The Birds and The Beads

That which I can not avoid...

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 13:51:00 +0000

is nearly upon me.

Did I write that? It sounds so, perhaps victorian melodrama? And yet, I just wasted about a half hour on eBay looking at things with Ravens on them, so, that just may be where Im at.

Since I last blogged, Ive had one good friend offer me a willing ear and some sensible suggestions on this issue. That was really helpful, and went a long way toward calming me down.

But you know, I cant win.

That may be the thing that stinks the most to me. You know, nobody likes a game they can't win.

I dont think there is anything constructive to be gained by going deep into the why that is - at least not at this late stage. But I will put down some other thoughts that have been jogging in a big circuit around my brain, keeping me awake at night and generally making a nuisance of themselves...it wont be a complete set of thoughts, and it is in no particular order. #just sayin'

CAUTION:
If you are sensitive about Christmas and do not want anything to challenge that...
DONT READ THIS!

Something may be missing in my 'value system'.
Maybe Ive just been away from the surviving members of my 'family of origin' too long. (Migrant issue)
Maybe its just becauseof the sweltering heat, blazing sunshine and general loudness.
(As opposed the the chilly - hang out by the fire, short days/dark early and the hush of snowy rooftops.)
Anybody notice there is something obscenely self-aggradizing about showering people with gifts and wrappings and cards and entertainments and mountains of food?
Everybody knows there are hungry and homeless people out there, right? Quite possibly nearby too.
I see the why, I understand the desire...its just...it makes me uncomfortable.
We all have so much, and most of it we dont need at all, and will throw away in no time at all.
The lights are pretty.
Its nice to buy someone you love a present (especially if its a nice present, ie: not socks! LOL)
My mother LOVED Christmas. She's been dead since 1993.
Anybody else notice the piles of discarded furniture and appliances outside homes starting about October? (Why do so many people have to re-decorate before they can have their 'loved ones' over for lunch?)
Wrapping paper and cards - sure they are lovely - but - more dead trees...Can nothing escape this?
I get the feasting thing... I get that, thats ancient human stuff. But, so often its too much.
And the expectations! Aw geeze, they really make getting along with other people a tricky proposition.
Everyone should remember that I think packing a bag to spend a night away is more hassle than its worth.
And anyone who knows me, knows I dont like crowds.
So...really.....is it any wonder that I am not enjoying this the same way so many others do?
___________________________

Depending on what happens in the next few days, this may be the last of The Christmas Rant.

Untill next year................(((((Theme from Jaws)))))

Im not gonna edit this - goodnight! Have Happy Holidays However You Like Them Everyone!

Will not be silent.

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 07:04:00 +0000

Dear Mother in Law - If you are reading today, I hope you will click away and skip this one. Be free of this. It will all work out in the end. xxx
_________________________________________

I had not a chance to respond to the text message attack. My life is very whirlwind right now, and when there is a hour or so to pursue "recreational interests", I frankly find myself collapsing instead.

I knew an apology would be forthcoming. How could it not? We had all been asked to attend this Christmas by Father in Law, as a special favour to him. He has had a rather bad year this year. (Mammoth understatment.) And it aint over yet.

An apology came. Iam only going to talk about how I felt reading it. I was glad she apologized to my Husband.

But, I - by which I mean me, myself, personally - I do not accept apologies for harm deliberately inflicted.

If you read the message in question, you can see that it was meant to sting. I dont think it was an "outburst".

By apologizing, she may just have been saying what she thinks she is required to say by family or society, (and being genuine has nothing to do with that!), but if so, more power to her. Because I cant bring myself to play that game anymore. (Which is how Ive landed knee-deep in it this time.) But if I cant be true to me now, at this time in my life, well I might as well roll over and immediately die.

I am me. I am different. So what?
__________________________

Look at the traffic thats been through here! Those of us with Christmas Issues are definitely not alone. The original post has seen over 900 hits since it went up. From all over the globe. There are many people out there who feel the same way I do, or similar! And we are all forced by societal pressures to keep our mouths shut about it. And how do I feel about that? Well, none of us have enough time - on any day - to go there.
_____________________________

But I had a response, it was just a matter of how to give it. Ultimately I decided that sending it to the party involved would only fan the flames. But not sending it, and remaining silent...how can I deny to myself how I think and feel? When someone does me and/or my loved ones wrong, keeping my mouth shut feels like abuse.

Of said reply, here are the salient points:

If you have a problem with me, you should take it up with me.
A text attack on your brother – instead of me – made you a gutless hypocrite. You are better than that.
What I wrote about was me being honest about my experience. You trained as a counsellor and couldnt read that and see someone trying to work through their issues?
I am not going to play "Who Suffered More?" with you.
I am entitled to my feelings and my opinions. You do not have to agree with them. Nor I, yours.
I am angry with you because you attacked someone I love, and made outrageous claims.
You started this, why should your husband take the flack? Fight your own battles!
___________________________________

I will continue to try to work out this issue, because it is the logical thing to do. Christmas isnt going to go away just because me and at least a thousand others want it to. And Im not interested in talking people out of believing or celebrating what and how they want. I just would like not to HAVE TO CONFORM to other peoples values. They arent interested in conforming to mine! LOL
______________________________

I did finish the Christmas shopping!

This sort of thing gives Christianity a bad name

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 02:57:00 +0000

I assume that this TEXT MESSAGE was sent in response to my last post. Which makes me wonder why she sent it to her brother, my husband, instead of me.

Hi (name), Please do not come to christmas at our place, christmas upsets you guys so much i dont want to inflict more pain so you can keep your hate & selfishness to yourselves and allow (us) to celebrate to any extent that we need too, even if it includes 'cash & prizes'. You guys are not the only ones that have difficulties we just choose not to vomit them out on you. So now you are free of the worry, expense & having to interact with us. Not sure why you just didn't decline the invite to start with. Any reply can be made to (her husband).

In actuality, I myself did not accept the invite. In fact, there was no invite. There was a general announcement that Christmas was at their place.

My response can obviously not be sent to her. But shortly I will publish it here.

Not for her, but for me. Which is what the original post was about anyway...me trying to figure out why I feel the way I do.

Maybe I am psychic, maybe I was picking up on the true nature of this Beast we call Christmas.

I hate christmas - irrationally

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:24:00 +0000

Anyone else out there?

Reposting from FB AND OS...

I need to come out of my shell and just tell the truth about me.

I HATE christmas.

Nothing would suit me better than if it went the feck away and never came back.

Im tired of playing along, and I am sure I am not alone.

Im aware of hating it all year round, but when it comes close enough that plans have to be made - well - I just sort of spazz out.

Funnier still is that each year it seems to get worse....till here I am now...feeling backed in a corner and ready to bite anyone who comes near me and mentions it.

I mean, Im beyond mad about it, Im positively enraged by it.

I dont understand it myself. and I cant find a rational reason for it that is big enough to explain my way out of proportion reaction to it.

I dont want to deny my husband time with his family....but it just feels like Im betraying myself to continue to participate.

No one has to respond to this, I dont expect it and Im not inviting feedback - Im just getting it out there. Maybe others like me will appreciate the validation.

Why cant we just be good to each other and our fellow man all year round...without the need for cash and prizes?

But, Id wanted to blog this 'weekend'...

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 06:31:00 +0000

The last day of the week that I work outside of the home is Thursday. I suppose it is natural that everyone there at "Passive Agressive Playschool" thinks that I am off to wallow around in luxurious leisure for the next four days.

Ha!

But anyway, Ive reached the point of exhaustion and so, this is the most blogging I can manage - Sorry Charlie! Only the best tasting tuna gets to be Starkist.

No one here in Oz is going to get that morsel of punchiness...sigh...Im off to savour one of our own ginger beers now, and if I pass out without making dinner, so be it! LOL

But where will I find the time?

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 01:31:00 +0000

Common problem Im sure - for example - here is what my home office looks like on a good day...

Which as you can see, features two computers runnning different tasks. LOL to the right of the photo is the outer shell of a bathrobe I started making for myself.....in August 2011!!! In between working a part time job for someone else, I freelance at a couple different things AND try to study 10 hours a week (in a bid to build a new home business for which I need paper credentials, as opposed to just real-world ones...or what used to pass for the real world anyway.)

Im not complaining. Im #justsayin'

Then, I found the corpses of some of my frog friends. I dont know why these guys died, but when I found them rotting in the empty plant pot they used to shelter in during the day, well, I just couldnt leave them there. I scooped them out and put them in a dry place in the sun for a few weeks. The bones are so fine! Here they are on a bed of salt before being completely covered in salt. They have been in the salt a few weeks now, I dont know how it will affect them. When I get around to it, we will see.

And somewhere in the last few months, some stars lined up to push me back in a direction I left behind...I dont know if I even can still make beads...my hands and neck may not allow a good end result....but you know what? I MISS MELTING GLASS and experimenting with the chemical reactions and the whole process of creation. So what if what I end up with is an expensive mess - life has got to have some fun, right?

I am slowly building my kit up again, and savouring the anticipation. I will stick with the hot head for awhile, see what comes of this - if I even have any time for it - it doesnt have to be beads - it could be something else - the transformations are still taking place - not all of them ones we would wish for - all the more reason to learn to have some fun where one can?

Transformations

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Mon, 21 May 2012 06:44:00 +0000

This cheerful fellow spent an hour with me last April. He would take the sunflower heads from my hand and crunch through each sweet seed - the whole while being a complete charmer and perfectly happy to let me snap away with the lens at times just inches from his beak. I rate this experience as a prime encounter.

So many changes since I was able to emerge from my shell of grief, and so little time - such a common problem - but the blog and other interests are not getting much of a look in lately, but I believe everything is in a cycle, and it will out work out in time. Even while I keenly feel that the time left to me is shorter than ever. But thats true for us all.

Lately when I go to the aviary to visit who is left of my flock, (a long sad story in itself), the Wind speaks to me. I can not make out what Wind is trying to tell me - yet. But I must be patient with myself, I am only just re-connecting with my truer self, and, like any language, if you dont use it, you loose it.

Could it have something to do with Raven? Raven has become my companion alongside Cat. Frog is also with me in a big way. Yes, I am aware that to some I will sound like Ive gone The Full Fruit-Loop. But others will recognize that Metaphyical Mystic Me has been here the whole time.

So, Ive been transforming, in a big way. Ive even returned to paid work outside the home, AND am undertaking study via an online university - so time will be short for at least the next year. But its an investment in a brighter future than I could not have forseen from where I stood in late December 2010. We have to make the most of what is given to us, and damn it, Im having that, all that. And The Most DH and I will still have things to enjoy, even if they aren't what everyone else is given. LOL! We were never big on conformity anyway.

Soon

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:44:00 +0000

Soon.

It has to be said...

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 04:06:00 +0000

...that here is nothing anyone can say that will make it better. In fact, most of what people say, serves only to twist the knife. But what surprises me most about this is: the way no one says anything at all. Not one word about what happened. No one calls us just to ask how we are, or if we would like to talk.

Everyone seems pretty happy to just pretend nothing happened. And in fact, they all act as if nothing did. Maybe thats partly my fault, see, I didnt want to ruin everyones 'christmas' and I have to tell you, I wasnt the life of that party, but from where I sit, I gave a goddamned great performance of 'handling it'.

So now we get joke emails about dead pets, emails about of how loving and appreciative their children are of them, or texts telling us how their god has blessed them with appliance repair - which are just three examples that show no one has any hint of an idea about what we are going through.

In calmer moments I realize I cant expect friends and family to understand, but, it seems sometimes that they, to be perfectly frank about it, that they just dont think. I guess thats because to them, nothing happened.

Why does "life goes on" mean we have to pretend nothing happened to us?

And even the two of us do not experience it the same way. We still love one another, and there is nothing we wouldnt do for each other. But he can not experience it the way I am, just as I can not experience it the way he is.

Except for: What are we going to do now? Who are we going to be? Whats the fucking point of any of it now?

It wouldnt matter how many people you surrounded me with, there is just no one who can understand, nor comfort. I must walk this road totally alone. Its a good thing Ive had a lifetime of practice.

Mommys still fighting for you my little babes...
Christian Mather Sage, lost Easter 2002
William Bradford, lost Dec 23 2010

Bromeliad: Neoregelia Blushing Tiger, blooming

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 00:56:00 +0000

Orchids are a wonderful group of plants to grow, but you spend a large part of the year tending plants that appear happy to do stuff all for you. I thought it would be nice to have some colour going when the orchids were not in bloom...but what could be happy in the same environment?

Bromeliads!

And so it came to pass that I acquired some Bromeliad 'pups'. It was very difficult to choose which to try because the variety and colours are staggering! Quickly I realized that a new addiction could be in the making, and have learned not to even open the emails and catalogs that come along anymore - its just too much temptation.

This is my Neoregelia "Blushing Tiger". Ive only had it a few months and already its bloomed for me - what a charming envoy for its species - but I must not cave in! I must not order more plants...till at least next year.

Calm before the storm

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 03:53:00 +0000

Non-verbal goings on

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 05:32:00 +0000

Cat with one hundred names: #1

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 04:05:00 +0000

Priapus will sit next to his dish until I fill it to its correct level. He would rather starve to death than eat the last few kibbles left in the bottom. Also does this with his water dish.

Future Food: Macadamia nuts

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 22:07:00 +0000

Super sweetly scented, almost like honey.

Spring Blooms & Hope Springs

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 21:36:00 +0000

Life has been toying with us lately. Not with a sense of fun and adventure, but more like a barn cat with the last mouse of the night. Tossing us away only to catch us up over and over again, all claws and teeth but no merciful kill. There is no malice in it, but it is indeed hard not to feel so.

And yet still - I hope! Despite thinking it foolish to do so! Hope must be one of those things that humans "cant not" do.

We are due a win, and look forward to it.
_______________
Native rock orchid with Johnny Jump ups, in the neglected back garden yesterday.

Epidendrum seed pod

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 01:57:00 +0000

Id love to know who pollinated it, this is the first time any of our Epidendrum have set seed and then both of the pods were on the same flower stalk where some one could have sat on the porch railing and done their work....one to wonder about.

But mostly Im just posting this, and quickly, to prove I am still alive - just seldom near the computer these days. Heres hoping for more sedate days soon, Cheers!

Whoa Geeze!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:09:00 +0000

Friends in High Places

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:59:00 +0000

We wouldnt have attempted this steep climb with deep holes on our own, but when out with your local 4WD club you can try more challenging tracks than you would when out alone. A little tug with the 'snatch strap' was all we needed to get out and up to the summit. Another couple this hole trapped were not so lucky...4WD can be a very expensive hobby if bad luck strikes.

Visitors

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:57:00 +0000

Bush Birthday Picnic

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:54:00 +0000

Bad Haircut #16

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:31:00 +0000

Here is the picture I gave the stylist (Rachel Welch):

And what I got was (David from BBC's Psychoville):

Hmmm. You know, now that I look at those shots together like this, I can see how she got there. Still, she will be having nightmares involving curling irons for a long time to come.

Just enjoy the moment...

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 04:17:00 +0000

...after all, this moment is all we ever really have.

Swimming in deep, profoundly thick stuff lately. Heres hoping we find our way to shore soon. In the meantime, a butterfly from last April. Be good to yourself today.

Manys the time...

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 07:38:00 +0000

...I set out to post something but could not decide what to say or what photo to lead with. Everything has been unsettled around here since mid-march when The Most DH found himself made redundant at work. Oh, so much involved there - at least one hundred tirades I could launch into! But whats the point of that really? I might get it all off my chest but, whoopie doo. You know. Anyhow. One day at a time and all that rot, eh?

But hell, the homebrewed beer has been great. It gets better every week! Now we really need to get the next lot going, but the cider is not quite ready to bottle yet. And horrors! Said cider needs about five weeks in the bottle before it can be drunk - bummer!

Im not ignoring you.....

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 02:19:00 +0000

...but we have started homebrewing again. Once this ale is ready to drink, then I may be ignoring you, a bit. Certainly I will after we start the next batch, cause that will be a cider. Ive recently become quite fond of 'hard cider'. Will let you know how it all works out, but in the meantime, back to work for this little black duck.

Alternate uses for your Hi-lift Jack

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Tue, 25 May 2010 10:15:00 +0000

The Hi Lift Jack is an important 4WD Accessory, but that shouldnt discourage you from using it in other inventive and imaginative ways.
__________________

Quite by chance I noticed a brick falling out of the bottom of our house, and pointed it out to The Most DH. After investigating we found that the South side of the house was suffering from being wet all the time. In a drought. Go figure.

So, we need to dig a drain to deal with it. The bigger, and more immediate problem was that the concrete footing the hot water heater sits on, had been undermined. The hot water heater was attempting to pull itself free from the house. Oh, no you dont, you tricksy bugger!

The Hi Lift Jack was employed to re-level and hold the hot water tank while we excavated, and poured a new footing. A great day was had by all.