Kitchen Home News

The lucky folks receiving Six Ways are: Nichola Jason Lisa T. Thank you again for joining me this year - you've made my autumn extra glorious! ************************************ The kind of weather that only deep October brings moved into the valley last night, winds tearing leaves from the trees and sending them spinning in fiery-coloured tornadoes. It rained lightly, but more moisture is on its way. I'm looking worriedly at the Halloween forecast, but the last days of October are always a roll of the dice. And in the end, the truly devoted creatures are out haunting the streets on the 31st no matter the temperature. The month's completion brings us not only a parade of costumed revelers (and whatever celebrations we get up to ourselves) but for the past several years I've tucked my October festivities away with a final gift from my wonderful friend Aidan Wachter . Aidan is a talismanic artist, author, dirt sorcerer, and an all-around fantastic human being. He is in

Edited Oct 26/18 The following folks are taking home books: Earth Works - Heidi and Misty F. Italian Folk Magic - Shell The Enchanted Life - mxtodis ******************* The days of October slip by too briskly each year and I find myself caught in a whirlwind of activity, trying to eke out as many sweet and magical moments as I can before the month expires. I have been to a spooky corn maze, lingered by bonfires, perused fall markets, nibbled warm cinnamon-dusted doughnuts (purchased to keep my cold hands warm, as much as for the taste), and am still planning a selection of Halloween-themed jaunts as we race toward that bewitching evening. But I also understand that the enchantment doesn't end when October does. It lingers in our daily lives, in the wonder of nature and the seasons beyond our doors, through the tides of our years. It is in our stories, our family lore, our personal practices. It is in how we make a home and feed ourselves (and others). It flows through our gifts and

Edited October 21/18 The person welcoming home Jade is... RheaWhite! Do follow Polly in her assorted haunts on the web to see more of her divine art. As for me, I've had house guests, corn mazes, and too much autumn fun this weekend, and now I'm off to dream of popcorn balls and candy apples... You'll have to wait just a few hours longer for the next giveaway - it will be posted tomorrow morning (October 22nd)!  ******************************** Bring me all of your dreams,  You dreamer,  Bring me all your  Heart melodies  That I may wrap them  In a blue cloud-cloth  Away from the too-rough fingers  Of the world. The Dream Keeper, Langston Hughes This next giveaway is something very special, and one of my favourites for the past three years. The extraordinary  Polly Lind has created an enchanting creature for a very lucky someone to adopt. Polly is a  fabric artist living and practicing her art in New Zealand. She creates designs centered around folklore, nature, spiritual

Update October 16/18 The following folks are getting something lovely in their trick or treat bag: Ravenous - Issue I - cartermaryd Ravenous - Issue II - Debra N. Pam Wishbow pack - Melody S. Pam Wishbow pack - Noreen S. Trickster - NG Yay for you all! I'll send an email along to collect your mailing address. And the next giveaway begins now... ***************************** This month of revels was originally centered around books, and only books. Nonfiction tomes, primarily, which reflected my interests and some of the wandering directions of this blog (mostly herbalism, witchcraft, and folkore). While bound stacks of paper make my heart sing, traditional books are not the only published material to speak of those topics that spin my mind into whirlwinds of glee. There are a great number of graphic artists that tackle the mystery and otherworldliness of nature and the occult. This year I searched for wonder and wildness in unusual places, and I found it. Not just in my own woods a

October 11/18 The folks taking home herbals this month are: Liz D - Botanical Folktales  Mel - Southern Folk Medicine Sharon from October Tea Society - Blackthorn's Botanical Magic Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by to enter. If your name wasn't drawn this time, don't fret...the next giveaway is ready for you! **************************************** When I was around eight years old I went camping with my grandparents. It was the height of summer and I excitedly ran through an open grassy expanse of land that was dotted with red clover...and bees. I inadvertently stepped on one poor creature and it stung my foot. I limped back to the campsite, tears streaming down my face, and my grandfather attempted to get the stinger out, to no avail. My grandmother took one of the potatoes we were going to be having for dinner, cut it in half and placed it over the wound. Within minutes the sharp pain had lessened and the stinger came right out. That was the moment I discover

October 5/18 Thank you so much for the incredible response to this first giveaway! I wish I could pass something along to all of you (do swing back around this month and drop your name in the hat again) but I pulled four names from the official October cauldron, and the winners are: The Nomad Tarot - Jennifer from Sparrow Tree Journal Antique Anatomy Tarot - Anne D. The Magician candle - Conjured Cardea The Empress candle - Johanna I'll send a note off to you asap! And the next giveaway starts...now! ***************************** When I first picked up a tarot deck I was nervous. I grew up feeling as though I wasn't at all intelligent and that notion gave me pause when I looked at a stack of 78 images that had layers of meanings to commit to memory. I dove in, despite my concern, and I fell in love with the cards and never looked back. (I also learned that reading is much more than rote memorization, and traditional interpretations are just one part of a tarot practice.) Some r