My Chaotic Realm

I love this time of year.... the football games at the school have started back up, people are grilling and burning firewood, the mornings are crisper, the AC is off and the windows are OPEN!! And October is when we take our "big trip". It is an even year, so we will be headed east.  The Fall Equinox is this week... another turn of the Wheel. September is also the start of the school year for the Women's Thealogical Institute , which I rejoined. I was an active member while living in Texas, but the move to coastal MS saw me shift many things while acclimating to a lower wage and a slower pace. Beach bum and all that. However, I am mostly a solitary practitioner. And, even with my continued observance of the Wheel of the Year, I felt like I was lacking in like-minded connection. So I rejoined. When we return home I will have my hand surgery and be out of work until December. I have been working (wearing a brace) since its latest malfunction in May, but it sucks. It hurts. ...

 I came across this article and I think a lot of us can relate so I'm sharing it here.  The secret's out. After realizing that hustle culture is a one-way ticket to burnout, mental health issues and premature signs of aging, the hottest trend in the workplace is "quiet quitting." What is quiet quitting? Hint: It's not the name of John Krasinki's next silent horror movie. The phrase comes from—where else—kids on TikTok. Here's how user Zaid Khan explains it: "I learned about this term called 'quiet quitting' where you're not outright quitting your job but you're quitting the idea of going above and beyond at work. You're still performing your duties but you're no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be your life. The reality is, it's not and your worth as a person is not defined by your labor." The concept is simple enough: Do your job but don't kill yourself. Going "above and bey...

 And, I knew it when I did it. I said "No" and it was good for me. The visit from my son, DIL & grandson at the end of June was FAB!! Then I had to work for the holiday as several people had it off. And a friend from high school was passing through my state that same week so we met for an afternoon lunch. Add to that the fact that my hand has been messed up since early June so what time has not been taken up with activity was spent on rest and recovery.                Last week we went to Franklin, NC. Turns out, the dates on the Echo Valley show were wrong. They held the “Open to the Public” show the same weekend as the dealer show… starts today. ARGH. Could not stay an extra week, so we made the best of it. Saw a few breweries, went to a couple of gem mines, some waterfalls in the GSM Nat’l Park, drove the Road to Nowhere and walked in the Tunnel at the end of it, visited Bryson City. Was really good to get away for a weekend. And spent...

 Bad news first: on Mother’s Day, we discovered we had termites. UGH. Both of us are working OT right now so I guess that was a good thing, as the pest people quoted about $1000. The good news is that we saw our grandson for his 3rd birthday when we went to the Texas Goddess Springfest mid-May in Dripping Springs. A few days before we left she finally got a little time to get the oven pulled out of our old camper. The day before we left she cut and installed the new countertop. She has SKILLS!! Although leaving it until the last minute was a tad stressful.                 At SpringFest, I came across a gal using an Instant Pot. I had been looking at them but was not sure they were worth the money. She gave me a run-through, showed me what it could do, and I loved it. She also provided me some tips on getting a used one, which I did upon our return… a 3qt for $15. Finally got to use it this week and I gotta...

  Yesterday was a fantastic day!! I turned in most of my school work Wednesday, and the rest I will tend to come Monday because I never went to class 4/1. Was a bestie's birthday, so made a card, made a gift, wrapped another gift, and spent time with her. The important things.  Speaking of skipping, I skipped school Monday to go see Queen Nefertari's artifiacts at the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) and it was worth every mile to get there. There was so much to see, and so awe-inspiring, that I never even realized there were 2 more floors of the regular museum to see. I spent the whole time touring Egyptian tombs and relics and stories that I never even made it upstairs. We did make it to Byblos to eat. Fantastic food, if you want to go try it out.  Last Sunday we rode the motorcycles over to Ocean Springs for their art festival. Gorgeous day for a ride. Another storm came by... straightline winds again with 60mph gusts. Lots of damage on Beatline @ 28th, just north...

So, I get home from work (on my day off) then hit my classes to see if I missed anything of huge importance (nope). I grab a bite for dinner and sit down... chicken Sesame over riced cauliflower. Tasty and healthy...win win! The mailman shows up (rather late, I thought?) and I find 4 pieces of happy mail. That is always wonderful. As I write the dates on the front of them I see today is the last day of February. I know it is the shortest month, but really... where did it go?!? It went by so damn fast it seems?  First, lemme do a quick check-in: Intention Pagan Practice: You bet! Used my pendulum a few times, pulled some oracle cards, did a spelled reading on 2.21.22, smudged my unit whilst incanting thrice times widdershins. Celebrated the new & full moons with my Circle. Observed Imbolc with my Coven. I also relocated my apothecary in order to make it easier to get to and use. I freshened up the herbs and oils in it. Even made an oil blend for later use. Sorted stones and put ...

 I never posted this year's goals. I wrote them in my journal, went through the practice of selecting, etc. Never blogged about them. Got on here today to do my check-in only to find I never came back after the lightning strike fiasco. So I did, in fact, narrow down my choices to just 3 this year. As I was going through my selection process it dawned on Me that 3 of my five were indeed very closely related. So I lumped them into what I am calling IPP or Intention Pagan Practice. Then I also have my health goal "Lose 1# each month" and my Blog Monthly/Journal" goal that keeps me on track.  The end is near.. of January, at least. How have I done? Well, the Deep Time is coming to a close and I have been pretty much on target with that. This is my 2nd (and last) blog post for January, so that is good. I have no idea about my weight as I will weigh in tomorrow and compare. Keep your fingers cro My current term ends the 2nd of February and my LAST TERM (!!!) starts Februar...