Day 45: a gray world

Snow today. Blah. :(
But I was walking, and I saw this tiny sliver of blue in the white sky, contrasted with the white and dark world ... it was maybe a little cooler where I first saw it, but of course, I didn't have my camera with me ... so I took this just outside of my house.

Day 44: happy lady day

So, Friday 13th is supposed to be unlucky largely because Friday is Freya's day, the day of the goddess, and 13 is one of her sacred numbers, for the 13 moons in a year, and because Christianity wanted to get rid of the goddess as much as possible. So I consider Friday 13th "Lady Day", because it's a double-goddess day.
(Hence today's title)

So, today's picture.
So, on Day 36, there was that date ... I've been on a few more dates with that boy, and we're officially dating now. So, on Thursday he gave me this drawing he'd done. He was showing off some of his art (some of which is REALLY cool-looking), and when I was leaving his house, he picked this one up and gave it to me, because I liked it. So I put a ribbon on it and hung it on my wall Thursday night, and in the morning I took the picture.

It's a piece of wood with canvas covering part of it (the canvas ends with the wing), done in chalk.

Day 43: (fancy) knitting project

This is me working with double-pointed needles for the first time ever, basically. I found an awesome pattern online that I HAD to try (Victorian wristlets; they're ruffled), and because it involves so many new things I've never done before, and because every time I make a pair of something new, the first one is always crappy, I decided to practice by making one wristlet, but making it short (there are supposed to be four or five cables, and I only did one or two) ... so this is me practicing on some yarn I have a lot of but don't care too much about. I have finished, and I've started the actual wristlets. I'll post pictures when I'm done.

Day 42: more about hair

Not a very good picture, but I dyed my hair again. You might not be able to tell real well, but it's less reddish, and more brown, although still lighter than my natural hair color (which has darkened considerably over the last couple years).

Next time I dye my hair, I'm just going to buy some permanent dye and get it as close to my natural hair color as possible, and then leave it. I'm getting tired of my hair. I can't decide if I want to grow it out or keep it short (or go shorter).

Day 41: birthday project

This is my birthday present for my sister Emmy, who is in Chicago. I mailed it to her, and it got there on her birthday, so that makes me happy, because I was worried it'd get there late. Her birthday is February 13th.

So, I sent her this shirt, which I made (well, I painted it), and some chocolate (Chocolove), and a card with an elephant holding a bouquet, because she likes elephants.
She really likes the shirt, which made me happy.

Day 40: kicking sexual oppression in the balls

First, another sky-picture. I just loved the texture in the clouds. This is out in Sugarhouse, by the way; I was getting supplies for my sister's birthday present. Her birthday is February 13th.


So, I went to Goddess Circle, which is a local Pagan activity once per month put on by a local group, and there's a ritual for and information about a goddess once a month. It's cool. So this is the altar to Godiva:

Godiva, who is more like a culture-hero (like Fionn McCumhail (vaguely pronounced like 'Finn McCool') or Heracles) than an actual goddess (which is perfectly acceptable), was given the attributes of goddess of social justice and sexual freedom (she rode through town naked as a protest to her lord and husband's raising the taxes beyond the ability of the peasants' ability to pay), and just a lot of what they said about her made me think of Brighid (whose holy day was very recently), and so I was thinking about how they were very similar, especially in the areas of 'social justice and kicking sexual oppression in the balls'.
And I laughed at the thought, and knew that's what I had to call today in this blog.

What I want to know, though, is what happened next? The lord raised the taxes, Godiva told him she would ride through the town naked if he didn't lower them, and he didn't, so she rode through the town naked. Did he then lower them? I mean, it's not like she could have upped the ante; that was about the most shameful thing she could think of doing to him. So what happened?

Day 39: last of the baby-knitting

Firstly, here's my favorite time of day: early, early morning. The air is so crisp, the sun is just peaking over the horizon, the light is just gorgeous, and there's no one about. I fell like the only person in the world.
The only reason I was up this early was I had to work before game.


And ... the hat! Complete with pompom. It's on my hand, instead of on Aurora's head, because Aurora slept through most of the game, so there wasn't really a good time to put it on her, and she was wearing a little footed onesie, so putting the booties on her didn't really work, either. But whatever.

Day 38: more knitting

This is the gift bag I knitted for Lisa's baby's things. I made it up myself, because none of the patterns I saw were big enough. I have not yet finished the hat.

Day 37: an exercise in flashing

Walking around some more ... this picture is without the flash ...


... and this is with the flash. Anyone know why the flash made it darker?


800 S, at 900 E:


More of my sad, denuded trees/bushes ...


And some macro-greenery, growing out of a rock.

Day 36: coffee and walking around

So, I went on a date, and we got coffee. Specifically, he got coffee, and I got chai, because chai is yummy. Here's our cups:


Then, later, on my way home, I noticed that my trees and bushes where I've taken so many pictures (the pyrocanthus, the squirrel) had been pruned. It was crazy, we were walking along the street, and in mid-conversation, I just stopped, staring at the trees. I'm not sure I'd have noticed if I hadn't taken so many pictures here.


I really like this picture:

Day 35: more baby stuff

Lisa requested little mittens so baby Aurora won't scratch up here face. So here they are:

I swear, these are the most precious things I have ever seen in my life! I dunno why. Hopefully, Day 38 will be the hat, and Day 39 (which is Sunday, when I see Lisa) will be a picture of Aurora wearing all her new things ...

Day 34: that's a crocus

So, sometime in October (I think? Whenever the Farmer's Market ended), I planted some bulbs. I bought (on the last day of the Farmer's Market) daffodils (my favorites), crocuses, and something that looks like bluebells, but I'm not sure if they are ...
So, this is the patch where I planted them (don't mind the plastic and stuff, we're trying to kill the grass so the backyard can be a garden):


And here's some new green stuff, I don't know if they're anything I planted, or just plants coming up, but still:


And this is definitely one of the plants I planted, not sure which yet. But I'm so excited!!


February, by Dar Williams:
And February was so long that it lasted until March
And found us walking a path alone together
You stopped and pointed and
You said, "That's a crocus."
And I said, "What's a crocus?"
And you said, "It's a flower."
And I tried to remember, but
I said, "What's a flower?"
And you said, "I still love you."

Day 33: more imbolc

More Imbolc altar, but this time with candles lit for Imbolc and my Brighid's cross necklace:


This is my Brighid's cross. I need to learn how to make a real Brighid's cross out of straw ... or rowan branches, which was the idea I got during my Imbolc stuff. I may, sometime, try to actually make a Brighid's cross out of rowan branches, but I really think it would be a cool tattoo.

Day 32: imbolc/brighid/candlemas

Today is Candlemas, and tomorrow is Imbolc, so here I present pictures of my altars.
This first picture is my "Source" altar. The Mists of Avalon states "All the gods are one God, and all the goddesses, one Goddess, and there is but one Initiator." The Source is the Great Mystery, the Initiator, that which I refer to when I say "God". Mostly it's just the candle and the little angel, which was called the Angel of Wonder, which I have renamed the Spirit of Wonder, because that's how I see God.
Also on this surface you can see the little divided plate on which I put little elemental things: a tealight for Fire, a couple stones for Earth, a cone incense dish for Air, and a shell for Water; also, my Medicine Cards: these I drew for my Totem Animals, and I got Eagle, Wild Boar, Crow, Deer, Lynx, Turkey and Black Panther. There's meanings behind them all, but that's way too much typing for a photoblog ...


This is my Goddess altar. I used to have God and Goddess and all the elements on one altar (plus the Source candle and the Spirit of Wonder, etc.), but it was getting crowded, so here I have the Goddess candle (in the middle) and Water on the left (it's kind of in the back, towards the West) and Earth on the right (North-ish). There's other stuff there, because my room is really crowded. Not important.


My God altar, and originally my only altar, with the God candle (note the phallic rock leaning against the candle ... someday maybe I'll smooth down the bottom so it can stand erect), and Air to the left (again, in the back, for the East) and Fire to the right.
You can see my staff in the background, to the right of the altar.


And the awesome thing about my altar is that it's two-tiered, so the bottom space is my "working space" ... I use it for decorating for the Sabbats (as pictured below), as well as for "workings" (spells), etc.
It is currently "decorated" for Imbolc, hence all the candles and the orange. Unfortunately, that's all I've got, by way of Imbolc decorations ... I'm kinda working on it, but Imbolc, even with Candlemas as a Catholic Holy Day, doesn't have near the amount of easily accessible commercial decorations that, say, Samhain, Midwinter and Spring Equinox do (due to the corresponding holidays of Hallowe'en, Christmas and Easter). Even the other harvest festivals (Lughnassadh to some extent and the Fall Equinox even more) can make use of Thanksgiving decorations, or at least some of them ...
But alas.


Anyway, happy Candlemas/Imbolc, and I love you all!

Day 31: he's playing hide and seek

So, I was walking along, and I looked up, and this little guy was close, and looking right down at me ... But before I could get my camera out, he moved a bit further away. So, see if you can find him, he was hiding at this point:


He's in plainer sight, but still not easy to see ...


There he is! I swear, he was posing for me at this point. And then he started following me (not very far).


So, it's the end of the month! I uploaded 80 pictures this month! (That's more than I expected.) (When I hit 365 pictures, can I quit?) I also missed one day (officially).
It's been an interesting month. I got a job, went on a date or two, and got back into the photographing spirit, which is very good.
Next month will be a short month, so probably only 70 pictures or so ... :D
Love you all, see you next month!

Day 30: green! (more macro)

It could almost be spring!

Day 29: because i'm always freezing (a mini-project)

While searching for patterns for baby-mittens for Aurora, and practicing cables (upon finding a pattern that I'm actually not going to use, because it was for 6 mos-1 year, and Aurora's a newborn ... and apparently my tension is really loose, because I did not alter the pattern one bit, except to end early, and they fit my wrists ... ), I made wristwarmers!
Actually, it's less that I'm always freezing, and more that I read that legwarmers were originally only worn by dancers, etc, to keep their leg muscles warmed up, so they didn't injure themselves ... and I'm a writer, so I need to keep my arms/wrists warmed up for all the mad typing I do!

Both wristwarmers. Unfortunately, I needed one hand to take the picture ...


A close-up of the cables on the better (aka second) wristwarmer. I'm very proud of myself, I figured out how to do this from poorly written instructions and a video showing me how to do something else ...


And, somehow, I lost the better wristwarmer! At Smith's, I think. :(
But they're so quick (I made both in one evening) and take so little yarn, I may take the crappier one apart and remake it and make another.

Day 28: it's called the pentagram spread

Hmmm ... apologies for the awful fuzzy picture. I didn't realize until just now ... (and since I neglected to update all week, 'just now' is NOT Day28)
From the top, in sunwise order, the positions and related cards are:
Spirit: Six of Wands
Water: Ten of Pentacles
Fire: Five of Swords
Earth: Queen of Swords (R)
Air: Prince of Pentacles (R)



I might set these cards up again and take a better picture in the morning ... just so you can actually see my cards, because they are lovely ...

Day 27: adventures in suburbia

Another picture of my street (700 S) from the top of the hill. It's misty/inversiony ...


I thought this was really clever. I also think we need something like this. (I'll have to take a picture of the front of our house so you can see why ... )


And ... yay! Trash can fires in ... plastic trash cans.
Somehow doesn't work as well as you might think ...


Also, if you can notice the discrepancy, you get ten points!

Day 26: snow and happy birthday

Subtitle: I love the macro button.

Anyway, it snowed, so here's more snow pictures. Also, my mommy's birthday is on Day 26: happy birthday, mommy!

Some snow piled on a branch:


Snow and berries!


A snowy tree, from afar. I'd wanted to do more close-ups and maybe some odd angles with the tree, but I'm not sure they would have turned out.


The valley. This is where I live.


More of my favorite: pyrocanthus! (Thanks Beverly!) I liked the red berries against the white snow and dark branches/leaves.


And this is probably my favorite.


Love you all!!