[Heidi]

 

 

Beltane May 1 - June 11: Bloom Where You’re Planted

Yoga, meditation, anti-inflammatory foods, gardening, composting (with worms!!), love.

Welcome to a truly Druidic Challenge.

 

Grounded. Like an errant teenager or an injured pilot, like the third prong on the electrical plug, this challenge I am grounded, or looking to get that way. Me, being me, I’m taking this as literally as I take everything else, and I’m looking to dirt and roots to help me out. Even my yoga sessions are on the ground, and meditation is definitely that way.

 

Nourish Flower and urban farm shares (including eggs!) start this week. Nearby farm vegetable delivery starts May 17. I need to make sure I have the fridge and tools prepared and waiting. Eating farm-to-table is a mindset more than an activity, and having the right structure in place makes all the difference.

 

Weekly vegetable delivery means weekly cooking. Last year was a wash with me having no motivation or energy. Truly, it was a sad year on the cooking front. Looking forward to this year in the kitchen.

 

Vermicomposting, the nerdiest druid thing to happen in the dirt. I’m super excited about this. I’ve wanted to do indoor vermicomposting for years, and am finally making this happen. I have the composter ready to be assembled, and lots of thoughts about worms. The composter isn’t large, but every square inch matters in this small apartment, so I’ll need to figure out where it will live and how collecting vegetable scraps and tea leaves will fit into the workflow.

 

Plants! Vivian wants to plant roses and lavender in containers on the rooftop terrace, and I want to have fresh herbs again, especially rosemary and basil, and possibly sunflowers.  Look for green thumb reports.  

 

Bask I’m kicking the challenge off with a session of sound bowl healing, one of my favorite activities. A second session is scheduled for the first week of June as well. The weather is warming up and there’s a couple free yoga sessions each week with an instructor I really like, so I’m adding those to the calendar, in pencil as my energy level allows.

 

Acupuncture and milk each week help me keep my glow. I have two passes for a salt float (similar to a sensory deprivation tank, but larger) that are like a deep meditation session, and I’ll add those where and when I can.

 

Love I get to see Vivian every other Saturday, still, and we are supposed to start adding in time on the following Sundays, as well as video chats on the Friday before. I’m looking forward to that.

 

Academic Housekeeping: I need to finish up the semester projects and send them off. I’ve been dragging my feet and will have them done and turned in by the end of zero week.

[fearless 2.0]

have a good challenge, Heidi!  great set up! 

[Heidi]

1 minute ago, fearless 2.0 said:

have a good challenge, Heidi!  great set up! 

Thank you! I’m looking forward to it.  

 

Started the challenge off right with a trip to the sauna and then a batch of quinoa tabouli.

Full recipe here: http://yummygoodness.heidichronicles.net/2022/04/quinoa-tabouli.html 

 

It was super yummy—like sunshine in a bowl—and has the added benefit of parsley and cucumbers (anti-inflammatory foods) and quinoa (super healthy with a gluten-free bonus). I had a hearty serving, did some research for the Academic Housekeeping and had another serving, plus milk. This was all grand, and then I did the dishes and took a nap, which was also excellent.

 

And slept right through the sound bowl meditation for the month. Ooooops.

It will all work out.

 

I’m very glad of the  trip to the sauna.

More of this is in my future.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Hey friend, you seem more yourself in the initial post than I've read from you in a long time. This of course brings me joy.

[Heidi]

8 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Hey friend, you seem more yourself in the initial post than I've read from you in a long time. This of course brings me joy.

The path back from last spring has been long and, at times, dark.

 

Glad to have you along for the journey.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

3 hours ago, Heidi said:

The path back from last spring has been long and, at times, dark.

 

Glad to have you along for the journey.

I didn't stop believen' that after all these years as the wheel in the sky kept on turning, even though we went our separate ways, the universe would keep it's open arms to you.

[Jarric]

The way you have conceptualised groundedness, both physically and metaphorically, sounds lovely. I hope it serves you well.

[Heidi]

1 hour ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

I didn't stop believen' that after all these years as the wheel in the sky kept on turning, even though we went our separate ways, the universe would keep it's open arms to you.

This is a thing of beauty, and I’m in awe, 

Just a small town girl Livin' in a lonely world

18 minutes ago, Jarric said:

The way you have conceptualised groundedness, both physically and metaphorically, sounds lovely. I hope it serves you well.

Thank you, @Jarric. 

When your western medical provider gives you a prescription that is basically “Drink water and touch grass,” it’s time to go Full Druid.

 

This morning I went to the dentist, bracing myself for the news that I might need a root canal or some other form of invasive exploration to discover the source of pressure and pain in my lower jaw. Friends, it’s pollen. Freaking pollen. (Yeah, about that tree-hugging thing. . . . ) Anyway, apparently even those of us without allergies are having a heck of a time with all of the nature-being-nature that is Spring this year, and it’s contesting sinuses and, in my case, lymph nodes. What a relief. I think. Ibuprofen with Tylenol, warm compresses, lots of water, and the sauna. Essentially the same prescription my doctor gave me a few weeks ago, with an additional note to upgrade to a water flossing device. Ok, Universe, I hear you.

 

I’m tired and achey, but otherwise okay.

Today is set aside for rest.

Yes, I have projects that are tugging at my sleeve, but I’m no good unless my heart is centered.

So, drinking water and touching grass for the win today.

 

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Tree pollen suffering is rough. Honey lemon tea is also helpful.

[DarK_RaideR]

Always here

 

[Heidi]

6 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Tree pollen suffering is rough. Honey lemon tea is also helpful.

It's just proof that God loves us that honey tea is also super delicious. 🫖

5 hours ago, DarK_RaideR said:

Always here

 

Always glad to have you.

 

Today's recipe is New Potato Salad.

Set a few new potatoes to boil in water.

While they do their thing, chop about a half cup of each: parsley, red onion, cucumber, carrot, and celery. Chop a hard boiled egg for extra protein, if you want. Mix together mayonnaise and Dijon mustard (and horseradish, if you'd like, which I usually do) in a large bowl.

When potatoes are fork tender (15-20 minutes), drain and chop to bite size. Put into the bowl with the dressing and stir gently to combine. Add more dressing if needed. Fold in the vegetables until they are dressed as well.

 

Enjoy.

❣️

[Heidi]

Warning: Armed with freshly made potato salad, I am about to watch last week's episode of Picard. If they manage to liberate Jurati from the Borg Queen using kitten gifs (a thing I have been suspecting since episode one or two),  I'm kind of going to lose it.

 

Pray for this Druid.

[Heidi]

"Love can be a source of great grief and immense pain. Of tremendous guilt. A reason to run from ourselves, or away from each other. Love can be a curse. But always and completely, it's a gift." -- Talinn

 

[Heidi]

Ok, Nerds, help a Druid out:

I've been in my cave (and at times under a rock) when it comes to the MCU movies for the past several years. I really did like Dr. Strange. I think I fell off the track somewhere around Deadpool (which was excellent, imho). I'm not really up to speed in the whole Avengers narrative arc, though. Last time I was in the loop was Captain America and the beginning season of Agents of SHIELD. I saw Black Panther and loved it.

 

I did make the mistake of watching The Eternals. I understand even less now.

 

What should I watch and in what order?

[Heidi]

(yes, i have seen The News. no, i'm not going to discuss it here.)

[Heidi]

Acupuncture and an amazing lamb gyro and now I'm good for nothing but a nap.

[Heidi]

I'm frustrated, tired, tired of being frustrated, and just plain worn out today.

 

There's a part of me that just wants to move and curl up with some Margaret Atwood, but that's not the Margaret I need right now.

 

“Stay angry, little Meg,” Mrs Whatsit whispered. “You will need all your anger now.”

 

While I usually examine anger for its source and reflect on that, tonight I need companionship in my calm anger, that healthy response to a violation of boundaries. I would like very much to shoulder my pack and set sail for a distant shore, but my quest is here, in this Land, on this ground.

 

Also, there is an actual storm that has been blowing through, in time and tempo with my mood, and my head is feeling it.

Might be time for some aspirin and a bit of meditation.

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Dang, I hope things improve.

[Heidi]

14 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Dang, I hope things improve.

Thank you friend.

I woke up in a better mood, but still wiped out physically and just unavailable emotionally. I wrote to the professor to get an extension for the final project. We’re meeting next week sometime to discuss the timeline.

 

Today is a rest day.

[DarK_RaideR]

2 hours ago, Heidi said:

just unavailable emotionally

I feel this in my soul. Hang tight.

[Heidi]

20 minutes ago, DarK_RaideR said:

I feel this in my soul. Hang tight.

You get me.

Sorry to hear you understand, friend.

Hold on. Better days are coming.

Rest and be gentle with yourself whenever possible.

Dropping a dime in the jukebox and sending this one out just for you today, Dear Ranger:

 

[Scaly Freak]

On 5/3/2022 at 10:16 AM, Heidi said:

What should I watch and in what order?

 

Here you go: https://ap2hyc.com/best-order-watch-mcu-films-and-which-ones-you-can-skip/

 

Offers story-chronological order, order of release, and "cape order", which is the recommended one. It's a mix of the first two, and also flags the movies that you can safely skip if all you care about is the Infinity Saga. (All credit to @Sloth the Enduring for providing the link in the first place.)

[darkfoxx]

I feel ya on the emotions front. Hubby asked what was up yesterday evening after protests all day of ‘I’m just tired and this random pain that has been annoying af for the last couple weeks is bugging me’ … poor dude got unexpected crying jag wife all up in the hotel after checkout.  Luckily, he did a fairly decent job this time of not throwing fuel on the fire. He’s learning. #alltheAtwoodfeels 

[fearless 2.0]

hope you feel good today. These are hard times and I feel you! ❤️

[Heidi]

6 hours ago, darkfoxx said:

poor dude got unexpected crying jag wife

This is truly going around. Not Just the whole Atwood thing, either, it seems that AllTheFeels are just really getting some airplay right now?

 

And cue the narcissists, because man they are feeling super chatty, and no, not limited to the Atwood thing there either. 

How is it that so many people are reappearing from long ago to send self-absorbed texts?

I think we (the textees) should start a coffee group.

20 minutes ago, fearless 2.0 said:

hope you feel good today. These are hard times and I feel you! ❤️

Thank you. The last couple days I have felt so drained, and I’d like to blame the news but it’s just so much more than that, really.

 

I took yesterday and put myself in time out, just letting myself be.  This was the right thing to do.

Later in the day, I asked Jenna if she wanted to grab dinner out together, and we did and it was her turn to get RandomTexts, and we turned possible options into a whole comedy routine. We knew that the hurt feelings would be there waiting today, but last night it was enough, and good, and good enough to laugh at the hilarity of it all. I mean truly, do the narcissists think anyone is taking them seriously?

 

I mused out loud if there were a way to set up an auto responder on SMS so that instead of an away message the sender received “new fone whoo dis?”

 

We had a good time, and then sure enough this morning, there was the fallout (mostly on her part, because narcissists don’t like to be ignored; for my part, the narcissist is ignoring me, so that’s a comfort zone for both of us), and so we got tea and talked in the car, and there were tissues. Friends get to hear the best rants.

 

I am taking a second day of calm.

 

Touch grass.