I'm a dog...

Labrador Retriever
The Caretaker

Your family is what makes you tick, and you never "flea" from an opportunity to hang out with the whole gang. A family picnic complete with hot dogs, deviled eggs and a refreshing swim in the lake is hard for you to stray from. Your sparky temperament and dogged intelligence mean you are not only a blast to hang out with, but great to work with as well. Your close pals appreciate your patience and forgiveness, knowing you'd rather let sleeping dogs lie than dwell on the mishaps of the past. Your dashing good looks may one day lead to a modelling career, if only you can tame the unfortunate clumsiness that sometimes causes you to go flailing from the catwalk.

COT #11: computer desk

CATS ON TUESDAY is a group of cat lovers

who share pictures and/or stories about their cats once a week,

hosted by Gattina.

~*~*~*~

I'm very happy with my new computer in my new computer desk in the living room. The cats are very happy to have me downstairs all the time and they like the desk just as much... ;-)

Non-Fiction Meme

Some time ago (okay, it was in February) Darla tagged me for the Non Fiction Meme, created by Gautami from My Own Little Reading Room. I always bookmark a post that tags me, so I won't forget to do it. Guess what... I forgot nevertheless! :-)
But without further ado... Here it is!

What issues/topic interests you most -- non-fiction, i.e, cooking, knitting, stitching, there are infinite topics that has nothing to do with novels?
You'd better ask what issues or topics don't interest me! ;-) That's a lot less (including cooking, knitting and stitching, no offense...)!
But to give you an idea of what I like in non-fiction: occultism, witchcraft, spirituality, psychology, history, nature, animals, art, literature, (auto)biographies, mythology and sooooooo much more!

Would you like to review books concerning those?
Not as an assignment. I want to be free to read and review whatever book I want.

Would you like to be paid or do it as interest or hobby? Tell reasons for what ever you choose.
Hmmm... I'm afraid if I get paid for it, I'd feel an obligation. I don't like to have to do something. I read because I love it and that's how I like it!

Would you recommend those to your friends and how?
If I love a book, I'll definitely recommend it! Sometimes on my blog, but also in real life, e-mail and every way I know.

If you have already done something like this, link it to your post.
Not really reviews, but I recommend sometimes on my blog. The last one was Grandmothers council the world by Carol Schaeffer.
You can find some of my books (fiction and non-fiction) and how I rate them on My LibraryThing.

Please don't forget to link back here or whoever tags you.
Darla of Nichtszusagen! The blog title says she has nothing to say, but that is so totally not true! :-)

And to get this meme moving, you have to tag 10 people.
Sorry, no-do. I like memes, but I don't tag. Everyone who wants to play is very welcome to do so! Let me know if you do; I'd love to read your answers!

Best dad in the world

Today would have been my father's 73rd birthday. The last one we celebrated was his 61st though... The 4th day of the 4th month; he always picked 4 as his lucky number!
I still think of him every day, still miss him. I know he's with me in spirit, but I'd love to talk to him and give him a hug for real just once... To me he'll always be the best dad in the world. O sure, you could probably argue that he wasn't and why, but that doesn't matter. He wasn't a saint and I don't idealize him. He had his virtues and vices, so do I (some the same!). He was who he was and to me that is the best dad in the world. I'm so glad Ron has known him very good too, so we could reminisce together today.
♥ I love you, dad! ♥

April 1st in Brielle

Yesterday Ron, IJs and I went to the April 1st celebration in Brielle.
Every April 1st Brielle exuberantly celebrates the storming of the city by the rebellious "water-beggars", the Geuzen. On this annual occasion, along with a lot of visitors, the citadel relives its liberation year. On the momentous day in 1572, the Watergeuzen appeared before the north port of Den Briel and demanded the surrender of the small, but strategically important port in the Maas and Rhine delta. Den Briel (the old name of Brielle) had, as so many towns, not yet united in the uprising against the reign of the Spanish King and his envoy, the Duke of Alva. The town council felt nothing up to then for the fortification, in which, at that time, there were no Spanish troops present, without elaborating further. Then the answer to the cry “In the name of Orange, open the gate!” was held back too long, the Watergeuzen besieged the north gate and forced their way into the town, where they subsequently became substantial householders. Without any struggle, Alva lost his glasses (de bril = Den Briel) and the insurrectionists gained the first important victory in the Eighty Year War. In our time, hundreds of citizens dress themselves in historical costume and reconstruct the capture.
Although the weather was very unstable, we had a great time. Ron was experimenting with another digital camera, I had my own Canon Ixus. We both made a lot of pictures, you can see them here.

Weekend

Because Wonder was sleeping very badly in the hospital the doctors allowed him to go home early. That is, to his mother's home in Rijen. There he'll get physiotherapy and home care. The ambulance could only drive him to another hospital or his own home, so Ron and I picked him up in The Hague and drove him to Rijen. He was very glad to be out of hospital, but also very tired. At least he's home and well cared after now.

Sunday afternoon our friends from Groesbeek came to visit Monique and her baby Dominique. We went over there too. We chatted about all kinds of things and had a great time. Before they went home, they came to see our home. The last time they had seen it was when we were in the middle of the rebuilding downstairs, so the difference was huge! :-)

I'm a nerd :-)

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Literature Nerd Does sitting by a nice cozy fire, with a cup of hot tea/chocolate, and a book you can read for hours even when your eyes grow red and dry and you look sort of scary sitting there with your insomniac appearance? Then you fit this category perfectly! You love the power of the written word and it's eloquence; and you may like to read/write poetry or novels. You contribute to the smart people of today's society, however you can probably be overly-critical of works. It's okay. I understand.
Science/Math Nerd
Social Nerd
Drama Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Anime Nerd
Musician
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

TT #78: grandmothers

Thirteen indigenous grandmothers In October, 2004, 13 grandmothers from around the world came together in a historic gathering, fulfilling an ancient prophecy, known by many of the world's indigenous tribes: "When the Grandmothers from the four directions speak, a new time is coming." In some Native American societies, tribal leaders consulted a council of grandmothers before making any major decisions that would affect the whole community. What if we consulted our wise women elders about the problems facing our global community today? The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers represents a global alliance of prayer, education and healing for our Mother Earth, all Her inhabitants, all the children, and for the next seven generations to come. The 13 Grandmothers with the Dalai Lama (photo: Marisol Villanueva) The council consists of these 13 amazing women: Aama Bombo - Tamang - Nepal Margaret Behan - Arapaho/Cheyenne - Montana, USA Rita Pitka Blumenstein - Yup’ik - Arctic Circle, USA Julieta Casimiro - Mazatec - Huautla de Jimenez, Mexico Maria Alice Campos Freire - Amazonian Rainforest, Brazil Flordemayo - Mayan - Highlands of Central America/ New Mexico Tsering Dolma Gyaltong - Tibetan Beatrice Long Visitor Holy Dance - Oglala Lakota - Black Hills, South Dakota, USA Rita Long Visitor Holy Dance - Oglala Lakota - Black Hills, South Dakota, USA Agnes Baker Pilgrim - Takelma Siletz - Grants Pass, Oregon, USA Mona Polacca - Hopi/Havasupai/Tewa - Arizona Bernadette Rebienot - Omyene - Gabon, Africa Clara Shinobu Iura - Amazonian Rainforest, Brazil (click on the cover to read more info and buy the book) They are also making a documentary called "For the Next 7 Generations: The Grandmothers Speak". ~*~*~*~ Links to other Thursday Thirteens! ~*~ Open Grove Claudia ~*~ Nicholas ~*~ Puss Reboots ~*~ Mama Kelly ~*~ Holly ~*~ chanpheng ~*~ SJ Reidhead ~*~ Sandy Carlson ~*~ Joely Sue ~*~ Grandmother Wren ~*~ DK Raymer ~*~ grace ~*~ Lori ~*~ Adelle ~*~ Lara Angelina ~*~ Marcia ~*~ Gattina ~*~ Darla ~*~ Lisa ~*~ Julia Smith ~*~ Maribeth ~*~ shoshana ~*~ xakara ~*~ Vixen ~*~ verabear ~*~ storyteller ~*~ Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

A candle for Wonder / Evert

Yesterday a car run into Wonder's bike. He has broken his leg on several places. Today he will get surgery; they'll attach a pin to his shinbone. After that his leg will be put in plaster. The operation will be at 10.30 AM, so please light a candle for him. Keep it burning for a speedy recovery! He'll have to stay in the hospital for some days. He'll continue his recovery at his mother's home. The total rehabilitation can be up to 5 or 6 months. He was still recovering from a slipped disc in the back of his neck. He doesn't seem to have any luck lately... :-(

Update: This afternoon I've been to the hospital. The surgery lasted two hours, but everything went okay. He got a titanium pin in his leg, but won't get plaster. He felt better and was already making jokes again. :-)

Update

Sorry, I've been out of sight for a while. I haven't been feeling well, was struggling with some personal issues and on top of that my computer decided to quit on me. Major stress... BUT, I'm back, feeling a bit better and with a brand new computer! Time for some catching up...

To start with the computer... Ron really wanted the computer back in the living room, because I was always upstairs to work on it. He felt like a computer widower! ;-) We wanted something we could close, so last week we bought a beautiful computerdesk. It is quite big, but it looks great!
When everything was moved downstairs, my computer started to cause major problems, again. Aaaargh! Ultimately we had to decide to buy a new computer. We knew what we wanted and found it: a HP Pavilion M9160 with Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor. But... it came with Windows Vista and I wanted my Windows XP Pro on it. All the stores said that wasn't possible, but Fundat@ (just around the corner!) did it for me, and did it fast and good. Today it was ready and I'm busy installing, updating etc. I'm so happy with my new desktopper!

Last Sunday Wonder and I visited the Onkruidbeurs, a fair organized by the Dutch esoteric magazine Onkruid. There were two large rooms with a lot of stalls; one room with all kinds of courses, institutes, training, etc. and the other with esoteric-orientated publishers, businesses, etc. We met a few friends, like Renee of Vrouw Holda and Ciska of Animal Power Art. We also found out, that there is a Dutch training institute, Lichtfontein, that offers education in chakra therapy based on the work of Anodea Judith. Wonder wants to do it, and I'd love to do it too.
Wonder got a wonderful massage for free. I bought a book about our local Dutch Goddesses, "Godinnen van eigen bodem", and a pendant of a black panther (my totem animal). At the end of the day I was very tired, but I enjoyed myself very much!

Tuesday Wonder and I drove to Breda. In the afternoon we took a walk in the Mastbos, a beautiful forest near Breda. Of course we spent time at "our tree". Touching it felt so good, it really gave me new energy. I took a large branch that had been torn off by the storm. I made lots of pictures, like this one of 'me and my shadow'. From under the tree I saw a long lane with sunlight in the distance. I immediately thought: hey, there's the light at the end of the tunnel! When I talked about it with Wonder, the light came closer! Nice symbolism...
We had dinner at Wonder's mum and in the evening we went to the Matthäus Passion (St Matthew Passion) by J.S. Bach in the Grote Kerk in Breda. It was the first time I saw it live performed by professionals. It was incredible, great! The soprano sang with too much vibrato, but the soloists were very good and so were the orchestra and choirs. We had a male alto, that was new for me but amazing. It's a long sit, but it was very much worthwhile!

Wednesday Ron and I visited his niece Kim and her baby Matthias, born March 2. Such a handsome little boy... He cries a lot but when Ron took him against his chest, he fell asleep. Of course I took a picture of great-uncle and great-nephew together! The next day we heard that Matthias was taken to hospital because he seemed to be dried out. We hope he'll be okay and home soon.

Yesterday Wonder, Violette and I celebrated Ostara with a ritual at Wonder's place. The altar looked beautiful. We made a shamanic journey to find a place where we can recharge with energy. In my journey I was the goddess Eostre; everywhere I walked appeared flowers and new green, baby animals. I ended at a beautiful pond (like in "The Blue Lagoon"). I walked into the water, it was comfortably warm. A waterfall gave some cooling. Suddenly I wasn't alone anymore, a long dark man joined me and we ...ehm... had fun together! ;-) Slow passion, love... I didn't want to return (can you blame me?), but I had to. Needless to say I was completely recharged when I got back!
This was the first time I used the Mindfold for a journey. I read about it on Michael Harner's website. It's is a flexible black plastic face plate backed with a high-density soft foam padding. The foam padding has cutouts that allow you to experience total darkness even with your eyes open. I can really recommend it!

TT #77: dolphins

Thirteen facts about dolphins I love Dolphins, ever since I was a little girl! They are very intelligent animals and appeal to my imagination. I hope one day to swim with dolphins in the wild! The greatest threat to whales, dolphins and porpoises is entanglement in fishing gear, also known as bycatch. If current trends continue unabated, several species and many populations will be lost in the next few decades. (source: World Wildlife Fund) Like a bat, dolphins use echolocation to navigate and hunt, bouncing high-pitched sounds off of objects, and listening for the echoes. (source: MIT Sea Grant) Baby dolphins are sucked forward by the motion of their swimming mothers -- giving them a needed assist -- when they position themselves to the right and behind their mothers. (source: Discovery Channel News) Dolphins sleep with one half of their brain plus one eye closed, then switching to the other side of the brain and the other eye closed during other parts of the day -- slowing down everything inside their bodies and moving very little. (source: MIT Sea Grant) There are about 40 species of dolphin. Some can hold their breath for as much as 30 minutes, while others must breathe every 20 seconds. (source: Wikipedia and Animal Planet) Dolphins, such as the bottlenose dolphin, use their teeth only to grasp prey, since they swallow their food whole. (source: Animal Planet) Since 1847, intelligent bottlenose dolphins in the wild have hunted fish with the fishermen of the town of Laguna in southern Brazil. The dolphins have learned that they can feed on the fish that escape from the nets of the fishermen, who work in the shallow waters towards the beach. Driving the fish toward the beach, one of the dolphins rolls over, signaling the fishermen to throw their nets. Man working with nature in harmony! (source: Wikipedia) With their sleek, aerodynamically shaped bodies, some dolphins can swim up to 25 mph (40.2 km ph) for long distances, which is triple the speed of the fastest human swimmers. (source: Animal Planet) Jumping as much as 20 feet (6 meters) out of the water is not unusual for dolphins. (source: Animal Planet) Young dolphins are known to playfully create underwater bubble rings (that do not rise to the surface) by injecting air into water vortices. These underwater toys are then pushed about by their rostrum (snout), bitten, and elongated by the baby dolphins. (source: Project Delphis) Fish and squid are the diet of the common dolphin, where the dolphins have been seen hunting and working together to herd the fish into tight balls. (source: American Cetacean Society) Because the spinner dolphin swims with the yellowfin tuna, they have been slaughtered by the hundreds of thousands in the purse-seine tuna fisheries, which has produced the controversy that led to the enactment of national and international laws for dolphin safe tuna. (source: American Cetacean Society) Freshwater river dolphins of China and South America are the most endangered because of their close proximity to people. (source: MIT Sea Grant) ~*~*~*~ Links to other Thursday Thirteens! ~*~ Chelle Y. ~*~ anthonynorth ~*~ Holly ~*~ Chuck ~*~ pussreboots ~*~ Mama Duck ~*~ Nicholas ~*~ Susan Helene ~*~ Mama Kelly ~*~ Open Grove Claudia ~*~ susiej ~*~ Adelle ~*~ Sandy Carlson ~*~ Grandmother Wren ~*~ Linda ~*~ Cheerio ~*~ SJ Reidhead ~*~ Bethany ~*~ Lara Angelina ~*~ Dane Bramage ~*~ Natalie ~*~ Pajama Mommy ~*~ Jenny ~*~ marcia ~*~ Gattina ~*~ sd-b ~*~ Darla ~*~ Aline de Chevigny ~*~ Maribeth ~*~ Lisa ~*~ Kat's Krackerbox ~*~ xakara ~*~ Chris ~*~ The Mama Bear ~*~ Wysperia ~*~ Julia Smith ~*~ Peggy Sez. ~*~ Candy Minx ~*~ Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Hard times

Does it ever get any better?

Or will I feel this way the rest of my life?

I just can't get it together

Now and then I'm losing my mind

Those lyrics from "All My Life" by the Dutch band Krezip have haunted me the last few weeks. I like the song and it's about something completely different, but these sentences exactly describe how I felt. Hmm, I'm typing "felt", not "feel"; that's a positive thing. The thing is... I'm in a depression again. I've tried to deny it to others and myself. Ostrich policy, because all the signs were there very clearly. Last week my best friend confronted me and I answered honestly. There, I had said it! It was still a shock to hear myself admit it, but I couldn't deny it any longer. I told Ron and the days after that it was like I only sank further. Yesterday I was at my absolute low, horrible. I even needed tranquillizers to make it through the day.
This morning we had an appointment with the psychiatrist. It had been 3 weeks, because she had the flu first and then a vacation. That was too long without help for both of us. We had a good talk with her and agreed something had to been done. No use burying my head in the sand, time to face facts. Thursday we'll both have an appointment with her, but seperate. We'll see what that brings. The talk today made me feel better. Afterwards Ron and I really talked about it. The only good thing about his depression is that he now knows how I feel. That doesn't make it easier to deal with it, but it helps to understand at least. It's so hard to explain a depression to someone who has no clue how it feels. In Rons arms I finally cried the tears that had been so close for so long. We decided to make a new start again. Together we're strong. There's light at the end of the tunnel; no matter how far, it's there and we'll get to it. Not today, but we're making the effort again. Thank Goddess...

Inspection location Beltane

Wonder and I will be organizing a pagan meeting on Beltane, this year on April 30 and May 1. Almost everybody is free because of Queen's Day and Ascension Day. Molaris and Aphrodite Moira wanted to do something the same days, so we decided to join forces. The first invitations went out quite some time ago. We made a website with Googlepages called Beltaneviering 2008. Feel free to join us!
Yesterday Ron, Wonder and I drove to Hengelo to look at the location, a scouting log cabin in the woods. Wonder and I had attended an Occult Forum meeting there before in 2006. The building has everything we need. Two large rooms inside, a fire circle and large terrain outside. Ron had some practical and technical questions regarding connections, safety and the like. That will be his responsibility, he's very good at those things and I'm glad he agreed to do it. The people there were very friendly and helpful.
When we were ready it was still early, so we decided to drive to Zutphen to shop and look around. For the drive home we set the navigation to "as little motorway as possible" and took a tourist route home. Lovely and beautiful!

TT #76: inspiring people

Thirteen people that inspire(d) / influence(d) me on my path I'm an eclectic witch, which means I don't follow one particular tradition. My path is a blend of ideas from various traditions and sources: the Old Religion, druidry, wicca, shamanism and more. Like in a witch's cauldron I add things to season the brew, spice it up, make it more effective, etc. I like to study other paths and traditions to learn from it. There's always more to know! So many people have inspired and influenced me and/or are still doing so. Here are 13 of them. Phyllis Curott - Of course she's on top of my list. I'm working towards initiation by her in the tradition she founded (Ara tradition) for good reason. It appeals to me and links to my beliefs and ideas on being a witch. Marian Green - I've learned a lot from her in workshops and her many books are very good. I like her approach in teaching, she's very down-to-earth. Michael Harner - Through Phyllis I heard about Michael Harner, an authority on shamanism. Especially his technique of shamanic journeying has enriched my spiritual path. Janet Farrar & Gavin Bone - I've done the Inner Mysteries workshop weekend a few years ago and their books are very interesting. In June I'll attend another workshop with them. Anodea Judith - Inspired me mainly because of her interpretation of the Chakra System for the Western lifestyle. Her books on this topic are the best you can find. I've been to a lecture when she was in The Netherlands. Dusty Miller the 13th - This Tree-Elf and hereditary shaman is the current patriarch of what is believed to be the oldest Elfin Tribe still surviving in the British Isles. He shares and nourishes my love for trees. Walking through the woods with him is a unique experience! Starhawk - Not so much because of her activism or her Reclaiming tradition, but her books are very good to work with. I've been to a workshop by her last year. Philip Carr-Gomm - He combines his role as Chief of the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids (OBOD) with writing, and giving talks and workshops. His Druidcraft Tarot is my favourite deck and I also have the Druid Animal Oracle. Scott Cunningham - His books belong in every witch's library, great reference books, standard works. members of the WhiteshadoW forum - In the beginning of this millenium I discovered the internet. This witchcraft forum was one of the first and the best forums in the Dutch language area. I still know a lot of old forum members, also in real life. Joke & Ko Lankester - A Dutch High Priestess and High Priest in their own wicca coven. I've never met them (yet?), but I use their books a lot. Claudia van der Sluis - This Dutch writer doesn't call herself a witch, but she wrote a few great books on modern witchcraft, that are still very useful. Susan Smit - Another Dutch writer; her book "Heks" (witch) about how she discovered witchcraft was one of the first books I read when I started practising as a witch. Of course there are so much more... Raymond Buckland, Vivianne Crowley, Dion Fortune, etc. etc. Simply not possible to name them all... ~*~*~*~ Links to other Thursday Thirteens! ~*~ Nathalie ~*~ Holly ~*~ Malcolm ~*~ susiej ~*~ Sandee ~*~ Cricket's Hearth ~*~ marcia ~*~ Nicholas ~*~ Anthony North ~*~ Open Grove Claudia ~*~ Chuck ~*~ pussreboots ~*~ Chelle Y. ~*~ Sandy Carlson ~*~ Joely Sue ~*~ Journeywoman ~*~ crazy working mom ~*~ Xakara ~*~ Gattina ~*~ Corina ~*~ Robin ~*~ Darla ~*~ Rian Fike ~*~ Aline de Chevigny ~*~ storyteller ~*~ Nancy J. Bond ~*~ Mama Bear ~*~ Melanie ~*~ Chris ~*~ Lisa ~*~ Julia ~*~ Natalie ~*~ The Bluest Butterfly ~*~ chanpheng ~*~ Julia Smith ~*~ Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Spelling Quizzzzz

In my GoogleReader I stumbled upon this quiz on Darla's blog.

I Scored a 100%!

I am proud! Okay, perhaps it wasn't the most difficult test to be found, but still... After all I'm not native English. :-)