Home Blessing & Tuning Hour

 Now that I'm home on Monday mornings, I have more time/energy for Fly Lady's 'Home Blessing Hour.' 

Fly Lady's list includes several things I don't have - a vacuum (only carpet is on the stairs, so I sweep with my beautiful broom) magazines (lots of books) .... 
As she suggests, I set the time for 15-20 minutes, & go through a round in each room (if there's more time/inclination, I'll do several rounds) & a 10-15 minute break after an hour. 
Another practice I wish to incorporate more is the 'Walk Through' My mom did this naturally ....On her blog 'Dragonflies & Me,' Jean writes: "The walk through is simply going through a room and picking up everything that is out-of-place AND putting it away where it belongs.  Simply eh?" (best done several times daily!)

Blessing Way 'Creating Holy Order'  - a process by which everything in your home supports & nurtures your essence

• Put on happy music, light a candle & some incense, brew some tea
• Kitchen: clear the counter, gather cloth, paper/books, sweep the floor
• Living room:  coffee table, piles, paper, clothes, sweep,
• Bathroom: swish & swipe (toilet, counters) clean mirror, clothes, sweep
• Break: Relax, admire, drink tea

• 2nd round: (you can cycle through several times, or stop at one!)
• Kitchen, Living Room, Laundry
• Break every hour for 10-15 minutes. You may wish to go outside & admire the day (yes, even if it's raining or blustery!) Open the doors & windows for a few minutes as well. If you have any rugs, take them out & give them a good shake or pop them in the wash.
• address: Paper, books, cloth, & gather garbage & recycling

• Round Three

• If you have a drum, rattle or bell, make a round through the rooms making some good noise! Take time to listen for shifts in the sound, & notice any corners that need attention.

Part two: Energetic Blessing - this is a lovely time to ground your home & property. If you didn't light a candle before, now is a good time to do this.

• Put a grounding cord on your home - imagine the 'footprint' of your home, now imagine a cord or tube reaching down into the crystal heart center of the earth, & connecting with it
• From your home's roofline, imagine the cord reaching into the heavens, up to the sun & beyond, to the central sun of the galaxy - we are poised between heaven & earth!
• Visualize a rose-gold sun in the centre of your home - let its light fill every corner! Allow this sun to continue expanding, till it surrounds your home.
• As the sun reaches the outside of your home or space, begin the 'Tune-up' process by invoking the devas, elementals & guides to Cleanse, Clear, Restore & Illuminate your home & grounds.
• Ask that any negativity move through a clearing grid, & the Violet flame * so the energy can be used as compost, burned in the sun, or 'return to sender.' (with no return address!) 
• Surround the cleared land with a violet bubble, a gold pyramid, Dolphin Star Temple, or a briar rose hedge (whichever image feels right to you - or one of your own!)

* Violet Flame: Picture a soothing flame, like a flame in a fireplace, but violet in colour. See it penetrating your very being and world. When you call forth the Violet Transmuting Flame, a flame comes from the hands, heart & head of your I AM presence / Christ Self - and as it touches the ground beneath your feet, it bursts into violet flame! You can also use the essences: Comfrey (Pattern repair) Violet & Lavender to help 'seal' the pattern.

Thank your guides & go on with your day.

Gone Crackers

An old favorite recipe came from Prevention Mag years ago - Robert Rodale' s Corn Pones (here's a similar recipe - he didn't use sugar or salt!)

When I went to Bob's Red Mill several weeks ago, I picked up some Sorgham flour along with the coconut flour & other goodies.

Today I decided to make these pones, substituting sorgham & a bit of coconut flours for the corn meal - they don't look fancy, but they are delicious! Sorgham is commonly used in making brooms,it's grain can be ground into flour or made into molasses!

This recipe is handy for gluten-free diets, is sweet without any additional sugar, & needs no leavening. Sorgham can be made into a tortilla like flat cake in traditional Indian 'Roti.' 'No leavening agents, oil or ghee are added. Just fresh sorghum flour, warm water and touch of fire - pure grain power in its glory.'

My modification to the corn pone recipe called for blending fresh greens in the hot water. Since this week marks the first 'share' from my CSA, I used chard greens from my share, & some of the nettles I harvested near my son's home on the weekend.

Sorgham Pones

• 2 1/2 C sorgham flour
• 1/2 C coconut flour
• 1/4 tsp kelp powder (or sea salt)
  
• 1/4 tsp curry powder
• 2 Tbsp flax seeds
• 2 Tbsp ground sesame seeds
• 1/4 C coconut oil (~ 4 spoonfuls)
• greens - chard, spinach, nettles, . . .
  

Heat 2 Cups of water to boiling.
Puree several chard, spinach, nettle or other green leaves (I used about 2 loose cups of greens) with half the water in a blender or food processor.
Pour pureed greens & water into the dry mix & stir with wooden spoon. Add more water as needed.
Allow batter to cool while you preheat oven: 350*
Oil a cookie sheet & drop by spoonfuls. Flatten cakes with the back of the spoon or your hand.
Bake 40 minutes.

These are slightly sweet, & good with a spread - nettle pesto is especially delicious!
What a nice way to 'eat your greens!'

Broom & Dustpan

Last week I picked up some linen, cotton & rayon blend yarn in the hickory broom handle colour from the sale bin at the local yarn shop, & knit two 'grips' which I slid on the handle, & positioned where my hands fit :) Viola, broom handle grips - simple k 2, p 2 pattern, 20 stitches, & it's fingerling weight for the knitters among us :)

& then on Sat I stopped by the Antique store which is, sadly, closing its doors, & found the 'perfect' dustpan! This is actually probably a 'crumb pan,' as it's a bit smaller (used to brush table crumbs into)
It is so shiny, I wasn't sure the pretty pattern would show up - but I think you can get a glimpse! It was 20% off the original $5- . . . what a bargain, no?? (there were a couple of others, but I resisted the temptation to get more than I needed!) Now, since there's no hanging hole, I'm thinking of making a 'pocket' to hang it in - tho my dustpans usually live on the floor!!

I haven't written about 12-Secrets - prob next week after the wedding - but thought you'd enjoy seeing photos of the 'progress' on the broom :)

ARRIVAL of the BROOM!

It's here!! I ordered 'the broom' on Sunday, asking for 'Rust' (the spring colour) - with this note "I was torn between 'fall' colours & 'spring,' want a preponderance of rust, but a bit of other colours would be fine :) Blessings"

I returned from Deep Water Aerobics (first time I've gone this year) & it was by the door! Here it 'poses' with the dear old Brown Beauty, (worn & pale on the Left) 15-20 years of good service.
There's a handwritten blit 'see notes' on the invoice, & paler straws in the center.
"The tools, techniques and raw materials used to make our brooms are from an 1878 broom shop. They are made for use from the highest quality 100% broomcorn and kiln-dried hardwoods. They are noticeably more functional and durable than their commercial counterparts."
There's a leather loop for hanging at the top, & I've got a hook to mount on the wall; still hoping for an unusual dustpan to 'match.' There are a couple of antique shops in the area, some with these more mundane items.

The other day at Bi-Mart (which still carries some US made corn brooms!) I got this pot of 'daffydowndillies!' The ones in my yard are just starting to poke their noses out.

You can see some of my shelves & stacks in the background :) I have some ideas from the Creative Spaces book - back to the earlier thought of rearranging the 'dinning nook' for crafting! 3 hours till my first appointment - so a window for doing some shifting, & a bit of sweeping with my broom chant. Or the simple one from 'Kindness' - "Remove all Dust, Remove all Dirt"

Creating Space

A local artist creates these lovely signs, painted on old boards, & this one hangs on the wall by my bed, & I breath in its message before getting up!

Taking Sacred Susie's lead, I cleaned the refridgerator doors yesterday! & swept the floor - I've ordered the new BROOM, & will post a photo when it arrives! Exciting. I bid on a georgeous art neveau dust pan on e-bay - but it found a different home, sigh.

Returning Library books yesterday, I found a gem of a book - 'Where Women Create' (jo packman - checkling on-line, there's also a magazine & on-line newsletter!)

What a delicious book to accompany 12 Secrets!! Filled with glimpses of working artists' workspaces & organization (or lack thereof!), it's quite inspiring & full of fun ideas. Like many of you (NOT ME :), some artists need a clean room & neat worksurfaces; others thrive on more chaotic surroundings. Some choose pale paint for their walls, & furniture, others love rich, warm colours.
There are many creative ideas for storage, glass bottles (sometimes covered in collage) open shelves, beautiful curley maple cupboards, art on the walls, floor & furniture; a favorite - Sandra Evertson stores art supplies in the dishwasher in her small, 2 person apt!!

Rather than taking those glass jars to recycling, I'm going to play with storage
& & & . . . .

I like colour!
Here are some other glimpses of my space - a stack of baskets & boxes in another corner of the bedroom, which is painted a nice, warm mauve (various shades, lighter on some walls. While I've made pine needle baskets, I found this little 'bell' shaped one years ago at a garage sale, complete with the artist's tag on the bottom! A friend did the collage - snips of paper & photography 'air' across felt pens to give an air-brushed effect.

My kitchen is 'grandmothers' apron' pink, the gold I found at our Habitat 're' store, & added some metalic 'sparkles' to it. the small circle above the 'laundry room' bi-fold doors is Raku lid- a Good Will find! I'd left the lower wall white for quite awhile before finding the burnt gold.


Off to work . . . & perhaps the Re-Store later??
Oh - & bummer - found out that the local Democratic Party had our own inaugral ball at my favorite ballroom - & I didn't know till this morning. Boo hoo!!

"Buy a Broom"

The other day the refrain "Buy a broom, buy a broom, buy a BROOM" ran through my head, & I recalled learning this folk song back in High School. Looked it up, & there are several versions:

Buy a Broom (traditional)
From Deutschland I come with my light wares all laden,
To dear happy England in summer's gay bloom;
Then listen, fair lady young pretty maiden,
Come buy of the wand'ring Bavarian a broom.
Buy a broom!
Oh, buy of the wand'ring Bavarian a broom.

There's one for the pretty lady, and one for little baby,
and one for the parlour, and one for the hall,
here are brooms for the cottage and brooms for the mansion,
and here you will find one for each and for all.
Buy a broom!
come, buy of the wandering Bavarian a broom!

When winter draws nigh, for my own land departing,
my toil for your favours again I´ll resume,
and while gratitude's tear in my eyelid is starting,
bless the time that in England I cried, Bye a broom!
Buy a broom!
come, buy of the wandering Bavarian a broom!

An alternate version has a the same first line, but the an extra 'buy a broom' in each chorus, & different ending:

Oh! buy of the wand'ring Bavarian, a Broom,
Buy a broom, buy a Broom, (SPOKEN) buy a Broom
Oh! buy of the wand'ring Bavarian a Broom,

To brush away insects that sometimes annoy you,
You'll find it quite handy to use night and day,
And what better exercise pray can employ you,
Than to sweep all vexatious intruders away,
Ere winter comes on for sweet home departing,
My toils for your favor again I'll resume,
And while gratitude's tears in my eye-lids are starting,
Bless the time that in England I cried buy a Broom

(SPOKEN) � Yes I shall go back to my own country, and tell them there that I sold all my wares in England, singing,

O' mein lieber Augustin, Augustin, Augustin,
O' mein lieber Augustin, Alles ist weg,
Book ist weg, Stock ist weg,
Auch ich bin in dem Dreck,
O' mein lieber Augustin Alles ist weg.

(Coat is gone, Staff is gone, alas, I lie in the dirt; oh, my friend Augustine, all is gone)

Remember O du leiber Augustine?

Other verses of 'Poor dear Augustine' include the 'girlfriend' being gone - which connects to the next version, a different 'twist' on the theme of seduction & being left - from the young man taken in by "Lish Young Buy-A-Broom" - " As I was a-walkin up and down the street, A pretty little buy-a-broom I chanced for to meet." & here's Clannad on U-Tube, singing this ballad.

Ah, the broom quest; I haven't quite decided whether to order, or to try to see them first!
In response to my inquiry about besoms, Therman from Broom Magic wrote: "Thanks for your interest. The besom (round) broom is more of an old world style of broom. It is a little softer brush because it is left untrimmed. This seems to be the broom of choice for those that intend to use it more for ceremonial or ritual such as a handfasting. It is functional but not nearly so much as the "Shaker" (flat) broom. The Shakers were some of the first commercial broom shops in the US and invented a vice in the 1840's so that the brooms could be sewn flat. It is a bit stiffer and sweeps a broader area than the besom. This broom is definitely more functional.

"Also, the carved wooden dustpans are not available at this time and won't be for the foreseeable future. We actually harvest all of these raw materials ourselves in the Ozark Mtns.and unfortunately the place where we get the wood for the dustpans was hit by a category 4 tornado last year. I'm not sure when it might be available again."
(How sad! Let's send a bit of land blessing & healing to that bit of woods!)

Here's a Besome blog :) with a link to a Besom maker in the UK whose besoms were used in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, & a definition from a coaster found in Scotland:
besom (biz-um) bisom Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~n. 1. obstreperous girl or woman; female upstart [as in “Dinnae pou’ yer brither’s hair, ya wee besom”].
2. woman of low moral standing; a hussy (“Thon yin’s a right mucky besom”).
3. broomstick or scourge; any broom made from loose twigs.
4. a comet or its tail.

I'm leaning toward a shaker style broom, for practical . . . & perhaps one of the besoms in a bit as well. Any votes on which colour??
My son & his littles were here this weekend, & I asked if he'd make me a broom hook - he does some horse shoe & other metal crafts - his wife sells lovelies on her etsy shop 'angelbums' - hmm, wonder if he's going to put any of his goodies on?
Angie gave me a sweet little poly clay (over a glass bottle) vessel for Christmas! It now holds a vanilla bean, steeping in some good (Korbel) brandy.

Found more handmade broom shops - for those farther East looking for a good broom (& they all ship!): Chris in Kentucky has a nice selection, & is willing to make the 'broom of your dreams!' He began his own business at 14 (in college now), makes kids brooms & mops as well, & this sweet little 'cake tester' - so one can use a 'clean' broomstraw for this task! My dad liked to balance a broomstraw on a watermelon to test for ripeness :)
Chris uses hemp to bind his brooms (which he imports from Bavaria - since the US gov. hasn't 'allowed' farmers here to grow hemp for cordage purposes since WWII.)

Hockaday brooms (Tenn.) - great story of how a family farm (with broom making a Winter sideline activity) turned over time, into full time broom making operation. Again, a wide variety of brooms, made on the equipment grandpa made himself! There's even a very lightweight 'beauty shop broom!'

Another Kentucky broom shop - also a family business, begun by "Mr. Rollie", the broomman. Some lovely spiral handled brooms here!

Rain has come

& snow is melting! The roof is almost bare now, my prayers continue for gentle absorption!!
I am in the midst of midwinter cleaning & clearing - washing dishes, washing clothes, 'de-thugging' (Alexandra Stoddard's term! Isn't it just so appropriate?)

I found more info on wedding brooms, handfasting customs, & the Welsh 'priodas coes ysgub' or 'broomstick Wedding.' (this third, an excerpt from the book by Mary Neasham is a great resource on European Handfasting customs!) I'd forgotten the African American connection with the phrase 'jumping the broom' & a time when it was illegal for slaves to marry, but they could still declare their commitment in this way! Poignant.

I love Mary's comments in her Handfasting guide: "It is important to remember that throughout man's history there have always been two tiers of society - the rich & the poor. Up until Victorian times, marriage was seen as a political & economical arrangement for the richer families to gain strength, but for the working class it remained a simple affair based mainly on local customs." (p22)
& "One wonders if the subsequent invasion of Germanic tribes to Britain was partly to escape the spread of Christianity into mainland Europe." (p19)

Another delightful site I discovered yesterday - Jay Shafer's Tumbleweed "Tiny House" Company!!! Wow. When I lived at Breitenbush my homes ranged from 9X19,' (about the size of hisTarleton.) Mine had a 2 burner propane stove, a wee fridge, & loft bed, but I shared a tiny kitchen & bathroom facilities with several other houses. I also spent several months in a yurt (maybe 20' d?) with sunken bathtub & a lovely compact kitchen. A blessing at the Burning Bush was abundant geothermal heat, & electricity from our hydro plant - so no utility costs! I ate breakfast at home, & made tea, but ate lunch & or dinner in the fab. Organic Vegi dining room with other staff & our guests.

I love the spare look of these rooms - & did pare 'stuff' down when I lived at BB - I so tend to accumulate STUFF!! Sigh. I loved living round - after living in "Star Song," I moved to an octagon home (also with loft) that was 17' d. There were closets on the N & S sides, one with shelves, the other with clothing bar. These are still some of my favorite BB homes - 4 octagons surrounding a shared central kitchen & bath room, also octagonal!

If you click on the Breitenbush photo gallery link, 'facilities' will show you some of the public spaces. I taught Reiki in both the room with the fireplace (N wing of the Lodge) & the building with the arched window in the door (Forest Shelter).

OK, back to the cleaning!