Hi from the Oregon Coast

Daily Stuff 8-31-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 02:34 PM GMT Tarih: 31 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

Herbs Outdoors at 4pm!

Not long before sunrise it was still quite clear to the east, but it’s already clouded up enough that there’s only a strip of peach sky to be seen. …Good heavens, they just announced a freeze warning for tomorrow morning in eastern Oregon. Wow! …It’s already 7:15 and the sun just climbed enough over the mountains to shine through the study window. It’s almost due east, already.

Sam has put the feeder out and I’m watching chickadees fluttering on and around the feeder. Here come the sparrows. Yesterday it was all the rusty-capped sparrows. Today’s are the streaked sparrows. There are about 20 fluttering on and off of the feeder and since there are only 12 feeding ports there’s a lot of fluttering and flapping. 3 of them are on the railing, waiting for dropped seeds.

Well, the candle experiment worked! It turns out that they’re 16 hour candles, which is *perfect*! This one was patchouli, too, which not everyone likes, but I dearly love. It burned through the night in a bowl on my altar, pretty much protected from draft, sitting on sand to contain any problems. I did trim the wick twice, both right at the beginning when the long “tail” curled down and was burning on its own and about 3 hours before it burned out when it had acquired a bit of the patchouli ash attached to the wick it self and was flaring up. It went out right around the 16 hour mark.

Early in the day, yesterday, I realized that the chrysanthemums never got planted. Nexes and Raven got those in and got that garden bed watered.

I spent most of the day on re-setting the Pan-Pagan schedule, trying to get the flyers put together and so on. In the next few days I’ll have those set up as PDF’s which I can e-mail to folks at a distance. I could really use having people in the Willamette Valley print copies of the flyers and stick them up where folks will see them.

The guys went out berry-picking, hoping for enough to make wine. They have at least ¾ of what they need for a batch, but are getting impatient. Actually, it was probably more of a “let’s go explore”. While I know the area pretty well after a decade, none of them have ever wandered around much in this area so they headed out east from Waldport and went prospecting.

I made an early supper and baked a cake, since I had a craving for something sweet. Star had brought over a yummy berry cobbler that we’ve already eaten most of. I never got out to the garden.

After we all ate, Sam started the Wine Workshop. They went on almost all evening, working on the rose mead first, which got the rest of the honey. When they were boiling the honey to skim off the foam, Nexes tasted it and he was wondering what it could be used for. I don’t know! I’ve never tried it. If anyone has, let us know. The carboy is making contented little blupping sounds in the kitchen, now. I went to get a cup of tea and couldn’t figure out what I was hearing for a minute…. They racked the howling jack as well and were talking about adding the rest of what that needs, but I don’t know how far they got. I fell asleep before they were done, but there’s a colander full of pulp on the island in the kitchen, draining.

We’re going to get out to the garden this morning after I get more of the Pan-Pagan stuff sorted out and then I’ll be at the shop for a while during the afternoon. The almanac order is here, so I’m going to be sorting out those that were pre-ordered and contacting people when they’re ready to be picked up. I also got a stack of postcards of local scenery. Herbs Outdoors is at 4pm. I’m hoping to get more of the votives re-wicked and set out for sale today.

The shop is closed today, although I’ll be there for a while in the afternoon and Sam might be from late afternoon into the evening. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

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Daily STuff 8-30-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 05:11 PM GMT Tarih: 30 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

Wine Workshop tonight at 6pm!

It was all broken cloud when I first got up, silvery with bright edges, but now it’s pretty solid and continuous. It’s not dim, at all. The light is quite bright. There’s a good bit of breeze, shifting the leaves all around and it’s made the wind chime sound occasionally. There were some upset birds out there earlier. I heard them squabbling, but Sam’s getting the feeder out and they won’t have to worry, now. He got it pulled in late last night and it shows. Two of the pockets are down by several inches, so it definitely got raided.

The pink is all gone from the rosebushes. Nexes spent a while yesterday, using a cane to grab the tops of the bushes, getting as many of the petals as he could. We’ve got another tray of them down at the shop and a handful of buds, as well.

I spent the early part of yesterday working on the class handout from Wicca 102, lessons 6-8. Except for a stubborn problem with pagination they were all done by lunchtime. After that I headed out to the garden and harvested more cinquefoil, the marigolds and the calendula. I’ll get those set out to dry properly on Wednesday, but at least they’re sitting in the trays.

Fawkes needed to head home after his long weekend and we talked through a number of the issues that have been coming up, along with bouncing around some ideas about events and classes that the Rose of the Sea is sponsoring. Those may start bearing fruit later in the fall.

On the way home I stopped and did some shopping and made the bank deposit, afterwards stopping at the Dollar Tree to get ice cube trays since our ice-maker is having problems. I hurried home, although I had hoped to spend a little time by Beaver Creek, looking for plants to wildcraft, because I still had stuff that needed to be fridged and we had class at 6pm. We finished Lesson 5 and are most of the way through 6, so we may be able to finish this course next week! Yes, part of re-vamping the class handouts was the decision to take out Lesson 8 and combine it with 7, since there wasn’t really any new material in the lesson, anyway.

Sam spent a good while on cleaning up, yesterday, and working on setting up some of the displays that we haven’t quite finished, yet. He also put in quite a bit of time working on our web presence.

After class we set up a votive candle with the new wicks. It’s been burning for 12 hours, now and seems to be burning cleanly. The really nice part is that the votives that we were going to have to clearance out since the labels got taken off? Well, we’ll be able to tell which they are when we re-do them with the more heavy-duty wicks!

When we got back to the house, the sky had completely cleared and it was glorious! For once the lights were mostly off on our street. Sam and I stood out there and stared. The Milky Way was stretched from the Teapot of Sagittarius through Cassiopeia’s chair to the horizon. Scorpio was snapping his claws over the house across the street and Cygnus flying across the sky above. Vega was brilliant at the zenith. There were 3 meteors as we watched. The Big and Little Dippers were obvious, too. It’s dark enough out here to actually see the whole line of the Milky Way. That was just lovely, a vacation in just 10 minutes or so…

Today is our “home day”. We have a lot of house chores. I’m also hoping to go out with Sam to get blackberry plants destroyed and to see what we can do about the roses that got damaged by the people next door. I’d also like to see what can be salvaged around the pond and whether any of those plants have survived after being neglected most of the season. We have blackberries to pick, too. Nexes made some delicious muffins last night and we’re getting closer to the amount needed for wine. I have work to do on Pan-Pagan organization.

The shop is closed today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

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Daily Stuff 8-29-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 04:53 PM GMT Tarih: 29 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

Wicca 102 tonight! 6pm at the shop.

Sam and I slept in a bit this morning. It’s cloudy and dim out there…the view is very green, except for the pink of rosebuds on that prolific bush beneath the alder.

I like where I planted the marigolds. They’re quite visible from the other desk, the one right under the window. They were shorn of all flowers when I got them into the ground and they have new this morning. The calendula that’s just behind them has hit full stride with blooms, too. I do hope I’m going to get to spend some time out there today. The watering got done thoroughly yesterday so I should be able weed with impunity.

Sam just got the feeder out.

I got a new album of crystals up very early in the day. You can see it here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.147929347 8018.43988.1704231146&l=913441b484&type=1

The early classes went well, yesterday, but lunch was late coming down from the house and it disrupted the timing on Energy Work. What happened instead was the Nexes started doing readings and several of the young folks pulled out sandpaper and started working on wands and staves. A discussion about ley lines turned into one on invasive species and occupied a large chunk of the afternoon. I spent most of an hour outside renovating the planters. I never did get the dahlias in, but at least all the bulbs are covered up, the debris is pulled away and any re-seeding that I could do by holding the plants over the planter and shaking happened! The nasturtiums had a number of seeds that had fallen onto the sidewalk so those went in, too.

Two sparrows so far, busily pecking away. They could be Chipping or Song sparrows, but they’re tiny, more the size of grasshopper sparrows. Little ones? I mean, babies? Hmm…

Sam and I traded places in the late afternoon. I walked and went to sleep, but when I got up, it was to start in on renovating the handouts for the rest of the 102 class. They looked odd when I pulled them out the first time, but I didn’t look hard enough. A lot of the pages from the end of the file were gone. At this point, I don’t have a real clue what happened, but I’m suspecting either a virus that ate only part of the file (unlikely) or a start at a re-write where I only managed to save the partly finished files and the rest went away in the computer crash. So, I re-built lesson 6 last night and formatted it this morning. I have two to go.

That’s going to be my job today and then later I have to take Fawkes back to Lincoln City, take the shop deposit to the bank and do a little shopping. How did we run out of butter?

Sam will be at the shop today. He’s supposed to be working on cleaning, since things always end up in disarray after Sunday and some of the sweeping hasn’t been done for a couple of weeks. I’m also hoping that he’ll get his desk cleaned up a bit, but that depends on how many customers we have.

The shop opens at 10am today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

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Daily Stuff 8-29-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 04:52 PM GMT Tarih: 29 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

Wicca 102 tonight! 6pm at the shop.

Sam and I slept in a bit this morning. It’s cloudy and dim out there…the view is very green, except for the pink of rosebuds on that prolific bush beneath the alder.

I like where I planted the marigolds. They’re quite visible from the other desk, the one right under the window. They were shorn of all flowers when I got them into the ground and they have new this morning. The calendula that’s just behind them has hit full stride with blooms, too. I do hope I’m going to get to spend some time out there today. The watering got done thoroughly yesterday so I should be able weed with impunity.

Sam just got the feeder out.

I got a new album of crystals up very early in the day. You can see it here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.147929347 8018.43988.1704231146&l=913441b484&type=1

The early classes went well, yesterday, but lunch was late coming down from the house and it disrupted the timing on Energy Work. What happened instead was the Nexes started doing readings and several of the young folks pulled out sandpaper and started working on wands and staves. A discussion about ley lines turned into one on invasive species and occupied a large chunk of the afternoon. I spent most of an hour outside renovating the planters. I never did get the dahlias in, but at least all the bulbs are covered up, the debris is pulled away and any re-seeding that I could do by holding the plants over the planter and shaking happened! The nasturtiums had a number of seeds that had fallen onto the sidewalk so those went in, too.

Two sparrows so far, busily pecking away. They could be Chipping or Song sparrows, but they’re tiny, more the size of grasshopper sparrows. Little ones? I mean, babies? Hmm…

Sam and I traded places in the late afternoon. I walked and went to sleep, but when I got up, it was to start in on renovating the handouts for the rest of the 102 class. They looked odd when I pulled them out the first time, but I didn’t look hard enough. A lot of the pages from the end of the file were gone. At this point, I don’t have a real clue what happened, but I’m suspecting either a virus that ate only part of the file (unlikely) or a start at a re-write where I only managed to save the partly finished files and the rest went away in the computer crash. So, I re-built lesson 6 last night and formatted it this morning. I have two to go.

That’s going to be my job today and then later I have to take Fawkes back to Lincoln City, take the shop deposit to the bank and do a little shopping. How did we run out of butter?

Sam will be at the shop today. He’s supposed to be working on cleaning, since things always end up in disarray after Sunday and some of the sweeping hasn’t been done for a couple of weeks. I’m also hoping that he’ll get his desk cleaned up a bit, but that depends on how many customers we have.

The shop opens at 10am today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

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Daily Stuff 8-28-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 03:28 PM GMT Tarih: 28 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

I’m up before 6am and it’s very dark outside. A month ago, it wouldn’t have been. I always enjoy seeing the seasons changing, the Wheel turning, although I’m wish it wouldn’t keep speeding up as I get older. I haven’t had time to enjoy August, yet!

Fawkes and I headed for the shop just before 10 and got things up and running. Veda and I worked on the rose/bergamot salve (we have 10 cute little pots of it) and the set up some of the dragon’s blood candles with the new wicks… the biggest one still isn’t big enough. It burns a nice little hole right down the center of the candle without burning any of the wax on either side! I’m going to try some in a standard votive holder to see if that make a difference, but has anyone else here ever worked with beeswax in container candles? This is getting frustrating.

Chickweed…that was the herb packet that I couldn’t remember yesterday! Veda and I sat and talked and she packed rosemary, while I packed rosebuds, both pink and red. We have those up and then I packed some calendula.

Sam brought some yummy twice-baked potatoes down for lunch and then Nexes and Veda worked on staves. After that they took off to visit Brea for a while, and when they got back Fawkes and Nexes headed back to the house to work on food. I spent a while taking pictures of a bunch of crystals from the case, that for some reason didn’t get done before. Sewing Workshop kinda didn’t happen. I’m still not sure why….

Sam got to the shop around 5pm, took Veda back to the Center and when he came back let me get a nap and when I woke back up he told me that a group of folks were going to be coming in late. They’d been shopping in Lincoln City and were going to come past on their way home. We had a great time visiting with them and they had a lot of fun shopping so we closed up somewhere around 8:30. I walked in, ate and crashed.

Sam said everyone turned in around 1am, so we’re being very quiet this morning. It’s bright daylight out there, now, but overcast. I crawled back in and we snoozed a little more, but now he’s heading out to make coffee and I’m going to finish this. I just realized that we forgot to bring the feeder in and the far side got raided last night.

Wicca 101 is at 10am this morning, then Brea is starting Color Magick, Nexes class is energy work and then we have Herbs Outdoors at 3pm.

So far, the birds on the feeder look moldy…. They *have* to be molting! It’s been all sparrows so far. Ooh, is that onions I’m smelling? Yup. Nexes is up and cooking something that smells delicious!

The shop opens at 10am today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

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Daily Stuff 8-27-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 04:17 PM GMT Tarih: 27 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

There is the most amazing fog out there this morning, thick, but bright. The sun’s been up for an hour, but it is only just coming past the mountains. It’s chilly and the porch roof drips, occasionally.

It’s odd to hear about the hurricane weather on the radio, especially the storm sounds, when here it’s so very quiet outside. It seems absolutely still, no dogs barking, no traffic sounds. I think the fog is muffling all of that, but the fog’s beginning to thin.

Sam just put out the feeder. There were a lot of upset birds out there before he did, but with raccoons getting into it…well, we have to bring it in at night. So where are they now?

I think we need to water again today. The ground is getting so very dry all over.

We started the day yesterday with Fawkes and me heading down to the shop while Sam tended the bread. Fawkes spent most of the day writing. He’s setting up the Samhain ritual and getting it written.

I did the usual start-of-the-day chores and then settled in to getting headers onto herbs that were already packed after I started the dehydrator. I could swear that there were more already in bags, but there’s a lot more prepped than bagged. I was trying to remember last night which ones that I got done. …There were nine that got added. I know I did vertivert and valerian and slippery elm and hyssop. There was another that started with a c…not cinquefoil, not chamomile…argh. Oh, and foxglove…. Well, that’s what I remember. The wall is starting to fill up again. We have rosemary and roses to pack today. The headers are already printed, but I also need to finish counting the under-table herbs. I got part-way and then got side-tracked.

Hmmm…. I just heard footsteps and the front door banged, so I guess folks are starting to wake up. Sam’s out working on breads and I can smell bacon. Ooh, that just sounds yummy. There’s nothing nicer than to smell coffee, fresh bread and bacon in the morning….even if you’re not consuming it!

The last thing I got accomplished in the day was that I got the back set up for the Herbs Workshop this morning. We’re working on salve and candle experiments this morning, along with the usual herb prep. I started getting sleepy around 3 and Sam finally showed up around 5 so I curled up for a nap and then just couldn’t wake up. It wasn’t until esbat started that I actually woke all the way up. Apparently, I almost fell off my desk chair, when I conked out sitting there.

Esbat was good and we went through some of the stuff with upcoming events. I’m *trying* to get a schedule into a form that I can send out. I actually thought I had it and then when it got printed it changed just enough to be not useable, drattit.

So, this morning is Herbs Workshop, then Nexes is doing Staffs at 1pm and Sewing Workshop is a 3pm. We’re hoping to get a list of the classes for next weekend’s psychic fair put together, too. He’s going to head home early, since he’s got chores to finish here. Fawkes and I will be at the shop all day. Sam is going to be home, too, doing chores.

Sewing Workshop is at 3pm, so bring your projects!

The light went all silvery and then the sun started shining though the mist. Now, the roof next door is steaming and a light breeze has come up, just enough to move the mist so that you can see it. The alder is gleaming like metal and the clematis leaves are a golden green where the sun is shining on them.

We probably won’t stay nearly as late at the shop as we have been for weeks, now. The sun is setting at 8pm and by 7 or so, the light is vanishing from the street in front of the shop, so we’ll vanish too, somewhere between then and 8pm…..

The shop opens at 10am today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

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Daily Stuff 8-26-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 03:57 PM GMT Tarih: 26 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

Yes, we have esbat tonight at 7pm. I do *not* know how it got dropped off of the calendar, but we will be there. Sam’s making the ritual bread right now.

The 101 class still needs to schedule a make-up time since last night’s class kinda blew out. Not sure what’s going to happen with that…

It’s dim and green this morning. We’re in the cloud layer. There’s some fog or mist in the distance, but nothing up close.

Little chickadees are hopping on and off of the feeder. It’s mostly empty. Last night, when I slipped my study window shut, there was a heavy thump out there. Something’s getting into it, alright, especially since it’s emptying the one side. The birds eat more evenly.

Nexes got the red yarrow planted and then the garden got some more water yesterday during the day. Before I left for work I harvested a bit more yarrow. I think I have one large rose to harvest this morning.

Now, the mist is moving in. It almost looks like it’s raining. There’s a Stellar Jay look at me curiously through the study window. He’s tapped his beak on the glass, twice. ?!?! Ok, there *is* some precipitation. The porch roof is starting to drip.

I dropped Sam at the shop a little early and all the way to Lincoln City I was watching the roadside plants and trying to figure out how it is that I identify them. I’ve been thinking about doing a class on that, since the roadside plants are the most that most people see. Queen Anne’s Lace, musk-flower, daisies, yarrow, pearly everlasting, hard-hack, it’s all white and yellow on the green, with touches of the orange that is crocosmia and some pink patches of butterfly weed. The yarrow is getting dingy and dirty from roadside dust, and the cow parsnip and seaside angelica is dried up and brown.

I picked Dan up in Newport and he went with me to pick up Fawkes. When we got there I stuffed myself with the blackberries by his driveway while I was waiting for him to bring his stuff for the weekend out. They were really yummy! We drove back to the house with Fawkes dozing and Dan and I talking. I dropped them off and then rolled down to the shop.

I spent *3* *hours* on pricing the bindi! I did finally figure out how the stock numbers work and things speeded up at the point, but since they don’t have numbers on the packages I had to look each one up online and then print labels with the stock numbers and price. We’ve got a *lot* of new bindi, everything from the tiny forehead ones to the ones for hairlines, bracelets and armbands, even full face, ear and hair decorations! I’m going to have to do something to make that bindi list more useable…maybe copy the pictures from the website as I order….

I got the little pots for the salve that we’ve been making in the Herbs Workshop and a bunch of new candlewicks to try. They also sent me a freebie of sweet pea fragrance oil. That sounds like another bath salt…. After I got all that sorted out and put away I pulled out the bags of rose buds & other plant stuffs and got those sorted and put into the drying trays. I have some stuff to pull *out* of those trays pretty soon and I want to start the dehydrator this morning. By the time I was done with that Rowan was there and we did some work on her dedication process and talking about the class that she’s teaching.

It’s nice having the new printer. I didn’t get a lot of time to start printing stuff, but the few things that we did get done (and I have *plans* for that printer today!) look wonderful. Just having it working at all, helps. We could do bankcards yesterday without fretting that we might not be able to get receipts from that balky old one. I’m hoping to get the new open/close sign done and print the signs that I’ve been putting together.

Nexes made a yummy potroast for dinner with a delicious acorn squash. I was hungry enough that I scarfed it and went looking for more. I kept nodding off, even with a house full of conversation, so I crawled into bed with a book and then just crashed.

Today I’m going to start re-stocking the herb wall. I’m not certain who will be there, but we’ll get the readings sign out if I’m not there by myself. It sounds like Fawkes is coming in, too. He’s gotten the Samhain ritual finished and wants to get it into the computer.

The shop opens at 10am today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

NASA Science News for August 25, 2011 - A new breakthrough in sunspot detection could provide days of extra early warning for strong solar storms. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-na sa/2011/25aug_sunspotbreakthrough/

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

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Daily Stuff 8-25-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 03:17 PM GMT Tarih: 25 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

We’re stuck in the cloud layer this morning. This started rolling in during the late afternoon yesterday and the clouds were beautiful during Herbs Outdoors. It stayed warm last night. It’s almost 60 this morning, still.

Gee, the feeder’s ½ empty again. …and that with some elderly rice pudding sitting out to tempt anything that might climb for the feeder. Hmm… …and now it’s covered with fluttering and pecking. There are some many sparrows that they’re making the thing rock.

I got Kaleb’s name spelled wrong, darnit. Dunno why I was assuming a C...

Well, what I got really excited about yesterday morning was that a guy in the Netherlands has worked out a font called, “Dyslexie” that makes it far more possible for dyslexics to read. I’ve never been able to read letter-by-letter without great difficulty. I read by pattern, not by letter. This stuff…. The site is in Dutch and the first word I saw was “Het”. …It didn’t come out as “The”, and I could see *immediately* that the site wasn’t in English. If you’re not dyslexic you don’t know how incredible that is….. http://www.studiostudio.nl/lettertype-dyslexie/ I’ve e-mailed the site and asked how to get the font, so I can use it on everything….

Anyway, once I pulled myself together, Sam and I headed for the shop. I got the sewing done that I needed to, checked in what I could, and got a chance to talk to Nome about the Oregon Country Fair thing next year. In and around all of that I managed to post the Pan-Pagan schedule. Two new books are up on the shelves. One is the crystal identifier book that we’re using in the classes. I managed to find another copy! A used copy of the Pagan Book of Living and Dying also showed up.

Herbs Outdoors was the guys working on blackberries…about 2 gallons worth. I got a sizeable patch weeded and planted the 4 marigolds and 1 calendula. Nexes and Raven are going to get the red yarrow in the ground tomorrow and there are more roses in back to pick. A bunch of the white (wild) yarrow got harvested, along with cinquefoil. The plants are slowing down, but still producing…

Sam was at the shop fairly late. He got the new printer up and running.

During the evening Leah, Raven and Nexes burned some of the herb leftovers from the shop along with some papers that needed to vanish and cooked hotdogs and marshmallows to boot! After that we all sat around and talked for a while. Kaleb has this thing about licking people and he got almost everyone during the evening! … I got him back, though. 

Today I’m heading up to Lincoln City to pick up Fawkes. Sam’s going to open the shop. When I get back I’m going to be checking in more stock and then starting to work with the new printer. We have so many things that need headers and signage that needs to be printed…

The shop opens at 10am today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

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Daily Stuff 8-24-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 05:14 PM GMT Tarih: 24 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

Herbs Outdoors at 4pm this afternoon in the gardens!

The sun is almost due east of the house right now. Its light is falling on the center bookcase & the easy chair. Now it got up an hour ago, but it’s finally falling through the trees and over the mountains.

It’s stuffy and muggy in the house. I just opened my study window, when normally, I’m curled up in a warm shawl and wearing a heavy bathrobe. Everything is dripping with dew again, but the sunlight is bright, unlike the last several mornings.

Last night it was just after 9pm and I looked out the window and exclaimed, “It’s already dark!” Everyone giggled, but, yeah, it was dark, or close to it.

Yesterday was a Pan-Pagan day. I started in the morning with replying to e-mails and collecting up information and trying to get it useable. In the late afternoon we shoved a schedule together. In between, during and after I tried to get things written up. We *do* have most of the info and I’m going to start putting out letters and more info in the next couple of days.

The feeder is covered with birds at the moment, fluttering and changing position, occasionally pecking at each other.

I got almost no other chores done, not even baking or making dinner. It just took that long….and with a houseful for Winemaking... I ended up being part of that, because I had a lapful of Caleb and we watched Faun music videos. They got the rose mead started, the wine that we’ve been saving rugosa petals for since spring. Sam talked a lot about the characteristics of mead vs. wine, home-made wines/meads/beers compared to commercial and why the differences exist.

The guys did work on the roses earlier in the day, doing the dead-heading that I talked about. Not sure they got to the blackberries... Sam spent a long time getting mail and then he got stuck down at the shop for quite a while. (I have bindi, books, amulets & jewelry supplies to check in today.)

The almanacs are due in next Tuesday. …I thought it was going to be sooner, but it seems that vacations at my supplier boggled a few things….

…and the kitchen work didn’t happen, except enough to do the wine stuff and me putting away things as I saw them during the day

The Washington Monument, the main Smithsonian building (the Castle) and the National Cathedral are all closed because of earthquake damage…. Wow… that’s weird it being on the East Coast. Perfectly understandable from the geology of the area, but….wow…

…and I think *I’m* suffering from quake damage! There’s actually a font that I can read perfectly, despite the dyslexia, read *perfectly*, no flipping…. I’ll tell you more tomorrow, but here’s a link. http://www.studiostudio.nl/lettertype-dyslexie/ I’m actually shivering. If you’ve never had to deal with it, you have no idea….

There’s a young bird sitting on the railing. Mama goes up to the feeder and eats and spits shells then comes back and the little guy waggles his wings and chirps and she starts stuffing what she’s eaten down his gullet. It’s really, really cute.

The shop is supposed to be closed today, but we’ll be there off and on during the afternoon. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

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NASA Science News for August 24, 2011 - Stars as cool as the human body? Believe it. A NASA spacecraft has discovered a half-dozen "Y dwarfs" with atmospheric temperatures as low as 80 F. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-na sa/2011/23aug_coldeststars/

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Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

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Daily Stuff 8-23-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 06:21 PM GMT Tarih: 23 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

Wine workshop tonight, 6pm!

It’s been a crazy morning, already. Got up very late, and trying to organize 5 people into the tasks that we’ve got for the day…. Sorry this is running so late!

The sun is trying to come out. The porch thermometer says it’s 75, which is nuts, but it means there’s at least enough sunlight to heat it up.

The feeder’s been busy this morning, mostly sparrows & chickadees. I was pointing out to Sam the distinguishing characteristics of the different sexes, species and age groups.

Blackberries are hitting their full stride. The guys picked more than a gallon yesterday and just under a gallon the day before! Nexes made blackberry muffins last night and he’s planning pancakes this morning and I’m thinking about begging for some with blackberries in ‘em. We’re talking about doing a couple of carboys of blackberry wine and I’m thinking seriously about blackberry liqueur, which I haven’t been able to do for a couple of years….

…and Sam put blackberries in my cereal and I have one of Nexes’ muffins. Yum!

Nexes and I were talking about “dead-heading” on the roses, which is the tech term for what I was doing with cutting off the spent blooms. They’re probably going to work on some of that today.

I did get into Newport yesterday to the sewing machine tech and spent a while talking over what was going on with my machine. Apparently, for one thing, the bobbin was cracked and a chip was out of the side. Also, it looks like I got the wrong bobbins for the machine! That explains a lot about why it’s constantly been going out and having to be re-adjusted. But it seems like I got the wrong ones right from the start… drattit…. But I got most of the machine-sewing done on the baby gifts and can finish ‘em off within an ½ hour and there’s only a tiny bit of hand-sewing to do. I’ve even got the box, already…..

…and then I went to Mai’s and explored in the Asian foods. We’ve got some new noodles to try and a couple of spice mixes… plus I bought a set of wooden tulips for very little that match the ones that I use on the altar in the spring. They just need a little glue and TLC.

We have plants to get into the garden, or pots, soonest, but our main priority today is getting the kitchen sorted to the point of being usable, so the plants are probably just going to get watered. We’re going to label some of the shelves along with sorting kitchen tools. …and clean off some of the pantry shelves so the noodles can get put up and we’ll have room to stock up for “storm supplies”. With five of us in the house at the moment it’s turning into absolute chaos….

The printer did get to the shop, but Sam was too busy to get it set up and we had one of those Mercury Retrograde misfires that meant that I had the computer all day and he couldn’t do the hookup and program installation. Well, at least I got the Pan-Pagan stuff mostly whomped into shape. It took *all* *afternoon* and most of the evening! A lot of that was back & forth with the folks that I didn’t manage to get to last week. …and the event invitations on Facebook went out. If you’re friended to the shop, you got one, so RSVP if you would, please. That helps a *lot*! …and we’re going to try to set up carpools from the south coast, the north coast, Portland and Eugene, since there are several sets of folks from those areas. E-mail the event address if you need to be in on a carpool, or if you have space, coming in from any of those areas. …Do we need carpools from Salem and Corvallis, too? We’ve got one person in Lebanon, already….

Sam’s going out to pick up things at the PO. We had several boxes come in by UPS yesterday. He’s also going to pick up the labeller from the shop and go to the hardware store to see if he can get shelf pins so we can get the last two shelves into the kitchen shelf unit. I’ve got to sort some of the Pan-Pagan stuff that came in this morning and get that into the appropriate files. …and laundry …and picking up the house and sweeping the porch and…. Busy!

Wow…the computer says it’s 72F, so maybe the porch thermometer hasn’t gone nuts….

…and I just heard on the news and looked it up, there was a 5.9 earthquake between Charlottesville and Richmond VA! Apparently they felt it in DC. …aren’t earthquakes like that supposed to be our problem out here? I told Sam that in 23 years of living in Maryland I felt *one* earthquake and that was a 3.4…. 5.9!!!!!!!

The shop is closed today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

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Daily Stuff 8-22-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 04:36 PM GMT Tarih: 22 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

The sun has shone through several times, but the overcast closes over it again, each time. Everything is dripping. It was only .04 inches of precipitation. I am *not* going to call it rain, since I went out in it and it wasn’t even quite drizzle, just dampness with the occasional feeling that a tiny droplet might have landed on you. The cedar is frosted with the drizzle and the eaves drip occasionally and all the colors look rich and clear.

It is one of the funniest and best things in life to watch one of your children really fall in love. To watch someone who’s always been a touch cynical about such things, get all gooey and romantic sends me into the whoops, but at the same time makes me so very, very happy. Arthur just posted this one his wall. “It is a risk to love. What is if doesn't work out? Ah, but if it does....” - Peter McWilliams.

There is a radio program that I listen to…have been listening to since it first started back in the late 80’s or early 90’s. I used to hear it on KOAP in Portland, and now out here on the KLCC repeater, or the way I’m listening now from their website. http://www.hos.com/ They broadcast the week’s program for free on Sundays. It’s all ambient and electronic music of the kind I most love. This is where I first found David Arkenstone, John Serrie, Aeoliah and 2002, some of my favorite artists. This program is called Desert Solitaire and features pieces by Steve Roach and Brian Parnam. I’ve ended up putting an ½ dozen new (to me) albums on my Amazon wishlist just because of listening to them on the computer.

There was a hummingbird trying to eat at the feeder. He looked really puzzled. Now, he’s resting on the line that holds it up…and just pooped. Ok, that’s making me giggle. Earlier the sparrows and chickadees were contending for the feeder and feathers flew. It almost looks like they’re molting. Isn’t this the time when most birds do?

A little chickadee, in one of the feather invasions when there are 20 or more birds trying to eat all at once seemed to get himself stuck in one of the feeder holes. His little feet were kicking and clawing trying to get a hold of the perch and his little tail was waggling. He suddenly popped loose and did a backflip off of the feeder….

Before I headed out, yesterday, I grabbed some bags and did rose and rosebud harvesting, doing a lot of trimming of old bloom bases (where petals had been) to encourage them to set more buds. The roses got revenge on me, though. I’m prickles all over! It’s almost the end of August and the bushes are still producing. That’s a little unusual, but we had such a long, late spring…

When we got to the shop, I started in on the class table right away and Nexes helped me finish setting up. Nine youngsters showed up very shortly after that, unlike last week when we were still waiting for them long after class was supposed to start.

Wicca 101 went well, although a couple of the youngsters were having problems staying awake and a couple of them crashed afterwards, one in the recliner and one on the sofa. Sam and Fawkes brought a big pot of spaghetti and meatballs down for lunch and then headed to Lincoln City with Fawkes’ fixed lawnmower. Tricia did some counseling with several of them, giving them advice on next steps in self-work mostly, while I started a Sewing Workshop. I cut out and then started sewing a baby blanket, pillow and flat teddybear-shaped pillow for a baby gift. Nexes machine quit after I got about 1/3 of the way done, though, so I stopped and let Kaylee get started on her dance outfit. She and Casey kept working on making fringe strips for her shawl for quite a while. They had pulled out a lot of boxes of fabric and I got sorted what has labels and what doesn’t, so we know which fabrics are “taken” and which can be grabbed by others at the various workshops.

Nexes did a class on sensing and strengthening auras that overlapped the workshop. It’s great having enough space to do that!

After that class I rounded up my orchid and about ½ of the students and Nexes and we headed for the Oregon Coast Garden Center for a “field trip”. On the way we were commenting on the plants along the highway and suddenly saw several across-the-highway wires that had birds all lined up. Is summer nearly over, when we’ve had only a little over a month of it? Yikes!

I consulted with the folks there about how to re-pot that orchid, since I couldn’t get it loose and that plant is getting desperate for help. It’s been in the same pot for at least 3 years, possibly 4, and was starting to get dying roots. They suggested leaving it alone until the flowers die back (I broke off the end of the stem by mistake in the car) and then running a knife around the inner pot to see if that will free it up. If not, they said to break the pot off of it, since the roots will eventually explode it. Wow….

After that I prowled through the displays and picked up a couple of fuschias, a 6-pack of red yarrow, 2 basic plants, another tall English lavender (and Nexes is eyeing the flowers!) since all of the ones we have are ended up fairly short, comparatively. I found the dollar table and got marigolds (we need flowers for making ointment!) dahlias, coleus and a couple of other oddments as well as two mums for the front garden.

I wandered with several of the students, 3 or 4 at any one time, as everyone scattered all over to look at things that caught their eyes including the water features and the dinosaur plants. One of those has a leaf that’s almost 3 feet long and across! Kaylee and Casey picked up a bonsai (which gave me some mini-garden ideas) and some of the others were making suggestions for the gardens, including a couple of offers to help build the waterfall/fountain/2nd pond for the backyard here that we’ve talked about for years, now. That sounds like that could turn into a project….

Today Sam will be at the shop. I’m heading for Newport with the sewing machines and fabrics in hand to consult with the tech who works on them, then I’ll be home and settle into the Pan-Pagan stuff, full-bore. The printer is supposed to come today and Sam will get that put together, and some of the other deliveries should happen today, which might lead to me heading back down to the shop late in the day. There’s still no 102 class tonight. …and it looks like it’s turning into an expedition to Newport. Looks like all the guys but Sam are coming, too! …and Sam re-filled the bird feeder….

The shop opens at 10 today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

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Daily Stuff 8-21-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 02:30 PM GMT Tarih: 21 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

Hmmm….overcast at 600 feet? It’s not foggy or anything, although the roof just dripped. 600 feet sounds like it ought to burn off later. The feeder is deserted at the moment….nope, just as I typed it was descended upon by chickadees.

The days are getting shorter by almost 3 minutes per, now. I noticed it last night while we were trying to get the last stuff done. The sun “set” over the buildings at just a little after the time we would normally close.

A hummingbirds zipped up to the window and then zipped away…

Sam made rolls yesterday morning, made a set last night and the breadmaker is clanking away in the kitchen again, right now. The students eat a lot on Sundays since the Job Corps doesn’t supply them with a lunch and unless we close everything down by 3, they don’t get dinner, either. I don’t’ know if he stayed up last night to make some kind of dinner (I think he was planning on his spicy mac & cheese) or if that’s what he’s working on, now.

After I got to the shop yesterday, I finally got the class table cleared, getting the rosebuds stripped and into the dehydrator, and all of the herbs hung up except for the one plant I’m still trying to identify. There’s stuff yet on the table, mostly bits and pieces that just didn’t make it to the proper place, but about 10 minutes will sort all that and then I can wipe down the table.

Herbs Workshop did a lot with preparing and storing herbs, also sorting the oils into the drawer of the compounding station. The Wax Workshop did a little work, but mostly talking, and then I got some ointment pots ordered so we can get the rose/bergamot salve properly put away. Mary got several examples made for her Crochet class for Pan-Pagan during the Sewing Workshop. I’m going to see if I can hang those on the bulletin board and I’m certainly going to take pictures.

Sam had an H&R meeting in Newport to go to during the day, so Fawkes and I were the ones there most of the day. It was pretty busy early on, but even though no one came in after Sewing Workshop we were there until 8:15 finishing up the inventory of the under-table stuff.

I also managed to order some other supplies for the shop and several sets of the Oregon Coast Scenery Cards that I designed and put up on Café Press. Sam and I also did some research on Nag Champa and I think we may have a new supplier! I’m out of the old cones…which were definitely not the best, so we’re going to see what we can do about ordering some samples from this new place.

Today we have Wicca 101 at 10am, two more classes at 12:30 and 1:30 and then Herbs Outdoors at 3pm. Sam’s making a hot lunch for the students. I’ve got to go harvest rose petals, since the white and red rosebushes are finally blooming.

The shop opens at 10 today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

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Daily Stuff 8-20-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 03:55 PM GMT Tarih: 20 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

Golden shafts of light, fog in the cedars with the sun behind it, blue sky, this looks like a glorious day! I’m looking at a lot of pink by the alder again. Time to pick rose petals, it looks like. …and where did that red one come from?

I harvested a lot of yarrow again yesterday, gathered as I headed out to the shop. There were even two of the yellow ornamental blooms that were ready. There was a bit of cinquefoil, and some large yellow rose petals, even a little hebe. I got almost all of it processed, but there’s still plenty on the table for the Herbs Workshop this morning. We’ll be grinding yarrow, testing to see if various “bits” are dry enough for processing and stripping rosebuds, along with hanging more material to dry.

I heard from Aradian yesterday. His mother Crossed Thursday afternoon. I know a lot of people who read this remember him and would like to know. Our sympathies to him in this difficult time…

Sam went to Lincoln City yesterday afternoon to pick up Fawkes and they shopped their way back, bringing Fawkes’s lawn mower that Sam’s going to work on today.

I managed to do a little work on jewelry yesterday, in between spates of working on the Pan-Pagan Gathering information. I think I’m going to have the “blurbs” and the class list ready pretty soon. There are only a couple of hold-ups on that at the moment. …and it was a couple of pairs of earrings that got done….

None of the Job Corps students will be in today.

Fawkes and I and Nexes (I think) will be available for readings all day. The Small Engine Wizard will be able to be reached by phone except for very early in the day when he’ll be at the shop for a few minutes.

We have Herbs Workshop at 10am and Sewing Workshop at 3pm. If Nexes is there today, I believe he was intending to work on staff materials at 1pm. If not, I’ll be doing a demonstration of preparing wax for salves & ointments.

The shop opens at 10 today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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Daily Stuff 8-9- 11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 04:29 PM GMT Tarih: 19 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

A friend's child is going in for an operation today overseas. Mom can't be there and is asking for prayers.

The roof of the house next door is steaming in the brilliant sunshine. I’m chilly, not that it’s actually chilly, just *I* am chilly. I really didn’t want to wake up and I’m pretty sure I was asleep around 10 last night.

I did get the crystals pictures to finally work right. Here’s the address to look at them. http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.146352920 3921.43348.1704231146&l=d5ed85490f&type=1 I still haven’t put the pottery pictures up, but I did get a couple of pictures of embroidery taken and up here. They’re the first two in the album http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.103519053 5722.5099.1704231146&l=af5110e8b0&type=1

I managed to get a bunch of the plant materials sorted out and hung up, but didn’t finish. I was trying to ID one of the plants. Small yellow flowers, pointy leaves, very tall spike, like foxglove or mullein, but neither of those. Nexes knows where he got the kinnikinnick so we’re going to harvest some more. I never got to the roses which let to a bunch of buds bouncing across the floor when someone tried to move a tipped-over bag…. Gotta do those today….

The Crone’s tea had 5 of us and it sounds like there will be more for the next one. We’re thinking about once a month, probably some time in the late full moon. We’re also talking over the possibility of a discussion group at Pan-Pagan and maybe some classes, later. The next Tea is set for 9/15.

Sam and I have to do the “under-table” stuff and the inventory will finally be done. …just in time to start next month’s. It shouldn’t be this bad again, though, since I’ve gotten most of the stray things re-labeled. Well, I can hope.

We’re still not sure who’s going to get Fawkes today, probably Sam since he’s got an issue with his lawn mower. We’re *trying* to get to the shop on time, so we’ll see.

I’m going to try to get the sets of class/workshop/discussion information fully put together during the day, today. I’ve promised the Coos Bay group a full rendition and I have several sets of information to put into proper form, but the class list ought to get completed in the next couple of days.

Oh, there are more used books on the shelf again! I got some more copies of Valiente’s Natural Magic, a copy of Circle Round, one of Starhawk’s Earth Path, and another of Spiral Dance.

The shop opens at 10 today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

NASA Science News for August 18, 2011 - For the first time, a spacecraft far from Earth has turned and watched a solar storm engulf our planet. The movie, released today during a NASA press conference, has galvanized solar physicists, who say it could lead to important advances in space weather forecasting. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-na sa/2011/18aug_cmemovie/

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

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Daily Stuff 8-18-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 04:04 PM GMT Tarih: 18 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

Everything is dripping with dew. It’s actually running down the roof of the house next door. There’s a light mist, only enough to ornament the trees.

The feeder is covered with sparrows. There’s a constant flutter, since there are more birds than feeding holes. Sam refilled it yesterday morning and there’re already 4 inches of that gone. I watched yesterday as the birds ate steadily, but could they really have eaten nearly another inch since dawn? I heard something out there last night. Some noises woke me around 1:30am, but I couldn’t see anything.

Sam and I spent yesterday morning doing various small chores and then he headed for the shop and I settled down to getting serious about some of the newsletter files. Once those were done I got to work on Pan-Pagan. We have about ½ of the class information and it’s all entered into the file for the event pamphlet. If worst comes to worst I’ll just print that file…. I got a set of pictures cropped and ready to put up on Facebook and the website …and then couldn’t get them uploaded! I’ve uploaded them multiple times and they just disappear. I can’t get them properly tagged if I can’t find them! Worse, I’ve seen them a couple of times and then when I go to edit them, they vanish. I finally gave up on those. Hopefully, whatever was glitching won’t today and I can get the pictures added and captioned. These are all going into the same crystals file as the last set. http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.146352920 3921.43348.1704231146&l=d5ed85490f&type=1 There are pictures of the new earrings, rings and bead/pendants. I have another file of pottery, too, and a few pix of embroidery that I want to take today.

Sam was constantly busy yesterday. He never got even a couple of minutes to work on some of the measuring that needs to be done. I’m pretty sure that he didn’t manage to get any hooks up, either. I still have some long things that need to be hung where they won’t get hit, like thistles. Unfunny to walk into those… I’m hoping we’re going to get onto those this morning.

Late in the day I got a big pan of chicken into the oven. I’m figuring chicken salad. After he closed the shop, Sam came flying in and told me to get into the car. “They sky’s all red. I saw it from Crestline. We’ve gotta go look!” So, we quickly rolled down to Patterson Park, getting there just in time to watch the sun slip behind the horizon cloud layer. It was very, very red, the perfect sunset red. There was enough atmospheric layering to distort the perfect ½ disc that we first saw into blocks that were perfectly squared off on the edges. There was just a touch of green as it slipped from sight. We drove back up the hill admiring the Girdle of Venus, the amazing pink band in the east that quickly lifted and slipped into night. By the time we got our plates filled and went into the study it was already deep twilight.

We spent a while talking over what we’d been doing and then got a new printer ordered for the shop. I was finishing up some of the bits and pieces that I had been working on and went to bed early.

I had trouble getting my eyes open even after 8 hours of sleep, but I’m up and talking to a couple of my kids online.

I have to get those plants hung and process the roses that Raven harvested yesterday, and probably some yarrow, since there’s at least some that’s ready. I know I have a reading this morning and the Crones’ Tea is at 3 and Wicca 101 at 5. That means we’ll be open until at least 7 and probably after that.

…the sun’s risen high enough to touch the branches of the blue spruce. It’s covered with dew and looks frosted.

…and the birds have eaten more than another inch of seed, just since I got out here!!!!!

The shop opens at 10 today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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Daily Stuff 8-17-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 04:19 PM GMT Tarih: 17 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

I didn’t realize that it was possible to sleep that much…

I’m sorry about yesterday. I got nailed by the migraine early Monday evening and it just flattened me. I started to recover last night, but I still feel pretty awful.

Sam just refilled the bird feeder. He persists in calling the small birds, “junkies”. I *was* assuming he thought they were juncos and was just saying it funny, but he commented this morning that one of the ingredients in the seed mix is “crack corn” and that they’re addicted….. With the way that the feeder emptied over the last few days, both of us are wondering if the “toddlers in fur pj’s” are back.

The angle of the morning sun is really changing, now. I got hit in the face when I went into the bathroom this morning. Uncivilized…. The days are getting shorter by over 2 ¾ minutes each day. I know that when we leave the shop late we’re looking at a setting sun. It seems like summer just started, but the year is definitely waning.

Monday was a busy day. Sam was supposed to just drop me off, run his errands and be back by lunchtime. Nope, didn’t happen that way. I don’t remember what nailed him down at this point, but he just couldn’t get loose until way later than we planned. I worked with customers and in between whomped through getting stuff for the Pan-Pagan Gathering together. I got a few stitches into the large embroidery, although I still need to get some “progress pictures” of that. I also got a lot of pictures of the new stock and my “amber lady” stopped by. I’m really hoping she’ll be back in the fall, since I couldn’t buy all that much. I did get a couple of new rings and a few pairs of earrings.

Sam finally got back 4-ish and I decided that it made more sense to just stay put until he was ready to head home …and then the migraine hit. I’m really annoyed because it meant I lost a full day and I’m not going to get very far on things today, even….and I had a *lot* to do! Marius and I were supposed to try to get the Pan-Pagan schedule done last night….that didn’t happen, either, but since I haven’t heard back from all of the teachers, yet, maybe that’s ok. Speaking of which…. If I don’t have your info, please hurry on that? It was due Monday….

I was talking to Darwinia about gardens and realized that I have to put the late season peas and beans in. I don’t know that I’ll have a spot in with the herbs, but I’m going to get some into the planter boxes at the very least. I’m going to work on that during Herbs Outdoors and then get into the main garden beds. Sam and I have to build something to rescue my spanish lavender. It got pretty large over the last few years and it’s splitting away from itself in the middle. Rosebuds need to be harvested again, and yarrow. I’m almost done with harvesting the garlics and once those are all up, we’re going to turn that bed and put in some lettuces and other greens. Sweetgrass needs to be harvested. I’ve gotten a little over ¼ of the bed properly weeded and harvested.

This is *so* not the most coherent post, but I don’t want it to go out too late, so I’m going to let it stand. I’ll try to do better tomorrow.

The shop is closed today. Someone should be there later in the day for a while. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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Daily Stuff 8-15-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 04:01 PM GMT Tarih: 15 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

Today is the last day of the calendar and almanac special. Call the shop. Contact me by e-mail or Facebook to place your order.

The computer weather says it’s overcast. Where? The sunshine’s a little thin, granted, from a high veil of cloud, but it feels like “overcast” is the wrong word.

Oh, the Moon has been beautiful the last few nights! We’ve seen her rising, tangled in the cedars, hanging in the pink velvet of the east side of the sunset, floating serenely in a night sky washed almost clean of stars, and last night, so very, very bright during the night that each leaf on the trees was clear.

First thing yesterday morning I took pictures of the new crystals. You can find them here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.146352920 3921.43348.1704231146&l=d5ed85490f&type=1

The Job Corps bus was late. We got a bunch of things done, tiny chores, while we were waiting. There were 7 in the class and it’s been the quietest one, yet! We were all having trouble staying awake and alert. Nexes took Fawkes home during the Wicca 101 class. Amethyst Mahoney got there to do readings around then. She was at the shop all day. It was great to get a chance to get to know her, a bit. She’ll be coming in to do readings fairly regularly and for Pan-Pagan. Tricia came in to do a class on Magickal Tools and then Nexes did a Crystal Healing class. After that he took the young folks on a hike, then they ate and then headed back to the Center.

I was at the shop for the rest of the day, mostly working on the Pan-Pagan documents. We’re almost ready to send out flyers. I did spend a little time working on the embroidered robe and then got the finished motifs glued into my embroidery cabinet front. I wonder if I’ll get any farther on that today.

First thing this morning is to get pictures of the new pendants and some more of the pottery, since I’m still missing a few pictures of those. Sam’s running into Newport to do errands, deposits, pay some bills, etc. There’s no class tonight, so we’ll probably be closing close to on time.

The shop opens at 10am today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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Daily Stuff 8-14-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 03:14 PM GMT Tarih: 14 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

Everything is dripping from dew. The jay that woke me squawking outside is on the feeder. He chased off the sparrows. There was a hummingbirds flying around examining everything. He flew up to the blue glass ball at the top of the bamboo chime and may have tried to peck it since he shook his head as though his beak hurt before flying away.

Yesterday was another long day at the shop. I started in working in the back and got some of the overburden sorted out, but not nearly as much as I wanted to….well, I want to do with my wand what some of the Harry Potter types do… just wave it and say something… and it doesn’t work. It’d be *so* nice if it would all just jump into the right boxes…. I did get a bag made so we can finish the lavender and we managed to get one box of it pretty well finished.

The Herbs Class had a lot of fun collecting yesterday. We have a lot of stuff to process.

The Sewing Workshop had 3 people …or 5, depending on how you count…. I got some more done on the robe and then I spent a little time on the tiny motifs for my sewing box. I have two of them done and I’ll glue them in today, I hope.

Wicca 101 is 10am-Noon and then Tricia is doing Magickal Tools from 12:30-1:30. Nexes is doing Energy Work from then until 2:30 and then Herbs Outdoors will be up in the gardens.

Penultimate day if you want 2012 almanacs or calendars! … I’m placing the order on Monday! I’ve already gotten some of the stuff ordered, but it’s only if you get hold of me by Monday that you’ll get the special prices! Don’t wait! The list is at the bottom of this e-mail.

The shop opens at 10am today, but we’ll be there by 9am. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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Daily Stuff 8-13-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 02:29 PM GMT Tarih: 13 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

There was a Stellar Jay on the feeder long before the sun was up, at a time, when there were only a few holes in the clouds on the horizon and just a faint glow. Now, sparrows and chickadees are constantly covering the feeder. When one leaves, another lands and there’s a lovely pale gold glow on the upper side of the dark grey and gold clouds in the east.

It turned out to be lovely after the clouds burned off, yesterday. Well, most of them burned off. It turns out that the “partly cloudy” was mostly cirrus, the high, stripy stuff. Fawkes, Nexes and I ended up enjoying the whole day in shopping, talking and laughing….a lot. We got all the errands run and got back to the house around 5:30 and then needed to be back at the shop for esbat at 7pm.

Sam was at the shop all day working on paperwork.

We did go over Pan-Pagan last night. I think we’ve got a pretty good line-up! We’re almost to the point of putting the schedule together, but I’m waiting to hear from a few more people.

I’ve got to spend a little time this morning cleaning up in the classroom area. Sam’s coming with me to move some of the heavier stuff in back, since things are piling up again and making the back not as usable. I can’t reach some of the shelves!

Herbs Workshop is going to take off to the marsh east of Beaver Creek and do some plant collecting. We’re going to spend time I.D.’ing in the afternoon and then Sewing Workhshop is at 3pm.

If you want almanacs or calendars… I’m placing the order on Monday! I’ve already gotten some of the stuff ordered, but it’s only if you get hold of me by Monday that you’ll get the special prices! Don’t wait! The list is at the bottom of this e-mail.

The shop opens at 10am today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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Daily Stuff 8-12-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 04:30 PM GMT Tarih: 12 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

Esbat tonight!

It’s clouded over at about 500 feet. They’re talking about partly cloudy all day, but that actually sounds more like it’s going to burn off and be beautiful again.

I’m having trouble getting moving this morning. Just not awake, even after extra hours of sleep! It’s been a rough couple of days. 10 and 11 hour work-days take it out of you. I’m still trying to pull Pan-Pagan together. I’m hoping we’re going to work on that tonight.

We’re supposed to test the push mower at some point today. Sam’s got it all done and back together and it even will cut *paper*. He’s good.

…and I need to remember to turn on the sprinklers in the garden. This is a perfect day to water.

We’re got the compounding station put back together and all the clean jars are tucked into their box. I *think* everything that I was working on is sorted around and I’ll be at the shop long enough before esbat to make sure we’re ready for the weekend.

I got a new order put together for bindis. I bought what I though would last us all year last month and we were down to three packages?!?!?! So, we’re got more coming in. I’ll let you know when they arrive. I’ve also got tarot decks ordered, some more books, bell strings and so on. I still haven’t placed the flag string order.

If you want almanacs or calendars… I’m placing the order on Monday! I’ve already gotten some of the stuff ordered, but it’s only if you get hold of me by Monday that you’ll get the special prices! Don’t wait! The list is at the bottom of this e-mail.

Nexes and I are heading north to pick up Fawkes, make the bank deposit, drop off the sewing machine and do a little shopping. I’ll come home and get things ready for some baking and then we have esbat tonight.

First dove I’ve seen is sitting on the railing. Looks like a ringed turtle-dove and the book says they only show up in LA? What?

Sam opens the shop at 10am today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Space Weather News for Aug. 12, 2011 - http://spaceweather.com
METEOR SHOWER: The Perseid meteor shower is underway. International observers are now reporting more than 20 meteors per hour as Earth passes through a stream of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle. Forecasters expect the shower to peak on the night of Aug. 12-13. The best time to look is during the hours before dawn on Saturday morning, August 13th, when the glaring Moon is relatively low and meteor rates are highest. Visit http://spaceweather.com for full coverage.
WATCH OUT FOR THE SPACE STATION, TOO: Consider it a cosmic coincidence. During the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, the International Space Station will fly over many US towns and cities. The behemoth spacecraft is easy to see if you know when to look. Check SpaceWeather.com's Simple Satellite Tracker for flyby times: http://spaceweather.com/flybys/

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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Daily Stuff 8-11-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 04:10 PM GMT Tarih: 11 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

Wicca 101 tonight at 5pm!

The roof of the house next door is *steaming*!

There was a raven that tapped on the window this morning. I opened it and he backed off, but then came back and stood in the window, bobbing his head the way they do and sidling back and forth. I asked if he wanted a cracker and said it was ok to grab one, but he made no move toward it, so I got up and went over to make sure he got one. I pushed the package toward him, but he just looked at me, so I got a cracker out and held it out and he took it from my fingers! Is someone taming them in this area?

Now the porch is covered with sparrows, seed bits and flutterings. The chickadees are cleaning up the bits that have landed on the railing and the clematis vines are inhabited.

Yesterday I had a crow in the shop. I heard something ticking on the concrete and looked over the counter expecting to see a pooch of some kind and here was this crow sauntering along. I said something and he just looked at me and made a sound,…dunno what to call it, not a squawk, more like a cluck, actually, sounded a bit like a 5-month-old that’s trying to get something it can’t reach... He flew up on the display case and looked all around, then took off, flying toward the curtain divider, then did a banking turn in front of it and flew out the front door!

…and I’m out of time to write. I got caught by a couple of people online and I gotta get to the shop!

The shop opens at 10am today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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Daily Stuff 8-10-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 04:01 PM GMT Tarih: 10 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

Sunlight is striking through the cedars and lighting up all over. The sun is already so much farther south that the angle difference is really obvious. …a little while later, I’m sitting here with my coffee. The sunlight still has the golden quality and it’s turning the alder leaves to precious metal.

I’m watching a sparrow with a spotted stomach eating bits of tortilla chip from the feeder tray. There are tails sticking out of all 12 slots in the feeder, just this one guy hanging onto the edge!

Raven and Nexes harvested the roses yesterday, so there’s a lot less pink visible from the window. I have to sit down out there and get the cinquefoil and some more yarrow this morning before I head down to the shop. Sam’s supposed to finish the drawers so we can put ‘em back in today.

I spent a while yesterday finding and counting various herbs and crystal bags that had come home at some point. I knew there were several bags. I didn’t realize just how many! At any rate, most are done and some are just going to get put with other not-quite-ready stock.

I also managed some time on the Pan-Pagan Gathering stuff. We’re not going nuts this year, no big names, just a lot of fun people to play with, learn from and talk with. We have one set of classes set up and a 2nd pretty well together.

On a practical level Nexes and I got some of the kitchen work done. I got the avalanche of clean stuff sorted out. Nexes and Raven cleared the blackberries out of the rugosa. Sam fixed the oven drawer and is going to clean it today. He also got the bedknife for the lawn mower completely sharpened to his satisfaction and did a lot of banging and making loud noises from his shop. Dunno *what* he was up to, but he sounded busy….

Today I have to get the inventory of the cases done. I’m going to do it on my own, since it’s really complicated. Yes, I’m going to be at the shop today. I’m not going to push to get there by 10, but it shouldn’t be too long past that.

There’s no Herbs Outdoors class today. We’ve got a 102 class scheduled at the shop for

I have an order for flag strings & banners that’s going out today. If there’s something you’ve been thinking about this would be a good time to say something and I’ll make sure we have at least one. I only place an order about once a year, so this is the time to ask!

The crows and ravens have shown up for their morning snack. One of the crows is really complaining at the ravens.

The shop is closed on Wednesdays, but I’ll be there at least part of the day. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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Daily Stuff 8-9-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 04:53 PM GMT Tarih: 09 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

Sam’s and my son, Ricky, posted this as his status, yesterday. “Absent-minded professor strikes again: I got up from talking to DD to make breakfast and do laundry. Thinking about what we were talking about, I put my breakfast bowl in the dryer and went into the kitchen to get my laundry out of the microwave. I then wondered where the laundry had vanished to, since I'd just put it in an hour ago, and realized what I had done.” I commented on it, “I'm remembering cleaning coffee out of the dryer here at one point...and pieces of coffee cup. Ya haven't changed much, Mr. Legally Blond! ...and we love you all the more for it.” It’s nice to know that a decade and some change, doesn’t make things change all that much!

Another quote from Lupa Bi, “I am officially done with my Master's degree classes for good. Now just to get through three weeks of internship, and then I can get my actual diploma!” That’s really fantastic news! Congratulations, Lupa!

…and some sadder news, Brandon Tweed’s grandfather Crossed a couple of nights ago. Send Brandon and the rest of his family your sympathies.

It’s pretty cloudy this morning. Earlier there was a lemon meringue color by the horizon. Now, it’s mostly shattered cloud backed by clear blue sky…but there’s a lot of the cloud. I’m hoping it’ll burn off some.

I’ve been watching birds for a while. There’s a twitchy pair of chickadees on the feeder right now, but the flock of sparrows headed for the rugosa just before. There’ve been a lot of hummingbirds, mostly in the roses (oh, we gotta get those harvested today!)

…

…3 hours later… I went back to bed and we slept in. Right now there’s a Stellar Jay on the feeder with his mohawk all fluffed up. The birds have cleaned off all the stale crumpets that got put out last night.

The sky ended up hazy. The sunlight is milky and thin.

We pushed pretty hard yesterday. We’re working on loooooooooong hours at the shop again, almost as long as when we were trying to get ready for the Opening. Sam and I work well together, always have, and we enjoy it, but we also like time to curl up and read and to do things separately.

I got the back cleaned up and re-set with help from Rowan. The compounding station looks a little weird at the moment, because in cleaning out the drawers we decided that two of them were far too icky to deal with by wiping down. I’m gonna scrub ‘em with some strong soap. Once that’s done and they’re dry and back in, I can get some of the tool clutter off the top of the bench and sorted better. I also found another whole box of herbs in back, when I was trying to figure out where the rest of the oils had gone. So we’re back to fully stocked!

Btw, Rowan is dealing with a relative’s kitty that has a bad infection from some kind of attack. Good energy towards that cat would be helpful.

I’m also thinking that I’m going to want to scrub the work surface, both of that and of the counter where we have the coffee and tea. Both of ‘em have areas of “sticky” that are gummy and are picking up dirt that can’t be scrubbed off with hot water. We’re also going to have to do the floor, since not all of the sauce was eaten by humans. Apparently the classroom floor was complaining that it was hungry, too!

After that Sam and I both worked on computer stuff and eventually got going on some more of the inventory. We’re within spitting distance, but this is the hard stuff, things that need to be reset physically, or in the computer list, as well as found, put up, etc. It took me almost an hour just to do the buttons! We did finish the BoS stuff, the CD’s and about 100 lines of miscellaneous things that keep vanishing and reappearing.

…and I’m really glad that I decided to mark everything with price tags. If it weren’t for that we’d *never* get some of this sorted!

I have most of work done on this week’s orders, and two of the five placed.

…but today is our “home day”. I have some things even here that I’m counting and inventorying, but I have to get the newsletter files sorted, house chores going, and then get going on the Pan-Pagan planning. We’re starting to put the event pamphlet together. We also have to work on laundry and kitchen and weeidng….so what else is new? I also need to clean up the wreck that happened in our bedroom, when I let the “to be sorted” pile of laundry (stuff from storage, odd stuff in boxes, etc. that I washed) build up too high and last night it hit critical mass… I’m not sure it’s not breeding, actually….

The shop is closed on Tuesdays. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Space Weather News for August 9, 2011 - http://spaceweather.com
X-FLARE: This morning at 0805 UT, sunspot 1263 produced an X7-class solar flare--so far the most powerful flare of new Solar Cycle 24. The brunt of the explosion was not Earth directed. Even so, a minor solar proton storm is in progress around our planet, and the flare also created waves of ionization in Earth's upper atmosphere. Visit http://spaceweather.com for images and more information.

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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Daily Stuff 8-8-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 04:15 PM GMT Tarih: 08 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

For some reason, (well, I went to bed at 9pm) I woke just at the beginning of morning twilight. It’s beautifully clear, and I went outside to look at the sky for a couple of moments. Jupiter was marvelously bright and I saw several shooting stars in a few minutes before my feet started to insist that they were turning into ice blocks. …an hour later they’re still not warm, but it was worth it! Now, there’s a lovely tangerine color on the horizon and a few small clouds to the south, but overhead it’s perfectly clear. They’re talking about fog, but there’s none yet. I think I’m going to go curl back up next to Sam and sleep for a little, again.

Two hours later it’s not quite so perfectly clear. There’s a line of clouds across the horizon. A pair of ravens are chowing down on the remains of the rice pudding from yesterday. The sunshine is bright, but the sky is rather white….oughta burn off later, though.

Sam, Fawkes and I got to the shop early yesterday, and then they went on to Lincoln City. Nexes and Raven showed up around 9, as I was cleaning up the class table. We had 13 students yesterday from Job Corps. Nexes took several of them to the Pathways Fair and apparently there were a lot more fakes there than usual. He doesn’t have any tolerance for that, at all, and they seem to have made some of our students really uncomfortable.

The classes at the shop went really well. The smaller group helped. Sam went up to the house and made a spaghetti and meatballs dinner that the kids really liked and brought it back down for them. By the end of the day everyone was pretty tired and we closed up at the usual time, went home, ate and went to bed.

Sam and I will be at the shop today. We’re hoping to get a little farther on the inventory. We’re getting places, but it just takes so long…. I have work to do in the classroom and on herbs, as well, and I want to finally get the embroidery display changed around so it works. We’re also talking about getting the measurements for the new pottery display done and maybe the supports onto the shelf I also want to work out the design for the spell candle display and I have a couple of orders to place.

Today would be a good day to come get your calendars ordered! The biggest discount is if you pre-pay, but you still get 10% off if you pre-order. I’m probably not going to carry as many as usual this fall, so if you want ‘em, better order. That offer expires on the 15th.

The shop opens at 10 this morning, but I will be there a bit after 8am. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

NASA Science News for August 1, 2011 - Today's story from Science@NASA unveils Dawn's first full-frame image of Vesta and describes the unique way Dawn entered orbit around the giant asteroid. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-na sa/2011/01aug_smoothmove/

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***

Today
The Moon is waxing gibbous. The morning sky planets (5am) are Jupiter, Pluto, Neptune & Uranus. Mars is barely crawling over the horizon. Saturn, Mercury & the Moon are the evening planets at 9pm.
Celtic Tree Month Coll Hazel Aug 5 - Sep 1
Goddess Month of Kerea runs from 7/11 - 8/8
Runic half-month of Thorn, 7/29-8/12 - Northern Tradition honors the god known to the Anglo-Saxons as Thunor and to the Norse as Thor (right). The time of Thorn is one of ascendant powers and orderliness. This day also honors the sainted Norwegian king, Olaf, slain around Lammas Day. Its traditional calendar symbol is an axe.
Sun in Leo
Moon inSagittarius
Mercury is Retrograde. It will be retrograde through the 26th and finally be released on September 9th. Good article http://www.astrologycom.com/mercret.html Mercury finally moved into Libra this morning, thank goodness!
Mercury, Ceres, Uranus, Vesta, Neptune and Pluto Retrograde
Color: Silver

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Daily Stuff 8-7-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 02:22 PM GMT Tarih: 07 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

It’s still early and fairly dark. The birds don’t care. The feeder has been covered with sparrows since before it really started to get light.

I got up an hour early because we have a lot that need to get done this morning and I have to be at the shop around 8.

When we got to the shop, Eric was already mostly set up. He had his two girls and their cousin with him and they ran in and out all day. Roy was there and we spent quite a while discussing some of his new findings. Herbs Indoors processed a lot of the different herbs. Nexes and Veda went to Tricia’s and harvested quite a lot of comfrey because we didn’t have much of a leaf crop this year. The oils class set up a rose fragrance oil and individual blends for each of the 4 students….that’s the first time I’ve had two five-year-olds in class. Nexes had several people in his class and I curled up for a nap while he was teaching. The next class didn’t happen, but the Sewing Workshop started almost on time with two of us. I did the mending on Fawkes ritual robe and added a patch that he wanted.

Nexes and Fawkes had fun at the house. Fawkes got to cook and made a wonderful pasta sauce, then Nexes went up to the house late in the day with Veda and they made pizza. Sam and I were at the shop until well past 8pm because the folks from Eugene who had gone to Pathways let us know that they were going to stop in. Elan and I got to talk, which we needed to. She has a shop in Eugene and we’ve been talking about trading teachers for various events.

Today’s classes are:
10am – Wicca 101, Lesson 1
12:30pm – Illuminations
1:30pm – Staff workshop
3pm – Grinding Dried Herbs
4pm – Making Salves
5pm - Magickal Embroidery

The shop opens at 10 this morning, but I will be there a bit after 8am. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

NASA Science News for August 1, 2011 - Today's story from Science@NASA unveils Dawn's first full-frame image of Vesta and describes the unique way Dawn entered orbit around the giant asteroid. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-na sa/2011/01aug_smoothmove/

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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Daily Stuff 8-6-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 03:27 PM GMT Tarih: 06 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

The typical morning overcast is making everything dim, green & cool. It’s supposed to start burning off mid-morning.

Unlike the last several days the feeder is already busy. There’s a jay right now, pecking his way around and the sparrows keep landing on the opposite side, then flying back into the clematis vine. Hummingbirds are all over again. One is sitting in the rosebush flicking his wings.

I harvested cinquefoil before I headed to the shop yesterday, some sweetgrass and a handful of lavender. That’s the last of the lavender crop, but I’m going to be harvesting sweetgrass for weeks, yet.

Nexes came in for a bit in the morning and we worked out what we needed from the Herb Store before he left with Leah. They had a lot of fun yesterday and told everyone about it last night. I didn’t get around to putting away some of the new herbs last night, so that’s the task for Herbs Indoors this morning.

Sam and I worked on inventory all day yesterday. We managed to get the whole herb wall done and the windows. I finally worked out where to put all the pouches and then did some of the miscellaneous pieces that are so hard to find.

I never got to the drawers in the compounding table or to the herbs, but I opened the dehydrator last night and will get those rosebuds into baskets this morning. In Herbs Indoors, we’ll have some herbs to hang up for drying, to cut up for drying, to “basket” for drying, and we’ll be sorting a labeling some of the new herbs.

The fresh lavender wands and the new sweetgrass braids are in a basket up front that still needs a sign and I tracked down a few more stray necklaces in the course of doing inventory.

Whoo! I just about dove into next *week*! Another bird bounced off the study window, one of the sparrows.

This is our Psychic Fair weekend, and also the Pathways to Transformation Fair weekend! Neither fair requires admission. They have 60 vendors, readers and psychics. We’re supposed to have some vendors, too, but we’re not certain who is going to be out front this weekend. Eric, the Tie-Dye Guy? DeeHodgepodge & Roycecraft leather? Some new folks? I’ve been talking to folks for a couple of weeks and I’m still not sure….

We’re more certain about the various free classes & workshops. Here’s this weekend’s schedule:
8/6 - Saturday 10am - Herbs Indoors Workshop
Noon - Making Oils
1pm – Energy Work
2pm – Cleaning & Scenting Wax for Candles
3pm – Sewing Workshop, bring your projects! (else, you’ll be working on pouches…)
8/7- Sunday, 10am – Wicca 101, Lesson 1
12:30pm – Illuminations
1:30pm – Staff workshop
3pm – Grinding Dried Herbs
4pm – Making Salves
5pm - Magickal Embroidery

The shop opens at 10, this morning, but I should be there a little early and we’ll definitely stay late this evening. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Space Weather News for August 5, 2011 - http://spaceweather.com
CME IMPACT: A coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth's magnetic field on August 5th around 1800 UT, setting the stage for possible geomagnetic storms on August 5th and 6th. Analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab report that the impact may have compressed Earth's magnetosphere enough to directly expose some satellites in geosynchronous orbit to solar wind plasma. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras after nightfall. Check http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates.

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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Daily Stuff 8-5-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 04:01 PM GMT Tarih: 05 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

It’s dim and very green outside with a couple patches of pink where Sam can’t reach some of the roses and white where blackberries are peeking through the other plants.

Sam just set out a chunk of stale bread and within seconds…even before I heard the door shut, there’s a crow standing on it. It’s fastened down by being stuck to the “raccoon preventer”, so the crow is standing on it, pecking repeatedly to stuff his beak. …now, he’s flown away. …and back for more… and must have gotten attacked on the other roof since now there are several of ‘em squabbling over there. There’ve been hummingbirds this morning. I’ve seen more than a dozen. There was also a chickadee who entertained me for a while with his fluttering and chirping. Noisy little guy….

We had a lot of things to go to the shop again, not like yesterday, but still some clean dishes (from the ones that we missed on Wednesday….) horehound, hydrangea, lavender and a bag of mixed bits and pieces of herbs, and a couple of bolts of fabric along with the usual baskets and boxes. I had harvested the cinquefoil, just before heading for the shop, several roses and other herb bits and the lavender, clearing all of the English lavender in the main garden. There’s a bit left on the bushes out front, but it may be all dried up. I’ll check it this morning.

Sam had a several tasks when we first got to the shop, so I went into the back and worked on the plants, gradually working my way through the trays as I got the rosebuds stripped, stacking the drying trays and getting the dehydrator ready. That didn’t get started until long after Rowan got to the shop, late in the afternoon.

I had to stop for a while because we’ve been having trouble with e-mails, both stuff going to the shop and going out from the house. It was complicated because it involved several service providers and 8 e-mail addresses and forwarding and so on. I think it took us two hours, and there were e-mails to send out from home in the evening.

I got the work table sorted out. It’s not done, but it’s a lot better and much more useable. It looks like what happened was me getting sick last weekend. When I wasn’t there and folks needed the space on the table, everything got stacked on the compounding station. Not a problem once I got back there and started putting things away!

When Nexes showed up he started in on lavender wands and we got a shock. Someone had piled most of the ones that he’s been making into a plastic box and the ones on the bottom molded. I hated to do it, but those all landed in the burn bin. We’ve got a whole basket now with dried lavender in the bottom, drying sweetgrass braids in the middle and the newest lavender wands around the edge.

There’s a raven, now, interested in the stale bread. He looks like he’s sneaking up on it, since he’s walking carefully. …omg, he got the whole piece! He had to fight to fly, but landed on the roof next door.

I did get the dracaena tied up. It’s not pretty, but it will grow straight, now. I also got the yarrow hung for drying, once I stripped it of its leaves. The flowers dry well, hung up, but I’m finding that the leaves are easier to deal with if I dry them separately in baskets.

I started on the workstation drawers, but just didn’t get enough time. We were busy with a lot of customers yesterday.

During the afternoon, Sam and I finally got the crystals wall inventoried. It was a slog since things were mixed up and he hasn’t dealt with the messed up titles for things before, but that’s done. We’re gradually getting the in-depth inventory (that was a dire necessity) finished.

Late in the day, before the 101 class got going, I did a reading for someone. I had put a bunch of the things that I want to move to the other window shelf on that table, so I had to clean it off, first!

Nexes and Rowan were working on the dried lavender yesterday, the stuff that’s been being set out in boxes for weeks, now. It’s dry enough to rub the blossoms off and then the whole 101 class got involved in it. I think I need to get a bag made to do that in. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought about that before!

I managed to clear 1/3 of my to-do list, yesterday! That’s a record….

Today, the drawers are still needing to be done and the chamomile needs to be spread out in baskets. The horehound still needs to be hung up, as well, and I really ought to get to the stuff on the shelves that’s been drying for a month or more. It needs processing, at the least. We also want to work through the herb wall and see if we can get through the necklaces across the back of that amulet section.

Rowan, Marius and Fawkes are going to go play upriver. Leah and Nexes are taking a trip to the Herb Store today, as well, and Nexes is going to purchase some stuff for the shop. I’ll be at the shop at least part of the day, so that Sam and I can keep going on the inventory and I can get the other stuff done, but then I’ll head home when Fawkes gets here.

Stellar Jay on the feeder. Wow, they squawk! … There are about 8 hummingbirds on the rosebushes and a whole flock of sparrows waiting for the jay to move….

The shop opens at 10, this morning. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

NASA Science News for August 4, 2011 - A new study of images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter suggests that salt water may be actively flowing across the surface of the Red Planet. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-na sa/2011/04aug_marsflows/

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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Daily Stuff 8-4-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 03:57 PM GMT Tarih: 04 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

I was startled at one point yesterday afternoon when I looked outside the shop and saw the fog rolling in. Large billows of it were rolling up the highway and over the bridge. An RV came through and scattered it, but within minutes the sunlight was dimming and going out. After Sam got back from Newport around 4pm, you could see that odd divide between ocean air with the fog and more inland where it was perfectly clear. Last night it was mizzling off and on and it seems to be doing the same this morning, although it’s wetter from dew on a clear night than it is this morning.

There’s a breeze this morning that is making the clematis shiver and I just discovered why the bamboo chime isn’t clonking. I would normally have heard it with this much breeze. There’s a long tendril of clematis that has grabbed the dangling “wind-catcher” at the bottom and is holding it at a sharp angle from the chime, pulling the “clonker” out of place!

I hadn’t seen any birds this morning until just now, a towhee landed on the railing, then flew up to the feeder. He’s busily pecking out of the tray, throwing shells, although I think he’s also cleaning up the last of the crackers, the tiny bits that the crows didn’t try for.

Yesterday I needed to meet someone at the shop pretty early (think well before 9am), so I got the newsletter out (having written most the night before) and headed out to the garden. I did some harvesting of yarrow and then chamomile, and then got my trike out. I’ve been hoping to start using it to commute to the shop, but not this morning. I’m going to have to work up to it, since I’m really sore today and I’m going to drive in with Sam. Sam had all the stuff in the car yesterday, but he needed to finish some tasks before he started his errands, so he got to the shop close to the normal time.

We had the clean dishes (you wouldn’t *believe* how many mugs everyone goes through on the weekends!) the dracaena, bags of rose buds, petals, chamomile and yarrow, my computer, my basket, (full of “found” books for the library and rocks) lunch, a box of fabrics and some “odds & sods” that just needed to be put away. In order to get everything to the shop, one of the seats had to come out of the car! Sam spent a while sorting stuff out, including get the bolts of clean fabrics into the bolt holder and dragging things in before settling down at his desk

I got the other support into the dracaena, (although I need to get in there with some fabric strips and fasten things better than they are), then started working on the plant materials. We finally have some dry enough to put away and I ended up pecking away at that all day. I still have rosebuds to do this morning and then to clean off the work table and the compounding station, which has accumulated a lot of “stuff”. One of today’s tasks is going to be to pull the drawers that are full of “stuff” and dump them, wipe them out and then hand the “stuff” to Sam for sorting and putting away in his shop. It’s all tools, and I need to space for the compounding tools!

Sam eventually headed out to do errands. I spent a while chopping up some of the copies that I made at Lazerquik last week for headers so that we can started bagging some of the new crop and getting it set out for sale. After that I checked in the new stock and supplies. Look for some cool new earrings over the next few weeks! We also have a couple of copies of Gay Witchcraft, again, and a couple of special orders showed up.

…and I helped customers. That was the busiest we’ve been in a while. We had about 50 people through in 4 hours. I hardly had a chance to sit down and my lunch sandwich was on the installment plan. I’m glad I cut it up, so that I didn’t slop chicken salad all over the room. I just got it on the floor and my shoes!

Star and Rick were busy yesterday for Herbs Outdoors. They cut back the St. John’s Wort (that has needed it for two years) and sorted the horehound out of it. I also ended up with a fair amount of hydrangea from a bush of his mother’s that got trimmed earlier in the day. I never got outside, myself. Sam finally got home around 9 and we ate and then went to bed.

Today Sam and I are both going to be at the shop. That means that readings will be available. Along with the tasks I mentioned above, we’re both going to be working on inventory and eventually I’m going to get more of the “sparklies” transferred to the south window. Maybe I’ll get time to work on some of those earrings… and I have to not forget the cinquefoil in the garden before I leave for the shop!

I need to pass on a warning, too, that I was given by a tech person from Yahoo. A *lot* of spam has been coming through recently and that has pointed up the fact that a lot of folks haven’t changed their passwords in years. When anyone’s account is compromised we all suffer. Please go in and change passwords, especially Yahoo ones, even more so for this and other sites where you have mail delivered to your inbox and only visit the site infrequently.

We’re heading into the time of the “Games of Lugh”, the big Perseid meteor shower. Keep an eye out since this one can produce a couple per minute! The moon sets early, so if you’re out late in the evening, look up! Also, there’s a significant amount of solar activity (see the link below) so the night sky could be really interesting.

The shop opens at 10, this morning. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Space Weather News for August 4, 2011 - http://spaceweather.com
SOLAR ACTIVITY: For the third day in a row, sunspot 1261 has unleashed a significant M-class solar flare. The latest blast at 0357 UT on August 4th registered M9.3 on the Richter Scale of Flares, almost crossing the threshold into X-territory (X-flares are the most powerful kind). Also, at least two coronal mass ejections are en route to Earth, and they could provoke mild to moderate geomagnetic storms when they arrive on August 4th through 6th. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras. Check http://spaceweather.com for details and updates.

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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Daily Stuff 8-3-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 02:38 PM GMT Tarih: 03 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

The clouds burned off by mid-day, yesterday, but that was a surprise with the morning clouds. This morning it’s cloudy again, although they’re pretty broken up, compared to yesterday.

Yesterday was a day for birds bouncing off the study window. There were 4 hits while I was doing newsletter stuff. I guess they just can’t see the glass? …and then two more in the afternoon and 3 this morning….

I had a question about seagulls. No, we don’t see any gulls trying for the feeder. In the winter, they’ll go after things in the compost or sometimes on the railing and it’s *really* disconcerting to hear them on the porch roof! They’re far too large for the feeder and not as interested in the contents as the crows.

The birdfeeder is full, both full of seed and of birds. It can hold 12 birds and there are between 15 & 20 on the feeder, on the railing and fluttering around. It’s been all sparrows and chickadees. …Then they all took off and for a few minutes it looked like leaves flying in the wind. Now they’re all perched in the alder and I can see the branches stir as they change position. …and they’re back again. …and one little guy perched on the hanging clematis until the sparrows left again.

I worked on newsletter stuff early in the morning and then started in on the kitchen. Sam was working out there though, and I ran out of things I could do after a while and had to work on other stuff, so other than fabrics and wandering around picking up stuff I worked on website updates. I’m trying to get the books updated, at the least, and once the CD’s are inventoried I’ll get those. It’s amazing just how the long the darned updates take. I also was playing around with various “seller” sites, places to put stuff up for sale that you’re trying to get rid of.

Once Sam got done, he went outside to work on the roses. There are several bags again, of both petals and buds. After that he got the reel grinder put all the way together out in his shop and tightened up and then got our “people-powered” mower pulled apart, into the grinder and started sharpening it. A lot of people don’t know that part of the reason that type of mower seems to be hard to use is only because they’re *not* sharpened when they come from the factory! …nor are they adjusted to give the best cut. So, he’s getting ours done and then he’ll be up for doing anyone else’s. Check the Magycke Mower fan page on Facebook for details when he’s ready.

I cleaned the island and then made chicken salad for lunch. After that, Nexes and Raven squeezed the rest of the limes that were going to go bad (since they were yellowing) and made juice while I made simple syrup, then I took the juice & syrup and some rum and made Hemingway Daiquiris. They were really good. There’s still some in the freezer. I also made some more jam, using up other fruits that were going sideways on us, then got blueberries from the freezer and made a pie and some blueberry syrup for waffles. Supper was light. I had grilled cheese, Nexes had ham, rice and veg and Sam and Raven had more of the chicken salad. I’ve had some of the pie. Yum!

I worked outside for a while, doing small garden chores and adding more dirt to the big dracaena, then getting it washed off and watered so it can go to the shop today. I worked on the pathways, doing some raking and some of the planter boxes.

While all of that was going on I kept working on stuff in the utility room, sorting and washing. I managed to get all the stains out of a bolt of embroidery fabric that had gotten parked on the floor and water-stained when we were having troubles with leakage in the old shop. I’ve gotten several bolts of fabric pre-washed and lots of scraps for the scrap bin. What I *didn’t* get done was my own laundry!

Is there any interest in having a “fabric scramble” of some sort? Or should I just price things or put them away? Fabric scramble… When I worked at fabric stores that’s what we called the scrap bin where you could stuff a bag for a small fee….As long as it didn’t peek over the top of the bag, it was yours. I got lots of trims and scraps for craft projects that way… or I suppose I could use gallon ziplocs and just fill a tub with ‘em….

I sorted the freezer last night, too, while I was waiting for a set of fabrics to dry. Busy day…

I have to be at the shop early today. Sinclair is picking up our literature for the big Pathways to Transformation psychic fair this coming weekend. We’re not setting up a booth, but there’s an ad in the program with a coupon for use at the shop. Just bring the program with you to the shop during August to get 10% off anything! We always give them a pile of stuff for advertising.

Students in the Wicca 104 class! It looks like the best day is Sunday 8/14 at 7pm. If you have a problem with that date, let me know, soonest!

Don’t forget the calendar special! It’s only good through 8/15. This is a good way to get your yearly books at a good price and they don’t have to be picked up until Pan-Pagan!

The shop is closed today but I’m going to be there from about 9am until 2 or 3. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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Daily Stuff 8-3-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 02:37 PM GMT Tarih: 03 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

The clouds burned off by mid-day, yesterday, but that was a surprise with the morning clouds. This morning it’s cloudy again, although they’re pretty broken up, compared to yesterday.

Yesterday was a day for birds bouncing off the study window. There were 4 hits while I was doing newsletter stuff. I guess they just can’t see the glass? …and then two more in the afternoon and 3 this morning….

I had a question about seagulls. No, we don’t see any gulls trying for the feeder. In the winter, they’ll go after things in the compost or sometimes on the railing and it’s *really* disconcerting to hear them on the porch roof! They’re far too large for the feeder and not as interested in the contents as the crows.

The birdfeeder is full, both full of seed and of birds. It can hold 12 birds and there are between 15 & 20 on the feeder, on the railing and fluttering around. It’s been all sparrows and chickadees. …Then they all took off and for a few minutes it looked like leaves flying in the wind. Now they’re all perched in the alder and I can see the branches stir as they change position. …and they’re back again. …and one little guy perched on the hanging clematis until the sparrows left again.

I worked on newsletter stuff early in the morning and then started in on the kitchen. Sam was working out there though, and I ran out of things I could do after a while and had to work on other stuff, so other than fabrics and wandering around picking up stuff I worked on website updates. I’m trying to get the books updated, at the least, and once the CD’s are inventoried I’ll get those. It’s amazing just how the long the darned updates take. I also was playing around with various “seller” sites, places to put stuff up for sale that you’re trying to get rid of.

Once Sam got done, he went outside to work on the roses. There are several bags again, of both petals and buds. After that he got the reel grinder put all the way together out in his shop and tightened up and then got our “people-powered” mower pulled apart, into the grinder and started sharpening it. A lot of people don’t know that part of the reason that type of mower seems to be hard to use is only because they’re *not* sharpened when they come from the factory! …nor are they adjusted to give the best cut. So, he’s getting ours done and then he’ll be up for doing anyone else’s. Check the Magycke Mower fan page on Facebook for details when he’s ready.

I cleaned the island and then made chicken salad for lunch. After that, Nexes and Raven squeezed the rest of the limes that were going to go bad (since they were yellowing) and made juice while I made simple syrup, then I took the juice & syrup and some rum and made Hemingway Daiquiris. They were really good. There’s still some in the freezer. I also made some more jam, using up other fruits that were going sideways on us, then got blueberries from the freezer and made a pie and some blueberry syrup for waffles. Supper was light. I had grilled cheese, Nexes had ham, rice and veg and Sam and Raven had more of the chicken salad. I’ve had some of the pie. Yum!

I worked outside for a while, doing small garden chores and adding more dirt to the big dracaena, then getting it washed off and watered so it can go to the shop today. I worked on the pathways, doing some raking and some of the planter boxes.

While all of that was going on I kept working on stuff in the utility room, sorting and washing. I managed to get all the stains out of a bolt of embroidery fabric that had gotten parked on the floor and water-stained when we were having troubles with leakage in the old shop. I’ve gotten several bolts of fabric pre-washed and lots of scraps for the scrap bin. What I *didn’t* get done was my own laundry!

Is there any interest in having a “fabric scramble” of some sort? Or should I just price things or put them away? Fabric scramble… When I worked at fabric stores that’s what we called the scrap bin where you could stuff a bag for a small fee….As long as it didn’t peek over the top of the bag, it was yours. I got lots of trims and scraps for craft projects that way… or I suppose I could use gallon ziplocs and just fill a tub with ‘em….

I sorted the freezer last night, too, while I was waiting for a set of fabrics to dry. Busy day…

I have to be at the shop early today. Sinclair is picking up our literature for the big Pathways to Transformation psychic fair this coming weekend. We’re not setting up a booth, but there’s an ad in the program with a coupon for use at the shop. Just bring the program with you to the shop during August to get 10% off anything! We always give them a pile of stuff for advertising.

Students in the Wicca 104 class! It looks like the best day is Sunday 8/14 at 7pm. If you have a problem with that date, let me know, soonest!

Don’t forget the calendar special! It’s only good through 8/15. This is a good way to get your yearly books at a good price and they don’t have to be picked up until Pan-Pagan!

The shop is closed today but I’m going to be there from about 9am until 2 or 3. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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Daily Stuff 8-2-11
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 05:07 PM GMT Tarih: 02 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

Now, that’s startling! It’s solidly clouded up. According to the computer, it’s overcast at 2400 feet. I went outside last night around 11pm, looked up to see the stars and there weren’t any!

A raven just came and grabbed a stale cracker from the feeder. I’ve seen little sparrows chewing. …A crow stood on the railing cawing for all he was worth…and no one else showed up! Kinda wondering if the birds are still asleep. ….Sparrows ….some house finches and one Cassin ….hummingbirds ….Stellar Jay … Whee! They all got chased by a crow. It looked like a feather explosion.

I put up more links yesterday and a few this morning over on Facebook. They’re the usual varied lot, everything from witchy politics, to Realpolitik to linden-infused honey.

It seemed that I spent all of yesterday working on Café Press designs, sorting and re-working. I’ll get ‘em whomped into shape eventually, just about in time to have to do it with another design… Check ‘em out, please, especially if you’re looking for something witchy to play with or wear!

Late in the day I got some garden stuff done, mostly sorting out failed seedlings to the compost pile, but I also got the big plant that Tricia gave the shop repotted. It started falling over and I thought it was just that the pot was too small… no… the plant stem started as about an ½ inch around. It’s going on 2 inches at this point! The stem was twisted and warped and the original stem was no longer rooted at all! It had formed roots farther up the stem. What I’m hoping is that when I get the original stem farther down under some dirt…and with it in a bigger, heavier pot … it’ll form still more roots and actually hold itself in place. It’s some kind of dracaena, if I understand right, and they *will* do that. I’ve also gotten it held into place with a bamboo arch, and if I can get another one to bend without breaking I’ll put a second one in at right angles so that the plant won’t be falling out of the pot again…which is what prompted the re-potting in the first place. I should be bringing it back to the shop tomorrow.

Sam was busy at the shop all day and didn’t get home until around 8pm. We’re getting a lot of customers very late in the day when none of the other stores are open. I started supper so that we could eat when he got home, but it sat for quite a while. I made baked chicken breasts with garlic and dill, a rice blend dish with onions and mushrooms (and not enough salt) and a cream gravy, and hot buttered peas and corn. While that was finishing I also made some strawberry/apricot nuker jam which I ended up eating 1/3 of last night since it was so yummy!

Nexes and I spent quite a while working in the kitchen, trying to get the chaos under control. I’m hoping that I’ll get some time early today to clean the island and wipe it down and then we can make sure that the clean dishes get put away and sorted properly.

During that part of the day I was also pre-washing some fabrics that I’m hoping to sew with at the shop. I was trying to whittle down the heap at the back of the utility room so that we can figure out what’s there and get it sorted out. There are even things that need to be dry-cleaned back there! I’m going to keep going on the fabrics today and maybe start doing some loads of the other stuff, too.

After Sam finally got home we sat down with dinner and watched “The Turning Point”. That’s Shirley Maclaine, Anne Bancroft and Mikael Baryshnikov in an awesome story about dreams and how they work out and also about getting what you want.

Today I’m hoping to get the kitchen down to a dull roar, and the fabrics and clothes in the utility room, maybe to uncover my doll-house shelves so that they can finally get the doors fitted on and loaded with the miniatures collections as well as some of the usual “day off” stuff. Maybe even garden work since yesterday the gardens got thoroughly watered. I need to do the rose bed out front today and then that needs to be weeded as well. Might be a good day without the sunshine for that, hmm….

Students in the Wicca 104 class! What day are we having the next class? It’s supposed to be on a Sunday at 7pm, but which? It should be around 8/17 or so. What’s everyone’s best day?

Don’t forget the calendar special! It’s only good through 8/15. This is a good way to get your yearly books at a good price and they don’t have to be picked up until Pan-Pagan!

Wow, that’s the 4th time a bird has hit the study window this morning! I need to get some of the “danglies” put up properly and hang a few more suction cups so the birds can actually see the darned thing.

The shop is closed today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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Daily Stuff 8-1-11 Wore out another month
Posted by: CoastalAnja, Saat: 04:38 PM GMT Tarih: 01 Ağustos 2011 +0
Hi, folks!

I was up at dawn and watched the first hints of color touching the east. Now the sun is simply bright. The birds have eaten the birdfeeder well below the ½-way point. It’s mostly sparrows out there, now, but last night I watched a pair of hummingbirds flying around each other between the porch and the alder, sometimes chasing each other, sometimes flying in tandem.

Classes went well yesterday, although 18 students is getting to be an awful lot. Herbs Outdoors got sidetracked since I had to go home early and Sam took the dinner down to the shop so he could take over for me. He’s going to be at the shop today while I continue with the Café Press products and the website update. Maybe if I feel well enough I’ll get to spend some time in the garden, or at least out in the lovely weather.

I’m running awfully late this morning. *Lots* of Facebook updates and stuff that I had to go through after waking up far too late!

Take a look at the links that I’ve put up on Facebook over the last several days, the albums of new stock in pottery and baskets and check out the new stuff at Café Press at the link below the note.

Don’t forget the calendar special! It’s only good through 8/15.

The shop opens at 10am, today. Summer hours – Thursday through Monday, 10am-6pm! If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open!

Love & Light,
Anja

***

Pan-Pagan Gathering e-mail - panpagan11@gmail.com

Café Press Products from Ancient Light - http://www.cafepress.com/ancientlight Everything from T-shirts to pillows to coffee mugs to journals with witchy or just fun designs!

Spoonflower Fabrics - http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/coastalanja The newest designs are in the and Bugs ‘n Slugs Collection. We have designs for sale in the Garden Collection and Mushroom Collection and the Pagan Collection is coming soon.

Our Circle’s site! http://www.ancientlight.info/circle/ Add things by e-mailing me here. mbartlett@harborside.com

***
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About CoastalAnja
Moved to Oregon from Balto, MD, '83, to the coast in '99. Love gardens, the outdoors and the ocean, and write about it in a daily newsletter. Shared!

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