Merry Merry

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Blessed Solstice, Happy Kwanza.  May the New Year Begin!

Blessings to all my wonderful friends.

2013

Welcome friends and readers to 2013.  May it be a year full of blessings, love, health.  A new year, new beginnings.  JAH Bless.

It's December and the holidays are rapidly approaching.  This year has been a different kind of year for me.  I find that my life is changing.  My hopes and dreams, my goals for the future, my spiritual values, everything is changing for me.  With all these changes I am just having a hard time getting in to the holiday spirit.  I love giving gifts.  I especially love making things for people.  I don't think that will ever change.  But the whole decorate the house, bring in a tree, plan parties and a big dinner for the holiday, I'm just having a hard time getting into all of that.

December has always been a hard month for me.  My mother's birthday was December 25. During this time of year I miss my family more than the rest of the year.  I feel more like an orphan in December than any other month.  I miss my children.  They all live far away and I rarely get to see them.   I don't even know where my oldest two children are any more. Letters started coming back as undeliverable.  They have moved and left no forwarding address.  And I have moved so they don't know where to find me.  This saddens me to no end.  I got a holiday card from my daughter.  But I probably won't hear from the rest of them at all again this holiday season.  That makes me sad.

December brings the beginning of winter.  My least favorite season of the year.  It is cold and dark.  But it is a time for reflection.  For going within yourself to take a hard look at your life.  It's a time to make changes within yourself.  Let go of old painful things and embrace the new.  That's a lot of what this year has been about for me.  Letting go of the old and embracing the new.

This year has been a real spiritual journey for me.  I left the church and christianity over 20 years ago.  This year I have made the spiritual journey not back to the god of my childhood but a journey to JAH Rastafari.  I am learning a whole new way to look at god.  Instead of the god of the iron fist that I grew up with, I have met a God of unconditional love.  JAH is teaching me how to live and love unconditionally.  I am embracing the path of Rastafari with open arms.  I look forward to continuing this journey of One Love, One Heart.

As we go into this holiday season I wish for each of you my friends that you may find that which you are seeking.  I wish that you are each able to let go of the things of the past that are holding you back and embrace the new.  I wish that your dreams all come true.  I wish you peace and happiness.

Hurricane Sandy

As most of you know Hurricane Sandy came to pay a visit this week. I started out on Saturday stressing about my friend who lives in Jamaica. I finally heard from him late Sunday evening. He and his family came through the storm okay. He wouldn't go in to any detail about damage or anything. But no loss of life and that was all that was important to him.

We started clearing our yard and porch on Saturday. On Sunday we finished putting away everything that might blow away. I debated all day about whether or not to put out the recycling. I finally decided to put it out in case they came by to pick it up. They usually come early in the morning and the storm was not expected until around noon. Bad mistake. I also spent a lot of time debating about whether or not to take my son to his class on Monday morning. His class is from ten until twelve. The storm was supposed to hit around noon so I thought we might go. Then late Sunday night we got an email that they were canceling the class. Good decision.

My husband borrowed a generator from work. He also borrowed an extra pump as he was expecting the basement to flood. We got up Monday morning to wind. Lots and lots of wind. But there was no rain. They kept saying we were going to get torrential rain on Monday. Fortunately that never happened. We spent the day looking out the windows to see what was happening. After all our preparation we wanted the storm to hit and be done with. The wind kept getting stronger and stronger. Finally our recycling bin went flying down the street leaving a trail of recycling behind it. Still no rain. We followed the progress of the storm on tv. Finally around 7:00 the power started to flicker a bit. By 7:30 it was out. We built a fire in the fireplace and lit candles. It was an early night to bed for all of us.

Tuesday morning we got up to a cold house. My husband got up before I did and wired the generator so it would run the furnace and the refrigerator and a couple of outlets. Oh and the kitchen stove. By the time I got up the house was warming up nicely. We tried the tv but it would kick out every time the generator kicked on. The internet was the same way. We would barely get it up and it would go out again. We finally gave up on both of them.

The refrigerator seemed to be working but it was getting warmer every time my husband checked it. All of the fancy electronics were working but the compressor was not kicking in. When the temperature got over 50 in the refrigerator we gave up on it. He disconnected it from the generator. At that point we could only hope that the power would return shortly. There was no place open where we could buy ice. Later that night the battery on my husband's computer fried. All of the recycling of power fried it so he could no longer use it. That left us with only cell phones to connect with the outside world. Cell phone reception was very sporatic. I have a friend who sent me a message at 7:00 in the evening. I got it at midnight.

My husband went out to get gas for the generator. He found a place not far from hom that only had premium gas. But he was only charging $4.00 per gallon. He tried to find coffee but nothing was open.

Wednesday morning we got up and went through the same routine. He started the generator and then I got up. We notice that after we turned off the refrigerature the computers were not cycling as often. So he decided to try the tv and internet again. It worked. Everything worked. We had no electricity but we had tv and internet. The phones were still pretty iffy. No calls could be made but some text messages were going through. Another homeschooling mom came over with her daughter to get warm and to charge batteries. Cell phone, dvd player, iPod, you know the important things. It was nice visiting with her. My husband decided he couldn't take all the girliness so he went out to find gas again. This time all he could find was a guy selling gas out of a tank on the back of a truck for $8.00 a gallon. While he was gone we heard on the news of a gas station not far away that had regular gas for $3.59 a gallon. They said people were waiting over an hour to get gas. When we told him about this he decided to go fill the gas tank on his truck. He waited 2.5 hours to fill his gas tank.

Thursday we had internet and tv still. Cell phone service was getting a little more stable. We even received a phone call on our home phone. I cleaned out all the food out of the refrigerator except for a few things that I thought might be okay, fresh fruit and some condiments. Everything else went. I wasn't able to clean out the freezer because the garbage cans are full. We have no idea when the garbage people will be coming again. I hope soon with all this rotting food. My son's computer fried this morning. I think we are going to have to replace it. We spent the evening watching tv and relaxing until time to turn off the generator for the night.

Did I ever tell you what a water bed feels like after four days of no heater? Let me tell you, it gets cold, very very cold. The kind of cold that sucks the warmth out of your bones. He is going to go out today and find an extension cord so he can plug the heater to the bed in. We are not going to be able to sleep on it another night.

So it is day five of the hurricane. We are still waiting for electricity. We are eating simple foods that do not have to be refrigerated. We are antsy to get out of the house. They are saying another week before we get power back. We are fortunate though. We have no damage to our house or cars. No one that we know was killed by this horrible storm. All we have lost is a bit of food and a computer that may not even have been storm related. We give thanks that we were protected during this event. We pray for those who were not so fortunate. May they find peace as they try to rebuild their lives. We pray for the 67 people in our area who lost their lives during this storm.

Hug your children a littler closer tonight.

It is now the fifth evening that we will me going to bed with no electricity, no heat overnight.  It gets cold by morning.  And the togetherness is beginning to get to us all.  But we are alive.  I am trying to remember those who have really suffered.  But it is getting harder as time goes by.  I know that many of you can relate.  

We woke up on Saturday morning around 5:30.  We could see the soft glow of the red numbers on the alarm clock.  The power had returned.  A few minutes later we heard a neighbor shouting Woo Hoo in the street.  Apparently his power was also back on.  Stores have not been able to replenish their stock.  Many places are still without power.  But life is beginning to return to normal for us.  I continue to pray for those who will never have normal again.  

62 Things

My friend Taryn over at Wooly Moss Roots posted the other day about a friend of hers who makes a list of random things about herself and posts them every year on her birthday.  Taryn posted 27 things about herself because it was her 27th birthday.  So today I am going to try to post 62 things about myself.  I don't know if I can come up with that many things.  As we get older memory fades a bit and we forget too many things.

Hey that's number 1:  I forget things now.  Like when I go into a room and forget what I went in there for.

2:  When I was growing up I said I wanted 13 kids.  A football team and a cheerleader.  Well I have five boys and one girl.  Not quite enough for a football team.  But it's a start.

3:  There are 32 years between my oldest son and my youngest.

4:  I love to sit by the water.  Water calms my spirit and helps me feel at peace.

5:  I have lived in nine states.

6:  I hope to someday be able to go to Jamaica.  I want to walk the land that Bob Marley walked and rest my eyes on his final resting place.

7:  I was and probably still am the black sheep of my family.

8:  I am 17 years older than my husband.

9:  I am vegetarian.  Someday I would like to go vegan but I really love cheese.

10:  I have survived cancer.

11:  Fall is my favorite season.  I think because I was born in September.

12:  I am a middle child and the only girl in my family.

13:  I have always wanted a sister.

14:  I don't like being in crowds of people.

15:  My favorite color changes often.  Today it is green.

16:  I would love to drive a hybrid car.

17:  I love to cook but I hate to clean up  afterwards.

18:  Nothing sounds nicer than the laughter of a child.

19:  Sewing calms me.

20:  I have a goal of learning how to make soap.

21:  I am fat.  Not fluffy, not undertall.  I am fat.  Always have been.  Always will be.

22:  I hate science.  It's hard being a homeschooling mom when you hate science.  Especially when your child loves science.

23:  When I was a child we used to go to Missouri to visit relatives every year.  One year I tried to chop wood like I saw my brother do.  I missed and dropped the axe on my leg.  Instead of going for help I hid in the outhouse and tried to stop the bleeding with toilet paper.  Man did I get in trouble over that.

24:  I love antiques.

25:  My favorite possession is my grandfather's 150 year old oil lamp.

26:  I am trying very hard to live the Rastafari way of life.  Sometimes unconditional love is very hard to offer.

27:  My favorite snack food is nuts.  But my body doesn't like nuts any more.  Got to find a new snack food.

28:  I love long hippie skirts.

29:  I love Reggae music.

30:  I have lived in New Jersey for 15 years.

31:  My garden was a total bust this year.  I got one cherry tomato out of it.

32:  I don't like fast food but I eat it because we are on the go so much it's just easier.

33:  My favorite singer is Bob Marley.

34:  I love to sit by a warm fire with a good book.  Probably another reason why I love fall.

35:  I have not had a birthday party since I was 13 years old.

36:  I used to hang out at Jesus Freak communes in the 60's.

37:  I want dreadlocks.

38:  I like to stay up late at night.  The quiet is so peaceful.

39:  I love to sit on my rocker on my front porch.

40:  I want to learn to cook Ital.  But every recipe I find has scotch bonnet peppers.  These things are so hot you are not supposed to even cut them open.  You take them out of the pot before you serve the meal.  I hate spicy hot foods.

41:  I do love soup.

42:  I spend way too much time on the computer.

43:  I love candles so much I have learned to make them.  Now I sell them.

44:  I love the smell of babies.

45:  I am not political.  I frequently don't vote at all.

46:  My favorite candle scent is JamaicaMeCrazy.

47:  I may be 62 today but my mind feels like I'm 18 and my body feels like it's 100.

48:  I love everyone no matter what color, what race, what size.

49:  My favorite drink is iced coffee.

50:  My favorite song is Redemption Song.

51:  I would love to live on the side of a mountain with a little stream through my backyard.

52:  I have eight grandchildren.

53:  My ten year old says that I am nice and I cook really good and I sew good.

54:  I want to throw the tv in the trash.  But the new shows start this week so probably not.  I have to see who survives the plane crash on Grey's Anatomy.

55:  I love to cook with garlic.

56:  I think I have watched the Bob Marley movie 15 times since it came out in April.

57:  I love the 60"s movie.

58:  I own four sewing machines.  I want to get an embroidery machine and a quilting machine.

59:  I love to work on the computer by oil lamp light.

60:  I love to bake bread, but my son is rapidly becoming a better bread baker than I am.

61:  I have a collection of fairies.

62:  I can't believe I made it to the end of this list.

I don't think I will repeat this next year.  But it was fun to do.  We went out to dinner on Friday to celebrate my birthday.  Today I will be teaching a class to a group of homeschoolers.  My youngest son bought me a VW car at the Hippie Museum for my birthday.  My daughter sent me a gift certificate to Amazon.com.  My husband gave me the Official High Times Cook Book and a necklace that says One Family, One Love, One Heart on one side and has the Tree of Love on the other side.

Guess Who This Is

And guess what he is doing?

Yes after 3 months in the NICU, Baby Sean is in his carseat on his way home.  His parents are beyond happy.  If you haven't read about Baby Sean check out these posts.  http://kathishippiehaven.blogspot.com/2012/07/i-am-copying-post-about-baby-sean-born.html

and
http://kathishippiehaven.blogspot.com/2012/07/updates-on-baby-sean.html

and
http://kathishippiehaven.blogspot.com/2012/07/updates-on-baby-sean_29.html

I am so happy that this beautiful child is now on his way home.  (Actually is home by now.)  He can now begin life with his family.  I want to thank those of my readers who have contributed money or gifts to Sean and his family.  You did good.

A Strawberry Almost

I posted the other day about our one lone tomato that we were able to harvest this year. We also have not had a single strawberry. I planted 25 strawberry plants. 17 of them survived the night. After that the plants seemed healthy and happy. They were soon covered with blossoms. Every day we checked for tiny little green strawberries. Eventually we started to see the tiny green berries. Then the next day, no berry. As soon as the little green berries were about 1/2 inch long, they were stolen. There were so many blossoms though that I thought it wouldn't be a problem. They will grow and soon we will have berries. As the weeks went on though it was the same thing. Nice blossoms, tiny green berries, and then nothing. Unlike the tomatoes that stayed on the vine until they started to turn red, the strawberries were gone as soon as they started to grow.

Friday I came home and parked at the end of the driveway. I saw a bird in the middle of the strawberry patch. He was working and working on something. Every once in a while I saw a bit of red pop up and then out of the bird's reach. I went out to check to see what the bird was working on. Imagine my surprise when I saw one beautiful large red half eaten strawberry still on the vine. Somehow this guy had survived long enough to grow and turn red. I'm so sorry I forgot to take a picture of it. I didn't want the bird to think he could eat out of my garden so I picked the strawberry and threw it out in the yard far away from the garden. I'm sure the bird came back to finish his treat.

Next year I am putting a net over my strawberry patch. I am planting marigolds all around my tomatoes. I'm going to fertilize everything this fall so maybe something else will grow in my garden beds. Maybe next year I will actually get something out of my garden for me. I guess this year is my learning curve. Hopefully next year will yield a few decent crops.