Simplify, slow down, be kind...

 

Simplify, slow down, be kind. And, don't forget to have art in your life, --- music, paintings, theatre, dance and sunsets. --- Eric Carle.

Be true to yourself...

 

Give. But don't allow yourself to be used. Love. But, don't allow yourself to be abused. Trust. But, don't be naive. Listen. Don't don't lose your own voice. 

Everybody is not your friend...

 

Everybody isn't your friend. Just because they hang around you and laugh with you doesn't mean they're there for you. Just because they say they got your back doesn't mean they won't stab you in it. People pretend well. Jeaulousy sometimes doesn't live far. So know your circle. At the end of the day, real situations expose fake people, so pay attention. 

I'm with you, Stephen King!!!...

 

When books are run out of school classrooms and libraries, I'm never much disturbed. Not as a citizen, not as a writer, not even as a schoolteacher, which I used to be.  What I tell kids is, don't get mad, get even. Don;t spend time waving signs or carrying petitions around the neighborhood. Instead run, don't walk, to the nearest non-school library or local bookstore and get whatever it was that they banned. Read whatever it was they're trying to keep out of your eyes and your brain because that's exactly what you need to know. --- Stephen King.

You only get one life..

 

...Don't spend it at war with yourself.

The Mummy Is Scared Of Cats...

(You have to watch considerable till it gets to the part where the cat on the piano keys scares the Mummy, but I like this movie.) "Cats are the guardians of the Underworld." --- The Egyptian curator. 

Don't break a bird's wings then tell it to fly...

 

Don't break a bird's wings and then tell it to fly... Don't break a heart and then tell it to love... Don't break a soul and then tell it to be happy... Don't see the worst in a person and then expect them to see the best in you... Don't judge people and expect them to stand by your side... You cannot expect to give bad and receive good... You cannot expect to give hate and receive love.

Ancient Egyptians shaved their eyebrows off at the deaths of their cats...

 

...And, continued to mourn until their eyebrows grew back. 💔

So sweet!!!... ***(I see the moon and the moon sees me!!!)

 

A Wonderful Lesson In Love & Caring From The Bees... (I love bees.)

 

(***What can you do for bees???... Please, please stop spraying for weeds and fertilizing your your lawn with those "weed & feed" chemical fertilizers. They kill our pollinators, --- like bees and butterflies. (Do you like apples, peaches, pears, avocados, peas, beans, blackberries, blueberries, lemons, limes, oranges, etc,. and numerous flowers?... ALL THESE NEED TO BE POLLINATED. Let your lawn go back to native grasses, like white blossom clover. And, plant flowers to feed the bees.) Butterflies can't drink from deep water, so make a drinking place for them by setting out trays of wet rocks in the shade.

*********

My dad has bees.Today I went to his house and he showed me all of the honey he had gotten from the hives. He took the lid off of a 5 gallon bucket full of honey and on top of the honey there were 3 little bees, struggling. They were covered in sticky honey and drowning. I asked him if we could help them and he said he was sure they wouldn't survive. Casualties of honey collection I suppose.

I asked him again if we could at least get them out and kill them quickly, after all he was the one who taught me to put a suffering animal (or bug) out of its misery. He finally conceded and scooped the bees out of the bucket. He put them in an empty Chobani yogurt container and put the plastic container outside.

Because he had disrupted the hive with the earlier honey collection, there were bees flying all over outside.

We put the 3 little bees in the container on a bench and left them to their fate. My dad called me out a little while later to show me what was happening. These three little bees were surrounded by all of their sisters (all of the bees are females) and they were cleaning the sticky nearly dead bees, helping them to get all of the honey off of their bodies. We came back a short time later and there was only one little bee left in the container. She was still being tended to by her sisters.

When it was time for me to leave we checked one last time and all three of the bees had been cleaned off enough to fly away and the container was empty.

Those three little bees lived because they were surrounded by family and friends who would not give up on them, family and friends who refused to let them drown in their own stickiness and resolved to help until the last little bee could be set free.

Bee Sisters. Bee Peers. Bee Teammates.

We could all learn a thing or two from these bees.

Bee kind always.~

~author unknown

art: Autumn Skye Morrison

The snow is snowing...

 

...the wind is blowing, but I don't care!!!

We are not alone...

 

Not believing there are alien life forms out there is like taking a spoonful of ocean water and saying, --- "There are no whales or sharks in the ocean because there are none in my spoon."

Neither will solve your problems...

 

Reading won't solve your problems. Then, again, neither will housework.

The Best Pesto Ever...

 Best  pesto ever!!!... So easy to make, you'll need fresh basil. In your blender, puree the basil, add pureed hulled sunflower seeds or pine nuts, some butter, olive oil and a few pureed anchovies. Whip all of it together till it's spreadable. This is great on crackers, bread or pasta. It freezes well too. 

The secret to a well balanced life...

 

The secret to a well balanced life is a cup of tea in one hand and a good book in the other.

Behind every woman there's a cat...

 

Behind every woman there's a cat who follows her to the bathroom. 

My Past Self...

 

There is so much of my past self that I don't resonate with at all anymore, but I love her just the same. She was growing. She was doing her best. She fought hard to get me here. 

Friends...

 

"Mom, am I weird???"...

 

"Mom, am I weird???"... "I would hope so. Life is better like that."

Respect Yourself...

 

Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer serves you, grows you, or makes you happy.

Magic!!!...

 

Believe in yourself. Don't be afraid to unleash your magic. Belief is powerful. MAGIC. 

The strength to face tomorrow...

 

May you find the strength to face tomorrow in the love that surrounds you today. 

The Rule Is...

 

The rule is you have to dance a bit in the morning before you leave the house because it changes the way you walk out in the world. --- Sandra Bullock.

"There is nothing wrong with a man being a feminist...

 

I think it is to our mutual advantage." --- Alan Rickman.

The Throne...

 

When I get old...

 

When I get old they're never going to say, "What a sweet old lady!". They're gonna say ,"What on EARTH is she up to now?".

Mermaids Don't Have Souls...

Mermaids Don't Have Souls & Pirate Captain Will Burton's Meeting With Kerillia, The Treacherous, Seductive Mermaid Queen...

      Mermen have snouts like pigs and wiggly whiskers like catfish, maybe why mermaids lust for human men.  Memaids are, almost always, very lusty and very dangerous.  (We all were unforgettably educated about this in "P.O.T.C. : On Stranger Tides".)  Mermen are supposed to be kindly.

                      

Merpeople live under the sea in magnificent palaces that are studded with jewels and pearly shells.  On sunny days mermaids like to sit on rocks near the shore and comb their long and lovey hair which is usually wavy and either red or pale blond.  They are much more beautiful than any human woman, but it is a cold beauty.

                

     The merpeople age very slowly until they are mature; then they are immortal.  They are said to be the children of the great Irish sea god, Manannan Mac Lir, who, some think, is the same deity as Neptune.  Manannan is an enormous and fearsome god who brings storms at sea.  His beard and hair are pale silvery green and his eyes are completely white, like big gleaming pearls. The merpeople have the ability to control weather at sea, which might be one reasons why there were so many mermaid figureheads on old ships; sailors are a superstitious lot.

     The merpeople don't have souls...

               

...  Tsk, tsk...  [In spite of the fact that Serena loves Phillip in "P.O.T.C.: On Stranger Tides, above she's sitting on a rock, unconcerned, while that ship in the background burns.

  And, of course, mermaids have the total unpredictability of faeries, really, being of the water fey.  Mermaids can be very vain, jealous and very spiteful.  But, they can see into the future and grant wishes that will always, always come true.  Sometimes, a mermaid will form a bond with a young girl child; the mermaid will be the child's guardian until she grows up.
                 
                       

     Merpeople are known in folklore all over the world. To the Germans they are Lorelei; to the French - Morgens, to the Danes - Maremind, to Icelanders - Marmenill, to the Irish - Merrow.  In Polynesian folklore Vatea, a half porpoise, half human god, was the father of humans and the gods.  In Africa there are legends of a mermaid named Yemaya who has lovely, flowing green hair and shimmering shell jewelry.  Perhaps, she is related to the Hispanic goddess of the sea, Yemanja, or is the same.

     Below is an excerpt from "THE BLEEDING RUBY", the first sequel to "PIRATE HEART".  Pirate captain Will Burton meets secretly with the queen of all the merfolk, Kerillia, The Splendor...

                        

    Kelrillia, the stunningly beautiful high queen of the merpeople,  ran her tongue around her lips as she smiled.  Her teeth were small and had the true iridescence of pearls, each one very pointed.  “Careful your wee choppers dinna cut that pretty pink ribbon,” Will whispered, one corner of his mouth going up.

     He passed her a big goblet of Madiera, wary of Kelrillia’s silvery blue claws which were showing a bit from their sheaths.  “And, here, have some mussels drizzled with lime butter, scallops poached in white wine and this rice cooked in the ink of baby squids.  Mister Clary made these delights special, as I asked him, just for you.”  He winked.  “They be all the most delicious o’ aphrodisiac foods, me gorgeous sea sirena.” 

     Kelrillia pouted her lips.  Then, she swiftly quaffed the wine.  Her kelp green eyes snapped with anger.  She leaned forward like a female moray eel sticking her nose out of her coral nitch, looking as if she was going to bite.  The queen of all the merpeople was very formidable, as big as Will, as big as all her kind.       

     Will moved back a bit.  “Mayhap, a bit o’ this sweet, but also most pleasantly tart blood orange?”  He passed her a crystal dish containing wedges of bright salmon colored fruit.

     “No!  No!  NO!  I don’t want any!”

     “You be most testy tonight, me magnificent queen.”

     “Will, I’ll do my best, but I’m very upset and my uncle Manannan is positively livid!  You know he’s very old fashioned and a stickler for protocol!  Whatever possessed you to throw the leavings of your body, --- ugh, your hair, into the sea?  What a disgrace!”

     “Kelrillia, I swears I dinna know ‘t was a gross insult.”

     “That makes no difference NOW!  DOES IT?”

     “You will use your influence to me behalf?”

     “Humph!  I’ll do my best.”  The long dark green eyes flashed seductively.  She wound a spiral of her vivid red hair around her forefinger.  “You know I never do favors without rich payment.”

     “You have nay changed, your Splendidness.”

      “Don’t be snide, Will!  Be nice or you will pay for more than your mistake!”  Kelrillia raised her arm twirling it rapidly.  Thunder claps sounded over the dark waves and lightning split the night sky.  “And, you can give me back my necklace, you miserable thief!”

     Will’s black eyes were sad and soft.  “I lost it, to me great, great shame.”

     “What?  How dare you be so careless!  That was an heirloom of my family, eons old!”

     Accidents happen all the time, me lovely, even to the most meticulous o’ pirates..”

     Kelrillia scowled and more thunder threatened, followed by fiercely rolling clouds.  She tossed her head.  “There are other necklaces…”

     “Oh?…”

     “Yes, wonderful necklaces, bewitched by my uncle Manannan.”

     “Where are they?”

     Kelrillia smirked.  “Hidden under the sea, where you’ll never find them my handsome, greedy pirate!  Of course, my maids make other pieces of jewelry which we sell to mortals, tinkley necklaces and bracelets of little value, but they are rather pretty and get us coins we can use when we grow legs ashore…”

     More thunder.  Will looked up at the charging dark gray clouds edged with brightness.  “Mayhap, we should go to me cabin rather than sitting here on deck.”

     “No, no, any walls make me uncomfortable.”

     “Aye, I knows...  When I heared the dolphins singing that you wanted to visit me I knew I could nay refuse.”

     Kelrillia crossed her legs, smirking.  “Excellent.  I’m so glad I taught you the dolphin’s language of melody, Will.”

     “The language of the sea turtles been harder to learn.”

     “That ridiculous clicking and clacking!  But, you have a most marvelous gift for tongues, my thrilling and devilishly handsome pirate!”

     Will made a half bow.  “It dinna bothers me to admit you scares me mightily, your Majesty.”

     Kelrillia laughed, full throated and joyously.  “I adore your respect!  Most humans consider mermaids to be only lissome fishy whores!”

     “Verra foolish o’ them.”

      Kelrillia giggled.  “Yes, they find out differently if they have any dealings with us!”

     “The females o’ the merfolk be some o’ the most powerful warrior witches I ever comed across.”

     “What?  You dare to name us witches?”

      “Dinna deny it, me queen; ‘t is nay becoming.”

      Kelrillia flirted her magnificent deep green eyes again.  “I let you get away with more crass speech than I have ever allowed another man!  Now, about my payment, such rare and wonderful payment which only you can give me.  You can easily row us to the sand.  Then, you will walk, carry me through the shallow water.”

     “So you won’t get wet and start that bothersome painful business o’ growing a tail again?”

      Kelrillia ran a finger around the edge of Will’s neck.  Her claws emerged fully their sheaths as she raised her upper lip from her teeth.   “The pink sand is as cool, soft and fine as face powder,” she purred.  It was almost a growl.

      “Nay possible.  We be far from those blushing Bahaman beaches.”

     “If I say the sand is pink it will be so, --- if just for tonight!”  Kelrillia’s eyes snapped dangerously.  Then, she softened. “You are the most singularly spectacular man I’ve ever met, Will!  I remember our nights together as we frolicked, the moonlight touching our bodies so gently, so lovingly!”

      “Unforgettable times, me Splendor, positive unforgettable...” --- Copyright 2021 by Antoinette Beard/Sorelle Sorcere.

A little weirdness...

 

WHAT have they been up to???...

I am my mother's fierce daughter...

 

I see the moon and the moon sees me...

 

A Dragonfly In The Moonlight...

 

A real picture of a dragonfly in the moonlight. No wonder they say dragonflies represent the spirit world. Look at it.

The White Wolf...

When you see something beautiful in them tell them...

When you see something beautiful in someone tell them. It will take a second to say, but it could stay with them a lifetime.

Animism...

 

Animism is the spiritual belief that all living beings have a soul. Everything around us, --- the birds, the trees, the rivers are all animated with sentient energy, and thus need to be honored as conscious entities.

"Vive la difference!!!"...

 

The world would be a terrible place...

 

The world would be a terrible place to live if we all shared an ultimate line of thinking. It's beneficial and okay to think differently. That's how we learn and evolve.

The Best Is Yet To Come...