I still don't have the answers ... in fact, I'm just not sure about the whole thing!
I bought a netti pot late last week and have used it a couple of times ... but it took me months (maybe years) to even get up the gumption to buy it and then hours of convincing myself to get up and "just do it".
I was simply horrified by the idea of pouring 8 oz of warm salt water through each nostril ... can you saw "ewwwww" times two (two nostrils).
The first time I got a "backwash" of salty water in my mouth ... and I nearly retched ... but forced myself to go on. Then it was not so hard ... and so long as I kept my mouth open and breathed regularly it worked just fine.
The 'wash' seemed to make my sinus' actually felt a bit better and my breathing improved for a couple of days.
The jury is still out for me ... but I would love to hear what you think or do. Do you "netti" and if so, why?
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Magic in Attitude
Sometimes life just sucks. Our intentions are good, we are going about life as best we can and, to put it bluntly, "shit happens"!
Yesterday was one of those days.
My daughter was down from Michigan for the day ... I only get to see her a couple of times a year and so it was a special occasion. We were getting ready for a day of fun at the zoo and visiting dog bakeries. Nothing extravagant or terribly exciting ... but fun with someone you care about.
Sipping our morning coffee (Green Mountain Breakfast Blend) we chatted about life in general ... when ... scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch ... Moira (my Scottish Terrier) was gnawing her toes again and scratching at her ear.
GROAN! What now? Laura looked down and saw red ... angry red welts and small drops of blood. Moira's ear was seeping.
We hefted her up; no mean feat for a 40 lb Scotty; and looked in her ear. It was black with clogged blood.
Many "fits" and black & blue marks later, we had cleaned out Moira's ear with hydrogen peroxide, Q-tips and a towel. Step One of at least a 10 day ritual.
You see, my neighbor breeds Doberman's ... they are beautiful dogs, of good character and well trained ... but the bitches are kept outside ... and the kennels are lined up against my fence.
Which means that the neighbor washes out the kennels every day and washes all of the sludge (a nice way of saying watery shit and garbage) right under the fence into my yard ... where my dogs sniff and are constantly exposed to it.
I am disabled and live on disability so can not afford to do anything to change the flow of the sludge ... and now my "Scotty" was sick.
I am appalled that someone would simply wash their sludge into someone else’s yard and poison their grass and animals ... but it happens daily and I can not remedy it.
But that was only the beginning of the day.
After the zoo we went to Yatz for a wonderful lunch and then on to dog bakeries. That was when the accident happened.
Yes, it was my fault. It was truly an accident. I had my wheelchair on the lift on the back of my Blazer and was blocked in a parking lot by another car that would not let me through.
I attempted to "back up" and hit a post ... resulting in a huge crashing noise and a horrible crunching feeling. That was my sprit falling through the floor!
The lift was two inches from the ground on one side and horribly twisted on the other side. The bolts holding the lift in place were shorn off and had fallen through to the ground.
All I could see in front of me was the $ signs that repairing or replacing the lift would cost ... possibly thousands of dollars ... and how was I going to get my wheelchair home?
By this time, I was sick to my stomach, shaking and ready to explode at someone ... almost anyone ... in anger ... I wanted to find someone to "blame". But I knew that I was the one who had backed into the post and I needed to "woman up" and simply deal with the situation.
So I breathed deeply, grounded myself into the earth ... calmed myself and began to "deal" with the situation.
I tried driving with the chair on the back and the lift kept "bottoming out". That would simply not work. It scraped and dragged the pavement in the parking lot while I was trying to drive around.
Then I remembered that a friend of mine owned a shop a few blocks away from where we were ... so I called her and she said I could leave my wheelchair there until I got the lift fixed.
It was a generous offer of my friend as we had a "falling out" ... mostly a misunderstanding a couple of years ago ... and nothing had gone well between us since then. Perhaps there was much "magic" at work here ... perhaps this was the method the "universe" was using to mend our relationship...
I drove the chair the half mile to her shop and my daughter drove the Blazer (which was alright, it was only the lift that was bent up).
My friend was gracious, hugged me as she knew I was stressed and as we chatted she shared some suggestions about what to do about my neighbor ... you see, the neighbor's wife works for the Department of Health and complaints just don't get processed ... my friends husband is a police officer and may have suggestions of how to get around this blockage and return my yard and animals to health!
My daughter and I returned home ... another friend came over and helped us give the Scotty's ears a good cleaning and left me with a liquid to clean out the ears for the next 10 days or so.
Next morning my daughter left for home and I drove off to see what the damages were for the wheelchair life. The repairs will cost me about $700 but it can be repaired.
Fortunately Moira seems to be improving with medication and a cone on her head ... she hates it but it must happen if she is to heal without continuing to tear up her ear.
My point here is that I could have let these incidents ruin my day, my daughter's visit, or the entire weekend; I could let them ruin my life living in my neighborhood; hating my neighbors or carrying anger as my constant companion ... but I CHOOSE not to. I choose to calm myself and to deal with the situation rather than to let my temper fly away with me. It has been a long battle between me and my natural (red haired Irish lass) temperament.
And that IS magic. Not the "twitch your nose" type of magic, but the kind that changes lives for the good. The kind that takes years to practice and implement ... one day at a time, one attitude at a time.
I am not sure where the money will come from to repair the lift ... but I do know it will come ... it always does ... not because I can earn it ... but because I choose to fling my magic wide into the universe ... and let it return to me in its own kind.
And if you think that is not truly magic, then talk to an angry person ... see how much they enjoy life ... note if they are surrounded by friends ... and, if you are capable, try to feel their energy ... is that what you would choose for yourself?
I think not ... come and practice magic with me ... it will transform your life ... it has mine!
Yesterday was one of those days.
My daughter was down from Michigan for the day ... I only get to see her a couple of times a year and so it was a special occasion. We were getting ready for a day of fun at the zoo and visiting dog bakeries. Nothing extravagant or terribly exciting ... but fun with someone you care about.
Sipping our morning coffee (Green Mountain Breakfast Blend) we chatted about life in general ... when ... scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch ... Moira (my Scottish Terrier) was gnawing her toes again and scratching at her ear.
GROAN! What now? Laura looked down and saw red ... angry red welts and small drops of blood. Moira's ear was seeping.
We hefted her up; no mean feat for a 40 lb Scotty; and looked in her ear. It was black with clogged blood.
Many "fits" and black & blue marks later, we had cleaned out Moira's ear with hydrogen peroxide, Q-tips and a towel. Step One of at least a 10 day ritual.
You see, my neighbor breeds Doberman's ... they are beautiful dogs, of good character and well trained ... but the bitches are kept outside ... and the kennels are lined up against my fence.
Which means that the neighbor washes out the kennels every day and washes all of the sludge (a nice way of saying watery shit and garbage) right under the fence into my yard ... where my dogs sniff and are constantly exposed to it.
I am disabled and live on disability so can not afford to do anything to change the flow of the sludge ... and now my "Scotty" was sick.
I am appalled that someone would simply wash their sludge into someone else’s yard and poison their grass and animals ... but it happens daily and I can not remedy it.
But that was only the beginning of the day.
After the zoo we went to Yatz for a wonderful lunch and then on to dog bakeries. That was when the accident happened.
Yes, it was my fault. It was truly an accident. I had my wheelchair on the lift on the back of my Blazer and was blocked in a parking lot by another car that would not let me through.
I attempted to "back up" and hit a post ... resulting in a huge crashing noise and a horrible crunching feeling. That was my sprit falling through the floor!
The lift was two inches from the ground on one side and horribly twisted on the other side. The bolts holding the lift in place were shorn off and had fallen through to the ground.
All I could see in front of me was the $ signs that repairing or replacing the lift would cost ... possibly thousands of dollars ... and how was I going to get my wheelchair home?
By this time, I was sick to my stomach, shaking and ready to explode at someone ... almost anyone ... in anger ... I wanted to find someone to "blame". But I knew that I was the one who had backed into the post and I needed to "woman up" and simply deal with the situation.
So I breathed deeply, grounded myself into the earth ... calmed myself and began to "deal" with the situation.
I tried driving with the chair on the back and the lift kept "bottoming out". That would simply not work. It scraped and dragged the pavement in the parking lot while I was trying to drive around.
Then I remembered that a friend of mine owned a shop a few blocks away from where we were ... so I called her and she said I could leave my wheelchair there until I got the lift fixed.
It was a generous offer of my friend as we had a "falling out" ... mostly a misunderstanding a couple of years ago ... and nothing had gone well between us since then. Perhaps there was much "magic" at work here ... perhaps this was the method the "universe" was using to mend our relationship...
I drove the chair the half mile to her shop and my daughter drove the Blazer (which was alright, it was only the lift that was bent up).
My friend was gracious, hugged me as she knew I was stressed and as we chatted she shared some suggestions about what to do about my neighbor ... you see, the neighbor's wife works for the Department of Health and complaints just don't get processed ... my friends husband is a police officer and may have suggestions of how to get around this blockage and return my yard and animals to health!
My daughter and I returned home ... another friend came over and helped us give the Scotty's ears a good cleaning and left me with a liquid to clean out the ears for the next 10 days or so.
Next morning my daughter left for home and I drove off to see what the damages were for the wheelchair life. The repairs will cost me about $700 but it can be repaired.
Fortunately Moira seems to be improving with medication and a cone on her head ... she hates it but it must happen if she is to heal without continuing to tear up her ear.
My point here is that I could have let these incidents ruin my day, my daughter's visit, or the entire weekend; I could let them ruin my life living in my neighborhood; hating my neighbors or carrying anger as my constant companion ... but I CHOOSE not to. I choose to calm myself and to deal with the situation rather than to let my temper fly away with me. It has been a long battle between me and my natural (red haired Irish lass) temperament.
And that IS magic. Not the "twitch your nose" type of magic, but the kind that changes lives for the good. The kind that takes years to practice and implement ... one day at a time, one attitude at a time.
I am not sure where the money will come from to repair the lift ... but I do know it will come ... it always does ... not because I can earn it ... but because I choose to fling my magic wide into the universe ... and let it return to me in its own kind.
And if you think that is not truly magic, then talk to an angry person ... see how much they enjoy life ... note if they are surrounded by friends ... and, if you are capable, try to feel their energy ... is that what you would choose for yourself?
I think not ... come and practice magic with me ... it will transform your life ... it has mine!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Full Moon Ritual
OK, you might have the impression that I am a witch. Well that could be wrong or it could be right, it all depends upon your definition of the work "witch".
I only wish I could twitch my nose or waggle my finger and have the floors mopped and the house cleaned ... or dinner cooked ... but I can't. But maybe that is because I am not a witch at all ... I really don't quite know ...
My definition of myself (if I must have one) is a Druid with Shamanistic and Voodou tendencies (Santeria, etc). But most folks tell me that I am one of the "witchiest women" they have ever met!
So what does all of this have to do with the Full Moon?
I am not quite sure. I practice with a Crone Group that sometimes meets on the dark of the moon ... you know, elder power and all that ... but I never quite got the full moon stuff.
So the other night I went to a Full Moon Ritual with Reformed Congregation of the Goddess - Crossroads (Indianapolis IN) (contact me if you are interested in participating with this Dianic group).
I am not sure what I expected but what I found was serenity.
No I am not talking about the Serenity Prayer (which is a great tool!) but actual serenity in the midst of a world of madness.
We were actually transported outside the confines of "time and space" to a world where nothing interupted us, even the mosquitoes quit biting us during that time.
Yes we shared concerns about others in our lives, as well as ourselves ... but it was in sacred space so precious that only words of love and caring came through.
As the night deepened we found ourselves gathered around our symbols of the Moon and stars, quiet and secure, in an atmosphere of safety and love.
And that is what it is all about, isn't it? Safety and Love. A place where we can truly go and be ourselves without concern ... without judgment ... and without requirement; except to "be".
I am still not quite sure what this "Full Moon" stuff is all about ... but would love to attend more such sacred space ritual. Maybe you should join us sometime. There is always more room in the circle and in our hearts for others ... it is, after all, a magical place.
Oh, and the feast and fellowship afterward was just as wonderful.
And maybe, just maybe, I really am a witch after all .... Colleen
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Life interveines
Ok so it has been a LONG time since I have posted to this blog. Sorry
I promise to be better in the future.
Email me if you want updates ... wooglett@gmail.com
I promise to be better in the future.
Email me if you want updates ... wooglett@gmail.com
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Objections
I have not even had the blog up for 5 minutes and someone objected to my content.
Amazing. This is America. We have freedom of religion here. I can choose my religion and others can choose theirs.
Amazing the someone would flag me as objectionable so quickly. I wonder what they object to. Do they object to THEM having freedom of religion or do they just not want others to have freedom of religion? Colleen
Amazing. This is America. We have freedom of religion here. I can choose my religion and others can choose theirs.
Amazing the someone would flag me as objectionable so quickly. I wonder what they object to. Do they object to THEM having freedom of religion or do they just not want others to have freedom of religion? Colleen
Welcome to Out of the Broom Closet
Hi, I'm Colleen Kelly and I am a Witch!
Now you might ask, Just what is a Witch? Well that is a good question. It might be easier to tell you what a Witch is NOT.
A Witch is NOT an evil archtype that comes out around Halloween with Green skin and greasy black stringy hair. We are no more (or less) evil than YOU! Witches are not what you see or hear about in the Wizard of Oz or the Bible. And they are definately NOT what most of your mothers or grandfathers have taught you. To us the word Witch means "wise person" ... it is NOT a gender specific term. Yes, men are witches too!
Modern Witches are people just like you. We are professionals, teachers, students, factory workers, bakers, designers and homemakers. Basically we are active in all walks of life.
Theologically we believe in a wide variety of things. Many of us honor Nature, the Goddess, or Spirit (in many forms). We might call ourselves followers of these types of paths: Native American, Wiccan, Druid, Asatru, Witch, Goddess Worshipers, Nature Worshipers, Christian Witches, Voodou, Santero/a, Buddhist, Hindu, Celtic ... and the list goes on.
Nearly anyone who follows a path that is not specifically Abrahamic and wishes to identify as Witch or Pagan would fit into our definition. Abrahamic refers to specifically Christian, Jewish or follower of Islam.
So if you believe in Jesus and a goddess or spirit guide then you would fit our definition.
Now, back to that Broom Closet ... where DID I leave it ... is it in the Living room? The Garage? The bathroom? Oh, nevermind. I haven't lived in that closet for so long that I have forgotten where I left it. But it is perfectly ALRIGHT if you need to spend some time in the closet of your choice ... it can be safe and comefortable there.
By the way. Colleen is my real name ... I simply don't hide who I am.
Now you might ask, Just what is a Witch? Well that is a good question. It might be easier to tell you what a Witch is NOT.
A Witch is NOT an evil archtype that comes out around Halloween with Green skin and greasy black stringy hair. We are no more (or less) evil than YOU! Witches are not what you see or hear about in the Wizard of Oz or the Bible. And they are definately NOT what most of your mothers or grandfathers have taught you. To us the word Witch means "wise person" ... it is NOT a gender specific term. Yes, men are witches too!
Modern Witches are people just like you. We are professionals, teachers, students, factory workers, bakers, designers and homemakers. Basically we are active in all walks of life.
Theologically we believe in a wide variety of things. Many of us honor Nature, the Goddess, or Spirit (in many forms). We might call ourselves followers of these types of paths: Native American, Wiccan, Druid, Asatru, Witch, Goddess Worshipers, Nature Worshipers, Christian Witches, Voodou, Santero/a, Buddhist, Hindu, Celtic ... and the list goes on.
Nearly anyone who follows a path that is not specifically Abrahamic and wishes to identify as Witch or Pagan would fit into our definition. Abrahamic refers to specifically Christian, Jewish or follower of Islam.
So if you believe in Jesus and a goddess or spirit guide then you would fit our definition.
Now, back to that Broom Closet ... where DID I leave it ... is it in the Living room? The Garage? The bathroom? Oh, nevermind. I haven't lived in that closet for so long that I have forgotten where I left it. But it is perfectly ALRIGHT if you need to spend some time in the closet of your choice ... it can be safe and comefortable there.
By the way. Colleen is my real name ... I simply don't hide who I am.
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