The Magic of the Sun

The last three days have been full of sunshine and blessings. When I was in the neighbor’s pool earlier today it felt like magic. We were all gently moving about and it was causing swirls and when the light caught it just right….it was beautiful!  It’s the simple things….or I am so sun starved that I am reaching? I choose to go with…it’s the simple things.

Earlier in the day, the Girl and I drove to a local rose garden so I can start taking photos and filling my volunteer hours. It was crazy busy because of the sun and I think that the early afternoon sun was not the best light for pictures…especially in my favorite spot. I like to go way past the flowers, and gazebos, etc to this spot in the woods. I know it was a man made circle but that doesn’t make it any less magical or the stones any less ancient.

The Girl liked this picture the best?

The roses in the rose garden are nothing compared to what they used to be. I was shocked at how sparse it was! I took a few pictures of the flowers…I liked this one.

Hanging out in nature and then hanging out in the pool seemed like a pretty great way to end my three day weekend. Then the neighbor who cut my grass come home. I swear…I have raised the world’s biggest chickens!!!! How hard is it to walk some brownies and some newly canned honeyed strawberry syrup over to the neighbor??? I am in the middle of my Sunday food prep and my socially awkward children made me go with them. I was not dressed for neighbor talking? I was dressed for hot kitchen in June food prep and recently out of the pool look. How hard is it to say “here..thank you”? We were still over there when my aunt and uncle stopped over.

That moment there was the most stressful of the whole weekend. Of course I would rather sit and talk with my aunt and uncle so I stopped what I was doing in the kitchen. By the time I finished dinner and ran the Girl over to her Grandfather to deliver his dinner and got back home…it was late. Now it’s almost ten and I still have to clean up the kitchen…I think I jinxed myself when I was in the pool and said that it was the perfect end to a perfect three day weekend.

I managed to go all weekend without feeling rushed or stressed until it was crunch time….No more coffee with the birds…no more chilling with the cat while he is in the harness on the back porch…no more listening to the birds right before sunrise. Well that’s not true…I will still hear the birds chirping before sunrise but I will no longer feel like I am sleeping n the middle of a magical forest….I will roll over and say it’s not time yet. I need to figure some things out stat! I am 48…..almost 49, my life is closer to the end than the beginning. Life is just too short to just exist in the 8-5 world….Zia

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Energy of the Season

I had a nice time last night with my tribe. It’s been so long since I have brought my friends together on this night, I forgot a thing or two. Thankfully SB had my back and reminded me of the magical Kirk’s Folly Fairy Dust that I always sprinkle on my guests. When I see a random moon or star in a chair or on the front porch…it brings a smile to my face.

I picked this weekend for my first Reiki class for a couple of reasons. First, I took the solstice off so I had an extra day to prepare. Second, I thought the energy of the solstice would help things go well…which it did. Thirdly, as an added bonus…I was able to use leftover food from girl’s night as snacks today during the class.

Since this was my first class, all kinds of doubts and insecurities were running high. What if the attunement doesn’t work? What if people are unhappy with my teaching methods like I was from my first class? What if I can’t do it or do it wrong? These fears have been rolling around in my head the last couple of days. Thankfully I trudged on and everything went well.

I also attuned the Girl today and I was so proud of her…..the healing energy flows through her so easily. Her hands were the hottest of the group although when she feels the energy it’s cold which I thought was interesting.

The class ran smoothly for the most part. I do think that some post it tabs will help for the next class. I  felt like I was searching the manual a little too much. I also still struggle with remembering Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen…so I cheated a bit…It worked so that’s all that matters. Someday I will remember it without help.

The sun has been out the past two days which is rare this year. I sat on the back porch the last two mornings drinking my coffee, watching the birds. This morning I brought the cat out. Mostly because he wouldn’t stop yelling at me. The grass is pretty thick because of all of the rain. I mowed the front on Friday and a couple of rows in the back before the mower said “not today”. I knew it would be rough to get it cut. One of the neighbors dropped by and offered to cut the side and back with his riding mower. I was both grateful and relieved at his offer. The thick grass shut his mower down more than once. There is a small patch in the back that still needs done but that is nothing compared to the time and struggle he has saved me.

All in all….the last two days have been pretty awesome….Zia

Strawberry Fields Forever

M and I went traipsing through the mud and straw to pick eight quarts of Strawberries each. Then I taught M how to make strawberry jelly and she was the most enthusiastic student.

“you mean that’s it?”

“Yep…that’s all there is to it.”

” I can totally do this!!”

“I know…that’s what I have been trying to tell you.”

When we were still out picking she caught me in one of her selfies…I was laughing at her, I didn’t know I was in the picture.

Once I finished with her lesson of a traditional recipe…I started my experiments. This is what I learned….If you replace regular sugar with honey you get the most amazing flavor, BUT…it is more like a syrup than a jam. It tastes so amazing that I will find ways to use it! If you replace regular sugar with coconut sugar it works well, BUT…it darkens the strawberry red considerably.  I used coconut sugar in my tomato basil jam recipe. Lastly I tried date paste that I made from scratch. First….I.. in no way removed all of the pits in the date paste which I realized once I put the immersion blender in the pot. That was hot….thank goodness for lavender oil..ouch. I don’t think date paste can be used in place of sugar unless you are making strawberry date jam. That’s what I am calling it… that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

I also made strawberry salsa to bring to work today. It was a huge hit! It was easy peasy too. I used one of the quarts of strawberries, 1/2 a red onion, cilantro, 1Tbsp lemon juice, and 1Tbsp lime juice. It was gone before lunch!

The best part about picking your own strawberries is that you can pick each one at it’s peak of ripeness…especially if you know you are going to harvest it right away. I canned 11 half pints of honeyed strawberry syrup, 5  1/2 pints of strawberry basil jam, and  7  1/2 pints of strawberry date jam. I was up a little late last night…

I had another dream with roses in it…I don’t know what that’s about? Jon Bon Jovi was in it…I am not 17 anymore so he must be a symbol for something in my subconscious?? He handed me a newspaper clipping and I’m pretty sure the name of the local paper was on it and there was a rose in the corner. I must have cut it out and sent it to him? I don’t do that. My paternal grandmother did that all the time…not me? Anyhoo…he told me that he had it in his pocket at his last show and was tickled by it. We talked for a while and I said to him “excuse me for a few minutes…I just have to close my eyes for a second.” Great…I’m so tired now…I’m even taking naps while I’m asleep. I did not want to get out of bed this morning!

Thankfully I am off tomorrow. I decided to take my favorite day of the year off…why not? I am having a little get together with my closest friends tomorrow, so I will have plenty to do. It’s funny how time changes things. My girls night out parties in the past consisted of monster bonfires and lots of friends. The most I will have tomorrow is 6 and that is the way I want it.  I made no fancy invitation, I didn’t make a cd, I just let my people know. I am looking forward to it, especially after this week. Lots of people missed the memo that the full moon was on Monday….not Tuesday, not Wednesday, or Thursday…..Zia

That’s a Negative…

I did receive my tests results yesterday. I’m not convinced that the test is correct….it’s notorious for false negatives. Don’t get me wrong….I don’t want to have lyme disease. So many of the symptoms have matched so I am not so sure I believe the results? I took the A.N.A. test and it came back negative, so what the heck else could it be???

Do you remember when you could go to the doctor’s and they could tell you what’s wrong with you? That no longer exists in this world. I am very lucky that I work with professionals that can call in tests and prescribe medicine. I did what I was supposed to do and found a primary care physician. I like her but…I’m still doing all the work. It’s my body and I know it better than anyone else so I am willing to take responsibility for my part but some help would be nice….

The anxiety from the weekend of not knowing and work on Monday was a bit much. I stopped at the library after work on Monday and picked up a bunch of books I had reserved. Oils…herbs…cleaning recipes and more. I spent last night leisurely leafing through every one of those books. There are so many things I want to try! I had to remind myself that I am having a gathering on Friday and my first Reiki class on Saturday. Then I reminded myself I am off on Friday and that will help lots and lots.

M and I are picking strawberries after work tomorrow and then headed back to my house to make jam. I will be trying my first recipe using honey instead of sugar so fingers crossed….it works. I will be teaching M with organic sugar and no pectin. I am putting the jars through the dishwasher right now to get the basement storage off and then I will put them in the canner so all I have to do when we come home from the farm is turn on the burner and sterilize them. That’s the plan anyway…Zia

 

The Waiting Game

This has been a long weekend….I was hoping to get my blood work results back on Friday but no such luck. So I have kept myself pretty busy. Friday night was book club which didn’t leave time for much else after work.

I got up crazy early for me on Saturday to ensure I would accomplish everything I needed to accomplish. I did really well with the exception of going to the library. I forgot my books the first time I was out and stayed longer than anticipated at a graduation party. The library is on Summer hours so they are closed today. I guess I will have to go after work tomorrow.

M wants to go strawberry picking after work on Wednesday and she wants to learn how to make jelly. I “had” to go out to the farm where I buy my meat…that was a definite. The monthly craft show was downtown and I was hoping for some beef jerky. We went through every aisle and he was the third to the last booth. I was so relieved….I hugged the bag of jerky. Yes, it’s strange but you have no idea how hard it is to not be able to just open a bag and have a snack.  I also purchased a small piece of jewelry from a woman who upcycles keys, rosaries, old beads into unique pieces of jewelry. We talked for a bit and we could totally be friends if we met another way.

The Girl and I were only there for about twenty minutes before we headed to the farm. Normally I would have made my car payment on Wednesday but since my Wednesday is booked I made sure I did that first thing. The credit union isn’t very far from downtown and that’s why the farm was my third stop.

We had a couple more stops before we came home and changed our clothes and headed out to the graduation party.  I wasn’t too worried about eating? I thought for sure there would be a salad but there was not. The BBQ caterer guy was super nice and grilled me a piece of chicken that was plain. That was the only thing I could eat….thankfully there was wine.

It was a very nice party and it was also nice to mingle with employees from other offices as well as patients that I don’t normally see in a social setting. We were just getting ready to leave when the two ODs with babies came walking in. That is the real reason that I didn’t make it to the library before 5:30.

The Girl and I stopped at the Italian grocery store on the way home to pick up a few more things. Then we headed home for the night.  She wanted to make breakfast for her grandfather for Father’s Day so I cooked up the pound of bacon I picked up earlier in the day.  She messed up the batter and her mini waffles didn’t come out so well. It was too late to do anything about it last night and I was done. Done. I crashed on the couch for about an hour and then got up, put a whole chicken in the crockpot and started cleaning up some. I went right to bed after cleaning up the kitchen.

I woke up with a killer headache today….it’s been simmering for days. I think it’s the never ending rain. There were some pretty big storms in the area but we were lucky here…the North got hammered with at least one tornado…maybe more. Rain is in the forecast almost everyday this week…

The rain is not helping my mood either. Part of it is because I am nervous about the results of the blood work. Honestly…I can’t even tell you which result makes me more nervous?     Zia

Up In The Air

Everything feels so “up in the air” right now. Do I stay or do I go? I still have a deep desire to leave this area. I don’t know anything about other areas to even have a plan of escape…but the desire is there.

What is wrong with me? I still don’t know the answer to this question. I took the blood test for lyme disease today. Obviously I don’t “wish” it to come back positive but I would really like some answers as to what is actually wrong with me. I’m not a doctor and this guess is all mine so maybe I’m wrong? I will know early next week…

 

Then there is work…here is  my dilemma. They won’t fully move me into optical so I can still do billing. I don’t want any part of optical without a license….the apprenticeship license program takes two years. Will I really be here in two years? Can I make that kind of commitment? I’m not so sure about that…..

On a more positive note…I’m super excited about my Girl’s Night Out next Friday and my first Reiki one class next Saturday. I have to keep reminding myself that the Girl’s Night Out won’t be like it was in the past. I didn’t make the fancy fairy invitations…there won’t be a bonfire….I’m not even sure if we will even venture outside? I know PT doesn’t like bugs so maybe the last few of us might venture out to the front porch when it gets late. I will load the banisters up with citronella candles so hopefully that will help. This will be smallest group ever and that is exactly how I want it to be.

I sent out reminder texts today for the Reiki class next Saturday. I have three for sure and one I haven’t heard back from. My limit is five. The Girl is also taking the class but I am not counting her in my total.  I have the manuals and my handouts and I have my teaching outline ready to go. Fingers crossed…this is my first class so I hope it goes well.

My hair is a hot mess! The hairdresser I have been seeing is excellent at cutting my hair. Sadly she only works Saturday’s and is in a new relationship….those two things equal bad customer service. So now I am back to square one. My ends are pretty scary…my roots are gray (my choice)…the henna/indigo remnants are still a bit blue(not my choice)…and it needs shaped up desperately. Like I said…hot mess. What will I do? I have no idea…it’s up in the air.

Do you sense a theme here? Lot’s of uncertainty…. I have also been having lots of powerful dreams and by powerful…I mean whoa!! I took a nap this afternoon and I swear I woke up glowing…I had no witnesses so it could have been the lingering dream? The verdict is out because I was alone so we will never know…..Zia

Can It Be????

I am currently receiving a series of nine limited edition broadcasts. They disappear after 24 hours and are part of a herbal society that I follow. I have listened to some of them in their entirety and some have been bits and pieces. The one they sent out yesterday on Lyme disease was like a punch in the gut. Can this be it?  Everything before this video seemed so random???

Thanks to WordPress I was able to look up when I think it could have happened but that was three years ago. When exactly did I start having issues and not know it??? I am sure that this sounds dramatic but my mind is blown right now. https://onceuponthewingsofadragonfly.wordpress.com/2016/07/17/artsy-crafty/

Remember when my vitamin D level was so low that they put me on prescription vitamin D? Do you remember when I struggled with my pillows? No matter what I did my neck would ache in the morning. Or the Winter when it took everything I had to get up and go to work? I thought I was depressed…which is actually a symptom. I couldn’t get out of bed without extreme effort.

Did you know that Lyme disease can mutate and change to look like other diseases like autoimmune? I was fifteen minutes into episode five of Remedy and I felt like the wind was knocked out of me. I’m pretty sure that if you don’t catch this in the first three days that it can’t be cured. Part of me wants to put a name to what is wrong with me and part of me hopes I am wrong. Excuse my French but WTF?

I’ll call my doctor tomorrow and request the test and I really don’t want to put the cart before the horse but I am afraid that this is what it really is….(insert green faced emoji)

That’s how I started my day…I was listening to that when I was getting ready to go to PT’s for breakfast. I ended up spending almost the whole day there. Which was nice and like old times. If I didn’t have the vision board workshop to go to at five…I would have been there longer.

I really did have a great day…it was that shock in the morning that threw me for a loop. This afternoon at PT’s I really overdid it on the cheese….Manchego…can you blame me?

I even had two of the pita chips and I didn’t even have reaction. It’s been five months on the GAPS and I need to start introducing new foods. It’s such an elimination type diet that if I do one new item at a time…I will know.

I am off to clean up after my food prep since I got a late start and then I need to finish up my vision board……Zia

Getting it Done….

In my search for frozen treats that I can eat, I came across this contraption…

It had great reviews so the Girl and I headed out to Bed Bath and Beyond to pick one up. Unfortunately even though it said they had one…no one could find it. Fortunately they take expired coupons and she waived the shipping so I will get it next week for $29.99. I was disappointed but there wasn’t much I could do about it.

Then we stopped at the Italian grocery store and did our shopping a day early. Plus I knew they had bananas on sale for .29 a pound. I am ready for the Yonana and have a freezer full of bananas.

The Girl seems more interested in getting her license since my Little Buddy and her girlfriend volunteered to teach her. So she got up early this morning and we were out at the test center by 8am and at the BMV by 8:40ish. I was meeting my two friends from Italian class at 10 am so if she wanted her permit, we had to do it early.

While she was in there taking her test…again…I was outside playing with my camera.

I don’t think they are so bad for a beginner? The more I play, the better I will get.

On our way to the BMV I turned down a cut through street only to be greeted by a gaggle of ducks waddling down the street. They were taking up the whole lane and marching fearlessly towards the car. By the time the Girl got her phone out, they had moved to the side. It was pretty funny.

I had a nice visit with the ladies from Italian class and I loved looking at the pictures from her trip to Italy last month. I even braved the menu and ate something. Microwaved eggs, fake bacon, cheddar cheese and some green onions. I didn’t feel bad, just a tiny bit bloated. It’s too soon to tell if I will get bumps on my cheeks from the cheese. That’s progress though. It was some kind of breakfast taco, I told them to keep the sour cream and tortilla shells. In my defense…I didn’t know it was microwaved. I should have known when the girl behind the counter gave me the ingredients which included yellow eggs?

I left there and ran out to the farm to buy my eggs for the week. I stopped at the eagle’s nest while I was out there. Nothing exciting was happening at the nest but I did follow the sound and find this cute little guy.

I came home and found this by little patch of garden by the side door.

I think he needs a name and a story. Some may just see a walnut shell, I see a story. There isn’t even a walnut tree in my yard? I love random gifts from Mother Nature. Speaking of gifts from nature, check this out…..

Scattered in the front of the house and back by the non garage there are wild strawberries everywhere. I have no idea where they came from but I will be using them, even if it’s just in our water.

We also have a few new weavers around the house. The Girl won’t fill the bird feeders because this one has it’s web right above the container.

I was able to move the brick that has the web attached, fill the feeders and put the brick back. She is still out there which is good. I was worried I might have scared her away. I talked to her the whole time, maybe she knew I didn’t mean her any harm? She is a pretty green color, I have never seen one like her before. I noticed another one between the bushes in the front.

I also tried to eat my favorite meatballs today. I only bought a tiny bit…1/2lb of the meatball mix to put in the sauce since I was making spaghetti squash for dinner. I didn’t feel horrible after I ate it but I didn’t feel great either. This was a sad part of my day… I’ll figure it out though and find a new way to eat meatballs without the gluten. It will just take me some time….Zia

 

 

 

Ask….You Might Be Surprised

I reached out to one of my volunteer opportunities this week and inquired about nature photography. Lucky for me she said she has been looking for someone to take pictures. I said I had a strong interest…I didn’t say I was good. Forty volunteer hours taking pictures should make me better…I hope. I was so excited yesterday when I found out for sure!!

I also stopped after work yesterday and talked about my potential crescent moon tattoo. I made the appointment which isn’t until July and it’s only going to cost me $20.00. I am extra happy about that!  The owners daughter works the front and she said she would call me if there were any cancellations. I’m not in a hurry so it doesn’t matter to me. She has great energy. I know I say that every time I am there but it’s true. Some people are genuinely authentic and positive and she is 100% both of those.

I’m not so mad at the Girl anymore. I proved my point….hopefully she gets it. It’s very strange (but in a good way) that my Little Buddy text me the next day and offered to teach the Girl how to drive this Summer. Her and her girlfriend are all about it…and hey..if they can get the Girl to drive, more power to them!

Today was MH’s last day. (insert sad face) She came out of retirement to help out while BV was down after knee surgery. I learned so much from working with her the past couple of weeks. I’m sad that she is gone again and grateful for all of the things I have learned. She loves my Limoncello and I brought her some today, she brought me something too….

She is so sweet and she has things in tip top shape over in optical. I have a feeling that 30% of my time in optical will be spent cleaning up after the Optician once she comes back. She is like the cartoon Tasmanian Devil sometimes. Only time will tell, I guess we will see how it goes? I used to know about lenses and it drives me crazy that I am not as informed as I should be. I still have a few things from my lab days in addition to my ABO training materials. I have someone from the lab putting together some things for me and I have a call into the VSP lab for our rep to give me a call. If someone asks me a question about lenses and availability… I want to know the answer. The new stuff is about the blue light filters in the lenses and everyone has their own version…I just need to figure out the best choice. I started building my binder tonight.

Other than emails about my volunteer work and my new Reiki business cards, I have been food prepping and trying to catch up on my cleaning. I got a lot done today and I feel good about that.

Here is an update on my Rose of Jericho plant from tonight…

What a curious plant…I’m so glad I bought that little tumble weed…..Zia

A Matter of Time….

It finally happened…I have had enough! My annoyance has finally outweighed “the good kid” card. Yesterday was a really long day and while leaving at 6:15pm after starting at 7:45am is not the norm…it happened. Today we left a little late around 5:15. Both days I was playing optical. Playing is a mostly serious term….I’m winging it for sure. The only part that really needs double checked is the pupillary distance…my measurement is always at least 1mm sometimes 2mm different than someone who has done this many times before me. My seg heights are spot on and I can bill with my eyes closed and because of my lab background I know my lens materials and anti reflective coatings. Still….it’s unnerving to not know for certain and to second guess myself.

So all of this is happening at work….On the way home there was a little black squirrel…I tried to miss him but …thump…and then I got the nasty squirrel killer feeling in my stomach only to come home and find the dishwasher is not emptied….I then go into my room and it looks like a large animal was nesting on my comforter. I loathe wrinkles!  That’s it!!! The Girl is NOT going to do nothing but sit around for another Summer…no way!

There was no yelling… just a statement and she chose to go upstairs and pout. I sent her some of what I said here…in writing so she can copy and paste her friends…I hate to be misquoted and then sent me this…

Dramatic and not at all accurate. She is 21…no job…license…yes she is a great student who is full time..but this is the Summer. She is not sitting on her ass all Summer again….it’s not happening!!!!!!!

Moving on….

I bought a Rose of Jericho plant over the weekend and I thought yesterday’s new moon was the perfect time to try a little manifestation…

This is what it looked like fresh out of the bag at 9:03pm last night…

This morning at 6:35am

Tonight at 6:50pm

What an amazing plant….just add water.  I can’t wait to see it tomorrow!

Speaking of the moon…I think I will stop and see my tattoo friend tomorrow after work. This is what I am thinking…this is where…only slightly higher..and on my right wrist…

I did take a chance and send an inquiry about a volunteer position that would help me complete my 40 hours of volunteer service with the volunteer naturalist program. I am so excited that I am holding my breath so I won’t mention anything until I know for certain but fingers crossed!! There is another place that I want to try the same thing for and if it works out…I will have my hours lickity split! I will keep going with the one for sure, even after my hours are up..I just hope it works out.

I tried this ice cream after weighing the pros and cons of the ingredients in all of the other ones and it has a weird taste….I can’t believe that someone hasn’t come up with a GAPS approved ice cream as of yet???? I am really….really…going to have to study up on my freezer treats.

Tomorrow is half day Wednesday so now I have to figure out what needs to be done tomorrow and what can wait for another day. I am done trying to squeeze everything in on Wednesday and the weekends. I am only doing what I “have to do” tomorrow and then I will spend more time working on things for my Reiki class or researching things for the Salem vacation. About the Salem vacation….I think it needs it’s own CD…I need to work on that too. So much to do and so little time….Zia