It all starts when you clear out the dead heron from your freezer....
and then anything and everything is game!
Those of you who are teachers will understand the significance of this--today I jettisoned ALL of my teacher lesson plan books from the past 22 years! Yes, all of them. Did na save even one page...and yes, I had a bit o' craic lewkin' aw thum.
In fact, the recycling bins are FULL. The yardwaste bins are FULL. The wee garbage is FULL. There is recycling and yardwaste a-waiting for the next week. There is a significant addition of wood and scraps to the bonfire pile. Had fun sawing the old-fashioned way. The bamboo necessary for rhythm sticks for the coming school year is cut and drying. I took a risk and relanguaged my brainage for one small organizational task---finding a way to store all of the winter blankets and down comforters in a way that doesn't have me shoving everything back into the cupboard with a mash and a bang (although at times that can be therapeutic). Instead of saying-"I can't do this. I have no talent. I need one of my sisters or friends to give me the idea how it would be done best..blah.blah.blah....I poured myself a cool mug of OJ and and I channeled my inner Coli and tried this," How would I place these items so that they are out of sight, easily accessible, and won't get dirty in the storing of them?" Et VOILA! Found a way and in the doing of this, jettisoned at least half of my old videos to the Goodwill pile and put the rest in a better storage spot as well. You never know when you might actually need Buns of Steel. I, too, can live m(begin the practice of living) without clutter in my own home and not just when I go to Jonestown, the Highlands, or camp in the RV (backyard or not)!:)
I also buried the remainder of Fiona's ashes under the laceleaf maple with Cedar in attendance. It is one of our favorite, cool spots in the summer. It was time. She isn't in the urn anyway. Sometimes, it is a huge blessing beiing "special"--this is one of them. I know where she is and I know where I am going and the twain shall meet.
I cleared off the "altar" shelf where I keep special pictures, rocks, and things. It's open and ready for...?The other special things will remain in a basket for awhile until I am ready to steward those things.
The bread is baking. The wine is open. The fire is ready outside for when the first stars begin to wink and dance in the sky. The feasting has been in progress for some time though. Cedar was given a special homecooked Lughnasaidh feast with something called Rock Island Raw. Made the house smell good when I cooked it up. I also cooked up a big pot of summer pasta marinara with gorgonzola for the rest of the week. Made the house smell doubly good.
Read some more from Helen Keller and started a new book that I've been saving for some time, Me and Marley. A dog book. Written by dog people.
The Festival of LIght, LIfe, and First Harvest continues......here's to ya!