet. I retorted that I had more than enough money in the bank and that certainly wasn’t my problem. I then stomped out of the store in a huff.

Well, today I went into the bank and told them my card wouldn’t work. Gail, the teller, asked me if I had shopped at Target. I said yes. She then told me that they had cancelled my card so my bank account wouldn’t be drained. I went oh... oops. They assured me that I would have a new card in a matter of days. Then I realized that I had shined my ass in the grocery store, and perhaps I’d better go back and apologize to Mr. Barlow for my behavior. So I did.

A Murder of Crows

This last Halloween, I found a peal and stick page of crows. There’s no glue involved, they just stick because of static electricity. I used them around my cauldron on the porch. The trick or treaters liked them. When it was time to take them down, I peeled them off the wall and momentarily stuck them on my front door window. A light went on in my head and I remembered the ravens on the front door of my friends, Kathryn and Larry, who had a store called "The White Raven." Of course theirs were etched into the glass, a bit classier, but after a little arranging, I decided to keep them on the front door. Here’s a photo of what they look like down the hallway.

Christmas Lights in Raymond

Elaine and I went around last night and checked out the Christmas lights. Although I took a number of photos, these are the ones that turned out the best.

                                                     Blue Victorian House taken in daylight

                                                       Best Colored Lights on Dupree Street

                                                        Best White Lights on Dupree Street

                                                            John Bell Williams Home

                                                                       Norwood Circle
                

Christmas Eve 

Christmas Eve is always a magical time. The point is that we all need the reassuring and healing messages that treasured rituals provide. So go with the spirit of the day and be grateful for all that you have. 

59 Beers

 Remember my former entry about our only homeless person in Raymond? Well, his name is Danny, and although he spends most of his time listening to the voices in his head, he also has time for an artistic endeavor with beer caps. The design is close to the road, and just about the time he was beginning to express himself, our lady of the electric cart, who tends most of the city garden beds in Raymond, discovered them and raked them all up. I told Danny not to be discouraged though. I said I would talk to our lady of the electric cart, and make her aware that this is an ongoing art project. Please start again, Danny. I'd like to see where it takes you. 

This poem is from River Country Basket Guild In North Carolina. When I read it, it made me laugh because once you take up basket making, this is what happens!

My Wife's a Basket Weaver
She learned to weave on Monday.
Her basket was quite fine.
She forgot to thaw out dinner,
So we went out to dine.

She made a twill on Tuesday.
She says they are a must.
They really look quite lovely,
But she forgot to dust.

On Wednesday it was wickerwork.
She says the twinings fun.
Three rod wale and braiding rims,
But the laundry wasn't done.

Her basket swap was Thursday.
"Expect her late" she said.
I guess she really was too busy,
Cause she never made the bed.

It was ribbed baskets Friday.
Using new techniques for sure.
But she never seemed to care about
Her mess still on the floor.

So I found a maid on Saturday.
My life is now complete.
My wife can weave for hours
And the house will still be neat.

Well, today is only Sunday.
And I'm already peeved.
I cursed and raved and ranted
Cause she taught the maid to weave.

Got up this morning to find the temperature in the lower 20's. When I went outside to feed SeeKitty, I looked down at her bowl of water and there was this upside down ice cycle sticking straight up out of her dish, defying the laws of gravity. Any suggestions as to how this is possible? 

November Rain

It is a frigid, damp cold rain coming down today. The kind of cold that seeps through the walls of the house, and rises up from the floor, making you wonder if you should put on another pair of socks, or just get in bed. The other alternative is riding the couch with your legs up in a fleece throw.

I feel bad for my cat, that she can't come in. I have too many birds. But she does have her wooden box that shelters her from the rain. I put a heating pad underneath the blankets, and am wondering if I turned it up too high. It's hard to tell since cats can't talk. I mean, I don't want her to overheat. Oh dear. 

  Quinoa Tabbouleh

This is a good recipe for those of you who can't eat wheat and miss the traditional tabbouleh. Red Quinoa goes really well in this dish. Remember to rinse the quinoa before cooking.

Cook quinoa: 2 cups water, 1 cup quinoa, and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine olive oil, salt, lemon juice (use a whole lemon), tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, carrots (shredded), mint, and parsley. 

Then add the quinoa and mix well. Serve with rice crackers. It will taste good hot or cold.

More Disturbing Photos From the Thrift Stores:

  Now, at first glance, its a picture of a lady diver, but what are those things to her right? Why would anyone buy such a photo?

                                  Came around the corner, and encountered these dog slippers.

               And I just felt sorry for these penguins. They look like they're up on the auction block!

The Community Garden of Raymond

This past year, the mayor of our town, Isla Tullos, put together a community garden on the grounds of the old Co-op. Although I joined late in the year, there are still some great vegetables. The Okra plants are the size of small trees. Today, I started pulling up some of the 100 tomato plants, and picked at least 50 pounds of tomatoes which will be distributed throughout the town. Although these late tomatoes are still green, most southerners like fried green tomatoes. Wasn’t there a movie with that title?  Anyway, there are wonderful cabbages growing, and the greens are just great. I cooked some the other night. So if you’re driving by the garden, take a look at what a great job our mayor has done.

                                                            Bounty from the Garden

A Shooting!

We have 1 homeless person in Raymond, and although he probably could stay with his parents, he prefers to live outside. Some days, when he’s on medication, he seems calmer and more rational. Other days, he is so involved with the voices in his head, that he hardly notices anything else. He’s not dangerous though, to anyone else but himself.

Well, this morning, when Elaine and I were walking past the Quonset hut that’s diagonally across from the old Co-op, we saw a car in the driveway. We usually stop to feed Slim, the black cat who lives there. At first, Elaine suggested that he had an overnight guest, but when our homeless person got out of the car, he had a sling on his arm. And the older woman in the car turned out to be his mother. He told us that his mother’s husband shot him last night and he had just gotten back from the hospital. He was very proud that the bullet shattered his upper arm and shoulder. He said he may even have an operation. OMG! Now, I admit that it is very wrong to shoot someone, but sometimes the victim is so annoying, and so intense, that the only choice is to shoot him. Fortunately, most people control those types of urges. As we continued on our walk, we just shook our heads with wonder. Not much happens in Raymond, so this was the big event of the day.

                                                                              Samhain

The Last of Summer

Took a tour around my yard this afternoon, and was surprised by the intensity of the Lantana growing in my front yard. Earlier in the summer, they came down with a fungus, but look at them now!

Observations of the Week

                                           Went to the gym and parked next to this very blue car.

          Went to a yard sale and no one was home but the cat. I didn't know cats could drive cars...

                                Two days worth of growth on Elaine's chair, and it isn't Kudzu.

Ever since Mississippi passed an open carry law for guns, these notices have been popping up all over town.
No one with a business wants shoppers with guns.Whoops! Guess the legislation didn't think about that! No hunting for groceries.

 This is a view of our hallway taken in summer. Please notice the blazing sun coming through the front door.

This is a view of our living room, looking into the kitchen. Great Grandmother Eaton's pink Victorian couch is still with us. 

                Kāli is the Hindu goddess of time, change, and destruction.  This is her basket.

The Farmer in the Dell
               or
The Cheese Stands Alone

Why does "the cheese stand alone"? Remember the "Farmer in the Dell" song? It ends with the line "the cheese stands alone". I’ve always wondered about the cheese. Why does it stand alone?

Suggested Answers:

Perhaps it's really good quality cheese and needs no accompaniment. Or perhaps it just stands alone...waiting for the right wine to come along.

We also have to consider that the cheese may have been moved there.
The question is ... WHO moved it?

1) Because that's just its whey.

2) Because "The Farmer in the Dell" is not just a song but a dance. At the beginning, one child, the "farmer," stands in the center of a circle, and the other children sing and dance around him/her. On the first verse, s/he chooses a spouse, and that child leaves the circle to join the farmer at the center. The spouse takes a child on the next verse; on the next the child picks a nurse; shortly after that it's a barnyard menagerie that lasts long enough to pack the rest of the kids into the center, with the proviso that the last four characters "taken" are the dog, cat, rat, and cheese. The cheese, having no one left to "take," stands alone, and gets to be the farmer on the next go-round. Would that then make him or her the Big Cheese?

Because it sits... And waits... And... Plans.
Soon, my pretties, soon... You will behold the TRUE power of cheese!

Even Venezuelan Beaver Cheese enjoys solitude now and then.

Are we assuming that it's a problem for the cheese to stand alone? Perhaps the cheese prefers to be unpartnered.

Maybe the cheese wasn't a gouda dancer.

Because while it pretended to be nice, it was really a predatory muenster.

The others are apostates, and do not believe in cheeses.

When we sing it here at home, my little girls stand and raise a fist for the last verse--it's some sort of Cheese Power thing.

Went to the annual Pentecostal yard sale yesterday, and although I have little interest in cars, this one stood out. It's a 57 Chevy, right? And as I walked around the back of the car, I found the license plate that reads -

While I wandered around through the numerous tables of sit around stuff, I found this interesting chair -

Mystical Baskets 

 I've decided to make a series of goddess baskets.This is the first one. Just finished the above basket this morning .It is done with the wheat and plain stitch. The coins reminded me of moons.So I dedicated it to the Goddess Diana. As I made the basket, I chanted: :

                                           To the Goddess Diana, I make this basket
                                           May the spiral dance shape it the way I ask it.
                                           With magic needle from ages past,
                                           Bless this basket and make it last. 

Rowdy Boy

This past Monday, Rowdy Boy was rushed to the vet in critical condition. He stayed at the vet’s office until today. Fortunately, we have a bird vet in Jackson who is very good at his job. I first met Dr. Whittington when I asked if anyone in the area worked on wildlife. I had a sick Black Vulture that I brought to him. Oh yes, Black Vultures are really neat birds. They are very social.

Anyway, back to Rowdy Boy. When we arrived home from the vet, Rowdy perked up when he saw his cage mates, DoWeDontWe, and Lavendar Larry. There was a great reunion and everyone seems happy now. Hopefully, the flock will remain healthy. They better! I cleaned every square inch of their cage with bleach and water. It was an undertaking, but worth it to see Rowdy Boy alive and healthy once again. Thanks Dr. Whittington!

 Disturbing Photo Moments at the Thrift Stores

Since my neighbor and I like to go to the local thrift stores, occasionally I find myself stopped in my tracks. You never know what you'll find in a box or hidden on the bottom shelf. Here are a few stoppers.

Blue Moon Tonight

Green Door

                        Painted my back door green and this old song popped into my head. 

                                                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aLOuvRT9wA

                                              Midnight, one more night without sleepin'.
                                              Watchin' till the morning comes creepin'.
                                              Green door, what's that secret you're keepin'?

                                            Knocked once, tried to tell 'em I'd been there.
                                            Door slammed, hospitality's thin there.
                                            Wonder just what's goin' on in there.

                                            Saw an eyeball peepin' through a smokey cloud,
                                                 Behind the green door.
                                           When I said, "Joe sent me," someone laughed out loud,
                                                 Behind the green door.
                                            All I want to do is join the happy crowd,
                                                 Behind the green door.

                                             Midnight, one more night without sleepin'.
                                             Watchin' till the morning comes creepin'.
                                             Green door, what's that secret you're keepin'?
                                             Green door, what's that secret you're keepin'?
                                             Green door!

Going Commando

Taken from Smithsonian Magazine:
Did Native Americans wear undergarments before contact with Europeans?

Not really – but then neither did Europeans wear underwear before contact with Native Americans. American Indian men and women wore loin – or breech cloths, which might be considered under garments or outer garments, depending on climate and tribal lifestyle. But what we deem “going commando” today was more the norm until the 18th century – among native peoples and Europeans. 

My side: life is so much better without underwear, especially in the south.

 
The Europeans always thought they were superior to the American Indians because they had more technology.  When Europeans (my ancestors and yours too) first came to America and encountered Indians, the Indians found them rather revolting. Most Indians bathed regularly, but Europeans seldom bathed and stunk to high heaven. But the most disgusting habit the Europeans had was to take out a cloth handkerchief, blow their nose in it, and then put it back into their pocket, multiple times. That really grossed them out. So who is to say which side is more advanced?