A friend in New Jersey.......

could use a little help.  They made it through Sandy relatively unscathed, but, given the damage done elsewhere, employment is a little shaky.  Deb, however has two etsy shops, the Glamoury Apothecary & La Sirene et Le Corbeau .  Speaking from first hand experience, her oils are wonderful & her spun yarn beautiful! The yarns knit up beautifully, & are brilliant in colour! So, if you're in mind of a little yarn hoarding or starting Yuletide shopping, please stop in & support Deb.  Thank you!

It's Autumn now

One of my favorite shades of grey. A pity the sun setting doesn't show her glow on the leaves.

Wow....*lucky* we are!

Surrounding towns lost trees, power, etc. , but we were very lucky to only have flickering lights & rattling windows.  This is the worst of our damage:  

The front steps. Sorry for the fuzziness!  There is also a lot of wind high up.

As well as a grey colour...

 

All Hallows approaches....

...as does Hurricane (Tropical Storm? Major Storm Surge?) Sandy.  Have Hermit & Oatmeal Lace cookies bakes, reading/knitting materials, candles/matches, &

this lovely selection of dried rose buds & lavender, plus a hand-cast candle in a truly gorgeous black colour  (I am so incredibly pleased with this colour ), courtesy of Ms. Lilypads (yea! for contests, which also included a sweet soap & lotion).  Along with a slice of strong gingerbread, honey, & milk, these lovelies will be put to Great Use tomorrow night. Now all I have to do is find a container that I won't mind losing in the winds of Sandy.....

Straight to Hel ( A visit to the Dark Side of Faery)

   There are two things that I have a major skeevy attack when forced to endure their presence: Barbie pink & glittery/shimmery/Disneyed fairies (Tinkerbell & her troop = gag reflex).  I am ever so much more comfortable with the complexities of the Elder Fae.  Somewhere close to being a second cousin thrice removed of the Dark/Elder Fae I find one of my favorite Complexities...the wondrous Hel.

(This poor quality image of a wonderful print of Hel.  Original painting created by the wonderful Linda of Heksebua)
   Daughter of Angerboda (witch & probable giantess) & Loki (now there's someone that I wouldn't want to meet up with in a dark alley).  Sister of the Midgard Serpent & the Fenris Wolf.  In appearance half dead, half alive...half beautiful woman, half corpse, which leads to her sacred colours of black & white.  Hel rides a black mare, accompanied by a pack of black dogs.
   Or, she did ride, before Odin had Hel & Her siblings seized & 'contained'.  Odin took to heart the prophecy that the three siblings would rise up & lead the Rebellion against him. Odin threw Hel as far as he could & so She landed in the Realm of the Dead (exceptions being those who died at sea or in battle. They go elsewhere), becoming its' Queen.
   There Hel seems content to spend her time, waiting for the moment of Rebellion to arrive. In the meantime, She has plenty to do.  Hel, you see, knows *everything* about *every* soul which passes her way.  It is Her judgement upon each souls' living which determined where it will spend eternity: in pleasant sun or damp gloom. Hels' decision is final.  No court of appeals in Her Realm!
   This is where I find Hel walking in the Darker Side, providing balance. 
   Modern Halloween is full of bright colours, luscious apples & pumpkins, lively games, gaily wrapped candies & treats, fantastic costumes, & childrens' laughter.  Halloween is a lovely round of Party & Spooky Story, where nothing can *really* hurt us.
   Then comes All-Saints/Hallows quickly, quickly on the heels of Halloween.  Here is the reminder that seasons change from warm-bright SummerHarvest to cold-bright WinterSleeping. A reminder of the frailities of living, where we can be hurt.  The thinned Veil allows us a brief time to once again visit, & honor, our Ancestral Dead, Glorious Dead, & Holy Dead.  Many of whom Hel is well acquainted with, as She has passed Judgement on all.
  For in Hel resides that Dark Reminder that, for all of our getting lost in the insanity of a sugar-induced live-in-the-second Halloween rush, there will, one day, be a Reckoning.  One day we will stand before Hel, waiting the Judgement of One who does not forget what we have done.....even if all we remember are the cavities the candies gave us.

The 'I Want's

Anyone who has been around young children knows the chorus reverberating throughout the household as October rounds into November is ' I Want That!'.   Finally. Grandchild #1 is now most selective about such pronunciations &  Grandchild #2 still gets easily distracted by what he already has.  However, Grandchild #3 has started the war-cry much earlier than the other two did.  She doesn't particularly know what 'it' is, but she wants 'it' nonetheless. Once #3 starts in, #1 chimes in with her desires, just in case the war-cry actually works with #3.  #2 starts up shortly thereafter because #3 & #1 are at it.  In the spirit of the game, I have decided to chime in...as soon as this has a commercial on when they're watching T.V., I get to add my own 'I Wants' !  This 'I Want' beats #2s' pair all hollow :)

Just so you know....

My dragon glistens with all the colours of flame & water-flowing. Her eyes sparkle diamond-hard. Her voice is as fathomless as the galaxy is deep. Her voice is like that of the winds, blowing up storms so that they may speak to each other. It is her Choice that she came, her Choice that she stays. She is my Companion as I am hers.