Anniversaries, Rose Moon Eclipses, New Moons and New Life, and Reading Report on Women, Magic, and Menopause

Glenn and I with roses, Woodinville (avoiding people, but not flowers)

Celebrating a 26th Anniversary

Glenn and I, in a pandemic year, celebrated a quiet but still pretty happy 26th anniversary. We walked around, looking for quiet spaces with flowers but no people. Which can be challenging! Most of my old haunts are full of dangerous vectors – I’m sorry, I mean, humans – now that it’s summertime and the wineries are re-opening. I even dressed up in a real dress and put on lipstick and everything! I haven’t been feeling great since the root canal over two weeks ago, but it was nice to get out into nature and sunshine and try to focus on something happy. 26 years! I was 21 when I got married, which I would tell other people is way too young to get married, and Glenn was 23. We would never have pictured ourselves where we are now, although I always pictured myself as a writer. If I have been lucky in one thing in life, it was been in my partner. He’s pretty great, and I still think so.

Rose Moon eclipse, with trees

Rose Moon Eclipse, New Moons and New Life

Eclipses always seem to mean something to me, and this year, I’ve been searching the sky for signs more than usual. The moon rose dark as blood – biblical looking, isn’t it? It makes one think about plagues…It really was beautiful but spooky to stand underneath it. Couldn’t help thinking of the song “Bad Moon Rising.”

The new moon brought with it a bunch of new life – baby fledgling Northern flickers, fuzzy black ducklings. I caught a few pictures of a mother flicker feeding her big baby. And some barn swallows who were much tamer this year than previous years. Watching baby anythings helps remind one of hope, and new life, and the opposite of plagues, anyway.

So I hope these few pictures cheer you up a little.

In a rose-print in Woodinville

Reading Report and Women, Magic, Menopause

While under the weather for a day or two this week with a stomach bug, I finally sat down and read the whole novel from Lesley Wheeler, Unbecoming, about an out-of-sorts academic woman who loses a best friend, suspects her replacement of being a malevolent faerie, and suspects herself of starting to wield strange powers,while dealing with a fractious dean and truculent teens. It had hints of faerie and kitsune mythology, and also talked about how women gain magic powers with age. It really was a page-turner! I recommend it. It was also a good read while I weathered – besides the stomach bug – a couple of regular rejections, a couple of finalist notices for my book manuscript (and one “close but no”), well, what still felt like a lot of no from the universe. I also think about using magic to protect us from coronavirus. Protection spells often involve the moon. Did you know there was a patron saint of pandemics, St. Corona? Look it up! Of course, with a science degree, it’s harder to hold onto the idea of magic spells, protection, prayers. But I hope.

Red valentine flower with wagon wheel (crocosnia)

At 47, I’m only a few years away from fifty now, the magical age of menopause or invisibility, when we move from lost girl in the forest to wicked witch. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could acquire magic powers though? Anyone want to grant me three wishes? I would even take one!