Oh my!!! Did you know that Catherine Moore

has a new set of Clearly Constructed plates?!!!

Goodness Gracious.................you will be blown away by these morsels. Don't EVEN try to contain yourself. Gooooooooooo

HERE

I think she outdid herself.

Have fun!!!!!

xo

Arriving today,

Our New Moon arrives in Capricorn.

I cannot think of a better position than Capricorn right now

A sign that recognizes fear for what it is

and moves right through it,

attains success because of it

not in spite of it.

Capricorns seem to function from a belief that no path is too steep,

no height too lofty to attain,

there is nothing to fear.

Capricorn’s incredible ability to achieve comes from hanging in for the long haul and not giving up,

even when the going gets tough.

Well, it sure has been looking tough these past few months, eh?

This is the best New Moon for setting goals,

starting projects,

and making serious commitments.

Capricorn is a realist.

With Saturn in Virgo, reality is the ticket to success on this New Moon.

The Sun, Moon, Mars, and Pluto are in early degrees of Capricorn

with Mercury and Jupiter at the end of the sign,

totaling six planets in Capricorn at this New Moon.

Capricorn is such an interesting sign.

Even though it is associated with government,

corporations,

and the father of the family,

it is feminine in polarity and the third earth sign.

Keep in mind, also, that Saturn is the traditional ruler of Capricorn

and the planet responsible for teaching us to respect boundaries and limitations and to follow through on our commitments.

On this New Moon we are getting a clear message

to grow up

and accept responsibility

for ourselves

in all facets of our lives.

It is time to be creative with what we have on hand.

The Pluto-Mars conjunction in Capricorn is powerful and implacable, and we need to be aware this is not a good time

to stir up trouble,

because the response may be far more than we bargained for.

With Mars in Sagittarius, tempers flare quickly but cool quickly, too, but this is not the case in Capricorn. This Pluto-Mars conjunction can cause people to hold a grudge for a long, long time so the wiser course of action is to take the high road and behave with maturity.

The new moon signifies a start of a new personal cycle each month.

It's a time to renew or revise our goals, reach for what we wish for most and renew ourselves.

When setting goals or aspiring towards our dreams and desires it is important to keep a few things in mind.

First of all,

our wishes should only involve ourselves.

We cannot try to change others,

only our attitudes towards those people,

in hopes that they will respond favorably to us.

Another important aspect of this process

is to meditate on the qualities of the sign that the new moon is occurring in.

These astrological qualities will give us powerful hints on what to strive for, and how to approach or strategize towards what we want to accomplish.

O.k., that’s a lot to read,

and I’m sure I’ve lost

a few readers by now.

So, if you’ve stayed with me to this point

I offer a challenge.

The next New Moon is January 26^th.

Make a bookmark, any shape, any size.

Include in your composition two things. The moon, and text you feel is powerful or moving to you. Sign the back and include your e-mail address and or blog.

This is a one for one swap so you will mail your creation to me on the 26^th of January and include a self addressed envelope.……..I will

carefully choose

a bookmark for you

and mail it back to you……..with a little something from me.

Moon-themed, of course.

I will be making a bookmark to trade, also. I've not made a bookmark

since September, 2007

when I was thousands of feet in the clouds

returning from the saddest of gatherings.

It's time for a new one

with new hope

on this New Moon

Leave a comment here to let me know you are joining in and I will send you my address.

TODAY WE HAVE A NEW MOON

I will be back after a few errands
to write a little bit about this full moon

food for thought:

This is a significant new moon as it conjoins Pluto
as Pluto begins a journey of 16 years through Capricorn.
This signals the beginning of a new era.



An amazing side note:

It snowed here for a few minutes yesterday!!!!
I watched the storm come in
I watched the temp drop almost 10 degrees
I delighted in tiny snow flakes falling

THEN RAN TO COVER THE FRUIT TREES IN SHEETS!!!!

DID YOU KNOW THIS?????

All Other Subscribers:

Contact Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion Customer Service directly at:

212-983-1155

or visit them online at:
http://www.homecompanionmag.com/

This title has ceased publication.

I recently subscribed to the magazine after a long absence for whatever reason.

I received the Halloween issue, my first.

Then nothing.

So this morning I called to find out where my Christmas issue was since I saw it on the racks in the store.

I was ever so succinctly told that they had ceased publication

and my subscription would be replaced

by Martha Stewart Living

and if I didn't want that magazine

I should call THEM.

WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT????????????????????

ARIZONA CHRISTMAS DAY
~~
. .

Hello my dear friends and family.

We don't have snow here,
although Flagstaff is blissfully draped in white.

But we have rain

and you know what that means!!!!

yes

a Christmas Rainbow

I literally ran to the other side of the house to grab the camera

and out I went

without a care that I was barefoot

snapping away seconds before it was over

RAINBOW WISH TO EVERYONE FOR A BEAUTIFUL HOLIDAY

NOTES FROM THE NEST

I am thinking how tomorrow is the midway mark for the month
Which means Christmas will follow in 10 days.

Are you holding each moment close to you
like a hard, goodbye hug
with someone you love?

I am.

It's chilly today and there will certainly be a fire lit tonight.

(Isn't this the cutest little thermometer? It hangs outside my kitchen window.)

It is amazing that the fruit trees are so loaded this year

and soon we will be picking these luscious lemons

along with oranges, grapefruit, and tangerines.

All gifts of warmer climate

and Guido,

the former owner, who planted these trees many years ago.

I have thanked him, quietly, many, many times

and I wonder if he thinks about

these trees now that he and his wife moved to a smaller condo.



Next to the beautiful lemon tree

stands this deadly guardian

I have been injured many times by this solider in my yard
and today is no different

Literally and figuratively

A THORN IN MY SIDE.

ANTICIPATING THE MOON

How excited we were here at the nest.

Knowing the moon, the last of the year...full and absolutely HUGE

would be peeking up over the mountians...

over the little lake to light up the sky

what beautiful photos we imagined we would have.

The plans were in place as to when exactly to leave work

the spot picked out for THE PERFECT ANGLE

camera packed in 'going to work bag'

BLISSFUL ANTICIPATION

despite the out of season gray cast to the sky

Driving towards the place I call 'Crazy'

I notice an unusual formation in the sky to the West.

YIKES!!

I have seen the dark presence of rain in the distance

Something I did not grow up with back East,

but see here in the West all the time
since the sky is so big.

But THIS was most unusual!!

thankful I already had my camera

and

dismissing the fact that I was going to be

late for work

if

I parked and took my camera out to capture this oddity

(as IF I would let something stop me from taking a photo)

...snap, snap, snap.

And this is what I share here with you.

Go ahead and click on it to enlarge and see that strange sky formation

not a tornado

and such a straight-angle, as if a carpenter measured it out perfectly

A stairway perhaps?

While you are thinking on that I will go on with the story.

All day I kept turning around from my desk to look out at the sky..

still gray.......... 10 a.m.

still gray 2 p.m. worried a tad but convincing myself that the evening will bring clear sky

Still gray 4 p.m..............accepting and sad

the clear Arizona sky is letting us down. Rats!!!

I stay at the desk until 7 p.m. as the next two weeks will be brutal and I try to prepare.

Friday night and I am oddly peaceful despite the NO SHOW..despite the long work day

Just before heading to bed I notice a brightness on the patio as I shut the inside lights out

"Ohhhh........NOW you show up!!" I say out loud as I step out, enveloped in the chilly night air.

The best laid plans.........those are the words I think of as I enjoy a moment of moonshine.

Off to bed and a fitful night of bad dreams

which prompted me up and out of bed

as the last shreds of night departed.

Espresso machine going......(mmmmmm)

....Mr. J. heading to the cafe when he stops on the sidewalk and turns back to me

and with a bit of a smirk, tells me to come out and take a look.

There..............again.........the moon.

Retrieving camera.........."Gottcha!"

Last Full Moon of 2008.


20,000 miles closer than usual.

And she won't be this close again for several years.

But that is not all that is going on in the night sky these days.

The Geminids Meteor Shower,

one of the best...

known to produce more than 50 multicolored meteors per hour

at thier peak!!

Unfortunately,

meteor showers coinciding with a full moon

not good...

make for difficult viewing........

but go take a look in the sky towards the east
(in the constellation, Gemini)

if you are up at midnight........
(until the 19th)

you MIGHT be able to make a wish or two.

NIGHT SKY - DECEMBER 1

I know, I have been pretty quiet and not at the computer much lately.

It's a phase......like bella luna.

Did you see the beauty that began at Thanksgiving and went for a few nights?

This was December 1st
as the sun went down
and I was heading home from Drama at The Desk.


The moon, Venus, and Jupiter.

What a sight to behold on a stunning desert night.
Temps in the 60's

But if you missed it my friends,

New Year's Eve will bring us another crescent moon
with Venus alone.