Deborah J. Martin's Blog, page 10
July 24, 2015
A Familiar’s Tale – Part V
[Amy sez: DJ has gathered Fudge’s story thus far into a box over on your right.]
Abou woke about an hour later and the man in charge, a physician I gathered, asked him in halting Egyptian if he spoke either the Roman language or Greek, to which Abou replied in the same halting voice, “Read both, yes. Speak each a little”. Abou had had enough contact with them to pick up a few words and phrases.
“My head hurts. Where am I and why have I been taken?” Abou continued.
In Egyptian, the physician c...
July 15, 2015
Herbs ARE Drugs
Last week in my webinar, I mentioned that herbs are drugs. In the Q&A session afterwards, someone asked me why I said that. The answer is quite easy. A quick Google search of the definition of “drug” brings up, “a medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body”. Doesn’t this succinctly sum up why we take herbs in a medicinal context? It also could be used to describe the food we eat!
But to go a little more in depth, plants/he...
July 2, 2015
A Familiar’s Tale – Part IV
Life was comfortable for the next two centuries. Abou continued to shine in his position as a librarian and his reputation as a mage grew, too. He was consulted by many, including the Pharaoh’s advisors, on subjects ranging from military matters to healing potions. The library held much information and Abou had ample opportunity to read most of it.
My position as Abou’s favorite pet was never questioned. Abou explained my unchanging presence by telling everyone that I was a descendant of “th...
June 26, 2015
A Familiar’s Tale – Part III
[Amy’s note: Sorry I haven’t had time to transcribe more of Fudge’s story. I’ve been really busy trying to save my boss’ butt – again. To refresh your memory, Part II is here.]
That evening, back in our quarters, I interrupted Abou’s study of a piece of papyrus by projecting a feeling of being wrapped, as they did their dead. Abou stopped reading and turned his attention to me.
“What are you trying to tell me, cat?” he asked.
I felt frustrated. If I could only tell him in the words he used!...
June 24, 2015
De-Stressing
Sometimes you can do little things to handle stress. Sometimes, it takes a BIG thing.
If you follow me anywhere, you know that I dealt with having a dog and recalcitrant cats in the house a couple of weeks ago. That situation came to an unfortunate end and I am still feeling sad about it.
I also mentioned on social media that the stress had gotten so bad that I had a herpes flare on my hands. That doesn’t happen unless I’m completely unable to handle a situation and hadn’t happened in well ov...
June 12, 2015
Locker’s Saga
This story has been posted piecemeal on my personal Facebook page so I thought I’d consolidate it all into one spot for people to see:
Once upon a time there was a purebred German Shepherd puppy. He was sold to my clients, a couple in their 80’s, by what I consider to be an unscrupulous breeder.
He’s been through training (twice) but the problem is that training was not reinforced at home. Nor was there any real routine or discipline. The man is frail and has mild dementia. The wife is also f...
June 3, 2015
Update from the Mountains
I’m going to be scarce for a few days. There is supervising to do:
Two years ago, 80+ year old clients got a German Shepherd. They never should have – they’re not equipped to give such a dog the routine and discipline it needs. Of course, things have gone to hell in a handbasket…they can’t control him and his aggression is coming to the forefront.
Enter DJ and her big mouth. I’ve known for several months they were going to have to get rid of him. Locker and I are buddies…each week he’d greet...
May 28, 2015
Herb Storage
We all need a place to put our herbs. Most of us put them in a cupboard in the kitchen so they’re handy for cooking. This is what most kitchen cupboards look like:
Image via Wikimedia Commons John Reid CCA-SA 3.0 All those plastic & glass bottles let in light which, in time, leaches out healthful compounds in herbs.
In school, we were taught to put our herbs in a canning jar, then put that jar into a brown paper bag, close it with a twist-tie and label.
This offends my neatness sensibil...
May 7, 2015
Garden Centerpiece
As many of you may know, my garden is a medicine wheel. Or just a wheel. After I downsized it last year, it’s 8 triangular beds with the interior paths being the “spokes” and the outer path the “tire”. I’ve long wanted a fountain at the hub but finding something I liked was an issue.
I love cast iron. There’s a lot of it in my house and not just in the kitchen. So, something cast iron would be good, right? Then, how to get the fountain part of the hub. A pump requires electricity and I wasn’t...
April 30, 2015
Money “Magic”
Money is on everyone’s mind. Well, probably most people’s minds. There are spells to win the lottery, spells to get a new job or a rise in pay at work, spells to lessen the amount of a bill … you get the idea.
A few months ago, someone mentioned on a forum (and I apologize but I can’t find the post) that in their culture, one shouldn’t keep one’s handbag on the floor. Then I found this article that basically says the same thing, “a purse on the floor is money out the door”. It’s a feng shui t...
