Holiday Gifts

Want a unique gift item for that someone special?

Does Santa need a little help this year?

Shop the Magical Marketplace for gifts that are sure to please!

The members of Halloween Artists have created a wide range of handmade collectibles that would be sure to please even those hard to buy for people!

Or indulge yourself with a new Holiday collectible!

Click here!

Autumn's Last Breath...

These pictures were taken about two weeks ago.....

A Whimsical World

Wouldn't a visit to the World of Nicoletta Ceccoli be fun?

Click here to go to her website!

Recommendation needed! Book on Yule

I am looking for a book that is suitable for small children - age 7 and under - that explains what Yule is from a Pagan point of view and that compares Yule to the holidays which are celebrated by other religions - Christmas,  Hanukkah,  Kwanzaa, etc. 
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Happy Thanksgiving!

May your Thanksgiving be bountiful!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Brief Interlude & New Neighbors ....

Going to be taking a break this week....
I need to put my flower gardens and yard 
to bed for the winter.

Will be back next week.  

Same time. Same station.

We have some new neighbors here in Blogland.
  Hela of Howlin' At The Full Moon and  Angel and Punky of New York City Dreaming .
So, if you're out and about this week, you might stop in and say "HI" ! 
{just click their name to be taken to their blog}

Pine Bear

See the Bear in the stream?  Is it real??

Maybe you ought to click on the image to enlarge it and take a closer look!

This incredibly life-like bear is woven from pine needles. 

His creator is Richard Carpenter. An incredibly talented man.

Who also carves wonderful images using antlers, wood, bone, bakelite, stones, and just about anything he can get his hands on.

Click here to go to his website and view more of his wonderful work. 

A visit to a bawdy-house

Every Family has them! You know, those relatives that some don't want mentioned?

Personally, I like those relatives! They add color and uniqueness to a Family Tree.

And while I wish I could say that the woman featured in today's post was a relative, at least she knew some of Hubby's relatives...... and maybe some of yours!

When we last left Fort Smith, Arkansas ( click here) it was a bustling and growing port town located on the Arkansas River as well as on the border of Indian Territory (Oklahoma). Soldiers, Adventurers, and Settlers created a demand for many services. Prostitution being one of them. Several bordellos were established just before the turn of the last century. These bawdy houses were all located along the river front in what was called "The Row". Prostitution was legal and the City of Fort Smith required that all 'working girls' receive a monthly health check. Those that passed received a certificate which was displayed. The cost of this certificate was $5.00.

     This is the health certificate I received when I last visited Miss Laura's. {giggle} Really! All female visitors receive one of these.   * See Juicy Tidbits below!

One of the houses in this red-light district was the Starr House, owned and operated by Pearl Starr, the daughter of Belle Starr. Belle Star, for those of you who don't recognize the name, was a famous woman 'outlaw' of the late 1800s. Click here to read about her.)

Belle Starr

Pearl Starr was born Rosie Lee Reed in 1868. She moved frequently until her father's death in 1874. Her mother then married a Cherokee Indian named Sam Starr and the family settled near the Canadian River in what was then Indian Territory (Oklahoma). After Belle Starr's death in 1889, numerous dime novels were written about her and the Starr name became famous. Rosie then changed her name to Pearl Starr.
In 1891, Pearl became a prostitute and capitalized on her new name. She soon purchased a bordello which was known as the Starr House. This house could be recognized by the bright red star which was surrounded by lighted pearls. She remained in business until the early 1920s when she moved to Arizona. She died in 1925.

Pearl Starr

And now for the family connection.....  Sam Starr, Pearl's step-father, was a first cousin to Hubby's Great, Great Grandmother. Sam Starr's father and Hubby's Great, Great, Great Grandmother were brother and sister.

Juicy Tidbits ~~


The City of Fort Smith outlawed prostitution in 1924 but one bawdy house remained in business into the 1940s. This was Miss Laura's Social Club. And it is the only bordello still standing today - the others were either burned to the ground in the fire of 1910 or fell into disrepair and later demolished. Miss Laura's now houses the Fort Smith Visitor Center.

Miss Laura's was the classiest house on The Row. The Gentlemen visitors would be entertained in the parlor with cigars and brandy and visit with the girls, who were fully dressed, before heading upstairs to the girl's room to take care of business. Miss Laura's also commanded top dollar for the special treatment - a whopping $3.00!

To read more about Liss Laura's, click here and click here.

Olde Family Photos

Here are a few old photos of Hubby's family. Hubby is Cherokee and the folks shown in the photos below are as well.

  {you may click on a photo to enlarge it}

Great Great Aunts and Uncles

circa 1890s

Great Great Great Grandmother Nancy Jane

circa 1890s

And an old postcard dated 1911 ~ the writing on the front reads:

Indian Barbecue near Westville, Okla.

Faerie Magick ... 101c

This week's post is about grounding. Grounding is a very powerful and effective means of releasing negative energy back into Mother Earth. Grounding can also release other types of negative energy such as pain, stress, anxiety, worries, etc. Grounding helps us to remain focused and centered - to keep our spiritual energy from being scattered. If a person can properly ground them-self, then they can be much more effective at meditating (and encountering the Fae).

The easiest way to learn how to Ground is in a quiet, relaxed area. Sit as you would for meditation. Envision your Grounding Cord connecting from your first Chakra (the base of your spine) and extending into the center of Mother Earth.

When visualizing your Grounding Cord try to see it in as much detail as possible. It is important that the visualization of the Grounding Cord, as well as both connections, be very clear in your Mind's Eye. If necessary go through the actual motions of connecting the Cord to your first Chakra and throwing the other end into a hole that leads to the center of the Earth. The more you practice, the better you will become.

Now relax and take deep breaths as the Earth's natural gravity pulls the negative energy out of you down the Cord. If you feel like you are straining to do this, let those emotions flow down the Cord as well. Should thoughts of other people or events or worries intrude, visualize these intrusive thoughts as images and let them flow down the Cord.

When you are finished, destroy your Grounding Cord. Visualize yourself rolling your Cord up into a ball and then visualize the ball exploding into millions of minute particles that are then dispersed by the wind. Should you use something besides a cord or rope, like a pipe or tree root, visualize it exploding into the small particles.

If at any time you notice the cord is damaged or you are uncomfortable with it, destroy the cord and create a new cord. Preferably one that is slightly different from the previous one. The cause of the damage or dissatisfaction may be due to pollution from the energies which you are releasing or even from the influence of energies which are trying to control you.

I have found it best to destroy the Grounding Cord after each Grounding. Should you want to try Grounding somewhere besides your favorite spot at home (or wherever you prefer to Ground), be sure that you visualize the Grounding Cord entering the Earth in your current location.

Doormats......

Let Us Reconsider....

There are only a few causes which I will get up on my soapbox about. The treatment of the Native Americans in the U.S. is one of them.




link to video and website - click here!

Yarn Bombing in Denver!

  

Yarnbombing - to improve the urban landscape through crochet and knitting.

Back in July, the City of Denver commissioned The Ladies Fancywork Society to add crocheted items to a section of chain link construction fence which had been erected around a construction site in downtown Denver. Their undertaking turned the fence into a veritable blooming garden compete with flowers and bugs, butterflies and bees, clouds and birds.

It took them six weeks to make the crocheted items and 20,000 zip ties to attach it all. And not only is this Garden a feast for the eyes, but it talks to the people who pass by. Solar powered speakers equipped with motion detectors spread positive affirmations - "That's a great outfit"  "Hello there! You look good today"

The Garden will be up until December.

Heavener Runestone

I live not far from the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line - about 15 miles actually. Go another 20 miles and you will be in the town of  Heavener, Oklahoma. The home of the Heavener Runestone.  

Runestone you ask? 

Yes, a Stone with Viking-style Runes carved into it. 

Vikings in Oklahoma??  Yes!

It is believed that Norse explorers crossed the Atlantic and made their first landfall in Greenland. From there it is a short trip to North America. The Norsemen could have continued down the East coast, sailing around the tip of Florida, into the Gulf of Mexico and to the mouth of the Mississippi River. Because Viking ships were capable of negotiating shallow waterways, sailing up the Mississippi and into some of its tributaries, like the Arkansas River or the Poteau River, could very well be plausible.

The first mention of the Heavener Runestone comes from the 1800s when the Choctaw Indians, and later white settlers, thought it was made by earlier Native inhabits. In 1923, Carl Kemmerer of Heavener sent a copy of the glyphs to the Smithsonian Institute who identified them as Norse runes.  The later discoveries of five smaller Runestones in various locations in Oklahoma, all near waterways, supports the theory that the Runestone is truly of Norse origin.

In the late 1980s, Dr.Richard Nielson, who received his doctorate from the University of Denmark, translated the runes to 

G-L-O-M-E-D-A-L.  Meaning Glome's Valley. The Runestone would have thus been a land claim marker. 

The Runes are carved into a slab of rock which measures 12 ft. tall, 10 ft. wide, and 16 inches thick. The hardness of the slab is a 7 on the Moh's Hardness Scale - diamond is a 10 on the scale. Whoever chose to inscribe those glyphs did not want them to wear away.

And whether you choose to believe that they are of Norse origin or not, you will agree that the area where the Runestone is kept is quite picturesque.

A Letter From England ... 1940

Since a move is in our future, I have been slowly packing up the house. But I have also been trying to go through and sort some of the years of accumulation. Some of what I have found has had me shaking my head, wondering why did we keep this? But on occasion, I have found something that is really interesting. I would like to share a letter I found......


This letter is to my Mother from a pen-pal of hers.  
The date is 24 November, 1940 ~ Castleford, Yorkshire, England


.....I am ever so sorry I have neglected writing to you, but at the time I received your letter my daughter Nancy was dangerously ill & we none of us expected her to live. Even the Doctor gave her up & I was having a tough time nursing her. But I am glad to say she is once more up & going about again. Then when I got her better I have been ill. We have not been able to buy any onions or eggs for this last 3 weeks. And currants & tinned milk are bad to get. We are having a party here on the 20th of December as my daughter Ruby is getting engaged. I wish you could be here. I know you would enjoy. Well I think this is the main news I can tell you and I am glad to say we haven't had any air raids yet which is a lot to be thankful for. When we think of what other poor people in England are having to suffer. No I have never had any bear meat or elk but I envy you with your turkeys. I wouldn't mind one for Xmas dinner. I fear it will be hard to get our stuff for Xmas in England. I will close and wish you all a very Happy Xmas & a Bright and Prosperous New Year.
I remain yours sincerely, Mrs. Tingle

Faerie Magick ... 101b

When I sat down to write this post, I realized that I had gotten ahead of myself last week. There is no way I can cover grounding, visualization and protective shields and keep the post comfortably readable. So I think I will break it up over several posts.  And I want everyone to keep in mind that I am no expert on Faeries or the Little People.  I am only passing on what has worked for me.  And what works for me may or may not work for you.  I encourage discussion and/or questions.  If you don't want to leave a comment, drop me an email!  So with that being said....

Many of the tales one finds about what Faeries like or dislike aren't necessarily true. For example ~ Cats will keep faeries at bay. Faeries don't like the sound of bells or windchimes.  I have 6 cats and just as many windchimes and I have never had a problem with the Little People hanging around our house.  In fact, we have had several cats that seemed to be fond friends of the Faeries. I feel that a person's attitude toward the Fae does more than any object could in keeping them at bay. If a person doesn't believe, then most likely they will simply not be seen. If a person is not sincere of heart or possibly has ulterior motives, then the Fae will most likely not appear. But for those of you who do believe, a little protection for yourself cannot hurt until you establish a relationship with them. And the best way to protect yourself from dangerous mischief to you or your psyche, is to visualize a protective shield.

Though the Wee Folk can be encountered in many places, the most common is on a visit to the astral plane - you know, the place a mind goes while meditating, visualizing or even spell casting. On a rare occasion, the veil between our world and theirs will be so thin, that the Fae can be seen in a 'wide awake' moment. But those occasions are rare and meditation is the best way to encounter them. But meditation also leaves you vulnerable. A protective shield will not allow the Fae (or any malicious entities)  to bother or threaten you. Visualize this shield in any form you wish - a ball of light, a star, a flat shield, etc. You may make use of quartz crystals to add strength to this shield, if you wish - the crystal will act as an amplifier of the energy you send out.  Some of you might rather cast a protective circle before meditating and that works just as well. 
**Visualization is seeing something using your mind's eye. 

A Practice Exercise ~ Plan on trying this when you know you will have at least an hour of undisturbed time. 

• Cleanse the area where you  will be meditating - removing any malicious entities. Send forth an invitation for the Fae to come visit. Make the invitation warm and inviting.
• Get comfortable. Clear your mind of all thoughts. Now visualize your protective shield - In your mind's eye you will see yourself in the center of a bubble or star. If you feel that your shield is a bit weak, visualize some tape that reads 'Do Not Cross' around your shield (like Police Tape). Or even barricades (like road blocks). As you become more practiced, your shield will be become stronger without the aid of tape or barricades.
• Focus your mind on an object. {I like to use fire as my focal point in meditating - some folks like the sound of running water while others may just want to sit quietly.} Now bring to mind the thought of meeting a Faerie. Let this thought be always in the back of your mind throughout your meditation. 
• It may take several sessions before the Fae decide to make their presence known. But when they do, speak with them. But mind your manners. They do not take lightly to boastful, crude or crass talk. You might ask them what type of Fae they are or where they dwell. And be prepared for riddles. It is seldom that Little People will give an all out straight answer. And asking them their name will be useless. An individual's name has power and a Fae is not likely to tell you their name. Instead, you might ask them what they would like to be called. And don't be surprised by their appearance. Just as in our world, there are a variety of Wee Folk - fat, thin, tall, short, ugly, pretty, mean, nice.  
• I would try to keep the first few 'visits' short as visiting with the Fae can be most tiring.
• Writing down your experiences can be useful for future reference.

What do you see?

Looks kinda like a beaver.... or marmot......