9 of Wands

The other day one of my favorite Tarot sites, Angel Paths, posted the 9 of Wands as the card of the day.

I like this site, because it gives quick, concise meanings for cards as well as some positional information, and uses different decks, which is fun....... I get a lot out of the different, creative imagery people use for the cards. Btw, I find tarot cards to be a great resource for self study; to use to ponder things in my daily life. 

I'm not so much of the psychic reading variety........ I like to pull a daily card to think about.....

The cards draw upon common collective unconscious and personal themes.

The 9 of Wands represents an ongoing struggle, in which one has the fortitude to persevere.

I started thinking about how this card might apply in my own life, and suddenly remembered working with some "wands" myself the day before......... bamboo poles....

I went out to my garden and looked..... sure enough, I had 9 pole placements (if you look carefully, there are actually 10 poles, with 2 in one spot at the gate in the middle). 

I love when life is synchronous like that. 

Those bamboo poles indeed represent the culmination of of a struggle.... one to keep a very persistent chicken out........... she can dig a hole 2 feet deep in about 3 minutes flat and was destroying my plantings! 

The suit of wands represents, energy, force and movement. 

See the moving chicken....

I think I've outsmarted her......... for now..........

Magic often happens in the mundane events of daily life......

Can you remember any time when tarot or magic has intersected with your daily life? 

Chive Flower Vinegar

OK, so I am the last blogger this year to post about making chive flower vinegar. The season is pretty much over, too; but this vinegar comes out so pretty, I just had to share.

Collect the fresh flowering tops of chives; fill a bottle half full of the flowers and fill the rest with vinegar. White distilled vinegar comes out the prettiest color of pink; but I've been told that a better quality vinegar, such as apple cider will come out tastier; so I tried that with my second batch. It still comes out an interesting reddish color. Let the flowers steep in the vinegar for about a week, and you'll have some very garlicky vinegar. For a more subtle flavor, use less flowers. I like strong earthy tastes, yum. Don't throw away the flowers after you strain them out! You now have pickled chive flowers, which are great in salads, in rice and beans, on sandwiches, etc., etc.

March Pay It Forward

This month's Pay It Forward is City People's Garden Center. To read about the Pay It Forward circle read last month's blog about it. This month I am deviating a bit from the blogger format, as the free info City People's provides is not online, but at their store; in the form of free workshops. They have knowledgeable people who give free workshops all the time. I went to one about keeping urban chickens, because I covet having my own coop one day. While I was there, I supported them by buying a blueberry bush for the yard. Check them out!