A sneezing Dachshund is hilarious.

"A dog can get a tan, let me bask here and come back later, you'll see."

It's time to meet Zambonie. In our house, my husband likes to say that I bring "the Interesting" to our lives.  He especially likes to say that when I feel that my contributions by way of paycheck or housecleaning are not impressive enough.  "I bring the Paycheck, you bring the Interesting and I could never do that" is what I hear.  Totally reassuring. He is a keeper, that one.  

If I bring the Interesting, Zambonie brings the imagination and entertainment. She is never at a loss for ideas to stay busy and she will take time out for you no matter how many delicious Post-it Notes she has arranged on the floor.  If ever there is a perfect dog for me, Zambonie is it. How we got her and how much I disagree that my husband is mainly a paycheck are for other days.  Today, meet Zambonie, the piebald Dachshund. She has Spring allergies today and is mighty surprised about the sneezes.

"How can I type when those birds are landing all over our deck and ruining it for everyone!?

Imbolc Wistlepig

Tradition calls for a badger (groundhog, whistlepig), snake
or hedgehog to make an appearance on February 2.
It all depends on where you call home.

 Imbolc is here and all we have to show that Spring will arrive soon is mud!  Here in PA, the tradition of the groundhog seeing his shadow is astonishingly central to people's midwinter conversations.  I have plans for a nice celebration with others in my circle on Saturday night... a meal of milk foods and fresh breads, a fire and the making of traditional wheat crosses.  I will put a bowl of holly and ice cubes (for we are without snow) to melt and remind us that the thaw is sure to come now that the days are longer.

In this part of PA, German families have held the fort since the mid 1600's, and with them many traditions found in few other places.  Midwinter celebrations among the old wise ones of Germany included watching a badger's hole. If the day was sunny, 6 more weeks of winter, if clouds rule the day, the badger may emerge as a sign winter is at its end.

The December Dilemma

For us, the winter holidays are about all of the celebrations, not just ours.

Dear New Mamma,  I too live in an interfaith home, and I joined with my husband when my children were 2 and 4 years old. I am invited to speak every year on an interfaith panel in our area called "the December Dilemma".

In short, my choice was to build our spirituality all year, and our holiday family traditions around interior decorating choices that my husband and I discussed, but since I was doing the "work", I asked him to hold his comments until later in January when I would sit down with him and say: "so, how was that wreath for you? Did you miss anything from your childhood that we could add for our children?"

That way, he felt honored and respected and our holiday traditions could evolve. No on the spot conflict if I hung icicles and 5 pointed stars all over the dining room ceiling.

I would like to go outside and see this on my birthday!

When it came to other families- relatives or not- I fielded a lot of questions. My answer was always the same: No, my kids know what our beliefs are, seeing your practices (house, tree, egg nog, menorah) will not confuse them.

 This is no different than my birthday, which is December 23. I open presents whether they have no paper or Christmas paper or birthday paper. It doesn't change the giving. We graciously show interest and participate in anything anyone wants to invite us to or wants to share with us, we offer to share with others- the color of the paper does not measure your spirituality. In my opinion, spirituality has to do with your family's habits most of the year, little to do with the holidays.

I should note that the families I meet at the December Dilemma talk who have the worst trouble are controlling people themselves or have controlling visitors and families. the Jewish child who's Christian grandmother gives her a gold crucifix, the critical mother who gives ornaments to her non-tree raising daughter. I advise a response which is gracious, but not compromising one's beliefs as far as having a child wear jewelry not appropriate for them. I wouldn't let my daughter wear lacy lingerie as a princess dress if she were 5, no matter how pretty she though it was, but I wouldn't make a fuss at the family dinner. I would just say "How thoughtful" and put it in the car. Donate the jewelry to a convent and change your plans next year.

Hope your new family grows crookedly but happy. Be willing to do it wrong sometimes and you will have fun. the 4 year old is now 24 and she is lovely.

regards, Hawk

Pomander Bath Fizz

Real pomanders started in Renascence Europe and mean "apple of amber".
They were carried about to keep dangerous vapors away.

Scented Solsitice gifts are the way to satisfy my creative urges during this week of holiday bustle. This year's offerings include bath treats for my sister and daughter. Each of them are seriously hip, work like devils at high pressure jobs one on Wall Street and as one as Director of pretty-much-everything in a city hospital. They fly back and forth between NYC and Austin TX to visit one another for concerts and weekend getaways. To them, I am the shining example of the slow, centered life.

This year's offering, in addition to my already famous Rosemary and Lemon shampoo (I don't provide conditioner because everyone is so fussy about her own, but I one day hope to make one using Argan Oil, probably scented to match the shampoo) I am making Bath Bombs, those fizzy balls you toss into the bath to create havoc and scent. In the past I have searched for scented products one could add to the whirlpool without creating a souffle of suds. Finally, I realized that with just my own essential oils (which I already have for scent and Craft uses) I can have fancy bath toys for myself and my hip-girls.

Solstice Pomander Perfume recipe

1 ounce Sweet Orange Essence EO

1/2 ounce Lime Essence EO

1/2 ounce Tangerine Essence EO

We make pomanders by poking holes for cloves into oranges
with a skewer. They represent the Sun we miss during the Winter.

1/2 ounce Lemon Essence EO

1/16th ounce Cinnamon Bark tincture*

1/8th ounce Allspice tincture*

1/8th ounce Ginger EO

1/8th ounce Clove Bud Absolute

• Mix 1/2C Epsom salt (or Epsom and sea salt mixture for a variety in texture) with 
• Citric acid 1/2C
• Baking soda  1/2C
• Cornstarch 1/2C
• 15 drops total of the above essential oil (EO) recipe. 
• add 1/2 teaspoon of Jojoba oil as a carrier oil.
• add one drop at a time of food color of you like, I do not.
• add 1/4 teaspoon fine grind orange peel or crushed cloves, also optional, this will not dissolve.
• mix mix mix.

with molding form (muffin tin, ice cream sccop) ready, add

• 1/2 teaspoon (or slightly more) of water from a spray bottle.

Mix with your hands, quickly form into balls or pack into shaped molds. it does not take long to harden. Turn out onto foil and let stand 1 day. Wrap. Impress those hip chicks.

Be aware, this scent recipe makes what might be a lifetime supply of Solstice Pomander scent. Terrific if you are interested in making room spray, perfume bath oils and bath bombs for scent layering for several people's gifts.  Not terrific if you want only 2 big bath bombs.  Reduce recipe by proportion by substituting 8 drops for each 1 oz of EO (essential Oil). *Tinctures are something I can make using 1/2 oz high proof vodka with the dry spice.

Domino Day

I took a few of the topical articles I've written on another blog to kick off this blog, but because I'm impatient, the pictures either won't transfer or weren't saved. You might be better off, they were blurry webcam pics. Use the captions to imagine a big stratified pile of desk junk on all surfaces. originally posted 12/3/11. Enjoy.

Craft and journaling central. I'm leaving the picture dark,  as the room is. Lamps are part of the fix

Its messy in here. We have a domino day going on. Domino day is when I tackle one emergent task only to find that to do it well I have to fix something else. To do that well, another thing needs attention. You get it.

To make cookies, I have to clean up this counter. To clean up the counter, I have to put away the food dryer and the dry herbs inside it should be stored in jars on my shelf of healing and ritual supplies. I should put up that shelf. Right now ritual supplies are on a coffee table which began as my altar and has never seen a cup of coffee. Altars honor. This one honors untidyness (that wasn't the original intent).

The shelf belongs in my office at home, which is also my painting and writing studio, craft room and Craft room and home to my handmade 18th C reenacting clothing. That was a mistake, so I have been transitioning the clothing to another home, which has left them in three places at present. Also a mistake.

All of this makes me want to take a walk in the woods...

Bucket of colored pencils seemed smart, but it doesn't work. big bins for desk supplies also not working.

So to bake cookies for the upcoming Solstice party which will be enjoyed by my sister soon to arrive from TX, I will need to put up a shelf, clean up the kitchen, put things from the kitchen into my office and before any of that can happen I need to clean my office and unbury my desk. I should make decisions about what goes where- but I think I will put that off until everything is at least in the right zone of the house.

All of this makes me want to take a walk in the woods most urgently, which reminds me: I have greens in the dining room and on the porch waiting to be made into two Yule wreaths. The wreath assembly will set off another domino circle involving the dining room, living room and possibly my bedroom.

The fact that 60% or more of the people in America are having a similar day is not much comfort.