Photos From This Week

Hi and Merry Meet,

Here are a few photos from my Japanese friend's trip to the states!

Niagara Falls with rainbow (on Mabon):The old hydro plant on the Canadian side. I just really like old bulidings that are no longer used for picts!:

Apple picking sign, let me know that I should only pick the red apples.... I thought this was really funny!: Yellow raspberries! I'd never seen them before... so sweet:Today we are off to a winery for some wine tasting and lunch. It has been a great week and soon I'll be back to regular updates! :)

Blessed be,

Autumn

Happy Mabon and Out of Town!

Hi and Merry Meet,
I hope that everyone had a happy Mabon! I wasn't able to celebrate like I had hoped because my guest from Japan has arrived! I'm so happy to see her.

We did go to Niagara Falls on Mabon, so I said a little prayer while we were there seeing the raw power of the Falls. No matter how many times I see it, it still amazes me! I did take a bunch of pictures and I hope to get them up loaded soon. There are some great shots of a full rainbow over the Falls. My hometown is very close to the Falls, so I've been there a bunch, however, yesterday was the first time I've ever seen a full rainbow like that. It was really spectacular.

Tomorrow I want to take my guest to go apple picking. She has never been and then we plan to make apple pie. What's more American than that??? She loves to cook, so making pie together will be really special.

I will be back to more regular posting after Friday when she returns to Japan. :( I'm glad that she is here!! She has been trying to use the English that she knows (not too much) with my husband and family. However, my brain is very tired right now... translating takes a lot out of a person! :) Hope you all had a great Mabon!
Blessed be,
Autumn

Of Storms and Runes

Hi and Merry Meet,

This morning when I got up it looked stormy and dark. The sky was so dark and then a ray of sunshine fell across the trees. It was so beautiful. I tried to capture it in this photo, but I couldn't get all the beauty and grace that was the real thing:I was feeling very inspired and so I made my own set of runes today! My cousin and I had collected stones from the beach over the summer. I'm not sure what I was waiting for, but today seemed liked a great day to sit and make them. I'm pretty happy with them. I have a lot to learn about them, and I'm looking forward to it. Here they are:

I only have a few days of cleaning left before our international guest arrives! I am so excited!!!!

Hope you have a great day!

Blessed be,

Autumn

Almost Done!

Hi and Merry Meet,

A few weeks ago I started to sand my the table that I was using as my altar. I showed a pict of what it looked like at the time. Today I did the final sanding and I was able to stain it! YAY! Husband helped me pick out stain and pre-stain last night. I picked a stain called Island Waters. I had a hard time picking between the blue and a green one. In the end, the blue stain won out. Turns out, I can't be trusted with stain... it was worse than paint!

Here it is before the pre-staining:

Here it is after the stain:

I still have to put a coat of poly on it to protect it, but after that, I can have my altar back! I'm so proud of it and happy with all the work I've put into it. It has made it a really personal journey to put time and love into making it so special to me.

I also had some time today to go out and harvest my rosemary. This is my first time to garden with herbs. I hung them from my kitchen light to dry out. Husband took one look and laughed at our new decorations:Blessed be,

Autumn

Pagan Pride Day

Hi and Merry Meet,

Today I went to Rochester to go to the Pagan Pride Festival there. It was drizzling a bit this morning, but I really want to go and meet other pagans that are not too far from me.

I got to talk to a lot of interesting people, got hugged a lot, and got lots of information about different groups around this area. They had different kinds of altars set up so I could see different ways. There were a bunch of workshops, but I didn't go to any. I just wanted to check it all out, however I had to get back home to help Husband with house work. Only one more week until our visitor comes!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Blessed be,

Autumn

Nature Is Awesome

Hi and Merry Meet,

We have been very busy here in clean up mode. My manager from Japan is coming soon!!! We have been trying to get everything in order so her stay is wonderful. Husband and I have been trying to finish up painting, and clean up the room she will stay in. I've stated a pile of stuff that can go on ebay and in a future garage sale. That is something that needed to be done a long time ago!!! I'm feeling great that we are not only bettering our house, but getting rid of unneeded stuff!

Tonight I was greeted by this when I looked out my kitchen window:Nature is so awesome and it was so nice to be reminded is such a beautiful way.

Blessed be,

Autumn

The Books Are Here!

Hi and Merry Meet,

A few days ago I ordered some new books from half.com. I have ordered books from there before and I've never had a problem until this order.

I received one package of books yesterday. I got Buckland' Complete Book of Witchcraft, Tarot Spells, and then one that I didn't order but got was Blood Orange. Hummm, that doesn't look like The Truth About Witchcraft Today. So, I sent the company a nice note letting them know that there was a small mix-up with my order. I haven't heard from them yet, but I'm sure all will get worked out in the end. :)

Tarot Spells is one that the girls in my tarot class talked about a bit. I thought I would get it and see what all the fuss was over since the next class session is in November. I love used books. This one is very used and very well read.... however, there is a funky energy about it. I found the name of one of the past owners as well as some of the spells that he wanted to try out. I think I need to clean off the old energy and start fresh with this one. Here is the old school cover of it:I glanced though the Buckland book this morning. The one thing that I love about all the different witchcraft books is the different points of view! I love that!! Each author's voice is very distinct and clear. I'm looking forward to really diving into this one to see how he approaches the Craft.

Hope you enjoy the long weekend!

Blessed be,

Autumn