Across the sky I reach for you

Choosing mental self help. Adulting for the win.

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 05:35:45 GMT

In the midst of the shitshow that 2020 has been I made the brilliant decision to return to school while working full time.

Yeah, I regret my life choices.

It is now the end of the first quarter and I have survived . I also made the realization that I am not turning in two projects for two of my classes. All have come due at the exact same time and I could: a. drink the redbull and hope that I can stay awake all night to turn in two sub-par projects, or b. write to my teacher and confess that I am not turning them in.

I have chosen to do b.

This is such a hard decision for me, I cannot even begin to explain it. But, it is something that I need to do for my own mental health.

I have returned to school to get my bachelors degree in Funeral Services. I am not sure what benefit it will have in the immediate future, but it is something that I want to do for myself.

I was the first in my family to graduate from college and I like learning. So, when the school offered up the chance to take part in the first cohort of the bachelors program, I took the chance.

The classes are designed for working professional, but to be honest, the amount of time needed to study is far greater that I anticipated.

I am taking microeconomic, the psychology of death and dying, and communication for business professionals. There is just not enough time in the day to do all the reading and write my papers. Sigh. Which brings me to not turning in two projects.

I cannot wait for this year to be over and for January 20th to arrive. I will begin to breathe a little easier once that day arrives.

For those looking to relax while waiting for the end of this terrible year might I suggest some Youtube videos? Our home has been gorging on the following channels for entertainment:

Moriah Elizabeth - She does art and squishy makeovers. Kinda addictive to watch at times.
Nerdycrafter - does some amazing cash or trash reviews on DYI kits that you can pick up at target, walmart, amazon.... She and her sister are very amusing to watch.
Kawami Japan - This guy is just to hard to describe. He makes knives from the weirdest of objects and its all about the journey to get there. Also, cows.
Sand Tagious - this is all ASMR kinetic sand cutting. Very soothing.
most but not all of the soap cutting ASMR videos. YMMV as to which ones you like or hate. I never know until the video has started.

Here is to the next year, may it find you and yours in a better place.

Peace out.

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Clusterfuck of a day

Tue, 14 Apr 2020 05:13:35 GMT

Had to take the Beloved Spouse off to the VA to have her tested for corona virus.

No results yet, highly elevated white call count, but lung xray is clear.

I had to leave here there, she's terrified and I am worried. I have hopes that I can bring her home tomorrow.

Good thought and well wishes appreciated.

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Easter, or a Pagan rambles

Sun, 12 Apr 2020 19:15:00 GMT

I am sitting today and listening to Andrea Bocelli sing to the glory of the Christian God for Easter in an empty cathedral I cannot help but think about the American version where mega churches are busing their believers into the church.

Its madness, but typical of the American version of Christianity. Every time I hear of these idiots all I can think about is Matthew 6:15 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A5-6&version=NIV

I was raised nominally in the faith, being taken to church by first my parents, and then later by my grandmother. I toyed with it throughout high school, but never really felt at home there. I could get behind the message that Christ offered, but the message of his followers felt destructive to me.

Later in my teen years I met a man who was a witch. He and I spoke, and he let me read the books that he had about the public versions of the Craft. I had found my home.

But Easter.. what about bunnies, chocolate, and eggs, oh my!

I love Easter. It's always been a lovely rebirth of Spring in my life, going outdoors, dressing up to mimic the bright flowers appearing, and celebrating in the oldest of ways the rebirth of life.

Are there pagan overtones in the Easter that we celebrate, hell yeah. Do these overtones make it any less of a holy day for Christians and a fun celebration for non-Christians, hell no.

So enjoy this day, decorate eggs if you are so inclined, eat a metric tonne of chocolate, pet the bunnies and enjoy life.

Tomorrow the pandemic resumes.

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Random Silliness, or the Kaiju game

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 02:37:17 GMT

You must answer three questions:

1. What kind of kaiju/monster are you. You cannot be Godzilla, Mothra, etc. You must be original.

2. What sort of attack/city destroying move do you have?

3. What is your theme music.

I'll go first:

I'd be a GIANT red panda. Anime eyes, with the power to kill you with the cute.
My attach is the cute attack, where my eyes go enormous and sparkly and the people die from the cute.
My theme song is Ya papi from the end credits of Ranma 1/2.

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Coronavirus and the Death Care Industry

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 03:00:46 GMT

First off,thank you all for your kind words and support. I am in a better headspace, mainly due to you all, so, again thanks!

So in the past two weeks I've been experimenting with mask designs, some for the family for when they go out, and others for my co-workers. We have seen an extension on the stay at home order, now to extend out to May 4th. So, no May Day dances for our household.

It's been interesting to play with. I've played with the pattern in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIUUXoj4Pm4

Sorry it's not in English, but the masks come out quick and easy, and fit most faces.

I've also done several based on this pattern:

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2020/04/04/coronavirus-face-mask-tips-how-make-fabric-instructions/2945209001/

I think it really depends on what you are comfortable wearing. Easy to put together though, both versions.

I'm happy to answer any questions on them, if you have them.

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Staying strong

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 03:40:59 GMT

It's so hard at the moment. Every day I go into work and face the pandemic as one of the last responders, after the hospitals and quarantines fail, they come to us. The Covid victims, the detritus left behind by an uncaring and incompetent government.

I work with an amazing crew. They are all terrified as well, like hospitals and care centers we are low on supplies. We currently have gowns and gloves, but masks are long gone and unlikely to reappear soon. Yet, they go out, every day and bring your loved ones to our facility to wait. Wait until they can be cremated or buried. They wait and so do we.

I dream of an end to the puppet regime that sits in our highest office. An end to the misinformation and out right lies spread by Satan in a Spray Tan. That Golden Calf worshiped by the confused, ignorant, and in some cases outright soulless.

Every time I see another press release from He Who Should Not Be Named, my soul shrivels in response. Trapped in a nightmare that we as a nation cannot seem to wake from.

Please, any Deity that is listening, please take pity on our world.

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Death and taxes

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 22:14:32 GMT

You may ask, why oh glorious mortician do we care about the folks that work in a funeral home. They are just there to make money aren't they? The vultures! They prey on those in grief and make them spend money that could spend better elsewhere....

*clears throat*

I want to make sure that those in the back can hear me as well. Funerals homes are there to make money, they are a business. And like any business they must charge to pay for goods and services, their employees, rent, upkeep, vehicles.....And then there are those in the industry that are there to MAKE MONEY!, and they are the ones you want to avoid. Capiche?

But, I hear you ask, why is it so expensive for funerals/cremation/green burials? That my friends, is a really long and rambling post. Lets start with some definitions, okay?

Funeral Service - also called a memorial service, life tribute, funeral mass... they are all similar in that there is a service of some nature, religious or not, that talks about the deceased, and offers some form of comfort, even if it is just sharing time with others that are grieving.

Cremation - the reduction of the human remains to particulate matter, often called ashes (a misnomer, its particulate bone fragments) via fire and coming very soon to WA state, water. Most funeral homes now offer a witnessed cremation, which means that you are allowed into the area with the retort (cremation machine) and can see your loved one entering it. This can provide a measure of comfort to families and friends.

Green Burial - A fairly new concept for anyone not of Jewish or Muslim faith. Basically the decedent is buried without embalming in a casket of wood (unfinished), a cotton or linen shroud, or nothing at all. Every cemetery has a Jewish/Muslim section where green burials happen. You will likely will have to have a vault placed over, to allow grounds upkeep, but that and the cost of the ground itself is your major costs.

So, now that we have some definitions, lets look into the costs and why its often sticker shock at the funeral home, okay?

A funeral service can be reasonably priced depending on what you are doing. Caskets cost money, some funeral homes have rentals so all you pay for in them is the insert. Dressing and casketing is time consuming and physically taxing. Imaging wrestling a recalcitrant 2 year old into a winter snow suit, now multiply that by 100 and you have what it is to dress a decedent. It is exhausting.
Most churches offer the use of facilities for a nominal fee, and the payment to the clergy for their time. If you have a casket, you will have to have the funeral home transport it to and from the funeral service. This is the LAW in Washington State. Your state may have other requirements.
They have to pay for a driver, usually a licensed director and possibly one to upwards of six assistants to direct the service. They deserve to be paid for their time and the use of the car, be it a minivan or a coach.
Do you want to have police escort the decedent from the funeral service to the cemetery? That also costs money, the escorts have to be paid for literally risking their lives to halt traffic so that your deceased loved one can go from point A to point B without stopping. None of this is inexpensive.

Cremations are reasonably inexpensive, depending on the weight of the decedent (yes, it does really matter, this is coming from a plus sized individual). A witnessed cremation adds some to the cost, as most crematories have to close down all other aspects of the business for you to witness. But services with cremated remains can be free. Meet at a park or local bar and raise a toast to your cremated loved one. Or you can have a service with the cremated remains, just as you can with a whole body at a church. Its really only limited by your imagination.

Green Burials and green cemeteries are springing up all over the place. Depending on the type of green cemetery it is, it can be standard costs to VERY EXPENSIVE. Basically a green cemetery places decedent directly into the ground, no casket required, and allow the decedent to decompose naturally into the soil. This requires that each decedent basically takes the space of what in a traditional cemetery would be three burial spots to allow for the decomposition to not impact the environment around it including water tables. This can be very pricey for the cost of the land. As stated above, most cemeteries have a Muslim or Jewish section where a natural/green style burial can take place.

The best thing to do is to shop around and pre-plan. Really and truly. Every funeral home is required by law to provide you with a General Price List at asking. This can help to alleviate the sticker shock when it comes to death. Do not be afraid to talk to funeral homes and cemeteries about the costs and what they entail. Be proactive and you will be happier.

So, as I said above, this is a long and rambling post, BUT, if you have questions you want to ask, I am a fully licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer in Washington State and will happily answer your questions.

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Coronavirus and the Death Care Industry

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 19:36:02 GMT

Unless you are currently living without any social media, have not gone into the nearest town in 6 months, or have just returned to the Earth from an extended vacation on Mars you have heard about Covid 19 aka the Coronavirus.

What you may not think about until your family is directly impacted by a loss of a loved one due to the virus is what can we do when it happens?

What sort of funeral is dependent on your funeral home. Each has the right to limit what exposure they are willing to place their workers at.

Some will offer traditional funerals but closed casket only. No viewing or touching of the deceased.

Some will only offer cremation or direct burial, no viewing, or graveside services.

Some may ignore all the above and go for a full out 48 hour wake with open casket, food and drinks. Its completely up to the funeral home.

On the opposite side of the table as the family of the deceased, if the funeral home you chose does not offer the services that you want for your loved one, then you should change funeral homes. What you shouldn't do is insist that they do what you want if it PLACES THEIR EMPLOYEES AT A RISK.

Let me say that again, don't ask for something that will place another person in jeopardy.

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Grief is a weird thing

Fri, 12 Oct 2018 03:03:43 GMT

So, it should be of no surprise that I see a lot of grief in my job, but it is rarely grief that is personal to the degree that it currently is.

Last week a co-worker of mine was murdered by her ex-boyfriend. Let that sink in for a moment. She was murdered by her ex. If you want to be simultaneously appalled and take a stroll over to https://ncadv.org/statistics and read the statistics about this sort of thing.

She went to his home to retrieve her property, and he beat her, then strangled her. I know this because I spent the better part of the last two days helping to minimize the damage done to her face so that her family could see her one last time.

Ladies, and guys both, do not engage with your exes if they have been even slightly abusive (emotionally, physically, financially, sexually, in what ever way possible) with out backup. Please do not become another statistic.

Please

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So, life continues to be a bitch

Mon, 03 Sep 2018 21:24:34 GMT

It seems that all I ever do here is bitch, bitch, bitch. But that is why I actually made a blog originally, was to have someplace to bitch about stuff I have no control over.

So here it is the quarterly bitch fest from your truly.

Up until the 4th of July things were going fairly good. The tiny house lady was all settled in, and more yard stuff had been accomplished. Work was being work and very little changes there. Then the Middle Spawn got hit with surprise! divorce papers.

Yeah.

So, then we hear that the MiL has taken the kids and is holding them quasi-hostage, saying that in order for mom to see them she has to sign some papers. Needless to say my kid did not sign no fucking papers. She instead filed a police report.

Flash forward a few weeks ago and the first court date, JAG steps in and says that mom has as much rights as dad, but still the MiL persists on picking up from school, etc.

Then today we get the notice that our Baby Red, the youngest granddaughter is in the hospital for fucking kidney failure and an upper respiratory infection. They are putting in a dialysis port today.

And how, you may ask did this come about? The MiL.

See, Baby Red was born real early (6 weeks preterm), with a host of issues including kidney and bladder complications - which mean that she has very little control over her bladder and urinary functions and wears pull ups to prevent wet clothing. The MiL has insisted that she just needs to use the toilet like a big girl, and let her sit in wet and dirty pull ups.

We are currently looking to see if we can file CPS charges from another state.

I am so fucking pissed off right now about this.

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Quarterly check in Imbolc 2018

Tue, 06 Feb 2018 03:08:39 GMT

Let me summarize:

Took some time off in December and road-tripped to Arizona to see the Middle Spawn and the Spawnlettes. It was a good trip, though driving could have gone somewhat better. We didn't make as good of time as I would have liked, but we had several days with the family, and no one was killed during the drive.

New started with a bang and the workload jumped with it. Over the past few years we've had a busy time between October and February,but this year it's been a bit different. Still, it's been fairly good. I've faced some new challenges in the prep room, and its been good for me.

Had a bit of a scare with an old friend who is in some legal trouble. For a day we thought that they had chosen to take their life, but they were found. Now, a few weeks later, we had them over for dinner last night and it was a good evening. I can only hope that they will be able to face what is coming.

We have taken on a boarder, sort-of, kind-of, in that we are leasing out a portion of the yard to a very nice lady with a tiny house and a sheep :D.

With her having some work done around the yard, the whole house is looking better. We've taken on paying couple of the guys that did work for her to take on taming the rest of the yard. The house and yard is looking so much better. I am thankful that we are able to do this, and in turn help someone else with providing a job and financial help.

Youngest Spawn, who has been suffering from a variety of abdominal issues, and finally was able to have some procedures this week. They found a suspicious bruised area in her stomach, and one lonely polyp in her intestines. We hope that the testing will give us some information about what is going on so any good thoughts will be appreciated.

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Whinging and whining, feel free to ignore

Fri, 12 May 2017 03:17:50 GMT

I am just needing to place this out there, somewhere private, or at least as private as the interwebs get.

For those who do not know my family issues, I have 2 daughters that live at home (nothing wrong with this, just laying out the facts). The Eldest has been helping to take care of the Youngest, and has not had the best of luck with jobs in the recent past SO much so that they are seriously depressed and unwilling to think about working for the time being. A bit of a financial strain, but we are making do.

The Youngest is bipolar with a host of other diagnoses, and we've been fighting to get her declared as disabled with SSI - she cannot hold a job, and honestly cannot take care of her self.'

She has been a smoker for a while (a whole host of issues for me in this, but she is an adult and can make her choices), but had finally quit to the relief of all of the family. The stress of the SSI hearings (several over the past 4 years) had her reaching for the cigarettes again. She then came to her sister and said that she wanted to quit again, so started the Chantix program again. It helped the first time, and have hopes that it will the second.

Today had been hell. She's attacked one family member, cut on herself, drank a bottle of vodka and then tried to pick a fight with me when I got home.

I'm just discouraged and saddened by it all, I know its hard for her to quit, and as I told her, "I hate that you smoke, but you are a grown ass woman and can choose to do what you want. Just don't expect me to support you in buying cigarettes for you."

There was a lot of loud voices and statements about perceptions. I doubt that anything will change in the immediate future, but I just needed to vent about the issues to the universe at large and let it go.

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Week in review and a birthday

Sun, 19 Mar 2017 18:20:23 GMT

I hate the schedule I am currently on, my days off are split so I am on 2 days, have a day off, then on three days then have a day off. It really fucks with me being able to catch up on anything around the house.

I cannot wait until they finally hire someone to be the office manger again, though it is the worst job in the office. Way too much responsibility and not enough power and perks to put up with it. It's the second hat I wear currently and I cannot wait to get rid of it. If it was the only job, it would be tolerable, but because I split between it and the lead embalmer, I have far more responsibility than one person should have and not enough time to fill either job with any sort of grace.

Bah, enough bitching!

The Eldest Spawn celebrated her seasonal rotation of the sun with a low key dinner with some of the family and a few friends. She's struggling with some fairly serious depression and having trouble finding work at the moment. To help combat that she is doing a lot of art and has launched a Patreon here:

https://www.patreon.com/tinkerpunk/posts

Go forth and support her if you wish!

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March mayhem and floods... just rambling mainly

Wed, 15 Mar 2017 17:17:22 GMT

It's that time of year again, the rains continue unabated and the rivers rise. My phone is blowing up with flood alerts for the local river. I just want to put on my wellies and go for a walk along the soggy and commune with the drenched world.

I keep cutting my hair shorter and shorter, by fall I'll have shaved my head, or let it start growing back out. I'm not actually sure which I want.

As a result of my work schedule, I rarely have time to sit and read for leisure, so I became an Audible subscriber, which has been a good and a bad thing. On the good side, I've not continued to bring paperback books into the house where there is no place to hold them other than the floor and every flat surface.
On the bad side, I spend at least as much on audio books as I did on hard copy books. So I'm not saving any money.

Yesterday I started to listen to John Wyndham: A BBC Radio Drama Collection: Six classic BBC radio adaptations. I can recommend it to any that like this kind of thing, with all the additional noises and aspects of a radio drama. I am enjoying it quite a bit.

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Have trocar will travel

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 19:33:12 GMT

Working as a trade embalmer is an interesting experience. From what I have learned, if it is a challenging case, if they are oversize, if they have been autopsied and/or tissue donation, we are the ones you call to embalm.
'
That is not a complaint, it's just an observation. It came up at work, as I am currently mentoring an intern who had gone to work briefly at a traditional funeral home, before coming back to work with me and I mentioned that if I were to leave my current position I would work as an independent embalmer/funeral director. I had jokingly mentioned to a friend that my calling card should be "Have trocar, will travel".

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Huh, I didn't think that they could actually do this

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 19:59:58 GMT

In my job I wear many hats, funeral director, dispatch, removal tech, embalmer, and lead. I have two 'call-out' embalmers that trade off alternating weekends of the month. One of them has gone through two years of chemo and surgery for breast cancer and during that time, if she was on light duty we made accommodations for it and her.

Jump forward 2 years - my second call out embalmer is having some back issues, and the doctor puts her on light duty. She comes in with the note and is told to go home, that she can come back in two weeks with a clear to work note from the doctor.

In the two years between there have been a few that have had light duty that abused the system, but I feel that the response was out of line and uncalled for. It was however the owner of the business that made the call.

I guess that I am just wondering if this is as wrong as I feel that it is?

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And now I am just babbling

Fri, 23 Sep 2016 04:22:11 GMT

Rereading my last post from 2 years ago - I am still at Mortuary Service Provider. My interviews didn't pan out like I had hoped, but in looking at those same companies now I only only be grateful. One has a problematic worker, and their record with female employees makes me thank the Goddess everyday that I do not have to work with him on a regular basis. Nothing like having have your staff quit in protest when you bring said problem child from oe funeral home to another.

The other position (different company) was given to another person, and honestly I cannot understand why they do things the way that they do. But I don't work for them, so it really doesn't matter I guess.

Its a very small world in the death industry, so you always want to be cautious in what you say or do.

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In the vein of depression, I'd like to talk to you about death

Fri, 23 Sep 2016 04:07:10 GMT

Lets be honest. We are all going to die. That is the truth, but have you thought about what it means?

I invite you to ask me anything about the death industry, really, anything.

I will respond in an open and honest manner.

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Ramblings of a depressed woman

Fri, 23 Sep 2016 03:58:26 GMT

The house is in turmoil - to much time together, to many adults all in the same house Its very difficult when two of the adults are the grown children of the other two.

Anger festers and boils out over trivial comments.

No one apologizes for the hurt, the pain, the sorrow caused. Each would rather have the other apologize.

Old angers and hurts are dragged out and reviewed.

We were terrible parents. We spanked, sometimes unjustly, its easy to point and say that this is where you did the incorrect thing.

The self loathing I feel for not being a better parent is crippling. I wish I had better role models, but I am a product of my parents. A battered and abused wife, an alcoholic and abusive father, whom I suspect of having some bi-polar tendencies, based on reviewing my memories. Its too late to know, both are long dead and their children reap their sowing.

Too long too late. My children are grown and alternately love and hate us in turn. They want to escape to another state. I wish I could make it possible for them.

I wish that I could get any of us to have a conversation with out it turning into a battle.

I wish, I wish, I wish, but none of that does any good.

Eventually they will leave and we will be left behind, as it should be, but the thought hurts.

Oh well. It is what it is and I can only accept it.

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Time flies out of control when working in the death industry

Sun, 04 Jan 2015 22:05:44 GMT

I got a note from a long time friend wanting to know if this journal was still active and I realized that I haven't updated in two years.

Time, like a river flows ever on, even when we attempt to hold it back.

In my case I made the realization that I rarely have the opportunity to just sit in front of a computer these days. When I worked for the Evil Empire was in front of one 8-10 hours a day, now I'm lucky to have an hour a day in front of one.the limits blogging and fandom activities pretty quickly.

I'm not complaining, I'm still employed full time in my field and I'm licensed as both a full funeral director and an Embalmer, so the trade-off is fair, but miss the ease participating in fandom.

So, here in a nutshell is what's happened in the past two years....

I am still employed at the mortuary provider and finished my internships. I passed my exams and became fully licensed. I am currently job hunting for something in a more traditional funeral home and have done a couple interviews.

My spouse embraced their inner woman and began transitioning a year ago. The Elder and the Younger Spawn continue to reside at the family home, the Elder working in their chosen field as well. They had planned on moving out, then as typical with life a crisis occurred and that was put on hold. Medical bills to be paid off, etc. Nothing to worry about, just a gall bladder that needed to come out then a reaction to the meds. All it's fine with them now.

The Middle Spawn, the Son in Law, and the Spawnletts moved back to the area for health issues and are doing mostly okay. Time prevents me from seeing then as much as I'd like, and I want to change that for the coming year.

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Random babbling, a job!, and life after graduation...

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 16:42:22 GMT

And it starts out like this; over the summer, although I'd done the 'walk' for graduation I had one last class to take and pass.

PUBLIC SPEAKING

Just so I am clear, this shall never be spoken of again.

The class itself wasn't that horrible, but I found myself wondering why the hell I actually had to subject myself to this class. I could see the point for several in my cohort - they couldn't get up in front of the class to present a slideshow, let alone a persuasive argument, but I'm an old pro at standing in front of crowds and talking. Oh well, it really doesn't matter, I did the fucking class and passed and have my diploma sitting at the school waiting for me to pick it up.

Things got really hairy by the end of summer financially here as my student loan wouldn't pay for the singular class and the annuity that I'd been receiving monthly from my mom's estate ran out (with out a statement or notice from the annuity company). Luckily I'd only scheduled one bill payment to come out so I didn't have a load of fees from the credit union.
Luckily enough all my job hunting FINALLY paid off and I have a full time job, in the profession I got a degree for and everything!

I'm working for a funeral care center. What this means is that we aren't an actual funeral home, instead we provide services to 40+ funeral homes in the area that include removal and storage of decedents, cremation, embalming, casketing, and the more frequent than I would have thought shipping of said decedents to other places via plane and train.

I've been there two full weeks and the best part is that I'm also doing my internships there. No more trying to find a funeral director to intern under, or embalmer either. I'm interning under the boss for my funeral director internship and under one of the embalmers for my embalming internship.

And the truly bestest part of all? Its a paying job!

For the first time in 3 years I am working full time. It's a big adjustment and it feels great!
Now I'm just playing to learning game and working on getting used to working full time again. I figure in another week or so my body will realize and adjust to the early wake up and will stop nagging me so much about it all.

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Lammas

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 22:33:06 GMT

The time of the harvest, the first harvest approaches.

Lammas, Lughnasadh, Loafmass, Harvest Home….

It goes by many names and each carries some specific weight and tradition with it.

Most simply use Lammas as it’s easy to say and spell. Others who have a decidedly more Irish or Celtic bent will use Lughnasadh instead. Regardless of what you call it, in the northern hemisphere it is associated with the first harvest of grain and is frequently celebrated with games and a feast.

In my early years I had a friend who threw a big Lughnasadh party every year that went for the entire weekend. We’d all camp out on her front yard in Arroyo Grande and play games; there’d be athletic games, strategy games, and games for the kids. On Saturday there’d be a big feast often showcasing rabbit and on Sunday her coven would lead the ritual in celebration.

Lughnasadh is the traditional time for games to be held in honor of Tailtiu, who cleared a large forest so that the land could be tilled. On her deathbed she told the men of Ireland that as long as they held games in her honor that Ireland would never be without song.

Here are some traditional recipes for dishes to be served on this day; please note that these are not ‘low-fat’ or other such nonsense recipes.

Colcannon

3-5 lbs new potatoes, scrubbed and diced

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 medium head of green cabbage or kale, trimmed and diced (1 inch cubes)

butter

Half & half or heavy cream

Salt & pepper

Boil potatoes until tender. While potatoes are cooking, steam cabbage or kale along with onion. I generally put them in a steamer dish on top of the potatoes; salt and pepper these before steaming.

Drain potatoes and add enough half & half or cream to ease the mashing, adding chunks of butter to the potatoes. Add in steamed cabbage and onions (or kale and onions) and mix together.

Place in large serving dish, leaving a well in the center that you have placed even more butter in.

Serve warm once all the butter had melted. You can also add heated cream to the center well.

BANNOCK - IRISH SODA BREAD

4 c. sifted flour

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 c. butter

2 c. raisins

1 1/3 c. buttermilk

1 egg

1 tsp. soda

1. Combine and sift flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.

2. Cut in butter with pastry blender until it resembles coarse cornmeal.

3. Stir in raisins.

4. Combine buttermilk, egg and soda and add to flour mixture.

5. Stir until just moistened.

6. Bake in greased round cake pan or pyrex, 35-45 minutes at 375 degrees or until golden brown.

7. Yield: 1 loaf.

8. Break instead of cut. Does not freeze well.

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Looking for a link...

Fri, 04 May 2012 05:31:08 GMT

Begging and pleading, does any one have a link to the most recent episode of Hawaii 5-0?

The crossover with NCIS LA?

Anyone?

Bueller?

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We are all stardust and to it we return

Fri, 04 May 2012 05:27:40 GMT

I got sad news this past week in that one of my uncles was taken off of life support on Sunday.

He'd had a brush with lung cancer several years ago but had surgery and all was good. Apparently they did not as it had metastasized and when they found it this time it was too late. He was placed in a brief coma and then taken off of life support.

I know I am okay with it all, but I fear badly for the wife he is leaving behind along with his sons and grandchildren.

Goodbye Kenneth, you will be missed by your brothers and mother who survive you as well as the numerous nieces and nephews.

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School Blatherings and Other Nonsense

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 04:09:23 GMT

I’ve one more quarter of school and then I graduate. It’s hard for me to believe that the time has passed so quickly.

The quarter draws to a close and as I prepare for finals I think back on what I have learned this quarter; Embalming has been an intense learning experience this quarter even more so than last quarter. It’s been good and I believe that I made the right choices in choosing this program.

The second quarter of Restorative Arts was pretty intense – we had to choose someone real and then recreate their head out of wax. It was judged by a panel of 10 judges – other teachers outside the program. I was very proud to have gotten 99 out of 100 on mine.

If you want to see the head I did take a swing out here:

plus.google.com/photos/104716306577182105405/albums/5712736267282777457

Unfortunately there were some sour grapes in the class who thought that they should have been graded better.

Sigh.

Haters gonna hate.

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