Something to think about. Do you think this is true? What does this quote mean to you? |LINDAGHILL|
One Liner Wednesday- How to Understand Life
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Author Archives: Deborah Drucker
The Witch’s Broom
I sat abandoned in the corner near the hearth. My mistress had gone on to the otherworld. Dust and cobwebs gathered at my feet. A few insects had made a home in my wood. The cottage felt so lonely and cold. I wondered what would become of me.
A troublesome shadow appeared in the doorway. Tom Prattle, a pestiferous bootlegger surveyed the abandoned cottage. He called to his buddies, “Hey Buck !, Carl ! Come over here and take a gander. This would be a great place to set up a still and store the brew.” The scruffy bunch clomped into the cottage with their muddy boots making tracks all over.
” We can clear all this old stuff out of the room and see what we’ve got, ” Tom thought out loud. The men started tossing my mistress’s meager belongings out the door of the cottage. Tom grabbed me to toss out with the rest. I decided I did not like this new master and his plans for my home. I lifted off from the ground with him still attached.
We went for a wild ride around the tops of the trees. He gripped me with his stubby fingers, his eyes popping in horror, his mouth forming a silent scream. He buddies watched gape mouthed from below. After making a couple of loop-the-loops, I swooped down and threw my passenger down the old well out front. He was screaming and hollering for his friends to get him out. The last I saw him he was making a hurried retreat down the road with his gang close behind.
As I floated back to the cottage I saw a ghostly apparition at the door. My mistress smiled and said, ” There you are. I almost forgot you. I could not leave my loyal besom behind.”
Then we flew off high above the tree covered hills and across the boundary to the otherworld.
Masks Off Channeling My Innermost Self
A Costume that would channel my true innermost self…. I am not sure I know everything about my true innermost self. I like to think I know parts but I think I am still learning. I will tell you about the positive aspects or ones that I aspire to. The different characters are: the Idealist, the Dreamer, the Comic, the Romantic, the Observer, the Imaginer and the Adventurer ( usually armchair variety or in my mind 🙂 )
A costume would be like one of Gertrude Bell.
I have always liked strong women characters as portrayed by the likes of Katherine Hepburn or Angelina Jolie. I aspire to be courageous.
Addendum: I love this post on Senior Planet about costumes. Very funny!
SoCS It’s All a Matter of Degree
Climate change is often in the news and on our minds. Especially if you have senses to be aware of the changes in the weather. Here in California we are aware of the lack of rain and the length of our summers which can extend far into autumn. Our air conditioning bills are increasing. The Salton Sea is drying up. I have read that Southern species of birds are moving North and competing with local birds. Can we and the creatures that share our planet adapt to the changes wrought by changes of climate?
Some encouraging news in this post I read from Smithsonian is that some species are showing the capacity to adapt and are doing so. This is a counterpoint to all the doom and gloom.
I have told myself to not let all the bad news get me down. We can not see the future and, although I believe we need to address global warming, that all outcomes may not be as bad as we fear.
|Stream of Consciousness Saturday SoCS|
Smithsonian article link below:
Can evolution save species from death by climate change? Maybe. Kinda. #ItsComplicated.
Part II for Which Witch Blog Hop: The Druids
I have learned a lot about the Druids since I began researching for my first post, Samhain. I have read some the other posts on the Which Witch Blog Hop and Hocus Pocus and in other sources.
Some information I have learned is that the Druids history was an oral one and that anything we know about them was written by the Romans or Christian monks or pieced together from artifacts found in archeological digs.
Their history could have been distorted or edited as a result of cultural bias. Many of their stories are part of Celtic myths that were passed down orally as well.
My knowledge is limited in that I am a new to the subject. But what I have learned has enabled me to use my imagination in writing about Aine. I took what information I have read to inspire my story.
I was surprised to find that there are people today who call themselves Druids and practice some of the old traditions. It has been fun to learn about this topic and it has really inspired my writing lately.
I wrote another blog about Aine.
It has been fun to participate in this blog hop at The Way of the Wytch and nice to meet the other bloggers through their posts and comments.
Season Of The Witch
Tipsy Lit Flash Fiction Contest Entry: The Chronicle of Aine Part I
Chronicle of Aine Part I :The Shapeshifters
My name is Aine. I am a Druid priestess of Ireland. It is the 5th year since I shape-shifted. I fly over the beautiful land of my birth. I see my people being persecuted for the old faith. I have enjoyed swooping down on the traitors and gouging them with my talons. I must be more careful because one of them almost caught me last time.
I am descended from a long line of Druid priests and priestesses. I began my training as a priestess twenty years ago. I was taken from my family home when I was 5 years old and brought to the temple. Our teachers were very patient and loving. We were required to memorize all the holiday rituals and prayers. Some of my earliest lessons were the prayers that are said on the arrival of the new moon. I learned to read the weather patterns and the signs of the change of seasons.
If we learned our lessons well we were allowed to have time to explore the wild areas near our temple. I enjoyed learning about all the local plants and animals. Many of the animals and birds were my playmates and friends. I learned to speak their language. They would tell me of all that happened in their world. They would warn me if any stranger approached.
We were encouraged to spend time with the Old Ones. I always liked the Old Ones the best. They would tell us the history of our people from time long past. The Old Ones taught me the skill of shapeshifting. Only a few of us were chosen for this training. It takes a lot of energy and concentration. When I first started to practice shapeshifting it would exhaust me and I would need to sleep for several days afterwards.
I take pride in saying I was one of the best students. There was one other who was my equal, Aodhan. He would often join me in exploration of the wild areas. He was very skilled in reading nature signs and the traces of the outsiders. He mastered shapeshifting quickly and enjoyed taking the form of some of my animal friends and playing tricks on me.
As we grew older our relationship changed. He became very jealous when I was with other friends. One day as I walked in the sacred grove Aodhan quietly approached in the form of a stag. I recognized him before he could startle me. He told me he had grown tired of the training and felt he knew enough to leave the temple and practice as a sorcerer on his own. I said that he was wrong to think himself wiser than our teachers and the Old Ones. He became very angry with me and disappeared in a cloud of smoke and fire. I heard the next day he had gone.
Reverse Shot: The Swing
What’s your earliest memory involving another person? Recreate the scene from the other person’s perspective.
I am 15 years old and living with my mother and step-father and my little step-sister Debbie in Lake County. Debbie is 3 years old and looks like a Campbell’s Soup Kid according to her father. She is pretty chubby but cute. She really looks up to me but I have better things to do than hang around playing with her.
She wanted me to push her on the old tire swing that is at the front of the house. It’s a strange looking thing made of rubber with a bucket seat and long ropes going up to a high branch of an old tree. I was pushing her and she kept going higher and higher up over the roof of the house. She was looking down between her feet at the roof.
The next thing I know, my step-father is running out the front door of the house yelling, ” Mickey, stop pushing her!” Turns out he and my mother could see Debbie’s feet coming over the roof from the big picture window at the back of the house.
Separateness is an Illusion?
We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness. –Thich Nhat Hanh
When I was about 8 years old I exclaimed to my mother that we are all truly alone because our souls are separate and that we can not know how each of us feels inside. I was becoming aware of existential loneliness.
It seems nowadays I experience the opposite. How can I possibly feel separate when I open my Inbox each morning to a tsunami of mail.
There are multiple notifications from WordPress and Facebook. Pleas and proclamations from interest groups asking me to sign petitions and donate or warnings about the latest pending environmental disaster, GMOs, and pesticides killing us and the bees. I am concerned about all these issues but I am starting to get “compassion overload.”
I get messages from the library about books being due or coming in and e-lists of book recommendations. I get articles, blurbs, blogs and messages about Art, Ageing, Boomers, adult education and Job Search results.
How can I possibly have illusions of being separate with my Inbox so full?
It takes a good part of my time to keep the incoming volume of email under control. I think I am going to have to unsubscribe to a lot of this stuff. I really don’t want to have it taking up so much of my time.
But does all this internet interconnectedness really make me feel less separate?
I am aware of my connection with others when I read something that resonates or get a thoughtful or supportive comment on my posts. A ping back and re-blog is encouraging. 🙂
But I have to sort through an awful lot of stuff, separating the chaff, to get those precious grains of wisdom, inspiration, encouragement and real connection.
Statement by RN’s at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital as provided to National Nurses United | National Nurses United
My thoughts about Nurses:
Nurses have always been on the frontlines of healthcare. They do the heavy lifting when it comes to patient care often with their own health at risk. They worry about exposure to infections and that they might carry something home to their families. Nurses deserve all the support we can give them along with the best training and the proper supplies and equipment to do their jobs safely for our sakes and theirs.
Link to Statement on National Nurses United blog: Statement by RN’s at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital as provided to National Nurses United | National Nurses United.
My First Liebster Award
I am honored to be nominated for the Liebster Award and want to thank Lucile de Godoy, on life for nominating me. It is heartening to have other writers give me recognition for my posts.
The Liebster Award has German origins. The word “liebster” has several definitions: dearest, sweetest, kindest, nicest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, welcome, sweetheart and boyfriend.
It aims to discover new bloggers and welcome them to the blogosphere. Bloggers award other bloggers. Here are the rules for accepting the Liebster award:
- Post the award on your blog.
- Thank the blogger who presented this award and link back to their blog.
- Write 11 random facts about yourself.
- Nominate 11 bloggers who you feel deserve this award and who have less than 200 followers.
- Answer 11 questions posted by the presenter and ask your nominees 11 questions.
11 Random Facts About Me:
- I love good strong coffee and usually have some every morning
- I enjoy good food and wine including San Francisco sour dough bread with the hard, dark crust
- I love to read books, the paper and cloth cover ones more than electronic
- I love films old and new
- I love nature and all the beautiful scenery in California
- I love opera and especially anything Puccini
- I love Rock n Roll like the song says
- I like things that are quirky and funny, good jokes and comedy
- I like some of the old comedians like Laurel and Hardy and WC Fields
- I like road trip up the coast of California with my husband
- I like dancing and may take up tap one of these days
My 11 Nominations ( I did not want to duplicate Lucile’s list but I still love you all and you know who you are 🙂 )
- Behind the White Coat
- Angiezingcupid
- From Egg Hill
- Far Out in Africa
- Inspiring Max
- Rachel Being Chatty
- The Crafty Lady in Combat Boots
- Sonadora
- Out of My Mind
- El Amarillo Camino
- Wtf Am I On About Now?
My 11 Answers:
- Are you afraid of the dark? Sometimes if I have just finished watching a scary movie especially about hauntings or ghosts and such things and if I hear strange noises at night
- Do you care about recycling garbage? Yes but I am not always good about doing it. We do recycle plastic bottles.
- Are you happy? Depends on what mood I am in. 🙂 Generally yes, resilient.
- If you had to say the truth or protect a friend, which one would you choose? Lean toward protecting the friend unless they were guilty of a heinous crime.
- Are you addicted to social media? Right now almost addicted to WordPress blogging but trying to resist. Probably losing the battle. Don’t have time for other social media due to first part of answer.
- Do you have a dream? More than one. Travel. Write a book. Get published.
- Have you ever been in love with a friend and never told her/him? No
- Tell us the funniest thing that has happened to you. I think I need to have more fun because I can’t think of anything right now 😦
- If you could choose another place, where would you live? Sonoma, Carmel or Santa Ynez Valley
- Don’t you like gossiping? Not too much.
- Would you let me know if you rather not be awarded and why? I can see how the awards can be more of a popularity contest and can be seductive. On the other hand I do appreciate getting the feedback as a new blogger. So Thank You!
My 11 questions for you:
- If you wrote a book what genre would it be?
- Is WordPress you whole life right now?
- What current issue in the news are you passionate about?
- Do you like to get together with a small group of friends or do you like big parties?
- Do you prefer cities, small towns or being in a more remote area?
- When you travel do you like to rough it or do you prefer a hotel with all the amenities?
- Do you feel you really need to be in constant communication with friends on Facebook, text, twitter or other social media?
- Do you enjoy time to yourself, solitude?
- Do you need to have a special place in your home or elsewhere where it is quiet to write?
- Are you a romantic?
- What type of music do you enjoy?
