Hello once again.

It's hard to believe that half the semester has gone by. So far I am making A's in all my classes. Midterms are coming up. I have two tests next week and a paper due. Things are going okay, I've been a bit stressed lately (I need to take a break from the news! sheesh!) so I am going to start taking some hot yoga classes down the road from here. I also intend to start volunteering. I want to volunteer for a horse rescue, but visiting people at an old folks' home might be nice too. Maybe I can find time for both. My schedule could be tighter, I do enjoy being busy.

I've been reading this really interesting book lately called Daughters of the Earth: The Lives and Legends of American Indian Women. I want to share with you all an excerpt from this book; I know you fellow Blue Morpho people will enjoy it. ;-)

"The Yumas and Cahuillas, neighbors in the southwestern desert, also held annual tribal mourning gatherings. The Cahuilla invited neighbors from other villages and staged a big feast in the ceremonial house. Families of persons who had died during the previous year made images of the deceased out of cloth stuffed with grass and topped by human hair wigs. On the last day of the weeklong ceremony, female relatives of the departed brought the effifies out and led the procession. Later the effigies were burned.

The participants in these rites sometimes worked themselves into hysteria. One year, during the last night of a Tuma mourning ceremony, a woman fell down unconscious and was not revived for several hours. Afterwards, in relatingwhat had happened to her, she described a great rumbling noise as if many horses were stampeding. Then she found herself riding on a horse behind a male relative who had been dead several years. The two of them were surrounded by many other riders, all headed toward the south. Finally they came to a large village. The people there appeared to be Yumas, and the woman recognized among them many former inhabitants of her town who had been dead for many years. These people came out to meet her and were very glad that she had joined them.

Soon a great cloud of smoke appeared in the west, and everybody started running. The woman tried to run with them, but she found that she couldn't move very fast, and when she tried to get away she stumbled over a block of wood and fell down. Just then she began to regain consciousness and found a medicine man administering to her. He was smoking a pipe as part of the treatment, and later the people realized that it was the tobacco smoke that had appeared in the spirit world and brought her soul back."

There are many similarities about shamanism that are cross-cultural. Similar things were happening with medicine men in different parts of the world at the same time in cultures that had no way of communicating with each other. It really makes you think, huh? There's something to it, that's for sure...

Moving on... pictures!

The Fort Worth Water Gardens. I loved it there. You could walk down in the middle of this thing and be around all that rushing water.


On our way out here from Texas, we stopped in many places, the Grand Canyon one of them. This is but one canyon way far down IN the canyon.


We also stopped in Vegas. The only thing that impressed me was the food. Otherwise, I didn't enjoy it too much. I have no desire to return.


Taking care of the cats here has been a pleasure. The two cats that I have spoken of who were shy are starting to come around. The gray one not so much but the gray and beige one now lets both M and I pet her and will come and seek out attention! Here is Frances, the lovebug.



Here is my pretty herb garden!


Our front porch deck, with the redwoods in the background.


The giants in our backyard.


This is our house from afar, this picture taken from the far side of the creek.


A pretty flower I found on growing on the dunes at the Samoa beach.


And me, an ant amongst gods. (there I am, teeny tiny little me all the way at the bottom! click for a large picture!)


And last but not least, a blackberry pie that M and I made from berries growing on the property.


Oh my goodness, was it yummy! Seriously one of the best pies I have ever had.


I hope you all are doing well!

We return thanks to our mother, the earth,
which sustains us.
We return thanks to the rivers and streams,
which supply us with water.
We return thanks to all herbs,
which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases.
We return thanks to the moon and stars,
which have given to us their light when the sun was gone.
We return thanks to the sun,
that has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye.
Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit,
in Whom is embodied all goodness,
and Who directs all things for the good of Her children.