Sunday Scribble {66}

Okay, the Sunday Scribbling this week is on the topic of What is your astrological sign?

This is my opportunity to come out of the closet and at least state for the record I have a moderate interest in the subject. I come from a family of engineers and mathematicians - in other words I am surrounded by skeptics. Also, some in my family probably believe it's devil worship. On my own, I have drifted toward astrology and kept it mostly in the closet (though honestly I know I'm not hiding it from anyone). Maybe it's a rebellion of sorts.

Here is my other opportunity to state for the record that while I'm interested and fascinated by astrology I don't believe it. At times I have fallen into superstition around it though, because so much of it is phrased in the way that makes you think "oh know! mercury is retrograde and the stars are out to get me!" Yet, when I step back and ignore all that fortune telling what I have found in astrology is a symbolic metaphorical language. It appeals to the artist and writer in me. It is also a very psychological language and so if you are interested in studying the behavior of people it's just another way to explore. For me, it's another way to tap into my own intuition.

I had my chart done back in my younger days -and I've studied other peoples' charts too. I came to the conclusion though that reading another's chart is not something I want to tackle. It's a very complex thing. Those who can take the 12 signs and remember all the meanings and then combine them with meaning of 9 planets (okay I know Pluto's been demoted) not to mention all the asteroids. Then take them and interpret meaning out of where the planets are located in a chart. All that is a task - but the meaning of a chart changes greatly depending on what different angles all these planets are making with each other.

I guess it is inaccurate for me to say I don't believe in astrology. I don't believe you can make decisions based only on it. I don't believe you can predict the future from it. I don't believe you can ever ever be literal with it. I don't believe any one is ever born under a bad sign - or that the planets ever make you do anything. What I have found is that it gives a picture of the energy you may encounter - a picture of the passions you may be drawn toward and with that information you can connect with your own intuition and with your own choice in how to live.

So yes, I like astrology - because it's like a paint palette - mix a little Saturn here with some Leo and you get one color. Take Venus and put her into Taurus and wow - look at that. The possibilities are endless and just like the full spectrum of colors there are zillions of ways to mix it and paint a picture.

My sign? - Well that question always refers to the sun sign - I am a Virgo. Since I've had my chart done I know that I have four planets in the sign of Virgo - sun, Pluto, Uranus, and Jupiter. I'm also a Libra rising. That means the constellation Libra was on the horizon at the time of my birth. One's rising sign is often described as the first impression you make with people. Venus and Mercury were also over there in Libra at the time of my birth. My moon sign is Gemini (I think that might be why I love blogging).

The astrologer Steven Forrest has a quick and clever way to sum up the core three signs of a person- sun, rising sign, and moon. I am a Virgo with a Gemini moon and Libra rising. The sun and it's sign is a metaphor for who you are. The moon and it's sign is your soul. And the rising sign is the mask you wear. Using some catch phrases from Forrest's book The Inner Sky - put it all together I am a servant (Virgo) with the soul of a teacher(Gemini) wearing the mask of an artist (Libra). Or using other phrases with the same signs - I could say I am a perfectionist (Virgo) with the soul of a storyteller (Gemini) wearing the mask of the lover (Libra).

If you'd like to read more astrology scribbles go here.

Happy Summer Solstice!

We have had a rainy year. Now, just in time for summer, it has gotten hot, hot, hot!!! One of the many benefits of having a year where Mother Nature watered her wild plants well is having an abundance of Cane Cholla (Opuntia imbricata)plants blooming everywhere!

Enjoy! Enjoy the day, the season, the precious moment......

Trying to scare away my readers....I am......

Okay, I don't want to freak anyone out. So the first thing I'm going to tell you is that I posted a sunday scribble over here. If you're easily frightened by tiny spider photos then don't look down......don't scroll down........move along! Follow the link or go elsewhere. Come back in a week. Thanks for visiting.




Okay now that we've had a little space for the spider phobic to vacate........


By way of introducing my spider photo....I'll first tell you that if you followed the link you would find my submission for the sunday scribble. The topic was eccentricities. I got to thinking that it might be considered a little eccentric that I have this fascination with spiders lately. I even brought home from my mom's house her spider pin and placed it on my altar - which you can see here.

Don't get me wrong I am scared of spiders, but I also like them as long as they aren't in my bed - on my person - or a black widow. These days modern camera technology does allow one to get close but not too close - so lately I've been acquiring photos. I have another spider I captured on film yesterday besides this one(maybe I'll torture....ah I mean share that one in another post). So if you read this far, you may indeed see that this spider photo I made it small - just in case you are squeamish........This is the spider I wrote about on my previous post. I think I've identified it as an orb spider - a type of araneus. Female - because I read somewhere the little knobs on it's shoulders indicate a female.

I warn you - if you click on the photo you can see it bigger - but not so big you'll be able to see it's hairs!

Oh, and Happy Father's Day to all!

ah.........summer time.........

This is a geranium from the outdoor cat room. The picture really doesn't do the color truthfully. This is one of the most vibrant pink geraniums I've ever seen. I paid extra for it but it was for a good cause - the Susan G Komen foundation.

My Internet connection wasn't available yesterday. I don't know why - I tried unplugging and fiddling with the connections. When it finally came back the day was gone. But it's summer time and I must warn you all that my posting may be intermittent. Especially when I have days that won't let me on the Internet.

We have this spider on the back garage door. I haven't been able to get a good picture of him and maybe that's a blessing for those of you who are spider phobic. His body or her body (how does one tell the difference) reminds me of a crab shell. It's has swoops and points like a crab shell. In the last couple of weeks it has doubled in size.

We open that door sometimes - and I thought that spider would move its web somewhere less disruptive. But it hasn't - it just grows bigger. When I opened the door a few minutes ago it was in the middle of it's web. If I got close to it - it would start bouncing in its web. Well, that stopped me from ducking under it and through the door.

I will kill a black widow spider for obvious reasons. But most spiders I'll let them be unless they are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm not sure what's going to become of this backdoor spider but at the rate it is growing it may make using that door impossible - so how does one encourage a spider to move?

Well this post really had no point to it other than to pop in and say I haven't disappeared - I'm just a little distracted by the outdoors right now.

Cactus and Catnip

This week flew by and my goodness are we really beginning the second week in June! Summer time is almost officially here - though in New Mexico most would say it is already here. Of course today it still feels like spring - we have wind and it's chilly. The wind has been something else the last few days and I heard it's moving into the Midwest now - so prepare if you live there. Yesterday morning around 12 AM we clocked a wind gust at 56 mph!!!

I've been doing a lot of catching up on paperwork and various things that got delayed and/or procrastinated in May. I'm proud of myself because I managed to make another mandala for my the show in September my art group is doing. It isn't dry yet - and then I'll need to fire her in my kiln - eventually I'll show you a picture.
What I will show you is picture of the cats with the catnip that the Auntie K gave them.

The cats are saying Momma Kara has been fixing up our cat garden so nicely. She bought these pretty pots and each day something new happens. We know she likes the geraniums and they are safe for us but we wouldn't chew on geraniums anyway - they stink! We do like the cat grass and the catnip and lounging in the sun.

Women in Art

One of my art friends just sent me the link to this video on You Tube done by some called eggman913. Sit back and enjoy!

I like the fact that I figured out how to put this You Tube video on my blog but now I'm going to edit this post on 06/08/07 and just give you the link to go there and find it. Click here

Sunday Scribble {62}

Sunday Scribble topic is

The Town Mouse & the Country Mouse

Okay, okay. How about just: town & country. Are you a city person or a country person or both or neither? Feelings about town and country?

Today I live as a mountain mouse. I've lived in suburbia, then a college town and back again in suburbia until I met my husband. He is a genuine through and through country mouse. We moved out away from the suburban city into the mountains. I think I will always be a suburbia mouse at heart though I really do enjoy living out here. A year and a half into it I find I'm not as jumpy as I used to be though I hope I never lose my vigilance in watching out for snakes.

The biggest difference I can think of between living in town and living out here is that for food I have to plan ahead. I cannot be lazy and say to my husband at 5 o clock lets go out to eat - do you mind driving back to where you just came from. It's too inconvenient to drive 20 to 40 minutes away to get to a restaurant. At least it's too inconvenient to do that on a regular basis.

So, this mouse stocks up. She tends to make a weekly food plan and even have a few back up "easy to fix" foods in the pantry and the freezer for when she feels lazy. I might not be as social as I used to be - I don't go to as many art openings - but then I'm not sure how many I went to when I lived in suburbia. If I wanted a life of going to art galleries and restaurants all the time I ought to move to the city and find a loft. I like to visit cities and I think I could live in a city but I like where I live.

I like being a mouse who has wide open sky views. Now, I sit on a porch with bigger vistas. I was content to sit on a porch in the suburbs too. The important thing is I like to be outside enjoying the birds and the plants. I'm content if I can sit outside and read a book. Happy to be able to take a walk. Out here it's a little more of an adventure. One must watch out for rattle snakes. So far we've only seen one - but we know they are here.
What else is here? - There are rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, and the sound and rare sight of coyotes. We still have the stars out here though the light pollution keeps getting worse. The casino 10 miles away over the ridge keeps brightening it's sign and polluting the night sky. More people more pollution - I'm sure the rabbits and coyotes are not too happy with us humans.

The older I get the more I realize I will adapt. Where ever I am - there I am - so I find a way to be in peace with it. I've been lucky - I haven't had to stray too far away from my preference for New Mexico and it's enchanted land.




More Sunday Scribbles on this topic here.