May 7th, 2016

I had a lovely day today! There was a free community event at Touch of Nature, and I got to go kayaking for about an hour. There were a bunch of turtles on logs, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I'm a little red on my forearms, but hopefully they're not too badly burned.

After kayaking, I hiked up the trail where we built our Woods project.

At the end of the trail, I sat for a bit and stuck my feet in the lake.

I also spotted this little blue feather.

And then a snake!

And lots of lizards! This one was sitting on the step up to the deck I worked on.

March 27th, 2016

I got to do some painting today! After being up past 3:00 this morning finishing up a project (better to be up late on a weekend than during the week, in my opinion), I've been able to spend most of my afternoon just relaxing and working on a piece I've been wanting to do for some time now.

I thought I had posted pictures of a picture frame I painted over the summer in offering to Athena, but I can't seem to find that post now. In any case, I had painted the frame, but at the time, had no picture to put in it. I was planning to draw something the following day, but life got in the way as it has a tendency to do. When I was home for spring break last week, I picked up that frame and brought it back to school so I could finally make something to put in it, and I had the opportunity today.

This is my painting of Lady Athena, and it isn't very big (5x7, I think?), so it only took a few hours, but I really liked how it turned out. It's not easy to tell in this picture, but some of the gold on Her armor is metallic paint. The whole painting is my own design, done in acrylics on chip board.

And here it is in the frame. I didn't consciously intend it, but it rather looks as though the feathers around Athena are floating down from the owl above Her. 

October 11th, 2015

What an idyllic October day! It was in the mid-70's here today, and I got to go apple picking with my family. We saw a coyote on the drive up to the orchard, as well as a pheasant, which I don't think I've ever seen in the wild before.

The orchard was beautiful, and the Empire apples had just come into season; they're our absolute favorite, and we got a lot of good ones. 

We also picked Jonafree, Liberty, Ultra Gold, and Cortland.

The orchard also has a pumpkin patch, as well as raspberries, melons, and more. In the past, they've had fantastic deals on their produce, but I think we came too early for that this year, so we didn't get a ton of gourds or anything, although dad did pick up a turban squash.

While we were there, I also found a perfectly straight apple-wood stick and a bunch of guinea fowl feathers. I'm going to turn them into a new wand!

O hí Lughnasadh

I haven't done an actual Lughnasadh ritual in at least four years because I'm always spending the weekend at Fairy Fest. This year, however, with Destiny coming over, we're planning to do something in the evening. As such, I figured I ought to get my altar set up ahead of time.

I rather like this design. I might edit it a little still before next week, but I think I've got a nice, solid foundation.

On the left, I have my chalice, gourds, (plastic) grapes, a cup and saucer for water, salt, and a pair of dried corn cobs.  I also have a "corn dolly" goddess figure (actually made out of taffeta) which I put together several years ago. 

In the center, I've my elemental candles all sitting around the direction plate I got at the auction last month. In the center is the tea light from Rebekka, as well as a tiny incense holder and my new Selenite wands. 

Over on the right side of the altar, there's a god figure to match the goddess one, as well as my wand, athame, and a feather. There are more gourds and grapes, and I filled my cauldron with some festive potpourri I found. A seasonal fairy hangs in the back, and up front sit pieces of Orange Calcite, Citrine, and a crystal which I've finally identified as Aragonite. 

All of this is sitting on an orange tablecloth with a smaller green swatch in the center. The orange is one which I've generally reserved for Samhain in the past, but I decided that I might as well use it since I likely won't even be here for Samhain, and I wanted some more color. The green is actually a piece I got in Japan during a high school calligraphy class. Hidden under my elemental items is the Japanese kanji for "festival"; it's really just as well that it's hidden, because I didn't do the neatest job of writing it. C'est la vie.

Still not entirely sure what our ritual is going to consist of - I'll continue researching that this evening - but I'm excited!

March 14th, 2015

Look what my friend Destiny made me for my birthday!

It's a beautiful dreamcatcher! I've got a small collection, and this is a brilliant addition to it! She put so much thought into making the beads and the feathers elementally colored, and then added wind chimes, a turquoise stone, and a jar of fairy dust from Faery Fest. It's absolutely wonderful. I've got it hanging up in my room right now (I'm on spring break), but I'll be bringing it back with me to put up in my dorm.

May 5th, 2013

I took my first college visit yesterday to the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago. I really want to go to school in the city, and I liked what I saw. Besides, being the "Windy City", what better place is there to connect with the element air, and its associations with intellect? Seems like a good place to go to school, don't you think? It seems an interesting challenge to find ways to connect with nature in a major city like that. There is, of course, Lake Michigan and the Chicago River for water, the aforementioned wind for air, for earth there is an abundance of parks, the zoo, conservatories, etc., and for fire, there is a seemingly endless number of city lights - electricity, after all, is part of the fire element.
While walking, I found a most intriguing feather. Perhaps it belongs to one of the fabled parrots of Parrot Park - I've never seen a pigeon with yellow feathers.

I took it as a good omen - yellow, like air, is well-connected with schooling.