We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely
admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
~Author
Unknown
I was a little bothered,
when I went to the Wheel Thursday the 19th to ask some questions, and one of the
answers was"Live more
frugally."
Really?
OK, I thought, so maybe I've been
eating out and getting take out more often than I usually do, but it's been kind
of well, I'll call...an off few weeks here you know. Besides, I think I
live more frugal than some, yet I know not as frugal as others or as frugal as I
could. Ok you hit on a soft spot and yes you are probably right,I could live a
more frugally, couldn't we all? But jeeze why are you, chastising me, I make my
own bread, can much of my garden and meats, make croutons and bread crumbs. I
don't go on vacations. I drive around as little as possible. I don't drive new
vehicles, or buy a lot of clothes. I don't have an automatic dishwasher, or air
conditioning. Just how much more frugal do you want me to be?
I
felt sad, or slighty defeated, as my...thoughts took me to my guilt about eating
out to much the past 3-4 weeks, spending hard earned monies, that were gone in a
second. Which started, only because it was easier when Madeline was in the
hospital on top of some other things that decided they needed to happen at the
same time, than coming home and making a meal. But I realized too, because it
was so easy to stop, buy and let someone else do it. IT...could so easily become
a habit that is to costly and I must put a stop to, literally putting money down
the drain.
But a glutton for punishment, I continued the
'conversation'....and asked....
OK..here's the deal, I've already
chastised myself about doing this, and rectifying it, so why are you already
telling me something I'm already
fixing...
Answer
When we say frugal it's not what
you are thinking it is, but yes you are wise to cut down on your eating out, and
leave it for special occasion like when you were a child. But search frugal and
see what we mean when we say, Live more frugal.
So, I searched and
was surprised...
Not only does frugal mean to live thriftily by
how not to spend your monies on stuff you don't need, but also....
Frugality,
in the context of certain belief systems, is a philosophy in which one does not trust (or is deeply
wary of) "expert" knowledge, often from commercial markets or corporate
cultures, claiming to know what is in the best economic, material, or
spiritual interests of the individual
There
are also environmentalists who consider frugality to be a virtue
through
which humans can make use of their ancestral skills as
hunter-gatherers, carrying little and needing little, and
finding meaning in nature instead of man-made conventions or
religion.
So how do you
like them apples:) Another important lesson from the
Wheel.So Mother Nature I
guess is as excited about 2012 as many of us are. First the abundance of Robins, with their Red breast
telling us of new awakenings and now the abundance of
Red Admiral Butterflies that even made the news...
So what is Butterfly
telling us and what do the colors say...
Butterfly 'Speaks'
of
Transmutation and the Dance of Joy. It's all about transformation,
metamorphosis and shapeshifting. In early Christianity it was the symbol of the
soul. To the Native Americans the butterfly is they symbol of change, color and
joy.
The ColorsOrange--Warmth,joy,creativity
Brown--Grounded, new
growth
Red--passion, strength
I am so excited! Even though it's in the process of coming together and a few months away, I have to tell you.
Patricia Crisafulli, author, speaker, and writer -- including the New York Times Bestseller, The House of Dimon; founder of the free online literary magazine Faith Hope and Fiction www.faithhopeandfiction.com, and featured columnist for the Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patricia-crisafulli -- is coming to Herbs & Things!
Patricia will offer a workshop on 'Creativity and Purpose'. Whether your creative expression is writing, sewing, singing, gardening, raising a family, healing, or spirituality -- or if you think you aren't creative at all -- this workshop is for you. As Tricia teaches, everyone is creative--especially those who don't think that they are! Finding your purpose that supports your creativity unlocks your potential and gives you permission to explore what you are meant to create.
I will have more details soon, we are planning to get a date set in September 2012.
So no matter if you like interior design, blogging, researching, sewing, writing, drawing, want to start your own business, or anything else that makes you happy when you do it -- or if there is something you've always wanted to do, but fear doing it -- join us and rev up your personal "Creativity and Purpose"to rediscover the creative passion in your life. I know...I can’t wait, and please if you think you'd be interested in this what I am sure will be an outstanding workshop.... let me know, so I can make plans for the workshop accordingly..Be
well
Laugh often
Love large
Dig in the dirt
Grow a garden
and may
the sun light your way
Kellie
+
Herbs &
Things
Hello From Herbs & Things:)
I think that no matter how old or infirm I may become. I will always plant a large garden in the spring. Who can resist the feelings of hope and joy that one gets from participating in nature's rebirth?
~Edward Giobbi~
It's that time again...Garden
time.I'm excited and hoping for a better garden this year. I
am doing something different...trying raised bed gardening. My thinking it make things a little easier, plus my soil hasn't seemed to be producing as well
as it use too, but that could because I am not taking the time to till, feed and
care for it like I use to either. The infamous clay/topsoil, mix in this valley needs a
little help for growing certain things. It took about as long to make and fill
four 4x8 raised beds as it does to till and get the one garden
ready. And I'll be adding two more raised beds, to put in the potato and squash garden.
Actually it was very nice, my husband Rick had some rare few days off in a
row and he built the boxes and helped me fill them. This was definitely a treat
for me:)
I plan on growing tomatoes, strawberries, beets, carrots, beans,
maybe cucumbers and a few companion plants in the raised beds. Potato's, squash,
maybe corn in the ground garden and cabbage, turnip, parsnips in the raised beds. Time will tell on how I like the raised beds
:)
Some decisions are harder to make than others...but first I'd like to tell you Colden is starting their own Farmers Market. Sat May 19th in the parking lot of the Bread of Life Outreach center in the town of Colden NY. (the old Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic church).
The decision...? As many of you know I've been at the Holland Farmers Market for four years on Sundays and I love everyone there, but I also have been a resident of Colden for almost 58 years and I feel I should support Colden, and the Bread of Life. Plus (Lady of the Sacred Heart) holds many memories for me as it does many people in Colden, and it feels enticing to spend time in the place Rick and I were married in 1977, where I made my First Communion and Confirmation. Where my nieces were baptized, made their first communion, and confirmation and one niece was married, as was my late sister and her husband in 1961.
With that said, what I've decided to do is...both Farmers market every other weekend, so selfishly not to fill up all my weekends. I guess I am getting a little lazy too, because this way I'll only have to take the shop apart every other week to pack and unpack.
So join us at the first Coldens' Farmers Market, Saturday May 19th 8am-1PM. Hope to see you there. I'll have teas, spices, maple almonds, Yancy Fancy cheese and curds, Spices in grinders, fresh garlic and other nice things and maybe fresh eggs, (if I don't sell them before then.) I'll also try to have herb and vegetable plants and later, some fresh vegetables, what ever is in season. If you have any ideas of what you'd like to see or buy at the Farmers Market please let me know.
Be
well
Laugh often
Love large
Dig in the dirt
Grow a garden
and may
the sun light your wayKellie
+
Herbs & Things
Hello From Herbs & Things:) There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough to pay attention to the story. ~Linda Hogan~
Confirmation...
Verification of a fact or evidence
The act of confirming.
Biblical Confirmation...Confirmed you are gifted with the Holy Spirit
Words, pictures, music of something that confirms one thing is somehow related to another; Verification of messages received from an 'unlikely' source.
Those who have taken the Medicine Helper, Spirit Guide and meditation classes offered at Herbs & Things, have heard me mention, after you get a message, see a symbol, or feel something has spoke to you, to always ask for and wait for, a confirmation. To ask that this confirmation be shown in a way you'll understand, that you did receive a message or information correctly and to show also via this confirmation to the messages validity.
This brings me back to last week's newsletter when I wrote of Crow and the personal message I mentioned that I received. But, if you remember, I did not say what that message was:) Good thing too, because now I can tell you what message I thought Crow brought me, 2 days after my sister's passing.
Why can I tell you the message now and not then? If I would have told you, it would have been thrown out in to the universe for every one to react on and kind of put in to a whirl wind of confusion. Thus the confirmation came quickly and though I did not get it right away when it was first put in front of me, once I did, I understood clearly it was my confirmation and that I had understood the message correctly Crow brought.
The Wednesday after Madeline passed, I was looking out the living room window, when a small Crow 'caught' my attention. Watching this Crow I got the impression it was a little lost or not quite familiar how to do Crow things or where it was supposed to be going or doing. You know like someone stepping off a bus in a strange place and does the look over of the area to better acquaint themselves with the area and hopefully see something they understand or that looks familiar, thus knowing what to do next.
A few seconds after noticing this one Crow, from around the back of the Chestnut Tree came two other Crows. They had a maturity that the first Crow did not. I immediately knew, that something from an ordinary every day thing was giving me a message and that I must look, and feel beyond the ordinary.
So I watched as the two 'older' Crows showed the less sure Crow how to do things. My first gut feeling was, it was in reference to, that my Mother and Father were with my Sister, helping her with her transition. The two 'mature' Crows seemingly were showing the one how to fly over the fence and land just on the other side, then hop around and gather horse hair...the two 'older' crows were showing the 3rd the 'ropes' of it's new life.
I also knew that this was not this years baby Crow, it is to early...but it was a young one, a 'yearling' not sure of it's steps.
The next day after putting out the newsletter about the Crows gathering hair in the corral...I received an email from Rachel F. about something she learned of the meaning of Crow.
What she learned was Crow sometimes speaks of another life coming into this world...
Though my message, via the three Crows was not about another life coming into this world, I do believe the personal message for me was, about another being help and guided from this life into another world...So from Rachel's email, take special notice of the number 3 and see the connection and confirmation, of the 'message's' significance of the 3 crows I received and 'saw'.
Hey Kellie, I found this after reading more about crows. They are very tied into Japanese beliefs. I also said to Kathy, that with your sisters passing and my friends that there is another life brought into this world.
1 for sorrow
2 for joy
3 for a girl
4 for a boy
5 for silver
6 for gold
7 for a secret never to be told
So now really, is that too cool or what:)3 Crows= a Girl=that girl Madeline:)
It's the little things like this, that when you question yourself if you are really 'hearing', 'seeing' or 'getting it', tells you that...you are:)
that third Crow signified and Crow was showing, this was in reference to my sister...the girl...being helped...
And OH, just a reminder if Crows comes to you...and what message(s) it could be bringing.
Crow speaks of magic around you...and good luck. They speak of the magical ability to re-create your life.
Crow is adaptable to it's environment, they work as a family and with each other in their community. they usually have a appointed sentinel which warns of danger or sometimes a treasure in a corral for building nests:)
Number 3-Creativity, mystical, birth.Wink wink--Gotta love it:)
The animals.
We could learn so much from them if we'd just 'listen' watch and learn.
I've had 3 crows visiting my front lawn, area around the house and barn for the past few days. With them they brought a personal message, which I've processed and will ultimately try to apply to my life.
But they've made me again aware of how, nature uses nature to live and doesn't destroy it's self in the process.
Marty and King, the horses, are shedding their winter coats. When they roll around in the corral, they leave white patches of hair on the ground.
Thus, I've been enjoying watching those crows, working hard gathering that hair, and with beak full of white hair, almost like a chipmunk with stuffed cheeks...they fly to where I assume their 'home' is. What's really cool besides the contrast of the white hair against the black color of the crow, is how they can build their house, with nothing but left overs from Mother Nature, in the form of twigs, hay, and or hair from shedding horses.
When I thought about it, I asked myself, are those twigs, hay strands and loose hair really seen as left overs?
I don't think the crows look at it like that. I think they see the hair as a found treasure of white in the middle of a corral.
It's the way nature is...one species provides for another, in some shape or form... they in one way or another co-exist.
Now if only we, the human race could do a better job of co-existing and adapting with nature such as this, we and the earth would be so much better.
What if Crow comes to you, what message could it bring? Crow speaks of magic around you...and good luck. They speak of the magical ability to re-create your life.
Crow is adaptable to it's enviroment, they work as a family and with each other in their community. they usually have a appointed sentinel which warns of danger or sometimes a treasure in a corral for building nests:)
Number 3-Creativity, mystical, birth
Be well
Laugh often
Love large
Dig in the dirt
Grow a garden
and may the sun light your way
Kellie
+
Herbs & Things
