Times Are Tough All Over

No one is immune!

Superheroes are also feeling the pinch!

Norse Gods have to take the subway!

Odin the Allfather too!

What's Your Favourite Tea?

I know there's a lot of avid tea drinkers

out there in the Blogosphere!

So this post is for YOU!

I have three favourite kinds of tea,

each of which must be a specific brand.

My first choice for a nice cuppa

is Symphony Blend by one of 

Canada's oldest tea importers/blenders,

Murchie's of Victoria, British Columbia.

It is a black/green tea blend

with "prominent Darjeeling-muscatel notes."

My second choice is Tetley's Earl Grey.

It has just the right amount and flavour

of bergamot for me.

Other brands are too floral for my taste.

In the evenings when I cannot drink caffeine

(because it will keep me up at night), 

I will drink a nice satisfying cup of

herbal Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait

by DavidsTea.

Technically, this is a "fruit infusion" and

not a "tea" per se, but who's quibbling?

So, what's YOUR favourite tea?

Tell all in the comments!

Thursday Art Date With Rain -- "A Winter Scene"

Time for another Art Date prompt 

from Rain Frances!

Right before the pandemic 

started two years ago, 

I took a watercolours course. 

It did not go well. 

I am terrible at watercolours or indeed, 

at any type of painting. 

I'm very comfortable with a 

pen or pencil in my hand, 

but not with a brush.

We painted at least a dozen paintings.

I did not post any of them on my blog.

But now Rain Frances is 

FORCING me to post one

because of her prompt!

This is the only winter scene 

artwork that I have available.

I cringe every time I look at 

that gawdawful brick wall 

behind the tractor. 

Yes, that's supposed 

to be brickwork, LOL!

I hope you're happy,

Rain Frances.

[Artwork and photo 

© Debra She Who Seeks, 

February 2020]

Robbie Burns Day, Is It?

Then it's time 

to make fun of 

the Scottish again!

My Scottish ancestors are probably

rolling over in their graves, but

hopefully it's with laughter!

Are You a Fan of Michigan J. Frog Too?

When my sister and I were kids in the 1960s, one of our most favourite cartoons shown repeatedly on TV was One Froggy Evening. This 1955 Warner Brothers' cartoon was the epic saga of a singing frog who never sings when other people are around, thereby thwarting his hapless owner's exploitative dreams of wealth. We would laugh ourselves sick over this cartoon every single time!

YouTube doesn't appear to have the full cartoon available for download, but here's a video compilation of all its songs, which also illustrates the basic plot progression.

The original cartoon does not give the singing frog a name, but the character was so enduringly popular that he was subsequently christened "Michigan J. Frog."

So when I took that "Whimsical Creatures" art course in the fall, how could I resist making this greeting card and sending it to my sister?

[Art and photos © Debra She Who Seeks, November 2021]

Unlikely Tough Guys

Shocking, isn't it?

And here's another

unlikely tough guy!

 bringmetothe-pilot

No cops at Pride, just Elton John with his Gucci shirt and a knife

 ivanswaginsky

no cops just elton john with his elton john brass knuckles

 sjhamart

happy pride, everyone

Can't trust anyone anymore,

I guess.

January Full Moon Altar: Yemaya

This month's full moon altar honours Yemaya, Goddess of the New Year.  Originally an oceanic creator goddess of the Yoruba people in West Africa, the slave trade resulted in Yemaya's transformation into a Caribbean and Brazilian deity. Because her enslaved people were punished for practising their own culture or spirituality, Yemaya's worship became "coded" in the New World for people's own protection. In the secretly-practised Santeria and Voudou religions, Yemaya was always presented as a mermaid, a familiar European symbol which raised no suspicions among the white overlords. Yemaya's name became simply "The Mermaid" in English-speaking colonies or "La Sirène" in French-speaking ones. She was an undercover goddess operating beneath the radar of an oppressive and racist colonial system.

Yemaya's connection to the New Year stems from a ritual still practised today in Brazil. On New Year's Eve, people build altars of sand on the seashore at night, on which they place small candles, shells, flowers, food offerings and a paper scroll asking the Goddess for a special blessing or favour in the upcoming year. The tide on New Year's Day comes in and then goes out again, carrying all their offerings and requests to The Mermaid.

My altar represents Yemaya the Mermaid lounging on a sandy beach, surrounded by a blue ocean altar cloth, a plumeria blossom, goddess stones, a large mother-of-pearl seashell and two martini glasses full of small seashells, sea glass and tea light candles.

My handcrafted terra cotta Mermaid comes from the island of Cozumel off the coast of the Mexican Riviera near Cancun, which we visited about 20 years ago. The plumeria blossom is a wooden hair barrette from Maui. I found the large mother-of-pearl seashell in a Winnipeg curio shop about 30 years ago. I loved it then and I love it now! You can see how the iridescent mother-of-pearl was laid down by the mollusk in small circular increments from the centre of the spiral outwards. Over the years as the mollusk and its shell grew larger, the spaces became filled in as one solid swirl.

[Photos © Debra She Who Seeks, January 2022]

The Joy of Winter Driving

Canadians are obsessed with the weather. For good reason. Here in Western Canada, we recently endured an extended period of Polar Vortex Arctic Cold Straight From Goddamn Siberia consisting of endless -40ºC windchill temperatures (equal to -40ºF) until we all just wanted to scream.

We've been getting lots of snow too. Together, cold and snow produce the joy of winter driving.

I have nearly 50 years of winter driving experience. I've driven in blizzards I should not have been out in. I've taken foolish risks I should never have attempted. (Thanks, Guardian Angel, for keeping me alive!) But I'm pleased to say that (so far, touch wood), I've only gone in the ditch once, driving too fast on an icy highway while passing another car. He stopped to rescue me. Thanks, buddy!

It's never a good idea to get too cocky about winter driving. It can be hazardous and, indeed, deadly.

Like all Canadians should, I have a winter survival kit in my trunk with blankets, candles, matches, protein bars, extra socks and mitts, plus a small snow shovel to dig out the exhaust pipe if I am stranded somewhere in a snow-filled ditch (so I can periodically run the car to stay warm, without asphyxiation if snow is blocking the exhaust). That blessed life-saving warmth is why Canadians are advised to keep a full tank of gas at all times in the winter months.

Good tires are important too, but not even winter snow tires will stop you skidding out and losing control on ice. But snow tires are a necessity if you're regularly driving on snow-choked highways or rural roads. In the city where roads are quickly cleared of snow, winter tires are not as critical. The biggest snow annoyance for city drivers is road boogers in our vehicle's wheel wells.

Another joy of winter driving is the necessity of keeping your car engine from freezing solid in the extreme cold. For this purpose, Canadian vehicles all have a device under the hood called a block heater. When plugged into an outdoor electrical outlet, the block heater generates enough basic warmth to protect the car battery and other engine components. Then you'll be able to start your car in the morning!

The block heater plug sticks out of the car's front grill. Then you plug it into the electrical outlet provided in all parking stalls by using a block heater extension cord. In the morning, remember to unplug your car before driving away -- or, oops, you'll pull off the block heater plug and then you'll need to get it fixed pronto! I learned that the hard way. But only once!

In our recent frigid cold snap, some asshole unplugged my car one night in the parkade and stole my block heater extension cord to use on his own car. There is no circle of hell deep enough for such a criminal! But hey, it happens. Luckily, my car still started the next morning (Toyotas are tough!) Of course, I then had to shell out for a new extension cord. On the bright side, this is only the second time in 20 years that my cord has been stolen, so I can't really complain too much. OR CAN I?

Okay, enough bitching. I'll end this long post on a positive note.

Behold God's Gift to Canadians --

Yes, the remote control car starter, also known as a "command start." I've had one installed in my last two vehicles and it is worth every single penny. From inside my home, I can simply point my command device out the window and start my car so its interior can warm up for 5 or 10 minutes before I venture outside and get in. There's nothing better than getting into a warm car in winter instead of an ice cold one. Bliss!

(Just FYI because I know someone will ask in the comments -- no, no one can steal your car while it's running unattended because the command device automatically locks all the doors and will stop the engine if anyone gets in and puts their foot on the gas pedal without first putting in the ignition key. Is that genius or what?)