Thursday, May 31, 2012

Partial lunar eclipse

Just a heads up guys that on June 3rd and 4th there will be a partial lunar eclipse that will be visible in north america. Fully visible in Alaska and Hawaii, and only partially visible for the western and parts of central north america.
So us here in the western part of Canada and the states should be able to see a partial view of both the penumbral and umbral eclipse (sp?) 


I don't know much more about this but I figured some people might be interested in the info.


Blessed Be
~Flaming

The strawberry moon AKA rose moon, sun moon, or hot moon

So since it's roughly 5 days until the next full moon  I figure I should say my little part on this up and coming moon. For those living in fort mcmurray the time I believe will be 9:36 at night this Friday the 5th. For those outside of town the times will vary, if you need help finding the time reply with your area and I'll see what I can do.

I know it by 4 names but I only know the story for 2 of them. So if anyone knows the story of the hot moon or the sun moon then go right ahead in the comments and tell me about it.

The strawberry moon story is fairly simple, the native tribes where strawberries grow knew to pick the strawberries after this full moon as the fruits would be just ripening hence the name strawberry moon.

Sadly I live far enough up north that the strawberries won't be completely ready but I am grabbing a strawberry plant from a nursery tomorrow, maybe even a tomato plant as my plants last year didn't fair so well from seed.

For those in the European countries where strawberries are not native, roses usually are native and are starting to show/bloom. There is where we get the name rose moon.



Blessed Be
~Flaming

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Peppered steak a day late

Sorry RYH
I couldn't think of anything to cook last night so we had leftovers, But I do plan on making peppered steak in the next few days so I'll give you the recipe here.

The basics
-Crushed mixed peppercorns (you can buy whole and crush them yourself with a hammer and a few plastic bags)
- 2 steaks or like my mother uses when she's stuck stew meat
-garlic
-olive oil (or any oil really)

On the bbq?
mix your peppercorns and oil together (you can add water as well to make it less oily ) and then crush garlic into the mixture, rub on both sides of the steak and let sit for no less than 10 minutes. Then BBQ time.
Seriously that easy

fried on stove with stew meat or cubed steak? What I'll be making
Cut your meat into chunks, make the same mixture as above and mix with the chuncks, let site for no less than 10 minutes. fry on stove in pan.

add more?
-bell peppers or any other pepper.
-corn on the cob
-potato
-rice
- you can marinade your steak overnight for better flavor
-mushrooms
-onions
-celery
-beans
-anything in you fridge almost can be added



Oh yeah and salt and pepper to taste (though I normally don't use any for this recipe)


See ya in a few months RHY!

~Flaming


edit: I forgot you wanted a picture from last week




Saturday, May 26, 2012

New toe shoes and socks! (personal review)

In case people haven't read my post on grounding in my KSO's I'm just going to say. If I can't go barefoot I find it easier to ground my energy when I feel the ground beneath my feet and vibrams are usually perfect for that as they simulate a barefoot feel with the added protection. Yes other minimalist shoes will probably work just the same but I own vibrams because I like them. The website for vibrams is here.
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.htm

My new Jaya's from vibram fivefingers came in yesterday as well as my smartwool toe socks from sportschek and I have to say I'm loving the socks but the shoes are going to take a little getting use to.

I've been wearing my KSO's for about a year now and with the strengthening of my feet I have actually outgrown them somewhat. I stretched them so I can still squeeze into them but they are tight. Remeasuring my feet again I am still surprised to have found that I went up 3 vibram sizes.
So I bought the Jaya's in plum/pink/white,  L said to try a new style and they're not bad.

The Jaya's are large enough to fit with the socks on but not too large to be uncomfortable without the socks, it feels weird but I quickly got over that feeling after I realized that I wasn't getting sweaty like I normally do.





Surprising enough the smart wool socks act just like their packaging said they would. Kept me cool during the midday heat when the rest of my body was roasting and now early in the morning when I'm freezing they are keeping my feet relatively warm. I hand washed them so I could wear them again today for Yoga in a few hours (That studio gets freezing). The price tag was a bit out there so I might start to look for cheaper alternatives if I feel the need to get more toe socks. (about $25 Canadian for a pair yikes!)

I was warned that the Jayas were a bit different in that the bottoms were meant for inside use, looking at them now I see that the white stuff is a foam like material and the plum disks are a harder type of rubber which is meant for grip. I'm not very fond of the foam but it does make them very light on the feet I forgot I was wearing them last night, though I prefer the feel of the ground which was a little muted when in comparison with my KSO's. Maybe after a wear down period they will have a better barefoot feel but as of now I'm not that impressed with the bottoms of these.
Lighter than KSO's but not as sensitive.

The colour selection of these is fantastic, normally I can only say that I like 1 or 2 of the colour variety when it comes to vibram but the Jaya's are the exception. I love the style though was a bit sad to see that the vibram website did not have any in my size, I had to order through sportschek. I have small feet but I still would love it if they restocked their north america site more often.

How are they to expect to sell more product if they don't restock is beyond me but I watched their site for 2 weeks (nearly 3 weeks) before going to sportschek and this is not the first time I have noticed or people have told me about vibram not restocking.
(hint hint, Vibram you have people wanting to buy but can't because you never have stock!!!) *snickers* I doubt vibram will look at this blog anyway, just google them and see the massive amount of blog posts they have mentioning them.

Putting these on was an easy task in comparison to putting on the KSO's which seemed like a chore in itself some days (worth it though). I have yet to find any hotspots on the Jaya's and hope to soon wear them down so that they are more flexible. Don't get me wrong, they are still fairly flexable but I'm use to year old KSO flexable where I could roll them up and stuff them in a coat pocket. I can't fit my Jaya's in a coat pocket yet.

All in all I'm left with a good impression on the socks and an ok impression with the Jaya's.
The Jaya's are meant for indoor activity and I will probably use them as a lounge wear and for quick outings to the store or friends. I will probably wear them to yoga today as well.
However since the pricetag on vibrams is so high I may have to wait 6 months to a year to buy my next pair to replace my KSO's for more active outdoor wear.


Yeah disclaimer time
These are personal opinions, smartwool and vibram did not pay me or supply me with anything that I did not buy myself. I spent over $120 so now I'm kinda broke for now.
All pictures are of my own feet while sitting at my computer.


Ah and yes I do remember that today I'm supposed to post a recipe of the week for RYH. I'm working on that, I just don't know what to make I'm just lazy today.



Blessed Be
~Flaming



Big edit after Yoga
these Jaya's are excellent for yoga, better than the KSO's
good grip without ripping into the mat and less foot sweat.

Friday, May 18, 2012

recipe of the week. meat&potato casserole

The first recipe of the week as requested by my friend RyH who wants my cooking across a Provence.
ok first I'll explain the basics and then give other options to add to the meal.
Sound good?
Awesome.


Basic meat and potato casserole as made by me when I'm lazy.

needed
-ground beef (about a pound)
-condensed cream of mushroom soup (a can)
-potatoes (4 cups sliced)
- onion (1 cup chopped)
-salt&pepper
-water

First fry the ground beef on medium until no longer pink, keep stirring or it will burn on. Add salt and pepper to taste (a few shakes).
Chop up your onion thinly and mix with the mushroom soup and roughly 3/4 cup of water.
Then mix in 3/4 of the mixture with the beef. Add               this beef mix to the casserole dish.                                  
Peel the potatoes and slice them.
Mix the potato slices with some mushroom and onion mix then add them to top of the casserole. an even layer is preferred.
Bake covered for an hour at 175 °C (or if you prefer 350°F), then uncovered until browning starts (~10 minutes)

There should be enough for 4 people.

now for the options!

-celery chopped can be added with the onion (1/2 cup onion 1/2 celery)
-chicken or fish can be used instead of beef
-chicken broth can be used instead of mushroom soup and milk instead of water to maintain the creamy(ness)
- you can add garlic to the mix or use garlic salt instead of regular salt.
-peas can be added as well as bell peppers
- most veggies chopped can be added experiment with taste.
-basil, rosemary, chives, and other herbs can be successfully used (add to taste)
-you can use different types of onion to gain slightly different flavors.
-mix the potato in with the beef then use pie crust for the topping
-add cheese to the top or throughout
-after completing the basics there are literally hundreds of new combinations to experiment with.
-tomato slices, chunks and sauce can work as well

Want more difficulty?
you can still make the cream of mushroom soup.

Have fun!

~Flaming


Burning ring of fire.


I fell in to a burning ring of fire
I went down,down,down
and the flames went higher.
And it burns,burns,burns
the ring of fire
the ring of fire.
( Johnny Cash Lyrics Ring Of Fire Lyrics)

 


I love that song and what's happening this Sunday May the 20th 2012 reminded me of that song.
This Sunday coming is the rare "ring of fire" solar eclipse.
Sadly with the weather here lately I might not be able to see it naturally, and even if I could at my latitude I would only see between 40-60% of it though for some of our neighbors in the southern United States , Japan and some parts of China the view will be 100%.
Why is it called "the ring of fire" solar eclipse?
Because the distance and angle of the moon is just far enough away from the earth that the moon will not be able to completely cover the sun. This results in what looks to be a "ring of fire" in the sky when the eclipse is in full swing.
To find out how much you will be able to see, I suggest going here and for those who are unlucky enough to be at a latitude or live where the weather will hinder you view that link also has sites where you can view a live stream.

Now what are my plans for Sunday?
No not a ritual though one that combines both the god and goddess might work well, or some sex magick.
I plan on doing one of 2 things.
Either I'm running a pathfinder game with L playing his holy paladin escorting the princess across strange and dangerous lands, I might even add in the eclipse because it would fit into the story line oddly enough.
Or L is going to run a game with me and C with both C and I playing our evil characters trying to find a dragon werebunny of doom called miss hophop.
I'm secretly hoping for the hilarity of miss hophop, because it brings more people together and I can taste the innuendos our dirty minds will inject into the game about the "ring of fire" eclipse. A bunch of pagans with dirty minds can be a fun thing at times, though not appropriate for here.

Anyways I'm off to find a recipe and will be posting again today as I have promised a friend to try and share one recipe a week to help her learn to cook.

Blessed Be
~Flaming



Sources
the image -> https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQLDXdpbLxj958fqeQwYKuZamvKlVvREaK4iMYujfNrZUjsOJ1_
the lyrics -> http://www.lyricsondemand.com/j/johnnycashlyrics/ringoffirelyrics.html
the info -> http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/18/11746807-how-to-see-the-eclipse-anywhere?lite



Saturday, May 12, 2012

Birthdays and yoga

Good day, good day
Today is L's birthday and he is turning 26 today.
He feels old apparently, so what do we do when we feel old?
Throw a party!!!!
Actually it's only 5 of us poking a fire and having a BBQ with steaks, chips and dip and maybe a salad.

It's going to be a fun fun night.

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

I went to my first yoga class today and I have to say it was a very good idea. I learned to stretch my body in ways that i have never stretched before and was able to concentrate, gain energy and ground myself better than I could ever do in a circle.
I think I might have to Incorporated some yoga into my rituals now just to get that build up and grounding that is most often needed. But I have to learn a bit more first before I try it in ritual. Maybe towards the end of classes in June? That sounds like a good amount of practice first.
-----

Anyways I have to feed Calluu the snake and prepare more food for L's birthday.

Blessed Be
~Flaming

Friday, May 11, 2012

same sex marriage and the christian church (Touchy)

Yeah I know that this is a very touchy subject but honestly living in Canada I feel sorry for those in the states that cannot have access to their basic freedoms and rights.
Most of the time the fight has to do with the christian community and the complaint is that it is against their religion and is wrong.
Odd though that if the Christians were to read up on their own religious history they would see that in previous centuries gone that the idea of marriage was very much different than they see it today. It was not always reserved for just a man and a woman but also for a man and a man and a woman and a woman.
Often saints were given the ability to marry the same sex and some of these ceremonies were even preformed in the Vatican itself.  There are large portraits of ceremonies allowing man and man to marry being bless by Jesus himself. 
Want to read an actual study on this?
here is the study

The church use to be more tolerant and focused more on "love thy neighbor" than it does today. What happened recently that changed that?

I could go on and rant about religion in politics and how other religions that actually allow same sex marriages are not being heard but that would be both extremely long and boring.
I don't like boring and I don't have the time to write 20 pages of rant, so I'll leave you with this.

*directed at the United States as a whole*
If you praise yourselves on having separation of church and state then why allow close minded views from the larger and louder religious crowd to influence your laws and take away others freedoms?

*directed at those who oppose gay marriage*
How does Mary and Sue down the road sleeping in the same bed having the same freedoms as a married couple take away your freedoms?
And don't use the "it's not natural" argument as it has been scientifically proven for decades now that most if not all animal populations on earth have a natural 6-12% homosexuality rate. (Cats and dairy cows have higher)
1,500 animal species practice homosexuality
above are the proven ones.

I'm leaving comments on today and will check them when I get home tonight. If all goes well they can stay on.
Please be civil and polite as I'm sure all human are capable of being.
Homosexuality may not be a choice, but being polite and not being provocative is a choice I expect you to make.
I'm holding you to your morals.


Bye bye for now
~Flaming



Sunday, May 6, 2012

Ginger

Ginger is my root of choice this week because of it's healing properties and it's also one of the very first things I teach my students how to use. Why?
Because ginger is a very versatile little root and if you use too much of it the side effects can be hilarious but relatively safe. (except to pregnant women)

Ginger affects and can stimulate soft muscle tissue, this makes it good for settling a bad stomach, getting rid of constipation, easing menstrual cramping, shortening or scheduling the menstrual cycle (you can use it to restart your period as close as one week after your last one. great for planning vacations) , shortening menstruation (my shortest was 3 days), fresh ginger is known for aiding in easing respiratory ailments.
it is also a decent anti fungal, antibacterial, antiseptic, anti viral aphrodisiac, ...*digs out my herb book and jaw drops*
I don't actually know everything about this plant as it has 2 large pages with small print dedicated to it while others herbs in this book only have a few paragraphs. The book in question is hand written by a long deceased auntie of mine.

Though I do know that if you are pregnant you should not have too much of it. My auntie wrote less than 1 gram a day but I would be on the safe side and say not to touch it at all while pregnant. If it affects smooth muscle tissue of your womb then best not to mess with it while carrying a baby. 

I mostly use it for it's digestive and menstrual help as those happen to be the most common upset I'm faced with. 

When teaching students I warn them about the pregnancy danger but after that they are usually encouraged to find out other uses on their own. (yes I also warn them to turn safe search on. Though I forgot with one person and they now blame me for images they cannot get out of their head.) Most of these students then go on to give themselves explosive diarrhea. The kind you get from eating too much spicy food. 

Now to back up my auntie's knowledge I have done research on my own and loved the book  "The Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine" by Brigitte Mars, A.H.G.

This herb although does not grow near where I live is still great as I am mostly a kitchen witch and ginger can be found in most if not all grocery stores. My cupboards are never ginger free.

I cook with it and am even as I write this sipping on some ginger tea to help my menstrual cramping.

It's a great over all root and I wish more people knew what to do with it and have it on hand.



Blessed Be ya'll

~Flaming

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Full moon tonight and Smelly phallus flower

It the full moon tonight, while some people will be having rituals and others treating like a normal night I will partake in a family tradition. Watch the crazy people.
I think family traditions are the best especially if you come from a funny family like mine, some days just turn into random nights of enjoyment and gruesome obsession. I live on a main road in this city and very close to some not so welcoming areas of town, we have crazy people walking by the apartment nightly but you know what they say about the full moon.
I'm charging my video camera as I type because my dad wants to see the videos and compare later.
Last month we saw everything from people on stilts wearing wolf costumes to random zombies...yeah you read right zombies. Add in a few drunks and people on random drugs or yelling about the end of the world and you start to wonder why anyone would want a television.

Another odd thing happened today, near Niagara falls, a plant shaped like a phallus bloomed for the first time ever in Canada the story can be found here . Apparently it smells like rancid meat but the bloom should be gone by Monday. I think that maybe the plant tried to tie it's performance to the full moon but Anima just laughs at me when I mention it.

*witchy alert* On a side note mother nature decided to give me my little red gift just in time for the full moon, so I guess it's time to break out the ginger to make this a little faster and less painful. Ginger tea will be my drink of choice for the next 5-7 days.

I hope what ever you have planed for tonights full moon goes well. I'm off to pop some popcorn for mine.

~Flaming

edit:

I found a picture of the type of flower!
http://www.virtualherbarium.org/images/amorphfulla01.jpg

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Pagan reading challenge

Actually before I go back to work I should probably set this blog post up.
I'm wanting to join the pagan reading challenge that I saw on The Domestic Pagan
I can't remember the ones I have already read this year so I'll start from this date instead of the usual Jan 1st 2012 date that was set.

Now my dream goal is the Goddess read which is 41+ books but in reality I'll probably end up as advanced at 20-25 books. Still gonna aim for the Goddess read though.




This page will update as I read books and occasionally if I have something to say about these books I might make a new posting.

Edit
*"The Living Temple of Witchcraft Volume one & two" by Christopher PencZac completed
*"~Inviting Hera's Blessing~ Handfasting and Wedding Rituals" by Raven Kaldera & Tannin Schwartzstein (in progress and will be using constantly through out the year.

*"The Complete Idiots Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft" (was recommended to me by a friend, and I have to say it covers the basics quite well. Even though I've been in the craft for nearly 8 years I found this to be a great refresher)
*"Old world Witchcraft, Ancient ways for modern days" by Raven Grimassi
*"Post Modern Magic" by Patric Dunn




*waiting list*
*the house of night series (do these even count? it's about weird vampire people who have powers and there's a circle of people who raise the elements and has a priestess and priest. They celebrate many of the wiccan days and I dunno...looks like a fictional vampire wiccan school? yes these are teen fiction books, I have the series so I might as well try them.)



The flower moon and this years super moon

This weekend is the flower moon, it was named as such because this time of year in most of the world flowers should be out or people are planting flowers.
The grass around the apartment just started turning green this week, so we have a while before we see flowers outdoors, but that doesn't mean that I can't see them indoors.


I also this week found that my orchid, that I swore was never going to produce flowers again, has started growing a new shoot.  It's a tiny shoot but it's growing again after what seems like forever.

Now this years flower moon is the closest to earth out off all the full moons this year and until sometime in 2014. How exciting is that! The moon will look really big and full so I suggest everyone, even if you're like me and do not have plans, to just look at it and appreciate the moon this weekend.
According to http://www.montrealgazette.com this moon will be approximately be 356955 km's from the earth. I don't know much about space but to me that sounds pretty close



anyways, back to work for me

Blessed Be
Flaming


References http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/Flower+moon+looking+super+throughout/6550783/story.html   

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Ads, why?

As you can see on some posts and on the bottom and side of the blog, there are ads.
And yes I let them in.
But I blocked the noisy and image heavy ads so that you won't get frightened by the random "you're a winner!" and so that people with slower connections won't have to wait on the slower loading time.
Now I also checked the option to block ads that are disturbing in nature.
This being said I have heard from other bloggers that sometimes the random "illegal" ad sneaks in. I encourage you to report these ads to me so I can deal with them.

Now for why I enabled ads
I'm currently making no money while trying to get a home business going (or if anyone will hire me I'll do that too). L makes enough money to get us by somewhat comfortably (we lack nothing and still get random items like magazines and movies) but I can't help but feel guilty that we're relying on his money for this time being. So I decided I would do this little alteration to my blog in order to get some extra cash.
All extra cash from this blog (I do't think I'll see a lot of it) will either go towards car repairs or towards saving for a house.
You know an actual house, with a garden and possibly a greenhouse, privacy, the ability to paint the walls and fix things without getting into trouble. Apartments are ok for those who need to get on their feet or do not wish to own the giant responsibility that comes with a house, but...I really want that garden and even a puppy.

I'm not asking for people to click on them (even though that's how I'll get paid) because I know people don't like clicking on ads for obvious reasons which I will not get into, all I'm asking is that you will put up with them and not leave me because of it.

Anyways here I go back to dreaming about houses, puppies and babies.

Blessed Be
~Flaming