VANISHING VEIL

Who among us would like to help save a million trees a year? What if I told you that saving those million trees could also eliminate the amount of CO2 produced by 10,000 automobiles?

At times I’m disappointed in us. America seems to be at the top of all the naughty lists. I won’t bore you with statistics here but, simply put, American’s consume more natural resources, eat more food and buy more products than any other country. On top of that, much of those resources, food and products are imported from other countries, thus facilitating their economies when we should be focusing on our own; not that I don’t appreciate those other countries and the contributions they make to the planet, I’m just saying...we act like a bunch of consumer zombies.

A sheep with a coat of black wool grazed happily along the side of a country road. His friends and family all grazed in the field where proper sheep should graze, but being a black sheep, well… you get the picture.

Presently, a cart pulled by a tawny horse rattled up the road, approaching the black sheep at a rapid pace. The sheep didn’t look up from his delicious patch of dandelions, which he devoured at an equally rapid pace. Soon the cart was upon him and the loud call of “Whoa Nelly” rang out. The sheep ignored the intrusion.

I recently enjoyed a trip to Universal Studios theme park with my family. And the key word here is ‘enjoyed’. You see, I have a fear of crowds, so I’ve avoided theme parks for the past sixteen years. Some might label me ‘sociophobic’, but I’m not afraid of people. In fact, I really like people. I just don’t want a bunch of them crowding around me and smothering me—someone might get hurt. Still, this vacation was important to my kids and, therefore, important to me. So, armed with a positive attitude, I made the journey.

www.bigbunny.net

BIG BUNNY by Colleen Rand and Betseygail Rand

Release Date: 1/11/2011

Pages: 32

Publisher: Tricycle Press

IMAGINE HOW  

In keeping with my theme of reusing and recycling for the holiday season, I’ve got another totally cool way to use those old swaths of fabric or clothing items you haven’t donated. Make a rag wreath. You can let your creativity go wild with this gift idea, and it doesn’t have to relate strictly to holidays. It’s easy to create a one-of-a-kind gift for baby showers, weddings, housewarmings, birthdays, etc. Here are pics of a couple wreaths I made from fabric I'd been collecting for a while.

The triple goddess, otherwise known as the maiden, mother and crone, are
a group of deities acknowledged by many who are living the pagan lifestyle. They
show up quite often in pagan tales and legends, which is how I first learned of
them when I embarked on my own journey down the path less taken. When
I began writing fantasy, my knowledge of pagan as well as Wiccan traditions
grew as I delved into research for my novels, and I learned that these three
deities are deeply connected with the phases of the moon and the changing of
the seasons.

It’s early November and my holiday shopping is done. I know what you’re thinking, but there’s a perfectly good reason for it. With gift buying out of the way, I can enjoy the season and won’t be running around like an elf with his head cut off battling the other headless elves. Okay, that was a disturbing visual, but you get the point. So, now that the closet is full of gifts, it’s time to wrap them, and that’s where we can have some fun.

Weds - 10/27/2010  In late October, it’s believed by many that the veil separating the spirits from the living becomes thinnest, allowing us to communicate with our loved ones should we chose to do so. Communion with nature, specifically with animals, is encouraged during this time, and many have found their spirit animals by taking advantage of this opening in the veil. Spirit animals or ‘totems’ as they’re referred to by Native American shamanic practitioners, will often come to us during meditation or spiritual journeys.