Pollyanna Rainbow Sunshine and the Needles of Doom

Lyda here.

Well, Jose Cuervo gold, anyway. And Attack by Thong gold. And dead cow gold - what would you turn the dead cow into? Weird and funny. Good blog reading.

In other news - it’s officially summer! I celebrated Midsummer - also known as Litha and the Summer Solstice and a lot of other things - Saturday by sweltering in the record-breaking heat  enjoying the warmth of the sun. Mostly sitting on the couch, watching TV, doing a bit of reading, taking a nap (hey, napping is a traditional Midsummer activity!). I ran a few errands in the morning - recycling center, library, gas station (gasp!) - and stopped by the grocery store for some fruit and juice. And diet soda - hey, don’t judge. It was so hot, I didn’t really want anything but fruit.

Oh.

And Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia. Edible gold!

I watched “Fright Night” (1985) with Roddy McDowell - he was awesome, doing a parody of horror movies and yet playing the role full out. It’s terrific to see a great actor having fun like this. Actor gold!  No zombies in this movie, just vampires, but good none the less. Funny, too. And the 80s hair! Heh. Here’s the trailer. And here’s a video tribute.  On the Pollyanna scale, I give it one brain out of 5 for violence and gore, and a full 5 brains out of 5 for good horror fun (mostly because of Roddy McDowell). And now of course, I’ll have to see the sequel…

Ice cream and a horror movie. Now that’s a celebration.

“I absolutely adore movies. Even bad ones. I don’t like pretentious ones, but a good bad movie, you must admit, is great.” - Roddy McDowell

I totally agree.

Lyda here. Boy, do I wish I could have sat there with Anna-Liza this weekend, knitting and talking and watching her kids play in that neat coffee shop she wrote about yesterday. I think she posted pictures as part of her campaign to get me to move to Colorado. Yes, I am tempted. And I don’t even drink coffee. But hot chocolate… yum. But most of all - time with my BFF.

We did talk on the phone. For hours. Thank goodness for unlimited weekend calling.

We’re having another heat wave here in So. Cal. Yes, there is at least one fire burning - not near us.  Yes, it’s miserable - it was 95 degrees at our place yesterday, and here at the coast we don’t normally get temperatures that high even in August. On the other hand, Anna-Liza said they had snow on Saturday. We discussed trading weather for a day - we would love a day of snow, and she would like a warm summery day. Unfortunately, the weather gods and goddesses did not grant our request.  Or maybe the Quantum Butterfly is just flapping its wings too much. The heat does not make the breathing any better. Pant.

Friday night, the Resident Sith Master went to a movie with friends, and I watched “The Jane Austen Book Club” with the Dread Cat Tommy. He fell asleep; I enjoyed the movie and even watched all the special features before RSM came home. I didn’t read the book.  The movie was fun, with some really good actresses playing off each other. Kathy Baker, Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Amy Brenneman, Maggie Grace, and Lynn Redgrave. And the men were also good and very nice to look at. Hugh Dancy , Marc Blucas and Kevin Zegers - all a bit young for my taste, but very cute. Jimmy Smits, looking very good in his tux, definitely to my taste. Light girly entertainment, just what I was in the mood for.

Practically all weekend, while the Resident Sith Master played video games and I watched TV, I worked on The Increasingly Inaccurately Named “Easy” Heart Quilt. Which involved actual ironing. In the heat. Because I am insane. I also cooked - actually cooked with heat - breakfast and dinner both Saturday and Sunday. Yes, thank you, I would like a medal. But I digress…

Saturday, I gently picked out stitches on one square that was wrong, and then sewed a replacement square in place. Directional fabric can be a pain when you have a feline assistant who likes to move the fabric around.

I passed the halfway mark on stitching together the rows for the quilt top. By lunch time Sunday, I passed the two-thirds mark. By bedtime last night, I had sewn all but the last four rows together. It looks good at this point. All fingers crossed.

I will probably finish sewing the rows together tonight. Then I will need to figure out the binding, and the backing which will include a way to hang the finished quilt.

After I iron the quilt top. And pet it and love it and call it George.

Obsession. It’s not just a perfume.

“Still crazy…”

Lyda here. Happy Equinox!

The Equinox is all about balance - the light and dark being perfectly balanced, 12 hours of light, 12 hours of darkness. Look here for a cool way to Ride the Solar Wave. Ya’ll, I did the calculations for me (here in Orange County, California) and for Anna-Liza and all ya’ll near Denver, Colorado. I’m supposed to start the 32-minute meditation at 2:16 a.m.  on March 21st. Anna-Liza et. al. would start at 2:34 a.m. on March 21st. If we do this, we will be meditating with people all over the world! Coolness! Uh, do you think they would mind if I meditated in my sleep? Oh, what the hey, I’ll probably wake up anyway. There is also a drumming event at 12:00 noon EST. Join in!

In the Northern Hemisphere, we then move into more light than dark, and celebrate beginnings. It’s a great time for starting things, renewing things, revitalizing ourselves, our homes and our lives.

Spring has definitely arrived in my little part of the world. The bushes in front of our place are covered in pink flowers, and the birds are having a great time building nests in the tall pines. I have the urge to dig in the earth and plant growing things.

And look what I found: Nerd-licious!  Nerdy curtains for spring!

Uh. Anyway…

Spring brings all kinds of springy things: Ostara (named after Eostre, or Oestre, Goddesses of Spring). Easter (earlier than usual this year because it’s based on the lunar calendar.)

The Spring Goddess transforms into a hare. (In some traditions, she turns a bird into a rabbit.)

Rabbits make sense as a spring symbol - connected to the earth, these fertile animals mate and have their young in the spring. A female rabbit can get pregnant with a second litter while she is gestating the first, and they will be born separately. Makes you glad you aren’t a rabbit, doesn’t it?

Eggs also connect to fertility and the cycle of life. Chickens only lay eggs when there is enough light - thus, before artificial lights, egg laying would resume in the spring. With spring would come chicks.

Peeps were a later innovation.

Thus, the Goddess brought the eggs when she brought spring. Is the Easter Bunny a pagan goddess in disguise?

Offering of honey and mead were left out to honor the goddess, or to placate the fairies. This may account for the sweet treats this time of year.

Or maybe, we all just like chocolate.

Yeah, that’s probably it.

Lyda here.

Song for a Saturday morning*:

I feel the earth move under my feet (mudslide!)
I feel the sky tumbling down, tumbling down (winter storms affecting work! Oh no Mr. Bill!)
I feel my heart start to trembling (earthquake!) Whenever you’re around

Ooh, baby, when I see your face **
….

I feel the earth move under my feet (more earthquakes!)….
I just lose control ***
Down to my very soul (quiz!)
………………………………………………………………….

* from Carole King’s  Tapestry album (full lyrics here)

** Your mom’s a squid face!

*** My results:

Your sin has been measured. You have committed many sins, but Sloth is the mortal sin that has done you in. Just below, discover your full sinful breakdown and learn what it is about you that condemns you to hell.

Take the Seven Deadly Sins Quiz

My Lust score should totally be higher. And so should my Gluttony score. I was robbed, I tells ya!

But since I’m posting this after three or four hours of Ravelry… and I’m still in my robe… and I haven’t even eaten yet…

Yeah.

Sloth.

That’s me.