What a Year Brings

My goodness, I cannot believe it has been almost a year since I have blogged! It has been a tough year starting with my Dad being diagnoised with Esophogeal cancer and within four months he was gone. Then delay his memorial until August. It has been a long and emotional year full of disappointment and a lot of good things too. My computer crashed also and I worked enough to splurge on this fun little HP Netbook which I LOVE! I also finally splurged on getting satellite installed and despite the cost it is worth it!!

So I am back and trying to catch up with everyone and everything.

Send a Free Card to the Troops

Check the widget on my blog page. Xerox is sending postcards to the troops with wonderful artwork done by children. You can choose your design and a pre-written sentiment or add your own.

Check it out and it only takes a few minutes (on dial up).

Frosty Morning

This morning I had hoped to catch a glimpse of the last of the moon but we had a thin veil of clouds until the sun peeked over the horizon. I went out and couldn't find it so instead I took photos of the new cows that my husband was "gifted" with yesterday. They are quite unhappy, bellowing along the fence line to their ex-mates 1/2 mile away.

Meanwhile one of our dogs and the latest addition had an early morning meeting...

Tonight is the New Moon get together at Rivers Edge and although it is a good 70 minutes away I am considering going.

I also need to place my crystal balls out to be energized tonight.

A River Runs Through

Yesterday I decided to tackle a hike I have been wanting to do for a few weeks now.
I had never been to this section of trail and had little difficulty finding it.

According to my map it was 2.5 miles and of course I had to walk it back so that was taken into consideration before I embarked. The trail runs along side of the Wisconsin River with a dam holding back the water so the rocks can be seen. Otherwise the Wisconsin is a huge flat body of water. Who knew what beauty lies underneath it all?

The trail, as said in the book, is not an easy one but not as difficult as I imagined (bushwacking, knee deep mud, etc., LOL. Yah, I get a bit crazy in my imagination considering this is a national trail). It was strewn with lots of big rocks and roots, sometimes having to figure away around some rocks, one section was quite wet but passable. Anyway, it was all well worth it. A perfect cloudy day and no one else on the trail at all. I enjoy just the peace of being with nature and all She has to bring to our lives.

I am constantly amazed. Just when I think I have found a little slice of heaven on earth I find another one. This place is so breathtakingly beautiful yet you would never know about it if you didn't get out of your car and hike the trail. How much us humans are missing in our busy lives! And why are we so busy? Because we allow it.

I found all these years I raised children and worked the farm how disconnected I have become. As a child I lived in the woods. I had a not so nice family life and so the woods, fields, streams and lakes were my comfort and joy. What happened? Why did I allow myself to become so disconnected? Because I got caught up in the worldly things that do not matter! Well no more! This pre-crone is done with that nonsense and is setting her path straight.

On a whim (or perhaps intution) I decided to keep heading north to a little town I always loved as a child. We would pass through on our way home and that was our stopping point for a burger. My dad would pull up to the Snack Shack which was also a bar (and you know the real reason he stopped there...of course there were no McDonalds on every corner etc. at that time) and we'd all have to sit and wait for the food in the car. The Snack Shack now is a laundromat.

Anyway, I still love this little town of 3000 as they have some of the best "fun" shopping around. I am always drawn to books and bookstores so after a jaunt through a place with a mix of antiques and regular stuff (and picking up a book on Wisconsin Waterfalls and two clearance cards that are quite funny) I went to the "real" bookstore, Cover to Cover. My jaw about dropped when I saw all the pagan stuff! Wands, pendulums, cards, books, stones, incense, goddess statues etc. mixed in amongst the normal every day things. I bought a book written by a local author about our herd of white deer and tried out the pendulums, bringing home a brazened copper beauty.

So that was some of my day :).

Deerwhistle Moon

Tonight is the first chance in four to see my second favorite moon, the Deerwhistle Moon or as most folks know it by, the Sliver or Old/New Cresent Moon. I have always loved the Deerwhistle Moon. Why it was called that I don't recall but a bunch of us would jump on horses after it was good and dark and take a ride up and down the hills, forests and prairies of the Kettle Moraine area we lived in. There is nothing much more fun than riding with a bunch of other horse crazy girls in the pitch of night through narrow trails in the woods. There was a certain steep hill we would climb and at the top it was open, we could see for miles and the Moon in all her glory.

It is cloudy and drizzly today but it is to clear out and here is hoping I will get to see my old friend, the old Cresent Moon cradled in the New Moon's arms...

Gives us all hope, doesn't it?

Stollen

Yesterday I made my first batch of stollen. I have never made it before thus it was quite the experience. I have test tasted one to see if it was worth all the effort and it is quite good even if a bit rustic looking. I don't have a sieve to put the powedered sugar on with so it ended up just sorta dumped on. I'll have to buy one I guess.

Things I would change is make the loaves smaller. These are huge. It made three according to the recipe but six would have been more practical and I could package them up to give away. I burnt the bottoms a bit too as my oven is old and wonky but other than that they turned out fine for a first try.

Last year I made Swedish treats and most likely will do so again. No one around here is a fan of anything too dark and spicy but myself and I need all these goodies like I need a hole in my head. But I enjoy making them and guess I will just have to start sharing them.

Memorial Stone

I just ordered a stone for my sister's cat Darby. I wish I could remember where I ordered my friend's bird's stone from. I was so happy with their service and kindness. This person I am getting this one from is a bit impatient. Unfortunately after doing several searches I couldn't find the first one so went with this guy. I had the first one bookmarked on my now dead computer, LOL. Doesn't do me a lot of good now.

But it is done, he said he'd ship it to my sister and now we just wait. I am not telling her it is coming so she can get a surprise, as bittersweet as it may be. I know when I lost my dog Silly any sort of kindness would have been appreciated. But I was on my own with my grief and I swore then I would never ever let anyone else go through that alone.