Imbolc
The midwinter feast approaches. The dark days of winter are entrenched. However, Spring is on its way. This feast is for purification and dedication. The alter & temple room must be purified. A self-purification is also recommended utilizing the four elements: salt (Earth) bath for the body, incense (Air) for the thoughts, flame (Fire) for the will, and water (Water) for the emotions. The spirit can be cleansed with a healing crystal.
For us that follow the Triple Goddess this feast marks the transitioning time from Crone to Maiden.
Some follow it as a feast for Brighid, Candlemas or good old Groundhog's Day.
Colors of Imbolc: White, Pink, Red, Yellow, Light Green, Brown
Stones of Imbolc: Amethyst, Blood-stone, Garnet, Ruby, Onyx, Turquoise
Incense of Imbolc: Basil, myrrh, frankincense, wisteria, jasmine, camphor, cinnamon, and lotus.
Herbs of Imbolc: Angelica, basil, bay Laurel, blackberry, celandine, coltsfoot, heather, iris, myrrh, snowdrops, tansy, violets, and all white or yellow flowers.
My feast is simple, but hearty. Potato Soup, Soda Bread, Imbolc Ritual Cake, Bannocks, and of course Wine.
Fire of dawn-light in Her hair,
Fire flows like milk from Her hands.
Fire of bright promise in Her springing step,
Fire of the flame in Her eyes.
A blessing on Your hearthfire,
On Your gift of words,
On the brightness of Your sacred body,
A blessing on Your flame.
— Cait Johnson
Keep warm everyone!
Will you catch the lunar eclipse Sunday night?
I was hoping, but we are supposed to get hit by Winter Storm Harper this weekend.
I'm sorry about that. It's supposed to be clear but cold. I have long underwear so not a problem AND I don't have to go to work on Monday.
Dear Friend Trout Giggles:
Enjoy a good view and time.
Enoch.
I don't have to work on Monday either. It is supposed to start snowing Saturday and go through Monday. They keep changing the snowfall amounts. I saw 7 inches plus on my weather app, but people I work with said up to 2-3 feet.
Thanks, Enoch.
I'm currently researching which alcoholic beverage would taste good in hot chocolate
Bailey's is always good.
Dear Friend Trout Giggles: Try Brandy.
There is a Spanish brandy, Gran Duque D' Alba , which contains chocolate to eliminate aftertaste.
Seems to work well.
Let me know.
E.
OOOOO....that sounds good.
Creme de menthe works well, too.
Also YUM!
Thanks everyone.
Enoch, the brandy has possiblities
A nice mix. Some Bailey's, some Jamison, some Kahlua, and then whipped cream on top.
Oh yea, I am feeling it.
yum
As it is in coffee as well. Enjoyed it many a morning watching the sunrise from my dock, while listening to the loon calls echoing through the mist rising from the lake.
"We will have these moments to remember."
Dear Friend Veronica: We wish you a joyous and meaningful mid-winter Imbolc celebration.
Seems are are in for a humdinger of a winter storm Saturday night and Sunday through the afternoon.
Stay warm and safe.
Enoch.
You stay warm and safe, too. I heard the snow isn't supposed to stop until early Monday morning.
Dear Friend Veronica: Last I saw Spectrum weather on the 1's, they predicated a range of from 3-6" to 12-18".
Its accuracy like that which makes planning ahead possible.
Laughing.
We shall see what we shall see (as soon as visibility is restored).
E.
I can handle that - just lock in the 4x4.
Ha! We're supposed to get a bit of that storm, but in the form of a "wintry mix". Nobody knows what or how much we'll be getting - sleet? Snow? Freezing rain? Sure, maybe, or not. But it is supposed to get really cold, so the roads will probably freeze over.
Here in Arkansas if they call for a wintry mix it goes something like this:
2 inches of freezing rain followed by
an hour of sleet which turns to
6-8 inches of snow ending with
another coat of freezing rain
We get that here in Virginia, too.
I'd rather have the snow than the freezing rain any day. I can drive on snow, but coming downhill on a solid sheet of wet ice?
Yea, I am not a fan of freezing rain. With snow I can lock in the 4x4, but freezing rain just makes my pick-up a giant sleigh that slides.
I have a Subaru, and that thing goes anywhere. But yeah, AWD does not help you stop. And I live on the side of a mountain, so I have to be able to stop at the bottom. Sometimes, I haven't quite managed to do so. Scary days.
The thing that scares me the most is the other people on the road that forget how to drive in winter weather.
Ditto. They don't even think to slow down or take the turns a bit more carefully. I've had people blow by me going well over the speed limit on slick roads with snow coming down so hard there was no visibility.
I just love it when they pull out in front of me and then cannot accelerate because their tires are spinning.
We're having a high of 17 on Monday and a low of 1. Probably a few degrees colder over where you are! I'm just pissed because some old friends are coming into town for their son's travel hockey game, and I wanted to meet them for a game and dinner on Sunday. But the temp is going to plummet and even if the rain doesn't change to snow or ice before stopping, it will instantly freeze ... so I don't think I'll make it.
Yeah, in this kind of weather, it's best to just stay home and not be an accident statistic.
Dear Friend Sandy: Stay warm and safe.
E.
We rarely get snow. Last time it didn't even last a day.Today it was about 60°.
You, too, Enoch.
I'll have to get milk tomorrow, and then I'm set for a few days.
I have a new sympathy for my parents. My brother and I worked hard to keep dairies in business. My son carries on the tradition.
Morning Enoch and all..Plenty of warmth down here..Some towns in South Australia's Outback just hit 50oC a new record for some...Well I guess it is summer after all....Sun, sand and surf...life is good...
And on the flip side of that coin my neck of the woods was -30 this morning, though it did warm up to -24 during the day.
Brrr...you can have that...is that oC or oF??? I had never seen snow until I went to Europe...Don't mind the cold it is the wind I hate when it blows a gale...What part of the world do you live in Free???...I am in Victoria....
I had to look and see where Victoria was.
I have a cousin that lives in Perth. One of these days it would be nice to visit.
I always forget about the C or F thing. Americans being difficult. haha
Lol but I don't want it
I'm Canadian so like Australia it's Celsius
Luckily it was dead calm today so while cold it really wasn't that bad
Pretty much the other side of the globe, I'm from north-central Alberta. -30 isn't really all that unusual during the winter here (have even seen -50 once, brrr:)
Enjoy the warmth
Dear Friend Shona1: Enjoy your summer.
I remember summer, sort of.
This time of year, we don't think in terms of quantity, rather quality of degrees outside.
Smiles.
E.
I played hockey in Moose Jaw when it was minus 25 F....LOL froze our ding a lings off since it was outdoor hockey...
If I ever get to visit Perth, I would have to end my trip going to the other coast.
Yep Perth is 3,000 kms away from me..never been over that side of the country but one day I will go...Yes time you mob got with the program and went metric instead of Imperial...
Part of my family lives south of Perth in Bridgetown and Augusta...Beautiful country.
I lived in Elizabeth Bay (EZ Bay) a suburb of Sydney. Very nice there.
Bridgetown has a yearly Blues Festival. One of the best around and my granddaughter was the lead singer for !0cent Shooters. She preformed there many a time.
That's me under the Hotel sign...LMAO
Dear Friend Sandy: Mrs. E's father was in the dairy business when he rotated back to civilian life from the armed services.
Two things he never spoke of with me.
Battle and the dairy industry.
Connect your own dots.
Smiles.
E.
Ahh Canadian..You are in a very nice part of the world...We look upon you mob as our cousins across the Pacific....You speak my language..grew up with Imperial but then we went metric....makes life easier with the rest of the world other than the States and the UK..but even they are slowly changing...Anything below 10oC and I am not happy...
A/noon Enoch..Yes I like summer but where I am we miss a lot of the heat...can be 25oC where I am and everywhere else is the State it is in the 40's....but I am happy as I love the beach and live by the sea...Your Spring and Summer will return soon and then it will be us in the cold..Not that we get snow here where I am....rarely drops below 10oC in winter and then I am sooking about the cold..
Geez Elizabeth Bay....Very nice Kavika....Some lady in Sydney just won 100 million in lotto here last night all to herself..have a feeling she will be moving there very soon....sigh....
A photo of Wiki Warrior Wonder Wiener and me getting ready for the Iditarod in Alaska....
BTW, we won division 1....don't let those short legs fool ya.
It was very nice. We had a flat on the top floor of a 5 story apartment complex with a veranda that covered the whole front of the flat over looking Sydney harbor. We could see the opera house and the bridge from our veranda.
Hmm Wiki would be a take away snack for a Polar bear.. How come you ended up in Oz in the first place???.
This is what my mates just sent me:
My daughter married a Aussie that was in the Australian navy, stationed in Long Beach CA. One thing lead to another and they got married and moved back to OZ when his enlistment was completed. Later on I was transferred there on business for a couple of years and ended up with a permanent visa (residency) for OZ.
That's the short version.
Yep she's a warm one...Tarcoola in SA where it hit 50oC is north west of Adelaide slap bang in the middle of the purple patch..lucky only a few people live there...
Sounds good...got the best of both worlds you have....
I heard about that one too.
That is HOT.
Many are either waiting on A/C repairs or just flat out don't have A/C.
One showed photos where the piping burst.
I have a face book friend who lives in NSW. She's been posting memes on hot it is in Australia right now.
LMAO I bet you did. I love hockey but no way I'm outside at that temp.
As we do you all
I think the UK has officially gone all metric now (not positive) and the only one still full Imperial are the US, Liberia and Myanmar
Enjoy, wishing I was there (or anywhere warmer than here)
Started snowing about 15 minutes ago
It's a really pretty snow.
It's just flurries here.
We're only supposed to get 1 to 3 inches of snow tonight, but it seems to be trying to fall all at once.
There might be 1/4" inch new snow here but abut 4" left from last week.
I really miss May's 60°F right about now.........
I'd still like you to turn Badfish into a frog if it's not too much trouble...
Careful what you wish for Lenny ....Hmmm.."lynx" you maybe turned into a mouse...
You have to think of that 3-fold curse....
It's not on how hard it is or how much trouble it is - it is the Power of 3 that keeps me in line. What's 3x worse than a frog?
Trump?
It was 71F (22 C) and sunny here in Ocala Fl.. today
Wiki Warrior Wonder Wiener spent the day at the beach.
P.S. it's the middle of winter here...
Dear Brother Kavika: Dress warm.
Summer it ain't.
E.
Shark bait....
You know that she can handle Polar bears so sharks are no problem for her.
My doxie mix is currently guarding me from the Roomba. He's sure it's determined to eat one of us, maybe both.
That's not a shark...that 's a sardine!!!....can tell that is not filmed in Oz...
I can't stop laughing.
You think that it's a sardine cuz the Doxie already ate half of it...LOL
She is such a sweetie
Roomba is a very dangerous thing..But they are no match for a doxie...
I am with you on the wine!
I think the rest might exceed my carb quota.
Good potato soup and soda bread is worth it.
I will consult my organic, nutritionist, health-conscious wife and head family cook.
Um, probably not your best source of information on this subject.
You should consult someone more biased
Well Sandy I can pretty much guarantee that I will not be able to taste Bannocks without my wife being up for the adventure. Unless, of course, I can buy it somewhere.
I have never had bannocks, either. After looking it up, I'm still not quite clear on what they are, really.
When I have potato soup, I always have a salad, too. Surely that redeems some of the dietary sin.
Do not tell my wife, but I will have the occasional hamburger, etc. too while out and about. It is no fun eating healthy all the time (although I do highly support the attempt).
I was going to make a burger for dinner but even I didn't want that burger enough to light the grill in the snow. I made a very healthy pot of lentil soup, so the burger will have to wait until tonight or maybe Saturday evening.
I've been eating pretty healthy for the last couple of weeks, except that my coworkers bought me a chocolate cake. But I've even been restrained with regards to that.
I'd kill for a French fry.
Kind of a scone (at least the way I make them)
Umm just to be safe, I have no French fries here:)
I indulged at lunch. I'm all better now.
But at 11:30, if you'd had a fry, I'd have knocked you down and taken it
On feast days there is no watching of calories, although Imbolc is the one feast that is more meager than most. All the other feasts have way more food & sweets, but in keeping with tradition it is supposed to be small & hearty.