An Offering (60/366)

An offering on the altar to thank the Goddess for Her assistance in helping me be strong and creative enough to meet a very hard deadline. I've been working pretty much steadily for twelve days, and completed two hundred and fifty pages in that span of time.

The tealight in the blue holder is lit (although you can't see it because of the flash); the incense stick is cinnamon, a scent associated with victory; and the little bowl contains chicken chow mein noodles, chicken fried rice, and lemon sauce from the Chinese food "feast" I ordered to celebrate completing the project.

Prayers for Strength and Creativity (59/366)

Candles lit in prayer on the living room altar, the red one for strength, the yellow one for creativity, as I race toward a murderous Friday project deadline. Sleep? What's that?

Sunlit Altar (58/366)

The permanent altar on the east wall of our living room. The red velvet bag contains the ashes of my mother.

Northern Artifacts (57/366)

Part of a display at the Millennium Library in downtown Winnipeg. I recognize the telescope, the belt, and the beaded pouch (as well as the beaded tunic that you can see a bit of on the right), but have no idea what the other wood and bone objects are.

Rainbow Glass (56/366)

Even on a cloudy day, the candleholders on our living room table coalesce the available light into shards of radiance.

Snow Family at 777 Jessie Avenue (55/366)

Taken when George and I walked down to the FoodFare for groceries this afternoon. Cute as all get-out, ain't it?

Emmie through the Door (54/366)

A photo of Emmie in her bed on top of some boxes in our bedroom, shot through the gap on the hinge side of the door.

Mina in the Sun (53/366)

Mina has discovered *gasp* that we have a small round table against the north wall of our living room, and of COURSE she now must lie on it.

Silly cat.

A Messy Dinner (52/366)

I was working my little buns off yesterday, so the only thing I took time to snap a picture of was my dinner when I paused to eat. Behold! Sirloin tip roast, buttered carrots, and two small baked potatoes with sour cream, eaten with mismatched cutlery! Oh, and a dollop of HP Sauce, of course.

Lunar Eclipse Altar Candles (51/366)

Candles on the altar last night as the Coven of the Silver Wheel met to celebrate the full moon and lunar eclipse. It was a truly magical evening.



An explanation of some of the objects: the knife visible at the lower right is the athame, the ritual blade, and is not used to cut anything except energy. The crescent moon shaped containers in the upper part of the shot hold consecrated water and salt. The brown object to their left is a cut-up bran muffin, and the shiny object to their right is the chalice that holds the juice, both of them for the ritual meal that concludes the ceremony. In the middle of the altar you see a container with sand, which holds a special charcoal used for burning resin incense. The object at the far left is a deer's jawbone, found in the forest and painted by one of the coven's members. The candles and the altar cloth are black because last night's ritual was in honor of the eclipse. Normally there are not quite that many candles on the altar, but each candle represents the illumination that a particular coven member lends to the group.

Tools for an Interview (50/366)

Today I was interviewed by a Communications student for an audio documentary about Wicca in Winnipeg. This is the recording equipment sitting on our living room table. She has promised to get me a copy of the finished documentary once it has been edited ahd she's received feedback from her instructor.

Morning Trees (49/366)

Outside our living room window, looking south-east across the back lane.

And to Lew... yes, it is usually very cold. :-) Daytime temperatures are usually around -20 degrees Celcius, which is -4 degrees Fahrenheit, and nigthtime temperatures are in the -30 C range, which is around -31 F. However, Winnipeg gets more sunlight in the winter than any other city in North America, so that makes up for it a bit.

A Simple Breakfast (48/366)

Today's breakfast: two jumbo eggs scrambled and cooked in the microwave, with rye toast. Such an exciting life.

Candlelit Chalice (47/366)

Last night we held a Full Moon Group ritual. This is the chalice on the altar, filled with apple juice, with candlelight shining through it. (There are fingerprints on the glass because this is a "recreation" shot, taken after the ritual was concluded; the chalice had been handled by several people in the course of drinking the original round of juice and I hadn't wiped it down for this shot.)

Terri and Me at the Pancake House (46/366)

Taken from the reflection in the windows. Aren't those overhead lights bright? (The red glints showing through the image are car lights outside.)

So... is anyone actually viewing this blog?

Just curious if anyone is even looking at the pictures I post...

Sun on the Rooftops (45/366)

A cold and sunny afternoon.

ToS Paperwork (44/366)

Paperwork on my desk related to my latest job, which happens to be "ToS" reprints. The printed sheet is my standard docket and outlines the steps in producing a finished page. The handwritten sheet is largely a time log from benchmark tests I did to establish how long it takes me to do a typical page on this project.

Yes, I scrawl and scribble, especially when I expect that nobody else will be seeing my notes.

Mina at the Vet (43/366)

We took Mina to the vet this afternoon because her right eye has been leaking clear fluid since Saturday morning. The vet did a thorough exam and was left scratching his head. Quote: "There is NOTHING wrong with this cat!"

So no explanation for the tears and the occasional sneezes, except for the possibility that our other cat, Emmie, clocked Mina in the eye with a paw while they were play fighting. We've been instructed to see how she is on Thursday or Friday; the vet thinks that by then the situation will have cleared up on its own. If not, we're to bring her back in.

By the way, all those little squeeze bottles to the left of the sink? Different kinds of disinfectant. Whoa.

Waiting for the Bus (42/366)

Taken while waiting for the bus at the corner of River Avenue and Osborne Street, after coming from the Safeway listed on the sign. Yes, it is as cold and bleak as it looks.

Miniature God and Goddess (41/366)

These two little torsos, originally drawer pulls, sit next to my mother's clock on the living room book shelf. I sometimes use them as God and Goddess representations during ritual. I don't remember where I got the Goddess necklace that sits beside them. The keys to the left of them were originally made for my mother's old apartment, which of course ceased to be an issue after she died. I intend to use them in a spell at some point in the future.

Mom's Clock (40/366)

A closeup of my mother's clock, which used to sit on the entertainment unit in her living room when she was alive, and which now sits on the bookshelf next to the couch in our own living room.

Winter Sky and Fruit (39/366)

Replacing the clock photo I posted earlier... a tree beside a house on Hugo Street between Jessie Avenue and Corydon Avenue. I have no idea what kind of tree it is, but the fruit has clung to it tenaciously all winter.

Crown of Leaves (38/366)

Detail of a faux ivy chaplet leaning over the top of a box in our bedroom. It was made for a Beltane ritual a couple of years ago and was worn by me in my role as the God. The green cord has come askew, but was originally wound around the chaplet and trailed down the back in two loops.

Isis, Lady of Healing (37/366)

An altar I've set up in my studio with a statue representing Isis, Lady of Healing, and a candle lit for the niece of one of my covenmates, who is only ten months old and is in hospital, throwing up and unable to drink.

Light and Leaves in Cafe 22

A frosted light and fake greenery on the ceiling of Cafe 22, the restaurant just up Corydon from me that's associated with the 222-2222 pizza delivery service. It's a surprisingly upscale venue for a place managed by a company that peddles such cheap pizzas.

Dedication Altar (35/366)

The altar for our Wiccan worship group's dedication rite.

Terek and Dice (34/366)

My new AD&D character and some of the dice that make his life... interesting.

The Golden Boy (33.2/366)

My main shot for today: the Golden Boy on top of the Manitoba Legislative Building, taken through the window of a moving bus. This shot was taken at about 1:30 pm.

Bonus Shot: Apartments Behind Starbucks (33.1/366)

The apartments behind Starbucks at the head of our street, as George and I were heading off to a funeral at 9 am.

Southern Studio Bookshelf (32/366)

Some books on the soutern bookshelf in the studio. A sinus infection seems to be coming on and I didn't have the energy to get out and find a more interesting shot today.

Emmie at Sunset (31/366)

Emmie at sunset. Why she chose to wash her face in front of the living room window, I have no idea.