Raging Grannies Hold a Bake Sale

It is now official--I am a RAGING GRANNY! Yup --the Seattle Raging Grannies held a bake sale......

 We made about $80 for the Friends of the Library.....and reminded folks passing by that we are in a senseless and wasteful war.....and that this coming year Seattle taxpayers will pay $370 million for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan about 100 times what we would need to avoid next year's cuts to Seattle's libraries.

If you want to know more about the Raging Grannies....check out their website: http://raginggrannies.org/ 
They are out in the streets promoting peace, justice, social and economic equality through song and humour.
I am proud to be a Raging Granny!
Here is the website for the Seattle Raging Grannies : http://www.seattleraginggrannies.com/

Saint Brigid Day

Today is St. Brigid's Day in Ireland. As she is the patroness of cattle, dairy work, and ale, her day is also New Year's Day for Farmers and the first day of Spring or Imbolc, a pagan celebration associated with fertility and weather divination.

The word, Imbolc [the season of light] is Gaelic, the language of the Celts. There is a strong association between Imbolc and Brigid, a Celtic fertility goddess also associated with fire, healing, and holy wells. When the pagan holidays were transformed into Christian equivalents, February 1st became St. Brigid's Day in honor of the Irish saint (named after the Celtic goddess) who was a contemporary of Saint Patrick's.
I plan to make some oatcakes to celebrate Imbolic....in honor of the Celtic Goddess Brigid....and the coming of spring...

Scottish Oat Cakes (Gluten Free)

• 8 oz. rolled oats, plus extra for dusting
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 Tblsp butter
• 5 oz. water
  

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Put the oatmeal, soda and salt into a bowl and mix well. Heat the butter 5 oz water in a small pan until the butter melts.
3. Make a well in the centre of the oatmeal mix, pour in the liquid and use a rubber spatula to mix everything together. The mixture will initially seem a bit wet, but the oatmeal will gradually absorb all the liquid to give a soft dough.
4. Lightly dust a clean work surface with oatmeal. Tip out the dough, then roll out to about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Use a small round cutter to stamp out the oatcakes or use your favorite shapes. Re-roll any trimmings and continue to cut out the "biscuits". (Cut art cakes can be frozen uncooked, for up to a month. Freeze flat before packing into bags or boxes.)
5. Brush off any excess oatmeal, then space the oatcakes over 2 baking sheets. Bake for about 20 minutes, carefully turning the oatcakes every 5 minutes or so to stop them from steaming and going stodgy. When cooked they should be crisp and lightly golden. Lift onto a wire rack and leave to cool. (Will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.)

yummy with apple butter or homemade jam---or with a nice goat cheese...and fruit.

"I'm late, I'm late for a very important date..."

Working at home---I struggle with time management--do you?

There are those "time wasters" right here on the computer. For me, it is Facebook and my fave wordgame Bookworm...oh! and Stumble Upon.

It is just so easy to get sucked in----surfing and reading and looking at other's crafts, rather than creating my own stuff. Then, before I know it several hours have passed. What to do?

1) try using a timer? to limit my facebook and other net time?
2) allow myself to read facebook and post there as a reward for getting work done?
any suggestions--- are welcome and THANKS!

oh--and I don't count daydreaming or my mind wandering as "time wasted" because I know that is necessary for my creativity.

This design was painted in gouache and then scanned into photoshop for layout, colors and so on...(I call it: "I'm late, I'm late for a very important date...")

Gotta go--time's 'awasting!

Blog Action Day: SAVE OUR MOTHER

Climate Change is the theme for this year's annual BLOG ACTION DAY.

"BLOG ACTION DAY is an annual event held every October 15 that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance."

I believe we are at a crossroads...and we must choose carefully what path we now take....

or we will not be able to continue to enjoy wild pathways like this one above which I photographed in one of the last great wilderness in North America--ALASKA.

In Alaska and Siberia the permafrost is now melting---you might think--so what? This is way North--how will it effect me? But the consequences of all the permafrost melting could have a dire impact on all of Mother Earth---because when permafrost melts it releases methane gas---a greenhouse gas 22 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. These northern frozen beat bogs (the tundra) may contain billions of tons of methane gases.....and the release of all these gases will undoubtedly effect our atmosphere and "scientists have reacted with alarm at the finding, warning that future global temperature predictions may have to be revised."

To me, this is just the tip of the iceberg---there are many other scientific documented signs that our Mother Earth is in trouble. The question is: what are we doing about this??? Are we fiddling while the Earth burns?

Here are some personal actions I have taken to preserve our resources and reduce my carbon footprint. This is not to say I do all these things everyday or that I do them perfectly, but I try my hardest to do these few actions. I invite you to join me and if you have other actions you do to reduce your impact on our Mother Earth, please leave me a comment.

1)I conserve water whenever possible : example--- shorter showers, be aware when I turn on the faucet and don't let the faucet run needlessly

2) I recycle diligently

3)I never buy water in plastic bottles, (I carry my own metal water bottle)--in fact avoid as much as possible all plastic packaging

5) Whenever possible (and sometime even when it is inconvenient) I take public transportation or walk or bike instead of driving my car

6)I try to buy nothing new--I shop for clothes and other goods at thrift stores---this has the added positive of saving me quite a bit of $$$$. I even find good paper, yarn, crafty supplies and notebooks at my fave local arts and crafts thrift store--THE EAST BAY DEPOT FOR CREATIVE REUSE if you have never been there--do go and check them out!

7)I support strong climate legislation in the US by making frequent calls or writing to my Senators

8)I buy food locally--I shop at my farmer's market and buy only in season locally grown produce, cheese, olive oil and grains

9)I make it a habit to turn off appliances--by unplugging them if necessary--- when not in use--including my computer

10) I Celebrate our Mother Earth in any way I can--from artwork to song to poetry. I believe if we all saw our Earth as our Mother and had reverence for her, we would not be despoiling her.

I do more than this--but a list of 10 seems good for now---what are you doing???

I believe--based on my life experience--that all small actions have an impact, so please do not think that our small efforts to conserve do not help--every little bit helps. A friend once told me "it is better to light one candle, than to sit in the dark"---I'm choosing to light the candle whenever I can.

Simple Things : Happiness and Gratitude

Today a friend on Facebook pointed me toward a website about HAPPINESS--- Happier.com, and the website posed a question for me that I have been considering : what makes a good day for me? can I even answer this question? I can tell you what an ideal good day is...but how often do I pay atention to my good days? (how often do you?)

I know that when I have a bad day--or a horrible day--I pay attention to that---I may even tell someone : "I had a very bad day today"--but how often do I call a friend and say, "I had a very good day today?"

How come we tend to pay more attention to the negative in our lives and just take the positive for granted? I have been trying to perpetuate a new habit in my life : acknowledging all the good that comes my way every day. I no longer want to dwell on the negative aspects of my life---and to do this I am deliberately cultivating the habit of daily gratitude. So, I try to spend some time every day to make a written list of everything I am grateful for in my life. If I miss a day--I do not chastise myself, I just remind myself to do this every day. I believe that cultivating daily gratitude will make me eventually happier, healthier, more joyful and relaxed.

Part of all this, is also learning to enjoy and savor the day-to-day events and simple things in my life, and be grateful for them, aslo...and to this end, I also try to create a drawing (again everyday!) of some "simple thing" in my life that I am grateful for....hence the black and white drawing here.

Today's Quote: " There are two ways to live your life. One is as nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." --Albert Einstein

Soul Coaching

I am joining a " book-blogging" group--and today! the 1st of November--- is the first day.

The concept behind a book-blogging group is that a community of bloggers work their way through a book, sharing their experiences by posting on their own blog and by reading what other participants are sharing. You can choose to share as much or as little as you like. This book blogging group is hosted by Jamie at THE NEXT CHAPTER blog. (thanks Jamie!)

We're starting out with the book Soul Coaching 28 Days to Discover Your Authentic Self by Denise Linn.

I was attracted to this group and book because I am in the midst of a huge life transition--a friend recently told me that he thought transitions were just chaos--and since mid July that is how I feel most of my life has been--rather chaotic and messy.

Soul coaching "is a process that takes you to your spiritual source and helps you find meaning and sacredness in your everyday life." (and who could not use that?) "It allows you to take an honest look at yourself and your life, face fear, release old negative patterns, get motivated, and step boldly and joyfully into your future."

Now, I am aware that this life transition---although not from my own choice--was never-the-less caused partly by own action--or inaction; so the above concepts---taking an honest look at my life, releasing old negative patterns and so on--- seemed very appropriate for me at this time.

In three weeks I will be moving from Berkeley/Oakland California to Portland, Oregon. Of course, I am both excited and a bit apprehensive about this move. I guess I thought the process of being in an online book group and reading this book and doing the suggested activities would help to keep me grounded and aware while I pack, apartment hunt via the net, and move.

Am I ready for change? the honest answer: not really--but life thrust it upon me, and so I am endeavoring to go with it. A few days ago I set up a small alter in my room---I was unaware that the Soul Coaching author Linn would suggest doing this--I just felt the need to have one set up....synchronicity already?

"We can't control our destiny, but we can control who we become."---Ann Frank

Every Vote Counts

I live in California--which favors Obama--but if any of you dear readers live in swing state--please please get out there and talk to folks and call your friends and relatives and ask them--"do you want 4 more years of the same thing? a war that has given us the biggest national debt ever, tax breaks for the rich, the economy in a mess ?" and ask them if they plan to vote on election day.....

I'm posting these points from MOVE ON, not because I agree with them--but because I think we all need to consider them....

TOP 5 REASONS OBAMA SUPPORTERS SHOULDN'T REST EASY

1. The polls may be wrong. This is an unprecedented election. No one knows how racism may affect what voters tell pollsters—or what they do in the voting booth. And the polls are narrowing anyway. In the last few days, John McCain has gained ground in most national polls, as his campaign has gone even more negative.

2. Dirty tricks. Republicans are already illegally purging voters from the rolls in some states. They're whipping up hysteria over ACORN to justify more challenges to new voters. Misleading flyers about the voting process have started appearing in black neighborhoods. And of course, many counties still use unsecure voting machines.

3. October surprise. In politics, 15 days is a long time. The next McCain smear could dominate the news for a week. There could be a crisis with Iran, or Bin Laden could release another tape, or worse.

4. Those who forget history... In 2000, Al Gore won the popular vote after trailing by seven points in the final days of the race. In 1980, Reagan was eight points down in the polls in late October and came back to win. Races can shift—fast!

5. Landslide. Even with Barack Obama in the White House, passing universal health care and a new clean-energy policy is going to be hard. Insurance, drug and oil companies will fight us every step of the way. We need the kind of landslide that will give Barack a huge mandate.

>If you agree that we shouldn't rest easy, please sign up to volunteer at your local Obama office by clicking here:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31260&id=14523-3496580-54Mjj1x&t=1

"WE IN AMERICA DO NOT HAVE GOVERNMENT BY THE MAJORITY, WE HAVE GOVERMENT BY THE MAJORITY WHO PARTCIPATE." --THOMAS JEFFERSON, 1787

Musings on Love and Happiness

Over the years, I have learned that you cannot make someone love you…all you can do is be someone who can be loved….the rest is up to them. I have learned that no matter how much I care, some people just don’t care back. I have learned that no matter how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place. I have learned that relationships cannot be controlled—no matter how hard I try and that love is a gift which I am also not in charge of—no matter what I do.

I believe that our background and circumstances may shape who we are, but we are responsible for who become, and we are responsible for our behavior toward others. I am aware that we are responsible for our lives---and when we accept that responsibility, our lives are much easier. Experience has also taught me that it takes years to build up trust---and only seconds to destroy trust. I have learned that loss is one price I pay for living fully, but that loss can also be a source of personal growth.




Helen Keller once said: “When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” Open that new door—and happiness is there---regardless of the circumstances. I have learned that happiness is a process –not a thing—it comes and goes, and this process is ok. I know that a cheerful disposition can beget happiness--- and that if I pay attention I see I am having many moments of happiness every day. I read somewhere that it takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three muscles to frown---smiling is a lot less work---plus a friendly smile always makes me feel good.



Right now, I am endeavoring to forgive myself for being human, and then passing this forgiveness on to others. I have learned that forgiving myself involves accepting myself for who I really am, and telling the truth. I now know that whatever happens to me—for me or against me—it is what I do with that experience that makes the experience what it was.

“Last night as I lay sleeping, I dreamt
O, marvelous error---
That there was a beehive here in side my heart
And the golden bees were making white combs
And sweet honey from all my failures”

----Machadi de Assis