Springtime Projects!

Hi All,

Somehow a holiday snuck up on me!  No work tomorrow -- which of course means lots of home projects.  No way you can get away from "work"!

I'm planning a new gypsy vardo -- it'll be more of a "roulotte" style; will look kind of like a canopy bed on wheels (without the bed part).  Have been planning how to paint/embellish/decorate it -- last night dreamed purple-gold-green -- Mardi Gras colors.  Might be -- still thinking about it.

You know, there's a story about why LSU colors are purple-and-gold.  Story goes that way back the students decided to have a Spring celebration party.  Some drove down to New Orleans to purchase confetti and streamers.  Being that it was near Mardi Gras, there should have been lots of purple, gold, and green decorations.  However, Tulane University in New Orleans was having it's own springtime party and had bought all the green decorations; all the LSU people could find were purple and gold -- which was how the original purple-and-gold began!

Reading time -- we'll begin with the Nine of Wands.

When I see this card I always think of someone who's spent a day doing yard work.  It's the end of the day, he's really tired, but he looks out at his work and is please with his accomplishments.  (BTW -- this isn't me at all ... I spend 10 minutes working in the yard and I start sneezing!)

He's tired -- maybe even exhausted -- but is feeling good about it.  The results have been worth the effort; he's earned the right to be pleased with his situation.

Nice feeling -- so how can we get there?  Let's look at our next card -- the Page of Wands.

This Page is about potential -- being excited about possibilities, beginning to plan projects (like building a roulotte, maybe?)

You want to feel like you've accomplished something?  Well, before you can, you've got  to begin doing something you can accomplish!  Get excited about a project, get excited about the work you'll put into it, get excited about planning it and becoming involved in it.  All of this might sound daunting -- after all, we're talking about taking on more "work", aren't we?

But -- this is a step we MUST do if we want to accomplish something.  You've got to start before you can finish!  And the idea of starting a project should fill you with energy -- not drain you!

Hey -- maybe this is about Springtime projects!  Consider projects that will make you feel good -- and use this energy to help see you through the process!

Have a great weekend ...

Woodsong

Plan and Finish

Hello All --

Hope you had a great weekend!  It turned a little chilly here in Houston -- actually had to wear a sweater today (that doesn't happen all that often during winter in South Texas)!

Another fun weekend at Sherwood Forest Renaissance Faire -- next weekend is closing weekend.  It'll be sad to see the end of the season -- but it has been a long and exhausting run so far.

My younger son called and asked for a vacation recommendation.  He and his wife would like to take a relaxing and inexpensive driving vacation (starting from Texas) in late summer -- I told him to look into New Mexico.  One of the most enjoyable vacations we ever took was a week spent in the Enchanted Circle region .. Taos, Red River, even down to Santa Fe and Albuquerque.  Love the scenery, love the culture, love the food!  Most people think of skiing when they hear "Taos" -- but the town itself and the reservation are both historic and spiritually fulfilling.

I remember another visit to Sante Fe -- it had started snowing that morning and the ground was covered in snow when I parked in a nearly-empty parking lot.  Later that day, the snow had all melted.  When we got back to the car, I had received a parking ticket for "not parking within the white lines".  Of course, you couldn't see the white lines when the snow was there, but what can you do?

How 'bout we pull a reading for this week?


Our first card is the King of Wands.

Kings in general tend to be most concerned with those around them -- they are caretakers and feel strongly about their responsibilities.  The Kind of Wands in particular suggests successful ventures -- and doing what's necessary to ensure success.  That means planning, effective starts, and finishing projects.

Our second card is the Seven of Pentacles.

This card suggests receiving/earning rewards for your efforts -- hard work paying off.  It's also a conservative card fiscally.  Rather than using rewards for a temporary splurge, the Seven of Pentacles would rather save those rewards for future use.

Put them together and we get a short game plan to help us earn rewards -- don't rush in blindly!  Think about what you're doing and why you're doing it.  Plan your efforts to best ensure your success -- then, take the time to do things competently, correctly, and to FINISH what you undertake.  Do so and your chances of seeing rewards at the end are greatly enhanced!

Have a great week!

Woodsong

Take Time before Choosing

Hi there -- hope your week has been going well!

I'm on an assignment in Dallas and have pretty tied up all week.  Finally got a few minutes this morning to pull our cards for the weekend.

I always enjoy hitting the bookstores in Dallas -- plus there's a Mongolian restaurant I really like.  I am SO boring!

How about our cards ...

Our first card is The Moon.

When you look at things under the moonlight, it's difficult to see them clearly.  You may see things that aren't there -- or misinterpret what you see.  Later, when the sun rises, you're able to view the situation properly as it really is.

Our second card is the Two of Swords.

This Two suggests a choice -- or a decision ... a really difficult one.  A choice where you're just not too sure what to do.

And what might make it difficult to decide?  Why, if you're not seeing things clearly, then it's difficult to choose.

When face with a difficult decision, consider whether or not you're evaluating the situation properly.  The Moon might suggest that you're not viewing things as they really are -- but as they may appear to be instead.  If the input is bad, the output may be bad as well.  (Or, as we say in the tech field, "Garbage in, garbage out.")

Take a little extra time to consider the parameters of your decision -- are you interpreting them in the only way they can be interpreted?  If not, then taking a little time to shed a little extra light can make your choices easier.

Have a great weekend!

Woodsong

Stay on Top of it!

Hi!

Hope your week's been going well.  Nothing that momentous over here -- typical South Texas winter weather -- kinda sweater-weather in the morning, but mid 70's or 80's by the afternoon. 

Have tried to see the comet this week, but can't quite view it from my yard.  Well, it's probably my eyes that are the culprit.  Didn't feel like dragging out and setting up the telescope - haven't done that in over 20 years and not too sure where all the pieces and parts are!

I'll have a short weekend at Sherwood Forest Faire this weekend -- have to travel up to Dallas on Sunday for a business meeting that starts first thing Monday morning.  If you get a chance to visit the faire, this weekend should be a good one.

How about we get into a reading for the weekend?

We'll beging with a Major Arcana card -- the Wheel of Fortune.

The wheel reminds us that life tends to go in cycles -- sometimes, things are really good ... but sometimes they're not so good.  If times are good, that's great -- but don't expect they'll always be that way.  If times are bad, don't get discouraged ... because they can improve.

Basically, don't take it personal if things aren't to your liking!  Don't get complacent if things are to your liking!

The important thing about the Wheel is that you can take an active part in extending your time on the top -- or minimizing your time on the bottom.  You shouldn't sit around and hope for things to happen ... you should jump in and take control of matters yourself!

And what does this mean for you?  Our second card answers this -- the Five of Wands.

The Five of Wands suggests contention -- maybe even a bit of a struggle.  This struggle isn't anything you can't overcome -- but it does remind us that some things don't come easy ... we have to really work at it if we want it.





There's a great line in the movie "A Game of Their Own" -- Tom Hanks's character Jimmie Dugan says to Dottie Hinson who mentions the game just got  "too hard" ... "It's supposed to be hard! If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great!

If we're willing to put in that type of work -- and if we keep our minds on the payoff, we'll enjoy most of our time sitting on the top of the Wheel of Fortune!

That's it till next week!  Hope you have a great weekend!

Woodsong

Measure Yourself

Hi -- Happy Daylight Savings Time!

I have to confess -- the only good thing I see about Daylight Savings Time is that now the clock in my car is correct again instead of being one hour off. 

I know the argument about "we'll have more daylight in the afternoon", but the truth is that the days get longer this part of the year anyway; we're going to have more daylight in the evenings naturally.  I don't mind daylight in the early evening; I don't like daylight at 9:00pm.

Oh well, turning rant off.  Hope you had a great weekend (although one hour shorter!).  I had a wonderful Saturday up at Sherwood Forest; had a lot of rain Sunday so I took the day off -- didn't want to risk the drive in the bad weather.

On to our reading ...

Our first card -- 10 of Wands

The 10 of Wands reminds us about hard work -- really putting in an effort to do a job well.  It may be tiring ... but it's also rewarding.  Because of that rewarding feeling, we're ready to tackle the next hard task.  Hard tasks don't daunt us -- because we know that's how we measure ourselves ... by our effectiveness at achieving goals.

The next card is one of the more perplexing cards in the deck -- the Six of Pentacles.

This card is puzzling because it has two totally different meanings at the same time.

Consider -- this card shows a fortunate person sharing his bounty with others.  Sounds like a nice thing to do, right?

The puzzling part comes in when you consider what recipients of this sharing are thinking -- are they happy?  Are they grateful?  Are they jealous?  Are they resentful?  Do they feel anger to the fortunate person? Do they feel it's unfair?  (this can get political really fast, so I'm going to quit now before I get into trouble!)

The story I get with these two cards is that even though you may put in a strong effort to achieve a goal, others may not be appreciative of your work.  They may not feel you worked hard enough -- or that you deserve the reward for achieving that goal.

The important thing to remember is that you can only measure yourself by your own expectations and standards -- not those of others.  If you know you've put in an honest effort and have rightfully earned rewards, then it doesn't really matter what other people may think.  Judge yourself by your own standards -- not those of others.

Have a great week!

Woodsong

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Take the Wheel!

Hello all!

Hope you had a great weekend!  I wish we had a day between the weekend and the workweek to rest up.  I know that's what you're supposed to do on the weekend, but it rarely seems to end up that way.

Spent the weekend at Sherwood Forest again -- it was freezy-breezy cold (also known as "frigorific" in Romanian) Saturday morning, but warmed up pleasantly as the day went on.

Didn't really have a chance to do anything neat -- just a busy weekend.  Got back in time Sunday night to watch the Rockets play Dallas and catch The Walking Dead.  I've read all The Walking Dead comics, so I kind of know what's going to happen ... although they stray from the comics from time to time.

Let's jump into the reading, shall we?

Our first card is:  Two of Swords

This card suggests facing difficult choices.  Whenever we face a tough choice, we usually stall -- we put off making the choice.  Quite often, this means events take over and the choice gets made for us.  Not always the best thing to happen!  It's usually best to take control and actively guide our own path.

Our second card reinforces this:  Six of Swords

This card can suggest a change ... and the way we may feel in the midst of that change.  When we put these two cards together, we have the suggestion that if change is inevitable, then we're better off being proactive and steering it ourselves.

If you're going to end up in the swimming pool anyway, is it better to be pushed in when you're not expecting it ... or getting ready and jumping in?

Once you've made the choice to act, the game's not over.  You now have to take an active hand and MAKE your choice the right one.  Again, don't let events take control -- take control of events instead!

Until later -- and have a great week!

Woodsong

Yep, You're Right!

Hi there!

Hope your week has gone well -- we've had wonderful weather here in Houston all week.  Looking forward to a clear (but cold -- well, at least cold for Houston) weekend.

Getting ready for another weekend at the Sherwood Forest Renaissance Faire.  This weekend will be the mid-point.  Attendance has been very nice so far for the faire as a whole -- although our area has suffered some.

We're at the top of a "circle" of booths.  One food merchant near the top added a bunch of picnic tables in front of his booth this year.  What now happens is that the people who used to "walk the circle" now see the picnic tables as a roadblock and detour around them.  This leaves a void or "dead space" for the three merchants at the top of the circle.

We've all complained to the faire management, but nothing's come of it.  I think we'll probably relocate for next year.

Oh well, enough of my tribulations -- let's get on to the reading!

We'll pull two cards -- the first will be some message, the second will help explain this message.

Our first card is:  The Queen of Swords:

I really like this card.  You're never going to put one past the Queen of Swords -- she's heard all the "dog ate my homework" stories and can see past excuses to find the truth.  The key message of the Queen of Swords is to trust your first impressions -- these are based on your past experience and are most likely going to be your most accurate reads.

Sometimes we don't trust ourselves, though.  We second-guess ourselves.  Ever been in a situation where you said "Oh, I KNEW that was going to happen -- I should have allowed for it!"   That's what happens when you ignore the Queen of Swords.

How can we best recognize the benefit of the Queen of Swords -- our next card gives us some tips -- The Sun.

The Sun suggests seeing things clearly.  Combined with this Queen, it's telling us to consider that our first impressions are likely to be correct.  So -- don't let yourself be talked into something you don't truly believe in!  Your own experience and  impressions are most likely to be the correct call!

Hope you have a great weekend!  See you next time!

Woodsong