Hurrying Spring just a little here.

Good advice

I love Ira Glass. Love his voice on the radio, love his writing, love to hear his stories. So rich and so eloquent. 

Here's a video of Ira's words on the subject of perseverance. It's about the the fine art of not giving up and how important it is to push through and close the gap between your own good taste and your abilities.

Yesterday Amy Dickinson was in the shop. THE Amy Dickinson, as in Ask Amy the advice columnist. She lives in town. She's lovely, loves antiques, loves FOUND and ok, I'll admit it...I get a little star struck when she's in the shop. So after letting her browse a while, I told her how much I loved her book. That her words were inspiring to me because I too had a circle of powerful women in my family that made me the person I am today. That I long to tell their story. That I've been writing about them for years but have never shared those stories. And this is what she said:  

Sharing your writing is one of the greatest gifts of generosity you'll ever give. 

Share your work. Put it our there. Be brave. Just do it. 

 

I'm still thinking how I'll do this, but at least I'm giving thought to the idea. I know that gap between my own good taste and my writing abilities is vast. I think I'll go write for a while now.

Shopgirl

It's Thursday, shop day. Gather it all up and stuff it in the car day!

I often feel like a turtle on shop day, carrying most of my home office on my back. Computer, camera, tackle box full of tags and other needful things? Check. Bottled water? Check. Lunch? Of course, who do you think you're talking to here. 

Another recent purge in the downstairs office yielded some pretty cool things for the shop which was all hidden under piles and piles of stuff we hurriedly moved out of the dining room on New Years Eve day. That's what we do here. We move piles. From one side of the room to the other, from downstairs to up and inside to out. Today I'm taking a different tact by bringing it all into the shop. I don't care if it doesn't fit. I'll make it work some how.

I never imagined I'd like being a shopgirl so much, but I love it, especially on Thursdays. And I love my Thursday regulars. Home school moms giving history lessons, the lovely young woman who talks to the spirits and shops on their advice, and the retirees who regret giving away so many of their treasured possessions when they downsized, and who now come in to get their weekly trip down memory lane. And while I never hope the shop will be slow, I secretly hope for a little hint of it peace and quiet when we first open the doors. Touching something in every booth as I pass by to turn on the lights I think may all prosper. Hope you sell something today Dealer 88, Dealer 3. Dealer 61.

May all prosper.

F-Worthy

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F--k by Mark Manson, blogger, author, thinker, life enthusiast. It's my recommended reading for the week, F-bombs and all. In fact, for full impact I recommend you read it out loud and with feeling, especially if you find yourself, as I often do, feeling like your perspective is lost when dealing with difficult people and situations.

I wish I had a dollar for all the times I said I wished I were able to care less and now here it is, simple instructions for doing just that. Even if you don't intend to read the article or aren't interested, click on the clink to see the image on the post. It's priceless and if I were able to cop it for this post I would've in a heartbeat. Instead, here's an excerpt from the article...

The point is, most of us struggle throughout our lives by giving too many f--ks in situations where f--ks do not deserve to be given. We give a f--k about the rude gas station attendant who gave us too many nickels. We give a f--k when a show we liked was canceled on TV. We give a f--k when our coworkers don’t bother asking us about our awesome weekend. We give a f--k when it’s raining and we were supposed to go jogging in the morning.

F--ks given everywhere. Strewn about like seeds in mother-f--king spring time. And for what purpose? For what reason? Convenience? Easy comforts? A pat on the f--king back maybe?

This is the problem, my friend.

Because when we give too many f--ks, when we choose to give a f--k about everything, then we feel as though we are perpetually entitled to feel comfortable and happy at all times, that’s when life f--ks us.

Indeed, the ability to reserve our f--ks for only the most f--kworthy of situations would surely make life a hell of a lot easier. Failure would be less terrifying. Rejection less painful. Unpleasant necessities more pleasant and the unsavory shit sandwiches a little bit more savory. I mean, if we could only give a few less f--ks, or a few more consciously-directed f--ks, then life would feel pretty f--king easy.

What we don’t realize is that there is a fine art of non-f--k-giving. 

OK. I get it now.  Thank you, Mark. 

 

School Day

School starts today.

I'm looking forward to spending my day here...

It's a Day

It's Sunday, FUNday, take off your shoes and sit a while day. It's clip the cats claws while they sleep in your lap day, take a long nap and don't set an alarm day. 

It's a day for making more plans, scoping out new possibilities and moving forward on those things already up and running. It's a day for dreaming, but then again, that's every day.

It's cold, dark and cloudy. It's a day to bring in more wood and figure out how to stop the draft in the vent below the fireplace. Turns out that giant wasp nest in the vent was actually good for something...

It's an all around great day.

Howling at the Moon

It's the first work week of the new year and my old academic soul is still on break. Thank goodness for the Wolf Moon!

The Wolf Moon occurred last night and if the astrologists are right, this is a good sign! The Wolf Moon is full of energy, fuel and drive. It's empowering but it can also contain a hint of struggle because it's the energy of Cancer and Capricorn - our nurturing side and our driven side. Time to take a stand, make a statement and get something done. Time to take stock, appreciate what's been accomplished and look deep into the dark corners to see what's still there to do.

We've just had a big January thaw and underneath all that snow all is verdant. It's always so nice to see it this time of year. This past weekend I planted spring bulbs to force indoors. Narcissus, Dutch iris, grape hyacinth. They've all found new homes in cast off containers - chipped ironstone bowls, stray coffee cups, a big abalone shell. A few green shoots are already visible and just about the time cabin fever sets in again we'll have flowers.

Only 75 days 'til Spring...but who's counting.

If you’re looking for a push to set your newly created goals and New Year’s resolutions into motion, the first Full Moon of 2015—the Wolf Moon—will not disappoint.

It packs a powerful planetary punch and delivers just the right mix of “driving” energy to give us a kick start to the year ahead.

The signs of Cancer and Capricorn will be highlighted at the peak of this Full Moon which takes place on Jan. 4, 2015. The energy of Cancer (our caretaker within) and Capricorn (our ambitious side) will come out in full swing. We might feel the tug to balance these two sides in order to get ahead and do what we intended to do.

There will also be a push happening behind the scenes – which you might call an unconscious drive.  Transformational Pluto will make a show stopper appearance at the peak of this Full Moon empowering us to get things done. We’re ready to say goodbye to old patterns of the past that we’ve already determined don’t work for us. 

That Capricorn push will help us put our foot down and say, “It’s time to take a stand and achieve my goals.”

Now getting what we want is never quite that easy, but this Full Moon does mark another turning point in pushing us a little closer to it.  You can expect to feel a pull – maybe between the demands and devotion of your loved ones (Cancer) to what it is you’re aiming to do (Capricorn).  This Full Moon will push us to be courageous somewhere and simply not take “no” as an answer.  However there are some things to contend to if you do this.  

With a Grand Cross (challenging planetary combination) peaking between the signs of Capricorn, Cancer, Aries and Libra you should gear up for a balancing act in several areas. 

Our responsibilities and ambitions (Capricorn) + the people we care about (Cancer) + our desire to start something new (Aries) + our ability to compromise and work as a team (Libra) will all be pulled in different directions. It’s rough to be pulled in so many ways but it’s the universe’s call to help you. 

This Full Moon is going to push you to balance all of these energies out while helping you ultimately get done what you have to.  Let’s face it – some of us just need a little push when it comes to the tough stuff.  

As we step ahead into the New Year, it’s also important to remember what we have already accomplished ….even if you feel like you don’t have any. Full Moons heighten our awareness and help us to see things that have been hidden. This is a great time to take your own inventory and see all the progress you did make.

The shadow side of Capricorn can beat us up and make us forget what we accomplished.  It’s always looking ahead and neglects to look back and say, “Good job man!” 

As you approach this Full Moon, it’ll be helpful to take a moment and look back on your 2014.  Go ahead and pat yourself on the back for all of your accomplishments – because all of us had them – whether you admit it or not.  

And if you can’t help that feeling to “get up and go” into 2015 – don’t stress.  The planetary energies will certainly be there fueling you forward.  

- See more at: http://yoganonymous.com/januarys-wolf-moon-will-fuel-you-forward-in-2015/#sthash.ttEp4WXF.dpuf

If you’re looking for a push to set your newly created goals and New Year’s resolutions into motion, the first Full Moon of 2015—the Wolf Moon—will not disappoint.

It packs a powerful planetary punch and delivers just the right mix of “driving” energy to give us a kick start to the year ahead.

The signs of Cancer and Capricorn will be highlighted at the peak of this Full Moon which takes place on Jan. 4, 2015. The energy of Cancer (our caretaker within) and Capricorn (our ambitious side) will come out in full swing. We might feel the tug to balance these two sides in order to get ahead and do what we intended to do.

There will also be a push happening behind the scenes – which you might call an unconscious drive.  Transformational Pluto will make a show stopper appearance at the peak of this Full Moon empowering us to get things done. We’re ready to say goodbye to old patterns of the past that we’ve already determined don’t work for us. 

That Capricorn push will help us put our foot down and say, “It’s time to take a stand and achieve my goals.”

Now getting what we want is never quite that easy, but this Full Moon does mark another turning point in pushing us a little closer to it.  You can expect to feel a pull – maybe between the demands and devotion of your loved ones (Cancer) to what it is you’re aiming to do (Capricorn).  This Full Moon will push us to be courageous somewhere and simply not take “no” as an answer.  However there are some things to contend to if you do this.  

With a Grand Cross (challenging planetary combination) peaking between the signs of Capricorn, Cancer, Aries and Libra you should gear up for a balancing act in several areas. 

Our responsibilities and ambitions (Capricorn) + the people we care about (Cancer) + our desire to start something new (Aries) + our ability to compromise and work as a team (Libra) will all be pulled in different directions. It’s rough to be pulled in so many ways but it’s the universe’s call to help you. 

This Full Moon is going to push you to balance all of these energies out while helping you ultimately get done what you have to.  Let’s face it – some of us just need a little push when it comes to the tough stuff.  

As we step ahead into the New Year, it’s also important to remember what we have already accomplished ….even if you feel like you don’t have any. Full Moons heighten our awareness and help us to see things that have been hidden. This is a great time to take your own inventory and see all the progress you did make.

The shadow side of Capricorn can beat us up and make us forget what we accomplished.  It’s always looking ahead and neglects to look back and say, “Good job man!” 

As you approach this Full Moon, it’ll be helpful to take a moment and look back on your 2014.  Go ahead and pat yourself on the back for all of your accomplishments – because all of us had them – whether you admit it or not.  

And if you can’t help that feeling to “get up and go” into 2015 – don’t stress.  The planetary energies will certainly be there fueling you forward.  

- See more at: http://yoganonymous.com/januarys-wolf-moon-will-fuel-you-forward-in-2015/#sthash.ttEp4WXF.dpuf

The Gift

While cleaning up the last vestiges of our new year celebration this morning it occurred to me that I hadn't yet officially ushered 2014 out the back door.  Seconds later I stood barefoot at the open front door, arms outstretched, welcoming in the new year. Health, wealth, prosperity, good cheer. Joy, opportunity, chances, risk. I accept it all and more.

Honoring my grandmother who had the gift of sight and for whom I credit for my meagers gifts, I quickly opened the back door and physically swept out the old year with a broom. I see her so vividly today. Her wise old eyes and that all-knowing face. Those weathered, wrinkled and dark hands gnarled by arthritis but kept nimble by work. Her waist-long hair, coiled in a braid and pinned neatly to the top of her head. 

Her voice. That soft voice. I realize now I never heard her utter a word in anger. Her accent was island, mixed with a little southern and something unidentifiable but definitely foreign. She never called me by name, but instead always called me her dawlin.

What do the cards say dear? What are the signs from the animals, the seasons, the moon? 

After I'd gone off to college she would secretly press a ten dollar bill into my hand every time we said goodbye. Suddenly I'm thinking about the time she made me an enormous crocheted wedding bedspread for my trousseau. A not-so-subtle hint or maybe just her hope that I'd find a mate and soon. 

Her given name was Ellen, but everyone called her Nellie (Ellen spelled backwards). She was almost six feet tall, stronger than most men I knew and sweet as the day is long. She lived a quiet and contented life and never complained, except when she thought we were leaving too soon from one of our many visits. Homemade dresses. Cast off treasures rescued from the curb. Thriftiness. Handmade. Handspun. Magic.

Fish, johnny cakes, blackeyed peas and rice. Always rice. White and Uncle Ben's Converted.

She baked bread on soup can lids for my dolls and made me ice cream in metal freezer trays in my favorite flavors. Her house smelled of fish and onions, bacon grease and cornbread, and fruitcake. It was the smell of love and everything homemade and from scratch. So lovingly made and shared.

Beans, ham and greens. Eat up dear, it's new year's day. Sit and have some more, it'll bring you good luck this year. 

We'd find her in her garden long after dark and no one ever spoke about what she might be doing out there. I always wondered but never dared to ask. Lemons and papayas the size of cabbages came from that little garden plot and there was never ever a hint of blight or insects.
 
I loved her overcrowded and dark sewing room and how she turned old furniture into the kind of stuff fancy folks had in their homes. Anything I found down in the cracks of the sofas and chairs I could keep. Rings, silver pickle forks, keys. I still have it all in my little box of childhood treasures. 

 Thank you Grandma Nellie for the gift of sight and for inspiring the magic within me. 

Welcome 2015.