New Changes

Since I did not write a single word in here in the whole month of March, it is about time.  Lots has happened and the biggest news for me is that I will be spending the entire summer in Maine!  My youngest beloved grandchild, Eli, almost 5, is being bullied in daycare and his parents are very unhappy about it, of course.  They asked me to come up asap and release him from the daycare situation until he starts kindergarten in September.

 I have never been away from my house that long before and will miss it.  I am hoping everything will be ok as I will put lots of Borax under the baseboards to keep out the ants & cucarachas.  I will keep the overhead fans on to circulate the air.  I also buy that stuff called "Damp Rid"to put in the closets to absorb humidity. (I do not have central AC).  I imagine I can have my mail forwarded and will suspend my internet svc & TV.

It is gorgeous here in Florida right now so I am enjoying it fully with my occasional power walks on the beach.  It is finally warming up quite a bit.  Yesterday I dipped into the ocean for the first time this season.  I did not put my head under tho...so it doesn't quite count, really.  It just wasn't warm enough.  I've also been weeding and mulching my little front yard...quite a big job.  I need a lot more mulch.  I put cardboard down first, then the mulch.  That should keep the weeds down for a while. I will just have to pray for rain over the summer since I have no one to water it all.  It will be alright.  I have neighbors who will watch over the place.

I am excited to see Eli!  It has been about a year, I think....much too long.  But this long spell will make up for it.  I am bringing my little traveling watercolor kit and some pastels and different kinds of paper....and a sketchbook too, of course.  We will have lots of fun.

The most dramatic thing that has happened to me lately is that a dead tree blew over and landed on my car!  I was parked at my daughter, Eliza's, apartment complex on March 24 and it had been raining.  Suddenly a very powerful gust of wind came up and knocked at least half of the tree off and CRASH!  I am very grateful to the apt owners for replacing my smashed windshield and they have agreed to fix the dents in my roof as well.  Wonderful!

I have my list going for what to bring and what to accomplish before I go....the clock ticks by so fast.  I will miss my two sweeties here, Elsa & Marcos, but I shall return....and I shall send them notes.

That is it for now....ta ta everyone....I will attach a photo of the very skilled glass guy removing my windshield.

Love,
Kate        ps   I re-posted my camellia drawing since my little shrub has been blooming like mad.

2013 - Year of the Black Water Snake

On February 10, 2013, the Black Water Snake of the Wetlands, according to Chinese Lunar astrology,  arrived.  Also called the Year of the Hybrid Serpent, the sensual snake brings cosmic awareness, sage spirituality and integration with Source/Maker/Spirit.  The snake is about wisdom, intelligence, and self-control which may come in handy when the unexpected happens.  The intense Dragon Year of 2012 is replaced by the deep-feeling water snake...more subtle, yet sneaky.

I have to mention that some pretty awful events have occurred in snake years: ie, the twin towers tragedy of 9/11; the Pearl Harbor attack, as well as the 1929 stock market crash, all fast, aggressive strikes.  The best advice in a snake year, therefore, is to be aware, prepare, or beware.  Fortunately, the water snake is predicted to be better behaved than the others.  The snake supports added responsibility...likes protection and a safe place to work and live...it is a year to make headway in slow and methodical ways.

The snake moults from 1 to 4 times a year and so this year is about transformation in more than one way.  This is a good year to shed some outdated beliefs, opinions, and ways of doing things that, like an old skin, served you in the past, but now must go to make you faster and more nimble...and able to get rid of unwanted parasites.    There can also be unexpected transformations which may not manifest outwardly, but there can be plenty of activity beneath the surface.  There will be secret negotiations and plenty of clandestine activity, including love affairs.  Hmmmmm  ( We will be watching the news!)

The snake year can be very good for business and finance, as well as detail work, such as research and investigation, as long as we focus on steady progress and self discipline.  The snake is the most enigmatic, intuitive, introspective, and refined of the animal signs and it has that sneaky energy that can be to your advantage if you look for holes in the loop that can take you further than others in your field.  Many will feel new-found ambition to greatness and being all one can be...what can be better than that?

So, remember to prepare for the unexpected and volatile situations by carefully evaluating the pros and cons before acting, whether in job searching or in romance.  Do your research...read consumer reports, do background checks on prospective employees, expand your skill set for employment, stay in shape.  Image is important.   And  just as importantly, heed your Instincts...watch the signs, the hints, the red flags.....after all, the water element is emotive, compassionate, and perceptive.....and snakes have acute vibratory sensitivity in the air around them and on the ground...Native American wisdom would advise us to honor the animal medicine and Be Snake.

The End of 2012 and The Year of the Dragon

As we are deep into the Christmas season with mixed feelings of the joy of being with family and the grief we feel at the loss of the children in Connecticut...we can only keep hoping that there is an overall desire in the people of the world to make things better.  I don't mean just general optimism but real change...political, and therefore financial...with improved conditions in the lives of the masses.  What is happening in the middle east and elsewhere is entirely unacceptable.  I can only hope that as we all remain focused on the importance of greater equality for all, there will be ways to take action that will be made apparent.  I will remain alert to that possibility.  

We are coming to the end of the Year of the Dragon...2012...in Chinese astrology... a year of surprises...disaster came in massive waves and violent acts of nature...Tempers flaring the world over and many people staging some real or imaginary revolts against constrictions....Lots of energy and change during this year...daring and exhilarating and grandiose...

2013 will bring in the Year of the Snake.  On February 10, 2013, the deep and feeling-oriented Snake slithers through...it will be a year of more change, especially in a spiritual way.   But I will write more about that later, since we have a while yet.  

I wish Happiness for All...I am praying that the refugees in Syria and elsewhere find tents and other shelter in which to keep warm for the winter.  

Love, Kate

ps  The Sun just went into Capricorn ....until around January 20....Capricorn really gets it done..... the Sea Goat...the only mythical animal of the Zodiac

Special Times

If there was ever a day to write something it is today...the day of the Lunar Eclipse and a Full Moon in Gemini...the Sun went into Sagittarius on Wed, the 21st.   Without getting tooo astrological here, I do have to mention a few things.  This is the Beaver Moon, according to Native Americans, and it is prime for listening and meditation...surviving and evolving.....and for pity and forgiveness from the Divine Feminine.  It is also a forgiving moon..the mother of pathos.  We are approaching the shortest day as it becomes colder & darker.....more yin....yin is feminine, cold, and quiet (among many other things).  Yesterday I worked in my yard...I love that and have tons more to do....then I switched out my summer clothes for my winter clothes for the prime space in my dresser.  Oh, and last night  I did a very cool Full Moon ritual (which I think I got from April Elliot Kent, astrologer) with sesame oil.  You go into the bathroom and strip and massage yourself (unless there another there) All over with sesame oil -which has a very organic and nutty sort of smell and calling in all the nice moon energy...she said she did a couple standing yoga poses for a while and THEN take a shower.  It was nice ....a trace of the oil remains on your skin so you don't need lotion.  It's a tribute to the special time.

 About a month ago I moved into my daughter's apt. to take care of her kids while she was in the Dominican Republic trying to get her Indian husband approved by immigration.  Well, after a couple years of struggle and lots of $$, it FINALLY HAPPENED and they are both back here in the USA!!  It is wonderful and the kids are beyond thrilled, as they had already bonded with him back in the Dom Rep while they still lived there (til 2010). I have to add this hilarious fact I just learned...Elsa, 6, is teaching her dad, Karan, from India, how to read. She makes him say it and corrects him.  Really funny to hear.
 So the seasons have changed since I was last living in mi casita.   There was a Solar Eclipse on Nov. 13 (did you know eclipses always come in pairs?) which marked this month as special and I celebrated with a dip (my last) in the chilly ocean.

This is also the month that Susan Miller of AstrologyZone.com promised us Aquarians that this is THE month for a boost of some kind in our careers AND our love lives.  Well......I have answered so many ads on Craigslist for employment over the past many months it is almost comical...from artist to nanny to dog-sitter, etc.......Nada.......not that I ever give up tho........my next post may have to be about my experience as a senior online seeker on the dating sites...pretty funny.  Haven't met anyone in person yet but there a few fairly strong contenders as far as I can tell at this time.   More on that later.

Time to get out the Christmas deco!

Life With the Kids

It is never boring...that is for sure.  Eliza is still in the Dominican Republic waiting out the holidays & religious feast days in order to file the final paperwork with immigration.

Meanwhile, life continues here with plenty of naughtiness.  Marcos is all boy; loud, loves to burp loudly and make other obnoxious noises.  It is impossible for him to be sneaky...his face shows it so obviously that it is comical.

Elsa is another story completely.  She loves to be sneaky, especially with candy, for which she will take great risks.  Yesterday, however, I think she just tried to think of ways to make Nana (that's me)as angry as possible.  She succeeded.  They hadn't been home from school long when I was doing something in the bedrooms and then came out to the living room to check on her.  She was on the screen porch where we have a table for arts & crafts and many small bins of supplies and a large plastic bin of paper for drawing & painting.  Everything has to be covered well because rain comes in there profusely.  I am always telling them to keep the paper bin covered because water & paper don't go together.  I had left 2 plastic cups of water out there since the last painting time so they could be reused. A large brush was soaking in one of them because Elsa had failed to rinse it out last time when she went from painting on paper to PAINTING THE FLOOR!  That was a No No.  Of course she knew that.  She is six.    So, I walked out to the porch and noticed the water cups were now empty...where is the water?, I asked her.  She slowly opened the paper bin and THERE before my eyes, were both of the pet ferrets eating some of their food which had just been dumped onto the pile of paper, AND the  cups of dirty, grey water had been combined up to the tippity-top of one container in there too.  I went a little crazy and shouted so loud I think you coulda heard me all the way to the clubhouse and across the lake.  The overflowing (almost) dish of dirty water was just the ultimate.  Lots of paper was wet and had to be thrown out, but the fact that the water was dirty is what tells me she just wanted to infuriate me.  She knows that we give everybody clean water.  (Note to self: NEVER leave water in containers on porch).   Marcos advised me at that point that Mom's method of discipline for similar behavior was to forbid her from touching the ferrets for some amount of time.  She does love to hold them and then I caught her holding one by the tail...grrrrrrr....she knows better.   At some point in the afternoon she drew a blue circle on the red sofa seat cover that her mom had stitched.  I am working on that now with white vinegar.    As a final touch, she used one of her markers from her cupcake set to draw a green picture on her white closet folding door.  I took away those markers.

Last weekend we went camping with the boyscouts.  It requires so much preparation and packing that it can seem a little crazy at the time.  Why am I doing all this for a couple of days?  But it is worth it and the more prepared we are, the more enjoyable it is.  Eliza had a good list from past trips (as well as a lot of things in freezer she had prepared)but I added more things this time...like a bucket and scrubby sponge & dish soap.  I had to use a bar of soap and a rag and set it on the ground beside the faucet on a plastic bag.  Overall, we had a great time and one key factor was that it was a lot warmer than last year's trip.  In fact, it was too hot during the day.  I had not even brought a t-shirt or one for Elsa since it had been such a cold week.  Welcome to Florida.  It does that.  I just forget sometimes.     I sure wish I could attach some of the photos I took but for some reason, my usual method of importing photos is no longer working on this computer.  So I will have to wait for my daughter, who seems to know all things computer, to return.     Marcos caught a good-size trout...the only scout who did...and , Boy, was he ever excited!  I have a photo of that too.      So we slept pretty well in our enormous tent and had lots of help putting it up (den leader, Jay)and taking it down (2 of the dads).  I was grateful for all the time saved.  

On the way home we stopped at the Dollar Store because I need paper towels and I promised the kids One thing each.  Elsa chose one of those microphones that is plastic and looks like a big ice-cream cone and is not electric or battery operated.  It just has sort-of echo power.  She loves to sing.  Marcos chose a pair of little pipes, like bubble pipes, that came with a little ball that he could hold in the air by blowing the pipe.  By the time we arrived at my house to pick up my mail, he decided he had made the wrong choice and that he MUST have a microphone also because Elsa would not share.  So I ended driving Back to the dollar store...ugh....and buying another one in a different color.  Then a good third of the way back they sang Freddie Mercury....OH MAMA....I DON'T WANNA DIE..... at the top of their lungs, magnified by the microphones.  Marcos even knows all the words.  After that they fought for a while and Elsa bopped him on the head a few times with her microphone until I threatened to pull over........finally arrived home....Ah....then the unloading began...and the bathing off all that camping dirt.  Over the next couple days I washed the sleeping bags & clothes and took out the tent and turned it inside out and back again and rolled it up nice & tight and all ready for the next trip in the spring.

Too bad about the photos!  Darn...I will add them later tho and will let everybody know.

My Home Away From Home

Right now my home is in my daughter's apartment near Jax Beach and I am caring for my 2 grandchildren.

My daughter, Eliza, just had one of the most momentous days of her life yesterday (Full Moon in Taurus, incidentally) at the immigration office in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.   After failing their first attempt to obtain a visa for her beloved two years ago, she has worked steadily at gathering proof of their devotion to each other.  Immigration people assume one is a phony until one proves otherwise.  (You can read all about it in her blog: AmorySabor.com).  The man whom she married on her last trip down there is from India and it has been an arduous task to assemble all the necessary documents, as well as an expensive one.  Corruption also plays a significant role.    When she revealed the news of their success on Facebook late yesterday, I could hardly get the words out, I was so excited.  I wept and when I was able to tell Marcos (he will soon be 9), he did too.  The children are aching for a dad and will be overjoyed to be reunited with the only dad they know.  Their original father is Dominican and, as it turned out, had another family.   He dropped the ball, which brought great suffering to the kids.     He stays in touch occasionally but the children barely remember him.    

 So this event will affect many lives.  I am so happy for my daughter and the children and may not have to be here quite as much in the future, freeing up my creative time.  I can't stand to be away from them for very long, though, which is why I am extremely desirous of making another trip to Maine soon.   Grandchild #3, Eli, age 4, is there and I have not seen him since May!...Much too long...In fact, I am hoping my son, Jake, will be getting some land up there before too long where I can start a big garden.  Then I would split my time between the north and the south.

Since tomorrow is Halloween, I will include a photo of Eliza & the kids at a recent Halloween party. (Elsa's smile is not exactly candid..haha). We trick or treat around this nice, safe neighborhood in the apartment complex and I hope they don't get too too much candy- but of course they will.    We need to carve our pumpkin asap.

Next blog will be in November... going camping with the Boy Scouts this weekend and I sure hope it warms up a little.  We were just socked with cold weather while our northern neighbors suffer through Hurricane Sandy.   Just went swimming in the ocean last week and now it feels suddenly like winter!

To the Dishonor of Christopher Columbus

Every time I listen to FreeSpeech TV and the Thom Hartmann show in particular, I learn something new.  Yesterday was October 12 and  the original date of Christopher Columbus day.  Now I know just how diabolical Columbus really was.

He sailed for the New World in search of gold and had told the king & queen of Spain that gold was so precious it could even "lift souls to paradise".  However, when he arrived on the island now known as Hispaniola,  (which is now composed of two nations; Haiti and the Dominican Republic), it was then populated by Taino indians, who welcomed Columbus' ships when they arrived there.  Apparently they had no iron and accidentally cut themselves when examining the Spanish swords.    Columbus found no gold on the island but something just as valuable: people - people whom he could enslave and sell. According to the writings of his own men,  Columbus reported that with as few as fifty men he could subject all the Tainos to do whatever he wanted them to do.  According to a letter in 1500 written by one of his men,  Columbus rewarded him with his own teen-aged Taino girl.   She fought him off so fiercely that he no choice but to "thrash her severely and rape her".  Columbus had started an international child sex slave trade.   He raped, pillaged, enslaved, and massacered many, many Tainos.  On his second trip to Hispaniola, Columbus and his men gathered 1600 indians as slaves, including sex slaves and it was reported that girls from "9 to 10years were in the greatest demand".   Tainos subsequently resorted to mass suicide to avoid being stolen by Columbus' men.

Christopher Columbus Day would more appropriately be called Taino Genocide Day.