Seeking shelter

The last week or so I have begun to try and figure out what I will do for shelter when we go for our annual camp out in August, "the Northwest Lammas Festival" (www.nwlammasfestival.org) at which I have been back and forth between our cheap coleman dome tent (collapsed on us in the downpour one year) and my family's RV's (borrowed on threat of extinction if they get dirty!).  Of course I prefer the RV, who wouldn't!!!  It has a toilet and stove all built in!  But I always feel like I'm sticking out like a sore thumb at this mostly low tech event.  So now I'm thinking how to camp in style with a better, more "me" tent?  Well at first I was dreaming of making my own medieval pavilion,

as a woman I met at the long-ago "Solstice in the Northwoods" event had done, and it was really cool.  Hers was very colorful.   Here's a white one.....
Then I started adding up the costs of all the yardage and the woodworking needed for a center spoke pole, etc, and I balked a bit.  It IS totally cool how they work, though!

You have to remember I've been a bit low on the energy scale this year too!!!  However, the medieval pavilions are pretty pricey for a nice canvas one (more than a grand)  and truly, I'm not an anachronist so still it wouldn't be "me" to go that route! 



 So I surfed the net and found what is all the rage in the UK right now: Bell tents.  Now THERE I feel like I'd be right at home with one of these.  Check out how sweet it looks!  Many, many people are buzzing on the net about how they love them.  They are being used as villages on people's land and folks come rent them for the weekend, and they are set up at festivals too, for rent. 
So, I'm seriously thinking of this as an option.

Then Mike comes up with an idea for a trip we need to take this summer to Montana; a tent trailer. 

So now I'm derailed a bit, because I kind of had my heart set on my little hobbity tent, but heck, back to a toilet and shower, and a stove and fridge, pretty tempting!!!  Will let you know what happens.  :)

Wordy Wednesday: Hermetic

Hermetic: From Hermes, remember?  He is the Greek herald and messenger of the gods and the God of roads, commerce, invention, cunning, and theft. Pronounced hur-meez.

The adjective hermetic comes from Medieval Latin hermēticus  belonging to Hermes Trismegistus or Hermes the Thrice Majestic , Mythical founder of both alchemy and astrology, and a God of Ancient Greece. Several very important alchemical texts are attributed to him (including the Emerald Tablet), and for some Greeks, he took the place of both the Greek God Hermes and of Thoth, the Egyptian God of writing and science.  Mythical founder of both alchemy and astrology, and a God of Ancient Greece.  Several very important alchemical texts are attributed to him (including the Emerald Tablet), and for some Greeks, he took the place of both the Greek God Hermes and of Thoth, the Egyptian God of writing and science.

Remember The caduceus? It’s the wand of Hermes, and is the traditional symbol of physicians. It has wings at the top and serpents twined about the staff.

–adjective
1. made airtight by fusion or sealing.
2. not affected by outward influence or power; isolated.
3. ( sometimes initial capital letter ) of, pertaining to, or characteristic of occult science, especially alchemy.
 4. ( initial capital letter ) of or pertaining to Hermes Trismegistus or the writings ascribed to him.

Credits for some of this info goes to http://linguisticmystic.com/ and dictionary.com

Blessed Solstice to you all!  Remember to taste some wonderful strawberries while you can!

Wordy Wednesday: Arcane

I noticed several of my friends are employing a device on their blogs called "wordless Wednesday" where they are featuring some lovely pictures to tell a story or share a moment.  I enjoy that but I also love to look up interesting words and see where they have come from and what they mean.
So I am starting a bit called "Wordy Wednesday" to tantalize your mind a little!

Today's word: Arcane
The definition of this word...
known or knowable only to the initiate : secret <arcane rites>; broadly: mysterious, obscure <arcane explanations>    Latin arcanus

First Known Use: 1547 +/-, the date of which leads me to think about the years of the alchemists and ceremonial magicians, who probably needed a word like this to discuss their exciting works. 

The Latin root arcanus apparently means hidden, private and concealed, and is related to the word ark, and earc, which leads to references to the ark of the covenant, large boxes, containers, guarding and places of refuge. 

I like learning these side meanings of old words used in our mystical lingo because it helps round out my knowledge of what exactly I am saying and why I'm saying it. 

Summer Blessings and Connections coming on strong

This summer is shaping up to be pretty eventful!  My parents are here, which of course is daily “event” in itself!  And the blessings from that are many, of course, because we are swimming in the afternoons, playing dominoes in the evening, and sometimes having lunch together.  They’re not letting so-so northwest weather bog down their summer action! 



Detail from a quilt I recently quilted for Carl Cozier school...
 it's a goodbye gift to their recently promoted principal

But the BIG news is, of course, weddings and babies!  Mike’s older sister and her husband are having a baby from China!  They get to go receive her in the next couple months, yahoo!  She looks pretty darn cute from the pics I’ve seen.  Mike’s younger brother and his wife are having a boy, they live in the Santa Ana, CA. area and she is due in August. 

Mike’s younger sister, Sheri, is getting married in July!  I think we are going to attempt to go (it’ll be in Montana), we just have to arrange for a dog sitter.  (My Mom and Dad aren’t up for that!) We and especially I, have been requesting the universe match Sheri with a delightful man for a number of years now.  Because I know she is a VERY wonderful person who wanted to find a mate.  Yay! 

Wisteria by our back pond

And, Hallelujah, I actually sewed on a quilt of my own last night.  Something from scraps I had started during a Christmas/Solstice break a few years ago…just a ton of 2” squares that I cut and sewed when I could.  I think I have it done enough to be a quilt top now….  Thanks to my new, more functional arrangement of the home I had the energy to do this. 

Oh, and I wanted to show you a picture of this pond area in our back yard that has a lovely wisteria climbing all over the structure above and around the pond, surprising me with TONS of blooms this year!  I am impressed, thank you wisteria!  Just a few months ago Elaine, Jill and I sat back there and did a little new moon “releasing” session by the dormant pond.  Now I believe it to have been successful and life is renewing in full force back there.  There is also a white and a purple clematis, and a lovely miniature lilac bush that is strongly scented.