Welcome to my new blog series, "The Wild Honey Buzz" which I'm starting in the waxing light of the New Moon in Leo that occurred on the "Lion's Gate" on August 8. Since Leo loves the stage, I hope you enjoy these photos of Wild Honey on stage at the Sunflower Festival in Snohomish, WA in August of 2019.
The WHB (Wild Honey Buzz) will be a collection of random thoughts - whatever is on my mind at the time. I will attempt to post these on or around the New Moon of each month.
This month, I'm focused on wringing every last bit of fun and enjoyment out of the remaining precious days of summer as possible, This will be a challenge now that the wildfire smoke is blowing our way and many of my favorite activities are outdoor ones. It's especially difficult when the smoke is coupled with unusually high temperatures here in the Northwest as few of us have air conditioning! I am praying for all the people around the world who are currently impacted by wildfires - in the U.S., Greece, Siberia, France, Turkey, Italy and elsewhere.
Here are some things on my late summer to-do list:
* Continue to be in, on, or around water (I swim every day in the pool and take frequent walks by rivers, lakes and the Salish Sea and have enjoyed a few ferry rides).
* Pick wildflowers or greenery and make arrangements; also harvest flowers from my garden. I recently made and delivered an arrangement to a friend who is 101 years old!
*Already accomplished: picked wild blackberries and made a pie.
* Practice radical acceptance, gratitude, non-judgement and forgiveness.
* Sit in the shade and read my large stack of library books which include:
- "Yoke" by Jessamyn Stanley
- "100 Tricks Every Boy Can Do: How My Brother Disappeared" by Kim Stafford
- "Thin Places: Essays from In Between" by Jordan Kisner
- "Gardenland: Nature, Fantasy, and Everyday Practice" by Jennifer Wren Atkinson
- "Give a Girl Chaos" (Poems) by Heidi Seaborn
- "The Flag of Childhood: Poems from the Middle East" (anthology selected by
Naomi Shihab Nye)
- "Faithful and Virtuous Night" by Louise Gluck (Poems)
- "An American Sunrise: Poems" by Joy Harjo
* Practice the art of doing nothing. "Do less and attract more."
* Make birthday cards for my Leo and Virgo friends and family and mail them
* Attend a baseball game - Go Mariners!
* Attend a family reunion - San Francisco, here I come!
* Study the night sky....look for meteors, bats, planets and UAP's (Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (aka: UFO's)
* Share one of my poems during an open mic on zoom
* Finish revising the remaining 6 poems in my manuscript and submit it to my writing coach for critique
* Take a walk every day and vary the route
* Visit the state fair
* Attend the sunflower festival and bring home a large bouquet
* Pray without ceasing, realizing that many things constitute prayer
* Go barefoot as much as possible
* Choose my favorite dance tune from my summer playlist
* Pay my respects at a Memorial service for my friend who passed away
* Attend a worship service
* Have a picnic in the botanical garden with my friend to celebrate her 90th birthday!
* Rake all of the needles that have fallen from the big cedar trees in my yard due to the dry conditions we've had this summer. Hug them and every tree in my yard!
Okay, wow, this is an ambitious list and if I get adequate rest and practice sessions in doing nothing, I'm not likely to do everything on it, but it was fun to write.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
How are you doing? Have you found time to have a little fun this summer? What's on your list? How do you feel about summer? Please let me know in the comments.
Gosh, I LOVE summer, and am wishing you many delights as it continues.