Heavy Metal

Sagittarius Horoscopes
(Nov 22 - Dec 21)
Next Week
For the Week of Jun 1st, 2009 -- You may have to wait on the sidelines on Friday but the rest of the weekend should be excellent for getting lots of attention. The Moon entering your sign on Saturday puts you in the spotlight where you can let your enthusiastic personality shine. Playing hard, not hard to get, is a game that you are almost certain to enjoy now.

General Weekly Love Horoscope Influences
Slow down and enjoy the pleasures of the senses this weekend when alluring Venus enters earthy Taurus. The power of a good meal, sweet music or a tender touch can lift any one's spirits. There is so much of life to love and when you connect with that feeling it makes others want to connect with you.

Good news! Been invited to a Louisiana Craw Fish Boil, Long Island style, on Saturday. That's sure to be a good meal. So comforting to know the stars are smiling on the festivities. There's sure to be plenty of friendly people in fine spirits.

Things have been a bit topsy turvy here. It seems to have become the norm over the past year or so. Can't say that I'm getting used to it, but I certainly have become much more philosophical than pragmatic. I've decided to distract myself by trying something new. I signed up for an online doll making course given by Nancye Williams. The dolls are primitive and pretty. I'm thinking primitive and edgy once I get the hang of it. The basic doll making uses poly clay and wire. Think of the possibilities :)

I may take a metal embossing class too. I've done some embossing and really enjoy it. Learning a few new techniques will be fun. Mmmm, metal good.

Now, if there was just a class for turning your brain off for a little while...been dreaming about wisteria.

Metal~Oaxaca 2008

Walala Wa Sala

That roughly translates to 'you snooze, you lose'.

There is a raging thunderstorm rumbling by right now. Half an hour ago the sun was shining down on my little garden. Pam, a Jehovah's Witness stopped to ask for my daughter as I was planting marigolds along the edge of my tiny parcel of earth. They had many conversations before she moved to her own place. The lilies are up and growing. My bargain rosebush, with blooms the color of the best sunset you ever saw, is full of buds again for the fifth year. A couple of sparrows were so engaged in courtship they flew right into Pam. I'm not sure who was more surprised. We spoke of the joy of a garden. How people just stop to chat as you're poking the earth or pulling some weeds. A beautiful neighbor once came running across the street with two ice cream cones for me and Christine as we tended the flowers. Another neighbor asked permission to pick a bachelor's button for his lapel each morning. That was from the first garden I planted here. Just some wildflower seeds, but what a show! Crimson poppies, bright yellow sunflowers, lemon colored evening primroses and daisies in starched white bloomed all summer. Oh yes, and those sky blue bachelor buttons.

Although retired, he rose the same time each morning. Walking to the corner deli for his morning paper in sartorial splendor, he said he felt the boutonniere was the finishing touch. I'll say. He was the eyes of the neighborhood. I'm not sure when he slept. If there was someone suspicious near any one's car in the wee hours he would be on the phone with security. He was a delight to talk to whether working in the garden or shoveling snow. He and his wife were devoted to one another. She died about six months after he did. She told me her heart was broken and she would see him soon.

The point I mean to make is to appreciate each minute. A garden is a microcosm of life. When it's dormant in the winter we plan for the spring. Springtime brings green shoots from bulbs that overwintered. In fact, they need that chill, that dormancy to regenerate and bloom anew. Summer brings the lush life. Flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables at their peak of fragrance and flavor, just ripe for the picking. Autumn, my favorite season, makes preparation for the sleep of winter. The transition from growth to rest is celebrated 'round the world. On Halloween or Dia de los Muertos, the thin veil that separates the living and dead lifts for a day or two. We celebrate the memory of those we loved and feel them ever closer to us for a brief time. It reminds us to show love and appreciation for those we care for while we can.

The storm is over. The sun is shining through the clouds. Ozone makes the air smell clean and fresh. People are back out trying to salvage their barbecues. Thunder rolls in the distance, but it might just roll the other way. Thinking I need a new skull fence for the Goth garden. It will have to wait for the Halloween sales in the Fall. I think it has an old fashioned look about it.

So, I've Been A Little Cranky

General Weekly Love Horoscope Influences
There's a tendency to turn a small matter into a major deal this weekend. Whether it's a little comment that stirs a negative reaction or a moment of sweetness that spurs dreams of lifelong romance, try not to lose your sense of proportion. Keep your feet on the ground to avoid losing your head now.

My feet are on the ground. My head is in the clouds. Lots of stuff happening on the home front, but it's time for that one-day-at-a-time mantra. When I'm feeling relatively helpless I get a bit testy. Sequestering myself away from the general public is to our mutual benefit. I actually got a chunk of writing done. Vampires adore morose attitudes. Then, it was time for a change of pace.

A couple of weeks ago a few of my patients decided to give me a mini-course in Yiddish. Living in New York City my entire life has given me much exposure to this rich expressive language. Many expressions I take for granted are Yiddish. For example nudnick, mensch, schlemiel, punim, yenta, bubele and oy are sprinkled in my conversational English. There's not as much Yiddish spoken here these days. Times change. It was fun to hear it and try to pronounce the words without massacring them.

I happened to comment about this on Twitter and one of my sweet tweets recommended Born to Kvetch by Michael Wex. I decided to get the audio too for obvious reasons. It's a wonderful history of the Yiddish language. What a refreshing change of pace. I listened to a couple of the CDs while Spring cleaning and not only learned a thing or two but had a good chuckle or three.

Let's face it. Most of us are born to kvetch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnaZqHy2ZHE&feature=related

Such a punim! Oy bubele :)

Lost In Candy Land

Vickie

Your horoscopes for Monday, May 11, 2009
General Weekly Love Horoscope
Passions continue to sizzle as alluring Venus and energetic Mars track closely together in enterprising Aries. Making bold moves and acting impulsively can create some awkward moments. Yet, as long as you live in the present, instead of trying to lock in love forever, mistakes are not likely to have lasting consequences.

Ah yes, those awkward moments do happen. Mistakes, well, who doesn't make a mistake once in a while. As far as lasting consequences, you never know. Living in the present is a much more comfortable place to be. I've been trying to save my energy for the here and now for the most part. There's so much going on it pays to stay focused. There was a time I longed to see the future, but I've reached a point in my life where the universe can surprise me. That certainly has been the case for the past year or so. Now I see all the effort to control most situations is an exercise in futility. I'm not condoning anarchy, but I do see a pattern of organized chaos. We do what we think is best and then we watch life unfold as it will. Next, we scurry to pick up pieces and reassemble the puzzle of life to the best of our ability. Sometimes it looks even better than the original image, other times not so much. In the grand scheme of things it probably doesn't matter all that much. The idea is to stay in the game until we come to the end. In a way we all win.

When my daughter was little her favorite board game was Candy Land which we played ad nauseum. There were obstacles and shortcuts, good guys and bad guys. We always played 'til the end when some one, guess who, won. It took forever. You just kept on that path until you get where you're going. Real life isn't quite so straightforward, but you get the idea. Just keep on truckin'. Don't stress about tomorrow. Treat the past gently, it's a done deal. So, that leaves us with the present, right here, right now. That's a good place to be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PjjwkqMXfc

Coldplay~lost in candyland

What Do You Mean, Paranoid?

My daughter swears I am the most suspicious person she knows. Trust issues. Post traumatic stress stuff, what have you.

Well, I swear some one is watching Natalie. I feel it in my bones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doFKkuzoawM

The Police~thanks Sting :) & Kumar

Life In The Fast Lane

Natalie Sky was scheduled to arrive mid-May. She had other plans. In the midst of much toil and labor she was born the night of May 2. Awesome is an understatement. It's a strange and magical feeling to be present at the birth of your grandchild. The joy and pain of life are mingled and then there is this tiny miracle. You see a new journey beginning for a sweet soul and can't help but wonder where it will take her.

Of course I had her natal horoscope charted and lo and behold. Her Sun Sign is Taurus, as is her mom's. Her moon sign is Leo, her dad is a Leo and her rising sign is Sagittarius. Guess who? We are the three family members present at her birth. Sure, coincidence, a lot of hooey, say what you will. It works for me.

Natalie's Prayer

I pray the universe will be open for her.

I pray she will have grand dreams to follow.

I pray she will be strong in her sense of self.

I pray she will know compassion and be compassionate.

I pray she will be safe and still have her share of adventures.

I pray she will know how much she is loved and how to share that love with others.

There are a gazillion other wishes I have for her. With any luck we'll have many years to share them. Life is good. Today it's fantastic!

Prayer from Grandma with looove xoxo

Pics~Miss Natalie about 15 minutes old & Natalie with me!