Sunday, May 1, 2022

Ebb & Flow: April 2022

 The highs and lows of the month.


Perfume:

Serge Lutens Fleur d'Oranger


Perfume Oil:

Arcana Wildcraft Quick Bright Things

Nocturne Alchemy White Amber Beetle


Candle:

Bath & Body Works Rainforest Gardenia


Wax:

The Bathing Garden Sleepy (pink peppermint)


Incense:

MerMade Magical Arts Japanese incense (New Moon)


Soap:

Black Magic Soap in Rootbeer


Scrub:

Paintbox Soapworks sugar scrub in Illuminated Dick Joke


Deodorant:

Felin Lune Apothecary Deodorant Paste in Garden Hippy (I have had trouble getting my hands on Wildroots sensitive formula and this one from Felin Lune is AMAZING! I will blog about it soon).


Skin Care:

Blood Moon Botanica Moon Dew mixed with Forest & Fjord Deep Forest Serum


Lotion:

Future Primitive Campfire Marshmallow Luxury Body Cream


Reading:

A translation of an epic poem called Gudrun by a deceased Jewess author who disappeared in the Minsk concentration camp named Alma Johanna Koenig. Beautiful story. 


Watching:

That cheesy show on Netflix about it being cake or not and wrapped up Seinfeld.


Listening:

Beach Boys Good Vibrations album


Awaiting:

The end of testing and the end of the school year! Ready for summer break just as much as the kiddos. 


Dreading:

Some health insurance issues have me dreading opening up bills and statements. Dreading having to fight all the insurance battles. Dreading the outcome. Dreading having to hire a lawyer.


Hit:

Life Flower Care CBD bug bite roll-on. It really works well for mosquito and ant bites. I have been getting eaten up by mosquitoes lately.


Miss:

Tidy Cats Lightweight litter. It sticks to my cat's paws and she drags it all around the house. Clumps in the couch. Scattered litter sand all over. Yuck. Heavy duty for us.


Low:

Insurance issues. Seeing Adam struggle with it too. Tax issues. But we will get through it.


High:

Knowing I will see my sister and her husband and baby (who isn't even a baby anymore!) very soon! Kind husband. Awesome daughters. Sweet cat. Adorable chickens. Copious amounts of flowers around me. All the high I need.


How was your April? Was the weather normal for you? As it warms up what are you looking forward to? What are you watching?

10 comments:

  1. Hi Julie! I'm sorry you are having to deal with insurance madness. The whole system is like a Kafka novel come to life :( April was a bit weird for me, after being so busy in March, this month was a lot of stop & go, poor communication and low energy. I did get to spend Easter with some dear friends whom I haven't seen since 2019, so that was nice. Also I have gotten back into tarot after about 15 years--there are so many more resources now and creative decks than there were before. It's been a lot of fun to dive in!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Kate! You are correct about that. The pain about it all is that I was admitted to the ER on December 31st which ended our Aetna, and on 1/1 Blue Cross Blue Shield kicked in. I stayed until January 3rd in the hospital but neither insurance company wants to cover it, leaving us with an astronomical bill even though there was no lapse of coverage. It sucks. But we won't give up. April was tough. I found myself getting frustrated and angry from time to time. I love that you got to see friends on Easter! Three years is a long time! I bet it was a joyful reunion. I dabbled in tarot teeny tiny bits here and there but in 2020 I read my cards every month and sometimes on the full moon or new moon. It was fun and eye opening. I still try and keep the same monthly pattern but sometimes I fall off. I am very much a neophyte at it but like you said, the resources are awesome! I read a couple of books and I love Biddy Tarot but I am also thinking of making my own little grimoire of meanings by card. I am also SLOWLY reading Meditations on the Tarot (Christian Hermeticism) and it is really neat to pair with it. Are you finding it helpful? The card decks are insanely cool! I have the traditional Rider Waite but also Oak, Ash, and Thorn and the Dark Woods and a few others. But believe it or not, several years ago I got a mini Pagan Cats deck from Witch Baby Soaps in a bath box and that is the deck I use the most. It is fun and easy to handle. What do you use? Any recs for good books or resources?

      Delete
    2. Oh my gosh, that sounds like a perfect nightmare! Hopefully it won't get to the lawyer stage. Journaling your card draws is really helpful. I have been using the Golden Thread app to do a daily single card draw but may switch over to Labrynthos by the same creator soon as it has more features. The most helpful beginner resources I've found in addition to Biddy are Kitchen Table Tarot by Melissa Cynova and Mystic Rainn's basic card overviews on YT. Back in the day I tried reading Mary K Greer's and Rachel Pollack's books and was so overwhelmed! There are also a few good podcasts, like Tarot Bytes and Root Lock Radio. I also like Wildly Tarot but the hosts can get a little overexcited :D Wicked Moonlight on YouTube does good deck unboxings and reviews. I still have the Halloween Tarot and Morgan Greer decks I bought way back when, but also got a mini Rider Waite Smith to help learn and just backed a vintage postcard deck on Kickstarter. It was listening to Sarah Faith Gottesdiener's Moonbeaming podcast that actually got me thinking about tarot again. She has terrific insights.

      Delete
    3. My goodness, Kate!!! Thank you so much for all the resources! You weren't kidding! I am writing these down and adding the podcasts to my list. I only really listen to Invoking Witchcraft with Britton and Jay (they are really funny and down to earth) plus I love that they offer workshops (which I have enjoyed). You are amazing! Thank you so very much.

      Delete
    4. YW! As you can tell, I went down some very deep rabbit holes :D Benebell Wen and Michelle Tea are also interesting but I am holding off on getting their books for now because there's just too much to wade through.

      Delete
  2. I really hope your insurance woes work out the best, in your favor. Insurance companies are such crap. I'm sorry you have to deal with that.
    I can't wait to hear about the new deodorant in your life! My pits have been sorely missing Wildroots sensitive formula, as well.
    My 5 year old son has been watching a bit of that cake or not show, too. He really likes it. Lol I was surprised to see him watching it by himself.
    I'll have to look into that bug bite roller, cuz mosquitoes eat me alive every Summer.
    My April was ok. I'm doing better things for my mental health. I enjoyed a nice birthday. The weather here is still unseasonably too cold here, so that's really lame. We are seeing new buds, new growth beginning outside, so that's at least a sign of Spring.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. It really is a nightmare. I miss Wildroots too! I used to alternate between the charcoal and sensitive. If I use the charcoal everyday it becomes irritating, but I do love it for when I need something stronger. I will try and get a post up about the new stuff soon. I have been wearing it for about two weeks now so that is just about long enough for testing.

      It is so hokey and kooky but really grabbed the girls and me. I can see why your little likes it. :-) It is fun to guess.

      Please do! It really does help me to not itch and get some sleep after getting eaten alive by mosquitoes!

      I am glad you are taking care of yourself. <3 And happy to hear you had a nice birthday!!! New buds and growth are so alluring. Hopefully they will continue to flourish. Thinking of you and wishing you all the very best!

      Delete
  3. I am going to try to make a point of grounding more outside when the weather is finally warmer.
    I haven't been watching too much, but my husband and I watched the newest Batman movie, The Batman, the other week as well as the newer remake Nightmare Alley film.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Doing more grounding is a goal for me as well. I've even considered getting a grounding blanket since I'm in an apartment, but bare feet outside is beneficial in so many ways.

      Delete
    2. Absolutely!!! I am a huge barefoot outdoor wanderer. Any time I am in the yard or gardening I am barefoot. I want to try sitting and lying down more often. Get out there! get your vitamin D! I love the Batman franchise. Reminds me of my childhood. Michael Keaton will always be my favorite though.

      I have never heard of a grounding blanket. How cool!!! That sounds wonderful. SO do weighted blankets. I might need to to look into one of those. We have one in the classroom for the kiddos who need it and it is really calming.

      Delete