Stepping over a threshold.........

Ms. Baggs reporting:

I have been on a brief 9 week break from reporting. It's a wonder the folks around here don't take my little adventuring and reporting job away from me. I did get bit lost in the shuffle of life here and did get a little snippy about such.

It was the snippitty snit that let me to my serendipitous story of today. While having a good pout on I wandered the shelves, boxes and out of the way places of Casa de Cuckoo which is our headquarters. I had never realized that there were other being living here whom I had not had the pleasure of meeting. I dare say some more friendly than others. I also had never been aware that there were "doorways" in and out of most of the rooms. No, I certainly do not mean the ones used by the humans, of course there are doorways in and out of the living spaces of the humans. The ones I am speaking of are those which are used by the extraordinary "others" that inhabit this abode.

Let me preface my interview with just two of the beings by saying that I, Ms. Baggs am a true believer of all things fanciful, fantasy and phenomenal. Why wouldn't I be, after all how many wooden heads reporters are you familiar with in your day to day life? I am sure that is why I was allowed to view many different doorways and the occupants beyond. I also believe, after discussing my story idea with Oma Linda that her belief in the same are the reason why these beings are even here at the Casa de Cuckoo.

It was a lovely and timely meeting with Oliver the Gnome. As I was looking on the shelves of the newly arranged bookshelves in the living room/computer room, I noticed a gap between "Secrets of the Gnomes" and "Father Twilight". I wedged myself into the space and scooted down the width of the books and came out on the other side. There was a doorway and Oliver at the doorway. Tensch was just getting out of her sentry basket. She had been on guard duty and Oliver was calling her in for lunch and invited me to join them. Neither one of them seems too surprised by my arrival and Oliver beckoned me to follow them into the gnome hollow for a honey on nutbread sandwich and strong mint tea.

I did so but I was warned that no photos could be taken in the hollow because any photography would dissolve their reality and none of the over 50 gnomes who live in the hollow could find their way back home. So of course being a concerned citizen I did not step over the boundaries of decorum and left my camera outside the hollow.

Upon entry, there was a smallish rustic room with all manner of drying herbs hanging from nails along the rafters of the hollow. It was in fact, the hollow of a tree. We passed a young male gnome named Elkin as he went out to guard the door and entered a second room. This space was wider, taller and brighter. As I looked up, I could see the sky through the non roof. We must be at the center of the tree.

We sat at rough hewn tables on log benches and ate as we visited. This band of gnome, as they are called, have lived here for the last 76 years. They are mountain gnomes originally and have made a wonderful life here enjoying the benefits of being close to a fae loving family. Taking what they need to borrow from the humans, small snippet of this and that and leaving the commodity for which gnomes are known. Giggles. Yes, they leave giggles behind as payment for what they have used. Oliver explained that's the way it has always been and also let me in on some secrets as to how humans can lure a band to inhabit their homes and lives.

I will finish my article on the gnomes with a more in depth look into gnome life, so come back next time.

More Moon musings

Happy Sunday lovelies.


 The girls have gone to amusement park to spin and drop and get dizzy and hopefully not hurl. They have gone with some long time friends (another story for another day). And Ry and I are here enjoying the quiet. Believe it or not, he craves being an only child and so does his sister. So day's like this are perfection. Each gets their own time. As it should be in life. It isn't always possible to have your own way but in this case.......Martha says "it's a good thing".

Life is getting back to the managable lane of traffic. Have had so much lovely healing and helpful input, how could I not be getting better?

This last full moon has brought many discussions to light...pun intended. I have a non witchy friend who said to me that "the moon is always full, we just see it differently from our perspective". This friend's barbed comment was meant to let me know how silly she thought I was about our full moon fun. But that isn't how my "almost fully restored" thinker heard it. I heard "the goddess is alive and magick is afoot". And damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.

An author of one of the hoodoo and hexology books I am reading, wrote that we need not wait for the right phase of the moon or alignment of planets or stars but that our intention is the most important part of being a lunatic. Well what do you know???? I've been right all along. Being a lunatic isn't as stagnant and static as I had been lead to believe. I can be a full fledged lunatic anytime, because I am. Sorry, couldn't resist the temptation to wax on. This is just getting worse and worse. Laugh, these are the jokes here.

I don't know if any of you have been to or follow Penniwigs, if not you should. She has predictions about life and living and she has some wonderful design artist freebies as well as her great designs to purchase. Go check her out. She is sorta a bit of a sweetie cracked pot, like me. And so in honor of psychic notions, I will give you my prognostication. I feel a little like Forrest Gump at the moment so bear with me.

So my prediction is this........The turmoil, trouble, storm, whatever I was expecting is turning out to be sorta like the hurricane season. You know that there's a big blow out there off shore but most do not amount to a thing. They blow themselves out or peter out because they don't have all the right stuff to gather together to really do any significant harm. And I must say, in this clear point, the blow is just that. What's that saying about all sound and fury? And that is what I have to say about that.

Now on to another subject....this is the kids last week of summer program and so after this week, I will still be on the missing list most of the time. We have some really fun things planned for the last weeks of summer vacation. I will be taking them on some day trips to "history". Some places I haven't been to since I was Ry's age. I'm taking them to my grandparents house, to the ranch, to some pueblos, to where our ugliest and worst fire ever in NM is still not contained (we won't get too close) and to a lake to play.  Busy, busy times, hurrah for the kids and me.

Have a super week lovelies and Ms. Baggs will be back this Friday with her tales of her time off.

Now to the really cryptic part, so don't pay attention lovelies...alien nation, you are getting your due.

Happy Full Moon.............

Tonight, she draped herself with a white, blue and grey star strewn shawl. Counted 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and proclaimed that we had given her a proper welcome. Hail Moon.

Little ones to bed with the song still on their lips and in their hearts....."I see the moon and the moon sees me".

3 older ones to our magick.

Thank you Mother for listening to our work. Thank you Mother for listening to our hopes. Thank you Mother for making it possible to be who we are; strong, unafraid and ready.

Good night my lovelies, sweet full moon dreams.

And then the fog lifted...........

Putting one foot in front of the other and not falling over has been.....ummmm difficult at best. I am still in the throws of an episode of the evil dr porkchop of depression. One moment I'm fine and the next I am crying or screaming. That is a statement I started to type two days ago, before I asked for help.

Now today, I am still depressed and still am wobbly but much more in tune with the now. I'm still not up for a game of mental tag or let's go fight a dragon but with the help of some powerful magick, positive thoughts, good loving friends, I am focused outward not inward. I know from my past episodes that I am in the midst not on the outside edge of this mess.

I hate this beast. I am appalled that I can't as a grown woman just get on down the road when this happens. But as so many of you know, it just has to run it course and that is the name of that tune. Migraines with auras, fibro assault, joint dysfunction, light sensitivity, noise aversion and the ever present lethargy.

Joe told the grands today when he took them to summer recreation program that when Shelley was little I was a crazy fun person always causing trouble for the citizenry but that pain has taken that from me. Ry wanted to know why I was grumpy. Joe told him that I wasn't grumpy just not able to get around the pain long enough to be happy and fun.

Gerea is old enough to understand that I don't want to be this way. Ry is still trying to figure out how the cuckoo woman he enjoys messing with is playing hide and seek with him but not in a fun way. I take advantage of the good times to do important things like enjoying their company and making special moments with them. Because with this ugly beast, one day I'm here, the next.....not so much. Then Ry told Joe that maybe if I found the right doctor he could give me some happiness pills. Ones that would make my pain go away. Can you tell he is a child of this era?

I love my husband for trying to explain all this because he is a wise old ass er man....he said he'd talk to me and see if I would give in and go to the Dr. and see if I could get some non pain somethings. My dears......if only. I need a roadmap to find one. Anyone got a map?

Practically Magickal's featured artist for July

I would like to introduce you to Maddyrose of Santa and the Mrs. You may already know Maddy but you may find out some new information about her in this homage to all things Christmas in July.

She is a talented artist...a lovely person and is my fledgling blog Practically Magickal's  featured artist of July.

I invite you to take a peek.

Happy Anniversary Ms. Ellie Mae Scootles formerly of the Cibola County Scootles and now a member of Casa de Cuckoo

A year ago today we, the grands, Shelley and I got a call from a friend who is a big animal rescue person. She told us that she had come home from a family reunion in New York to find "the cutest little dog" wandering in her diesel truck repair shop. You know, big rigs, delivery vans, large vehicles. She said the dog had been there, she was told for 4 days just wandering around the greasy shop.

I had lost my dearest furbaby Willow in March and had said "no more dogs". My daugher had her dog Odin (the ghost and mr chicken imitator) and that was plenty......well not really but............

I still miss ya sweet girl

Now the lady who called and I had shared a friendship based on the fact that we both had multiple Saint Bernards and they had play dates and birthday parties and swim parties...we had a ball. So why was she bugging me about a little piece of dog? We'll because "this is the cutest little dog I've ever seen" mmmmkay and " I know your grandkids will just love her". So there ya go. I'm a sucker and we went to "SEE" the dog.

after the bath

There she was, covered in diesel grease, scared, looking for all the world like an ewok in distress.

Here she is with her bestie and frenemy Sunny Bunny Boo Boo Head

RyLeigh named her, GK and Shelley gave her a bath and I tried to keep my distance for all of 3 or 4 days. LMNOP, thats what I call her, is quite possibly the cutest dog I've ever seen, or been hugged by, or cleaned up after, or been owned by.

And it seems like she has been here 4ever. Happy Anniversary you silly dog......

Ms.Baggs has gone underground.......

Got a note this morning from our star reporter. The note read "got some very important personal business pending, will return soon".

Now she's got my curiousity peaked. As a wooden head....she may be afraid of the fires.

Well I'll do my best to report on her assignment this week.

As you may know, New Mexico has more simultaneous wildfires than at any other time in our history. What began with a small fire in neighboring Arizona has now claimed 600,000 acres of timberland there and has leaped across the border. We also had one at the border of Colorado and I25 was closed because of the fire at Raton pass.

There is one burning near Santa Fe near the ski basin and Bandelier National Monument in the north. The terrible Los Conchas fire near Los Alamos National Labs in Los Alamos is reburning the area that was burned 11 years ago and has now gobbled up over 90,000 acres of timber (udate this morning over 103,000 acres and it may reach the other fire in Santa Fe National Forest). To the south we have a fire near Socorro about 90 miles away, and one in the Sacramento mountains near Cloudcroft (further to the south). The fire in the Sacramento Mts. touches our family because we spent so many summers there at a camp. That camp has been threatened so many times by forest fire and every time is a heart wrenching time.

 There are more wildfires starting all the time what with the lightening strikes and our humidity hovering at around 4%.

I have commented on the air quality but I have not told you how it feels to see all of this happen and have no way of helping to stop the progress of the fires. The state of New Mexico has not placed a ban on fireworks and the counties cannot do so without state approval or some nonsense. So as much as I love the fireworks displays....I am hoping we won't have any because of the chance of more and closer fires. Walmart, Smith's (Kroeger) and Albertson's have voluntarily pulled all the fireworks from their shelves and that is a very good thing.

But this is going to be a very iffy 4th of July weekend. Because let's face, it there are those that just want to have fun, screw the public good and safety. Like the 14 year old boy arrested yesterday for purposefully starting a fire near the river here in ABQ with a pocket lighter. I really don't understand people.

It is very hard not to worry even if we aren't in harm's way at the moment.

On a happier note....Happy Canada Day to my friends up north and Happy 4th of July to those that live in the US. Let us all hope for peace and safety.