Boreal Witch

Robinson and I have been married for seven years, which, in this day and age, a fairly long time. We are in an inter-faith relationship; I'm Wiccan, he's a Latter-Day Saint. (At this point you may be saying, "How the hell did that happen?!" That doesn't matter at the moment, and perhaps I'll explain it someday). I feel we've done an excellent job of incorporating both of our faiths in our home without preaching to each other and I have no doubt that we'll be able to raise our son to be a kind, moral person even if he doesn't feel the need to have a specific religion.

That being said, I feel the problem is not with us. It's the way we're viewed by the people at his church.

It's very frustrating to be constantly labeled a "bad"/"ignorant" person just because I do not believe the same thing they do...and I take it ten steps further by not even being a Christian!

I guess this blog came about because Robinson is part of his ward's Elder's Quorum and they are supposed to have meetings every Wednesday. For a while, the leader was busy with work, so his wife would call and tell him the meeting was canceled. Then...nothing. No calls.

I suppose it didn't help that Robinson hadn't gone to church in a while, but he discovered upon attending this last Sunday that the Elder's Quorum had been meeting quite regularly for the last few months...they just didn't bother to tell him.

They assumed that I had a problem with him attending.

I have to remind myself that not all members are like this; our very first Home Teacher in Fairbanks got to know us quite well and later commented that we had a better relationship than many of the Mormon families he knew. Because he had taken the time to visit us often, he got to know us. He could speak from experience.

These people can't.

They may claim that they teach us regularly, but we're lucky if our current Home Teachers come by once every six months. (And it isn't as though we ignore their calls. They just don't call.) It's not a big deal to me whether or not they actually come over to teach us - remember, I don't believe.

But, for Goddess sake, DO NOT assume that I am not supportive of my husband. DO NOT assume that the fact he doesn't go to church or attend your meetings is because I don't want him to. DO NOT blame me for your inability to keep your flock together. And finally, DO NOT judge me for being different. If there's one thing I really dislike, it's a hypocrite.

Blessed be.

I decided not to go out on Black Friday. It wasn't a political statement; I just didn't feel like going out. Instead, I went out Saturday morning and I loved how quiet everything was. Sure, I may not have gotten the deals that everyone was after on Friday, but I still managed to save enough.

Arthur and I also went to a Friends of Creamer's Field activity this afternoon and made birdfeeders out of recycled materials. They had all kinds of materials to make feeders out of: plastic jugs, milk cartons, pretzel containers, T.P. and paper towel rolls, toast, pine cones...you name it, they probably had it.

We, however, stuck to the simplest bird feeder one can possibly make: the T.P. roll.

Step One: Remove bits of paper off roll, if necessary. Poke two holes in the top and tie ribbon in a loop over the top.

Step Two: Smear peanut butter all over T.P. roll.

Step Three: Roll in bird seed of choice.

Done.

Arthur loves watching all of the chickadees from the kitchen window and makes it a point to remind us whenever we sit down to eat to check on the birds. He'll also remind us to feed them if he thinks the birdseed looks low. I think it's great that he's fostering a love of Nature at such an early age.

Blessed be.

This year, Thanksgiving was simply marvelous. I spent most of Wednesday getting the house cleaned and making most of the food for the next day. Arthur, as usual, was a big help cleaning, cooking, eating, and then un-cleaning. I think Arthur was pretty fascinated by the turkey as he helped Robinson and I put it together. He certainly liked dropping the veggies in the cavity and I think he would have been more than happy to sprinkle even more salt and pepper inside and outside the bird.

Would you believe that I have never, ever had to cook a turkey? Robinson and I have certainly eaten turkey on Thanksgivings past, but a friend had always made one as his contribution to the Thanksgiving potluck. He wouldn't be coming this year (he disowned us last year - a long story I won't bore you with) , so I was responsible for the centerpiece of the meal. No pressure, right?

I went online and looked up some tips on how to cook a turkey. Defrost in refrigerator? Check. Allow at least 4 hours cooking time for a 15-lb. turkey? Check. Stuff with onions, celery, and carrots for extra flavor? Check. Entire bottle of wine for basting sauce? Check. Baste often? Check.

The surprising thing was...well...it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. Basting the turkey every half hour was a bit of a pain, but totally worth it. The turkey turned out super moist and simply delicious.

Dinner was relaxed. We had four friends (and a dog) over. Arthur loved the sparkling apple cider and looked around for unguarded glasses to sip from. We stuffed ourselves full and ate dessert while playing Killer Bunnies. Everything really was perfect.

I am thankful to have such a loving family. I am thankful to have such wonderful friends. I am thankful to have a caring family. I am thankful I am blessed with good health and a happy disposition. I am also thankful that I really do have everything I could ever want or need.

Blessed be.

I looked out the window today and saw a rather strange imprint in the snow. At first, I couldn't quite place it, but a quick moment later, I finally realized what it was:

It appears that an owl tried to catch something (most likely a snowshoe hare) in our yard. The way the wingtips appear on the snow is simply breathtaking. This picture does not do it justice.

Blessed be.

Every year at Yule, Robinson and I come up with two things we'd like to do over the course of the year and then carve very, very non-descript images into our Yule log before we burn it. Usually we choose things that we'd like to improve about ourselves or our relationship with each other. In the spirit of trying to get things done with plenty of time to spare, I've been thinking about what my "Yule Resolutions" will be.

I've come up with one so far. I try to be fairly environmentally-minded, but it's hard in Alaska when your opportunities for activities such as recycling are so limited. Along these lines, I've decided to think of three things to do over the next year to be more environmentally-friendly. So far, I've come up with two.

First, I'm going to start making my own cleaning solutions (I haven't decided if this is going to extend to laundry soap, but I'm considering it). I have sensitive skin (and in the winter it becomes dry, sensitive skin) so I find that the harsh chemicals that are put into a lot of cleaners just irritate my skin. I've already come up with a great laminate cleaner: two parts vinegar, two parts water, and one part lemon juice. Mix well.

Second, I'm going to make my own menstrual pads. I should have done this years ago (but better late than never, huh?). I bought a set of GladRags years and years ago and plan to make my own using a design similar to theirs.

If we all do a little, it will make a huge difference in the end.

Blessed be.

I missed the first real snowfall of the season. Not that that's a bad thing, but I often have fantasies about twirling in the snow as if I'm 10 again. I don't tend to twirl while it's snowing much anymore, mostly because I have poor circulation and get cold (and stay cold) fairly easily.

Arthur and I were in Washington visiting family for about a week and a half. It was nice to get out, but it was nice to come back to a world of white. One of the things I really do like about Fairbanks in the winter.

Blessed be.