By this time of year, the berries on holly—a traditional symbol of winter celebrations—will have turned red. Having been raised in Millville, New Jersey, (one of) the holly capital(s) of the US, I chose holly as one of the two plants on my personal totem. Two majestic holly trees flanked the entrance to the driveway of the home in which I grew up. Holly has a rather slow growth rate; those two trees had been there for approximately fifty years. In Celtic mythology, holly is revered ...
Mercury stationed to turn retrograde yesterday. It may also be a hectic time before Yule and other winter holidays. Before and after a planet moves retrograde, it goes through a period called a “station,” where it is barely moving and is adjusting to the U-turn. During the two-week shadow phase before Mercury goes retrograde, take the necessary Mercury retrograde precautions. Move ahead at a gentle pace and do not sign anything binding. Back up all data to password protected (or ...
Years ago, many businesses decided to go paperless. The goal was to become paper-free. It never happened. A degree of success was achieved as computer technology advanced. In our private lives, many of us also decided to go paperless. Some achieved it and some did not. I, and many others, became nearly paperless by paying almost all household bills online. Still, I found myself too often “constipapered,” bogged down with catalogues, sale flyers, and bills that could not be paid ...
The pandemic that began in March 2020 forced many of us to stay at home and gave rise to many “old-fashioned” crafts and hobbies. Bread has been a staple of life for thousands of years. Suddenly, there was time and reason to create our own bread. The internet is full of recipes and instructions for making bread with a machine or by hand. Be it plain white or artisanal bread, the possibilities are endless. As your bread is created and baked, you and your family will be looking ...