We've moved!

The move is official, if you're looking for new content from me I'm over at The Wandering Witchling on WordPress now.

All content previously done here on this blog will be left up at least for another two or three months to give everybody time to update their bookmarks.

MOVING SOON!!

Well now that is not unexpected news I know... but I mean the blog is moving, not me yet.

The Wandering Witch has a new home that I'll be working on building over the next month and will start posting over there to that regularly starting February 1st.  (Okay yeah so it might actually be sooner once I get it polished to the point of working.)

The Wandering Witch at WordPress

Those of you who visit frequently, feedback on page design, layouts and help figuring out WordPress would be appreciated.

It's almost 2015 already?!

The Chief just seemed appropriate. =)

Holy shit... well I finally got all my Christmas orders done.  I've learned some serious lessons this year, like me and poison oak don't get along, but there's been others.

Like time management.

Like if someone brings my ability to work to a crashing halt, I need to put my damn foot down about there are very specific times they can be over and very specific time amounts they can stay.  I lost a lot more time than I like to think about to that idiot. Who now is trying to use her boys as pawns to get her into a better housing situation or flown home. Oh and it's everyone else's fault but her own that she's now couch surfing. I feel sorry for her kids.  Her...not an ounce. She had four different jobs that she managed to land.... then got too drunk and hungover.  I'm sure you can guess how that ended.

I've learned that I've healed a lot this year. I was able to go hiking with two folks I barely knew and had a blast. Nothing triggered. No episodes. Just a good much needed break. I was able to go to a ballet (!!!!), the Nutcracker. I had DR with me of course and a bag with crochet in it. (HA! Thought I left that behind didn't ya?)

I've learned to have less fear of the future. Still have a massive amount, but it's probably half of what it was. Fear as in, whether or not I am capable to learn enough as to the where's and what's I'll be doing in the future are of minor concern.

I managed so far to get through this holiday season with a panic attack. I think it's been at least three or four months since the last one, that's a record. There have been a couple of minor ones that I managed to head off, and no anxiety attacks flaring into a panic attack.  Whew.  Now that (!) is progress.

I still miss my cat though. =(

And yes for those of you wondering Mace is based on Mindy.  Many of the interactions between Lacy and Mace in normal every day to day, are actually things that happened with us at the cabin. Including the bit about band aids needed on the thighs.  Ouchz!

I've started writing again. I used to write a lot of that was... let's just say, only DR gets to see that and even then I get a pat on the head. Yeah, that's the best way to sum up his reaction and no, I don't find it insulting. I tend to understand that action a bit better than vocal reactions to that old stuff.

I know I need to charge a bit more for some of the things I make.  Like the coats.  I think I'll be phasing out a couple of things after New Year's and introducing several new things that are going to go over well I think. Nope, no hints.

We also have a table now.  Yes, it's el cheapo fold plastic table from Wal*Mart, but we have a damn table. We have a place we can sit and eat our meals at...instead asian style on the floor....

I still have a few other orders, but I still don't know what to do with myself now that all the Christmas ones are done. Feels weird to be honest.  Good, but weird.

We celebrated Yule this Sunday. I managed to make a leg of lamb taste amazing. We threw it into the crockpot with leeks, rice and green onions.  I barely tugged on the bone and it came out with no meat left on it. We did stuffed bell peppers with goat creme cheese and veggies.  There's enough food left over for another week's worth of meals.

I'm not active on my facebook right now. I'm sad because facebook changed their policies about pages and you basically have to pay after January 2015 for people to see your content. I ain't got that kind of money.  I'm sad because a lot of really awesome pages might go bye-bye while I'm gone.  I'll have a website hopefully soon though, so that I can stop relying on Etsy and Zibbet.

I AM on ello under Evelyn Stormrose, so if anyone is over there and not already friended me, please feel free, drop me a line too while you're at.

I will have be having two coats at the end of February up for grabs.  No clues about the colors, you'll just have to wait and see.

Okay, I've rambled on enough for today. =) See you guys tomorrow.

Changeling's Agony, Chapter III

HIYA!!!! Are you enjoying this series so far? Yes I know it's a bit ambiguous right now as what's going on with Lacy, but I promise that before Changeling's Agony is done, it'll make partial sense.  The next in this series is going to be Changeling's Awakening.  The prologue, after going over my notes for this story I made year's ago, isn't quite right for what this story is going to be telling, so once Agony is done, I will be re-releasing an adjusted version of the prologue so that certain things will become clearer.  For those of you who have been reading my blog regularly, thank you thank you thank you!!!  I do greatly appreciate it and will hopefully soon have something awesome for you. -- Evelyn



This is a work of fiction.  All concepts, characters and events portrayed in this book are used fictitiously and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. 

Copyright Evelyn Hively, 2014

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher, nor be circulated in any form of bind or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent publisher.

January 19th, 2012

    Somewhere in my subconscious is a repressed memory of such that no person such ever have to deal with.  

- Lacy's Journal 

    Keep going.

    Katana's voice echoed through her ears. It was a strange sensation having an ethereal creature be able to affect things the way this dragon did. At the same time, Lacy was glad for it. All Mace could do was distract her and make her laugh. Kat could actually talk back with full syntax and coax, cajole or scold her into continuing to work.  

    It was four a.m. in the morning.  She hadn't been to sleep yet. Sleep was refusing to come to her. There was a pile of hats next to her. She had found a basic hat pattern in one of her crochet pattern books three days ago. From there she had been combining two different colors of yarn into hats. 

    Make another one Lacy. Keep going.

    Lacy glanced at her rather large serpentine friend. Her eyes were nearing bloodshot and she exhausted, but sleep wasn't happening yet. The only light was from the fire. It was all she needed for this particular crochet pattern as she could do it at this point in her sleep. She grabbed the crochet hook and two new strands of yarn. She chained four and paused, looking at Kat.

    "Does this really help?"

    Don't be silly. You know it does. It releases endorphin's into your system countering the depression and you end up accomplishing something. You know this. Keep going. You must keep going Lacy.

    Lacy felt herself start crying. She had always had trouble getting to sleep, but staying asleep had become a problem in recent months. DAMNIT, she thought. She was more emotional than normal too and it wasn't that time of the month either as she had just finished that. So what was it? The answer to this was eluding her.
    Lacy wiped the few tears from her cheeks and took a deep breath. She started doing double crochets into the fourth stitch from the hook and kept going until there were twelve. She paused again, Kat watching her from underneath a much bigger carport on spirit side than in reality. Katana kept her agitation under control. There were wounds deeper than she had been led to believe about her little human charge. She wasn't pleased, as those wounds would seriously hinder things in the future if they weren't dealt with.  

   Kat nudged the young woman with her nose.  

   Come on.  Keep going. Just one more hat, then I'll sing you to sleep.  
    Lacy nodded, smiling slightly. Dragon songs she had found were very soothing when done right. She almost always slept when they were singing. They being Kat and two smaller dragons that were practically babies that had shown in the past week. One told her it's name was Gnobin. He looked like a baby Draco. The other was called Snarp. She enjoyed being on top of the fridge for whatever reason. When all three of them sang, there was no staying awake.

    Kat watched the young woman work, keeping her pace steady. The more work she did, the farther she pulled herself out of the blackness that was afflicting her. The closer she get could herself to being in a grey state of being, the easier it would be to pull the memories up that she needed to deal with. They had to be dealt with.

    Lacy found herself on the third row of the hat. She kept going as these hats only took her around an hour to make. For whatever reason, she was sleeping best between five a.m. and ten a.m.. It was only five hours of sleep, but it was deeper sleep than normal and more restful. 

    Mace stuck her head around the chimney and watched her human in it's rocking chair. She looked at the dragon and trilled at it. Kat chuckled.

    You know the answer to that as well as I do.

    "You guys creep me out when you do that."

    Kat laughed. Lacy wasn't able to speak Cat, but dragons could.

    She's being impatient for you to get to bed. Apparently it's cold and she wants snuggles. Snuggles are worth putting down your yarn.

    Lacy stood up, joints protesting the change of position. She put another two pieces of wood plus two pieces of hard wood she knew would burn slow into the fire stove for a total four new pieces and trilled back at Mace. Mace charged up the stairs to their bedroom and waited for her to crawl into bed, before snuggling tight into her back. Lacy fell asleep with a smile on her face to the very loud purrs of an adoring cat.

    Katana watched from her vantage point.  She had her work cut out for her. She slipped back away from the growing quiet cabin and took to the air. The Appalachian mountains, while older than the Rockies, had more hiding places despite their erosion rates. Her mate was waiting for her in one of the hollows. Uchi, looked at her adoringly as she landed. They touched foreheads for a moment before curling around each other.

    How is she, he asked.

    I'm not sure. I'm worried we didn't find her in time to alleviate the damage done.

    Uchi gently nuzzled his mate. They had been asked to find this girl human for reasons he didn't understand yet.

    Think she'll dream tonight?

    No. I've been asked to not let her until she reaches a point of being able to handle the night terrors one at a time, Kat told him.

    He frowned, which was a abnormal thing for a dragon of his type.

    One at a time?

    Oh yes...it's worse than what we were told.  This assignment is going to hell for me. I can see my old friend in her, but I know she's not actually her. I know she's Lacy.

    Uchi covered his wife with a wing.

    The Supreme would not have asked us to do this if it wasn't her. She'll be fine. We must have faith in her.

    Katana snuggled against him.

    I hope you're right.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

    Gnobin curled up beside the bed of his foster mom. Mace looked over the side at him.

    Yeah, I know you're not happy sharing her buuuuuutttttt......

    The cat just huffed at him. He snorted softly and checked on Lacy. She was the human that was to be his constant foster mother while he grew until she passed on or until he hit a hundred. Spirit side time moved differently than normal human time, so he wasn't sure which would happen first. Lacy was the first human he had ever interacted with. She doted on him like a normal mother, but still let him look around. With conditions of course.

    Mace jumped down and curled around him leaving him with a smile. That meant they were going into the dream worlds. Lacy had repressed her memories of being able to do that so it meant they were her backup. He liked it when he got to run with Mace. Mace, on the Dream plains, was actually a very large Jaguar. A very very large Jaguar. While Lacy never remembered while waking, she rode Mace and it was like watching a four year ride a draft horse that was a Percheron or Clydesdale. The cat was massive.

    He closed his eyes and was looking up at his feline friend in seconds. Mace looked down at him chuckling.

    At your size, I'm not sure why you don't just appear on my back.

    I prefer to do such things with permission if you don't mind, he responded back to the massive dire sized jungle cat. She gently head-butted him.

   Come on. We've a Lacy to find.

   He glanced around as he leaped up and flutter down to between her shoulder blades.  

    Shit... where is she?! We usually jump into the Dream Plains right next to her. 

    Mace looked around and sighed.

    It means she's reliving tonight.  

    Damnit...and she's still repressing. It'll be another month before she's ready to deal with it... Gnobin sighed heavily. His foster mother had so many problems that he in his forty-years of existence could not solve. Then he remember he was only a baby in dragon years. He wasn't going to be a teenager so to speak until he was a hundred and sixty. Mace glanced over her shoulder at him.

    Focus.

    Right, sorry.

    S'all good hun.

Argh

So today is a cheat post.  Sorry about that guys.  I'm dealing with one of my crocheting nemesis's: Baby booties.

I know I know, they are ridiculously simple looking.... yet I can't make them with any semblance of looking decent to save my crochet hooks.  Hundreds of patterns and it all comes out looking the same.  Go figure right?

So here's some season fitting music from one of the few artists that I can stand listening to around this time of year, for any length time.

I am a....

My mind makes strange logic jumps.  I think everyone who has a healthy mental state does.  We jump all over the place and find ourselves at what seems completely logically ends to a series of thoughts that only we the individual were privy too.  As to what it was that I was reading somewhere that triggered this.... I've no clue.

For a very long time I called myself a Wolf.

Why?

Because I knew myself to have a pack.  An inner group of friends and family that I would protect with claw, tooth and life.  An outer pack of friends and family, that I would protect tooth and claw.  An extended pack, given the circumstances, that would get the same treatment as the inner pack.

I knew I had a code.  You don't fuck with me, I don't fuck with you.  You don't prevent me from taking care of my pack, ditto.  There's a hierarchy of people I'll listen too.  I'll admit that I'm not able to fit into an Alpha/Beta paradigm.  I will be a second in command but if the "in command" person has his head up his ass, I will step and start giving orders until shit smooths out and start working again.  Then, back to just being that woman in the shadows.  Or maybe that's what a good Beta is.

Well, the pack, code and hierarchy are still there. I am part Wolf.

But that wasn't all.... so I looked deeper at another animal that is reflected by humans.  Coyotes.  The coyote is an odd creature.  In some North American cultures, he is the Creator. In other's he is the trickster.  In all, he forces one to look at themselves and evaluate their actions honestly.  Ever notice how coyotes take over empty Wolf territory?

Coyote...  they are a paradox creature.  I've been called an enigma many times.  Paradox even.  I have humor where I should have pain.  I use the humor to take the edge off the pain.  He is playful.  I've been told I'm too childish or too playful at times.  He is very adaptable.  There is no environment that he can't become used to and become a part of.  I've been finding... that is true for me.

 Coyotes are resourceful and very adaptable.  They are very very crafty.  I don't think I've encountered any kind of object or tool yet that could aid in my comfort for all practical purposes in a survival, prepping or what not situation that I couldn't engineer or figure out, based off of what skills I already know.

I've had to learn to be those.  So I'm part Coyote and part Wolf.

But those don't fit fully right either.

There is the Bald Eagle.  The symbol of our nation.  What is he?  He is courage and an encouragement to go beyond our comfort zones.  A creature of vision.  The Bald Eagle and his brothers of many types, have been upheld by cultures from around the world.  Why?

They fly the highest.  Their vision is the sharpest. They are endurance and resilience.

Things I've been learning to do over the past several years.  So I am part Eagle, Coyote and Wolf.

There's more though.

About March 2012 I was shown that I had Hummingbird medicine in my life.  Or rather, it was back in my life.  Hummingbird... she is unconditional love.  Now, I learned I was capable of this for my fiance, whom we'll call DZ from here on out.  DZ when he appeared in my life came when I needed love that was returned, because I was willing to give love in a manner most weren't used to getting unless they felt they had earned it.

I'm capable of some amazing things despite my size.  Just like her.  Since DZ and I have become involved, I've been more able to be playful again.  I can temper the cynical with playfulness.  Hummingbird is learning to find joy in life where most may not be able to see.  I'm learning that and have learned that.  She's also resilient.

Okay, so part Hummingbird then.  There's more.

Bison.... the American Buffalo.... known among folks as the spirit of abundance, protection, strength, survival, formulating beneficial plans... all things I can lay claim too in past two years.  A long two years.   A two years that have brought an abundance of challenges, love and healing.  Years of protection from the universe and Gods in the right ways that have kept me here on this world.  Years of finding small scraps of strength when I needed them.  Years of surviving the worst demons my inner self could throw at me and that others could throw.  Beginning to be a more vocal prepper but also working tempering my skills.  Finding a balance between being ready and still having fun.

I am Buffalo, Hummingbird, Eagle, Coyote, Wolf.

They make bring to forefront something that I think we've been lacking in our language.  A new word to apply to folks who don't feel that sheep dog or wolf is apt enough, to express the American spirit.  A word to express that which is the American resilience that blazed the trails to California.  A word that is the tenacity of the fighter that is an American soul.  A word that encompasses what we are as Americans, on all fronts.

Something to describe the millions of strong willed, freedom seeking, stubborn headed, loving, able to dream... people who came to North America, our ancestors.  Something to describe the blending of lives, culture and time.

I'm something much more terrifying that a Wolf and its pack.  A Coyote and his craftiness.  A Hummingbird, an Eagle and a Buffalo.

I'm a Chimera.  I am a combination of bloodlines, ideas and thoughts that make for a creature that is stronger than it's parts.

Americans are Chimera's.

 I am Chimera.

Heads up!

There won't be a Changelings Agony chapter this week and the next post may not be until Sunday or Monday.

Why? Well.....

These are the unfinished projects I have currently.  I have five open Christmas orders that I'm busting fingers on, so if I am manage to get a couple done by Sunday, I'll be doing good.  

All right, y'all be good (or good at it).

Smudge it.

No I'm not using that as a stand in for fuck it.  All though there have been times I've said it that way out of sheer frustration.  Makes for a good laugh afterwards.

I'm mean the process of lighting dried herbs or wood chips and wafting the smoke around.  Yeah, that native american thing.  Only that native american thing is pretty damn awesome.

I've been a studying witch since I was 16 and a practicing since I was about 19-20.  I've smudge with sage, sweet grass, etc etc.

Whether or not there is an actual scientific has been figured out for sure reason behind the smudge smoke being so effective at clearing out negative energy... I don't know.  If you have a link, I would love to see it.

I've known it's effects for years, but it always amazes me when I smudge how much lighter a place feels afterwards.  Smudging is great for when you're moving into a new place.

Though depending on where you live, you may to smudge more frequently... like the apartment building I live in.  Most of the folks here are normal decent folks.  However, shit still bleeds over.  It's an apartment building.  You can't have the number of people over a year that live here and not have stuff building up that is some nasty negative energy.  Smudging weekly is a must in an apartment.

Bad energy builds up quicker in an apartment it seems.  Mostly just because of all the people concentrated into one building I think.  That's something I look forward to about Arizona: the possibility of having a house that I will only need to smudge once a month, and in emergencies.  Not just every Wednesday.

Changeling's Agony, Chapter II

This is a work of fiction.  All concepts, characters and events portrayed in this book are used fictitiously and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. 

Copyright Evelyn Hively, 2014

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher, nor be circulated in any form of bind or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent publisher.

January 10th, 2012

I think I've gone through a full bottle of Tylenol in three weeks.  Between my hip reacting to the sudden drop in the weather and massive headaches at least once a week, I'm shocked I don't have a toxic amount built up into my system yet let alone that the stuff still works for me. Spirit World wise even the dragon that's been hanging out seems agitated.  Yes dear poor sap who got stuck reading my journal, I said a dragon.  Her name translates to Katana from what she tells me.  She's okay with just Kat.

Mace has stopped turning into a giant ball of anger fluff finally whenever I am crocheting and the yarn makes a weird sound as it slides across the edge of the plastic tubs I keep it in.  Which is a good thing as she still has her claws and I'm tired of putting band aids on my thighs. 

- Entry from Lacy's Journal

    Lacy wiped the tears from her face. Another pounding headache had woken her early that day after she had a particularly bad night and wasn't able to get to sleep until around four a.m.. The headache had come knocking at five a.m.. She managed to get down the stairs without killing herself, and get something taken but getting back up to her bedroom was out of the question.  She had curled up onto the futon that doubled as her couch, and kept herself close to the end near the fire.  Headaches, she was certain were one of the few that would bring any adult to their knees if intense enough.  

    Her crying intensified as the pain began swelling again.  She reached for the roll of toilet paper that she had brought out with her to futon and tore off several pieces.  She started stuffing them up her nose and not a moment too soon as a familiar stabbing sensation occurred.  Lacy sank back into the futon. She didn't understand it.  Sometimes the headaches went away on their own, other times her nose decided it wanted to just explode. Either way, the pain was gone finally. Mace stuck her head back around the corner and glared at Lacy.

    Lacy just shook her head. There were some things that a cat was just not going to understand. The nose bleed lasted several seconds longer than normal. She waited until it had stopped fully before carefully standing up and heading into the kitchen. She glanced up to find Kat peering in the window at her.  Lacy just about jumped back over the counter to the futon. 

     "Damnit Kat," Lacy managed around the wad of paper product in her nose.

    I thought you were used to be able to see me by now, Kat's voice lilted through her head.  Lacy shook her head slowly, careful not to knock anything loose from her nose. 

    "I'm still not certain you're real and not just a hallucination from my very fucked up subconscious," Lacy told the moss green creature.  Kat gave the woman a head bob, which Lacy took to mean 'point taken.'

    What is it that you're doing now? Should you even be moving around?

    Lacy smiled faintly.

    "Well oh creature of indeterminate origin, I'm actually going to be making a small meal focusing mainly on proteins and irons.  It'll help mitigate the effects of the blood loss."

    Ah, I see.  Smart.  

    "So I'm told."

    Lacy pulled out a couple pieces of fish, fresh spinach and started eating some raisins. Kat settled down into a comfortable perch and watched her. She winced in sympathy when the girl slowly pulled the bloody paper from her nose and went a few shades paler. Lacy frowned at her frying fish and decided to just eat it plain. Anything spice wise stood a strong chance of aggravating her incredibly sensitive nose cavity. It was always best to do without on days like this one. Even if she messed up the fish, she would still have to be the one to eat it.  Mace being the strange little cat that she was, disdained fish. She didn't even like tuna. Lacy had been glad that she had only bought the one can of the stuff. Mace trilled at her human as she sat down to eat.

    "Yes mom, I will eat all of it even if it takes me an hour," Lacy teased her cat. Mace gave an approving meow back to her. Lacy shook her head. 

    "There are days I wonder if I'm imagining her interactions with me."

    I would think that that is the least of your worries my dear.

    Lacy glanced back up at the dragon as she started eating. Kat smiled.  For the first time that day the glint was back in Lacy's eyes. Lacy started to work on her meal slowly as Kat nodded in satisfaction.  Her skin tone was starting to return to normal again and the sick looking pallor that had been her appearance started to fade.

    I'll be back later child.  I have some work to do.

    "Dragon's have jobs?"

    Oh yes indeed dear.  Spirit Side is the same as your side.  We all have jobs and duties we've taken on. It'd be horribly boring otherwise, what with the only entertainment being silly humans.

    With that the dragon took and flew out of sight over the trees that surrounded the cabin. Lacy looked around and sighed.  Despite the fact Kat never came inside, it always felt emptier when she left.  Lacy wasn't sure as to why. 

    "Maybe she's really not a figment of my imagination," she said to Mace.  Mace just tilted her head to one side and started purring very loudly.

Ooohhh... so that's what a weekend is....

which is basically just something that was arbitrarily set as a week's end and the week's beginning.  ...Just another two days in other words.

Being able to take a day off is a privilege.  Not a right.  If I take a day off, it's because I want to.  Sometimes I need to, hence me dancing around like a happy puppy inside my head when I got to go with the hot springs.

Everything has healed up nicely from the hike now.  The right calf is still a bit stiff, but I think it's because I may have over-used it a bit more than the left.  The hips, surprisingly enough are fine.

I'm done to the last two Christmas orders and finishing the one really big order.  Feels good because I've managed also to make a few presents this year as I had deliberately allowed time for it this year.

Which brings me to the facebook break, which will be about a month and a half.  December 19th to January 31st.  I'll need to be able to get in touch with a few folks on facebook as I'll be working on some seriously heavy projects.

Speaking of which, yesterday was.... off.  I know a few of my friends were feeling it too.  Depressive and just.... yucky.  If I had to describe the vibe of yesterday, the best way to do so is imagine you knocked olive oil all over yourself.... now imagine you can't wash it off for several hours.  Pretty much.

It let up when the fiance got back from a few errands, but I can tell you right now, I'm going to need a furbaby once we get to Arizona.  I will need the company.  And knowing my luck, the little brat may even end up being there waiting on the doorstep as we're moving in.

Today, I smudged with sage.  As soon as it was possible too.  That definitely helped a lot.  I'll probably do that a few more times today too.

Changeling's Agony will be up here shortly after this, I'm just doing some polishing on it.  So not really much to chat about today.  Hey, it happens.

Screw patience.

You know what gets shit done?

Being stubborn.

Take my crocheting for instance.  That ain't patience.  That is stubbornness.  Stubbornness I say because patience can just get up and walk away whenever the bitch feels like it.

Not stubbornness.  Stubbornness is the pulling on of the compression glove that let's my right hand keep working and not stiffen up like a hand of the dead.

Stubbornness is eyeing goals and organizing them the most efficient manner so that you pick up a large amount of momentum and just keep rolling through your day.  It's keeping plugging away on projects and patterns that frustrate you to the point of wanting to throw it across the room and break down crying.

Its the deep breaths you take whenever a client won't listen about how one thing is possible but another thing isn't.

It's putting your foot down and standing by decisions you've made.

Patience is a quaint idea.  It does have its place, but it can't get as much done as being stubborn can.

Being stubborn otherwise known as refusing to quit.

Misapplied it can cause a large amount of trouble.  It's a driving force behind being focused.  You have to be stubborn in order to keep a situation from getting the best of you.  You have to be more stubborn than any anger that might be lurking.  More stubborn than sorrow or grief.

Stubbornness is what patience wants to be when it grows up.

*Pop, creak* Ouch

I got to go to a hot springs, I got to go to a hot springs. Na na na na na-nyah! I'm kicking myself though, because I didn't take as many photos as I should have.  Also, further digging into the area... showed that the Pacific Crest Trail, goes right that spot.

Deep Creek Hot Springs.  A gorgeous little gem of an area.  Now mind you this was Sunday-Monday.  The hike out was a bit more intense... okay a lot more intense, because we were going up for a large chunk of it, but the calf muscle and shoulder pain have been totally worth.

Then last night one of our local grocery stores was having a sale on turkey... that basically came out to 50 cents a pound.  

We grabbed a 14 pound one and processed it down into more manageable sized pieces.  Cut the legs, wings, breasts, shoulders and thighs off.  Cut a large amount of dark meat off into smaller pieces and wrapped that up and froze it as well.

We threw the remaining carcass which was the ribcage, spine etc along with the neck bones and the remaining meat from the turkey breast we had gotten for thanksgiving into the pot.  Proceeding to boil that down for about maybe two hours.  By the time we were done, there was 2 quarts of nothing but turkey stock.  The amount of broth and meat leftover for turkey stew is close a quart and a half.  The turkey meat leftover after that  is enough for turkey salad, turkey omelettes and turkey tacos.  And that was just from boiling down the bones and the meat that was left one them.

I still haven't gotten my pack cleaned out and put back together yet... or the sleeping bag run through the dryer... or the laundry finished....but I do have the Toothless order almost finished and am about to finish of the coats and start on the stockings and.... LOL yeah, I know, I need an assistant some weeks.

It's been one of those weird weeks though ya know?  A lot of great things have happened, but we also got hit by Murphy again this past Sunday.  The fiance had to go take care of a speeding ticket.  He hit something that blew out the front tire and while trying to bring the car to a stop, managed to get gravel between the tire and the hubcap, and flat tire alla carte.

Which cost us close to  400 bucks (250 for the tow... yeah seriously) then replace the blown tire and fix the flat tire.  Oh and that speeding ticket does look like it'll get dismissed, but it's going to take two more trips to get it ironed out.

Then I have family and friends that aren't quite feeling themselves and...

Well, let's just say I have a Yule/Christmas challenge for ya'll.  This holiday season, instead of casting/praying for this that or the other thing, pray/cast that the people you know, even if they haven't told you they need, are provided comfort.  The holiday seasons are some of the most brutal times of the year for a lot of folks.  Like me.  Christmas day, seven years to do the day this year, is my second miscarriage.  I was two months along.  Time takes the sting out of it but... well...

So yeah, that is my challenge to everyone who reads this.  Pray/wish/cast that everyone in your life, is given some comfort and closure.

It's the etheral things, that make Yule/Christmas what it is.