magick musings…

…this weekend!

Got so much done. Cleaned house, laundered the laundry, ironed the ironing, trips to Home Depot, grocery store, Bed, Bath & Beyond, cooked dinner for tomorrow night, caught up on desk work both personal and as Treasurer for Yellow Rose, worked in the garden and watched THREE movies.

There just isn’t enough weekend to go around. All that is left for tonight is to ‘reaching for my keyboard’. I know, I know…should’ve done that first. Bad Sandy!

I am excited, though, as next week is a very, very short work week. Woo Hoo! Can. Not. Wait.

The flowers are looking wonderful. Had to replant a few since that very last frost got them and I couldn’t, hard as I tried, to save them.

Here are some pics to prove that I do have a greenthumb.

~Sandy

…wherefore art thou?

Not sure where my motivation for writing has gone. I used to live, eat, and breathe it.

Could be the trying times of the last two years. Could be the hours I put in at work at a much more demanding, high pressure job now. Could be that I stopped writing regularly enough and have lost my mojo (is that really a word?).

Could be a lot of things.

But to quote my favorite line in ‘A League of Their Own’ – There is no crying in baseball (writing)!

So, I will suck it up and start by searching for the motivation and inspiration I used to have.

To find that rush again.

To find that excitement where I couldn’t shut my eyes at night with all the planning and plotting.

To find the that moment again where I believed I could do anything I put my mind to.

Where I was invicible.

With dreams fueling my courage, I started doing what I loved, embarking on a journey that would fulfill me and my dreams.

But life can get in the way.

Although I am not at the place in my writing I want to be at, I refuse to give up.

I don’t have a plan. I don’t have a roadmap.

But I can still get there.

~Sandy

~Sandy

…down by the sea! :guitar:

Can’t get that song out of my head.

Can you imagine why?

Well, let’s see. Gulf Coast, East Coast…maybe next is the West Coast!

~Sandy

…about my cute sandals?

I don’t know if it is the sandals themselves or it’s because it is such a creative idea. Or because I am easily entertained. Or could it possibly be…gasp… one more thing to keep me from writing?

Nah! I HAVE been writing.

They are called Switchflops. You buy one pair of sandals and then buy the different straps to change the looks.

I found a place near here that sells the straps so I will soon be checking the store out.

~Sandy

I haven’t been to the island of Galveston, Texas for years and had the opportunity to spend a long weekend on the Gulf Coast of Texas with Galveston being the primary stop. The road trip in itself was so much fun thanks to some wonderful people. During the trip, we ate enough seafood to supply iodine for a small city and I highly recommend Willie G’s on Pier 21 for their gumbo. I haven’t had Shrimp Gumbo that good since the last time my sweet grandmother made it and she always made the best. I miss her and her gumbo.

We visited Moody Gardens and toured the Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition. In quiet reverence, it told the heartbreaking events of April 14, 1912 aboard the RMS Titanic. As you gazed upon the different items brought up 12,500 feet from the bottom of ocean floor, it was amazing to realize that someone actually held, wore, or used it as they while traveling on the ‘ship of dreams’. It brings home the fact that life is fragile, life is precious and to enjoy every minute of it.

Galveston has changed so much in the ten years I last visited. They have added so much sand in certain places to supply a ‘beach’ for the sand and sea worshippers, that in some places, the seawall is no longer seventeen feet high. But Seawall Boulevard is so much more now than the tiny tourist shops renting rafts, surf boards, and seashells.

We walked the beach about 10:00 pm one night and we stopped to gaze at the stars. The sky appeared huge with the stars twinkling on a black background. Beautiful! We were enjoying the feel of the waves rushing over our feet and the sand’s sucking motion when the waves receeded until I felt something moving under my foot.

I glanced down and there was a big ass, foot long, white, fang nashing, neon (Trust me, it WAS glowing in the dark!) snake trying to burrow under my left foot. Needless to say, I screamed, everyone else screamed (probably including the big ass snake before it disappeared in the sand) and I almost killed myself and everyone else trying to get traction in the sand to hoof it out of there.

Definitely ruins a romantic evening.

~Sandy

…can you guess where I went this weekend?

Yep, the Renaissance Festival.

Land of honeyed mead, pear cider (my favorite), and ale to quench thy thirst.

Where turkey legs, ribs, Ye stuffed spuds, Sir Lancewurst Sausage on a Stick and many other artisan delights assure to satisfy a King’s (or Queen’s) appetite.

A village where the uppercrust gentry, along with bawdy maids and knights in-not-so-shining armour, jesters, men in kilts, pirates, bellydancers, and the faerie folk mix and mingle to create a magical world that celebrates the year of 1533 when King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn reigned supreme.

It amazes me how a person can leave behind today’s high tech, fast pace world upon entering the Renaissance Festival. With the first “G’day, Milady” at the ticket counter, you step back into time. Not only was I astounded at the costumes, but the length people go to getting into the spirit of things. Everyone stays in character even down to the accents of the period.

And you just can’t help but get caught up in the magical world.

And why not? Not that I am in the market to wear those long skirts and those push-your-boobs-up-so-high-they-almost-pop-your-eye-out bodices, but I had so much fun watching everyone else.

I tried a Chinese Stir-fry for lunch and of course, a Funnel Cake for dessert! But I am sure the calories I consumed were walked off by the time I got through the 38-plus acre park.

To give you a little taste of what I saw:

There was so much to see it is impossible to see it all in one day. Next year…

~Sandy

Day 1:
It’s fun to cook for my new husband. Today, I made angel food cake. The recipe said beat 12 eggs separately. The neighbors were nice enough to loan me some extra bowls.

Day 2:
Today, he wanted fruit salad for supper. The recipe said serve without dressing. So I didn’t dress. What a surprise when he brought a friend home for supper.

Day 3:
A good day for rice. The recipe said wash thoroughly before steaming the rice. It seemed kind of silly but I took a bath anyway. I can’t say it improved the rice any.

Day 4:
Today, he asked for salad again so I tried a new recipe. it said ‘prepare ingredients: lay on a bed of lettuce one hour before serving’. When he got home, he asked me why I was rolling around in the garden.

Day 5:
I found an easy recipe for cookies. It said to ‘put the ingredients in the bowl and beat it’. There must be something wrong with this recipe. When I got back, everything was the same as when I left.

Day 6:
He did the shopping today and brought home a chicken. He asked me to dress it for Sunday. Silly man! I told him I don’t have any clothes that fit it! For some reason, he keeps counting to ten.

Day 7:
His folks came to dinner. I wanted to serve roast, but all I had was hamburger. Suddenly, I had a flash of genius…I put the hamburger in the oven and set the controls for ‘ROAST’. It still came out hamburger much to my disappointment.

This has been a very exciting week! I am eager for tomorrow to come so I can try a new recipe on him. If I can talk him into a bigger oven, I would like to surprise him with a chocolate mousse.

~Sandy