bugs of doom, Celtic music, chariot of lightning, tired

The bugs are here. I am now marked with their flaming wounds. Besides that, all is well. We are journeying into Albuquerque tomorrow to pick up Billy and Shevy really wants to go to this awesome rock store. Then we will dash towards home and go to ceilidh dancing in the evening, because it will be Wednesday. Speaking of ceilidh, yesterday Mike Francis cam over with his banjo and i got out my bass and we worked on some Celtic songs together. I learned the parting glass. A few days ago i also ordered the Celtic fake book, which has 400 Irish, Scottish and Welsh songs in it, including the Gaelic lyrics. I want to learn a ton of folk songs, they're really fun to play on bass, and challenging. It will make my fingers swift enough for really brutal metal in the future. There's another guy out here who plays metal drums, and Mike and I both are looking forward to playing with him as soon as all of our schedules can mesh. The drummer is also into Celtic music as well. I've been playing bass everyday lately, just like i did when i was younger, and it feels great.

So there is a real possibility that i may be getting a golf cart to serve as my chariot soon. Dean found another one on Craig's list and he's going to pick it up in a few days and then we will see what kind of shape its in. If it works out, i will paint it black with lightning bolts and it will be my thundering cloud rider. Although golf carts don't really thunder, they're pretty quiet, but whatever, it will totally rule!It must have some skulls too, and a rack to hold swords and spears, or tools and small water jugs.

We were fairly busy today. Well cleaned out the chicken house, brought a dozen eggs over to Dean's to be hatched, mulched the apple trees more adequately, planted irises, did dishes, cleaned the kitchen, made covers for the booth cushions, and made bread. We still have to water tonight, but its getting cloudy again, but rain doesn't look likely. Tonight may be a chill and watch a movie night.

first farmers market, hail, power outage

All afternoon it has been alternating between spitting cold fat raindrops and being sunny and clear. I was just playing bass in the garden and it threatened rain again so i took cover in computer land. Shevy is off to a Shakespearean monologue audition thing and i stayed to water plants when the sun drops low enough. The spitting rain isn't enough to water everything, just enough to keep you from working on anything outside.

Farmers market was this morning, and we stayed up until midnight getting chocolates made and packaged. We only made fifteen bucks, but it was a slow day. Its early in the summer, the tourists will pick up later. There were lots of new people selling stuff this year, i expect the economy is to blame for that. There was even someone selling organic grass-feed beef, but we didn't have the cash to get any this time, but maybe things will go better next week. We need to work on our chocolate display. We didn't have time this week to plan because we didn't know when the cocoa shipment was coming and it finally came around 5 in the evening on Friday, so we were scrambling to the have the chocolates ready for early Sat morning. We still sold a few and one pair of earrings, to our new neighbors up the hill that we also met this morning. They seem cool, they're into rocks and jewelry too. They can hear our rooster. Since they're from Chicago, they think its cool. We also met some other new Candy Kitchen residents this morning that are around our age, and they seem cool too. Its pretty neat, we're finally not the new folks in the area anymore, and we know all the locals at market. I really like the feeling of our little community here in the mountains, where Mormons and bikers and Pagans and hippie-queers all sell fresh farm veggies and crafts together in the summer. My heathen heart is at home.

Lovely, now its pouring rain and hailing and thundering while still sunny.

...And then the power went out for several hours, so i post this now late into the evening. My gardens were watered enough by the rain for today. Thank you Thor, although the hail was a bit much.

great horned death

The night felt strange and still. We awoke in the night to ominous hooting and Hansi barking his aggressive guard bark. Shevy ran out to see and encountered the beast that has been devouring our kitties. He walked towards it, it was by our driveway, and it left before too long. Sqishy came running out to Sheves and she then came willingly into the house for the first time since we got Aspen. All cats spent the rest of the night inside, with only minimal growling and hissing from Squishy. I knew it was a large bird of prey that got Ivan and Ursula, but we hadn't seen him here yet, until now. I didn't think it was the coyotes or stray dogs because they don't normally come that close to our dogs. Shevy said he told the owl, before it flew off, to go and eat the rabbits that have been feasting on Dean and Mike's wheat field. Some of our friends recently lost six cats in one week to this great horned owl, or one of his friends or relatives. We've also heard of them killing puppies up to 25lbs. There isn't really much we can do about it, except hope they eat their fill on jacks and our kitties get lucky or start staying inside at night, which isn't likely for that is their hunting time. Squishy has been eating lots of mice lately, and her fur looks extra shiny.

Yesterday, i cleaned stuff, Shevy changed the oil in the truck and made jewelry, i played my bass for a long time and we read about etins. We also planted radishes. The rain really made the garden happy and now mullion is popping up that we planted last year. Also more calendula and zucchini. We also planted a bunch of a native plant last week that's basically a purple spinach called orich. I hope some of it pops soon. Well, tomorrow is the first farmers market and i don't think we're going to have chocolates ready. We're still waiting on our next shipment of cocoa powder to come in. If it comes today, we may be able to pull it off. Oh, and we got paid to feed cute horses this morning. One was a pinto and she was really sweet and let me pet her, until the hay was tossed in and she started pigging out. I've decided that i want to have horses someday. They're pretty awesome creatures.

rain; the end is near, or something else really weird

We are currently getting a good moderate soaking rain. I am thankful, but its just so strange for June. I keep having this sick feeling that the end is near. Will we have no rainy season now? I don't know. Its a cold rain and i hope it doesn't freeze tonight. One thing is for sure, we will have a huge crop of pinions this fall because the trees are already loaded with the future nuts.

We made flax seed bread today and it is quite good.

This morning our neighbors Dean and Mike showed up in their new junkyard rescued and rewired golf cart. They're planning on mounting solar panels to the top of it so it will charge itself while driving or parked. They let me test drive it and around noon Dean showed up again and let me drive to the mailboxes and we got our mail. It was totally fun, although a bit scarey on the downhill run back home. They said they would keep an eye out for another one for me, then i could drive all around Candy Kitchen! Although they and Shevy all agreed that i should have the cart brightly colored with a big flag of an eyeball with one of those red circles with a line through it, so other cars would know i'm a blind driver. I think im a pretty good driver, considering that i haven't had much practice. Mike says i drive better than Dean does and i have to agree.

The rain is still falling and i am stuck indoors, but its much better than being stuck inside to get away from the no see 'ems. Maybe Shevy will feel like reading some after he slides home from work in a few hours. The roads may be interesting to come in on. woo hoo mud!

another totally brutal cat picture

Aspen and big brother Thorn

Aspen is still nursing on Sparki every night, but a picture of that would just be wrong.

bread machine, elves, dream of runes, clouds

My little wayward bread machine found its way home today. FedEx couldn't figure out our rural address on Fri., so it didn't come until this morning. So we made our first loaf and it took about 4 hours. It wasn't perfect yet because we have to experiment with the high altitude adaptations to the recipe, but it was still an awesome loaf. So we had roast beef sandwiches for dinner and alas i must admit defeat to the bread. I couldn't finish my sandwich, it was so huge and hearty and packed with wheaty fiber. I normally always finish everything on my plate, because that way i win, not the food, but this time it was all different. I had to just walk away and the dogs got the left over bites that i just couldn't finish.

So we started reading Elves, Wights, and Trolls today, and wow, i'm kind of at an overload of new information right now. I had some prior knowledge of land wights etc. before but i think this book is what i need to make it all connect in my brain. Its very good so far. I think the most practical thing i have learned so far to better my interactions with our local wights/elves/trolls is that i should be warning them when relieving myself outside, so as not to disrespect any spirits. I have so much more to learn. Speaking of learning, i have been trying to learn the very basics of the runes, but last Dec. Shevy met some other heathen folks at an art show, and they actually don't live too far away from us, just a bit south of here, but also in the middle of no where. Anyway one of them has been studying the runes for a long time and he had told Shevy that if we ever had any questions about anything to ask away. Back in April i had another intense dream involving Odin this time. He showed me two runes, and i got the distinct impression that he wants me to learn them and all other associated info. and wisdom. A daunting task, but one i know i must do now. So we just wrote a letter to our new friends and i have a feeling, but i'm not sure yet, that i may have a teacher to aid me.

It is cloudy or more like hazey today, and cool and windy. Not like June should be. Something still feels odd about it. No more rain though, but the gardens are doing well.

by the light of the northern star

Behold!: art from the newest album from Tyr, by the light of the northern star. We just got it in the mail today and i am so impressed. They never disappoint. I think I'm going to be singing "Hold the heathen hammer high" for many days to come. Here is a link to an article about the new album and the band's career in general from Napalm Records, its good.

By the Light of the Northern Star

chocolate, yucca

We've been making chocolates everyday for the past several days trying to get the recipe just right. Well, Sheves has the dark chocolate down and we did milk chocolate today and they're currently setting up in the fridge. Yum, massive amounts of sugar. Next weekend is the first real farmers market of the year in Ramah, and I think we'll be ready for it.

Here is our broadleaf yuccas in bloom. This is the first time we've seen them bloom in the two years that we've lived here.

bread, cat poop, stress, red or green

The past few days have just slipped by me. The rains have stopped so we're back to hauling water every other day for the gardens. No sign of the no see 'ems coming out in force yet. It has started warming into the upper 70s near 80, but tomorrow he have some winds coming and it will cool off a bit. Whooville, which is an artist collective with lots of lovely gardens about a mile down the road from us has reported frosts in the last week, but we haven't had any here. Our baby squash an peppers and stuff are fine. June in known for having trickster weather and late frosts. Its actually possible to have a frost any day of the year here, but our average last frost is June 6th. I've heard that several years ago though, there were a late July 3rd frost that killed a lot of folks gardens. We're harvesting spinach, chard and kale everyday now and the lettuce, cabbage, beans, beets, turnips and squash are coming up.

In other news, Sparki got sick the other day from eating litter box treats. The kitten is totally evil and wild, but we're hoping he'll grow out of it and be sweet like Ivan was.

My bread machine is coming in the mail tomorrow! I can't wait, its going to be so awesome. Mmmmmmm..... bread with honey butter, sandwiches, toast; the possibilities are endless. I was also able to order a few new books for summer reading material. A copy of the Prose Edda, two books by Kveldulf Gundarsson, Elves, Wights and Trolls, and Teutonic Magic, and one that Shevy wanted that i can't remember right now, but it was another heathen related book.

Also I just found out yesterday that my Dad and brother are coming to visit for a weekend later this month. So for the next 16 days we're going o try to kick some ass in getting our shed in shape are ready for a shower. I don't know if it'll all get done in time but we're going to try. We have to build an insulated box around our big water tank and order a pump and plumb in the hot water heater and the places where the shower and washer will someday go. Oh and wire the whole shed and insulate the walls and get some circuits or something for our big power box on the pole. It all is pretty mind boggling right now, but we'll figure it out. I'm a bit stressed out though.

The dryness is making my nose bloody once more. I've discovered that in New Mexico, your snot is just like the chillies, red or green.