Spring is coming fast.

I think Spring will arrive early this year.  All signs point to it.  The birds are out and about chirping and singing, my Spring bulbs are poking their leafs out, in fact the Daffodils are growing rapidly.  The trees seem to be awakening and stirring their branches with anticipation.  You can feel it in the air.  Momma Dove has been telling me every morning to get up that it's time to move about and get things ready for the renewal of the earth.

Yes, every morning Momma Dove has made it a point to come to the window and wake hubby and I up.  Wake up sleepy heads she cries until hubby gets up.  She waits a bit to see if I am stirring, but since I can sleep through thunderstorms, she had a harder time getting me up.  Peck, peck on the window is alternated with cries that it is time to get up.  Finally she wakes me.  I stumble to the window, and say, Momma Dove why are you waking me up!  Spring is coming she replies.  Time to get up and get things done.  You won't accomplish anything if you stay in bed.  At this point I know I might as well get up.  I stumble down the stairs still half asleep.  While I go into the bathroom, hubby grabs me a cup of coffee.  Momma Dove got you up huh? he asks. 

But it's not only Momma Dove telling me, I can feel it in my bones.  My fingers are itching to go on a cleaning spree, something I plan on just as soon as I finish with the E book of the Trees.  I am in the mood to scrub, and vacuum, and go through stuff and organize. 

Mem and Bit and Storm feel it too.  Storm wants out, all day thank you.  He wants to investigate, and watch the birds, and talk to the Squirrel in the Pine tree.  Mem and Bit want to gaze out the window, and watch the birds.  Mem makes a chattering sound every time he sees a bird and he will run room to room to watch them out the different windows.  Bit lies in front of the window gazing out on them.

Hubby can feel it, he has been out raking the leaves off of the rosebushes, and trimming here and there.

Take it from the Garden Crone, Spring will be here soon!!

The Penis tree, or what is the Massa Marittima mural?

So in my new book, under the lore of the Walnut tree, I bring up the Massa Marittima, or as it is known in the Tuscan City of Massa Marittima, "L'Albero della Fecondita" (The Tree of Fecundity).  What you ask is that?  Basically it is a mural, a fresco actually of a tree, a tree that has penises complete with testicles, hanging from it.  There are birds flying around, and women underneath the tree.  

Now, Massa Marittima is a city that is in the Tuscan region.  Way back in the Middle Ages, Italy was comprised of a bunch of city states, and Massa Marittima was one.  Back in those days everyone was trying to be the big boss, so you would have the head honcho of one city attacking another so that he could gain control of it.  Of course at the same time you had fighting going on between European powers even in Italy, each trying to gain control of the region.  So any city that had a source of water that was inside the city had a plus if they were under siege. So in 1265 the city completed the  Fonti dell'Abbondanza - the Fountains of Abundance - in the center of the city.  At some point after that the fresco was painted on the walls surrounding the fountain, some believe around 1275.  Regardless this fresco, or mural has caused endless debate.  Is it political?  Is it about witches?  Just what does it mean?

Now, some researches believe that over the years other images were added to the fresco.  Then at some point it was completely covered up.  In August of 2000 restoration was in swing on the fountain, when this mural came to life.  Since then some of accused the restorers and others of deliberately obscuring parts of the fresco along with of course all the debate on what it symbolizes.

When I look at the mural, and study it, it appears to me that the leaves resemble Walnut leaves, and the fruit on the tree that isn't penises looks to me like walnuts. Now I know that the Italian Witches considered the Walnut tree an important part of their path.  I also know that the Walnut tree is considered a malevolent tree associated with the Goddess in her darker aspects.  I also know that blackbirds, crows, and ravens are associated with the Goddess in her dark aspects.  Now the Walnut tree had a number of magical powers, and one of them was the ability to give a woman control over her desire to bear children.  In other words a form of magical birth control.  Back in those days that was a biggie for women, and a big NO NO by the Catholic Church.  To top it off, the Walnut tree could be used to control not only a man's fertility, but his ability to ah, rise to the occasion.  In other words, cause him impotency.  Another big NO NO!!  Women, who were already considered evil creatures by the Medieval Church, and long considered tools of Satan, blatantly doing their Pagan worship under an evil tree!!  And taking control of their bodies, and causing men to be infertile and impotent!  OH NO!!  Plus there were stories that Witches would take an effigy of a man's penis and hide it in a bird's nest, or tie it on a tree to cause them issues.  OH MY!!  

So to me, and this is my opinion, the fresco was originally about Witches.  And it showed them hanging the effigies of penises on a Walnut tree.  It even looks like one woman is trying to hide hers behind her back, one looks like she is trying to either hook a branch to bring it lower, or to nab an effigy off of the tree.  There are two women who look like they are fighting over a penis that they are either putting in a container, or taking it out of.  I think that the Eagle was added at some point later, perhaps to make a political statement.  What better way to get the message out then to make it appear that your rival is involved with dark dealings with witches.

Regardless, it is most assuredly an interesting mural.  

A summer day in the middle of winter.

The weather all over the place has been acting wonky.  Hot, cold, snow, rain, and ice, and often within a day of each other.  But today in the middle of February it was 82 degrees.  That's right, summer weather.  The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and plants were popping up all over the place.  I found 2 crocus in bloom, in 2 different spots in the yard.  One was in the front yard, and I did not plant it there for a fact.  The other one was in the side yard between me and the neighbors yard.  Both of them were a bright yellow. 

Mem wanted out on the porch to watch the birds.  He actually let me walk him around the yard on Storm's old leash.  I had to laugh because he was trying to act like Storm.  Ever see a cat do that famous German Shepherd pose?  No?  Well I have, and I must say Mem has it down pat.  He pranced and danced all over the place, going to all the spots Storm goes to and nib noses at whats going on all over our little village.  Mem would peer around, and strike that pose.  Mem thinks he is a new breed, the Tonky/Siamese German Shepherd cat.  Since kittenhood he bonded with Storm, and he thinks he can do and act like Storm, but he also thinks that if Storm can't do something that he can't either.

Storm was outside on his run line most of the day.  I would ask him if he was ready to come in, and he would give me a look that clearly said he was enjoying the beautiful day outside and for me to go away.  He got to see his blackbirds, they came down and chatted with him.  So he was perfectly happy and enjoying the beautiful day.

I alternated between working on the book, and doing some housework, and going outside.  I heard Momma Dove cooing in the trees, and said Momma Dove how are you?  Come visit when you have time.  A little later I was working on the book again, when I heard a cooing Dove that sounded very close.  I thought to myself that it sounded like Momma Dove, and I turned and there she was!!  Sitting on the air conditioner looking in the window and talking to me.  We chatted for a few and she flew off to do her thing.  I was so happy to see her!!  I told her that she could make her nest on the step ladder again if she wanted to, as hubby placed it on the porch for just that reason.  Hey we decided if she does and we need a step ladder we can borrow the neighbors!!

All in all Spring is peeping around the corner I think and will be here soon.  I can't wait!!

I need a massage!!

I am down to the last 15 trees in the new book.  Thank the Goddess!  Then I need to do the final words.  Then I have to put the page breaks in, sighs.  Next I will need to read it, and edit it (Oh I miss Mark!!)

I need a massage!  My neck hurts, my shoulders ache and my hands are tired.  I have been reading 50 some years worth of notes!!  Then making notes again, then typing the notes into something that makes sense, no wonder I have a headache!  I read, write and type off and on all day and evening, then I take a nice hot bath and drink a cup of tea, or two.  I listen to Storm the German Shepherd complain that he wants me to play, the cats, Bit and Mem are complaining that they need noms and pettings!  Then I hit my hubby up for a back massage!!


So hopefully I will finish the typing tomorrow!  I hope so!  Where are the brownies at when you need them?  I would certainly let them help type!!   When I get this book done I am going on a cleaning spree!!  That always makes me feel better, and I am sure the house needs a good sprucing up at this point. 

I did make peanut butter fudge the other night, hubby was crying that he needed a sugar rush.  Making the fudge, my hand which was already tired from typing gave out.  There I stood stirring and yelling for my husband to come stir.  Finally I told Storm and the cats to go get Dad.  By the time he figured out that they wanted him to come to Mom, I had the darn stuff done.  My fingers were cramping something terrible!  So I think it's gonna be a while before I make anymore fudge.

Anyways I am off for a nice bath, with bubbles, and a nice cup of Chamomile tea!