Yosemite

      Close to the end of October I took a day trip to possibly one of the most beautiful places in the US- Yosemite National Park.

     It was sadly a solo trip but was absolutely stunning. I hope to return next summer for a few days backpacking with a friend. (But first I need gear and maybe an easy weekend trip to warm up to it first!)

     Looking through these photos has me missing California. It's hardly been half a month since I left to return to Washington but I miss it.

     SO far the plan has been to find a job, apartment (check!), and small space to farm. That;s right, I'm starting a farm! It's still a major work in progress, but my plan is to grow mostly medicinal herbs to sell bulk and as teas, salves and the like at one of the local farmers markets as well as online. One step at a time though- I'm still on the hunt for land low-key as it is (regular job is more important at the moment. Also it's December, there's not much I can do anyways. Another lesson in patience). So keep your eye out, there will be more changes to the blog as this develops.

Changes

     Maybe it's tonight's blood-super moon- eclipse conglomerate tonight in Aries but I am definitely feeling the change in the seasons (not temperature wise, naturally, but leaves are starting to change and the mornings feel an almost unperceivable touch crisper) as well as internally. I often wonder if this is what it is like for moths and butterflies just before they emerge from their chrysalis; trying to fit Too Much Self into a place that's well grown out by now, but being forced to wait for the right moment to explode into the world.

     To mark this change, I've decided to change most things about this blog. The old posts and content will all still be here, but I have changed the name and site to Sun, Moon and Tea Nest and am changing what my little spot here looks like. I have a feeling there will be a period of frequent changes until it becomes just perfect.

     For those who don't know, tonight is the full moon in Aries- the start, more or less, of the astrological cycle. With the high energies of this moon I've decided to treat this as a new year and have a ritual planned for tonight, as well as some resolutions for life in general.

1. Wrap things up! In the grand scheme of things this involved letting go of the past, negative people (almost at the point where I might drop Facebook all together), and my own mistakes. Tonight this will involve burning physical representations of some of these things, and some ties in a small fire. On the small scale I am a chronic Starter. I have a number of projects started that are taking up space both physically and mentally which is beginning to be a source of stress. I have half-knit yarn balls, most of one sock, a t-shirt quilt in need of a binding, several paintings and the list goes on and on. It needs to stop. I've decided that a sub-goal of this is no new projects until I finish all of the ones I have started.

2. Make more connections. Both here through the blog and other social media outlets but in real life as well. Definitely in real life. My internship here in California is coming to an end and it looks like I will be moving back north to Washington state this winter, hopefully after a visit to the South West to see the desert. Once I am in Washington I am hoping to start my own farming venture, and probably in a city where I know no one, so making meaningful personal connections will be crucial.

3. Be more honest about myself. I was a shy child growing up and because of the cruelty of high school have problems opening up to people sometimes, and even when I do there are parts of me that stay tucked away neatly where few ever even catch glimpses of them. For example- I've been reading tarot since, oh gosh, 9th or 10th grade (seven years now at least) and I think maybe four people know, and this is something I do pretty regularly. I don't think anyone is fully aware of my relationship to plants; the more actual magical aspect of a not-quite-religious form of nomadic bioregional animist witchery I have going on (Wow, I said it. Out of the cauldron.) that is heavily influenced by Buddhism. So here I am, I suppose. Being honest with myself and you on this pseudo-anonymous platform. It's a start.

4. Take better care of myself. Ugh. Yeah, this might be a very generalized form of the Classic New Years Resolution. I'm not overweight, but my knees and back struggle doing farm work so exercising is back on the schedule. As well as really improving my relationship with food; when my dear co-worker isn't here I stop caring about what I eat which needs to stop as I'll likely be living alone in a couple of months. Hopefully this will also improve my sleeping habits and make managing the dips in my anxiety-depression rollercoaster easier.

5. Go on more adventures. Bonus points if with friends. This season I've been pretty good about this- one big hike, plenty of river trips, the weekend camping trip at Point Reyes, a week on Bainbridge for my best friend's wedding, and I'm going to Yosemite in a week or two. But I could have done more. I live an hour from Sacramento and less than three from San Francisco but haven't really been to either. I haven't eaten at this really awesome pizza shop not 7 miles away or hiked the gorgeous trail in Colfax. It's not totally a negative thing, but I only have a month and a half left here and I'm trying to not let it feel like this, but it feels like crunch time. Needless to say: more adventures. Even little adventures if it means exploring the town by bike or spending a day at the park. I feel ready to really know a place, to have an intimate knowledge- where a visitor could ask for a recommendation and not realize I didn't grow up in the area. I want to never have a reason to be bored.

Whew! One of those lists where it feels absolutely massive but still a mere 5 items... I also would like to change up the blog content a bit. And by that I guess I mostly mean just doing more. I'm planning on sharing what herbal stuff I'm up to, maybe share some recipes, random outfits and art I make, keep it more like a journal that gives me an excuse to use my camera more often (it's been collecting dust in my cabin the last couple of months). There will be more photos of what I'm doing, heck, a few of me for once, tarot, little magics and delicious food.

Now it's time to work on a shawl I've had the yarn for since last January.

Coastal Gatherings and Explorations

 Until the juice ferments a while in the cask,
it isn't wine. If you wish your heart to be bright,
you must do a little work.

-Be Lost in the Call, Rumi-

      I was reminded of this stanza from a loved poem this last weekend went I spent two days on the Northern California coast. Of the importance of decidedly doing and not just wishing or procrastinated planning to achieve.

      I left early Saturday, a quest to be ahead of the traffic along I-80 and all those roads that are unknown. It was a largely successful venture. I arrived at a camp ground on Bodega Bay to find myself with the last camping space available way out on the spit.

      What glorious weather! There were clouds and a slight breeze, with spots of warm sunlight. Pelicans flew across the bay; their flight patterns seemingly choreographed as they dipped and flapped then rose one after another without missing a beat. On the far side of the jetty one could hear a group of California Sea Lions- unfortunately it would have been a long walk or very cold swim to actually see them and I had managed to forget my swim suit in my excitement.

      Admittedly, I spent a fair bit of Saturday sleeping in my tent. The last few weeks of work have been hectic and increasingly stressful (the True Cause of this has yet to be determined) that culminated in an absolutely mad Friday that included a bad cut, rude customers, a car accident- no one was hurt- and half of the chicken flock getting out. Nothing beats repeat naps to recover from total exhaustion. Naps and a rather wonderful monkey flower tincture that is like sunshine in a bottle.

      Sunday was the real reason for this adventure- the Hollowed Ground workshop with Sylvia Linsteadt of Wild Talewort. What a treat! A day of animal tracking, writing and drawing, exploring Point Reyes and learning about the natural history of the land.

      It made me wonder about synchronies and how they happen; not to mention the genuine joy that occurs when they do. You see, I had been looking for an inspiration to start writing and drawing again for some weeks and finally had found it. When I am really able to get going again I'd like to share some here, but we shall see- that may be a long time coming.

      On the dunes of Limantour beach we found the foot prints of swaggering ravens, bounding rats and one very intriguing ground squirrel who's paw ghosts we followed away from the grass-protected dunes and toward the water. We questioned the baseline movement of humans in comparison to raccoons (oh, how they amble so slowly) and hoped for bobcat or even the elusive cougar.

      Away to the west the Farallon islands could be clearly seen, and as we set out on solo, questioning walks along a trail a slight rain began that was magical in its timing.

      Most surprising of all was the sighting of a Tule elk, whose existence here I was not aware of until very recently.

      What was quite lovely was a retelling of a very old version of Cinderella by Sylvia known as Catskin. If you've never read it before I highly recommend it. It is haunting and especially wonderful when you hold the story in you and  walk the land that is calling to it.

      I left the workshop with a journal well-underway and a wild desire to learn more about tracking and folk stories and bringing everything together in an effort to rewild our existence.

"The paths here run catacomb-wild, sometimes no rhyme or reason around grass patches or straight through thickets of blackberries. Do they [elk] have sacred spots or an ancestral memory of place too?" -Notes from the place Catskin called

Some Adventuring

I may not be a huge fan of living in California, but gotta say, I am planning on abusing the gorgeous privilege of living here until mid-November. My goal for the rest of this season is to go someplace new at least twice a month (preferably more though). This last weekend I hikes the Loch Levens trail in the Lake Tahoe basin, and two weeks ago did some exploring around the American River from the Auburn Recreation Area.
Pretty fantastic stuff right there. (Also a neat announcement at the bottom of the post!)

And awesome announcement time: a paper I co-authored is getting publishing this month in Herpetological Review, woot!!

Some photos from Northern California

     Just found these on my camera from mid-March, figure I'd share.

California is magical.

Kinda there and kinda back again

     What a long week it has been (and in the best way may I add)! My mom came out for a few days and we went adventuring. I'm glad we have similar travel tastes- no exploring Seattle but finding good coffee shops in smaller towns and seeing nature whether it be the phosphorescence at Indianola dock or halfway up the side of Mt. Rainier. And it was great to also be able to share this with Robyn and Ariel; the other two-thirds of the Day Road Girls (Band( Lady Farmer Gang)). You can actually find Robyn's blog here.
     Everything was absolutely stunning, so I won't spoil it with text ;)

     I loved Mt. Rainier so much. Eventually I'd love to hike the entirety of the Wonderland Trail that goes around it but it is a 93 mile/ roughly 10 day hike so it won't happen for awhile.
     In other news I have a few ideas for larger pieces but those may take awhile. I'm also slipping back into poor sketchbooking habits so there hasn't been as much art happening lately which isn't all that great. Goal through September: SKETCHBOOK MORE. EVERYDAY. My mom also brought my sewing machine so I'll be able to start my quilt (and here begins the do I dye it myself or buy really pretty fabric debate) and sew a few items of clothing I've wanted to do for awhile.
     And now that I've finished work I'm all awake and stuff. For motivation I'm going to do my best to upload photos of my sketchbook pages as I finish them, every day or every other day as needed. Should be good.
     Peace out chickadees, S