Blue Moon ~ Magickal Ending for the Year!

A blue moon is a full moon that is not timed to the regular monthly pattern. Most years have twelve full moons which occur approximately monthly, but in addition to those twelve full lunar cycles, each calendar year contains an excess of roughly eleven days. The extra days accumulate, so that every two or three years there is an extra full moon. The extra moon is called a "blue moon." The term "blue moon" is commonly used to describe the rarity of an event, as in the expression, "once in a blue moon." This year's Blue Moon occurs on New Year's eve, December 31, 2009.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
May the coming year bring you health & wealth, love & laughter. ♥

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The Oldest Living Things in the World

9,500 year old Clonal Spruce

Photographer Rachel Sussman travels the world taking pictures of organisms that have been alive for thousands of years — from trees and bushes to lichen and moss - and even bacteria that has survived over 400,000 years.

Welwitschia Mirabilis, 2,000 years old

Siberian Actinobacteria, about 400,000 years old

More information about the organisms, the project, and her travels is available at Sussman's blog and The Long Now Foundation blog .

Orbs ~ Opinions, please....

I hope everyone's Christmas was filled with magick and love! ♥ We woke on Christmas Morn to a skiff of snow. Quite a treat this far south!


Hubby and I spent Christmas Eve sitting in front of a roaring fire sipping our hot toddies. I decided to take a few pictures of the fire - and ended taking a lot of pictures because of the 'orbs' that were in most of the shots. I took over 40 pics and all were taken within an hour's time frame. I am sharing some of the better ones with you here. (Click on a photo to enlarge it.)






Now I know that orbs are generally caused by dust or moisture particles. And I am sure that some (or maybe all) of these 'orbs' are just that. But some do appear to "glow" brighter than others. I wanted to share the pics with you and get everyone's opinions of them. I did some research on the web and found conflicting info about telling dust orbs and water orbs from spirit orbs. Of course, I don't think anyone has any definite answers. I welcome all thoughts.....

Yuletide Greetings!

May your Holiday Season be Merry and Bright!
Blessings From Our House to Yours!

Winter Solstice

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A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year. When the tilt of the Earth's axis is most inclined toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun's apparent position in the sky to reach its northernmost or southernmost extreme. The name is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstices, the Sun appears to stand still or come to a stop before reversing direction.

Many cultures throughout the history of the world have observed the time of the Winter Solstice with feasting and celebration. It is also known as a time of purification and rebirth as the sunshine increases and begins to warm the Earth. The Winter Solstice occurs on December 21, 2009 at 12:47 PM EST or 17:47 UT (Universal Time).

Old Famliy Recipe

This time of year, wonderful aromas fill the air - the scent of fresh pine, cinnamon, and fresh baked cookies!!

I thought I would share with you an old family recipe for Sugar Cookies. They're quick, easy and oh, so yummy!

I always make a batch of Sugar cookies and Gingerbread cookies every year and send them to my kids and grandkids to enjoy. There's just something about getting Mom's cookies in the mail ........


Aunt Rodie's Olde Fashioned Sugar Cookies









1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp lemon peel
1 Tblspn cream (milk can be substituted)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 cps flour


Preheat oven to 350 deg. Cream butter, egg, and sugar. Add remaining ingredients in order given. Mix well after each addition. Roll out to 1/4" in thickness. Use desired cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Place on cookie sheet and bake approx. 5-7 min. or until sides are just firm to touch. Do not over cook! These cookies are good either with or without icing. And they freeze quite well.

Ghost Stories...at Christmas??

Remember the song, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of he Year" ? Made famous by the singer Andy Williams, this song has a line, "There'll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmas long, long ago."
Why ghost stories you ask? The tradition dates back to the ancient Celts. In Celtic Times there were ghosts, spirits and other haunting beings who were associated with the Fire Festival and the Yule Season.
The Winter Soltice, Alban Arthuan, or better known as Yuletime Season is a time of death and rebirth of Nature and our souls. It is said the Old Sun dies at dusk of December 21st. and when the Sun of the New Year is born at the dawn of December 22. The New Sun is thought to rejuvenate the aura of the Earth. It is like a mystical cleansing to the spirits and the souls of the dead.
Samhain is considered the most haunted time of the year in the Celtic calendar; Yule is the second. Haunting starts on December 6th to December 20th. The spirits are more active as they wait for the rebirth of the Sun’s powers. One can be visited by their ancestors, relatives, spirit guides or their soul friends.
This haunting is not the same as during Samhain, where the veil is thinned so that the dead can walk among us. The spirits of Yule are connected with the mystical and the psychic side of the Solstice Season.

December Fantastic Follower Winner

This month's winner is Jenna Gayle of Living SoGaNoFla ! CONGRATULATIONS!

Jenna won this set of two Holiday cones.

Stop by her blog if you get the chance, she has a tutorial on creating a recipe box that would make a great Holiday gift and a fruitcake recipe that is a winner!

Jenna email me your snail mail addy and I will get your Holiday cones sent out to you. :0)
jeanne.wildwoodsart@gmail.com

A New Use for Old Tires

Who says Old Tires need to end up in landfills??

Here are a few examples of some incredible sculptures created from old tires. Be sure to check out the links for even more pics and info on the artists.

Ji Yong Ho - Korean Artist

Oddity Central

Betsabee Romero

A Blog Award

I was honored with not one but two Blog Awards recently. Leslie at My Own Little World bestowed these two awards to me. THANK YOU Leslie! I'm honored! Please stop by her blog and say 'Hi'. And check out her Etsy shop (Leslie Larson Designs) - she has the cutest clothespin women in her shop along with some gorgeous flowers.

Here are the rules of these Awards:
1. Thank the person giving the awards
2. Copy awards to your blog
3. Place a link to their blog.
4. Name 7 things people don't know about you.
5. Nominate 7 bloggers
6. Place a link to those bloggers
7. Leave a comment on their blogs letting them know of their awards


Here's my 7 things ~

1. I love to iron. I find it very relaxing.
2. I believe in Santa.
3. And the Easter Bunny.
4. And the Tooth Fairy.
5. I have a fondness for ferns.
6. I like to knit or crochet while watching TV of an evening.
7. I know how to snowshoe

I visit so many wonderful blogs in the course of a day or week that it really is so very hard to pick just seven. So, I am leaving these awards here for the next seven people who don't already have them to pick up. Just leave me a link to your blog in the comments so the blogging world may come visit!!

Happy Birthday Tarabeth!

Today is our Grand-daughter Tarabeth's 3rd Birthday.
Happy Birthday to you! We Luv Yu Lots!
♥ Hugs-n-Kisses Grandma & Grandpa ♥

And because you loved this video so much, here it is just for you!

Slow Shutter Photography

I was ask where I find all the really neat artwork and cool photographs - I have two really wonderful people who find it and then share it with me. So that it turn I might share it with YOU! Those two people are my dear sweet Hubby & my wonderful sister Becky! Thank you so very, very much! I couldn't do it without you!

Amazing what can be done with a camera!

Click here to view more! It's well worth your time.

Holiday Celebrations in Small Town America

I'd like to share with you some of the Holiday events that take place in the small town where Hubby and I live.

The local community college (which Hubby is currently attending) has an annual Trail of Trees event. The college is fairly new and has a very nice campus with an outdoor amphitheater, two (fish) stocked ponds and a nice walking trail around the ponds.

Upper Pond

Lower Pond

This area of the campus was hit quite hard by the tornado which came through our town this past April. Stumps of uprooted trees can be seen in this picture.

The walking trail is the location for the Trail of Trees event.

Community groups, families, or individuals may place and decorate a Christmas tree for a fee.


Most of the trees are ordinary every day Christmas trees, real or artificial, with the usual tinsel and ornaments. But a few are unique.


All the monies collected from this event go into a fund for students who need help in buying Christmas presents for their family. The students barter their time, which goes towards helping out around the campus, in exchange for funds.

The first Friday of every December there is an annual parade, lighting ceremony in the local park and a fireworks display.

And on occasion the Kansas City Southern Christmas train will bring Santa Claus into town.

It is all quite a treat and a wonderful way to ring in the Holiday Season.

Do you compost ???

I do! I've had a compost pile going for as long as I can remember. So did my Mother. I can remember taking kitchen waste out to the compost pile as a youngun' - and that was several decades ago.
There's just something about giving back to Mother Earth that is so rewarding. ♥

I spent some time in November raking leaves. I like to use the leaves as mulch around our trees to inhibit weed growth. By the time the first blades of grass are beginning to show in the Spring, the leaf piles have broken down. The only drawback to using the leaves this way, I have nothing left for the compost pile and for mulch in my flower beds. So I ask people I know for their leaves. I've even been known to take bags of leaves sitting on the curb awaiting the trash man! And yes, I'm very careful about taking bags of leaves and not trash!! :0)

Did you know that by some estimates that food waste and yard trimmings account for nearly 24% of the solid waste stream in the US? Just think what an impact it would make if more people would compost or contribute their yard trimmings to their local municipal compost facility. Click here for links on composting.

What have you done for your Mother (Earth) lately?

Pssst....... I recycle, too! :0)

Another Giveaway!

The Magical Holiday Artists' Group from Etsy is having a giveaway on their blog! Six glorious Holiday prizes are going to be given away! Enter here!
The winners will be picked on Tuesday, December 8th.