Update on Debra's Surgery

The laparoscopy colon surgery was a success today. However, the Surgeon did express surprise at size of the polyp he removed.

Debra is breathing, although shallow, a sigh of relief that the day went well and is thankful for the effects of "good drugs"!

And again, Debra sends her greetings to all - along with a heartfelt thanks for all the well wishes.

- this message was sent by "Her Rare One" (P.S. thanks for the candle power Yellowdog - it worked again!)

A Short Hiatus

I'm taking a short hiatus from the blogosphere (10-14 days probably) while I have surgery to remove a benign polyp which has taken up residence in my colon. The freeloading little bastard is scarfing down my nutrients and trying to grow large enough to become a blockage. Well, we'll just see about that, my fine friend!

The surgery is on Wednesday and then I'll spend a few days in hospital. My Rare One is going to nurse me when I get home. I already have a small brass handbell with which to summon her so that she may attend to my every wish and need. Hee hee, yeah, precisely.

I'll let you know how I'm doing when I get home. Hopefully, I'll be able to do some fairly regular blogging while recuperating.

Giveaway Winner!

Thanks so much, everyone who entered my giveaway! I wrote all the names on little pieces of paper and put them in a big bowl. Then my Rare One closed her eyes, stuck her hand in the bowl, stirred up the entries and picked out the slip with the winning name --

Bridgett of Peek-A-Boo: Magick Among the Mayhem, Divining Women and eWitch!

Congratulations, Bridgett! Please leave me a comment on this post as soon as you can with your name and mailing address. My comments are moderated, so it will not be published and only I will see your contact information. I will mail your package right away!

May Lakshmi smile on everybody and bless us all with Her abundance!

Feast of the Annunciation

Well, kids, today is exactly nine months from Christmas Day. And that can mean only one thing!

26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth.

27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou has found favour with God.

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

36 And behold, thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1: 26-39 (KJV)

So the moral of this story is --

Last Day to Enter!

Just a reminder that today is the last day to enter my giveaway. See all the details below at my post of Friday, March 19th, which is where you enter if you haven't already done so. Remember, you must be both an official Follower AND leave me a comment on the March 19th post in order to be entered.

Good luck!

Gypsy Letter # 3

I have FINALLY received another letter from my wayward cat, Madame Zara (as she insists on calling herself since running off with the gypsies). What a relief! I was starting to worry.

Hello! I know it's been almost a month since my last letter but I've been rather . . . shall we say . . . preoccupied.

After my disastrous love affair with Dexter, my gypsy band got the hell out of that little Texas town. We went to Austin, where at least the weather was somewhat better. Despite the bravado in my last letter, I was too broken-hearted to perform my wild gypsy dancing, so I earned some money by reading tarot instead.

I was right in the middle of reading the cards for two lovely gentlemen cats named Jax and Henry when WHO should burst through the door but the POLICE! It turns out that Texas still has some old outdated law on the books that criminalizes any form of fortune telling! Down at the police station, Jax and Henry were quickly released after their human (named Strawberry or Blueberry or something) came down and raised a high holy stink because they were just innocent client bystanders.

However, I was not so lucky. I was booked, paw-printed, had my mug shot taken -- the whole nine yards. And after a quickie trial that I swear was a total MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE, I was sentenced to an entire MONTH in jail. Yes -- *sob* -- I am now a felon!

Oh well, at least the food is not too bad in here. And some of the other pussies are cute in a Caged Heat kind of way. I get out in about two more weeks. So until then, many hugs and purrs from your poor little jailkitty. Love, Madame Zara.

[Don't forget to enter my giveaway, if you haven't yet, by being an official Follower and leaving a comment at my post of Friday, March 19th!]

Spring Equinox / Ostara

Today is the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the Day and Night of Perfect Balance, with Light Ascending. Today is a liminal space sacred to Eostre (Ostara), the laughing, joyous Goddess of Spring. Accompanied by Her beloved Rabbit/Hare and with a basket of brightly coloured eggs over Her arm, She awakens the Earth once more. Rejoice!

[Remember to enter my giveaway! See all the details in yesterday's post]

Please Enter My Giveaway!

Well, I said I would have my first giveaway when my Followers List broke 100 and now that magical event has occurred! Thank you, everyone who is following along with my blog, or who has done so in the past. I'm very appreciative of your interest in my blatherings.

Lakshmi is the Hindu Goddess of Abundance. Seated on a sacred lotus, She is always dressed in red and adorned with valuable jewellry. An endless stream of gold coins pours from her open hand. Lakshmi brings not only financial abundance, but also all the good things money can't buy -- love, friendship, good health, wonderful children, etc. Needless to say, She is a popular Goddess.

Enter my giveaway for a chance to win the pictured statue of the Goddess Lakshmi! Six inches high, She was made in India of sacred Ganges clay and is beautifully hand-painted. I obtained Her from Sacred Source, a great on-line shop that sells all kinds of Divine statues and jewellry. Also included in the giveaway are two mesh packages of lovely chocolate gold coins to represent Her blessings of prosperity. Plus a honkin' big chocolate Canadian coin (or possibly an Olympic gold medal . . . it's hard to tell).

The rules for entering the contest are straightforward:

1. You must be an official Follower to enter. Old, new or just signed up in order to enter the contest, it's all good. And it doesn't matter where you're from in the world, I'll mail it anywhere!

2. In addition to being a Follower, you must leave me a comment on this post that you want to enter the contest.

3. One entry per person (leaving 10 comments will still only result in 1 entry!)

4. Entries will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. (Mountain Daylight Time) on Wednesday, March 24, 2010.

5. The draw will be made on Thursday, March 25 and the results posted here on Friday, March 26.

Good luck! May Lakshmi smile upon you!

Photo Tag!

Thanks, Julie at The Domestic Witch and Faerwillow at ~serendipity~, for tapping my shoulder in the Photo Tag game currently making the rounds! The rules are:

1. Go to your first photo file and pick the 10th photo in it.
2. Tell the story behind the photo.
3. Tag 5 other people to do likewise.

Here's my photo:

This is the Duomo in Florence, Italy, a huge cathedral built at the height of Florence's power and wealth as a city state during the Renaissance. Its massive dome (seen here over intervening roof tops) was an engineering marvel at the time and later inspired Michelangelo when he designed the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

I took this photo in early October, 2008 from the outdoor terrace restaurant of the Uffizi Art Gallery. My Rare One and I had just spent a lovely morning viewing the great art masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance. This day was a dream come true for me and I shall always remember it.

Now, here's who I'm tagging, ha ha!

Jana at The Little Black Book

Twain12 at Eye in the Sky

Donna B at Mystical Journeys

Karen at This Old House

Patsy at Musings on a 100lbs+ Weight Loss Journey

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Sure, an' tis a grand day for to be gettin' drunk and havin' that tattoo done what ye've always been hankerin' for. Ye know that St. Pat hisself would approve, now. Sure, an' ye should have seen what HE had tattooed on his arse, the old divil what was. Go now -- the Guinness awaits ye.

Sunshine Award!

About 10 days ago, Mary/mxtodis123 over at Moontides gave me this beautiful Sunshine Award! Thank you, Mary -- you personally spread so much sunshine and joy around the blogosphere with your lovely blogs and stories that this award is just perfect, coming from you!

Here are the rules:

1. Place the award on your blog or within your post.

2. Pass the award on to 12 Sunny Bloggers -- those whose positivity and creativity inspire others!

3. Link to the nominees in your post.

4. Tell the nominees they've received the award by commenting on their blogs.

5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award.

I would like to nominate the following bloggers -- I love to bask in the sunshine of their fun, creative and frequently thought-provoking blogs! Please, check them out if they are new to you!

Sarita at A College Girl's Days

Marcy at Ordinary Enchantment

Rue at Rue and Hyssop

Rose Eliff at The Center of My Self

Shelagh at Alice in Paris Loves Art and Tea

turquoisemoon at Daily Om

The Wizardess EPI at Go Out Beneath the Naked Night

Stella Seaspirit at My Magickal Musings

Crystalrainbow at Sparkle and Shine

Missbehavin' at Monkey Business

Heidi Alfonzo at Twelve18

C. Walsh at Walsh Cooks

Oh Anette, My Anette

I have a new lesbo crush these days -- on Anette Norberg, skip of the Swedish Women's Olympic Curling Team who recently defeated Canada for the gold medal in Vancouver. Here's why . . . .

She's in the hack. Her head is down as she prepares for her throw. Then, all of a sudden, she raises her head. Her intense blue eyes snap into "lock and load" position with focused, laser-like concentration. Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries starts to play . . . DA-da, da-da-da-DA-da! She glides forward on the ice and releases the Rock of Vengeance.

Anette Norberg is the Valkyrie Ice Queen of my heart. She is the relentless and merciless slayer of curlers who have been chosen by the Gods to fall to her awesome power. Ravens hover about her as she fulfills her destiny as Goddess of the Roaring Game, She Who Rules the Pebbled Ice.

Yes, Canadians take curling seriously. Why do you ask?

Scotland the Brave

Ha ha, this made me LOL! But really, I love Scottish people. Bagpipes, och aye! Curling, too. Even golf is tolerable. And of course who doesn't love the wee Scotsman on the Canadian Tire money?! Any other ethnic group would be outraged to be depicted as the epitome of cheapness and thrift. But not Scots! They revel in their reputed tightfistedness!

Welcome Home, Renee

I am so very sad to learn that Renee of Circling My Head has passed away. She touched innumerable lives with her open and loving heart. The world and the blogosphere will be a poorer place now that she is gone.

May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest, Renee.

Perhaps the birds circling your head were angels all along.

Beautiful Blogger Award!

Thank you so much, Faerwillow of ~serendipity~, for giving me a Beautiful Blogger Award last week! It means a lot coming from you, Faerwillow, because your own blog is especially beautiful. It's always a joy to read your imaginative and well-written posts and see the beautiful photos and illustrations you've chosen.

Here are the rules of this award:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!

4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

For my seven things to share, here's a list of my favourite foods and beverages that would comprise an ideal seven-course feast:

Salad:

Spinach salad with sliced hard-boiled eggs, strawberries and balsamic vinaigrette

Soup:

Miso with a wee bit of seaweed

Appetizer:

Hummus and pita bread

Beverage:

Diet Coke.

Entree:

A Japanese bento box with teriyaki chicken, rice, vegetable tempura and California roll

Dessert:

Lemon poppyseed cake

After-dinner Liqueur:

Bailey's Irish Cream

Hmmm. I don't know how well all those various flavours would meld together, so it's probably just as well that it's an imaginary meal. (And what a very large imaginary meal, to boot!)

Now it's time to nominate 15 Beautiful Bloggers to receive this award and may I just say -- you are all GOJUS and your blogs are MAHVELLUS, DAHLINKS! Readers, check them out!

Barbara at A Bird In My Hand

Julie at The Domestic Witch

Sarah at Cottage Garden Studios

Inannastar at Ramblings of a Domestic Goddess

Kelly at Thoms Daughter

submerina at the princess and the sea

Violet Hour Muse at The Violet Hour

Cynthia at beatnheart

Intuitive Goddess at Intuitive Goddess

Monica at bohemian shadows

Sandra at Travels to Becoming a Better Me

Emma at mystic2awesome and back

Cora at The Postulations of an Iconoclast

Ellie at The Forgotten Muse

Leviathan et al at The Lunar Gazette

Happy International Women's Day!

Do you love roots/folk music, ukuleles and inspirational lyrics? Do you love women who follow their bliss in a totally kick-ass way? I DO!!

So here's a special treat to mark International Women's Day -- The Ukettes (Cynthia, Hannah and Laura) from California singing an original song written by Cynthia called "Can't Keep a Good Girl Down!"

This is what International Women's Day is all about!



You can find a few more videos by The Ukettes on YouTube. And guess what? Cynthia has also just started a blog called Beatnheart -- check it out here!

[Music and lyrics of "Can't Keep a Good Girl Down" by Cynthia Wolff. All rights reserved. Used here by permission of Cynthia Wolff.]

Contraception Cleverness

The other day I was browsing through the online edition of the Winnipeg Free Press when an ad caught my eye. A local cat shelter is having a fundraising dinner to raise money for its spay and neuter program. The name of the event is:

The Spayghetti and No Balls Dinner!

Hee hee! Love it! A quick internet check showed that this is a common fundraiser name used by many Humane Societies but still, it's clever.

And, of course, that fundraising is for a great cause. Spaying and neutering our pets helps to stop countless unwanted litters of puppies and kittens from having to be euthanized. We should all be responsible pet owners!

And, may I just point out --

Ceiling Cat is not backward like SOME deities who forbid the use of contraception in any form or under any circumstances, leading to misery, poverty, disease, death and oppression on a grand scale. Blessid bee da Ceiling Cat!

No Sex Please, We're Canadian!

A recent survey* reveals that 43% of Canadian men and 42% of Canadian women would sooner give up sex than bacon. These numbers increase to 45% in Alberta and 50% in British Columbia.

82% of bacon lovers say they're also romantic and great lovers in the sack. But 13% fear that their partners love bacon more than them.

Mmmmmmmm, bacon! I love it too but don't worry, my Rare One!

[Poll conducted by Angus Reid in December, 2009 for -- who else? -- Maple Leaf meats. Reported in the Edmonton Journal, February 27, 2010. Be sure to check out Maple Leaf's fun website called Republic of Bacon!]

Henry 8.0

What if Henry VIII were alive today and living in suburbia with his sixth wife, Catherine Parr? What if all he did was surf the net while his long-suffering wife cooked, shopped and cleaned for him? That's the premise of a delightful series of short BBC sketches called Henry 8.0.

Henry Tudor is played by the brilliant Brian Blessed, who you may remember from older British TV series where he portrayed Augustus Caesar in I, Claudius and King Richard in Rowan Atkinson's Black Adder.

Henry 8.0 gets up to all kinds of mischief on the internet with his old enemies, the Pope and the King of France. And he has embraced modern technology in other ways too. In the following episode, he signs up for internet dating in the hope of finding "Lucky Number Seven!"

There are eight episodes in total and they are found here on the BBC website. I think Henry 8.0 is absolutely hilarious and hope you enjoy it too!

Canada Owns the Gold Podium!

Just one more post about the Olympics!

The last two times that Canada hosted the Olympics (Montreal 1976 and Calgary 1988), we didn't win a single gold medal on home turf. So that was our goal this time -- to win a gold medal at home. We didn't really mean to win the most gold medals of any country participating in the 2010 Games. And we didn't really mean to win the most gold medals ever won at any Winter Olympics by a single country. It just happened, honest!

But oh, how sweet it is! So we're just going to bask in this glory for a little while, okay? Like, until the end of time!!

Olympics Fever

Now, I'm not the biggest sports fan in the world but for the past 2 weeks I have been glued, SIMPLY GLUED, to the TV set watching the 2010 Olympics from Vancouver. I'm exhausted! Who knew that being a spectator could be so draining? The highs! The lows! The medals! OMG, the medals!

I wanted to post a video of Nikki Yanofsky singing "I Believe" (love it and love her!) but discovered that CTV has prevented any of their official Olympic material from being embedded off YouTube. So here's a Bell commercial instead! It features some of Canada's best 2010 Olympians and (I believe) Pinchas Zukerman conducting Ottawa's National Arts Centre Orchestra.