Shittiously awesome white elephant gift swap find...

Oh yes she did!  I found this while thrifting on Friday afternoon.  $5.  Our annual white elephant gift swap at the office is on Wednesday, and this is so perfect!  Unless, of course, I change my mind...  after all, this IS a fabled, Unicorn on Black Velvet Painting...  and even the frame ROCKS!  

I must admit, it is nicely done.  So what do you think?  Should it stay or should it go?  Or should I take it to the gift swap, leave it up to the Universe and see if I can go home with it?

It is just SO FABULOUSLY FUGLY!!!!

I also snagged some cold-weather reading at the thrift store....

 This was the weekend crafty project....  dozens of cardboard stars covered in glitter.  Not sure what I will do with them all!

Moon Song #16

Peace, Love and Happiness...

Earth Mother

More Treasure Hunting...

Saturday was a perfect day for yard-sale-ing.  How cool is this little bark Faery (bird) house for $0.25?

A nice, tinkle-y wind chime for $0.50...

 

 A better view...

I collect sets of vintage reindeer, so I grabbed these up for $1.00.  They are adorable!

A wool, Mexican blanket for $1.00...  in perfect condition.

Four little frogs to hide in my potted plants... (and to keep the real ones company that live there now.)  $1.00 for all...

I'm not sure about this... I try to stick to my rule of not buying anything if I don't LOVE it, and I'm not sure I love this.  But for $1.00 (it was marked $2.00),  I couldn't leave it there.  It might end up in the potting shed...

One embroidered doily and three embroidered table-runners, all for $1.00.  Two are not in great shape, so they will be added to the stack of goodies I am saving to make my next crazy quilt.  

I don't understand why people would want to get rid of this stuff, but I guess I'm glad they do!  Such tedious work, and so beautiful...

Two glass bunnies for spring-time...

Now for the Treasure Trash...  One nice old, chippy metal tray that has already found a home above the pantry...

Someone thought this deserved to go to the landfill - in brand new condition!  Now it has a happy home in my craft room...  And it is on wheels!

Someone else obviously didn't know that you can cash in paperback books at the used book store, so that is just what I did... for a credit of $44.00!  There were 24 of them in great condition, but I kept a couple that looked interesting.

MOON SONG #13

You knew it was coming...

Peace, love, and happiness,

Earth Mother

Recent Garage Sale Stuff and Treasure Trash...

 

 One fugly lamp.... free.  This will soon be transformed into a shabby chic treasure.

Love the flowers and leaf pattern.

It actually works, so no rewiring will be necessary.  The glass globe also lights up.

So the transformation begins.  I will keep you updated.

One old twig basket for the garden... free.  

An old rusty lunch pail.... free.  

Plant stand for the potting table.... $1.00.  Some paint maybe?

I love love love it when fabulous treasures find me.  This was $1.00!  I couldn't tell what it was when it was in the plastic bag, but I could see the fantastic detail on the links and that is all I needed to know.

Click for a closer look.  Yes, I did the happy dance when I figured out that it was a necklace.

I showed it to a jeweler friend, and he said that it isn't silver (who cares, it ROCKS!), but it is old.  Most likely from India.

The butter dish is silver-plated... $2.50!  The set of four appliqued napkins was $2.00.

These doilies are now part of my Halloween mantel decorations.  They were $1.00.  This set of hand-appliqued napkins was $1.00.

A embroidered, square table-topper with what looks like hand-made lace trim.  There are a few small moth holes in it, but for $1.00 who cares? 

The Old Hippie has been asked to drill a hole in the bottom of each of these.  Perfect for a kitchen window herb garden.

This lace panel curtain was $0.25.  I just couldn't leave it there....

I'm a sucker for lace....

MOON SONG #12 of 99

Peace, love, and happiness,

Earth Mother

Meteor Shower Tonight... Meh...

Don't expect too much, though.  The peak is only estimated to be ten per hour, but with the new moon, conditions are best for viewing.  The radiant point of the Draconid meteor shower almost coincides with the head of the constellation Draco the Dragon, in the northern sky.  That’s why it is best viewed from the northern hemisphere.  This shower is a real oddity, in the respect that its radiant point is highest in the sky as darkness falls. The shower is definitely a sleeper, producing only a handful of slow meteors per hour in most years. But watch out if the dragon awakes! On occasion, fiery Draco has been known to spew forth hundreds – if not thousands – of meteors in a single hour. An outburst is not predicted for this year, but then, one never knows when an outburst may occur.  In certain years, the Draconids have suddenly sprung to life. In 1933, for example, the meteor shower reached a peak rate of a hundred meteors a minute, while in 1998 viewers saw as many as 500 meteors an hour.  Since the new moon was last night, we’re guaranteed of dark nights for observing these meteors. Unlike most meteor showers, more Draconid meteors are likely to fly in the evening than in the morning hours after midnight - good for us old earlybirds! 

Look northward for the very slow-moving Draconid meteors on the evenings of October 7 and 8.  

Mark your calendar now for next year's Draconids.  It is predicted to peak at 120 per hour!

MOON SONG #11 of 99

Peace, love, and happiness,

Earth Mother

No Flaming Marshmallow Bombs... Sigh....

This weekend will be my youngest son's first time at Boy Scout camp, and it looks like the weather will be nice.  The Old Hippie cannot attend with him, soooo.....  guess who gets to go?  Moi!  And I couldn't be happier about spending time with my CritterBug.  One problem has been identified so far - there is a burn ban for the area in which the Scout camp is located so there will be no campfires.  No smores.  No flaming marshmallow bombs.  No fire meditation.  This will not get us down!  It may get a little chilly when the sun goes down, but we will go prepared.

MOON SONG #10 of 99

Old funk puts me in a great mood.  I want to get out bell-bottoms, Dr. Scholls clogs, and a halter top!  

Peace, love, and happiness,

Earth Mother

The Secret Life of Garbage...

Trash, Inc. The Secret Life of Garbage is a program that is airing on CNBC tonight at 8:00 p.m. Central Time.  I think this is one worth watching.

MOON SONG #9 of 99

One more from Stevie... One of my all-time favorites that I cannot sing or even listen to without getting that big lump in my throat...  If you have ever had a landslide (who hasn't?) you know what I mean...  Grab a hanky.

 

Peace, love, happiness... and Stevie Nicks,

Earth Mother

 

 

Terrible Tuesday...

Horrible week at work....

MOON SONG #8 of 99

Peace, love, and happiness,

Earth Mother

Manic Monday....

Working under a tight deadline at work so I only have time for the Moon Song today!  Be good(ish).

MOON SONG #7 of 99

 

 

Peace, love, and happiness,

Earth Mother

Yes, I'm a Taphophile...

Taphophilia (from Wiki) is a passion for and enjoyment of cemeteries.  The singular term is a taphophile.  Taphophilia involves epitaphs, gravestone rubbing, photography, art, and history of (famous) deaths.  An example of an individual's expression of taphophilia is the character Harold in the movie Harold and Maude.  Taphophilia should not be confused with necrophilia, which is a sexual attraction to corpses.

Yep, I'm one.  I love walking through cemeteries and reading the gravestones, trying to piece together the families and their history.  The heavy energy is sometimes very overwhelming, and I have to leave.  Making gravestone rubbings is also a favorite way to kill a Sunday afternoon, although I have had to explain on several occasions that I am not a vandal.  When you clean and prepare a gravestone (remove the mold and lichens) to do a rubbing, you actually prolong the life of the stone by one-hundred years.  Once people understand what you are doing, they don't mind. 

I found these photos online while doing some research on local abandoned cemeteries.  I was unable to find the exact location, but one site said it was in Italy.  There are also some very interesting photos here and here.  Enjoy!  Are you a taphophile?

MOON SONGS #6 of 99

This one reminds me riding in Mom's brand new 1976 Cutlass Supreme.  Good times...

Peace, love, and happiness,

Earth Mother

Beautyberry...

I have seen this plant all my life, but until a few years ago, I never knew what it was.  All I knew was that birds liked them.  As it turns out, the American Beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana) is pretty interesting.  The leaves can be crushed and used as a mosquito repellent, and the berries can be made into jelly that reportedly has a mild pomegranate flavor.  I have never tasted it, but I will definitely be harvesting some soon for that purpose.  It is growing everywhere around here!  Beautyberry has also proven to be an attractive plant for wildlife within its native range.  Birds - including robins, catbirds, cardinals, mockingbird, brown thrashers, finches and towhees - are favorite consumers of both the fresh berries and the shriveled raisins.  The fruit is loved by white-tailed dear as well, and the fruit will usually last into the early winter. 

It is native from Maryland to Florida and west through Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas.  Beautyberry commonly occurs on a wide variety of sites - moist to dry, open to shady.  It can also be grown in a garden or flower bed.  It is very easy to identify. I have read that the berries do not have any flavor when eaten raw, and have an unpleasant, mealy texture, but taste good when made into jelly.  A very informative video can be found here.

It has beautiful lavender flowers in the spring.  You can root softwood cuttings in sand.  Keep them moist and they should root in one to two weeks.  Beautyberry can tolerate extremes of heat and cold, prefer partial shade, but are more fruitful in the sun if given the proper moisture.

The shrub often volunteers within its range, sometimes so much that it is considered to be a pest.  Seeds are bird-dispersed.  To use as an insect repellent, just crush some leaves and rub them all over.  In this Mother Earth News article, it says that extracts made from Beautyberry can match DEET for repelling mosquitoes.

I will be sure and keep you updated when I make the jelly.  Have you ever made or tasted Beautyberry jelly?

Moon Song #5 of 99

Peace, love, and happiness,

Earth Mother

Jupiter Buzz...

The Jupiter buzz that you may have been hearing is a bit like the "Mars as big as the Moon" emails that you get periodically.  Today Jupiter is at opposition, exactly opposite the Sun in our sky.  The earth is passing Jupiter in our respective orbits.  If you have been hearing that Jupiter is closer and brighter than it has been in 50 years, well, that is mostly true.  However, tonight Jupiter will look pretty much the same as it has all month, and will for the next month.  Jupiter has been big and bright all summer, but tonight will be the peak.  Just step outside at midnight and look to the south.  You won't have any trouble spotting it; it will be brighter than any star.  If it is cloudy where you are tonight, just look for it tomorrow night, or the next night, or the next.

Look at the Hubble telescope photo above.  To give you an idea of just how big Jupiter is, Earth would fit nicely into the Red Spot on the lower left.  Jupiter's orbit takes it sometimes a bit farther from the Sun (apogee) and sometimes a bit nearer (perigee).  Since Jupiter takes 12 years to orbit the Sun, it passes through perigee once every 12 years.  And if Jupiter is at perigee when the Earth overtakes Jupiter in its orbit (opposition), then we make the closest possible approach.  Which is nearly the case tonight.  

For more amazingly beautiful Hubble photos, click here.

Okay, where is my fall weather?  I'm ready and waiting...

MOON SONG #4 of 99

This one is for all the Sisters of the Moon...

Peace, love, and happiness,

Earth Mother

The Frosts & Mushrooms...

I was fortunate enough to meet two of my favorite authors this weekend, Gavin & Yvonne Frost.

They are fascinating people.  Their books are so very useful to me because they not only give you theory and instruction, but also real-life examples on every page.  I am particularly interested in their work in the field of Meta-Psychometry.  They were kind enough to sign ALL of their books that I own.

At the end of their workshop, they demonstrated energy flow in an amazing way.  They had everyone stand in a circle, alternating male and female.  We held hands.  Then Gavin instructed us to put our thumbs pointing to the left, which means that your left hand is palm-up and your right hand is palm-down.  They instructed us to hold our hands an inch from the person's next to us, with our fingers parallel.  The energy flow was not only palpable, but shockingly stong.  Then they told us to rotate our hands a quarter-turn so that our fingers were now crossing, still an inch apart.  The energy flow stopped.  We did this several times.  It was such an effective way to demonstrate energy flow!  

I looked over my office balcony and saw the biggest mushrooms I have seen all year!  Some were a good seven inches across!

It is odd to see really big ones this late in the fall when it is so dry and hot.

MOON SONG #3 of 99

I asked my 7 year-old if he liked this song, and his response was, "Why would anybody like a song about losing all your body parts."  Teaching moment!

Peace, love, and happiness,

Earth Mother