The Saturn Salts-redone

I don't know. I see trees, or maybe one tree (a banyan?) here. But then, I'm inclined to see trees and living things. I don't know why the salts formed in this pattern. And, yes, there is a very fine covering of salt crystals in the "empty areas" between the trunks and the top. The crystals themselves, are very fine, just deposited unevenly. Unlike the Jupiter salts, which had a hard, bright sparkle to them, these have a soft creamy look to them.

Small Town Life

Just so you don't think from previous postings that I have a problem with small town life, I thought I would pass this along.

Yesterday, a squirrel fell down the chimney and was trapped in our fireplace. The only hav-a-heart trap we own is far too small for a squirrel, so this morning, I called the police, to see if they could recommend a wild life rehab organization for me to contact. The woman at the police switchboard took my information and told me that someone would be out to see me. Within ten minutes, we had not one, but two police cars pull up, one marked, one unmarked. What were they thinking? Squirrel home invasion? But once it was officially confirmed that, yes, there was a squirrel in the fireplace, the animal control officer was contacted. And, she, with net and no gloves dealt with the squirrel.

Small town life-gotta love it.

Saturn Salts

The Saturn in Capricorn salts finally crystallized. They were coarse, non uniform in size or pattern, dirty yellow, and had black flakes in them. Really ugly.

So, I scraped them up, and redissolved them in more distilled water. Again, the water turned pale yellow/green. I filtered the water and the water turned yet more green. So, I did it once more, and the water turned even greener. I washed the glass pan that I've been using for the crystallization process, and this time, I rinsed the pan with the distilled water, just to be on the safe side. I poured the salt solution back in the pan (without wiping it dry, that way there would be no issue of something from the towel contaminating it) and now, I am back to waiting.

Bionic Grandmother

A big "Thank You!" to those of you who spared some thoughts for my Grandmother and her surgery. I just got the phone call, that not only is she out of surgery, she is out of the recovery room, hungry (!) and asking for her reading glasses.

I also want to say (again) "Thank You" to all those people who helped to elect Barack Obama president. That may seem like an out of place comment, but the election had a lot to do with the surgery. My grandmother is hours away from her 97th birthday, and this was elective surgery. She now has a new knee (which means that both knees and one hip are replacement parts). Prior to the election, many of her conversations with me centered on her great unhappiness with the politico/social situation of the nation. Post election, many of our conversations centered on how hard it was for her to get around, and how she didn't think that was a good way to live, how she missed the opera, the ballet, the museums. (she also talked about how she missed having her own car-but she is NOT getting that back!)

My Grandmother was born in a tenement on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, in an apartment that was heated by a coal stove and lit by oil lamps. She was the first member of our family to graduate from high school, to graduate from a university (with a degree in mathematics, no less). She watched the rise of the American Empire and traveled to places that are no longer safe for Americans to visit. (I don't think she has ever been to Antarctica, but its possible I am wrong.) She taught in literacy programs, and worked to reform the machine of the Democratic Party in Brooklyn. She raised three daughters, while my Grandfather was often away, on government business. When her children were old enough to let her concentrate on her own projects, she learned to paint. Somewhere, down some corridor of the Brooklyn Museum, hangs one of her paintings, although I could not find it, the last time I was there. Somehow, she survived a year in which her husband (my grandfather) died, and then six weeks later, her oldest daughter (my mother) died. And then, not much more than a year after that, she danced at my wedding. She is the most loving and most "brook no crap" grandmother and great-grandmother out there. She lives in her own home, with her dog (and yes, people and their pets do end up resembling one another. Both dog and Grandmother are small, fluffy-haired and fierce.) And, she tells me at least once a week, that she is unhappy with me for having moved so far from her. And then we talk politics, philosophy, history and about art.

When I grow up, I want to be like her.

Happy 97th Birthday, Grandma, and congratulations on your new knee.

To hell with the silk and linen

Its cold and grey outside. We have a wonderful pancaking of snow, ice, snow, sleet and now freezing rain going on. My house is old and quite frankly could use a lot more insulation. Its almost enough to layer my sacred ritual long underwear (which I really do have, and use) with the holy sweatpants and top (which I have never yet resorted to). Instead, this weather may be just the push I need to finally do something with the almost 4 yards of dark grey, double faced wool that was left over from another project. I'm thinking, some sort of open fronted coat/cloak like thing to wear over my other stuff. All I have to do is figure out how to lay it out (officially, its not "enough" fabric!) and how to keep the cat off of it while doing so. Also, since I've had to redo all the incense I made yesterday (it dried far too fast, due to the lack of humidity), I have to keep the color from the incense off the fabric. If I can figure out a way to stay warm, it will all be worthwhile!

Also, my grandmother is currently having surgery-if anyone can spare a thought or two in her direction, for a quick and easy healing, I'd appreciate it. I'll blog more about her, once I hear that she is in the recovery room. Thanks.

It was a good day and I only upset one person

DH and I finally got our day at the museum. There were several special exhibits that I had wanted to see, but as is the case with best laid plans, we just didn't take everything into account. Such as, when the Metropolitan Museum of Art puts together a special exhibit it's a big deal (not like the Egyptian Magic exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum last year. That exhibit could have fit in a closet.). We saw "Beyond Babylon: Art, Trade, and Diplomacy in the Second Millennium B.C."

http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={F3EC2A76-071C-45DE-9713-B4EA77EBA531}&HomePageLink=special_c1b



It wasn't so much about Babylon, Mittani or Egypt, or any of the nation-states that were between them, as much as it was about the relationships between the states. So, if you didn't know alot about the era or that part of the world, you could walk through the rooms in an hour or so. We saw plenty of people doing just that, saying "oh look at that sword" or "cool sandals" (they were made of beaten gold, and they were cool), or "those little beady things-what are cylinder seals?" But for us, we only got through 2 of the rooms, and had started on the third, when we decided to break for lunch (and yes, we did eat at the Petrie Court Cafe. The duck comfit is better at MOMA, but the food is still very good). After lunch, and coffee and sufficient rest for our feet, we went back to the exhibit.



That was when I disturbed the world view of a fellow museum goer. We were looking at a display of Babylonian styled cylinder seals, made and found in Byblos, mid to late second millennium. A pair of women was looking at them rather intently, and DH starting talking to one of them. (he has that talent of being able to talk to anyone.) She was amazed that writing was used for common place purposes-there was instruction on horsemanship, written in cuneiform, incised in clay. She was under the impression that the situation in Europe in the early Middle Ages had been consistent throughout history-until the Enlightenment, only priests knew how to read and writing was for religous or state purposes, only. Then, she said that she had visited Jerusalem, and had seen cylinder seals in a museum there, but none were as fine as the ones we were looking at. I (and this is why I am not good at talking to just anyone) pointed out that at best, Jerusalem in the mid to late second millennium was a backwater village. Holy tilt the world off its axis, batman! Bad enough to suggest that business people could read and write (or hire scribes), but to suggest that there was a time when Jerusalem wasn't the center of the universe??!!

(We spent nearly another two hours going through the rest of the exhibit. A good part of that time we found ourselves in the same area as those women, but they were very careful to avoid us after that!)

After we finished (and my feet felt like I had been wearing those gold sandals, rather than comfortable shoes), we made a quick visit to the Egyptian galleries. Even though the museum was crowded, the "feel" of the Temple of Dendur was that of calm. Even with crying babies, cavorting teenagers, nervous guards, I felt I could stay there for hours. From there, we visited the Tomb of Perneb. The feel there is very different, I get a sense of deep brooding unhappiness, to the point where I begin to feel pressure in my head. It becomes unpleasant and then painful very quickly. In some ways, the Temple is still in use, maybe not for the active worship of the Roman era Isis, but it is still a place of visitation and awe. The tomb? It is an exhibit in a museum, and something there is not happy about it. DH said that he, too, felt something like that. I will admit to relief, confirmation that I am not imagining things is always nice.

We've already started making plans to go back.

Just what are they selling?

Occasionally, my sister sends me sample sized packages of skin care or cosmetics that get sent to her. (she is loyal to her own brands, but sales people are always looking to seduce). This afternoon, I opened a package and read:

Active principles include white agaric mushroom, halophile microalgea and our swiss muscle relaxing peptide based on the venom of the temple viper.

My only question is, do I put this stuff on my skin, or feed it to an enemy?