Day Five

I have a journal given to me by a dear friend. I usually use it to write down various thoughts that come to me in the day, or even things as mundane as my shopping list. I always have it wherever I go, though, because you never know when you'll need to capture an idea.

Today, I learned that not all ideas can be captured with a pencil.

As I sat in the car with the rain beating down and the wind whistling past, I opened my journal to write, and instead found this upon the pages.






















Some of the other pictures that struck my fancy today are this one of purposely spun city lights, and this, another picture of rain-shadows.

I think this project is going to be good for me. :)

Pieces of 8ight

What can I possibly add to this?

Project 365

Well, this might just well and truly get me posting here again. I've decided to join Project 365. In someone else's words:
"As suggested by Photojojo (what do you mean, you've never heard of Photojojo ), Project 365 is all about taking at least one photo each day, and compiling them into a special album."

It sounded fun, and I've decided to join along, and while I'm posting this late, the pictures have all been ontime so far.

To catch up with the current, here are days one through four.



Day One:So this is my new dining room. Yes, mine all mine at last. With my very own new (to me) kitchen table, and china hutch that I used as bookshelves for years, and many rescues from thrisft stores gracing its shelves... and my mother's old gawdawful curtains still on the windows.
But it's still mine all mine and I think it's a perfect way to start off the year.

Day Two:


Flowers at work. These are some dried flowers that I saved from the very first boquet my Aodhan bought for me. They grace the top of my comptuter at work.

Day Three:

Cheating, perhaps... I did take this picture on this day so it counts, but the picture is of our barn that blew down in the horrific storms we had in November. This is taken up through the old posts and rafters that no longer have a roof on them.


Day Four:
Just to prove fish really *do* thaw out.

The Empty Bed

My pain-heart into darkness reached
Returned empty handed
Clenched tight in my chest

Heed my warning, you young wives
Let not your husbands leave your side

The Fire Never Burns Itself

"it's like you are teaching me how to feel again"

...that... has got to be one of the most beautiful things anyone has ever said to me.

What do you say to that? Thank you? That falls so short. You're welcome??? It was never my goal, because how can someone even try to envision a goal like that?

Mostly, I'm overwhelmed that someone has found such a spark in me that has in turn ignited them.

...

The fire never burns itself. Maybe that is why. The fire doesn't know that it is hot. It just exists as it was meant to be... would that I could warm everyone around me with it.

I look at myself and sometimes marvel at the things that people ascribe to me. To me, I'm just... me. Nothing special, really. And yet then someone says something like that and I just sit and wonder.

People call me 'angel'. People call me 'blessing.' People call me 'friend.' Sometimes I feel so unworthy of any of these titles. Sometimes I am unworthy of them. Perhaps that is why I feel so utterly humbled. Because I know all the reasons I'm not worthy, but they see the reasons I am.

Maybe that is why they see me as such: Because I see all the reasons they are worthy, even if they see only the reasons they aren't.

I, too, have had angels in my life, and blessings, and friends. Each blows me away. One of these days, I'll spread my wings and be lifted away in that wind.

I hope to truly be even a tenth of what people see in me. But what I have, I only pray that I can pass on to others. What good is having fire if you freeze to death for lack of its use?

I'm a Snap Dragon!

Yep, that's mine! Their Excellencies presented this to me Saturday. My friends are far too skilled at keeping the secret!

For those who can not read that little picture, it says
Let it be known that Fatima al-Zahrah bint Khalid has worked dilligently and is therefore greatly deserving of award. Thus their name has been added to the rolls of the Snap Dragon of Dragons Laire this 3rd of June, AS 41.

*grin*

I was called up in court much without my knowledge and was shaking! LOL I guess I was sorta nervous, Baron Cedric had to extract his fingers from my hand once. *giggle*

Anyway. For those who are now utterly *clueless* what I'm on about here (or possibly just what I'm on) I am a member of the Society for Creative Anacronism, my society name is as mentioned above, and I got a service award for one of the Baronies in my area for.. uh.. service. Yeah. :)

The weekend was truly a wonderful one, it was good to get out of the house and be among friends new and old. The weather was perfect for it. The fighting was well fought. The food, delicious.

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend, and I can't wait to do it again, as always.

My Oldfashioned-ness is showing again...

So, like it or not, at heart, I'm a very old fashioned girl with pretty old fashioned morals, desires, views and ... even poetry! LOL

Came across something that reminded me of this the other day and so I figured I'd share it with the two of you who read ;) Since y'all seem to like the poetry. Never did give it a title, though it has a rough melody.




Come now my daughters, there's work to be done
The dreams must end for there's clothing to mend
Come now my daughters, the sun breaks the night
The cattle are lowing, the goats must be fed

Soon now my husband will leave for the fields
His shirt must be whole and his feet be kept dry
Soon now my husband will leave for the day
He trusts his wife to tend home while he's away

Come now my daughters, there's work to be done
The floors must be swept and the bread set to bake
Come now my daughters, let no daylight be lost
The lamb must be roasted and the oil lamps trimmed

For when my husband comes home from the fields
The lamps must be burning to light his way
For when my husband will sit down to eat
He'll need a good meal set before him tonight

Come now my daughters, there's work to be done
There's water to be drawn and set on the fire
Come now my daughters, evening birds call
The sheets must all be returned to the bed

Soon now my husband will come from the fields
He'll want to wash the day's dust from his face
Soon now my husband returns to his home
And then I shall lie within his embrace

Today's Topic: Music

I'm a fan of music. I love music. I think I'd rather go blind than deaf, really. But that's asside...

I don't really know a lot about music. I'm far from being an uber-music-geek. I know what I like, and fortunately for me, I like a whole heck of a lot!

I've recently taken to infecting others with my taste in music. My very eclectic taste. I figure it's about time I have something to say on the subject.

What is it I like about music? Sometimes I love the words. Sometimes I love the sound, even if I could live without the lyrics. Sometimes I love the feelings it invokes or the mood it puts me in.

There is no way I could even begin to give a list of favorites here. I have no favorite band, no favorite style, song, artist... I do have a few I would chose not to live without, given the choice.

But I think everyone should expand their musical horizons. Today I'm here to help you all along, best I can.

So, much as I'd love to, it'd be wrong (and slightly illegal, ya know) for me to actually send each of you some of my current favorite songs. I can't really expect you to all go out and buy all the CDs it would take. But what I'm gonna do is give you a list of some great places to find certain songs/artists/CDs and hope you decide to check some of it out.

So we'll start with, of course, Amazon. Now I realize not everyone likes the place, but it's a good place to at least get you listening to sample clips of some of the following, so I'll be using it. Of course, you are not obligated to buy anything (as if you needed to be told that) but do check out some of the following.

We will also start with Nordic. Yep, pretty much any style of music is gonna get its own entry here. Someday I might spend a whole entry describing exactly how I discovered nordic music. For now, I'll just point you in the direction of some that I like best:

Hedningarna: Hippjokk. Hedningarna is the band, btw. I love this CD. I'm not good at describing music, really, but if I had to pick a word, I think 'primal' would be it. It's very different from their other CD I own, which is Karelia Visa. Now if I had been given the songs off these two albums, I would have never guessed them to be the same artist! Karelia Visa is very bright and alive, almost the other end of the spectrum from Hippjokk, but both so perfect in their own way. Check out some of the sample clips.

Garmarna: Vengeance. The first song on this album, Vulture, was showcased in lyrics in a previous entry of mine. This is one of those songs that I adore the lyrics to it, and I like the song an awful lot, but the two don't always seem to go together in my mind. Nevertheless, it's a song I'm proud to own. Garmarna has also been responsible for one of my favorite nordic songs, Vänner och Fränder (Friends and Kin) from their God's Musicians album.

En gång ska han gråta is another song that I adore, which I discovered on my Nordic Roots CD. (note, it's listed in the track list as One Day He'll Cry - the english translation to the title.)

Last one is the compilation Wizard Women of the North. There are only two songs on the entire album I don't love. The music is beautiful and their voices are amazing! I only wish I could sing like this. My favorite song on the album must be Gjendine's Lullaby. If anyone reading this has any idea what the lyrics to this song are, I'll... well.. be very very grateful for a very long time!!

There we have it. I hope you'll enjoy some of these geese I've sent you chasing, and if nothing else, you'll have had your horizons expanded just a tad. Enjoy the journey, for that is the worthier part.