I. Yesterday was Art Winos and instead of busting out the art journal, I busted out my new make-up brushes and mirror and palettes and did this:

It was so interesting how I responded to seeing myself with a full face. I kept asking my girlfriends if it was too much (they said no). My eyebrows were especially alarming to me. *Lol!*

But, I felt pretty and I really enjoyed the process. I put foundation on WITH A BRUSH. It was COOL. There are three colors of eyeshadow on my lids!

I skipped liner because I am blind in my left eye and I didn’t want to struggle with something pointy.

II. I also did this:

My toes are also done in that slick black, and the whole affair left me feeling like this:

III. In other self-care news I finally succumbed to all the ads in my various feeds for Galaxy Projectors and there is one on the way. I am so excited! I got this one. 

I am imagining having friends over for a pajama party (when we can do that) getting really high, listening to something psychedelic, and watching my ceiling.

Fuck off pandemic. I have plans.

IV. Speaking of which, I was talking to a friend last night and I started musing about how fun it would be to refurbish a school bus and travel all over North America for months at a time, stopping in on friends and teaching workshops along the way. I have no idea where that came from, but I found it interesting that I was dreaming outlandishly without anxiety. That signals some deep healing, I think.

How fun would that be, though? I could even slide right on down into Mexico and eat fish tacos on the beach.

Again. Fuck off pandemic.

V. Only 27 cases in London, Ontario today. The lockdown is working.

VI. I am having one of those days where I keep thinking I’m behind in all the things, but I am in fact right on time with all the things. I spent the morning URGENTLY WORKING ON ALL THE THINGS only to realize that I have *eight whole days* to finishing everything up in time for February 1st.

This is happening because September, October, November, & December were a slog through depression and everything took hours and hours longer to complete than I’m used to. Suddenly, I am working at my normal speed again, and lo. That is very, very good.

VI. Today I am making yet another chicken soup. The bacon potato and leek soup will be divvied up between Kimi, Alli & me, and then I will stock my fridge with a yummy chicken minestrone.

I accomplished this by ordering a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, eating my fill of it, and then using the carcass to make a very rich reduced stock, which I split in two. I usually fortify these stocks up with some Better Than Boullion and a metric fuck tonne of herbs, and they are always absolutely yummy.

VII. I think I might set up Zoom cooking dates with my daughter so I can teach her how to make Mama’s Borscht and whatever other things she’d like me to teach her how to cook. This idea pleases me. I could send her the recipe in advance so she can go get ingredients and then we can meet up and cook together.

I’m going to run that by her. I bet it would be fun.

Of course, I’d rather just have her show up here for a month so we can cook all the things together in person, but that’s not going to be possible any time soon, so Zoom it is. AND THEN FOR HER FINAL EXAM SHE CAN COME HERE AND MAKE ALL THE THINGS FOR ME.

Oh, I love this plan.

VIII. Even though my hair is a bit of a mess due to a lack of trims over the last year, it is longer than it’s ever been since my early childhood and I am loving it. I can’t wear it down because it just sort of sits there doing nothing, but when I put it up, it’s all bouncy and feminine and flirty and pretty. See above photos for proof.

Sometimes I feel a little like I’m aging in reverse, but then I take a closer look and I realize that, no, I just look *more alive* than I did before.  Whatever. I’ll take it.

IX. I had a little cry yesterday and it was so full of love and empathy and forgiveness for all concerned, and I think that also signals that I’ve done some deep healing. 

When I think of you lately, I mostly smile. Sometimes I flip you the bird, but mostly, I smile. I knew I’d get here. I’m grateful I have arrived. 

I love you. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. *Flicks Zippo*

X. The content for February’s Moonshine is INCREDIBLE and includes a sugar jar spell for the coven’s egregore, stories told by Brian Walsh, instruction in pathworking with stories, and instruction in mining your own stories for personal ‘heroine journeys’. And that’s ON TOP of all the other stuff we’re going to cover.

Epic.

If you’re reading this, and you want to sign up, use coupon code covenup here. 

That little fella up in the upper left hand corner is our mascot for the year. He is there to remind us all to embrace our inner corvid and pick up those practices and modalities that are most alive for us (OH SHINY!) while we leave the rest. I love how raggedy he is.

I created this using a graphics set I licensed from a designer. You can find the set here.