New Moon

New moon doesn't mean a "Twilight" book or movie to my family. It is simply what it is and an upsurgance in occult interest has thrust us into focus a few times because of our celebrating the cycles of the sun and moon. If it has seemed to anyone that I put off real explanations to questions about our spirituality by making jokes I apologize. It is because I am trying to avoid skeptical smirks that I am given when I give honest answers to those who I feel are open minded people. Not always but sometimes the reactions I get tell me that I may eventually be the butt of a joke that I may not be present for. It feels more safe just to keep that part of my life private.

Some interested people have requested that we include them in some of our houshold's neo-pagan rites. I feel awkward at requests like these because what an outsider might notice would seem to be next to nothing. So many of the Esbats and Sabbats become so ingrained an intertwined with our mundane lives that the moments don't seem to hold much of what many would call a ritual. This forces me to have to explain what is going on, point out the shifts in the energies, audibly add back the songs and the poems that I now hear the universe singing with every cycle. It can take the magic out of the moment.

The real ritual is that the moon cycles and the sun cycles again and again. What we do and what happens to us and our surroundings spiral along with it. The colored leaves are the mandala and the sound of their blowing is the song of worship. The new Oktoberfest brew at Otto's is the "wine" and the Doritoes hanging from our apple tree are the "cakes" for Mabon. We recognize the second harvest in the changes on the farmers market vendor's tables (altars) and the way people dress on the trails. Attitudes of hikers and hunters change and the conversations we have are different. Our lives have changed with the seasons again; magic happens.

Not every neo-pagan family regularly celebrates new moon together. It can frequently be a more personal esbat of introspection. New moon occurs in the middle of the day in the bright of the sun when many of us are busy. It's easy to have the moment slip by and not realize it until later.

This moon, Beaver Moon/ Mourning Moon/ Snow Moon /Fog Moon, is traditionally "a time of washing away the baggage of the past and letting it go. Once you've done that, you'll be able to focus on the joys of the future. During the Mourning Moon phase, say goodbye to bad habits and toxic relationships, and get a fresh start for the new year. Work on developing and strengthening your connection with what is sacred."

I look back on yesterday and see what was thrust upon us by the fates. RGBisMe finally had weather that cooperated well enough to chop and move the four large branches that were littering our yard from the early snow storm. The garden fence was spared, the branches damaged nothing. Clearing away debris as new moon approached seems a little literal to some but there it is. A clean yard for Beaver Moon.

What had also happened in the middle of the storm this past week was that the new tenant for apartment 1 inconveniently threw a change in schedule at us; he set back his lease signing by hours. This required me to rearrange a lot of other things that we had going on to accommodate one of us being here for him. This, it turned out, needed to be RGBisMe because I had become ill. It was even more tricky since RGBisMe was needed in about 12 places at once this weekend. I juggled and made calls (on the cell phone, the land line was dead from the storm) and it all worked out.

The new fellow (who seems polite enough) has a huge truck and RGBisMe saved the widening of the parking space until pretty much the last minute since he had to be present for the lease signing. It all came together, the new fellow signed the lease, moved some some stuff in and he was left to explore what was now his place.

It was a sad and odd moment of transference for us. Apartment 1 was no longer Mososo Kruppe's it was this new fellow's. We realized we wouldn't be just walking down to have a few laughs with this guy the way we had for over a year with them. It was a mournful closure to a hustle an bustle couple of weeks trying to get to the apartment occupied.

The new tenant had signed the lease exactly at new Mourning Moon. This was not contrived by us, we didn't manipulate his schedule. It was he who demanded the exact day and he could not come at the time we had chosen. Without incense, chanting, song or knowingly invoking anything, new moon came at a seemingly coincidental moment. Magic happens that way.

Dark of the Moon

Dark of the moon
New beginnings
Dark of the moon
Plant a seed tonight
Dark of the moon
What we envision
Will come to be
By the full moonlight.

Lutheran Guilt...

or being neighborly?
RGBisMe had to deny our new neighbor access to driving on the saturated lawn to move his furniture in. Instead, he is lending a hand with the big stuff. All this after clearing out 4 heavy branches from the yard and digging a 12' ditch to expand the new guy's parking space for his over sized vehicle. I love my big hearted man with muscles.

Old & New

On RGBisMe's keyring are many different kinds of keys. The expensive one for the car that has some type of coding in it, the house key, one for his office at the university, a bunch of laminated ones sporting bar codes so we get discounts at stores and an old skeleton key that doesn't open anything we for us.

I like that he has that old skeleton key there. It's not because it's an antique nor does he show it off as some kind of icon. He is just the kind of guy who likes to appreciate the styles and designs of old and new. He has old fashion manors and can execute bright new ideas with cutting edge technology. It is that balance that makes him a well rounded person.

Snowfall

Snowfall
Softly
Gently drift down

Snowflakes
Whisper
'Neath my window

Covering trees
Misty lights
Velvet breeze
'Round my doorstep

Gently
Softly
Silent
Snowfall

Covering trees
Misty lights
Velvet breezes
'Neath my window

Gently
And softly
Silent
Snowfall

Drift down
Drift down
Drift down
Snowfall
Ruth Thornhill / Claude Thornhill - 1941

Seasonal Pitfalls

Spring brings this area many insect hatches, occasional flooding and the beginnings of poison ivy. Summer here can be hot, dry and plays host to of Arts Festival traffic. Autumn blows in leaves to rake, egocentric student pedestrians and more cars onto the local roads. Winter in State College can bring downed limbs, slick roads and power outages.

Each season has a new laundry list of things to worry about but I absolutely love living in an area that offers a sample of what each season can offer. There is so much good to be had from living in a climate where you can notice and appreciate the turning of the year. With a sore back from already hefting many heavy loads out of my yard this autumn, I find myself grinning at the next thing nature has thrown my way. Bring it — I love it all.

Dissatisfied Excellence

I know RGBisMe will roll his eyes when he sees the title for this blog. The owner of a company he worked for over 25 years ago threw this out to his management team as a kind of state to always strive for; shooting for excellence but never quite being satisfied when you feel you have gotten there.

I am not a perfectionist but "Dissatisfied Excellence" has always intrigued me as a concept. I have toyed with it as an incentive to shoot a little higher or try a little harder the next time out.

This blog is going to fall way short of my goal (incentive to try again later?). When doing research for the topic, I couldn't find too much. I found a lot on people settling for less, being zen about thier short comings, and encouragement for getting over personal failure. It will take me longer than I thought to pull it together as a topic.

Until then I will admit failure, settle for less and just share another interesting piece of writing about general dissatisfaction. It wasn't what you expected with my blog's title but, it's the best I could come up with... for now.

Are You Dissatisfied With Your Life?

By Fiona Shearer-Hann

Life dissatisfaction is something many people experience at some time or other. And for some people, it’s almost a constant in their lives. For whatever reason, many people aren’t satisfied with the status quo any longer, and wonder if there’s more to life than that they’re experiencing.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s dissatisfaction with jobs or careers, relationships, status or whatever, there’s always something you can do. But, making the necessary changes aren’t always easy.

For starters, in order to change your life, you first have to know what it is that you want to change. What aspects of your life make you unhappy, or leave you dissatisfied? This is something you often have to think very deeply about, because it’s sometimes not as clear cut as it appears on the surface. One of the things people have the hardest time coming to terms with is the fact that they have to take responsibility for their own lives, and have to stop blaming others.

When most people hear that, they’re immediately indignant – claiming that they don’t blame others. But how many people really take the responsibility for the state their lives are in. Many will claim that they’re in a dead end job because they couldn’t attend college, or because they’re “dumb”. The fact is – many very successful people never attended college, and many don’t have anything higher than an average IQ. The truth is, you are where you are today because of the choices you’ve made. Read that sentence over again until you can believe it!

What does this mean? It means quite simply that if you’re dissatisfied with an area of life, it’s up to you to change it. If you’re not happy in your job, start looking at other options. Don’t feel you have to stay there! If you need more education, then consider taking a course. Many courses are now available through the mail or online.

If you’re dissatisfied in your relationships, start asking yourself why you developed those relationships in the first place. If you truly believe that an unsatisfying relationship is worth fighting for, and working on, then do it! If not, consider getting out.

What if you’re dissatisfied with other aspects of your life? Many people (in fact, the majority of people) are unhappy with aspects of their appearance (particularly their weight). If that’s the case, the realize that you are ultimately responsible for your weight, and decide to make the changes necessary to improve your weight today. If you need help, there are plenty of online sources of information available to you, and plenty of professionals out there who would be only too happy to put you on the right track!

The fact is – if you’re dissatisfied with your life, then there is something you can do about it, now. Write down what your problems are, and start brainstorming solutions, remembering above all that you are ultimately responsible for yourself and the decisions you make. Once you truly understand that, the process will become much simpler.

Metamorphosis

She...
changes...

everything...

she touches...

and...

everything...

she touches...

changes.

First Frost by the Waning Harvest Moon

The chill hit strong enough last night to cause our first frost of the season. Time to say goodbye to some fruits of summer; those delicate and thin skinned plants are withering in this morning's sun. Annuals, like basil, wouldn't haven't survived this first frost and we had been harvesting the seeds earlier this month and last weekend the final leaves became pesto.

Looking through the chilly morning haze at the waning crest of this year's harvest moon allowed me to reflect on all I have been lucky enough to reap. Our garden yielded a wonderful Spring of sugar snap peas, a moderate Summer of cherry tomatoes (many which had been stolen by the chipmunks) and a meager Autumn of pole beans. The Autumn harvest has been mainly saved to seed the hopes of next year.

By Samhain even many apples left on the trees will have sufficient frost bite that they will be too mushy for eating. There are just a few good harvest days left for much that is good and natural. The wheel will turn again and again and if the old plants do not return it is always exciting to see the new ones and what they bring.

Pesto Day

With temperatures threatening to dip below freezing it was time to harvest the basil. I made a vegan pesto that turned out really well.

All at Once

The leaves have changed all at once this year and the strong winds that visited the area have blown many of them off the trees before we have had a chance to enjoy them. Luckily we had a reason to drive through the Poconos the last couple of days to enjoy some of them. Photos never catch the exact glory of the colors but I always have to try.

After 6 grueling hours (3 stuck in traffic in NJ) we made it into NYC on Friday. It was just dark when we walked into the plaza at Lincoln Center and enjoyed the new fountain that was finally up and running. It was odd not going into the Met Opera House for the performance. We were to enjoy seeing the theater at Avery Fisher Hall for the first time.

Prior to the show, just hanging at the fountain with Asrai was on the the best times that evening. She knew how long we had been stuck in the car and was kind enough to walk to Whole Foods to get us some food. We sat on the marble edge of the fountain, slurped some of the best carrot ginger soup and caught up with what had been going on with her that week. It was so much more gratifying to hug her, talk to her and see her than our daily typing to each other online.

After the obligatory bag inspection, we took our seats in the back of the orchestra section to watch American Ballet Theatre's fall performances. First was a new work, Ratmansky's Seven Sonatas. I was immediately aware that the seats in this auditorium were terribly uncomfortable, set up one directly on back of the other and the man in front of me had a huge head. Asrai offered to switch with me a few times but there was no way I was going to let her be tortured with the head that covered the whole stage. I twisted to see the dancers and decided the piece just wasn't worth my time; I would save my energy for the last work in which Ravenboy had a solo.

It's hard to sit through three ballets without seeing much but a giant head. It's even more difficult when you have spent most of the day sitting in the car. I decided I was pretty much uninterested in ballet forever. The second and third pieces did grab more of my interest. Other Dances and Some Assembly Required had some entertaining movements that were far enough stage right that I could see them.

I could tell I needed a plan to see the final piece of the evening, Ben Millipied's Everything Doesn't Happen at Once. There were only a couple rows behind me and no one had been sitting in them. My plan was to sit on my feet and try to look over the giant head. After the intermission I got into place but almost instantly my feet started to lose circulation. It was a faulty plan because I still couldn't see over the giant head.

A couple of people had decided to sit behind me and I felt badly for them because I was not going to miss seeing my son in this performance. I bobbed and weaved and jumped around in my seat following his every move. I was no longer sitting still and was getting a workout to watch my son dart in and out of two dozen other dancers for most of the first movement.

I love seeing Ravenboy blend perfectly with the corp of dancers and thrill at actually losing him in the mix on stage. For so many years, as a talented boy dancer he was almost always featured or at least stood out as the only boy on stage. It was easy to find him and follow his every move. Now he is with the best of the best dancers in the world, men and women, and I have a hard time picking him out — it's glorious!

The piece progressed and the big head must have settled into a place where I could let some blood flow back into my feet for a brief moment. Ravenboy was not onstage for a one movement that was a duet so I prepared for the next. Ballets, even new modern works, have a formula and I could sense that after the slow duet would be the dynamic solo. Ravenboy would be next and I jockeyed for position in my seat.

The role was not made for Ravenboy but he made it his own. A curious highlight was when a large portion of the corp came onstage with some under current of the music and positioned themselves to catch him in mid flight out of the air! There he was, suspended feet off of the stage in a perfect split, caught in time like a photograph before they released him to dance freely again. Like the beauty of Autumnal colors, Ravenboy's performance made us thrill and gasp.

The final movement brought the entire cast to fill the small stage. As is typical for a coda, he duet couple recreated a few of their moments and the other movements were briefly remembered. Ravenboy took center stage one last time on a ramrod straight leg turned in pirouette one, two, three, four... All at once the lights were killed but in that brief moment when those tungsten filaments went from hot white to warm yellow to barley amber, Ravenboy turned on and on. No dropping curtain prepared or warned the audience; applause erupted and the house rose to its feet in cheers.

The rest of our evening was spent with Ravenboy and Asrai. Directly after the performance Ravenboy politely dodged autograph hounds, fans and donors. We got to the car and drove back to their place to remain happily holed up for hours of happy catching up.

It was late afternoon on Saturday when we found ourselves driving back through the Poconos. Our visit had been wonderful and brief; Autumn's splendor may be past peak but the memory of it's beauty will stay with me all winter.

ABT @ Avery Fisher Hall

This week, American Ballet Theatre brings three bold premieres center stage from three of today’s visionary choreographers: Benjamin Millepied, Aszure Barton and ABT’s Artist-in-Residence, Alexei Ratmansky. Plus, ABT offers repertory encores of two ballets from the Company’s vast repertoire: Clark Tippet’s Some Assembly Required and Jerome Robbins’ Other Dances. All performed with the dramatic artistry and thrilling bravura of ABT’s world-class dancers for one week only at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall.

Tonight we will enjoy supporting Ravenboy (above, kneeling in center) in his solo role in Millepied's Everything Doesn’t Happen at Once. It is a very short run at Avery Fisher Hall and we feel fortunate that he was able to get us tickets.

The choreographers for the new works they are performing this week...

look a lot like another trio we have seen elsewhere.

Autumn Breeze

Maga11 and I got out in the wind for some local letterboxing yesterday. The couple of miles that we hiked and climbed included a historic home, creek side ramble, swamp view, and more than three vistas of central PA's rolling farmland in autumn.

The wind gusted more than 40 mph and was loud on the ridge top. We made our way along, enjoying the woodland and colorful leaves. Much of the trail had downed branches so our progress was not speedy. This allowed a lot of time for chatting and visiting. We talked about the couple of times this month she spent putting up hot peppers and how she was still coughing from the oils they had thrown into her sinuses and lungs.

We only saw three other people on the trail yesterday. One was a jogger who came upon us so quickly as we were stamping into one letterbox that we had no time to do anything but watch him run by. Who knows what he thought we were doing off trail.

Hickory nuts, puff balls and big old black walnuts also littered the path on our hike out and back. The walk was just wonderful as we took the descent slowly and carefully. We were glad to have parked well away from the black walnut tree in the parking area. It had been dropping its large heavy fruit the whole time we were hiking.

When all was done, we came away with three new letterboxes and a hitch hiker found. We celebrated with a pack of crackers before we went shopping at Wenger's. It easy enough to get carried away shopping in that store and best to not go in hungry.

How to Dance in the Rain

Thanks to DaBraLady for sending this to me
It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning. He said no, he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health.

He told me she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease.

As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late.

He replied she no longer knew who he was, she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised,and asked him,'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?'

He smiled as he patted my hand and said,'She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.'

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, 'That is the kind of love I want in my life.'

True love is neither physical, nor romantic.

True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

With all the jokes and fun that are in e-mails, sometimes there is one that comes along that has an important message. This one I thought I could share with you.

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

I hope you share this with someone you care about. I just did.

'Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.

What will you Leave Behind?

Have you ever sat and wondered what legacy you are leaving behind? Seven interesting perspectives on Helium.

I Need it for Tomorrow

The perfect addendum post to my Good Fast Cheap blog, RGBisMe blogged about a little video clip that sums up certain aspects of our lives perfectly. At one time or another, we have had clients say almost everything the green robot says! Warning - the cheeky blue robot says words that we usually keep to ourselves.

Apartment Applicants via CraigsList

I am no longer excited to be getting applicants for the apartment and have even less enthusiasm to reply to phone numbers in Korea or people who cannot compose a business oriented email with any decorum.

I will keep adding to these gems.
sample emails so far...

Hi I a intersted inthe eff. apartment tat you have listed o Craigs
List. Plese ma I see it and file the application process? Not able
to move in until 11/09. Thanks

hiiiiiii
I'm interest in your apartment please send me your phone number or call me at 814 XXX XXXX
thank you

hi i like to take a look at the efficiency you have listed i work quit a bit however ido have tomorrow off so do u can u please call me 717-XXX-XXXX my name is xxxx if tomorrow don't work for you than maybe we can set up something later ill hope to hear from you .

(Yes, the above name was lower case.)

hello. i am going to be a student at psu for the 2010-11 school year. i am looking for a place to rent. i am interested in renting your place. please contact me by email or cell
717-XXX-XXXX. my name is xxxxxx. thank you

(Yes, the above names were also in lower case.)

Where is this apartment located?

(There is a google maps link to the street on the ad.)

Hello,

is your proposition still valid?
If yes, please leave your coordinates, we can meet tommorrow evening. I am seriously would like to take this apt.

hi my name is xxxxx xxxxxxx and iam lookin for a place i can afford iam kinda homeless right now so iam lookin for a place asap my number is 000- 0000

I called another man and his response to me was, "Is this your number?" I replied that I had not given him my number. Another woman I called agreed to a specific time to view the apartment because, "I have practice before that." She said she would call me before she came. I hadn't given her my number either.

Another converstion on the phone starts with one fellow asking me, "So tell me something that isn't in the ad."
I hesitated and asked, "What do you want to know?"
He chirped, "I see I caught you off guard. How about the dimensions of the rooms?"
"The dimensions of the rooms as well as photos are in the ad. I am at a loss to tell you anything more because I thought the ad was pretty comprehensive."
He looked at the ad, verified the room dimensions and then went on to ask more questions that were already in the ad as he was looking at it.

I know not everyone has the ad in front of them and that people can view and record the phone number I am calling from but I feel like a lot of presumptions are being made. Business etiquette has gone out the window with a lot of other manners. I guess I am not looking forward to this process at all.

LiveStrong Day 2009!

A day to be together as a family traveling to radiation treatment #3/25. Danville Regional Medical Center has some of the best treatment facilities in the area. We were treated to the valet parking so we didn't have to walk a long distance in the cold nor catch the crazy tram that drives around and around.

This hospital also has some of the best and affordable vegetarian soup. There is one selection every day and today's soup was Cream of Tomato. Don't try to get between me and my Danville soup.

After a great lunch of the best hospital food anywhere we went up to Radiation Oncology to celebrate LiveStrong Day 2009! There was a spread of goodies while we waited and Dad came out with a great organizational folder and new LiveStrong wristband that he gave to me! I will do my best to wear it until all of his treatments are complete in November.

Hospital visits always have an edge to them for me. I am doing my best to get over my personal fears and squeamishness and see the facility for what it tries to be. It's a hospital that is helping people recover from, heal their bodies and conquer diseases that in the past were seen as death sentences.

Indigo 2009

Not only do most people just assume I am a huge Indigo Girls fan but they think my screen/trail/camp/stripper name was inspired by them. I do like them, a lot, but almost chose a different name so that people wouldn't make that assumption about me. Realizing that assumptions would be made no matter what was chosen, "true indigo" was chosen and it stays.

"Indigo Girls, huh? That's a dyke band," will assume many partially informed pseudo-musicophiles. Anyone with a good ear has to admit that they are more than just a couple of gals with ideas and guitars. It's those who can set aside their prejudices that will actually admit it.

Much of the society I am surrounded by is filled with attitudes, images and language that reinforce the opinion that women and all they have to offer is junk. Women have tried to get over, up and around this issue by proving themselves as individuals and as a whole to be not only up to par with the male gender but to exceed them in certain areas. A couple thousand of years of reinforced patriarchal ways are not quickly overcome so it is not infrequent that the girl band, woman's opinion or female created anything is disregarded before given real consideration.

Let it be known that I try to speak my mind when I see people around me being blatantly sexist. Sadly, I have held my tongue too often for the sake of keeping peace in social situations when I hear of mistrust of women in general. With close to 50 years perspective, I am at the point of realizing that it is more uncomfortable for me to stay quiet and be insulted than it is for me to speak up, run the risk of upsetting the group dynamic and call someone to task on their prejudices. The mouthy hag is rising; you have been warned.

So thank you Amy & Emily for singing your magic last evening. Surrounded by people who appreciate and support your work, most of them women, was empowering. Your music is so well crafted and your performance was beautiful. Thank you for reminding me of your aspects of Indigo.

Safe Journey

You are on my mind today, Dad, as you start another life's journey. I predict this one will be more tedious than difficult, more annoying than treacherous.

I am happy to make the trip with you and hope we can share some soup together for lunch. You know they have the best soup in the WORLD there (better than Lewistown's 'Cream o' Salt' soup).

Take this month one step at a time. Use aloe gel and corn starch if you get a little "sunburn." It will be over and done with before we know it and we will have so many happy life moments to celebrate next month. Let's look forward to that!

Stations on Nittany Mountain

The past couple of hikes I have taken on Nittany I had noticed some sprayed markings for "stations" on the mountain. They were all on trail and at trail junctures so I ruled out an orienteering course. I wrote to Mount Nittany Conservancy asking what was being developed and I received a reply from Vince Verbeke,

We are adding 11 directional signs on the Mountain on both trails. Attached are 2 images that should help. The metal posts will be enclosed in wood cladding when done as well to make them blend in more with the surroundings.

As part of this project we are also re-doing the trail map itself. We will be updating the website when we get the signs in this Fall.

Safety is a top priority for MNC. We do a lot of work to keep the trails safe. But we needed to do more, as the lost family last Fall indicated. Thus this new effort. The signs include GPS coordinates to help Emergency Personnel if needed to locate the individuals.

Hopefully these signs will "stay" on the Mountain. We've had directional signs before but they were removed by the eager youth of Happy Valley.

Have a great day. We are supposed to have wonderful fall colors this year. I can't wait to see the Mountain in all its glory this Fall.

I hope local individuals and groups that read my blog find this helpful. Please feel free to share the link to this post to spread the information.

Purging

We have been spending a lot of time purging things at home and for RGBisme's mom. She recently made a move from a large house to a much smaller apartment in an adult living community.

The amount of stuff we can accumulate around us over the years can be vast. Taking time to go through each item, and make sure it is dealt with in a satisfactory manor can be very tedious. Even just moving wanted items short distances can be back breaking.

Friday night we set out to finish emptying his mom's attic attic. The ricketty pull down steps provided and added challenge. We probably shifted 60 some boxes with the last 20 weighing at about 30 lbs each. We had broken into a sweat pretty quickly so when I realized the heaviest work was at the end I had my doubts as to if we would be able to complete the job in one evening. Heavy boxes of books she allowed her other son to store in the attic were stowed way back in a corner. It's sad that he has a bad back and couldn't help.

We didn't let it get the best of us and cleared it all to the main floor to be dealt with by whomever wants to decide what it is to be done with it all. With what RGBisMe had done the week before there are boxes filling what were many of the living quarters. His mom is slowly sorting things into piles. There is a sell pile, a burn pile and a give away pile. The burn pile is really just some old rags and papers so it's admirable to be placing all of the other items rather than adding to a landfill.

I have to admit that I get very frustrated in trying to give things away or take them to the proper recycling centers. The difficulty in recycling clothes or taking big things part is that I do not drive a car*. Using Freecycling would be a lot easier if people were a little more reliable. I hate having to have a back up or two if the original claimant of an item does show.

I am going to try to be careful about how I accumulate things so that getting rid of them is less of a headache in the future.

* Much thanks to Maga11 for driving me to the solid waste authority to get rid of some heavy scrap metal today.

Back to Nittany

A solo hike up Nittany this week had me reminiscing on how much things had changed since the first time I climbed the mountain. The path has changed but is still very familiar.

The climb up Nittany used to take me a lot longer. Part of it was the unknown and I think part is I know how to pace myself. I don't go busting ahead at full force and take a lot of breaks. My pace is steady and the rare times I pause are for reasons like examining a pretty leaf of watching a chipmunk. I still break into a sweat but the climb is welcome exertion.

The white blazed path that goes up the side of the mountain has really changed. It used to be a single track except for near the trail head. Most parts that lead to the first and most accessible vista are now at least wide enough for 5 people to walk abreast. It is partially erosion that has caused this but the one section of trail I remember causing a huge washout down the mountain was changed within months of my first hike. Now it's even the switch-backed trail that is getting over wide.

Some of the trees have grown quite a bit. One tree that has meant a lot to me, a live tree that has a partial stump that holds water, has grown that it's stump section is almost over grown. I need to start looking for another resource for viable stump water for pow-wowing.

I did a 1/2 mile bushwhack pretty much on the top of the mountain. There is one section that is just covered with huckleberries and tea berries and I had a fun snack as I practiced a little orienteering. Some of the berries were actually a little far gone and I realized that it was because no critters are eating them. There are other sections of woodland we have hiked that are like that. A friend of Jim's who hunts shared that is an indicator that it is not a good place to hunt. There are no animals around to eat the natural foods. I never really saw many animals on Nittany in the past. Some woodland birds, chipmunks and squirrels were all I have ever seen.

In the past few years I have started to also explore the blue blazed trails but can remember how confusing just the white loop was the first time I hiked it with my son. There are a few twists it took that felt like I was headed in the wrong direction back then. I would check my compass and shake my head that I was so directionally confused any time the day was overcast. Now I know right where I am as long as I stay to the trails.

I still like finishing off my hike at the vista that looks over town. That view has changed too. The first time I looked down onto State College and PSU campus Beaver Stadium was much smaller and there was no Jordan Center, Medlar Field nor I99. I don't have any real feelings or opinion on those changes because what I am remembering are the time spent on the mountain. I sit and remember the jelly toast breakfast with my 10 year old son as we looked over town. I think of hiking with my kitten before he became afraid of everything.

I am proud that the first (non-geocache hybrid) letterbox we planted is still doing well nearby after almost 5 years. We don't use the same carving material, don't mount our stamps on wood, use different containers and the baggy that was on the OUTSIDE of the box was removed by me years ago. It is still a nice box so I hope that no one feels like they are ever doing something wrong when they start trying out planting letterboxes. You learn what works and what doesn't.

Things change and I think I do best when I embrace the changes or at least just let them wash over me. When I know of someone who is longing for the way things were in a different time or place I try to be sympathetic. I know it's good to try to change what is wrong in the world but I wish us all peace and hope we can learn to accept the things we cannot change.

Good, Fast, Cheap — Pick any Two

A sign similar to this used to hang in the lobby of Photographic Services on PSU campus where my father worked as senior photographer for years. I can remember reading the sign over and over and trying to imagine the combinations and how there might be an exception to any of them.

As a kid it was a fun little mental game. As an adult who provides worthwhile services it can be a frustrating reality. I want to hang the sign as a medallion around my neck, make it my signature line in my email, my call-tone on my cell phone or maybe I should get it as a tattoo.

When I read tarot cards it comes with a background of a quarter century of research on the tarot, symbology and believe it or not a soupçon of psychology to back up my intuition. So, even if I read cards in a bar it might be nice if I was at least treated to a soda. I gave something of quality (isn't that why they were raving about it to their friends who are now asking the same from me?) so I don't think its wrong to expect SOMETHING in return. There is no pick any 2 in that situation! I allow myself to be walked all over, it's my form of advertising.

When I have to put off everything I am doing to meet someone's tight deadline on a design they should be ready to understand that quality at top speed comes at a price. My years of training in art and design brought you to me and they want me to do it FAST! A camera ready piece whipped out within a couple hours means either lack of sleep or that I had to put off other jobs to get it to them in time for a deadline. They shouldn't blanch at the higher price, I had to jump through hoops with the same dexterity at an increased speed.

The one time I can let a piece of work go through that I do not consider "good" is when it is a quick mock up of something. Thank goodness the most recent one we sent out was clearly understood to be just that. The client was not 100% happy with the wording nor the design but understood that it was just to get the ball rolling to help clarify what direction would be best to design the final piece. What a breath of fresh air.

Customer Service

I am feeling customer service is not the priority as it may have once been. frequently when I need help in a store I feel more like I am interrupting the life someone who is avoiding doing their job. I apologize for needing help in a store when interrupting sales associates having animated and personal conversations. I wait while cashiers text on their cell phones. I cringe and try not to be shocked when meter readers march into my back yard while loudly jawing obscenities on their cell phones. I am the customer paying the bill, I deserve some consideration.

I have tried to determine what about me makes me invisible the times I want to be noticed and helped. I can remember wondering this while being overlooked by the staff at one such desk for minutes as they wrapped up a personal conversation with a friend who departed just as their replacement person arrived. They brought the replacment up to speed on how to run the information desk and I still waited, the only person around the desk other than themselves. Eventually another person came up to ask for directions to something and they dropped what they were doing to field the questions. As the customer departed, they started to go back to chatting informally and I said, "I am sorry to have to draw attention to the fact that I am visible but I have been waiting for quite a while." I got 2 very annoyed looks.

I pass along compliments and complaints and I try to keep them balanced. I am hoping that businesses realize that poor customer service, lack of training, professionalism and outright rudeness will cost them customers and money in the long run. Not many people I know have money to burn right now. When we choose to spend our incomes at businesses who give us professional attention, the losers will be the ones who have not trained their employees to value the customer. I refuse to be a victim of poor customer service.

Happy Mabon!

On this day of equal light and darkness, may you find the balance you need in your life, may you be blessed with abundance of many kinds, and may you be surrounded by the people who love you.