krishanna|dot|com

The Earrings

I had no idea when I put the earrings on this morning I would encounter such news this afternoon.

A favorite blogger of mine, whose blog I visited as often as my time allowed, whose words and attitudes I found inspiring and refreshing has moved on to another plane and is no longer here with us.

The earrings I hung in my earlobes this morning were made by her. Clear, cool, deep and simple. I read the note she enclosed in the blue organdy bag they arrived in and smiled, as I always do when I wear those earrings.

She is survived by her True Love, one puss and family and friends.

I will miss her words and adventures.

This Says It All, Really

Thanks! I Needed That!

Thanks, Eden!  Absolutely "Muppalicious"! Now, if I can remember to Watch it or record it!

Pay Attention

It's not often I do this so pay attention!

Many of you may not know I am a good cook. I don't talk about it very much mostly because it's one of those menial, everyday, un-extraordinary things I do most everyday. At least I think of it that way. I do enjoy it, though. I enjoy the mixing and measuring and assembling of a dish much more than I enjoy the tedium of baking. I relish the stirring of the pot as the seasonings and the flavors all meld together. I enjoy the ritual of cooking, the sacredness in its every day monotony.

Here is a recipe for homemade hot chocolate. To be sure, it's nothing fancy but Manthing asks for it as soon as the weather turns and I've never known anyone to pass it by. It's so not lowfat but it is relatively low-carb so if you are keeping an eye on those things... now you know. =)

Spiced Hot Chocolate for Two

1 qt. traditional half and half
1/4 cup of cocoa powder*
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar or splenda*
1 tsp. Real vanilla extract*
1/2 tsp. Almond extract*
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon*
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg*
Whipped cream**

*The measurements on these ingridients are all a rough estimate. I don't actually use measuring utensils for this because I've been making it so long. I just dump them in till it looks right. ;)

**Canned whipped cream works fine for this but you can also whip up some heavy whipping cream with a little confectioner's sugar and vanilla for an extra treat.

Pour the half & half into a medium sauce pan and set on medium high heat. Add cocoa powder and all other ingridients and whisk or stir till well blended and hot.

Pour into tall mugs and top with whipped cream. Dust the whipped cream with cinnamon to make it look pretty.

Makes approximately 3 to 4 1.5 cup servings.

Favorites Today

Here are 10 of my favorites about today:

1. It's a marvelous Monday

2. It's a sumptuous 60 degrees outside

3. Wonderous Words

4. Nourishing Naps

5. Happy work

6. Fabulous Friend Feed

7. Friendly Facebook

8. Bountiful blogs

9. Juicy new books

10. Cuddly cats

What are 10 of your favorite things today?

Post Assistance

Holy crap! I just had a cup of tea and realized I have not updated this since people stopped clapping and Tinkerbell died... You would not believe the fairy dust I have to clean up. Apologies to my regular readers! Even the little blue ones!.

I am hopped up on caffeine with feeding the little people, a ticking crocodile, just generally being a delightful mistress to anyone unfortunate to cross my path, my day seems to be a litany of stuff and giggles from the second star on the right, straight on to well after sun-down. I am wearing my budgie smugglers. can't they see I am blogging.

I will try to remember I promised you   I will update you with my nefarious activities as soon as I get a chance. No, really! What do you mean you don’t believe me?

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Okay, you busted me.  I didn’t really write that… the Lazy Bloggers’ Post Generator did.But I did pick out all the words and phrases and it was fun!  Go try it!

Remembering

Every year, on this day, I remember.

I remember sitting in bed, with the bedclothes bunched up under my chin, mouth hanging open as I watched the plane crash into the side of the building, momentarily confused, vaguely thinking I must be watching a very bad movie.

I remember the unfathomable sadness when it finally sunk in and profound knowledge that collectively, our lives would never again be precisely the same again.

Like me you all have your own memories of that day- what you were doing, where you were, and how you felt in the day and weeks after. No need for explanation or storytelling. Just remember.

Today, this crossed my path and I wanted to share it.

I am mindful this morning of those among us who hold the lives of the men and women serving our country in their prayers, seeking the safe return of all who have been deployed;

I am mindful this morning of those among us who hold the lives of the civilian women and men and children affected by this war in their prayers, seeking their safety amidst the conflict;

I am mindful this morning of those among us who are filled with emotions - of sadness, of anger, of resolve, of doubt, of uncertainty - which seem to overwhelm them, as they seek a balance of spirit;

I am mindful this morning of those among us who feel disconnected, through their passionate understanding of either support or opposition, but who would welcome inclusive arms to embrace them even in their differences;

I am mindful this morning of our duty to hold, in thoughts and prayers and hugs, all those who choose to walk with us along the path of life, not only those with whom we agree but even more so those with whom we differ.

So, this is my prayer for the morning: that in our own community we find the wisdom, the courage, the connection, the acceptance, the all- encompassing love which is the essence and source of peace - that none be afraid.

Amen and Blessed Be,

The Rev. Dr. Randolph W.B. Becker of the Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists. Written on March 23rd, 2003.

So be it.

What About Free Speech & Responsibility?

Okay, people. Can we please ease up on the political correctness here?

First, there was the outcry this week over Don Imus again:

I noticed it this week only because hearing about it vaguely annoyed me. But I was pre-occupied with more pressing matters so I didn't linger on it.

This morning, I checked my morning e-mail and found an e-mail asking me to sign a petition to let Kathy Lee Gifford her latest dumb ass crap had pissed off a bunch of pagans.

Oy Vai.

Here's what Kathy Lee Gifford did and said:

Now, because I identify as a pagan, I am automatically supposed to get my bloomers bunched up over this?

FIRST:  I say bullshit. So you don't like what Kathy Lee Gifford said. Big deal. That doesn't mean you get to shut her up. Sorry. You can bitch about she said. You can start petitions to make her apologize for what she says. But that doesn't mean she will shut up or her employers will censor her or force her to apologize.

Last time I checked, I live in America and you know what? I can say whatever the hell I want about anyone I want because we have a little thing here called Free Speech. I may not like what people say but they have the right to say them without fear of losing their jobs or harassment or censorship.

SECOND: So Kathy Lee referred to pagans as "bad and nasty". Does anyone in this country not know what an ignorant, vapid, dunder-headed ancient bag of dusty wind Kathy Lee Gifford actually is? Hello? Is KATHY LEE GIFFORD'S  uneducated, narrow-minded stupid ass OPINION really that big of a deal?

THIRD: As a pagan-type person, I want to  know who the bad guys are.  I want to know who doesn't like me. I don't want them hiding off in the shadows making idiotic, insipid dumbass comments where I can't see or hear them.  I want them front and center for all the world to see.

"Well", said someone today as we were discussing this, "with that logic I guess it would be fine with you if a pedophile moved into your neighborhood because they have a right to live, right?"

Would I be "fine" with it? No. I wouldn't care to have a pedo in my neighborhood, especially if I had kids. BUT, the pedo has a right to live anywhere he wants as long as he follows the rules, goes to therapy AND DOESN'T DO ANY KID TOUCHING OR RAPING OF ANY KIND. We live in a free society and because it's free, all kinds of people get to live wherever they want.

What about what happened to that guy in California, recently? He only said he was obsessed with kids and thought about touching them and they ran him out of the fucking state. True enough, he was wacko- certifiable. True enough, he got put in the pokey because he wouldn't keep away from the grade school after the court order forbid him to be within 400 yards or something of it. But chasing him out of his home because of what he might do? That was wrong. Better safe than sorry you might think but I think we tread on dangerous ground when we begin participating in mob mentality. Very dangerous ground.

So I may not like it and it may worry me but the pedo still has the right to live wherever he wants to live. Once he violates the rules and touches ANY kid, I'll sign every damn petition that comes down the pike and do whatever I can to get him and keep him out of my neighborhood. Get the fuck out and don't come back. Have a terrific, incarcerated life, you piece of shit rat bastard.

"You'd feel differently if you had kids. You'd want to know your kids are safe".

Uhm, wouldn't that be my responsibility? As a parent it'd be up to me to protect my kid, right? I'll tell you, I'd have ZERO FUCKING PROBLEM telling my kid:

"See that person who lives in the green house on the corner"?

"Yes, Mommy."

"Well, stay way from them. You have my permission to ignore that person. You don't have to say hello or be polite to them. If they touch you or come near you, scream your head off and run away from them as fast as you can. That's a bad, sick person and they hurt children so stay away from them".

And if they didn't stay away from the weirdo on the corner, we'd be having some chats and some grounding going on at my house.  Sometimes, a little healthy fear is good for a kid.

So, do I like what Don Imus or Kathy Lee said? Not particularly. I also consider the source. Kathy Lee Gifford is an ignorant sack of aging wind and Don Imus is a dinosaur. I'd tell my kid to run away from them screaming too.

What about you?

Identity Crisis

This blog, like its owner, has been undergoing an identity crisis. Well, sort of.

Not long ago, I whined about my boring life. About the same time, give or take a week, I wrote about "being gloomy and  in a weird place" in an online women's spirituality discussion group I belong to. The feedback I received included some terrific suggestions. One insightful woman reminded me to quit worrying about the seeming lack of inspiration; that even the Goddess must rest and kickback. Another wise woman suggested that I needed some fire to get things moving. Neither one of them were wrong and I was impressed with their suggestions but this didn't feel like I needed to do anything   about it but sit with it and get comfortable with being uncomfortable for awhile.

After all I wasn't exactly unhappy, but I wasn't happy either. I wasn't exactly depressed but I wasn't not depressed either. I didn't find much encouraging around me but I wasn't completely discouraged with everything. I was not quiet and watchful because something was wrong because clearly nothing beyond the daily mild annoyances and frustrations with life was happening. I was the same and yet I was different. It was a great puzzle to me.

My thoughts kept drifting back to a a strange thing that happened just as Winter was drawing to a close and Spring was just on the horizon. I was talking online with fellow list member about the Morrigan when I was startled by something thudding against my front door... HARD. It was so loud, it made Manthing emerge from his computer room and check things out.  There was nothing outside. There was no wind. There were no feral neighborhood cats about to swat at the moths who were congregating at the porch light. There was not even the hint of anything unordinary outside our front door.

The next morning as I opened the door to get on the sCare van to go to the gallery, 3 of the biggest crows I have ever seen were hanging out in my front yard. For the record, crows just don't hang out in my neighborhood, though I'd like them to. Crows were a regular  as I was growing up and I talked to them often. Here, we've got plenty of hawks, buzzards, a few owls, blue jays, robins, mourning doves, a pair of cardinals, sparrows, chickadees and the occasional hummingbird but never crows. The crows sort of looked at me, cawed and then flew away as I approached the walkway leading to the driveway as if to say, "Hey, dolt- didja get it yet?"

On one of the first warm spring days we had, I was puttering around the house when I became aware of a lot of bird noise outside and my small pride of cats were all at the window, pulling the slats of the blinds  down so they could see what was going on. When I opened the door, the magnolia tree that stands like a sentinel in front of house, the lawn and the chain link fence that dives our property from our neighbor's was littered with a flock small to medium sized black birds, making a racket. I've not been able to figure out what kind of birds they were because they flew off when I opened the door to get a closer look.

When I mentioned these events to Manthing, he cocked an eyebrow and told me he didn't think it was anything more than the arrival of Spring. Because I had no better answers or explanations, I noted the events, filed them away, and kept putting one foot in front of the other.

So, as I was looking through my photos for a new image for this blog, I ran across the one above. It was taken at my mother's apartment in California. I was visited awakened by this crow cawing at me incessantly every morning. It cawed at me and I answered it. I was able to snap the photo on my last morning there. The photo inspired me and as I was working on the new design, I realized the pieces have begun to fit better and I have not been happier or more comfortable with a design for krishanna [dot] com in a very long time.

What do you think?

:: to be continued ::

Is There A "Miniweeiner" In The House?

This arrived in our snail mailbox recently.*

I think I shall return it marked "Return to sender. No Miniweeiners at this address".

See what happens when you whine about your boring life? You get junk mail for Thom Miniweeiner.

And we don't even have a deck here...

 

*As usual, click on the image to see a larger version.