Ah, those little victories in life....

You know the ones - small, somewhat inconsequential, but man - you feel better when they happen don't you? That time you fought with the printer until it FINALLY printed your information onto the specialty paper correctly (after trashing the first 5 sheets), or you did battle with the CD duplicating computer and actually got it to start working again without having to hit it with a sledgehammer...oh yes, these small victories make for those little pick me ups throughout the day that help get us closer to Friday.

I'm excited to get to Friday you see, because we've got so much planned for the work weekend out at our land, Pyrth Annwn - and many of our good friends are coming to join us in the labor and help us create more sacred space amidst the forests of Pyrth Annwn. We're creating a play area for the kids, working on small building projects and clearing out campsites of last fall's leaves. The day we can finally call Pyrth our permanent, never moving again home can't come too soon. (Come on water table, I want to drill a well!)

I could live there now, I really could. We have a little portapotty, with five actual 55 gallon drum composting toilets coming soon. We have solar showers and a river to swim in. We have tents that work for us quite nicely, just not so much for the cats. They might have a thing or two to say about that. The dogs however would be as happy as us I think - they both love it out there, whether they're chasing the errant armadillo or napping in dappled shade near staff camp.

The one thing I'd miss would be electricity - I like my Internet and my TV shows. They're my vice. I could live a really simple existence if it wasn't for them. The idea of planting gardens and orchards, and canning our crops fills me with absolute delight. I have a lot to learn about it, but I'm so excited to get started. And chickens - now that's going to be an adventure, especially with the two dogs to help chicken-wrangle.

Soon, now - soon. Every step forward brings us that much closer....

Making room for chaos

I was talking to a relative the other day, and they expressed great distress at the size of my ever increasing household - in just 8 years Brennan and I have managed to provide a home for not only ourselves, but five cats and now two dogs (there was a fish at one point, but then, remember, we have five cats...).

To them, the word menagerie doesn't even begin to cut it - they feel we're basically starting our own zoo. I was really surprised by their tone, and their concern. To me, each addition has found their niche, brought their share of love into the house, and done their part to really make our place a home. It made me wonder why they are denying themselves the joy of furry ones in their lives.

I can't imagine living without our munchkins - granted, they're messy sometimes, we do have dangerously large dust bunnies that roam the hallways on occasion, and a few tiffs tend to break out in the evenings come feeding time - but so what? How does that compare to the many mornings of hugs and kisses, lap warmings as you drink your coffee, evenings snuggled up with a massaging purr-box on the couch, the afternoons of playing with dingle-balls and using old rope for tug-tug.

The more I think about it, the sadder I feel for them. All they can see is the mess and expense - none of the joy and unconditional love.

The fastest way to your dog's heart....

is apparently to get another dog.

Our newest family member was found by a fellow Weekender, wandering down a busy highway, scared, hurt and alone. He was scooped up, taken to the vet, given his shots and a call went out to find him a home.

Well..we'd been thinking of getting our Akita pup Cenau (pronounced Ken-Eye & welsh for Bear Cub) a buddy to play with, as the cats just don't seem to be that interested in playing tug-tug with him (gee, wonder why?), and so we saw the call and said - sure, why not. Let's meet him and see if Cenau eats him or not.

Thankfully, Cenau didn't eat him - he's instead herded him around, cleaned him every morning from top to bottom, escorted him to the best "potty place" in the yard, shared most of his toys (he occasionally sneaks one away and gives it to Daddy to hide from the baby) and sleeps with him at night.

So....it looks like he's staying, which means he needs a good Cajun/Celtic/Welsh name. Because, all of our other furry family members have really good Cajun/Celtic/Welsh names (Boudreaux, Thibodeaux, Calisto, and Maxie - except for Seymour, but there's a story to that one).

And we watched the baby, and thought of name ideas, and tried to come up with somethig that sounded NOTHING like Cenau, so as not to get everyone confused and we came up with....Remy. Granted it's actually Acadian-y Cajun, but still Cajun enough to count. So little Remy (aka stinker) has found a home, and we've found another lovable love sponge to add to the brood.

Another year has come and gone...

It true, the old saying that time goes REALLY slowly when you're young and just ZOOMS past you like a race car on acid as you get older. Another year of my life has come and gone...and what a year it was.

We've made great strides at Pyrth Annwn, our sanctuary in the Ozarks. We've put in roads, cleared out camping areas, created sacred space and made a home away from home for our Weekenders. This year - hot showers (Yahooie!), a well (finally!), electricity (yeah!) and composting toilets to replace the smelly port-a-johns!

I celebrated my seventh year married to the love of my life - my best friend, my soul mate. This year - happily celebrating the eighth year of our adventure together!

Bren and I have moved (again) one step closer to living on the land itself, and not having to drive just to visit. This year - we'll be living there full time by late summer, and celebrating Yule with friends in our new home.

I found my place at the most incredible job ever - doing my first love of marketing/writing, working in a pagan friendly environment, for pagan-friendly people, in the Ozarks, helping non-profits raise more money for their organizations. And I get to wear sandals and shorts to work. This year - continuing to grow and prosper, along with the company so that we can hire more free-thinkers and grow the FundRaiser family.

I celebrated the next step of the journey on our path with my beloved Sister Ahriana, as she welcomed her first group of students to the Hermetic path in a very long time. To come full circle with her was beyond amazing. This year - to watch as my own students blossom, grow and learn on their journey down this path, and to celebrate with them along the way.

We adopted a beautiful puppy named Cenau who has added warmth, hilarity and quite a bit of mischief to our lives. This year - we're expanding the brood and getting another one so Cenau will have a playmate who, unlike the cats, won't spit and paw at him.

So much to look forward to this year, and so much to celebrate from the last. I am truly blessed in this life, and I stand humble before the God and Goddess, my heart full of love and joy for all those I call Family.