Magic Mentha's Potent Dose of Tarot

Bag and Be Back Later, Babies

2012-02-24T07:21:00.003-07:00

Here is a card I've gotten a few times recently. Not quite sure what it's referring to yet, but I have been in career/creative venture brainstorming mode, but not really in a focused way. I feel so tired and burnt out, even though I haven't done anything much (except for the house stuff, which is admittedly tiring). I liked Rae's comment recently about the bags possibly being very literal--packing things up in bags and boxes, which is precisely what we'll be doing over the next few weeks. Hopefully gradually because doing it all on one day would be somewhat suicidal! I plan to gather up my bags, boxes and whatever energy I have and try to tackle the trashing, recycling, packing, sorting, donating and storing.

Again I am going to take a brief break from blogging and be back Monday.

I wish you all a lovely weekend.

Much Love,
MM

More Indications of Impending Career Changes

2012-02-23T11:41:00.002-07:00

Using the 'Career' astral house card I pulled these cards: Cracked Cup, Beetle, Bag

I decided to do an astral house reading with regards to career prospects. Here's what I got:

Cracked Cup: Dissatisfaction with life.

Beetle: Good fortune

Bag: Something important like a new job or raise.

To me, these cards seemed pretty easy to interpret. The 'Cracked Cup' card indicates the blah feeling I have about my current (lack of) career goals. I'm dissatisfied with that aspect of my life. Very true! Hence the reading.

The second card is more generic, but it bodes well: Beetle=Good fortune. I can't argue with that!

The final card is a nice confirmation, and very specific: Bag=Something important like a new job or raise. I feel like this brings the topic to the forefront of my life. Again, I feel this is likely to be more of a focus in the next month or two, as I'm still trying to focus most of my energy on wrapping up the house business...in less than a month!

Love,
MM

Today's Card Focus: Broom

2012-02-23T10:21:00.001-07:00

Broom: New home, new attitude.

I pulled this as a card focus for today. This reminded me to keep my focus, for now through the next month, on getting this house stuff wrapped up before I disperse my limited energy reserves in too many directions. We still have to do lots of sorting, donating, packing, storing and other nitty-gritty detail things (plus the move itself) and navigate my daughter's feelings about the move, etc.

Love,
MM

More Information on the Money Path Message

2012-02-23T09:20:00.001-07:00

I'm a fan of follow-up cards. Many times it isn't necessary but if a general message comes through, sometimes it's hard to resist asking for a bit more information. When Rae commented on my post mentioning the money path card and its possible interpretations, I started to think I wanted to see what else might come up in conjunction with this card.

In order to keep things simple (stupid), I decided to pull a single card. The card I received was the 'Sunrise' card, which is a lovely card, indeed! This card relates to a new start, fresh ideas, new ventures. This immediately brought to mind some sort of creative venture. Well, duh. I mean...it says on the card, 'New creative ideas'...as an artist who is always seeking artistic ventures and outlets, this definitely makes sense to me.

Unfortunately, I've found the past year or two difficult in terms of accessing my creativity. With my daughter's health issues I focused all my creative energy on finding means to get her healthy. Now that she's doing significantly better I find myself feeling lost, drained and unfocused, particularly in terms of my creative outlets or personal goals. This is something I've posted on a number of times so I won't go on about it.

Anyway. This is just a confirmation of those thoughts, and maybe a signal that a time of focusing again on creative outlets may be forthcoming. The only thing I have slated to do creatively is a thank you present in the form of a portrait for my realtor. Her father died last fall and I wanted to give her a personal and heartfelt thank you. It's been a while since I've painted a portrait (though I've painted many and it's one of my favorite subjects) and to be honest I don't feel like it. At all. But I think subconsciously (or not so subconsciously) part of the reason for offering to do this for my realtor had to do with the knowledge that I needed to start somewhere art-wise. It's getting to the point where I no longer feel I can identify myself as an artist. I think I want to find out more about that.

Hopefully I'll have some personal revelations during this process.

Love,
MM

Wordless Wednesday: Positive Projections

2012-02-22T20:57:00.001-07:00

More Good Crap for Y'all

2012-02-21T12:18:00.004-07:00

Here is today's two card draw. I like two card draws with this deck. Why? I don't know. They just look good visually, they're not too complicated to read, and it's slightly more appealing than a single card draw. So...yes. That's my reasoning.

So what wish is being granted? Money, money, money?! Or is it something more specific than that...say a specific item? Not that money isn't specific, but still. I had a pleasant morning, despite being a little moody and PMSy, complete with back ache and cramps.

I took the opportunity to briefly go on a break before my husband left for work. He had to stay for the electrical re-wiring of the dishwasher (an item we had to take care of for the new occupants) and so I went out and dinked around, had a little something to eat, and got a giant Buddha head to decorate our new mantle/living room shelves.

Anyway. Things are going well. All in all things are falling into place and nothing too painful is happening, despite having to pack and move all our stuff in less than a month and all the normal chaos inherent in that action.

Repeat card note: I've seen both of these cards a few times in the past week. Not a bad duo to see, I'd say!

I definitely feel abundantly blessed and I'll try not to be suspicious of it.

Much Love,
MM

A Technology Tinged Tea Leaf Reading

2012-02-20T15:48:00.004-07:00

I pulled these cards regarding technology I'm pondering getting. My phone and computer are both older. Particularly my computer. It is running rather slow. It is still working alright, but it's just kind of a pain to use at times, and I use it a lot for photo editing and the like. Even after backing up then wiping all the photos (and there were a TON, taking up a lot of memory) my computer has not improved performance. I installed a new operating system, yadda, yadda. Not working.

My husband offered to purchase me a computer. He was very sweet and said I deserved it--but I wonder if it's a good idea financially, considering our upcoming house purchase. Same thing with the phone. I'm due for an upgrade, but the added expense of a data plan would not be too welcome.

So I'm trying to figure it out. This reading seems positive, and shows the influx of money coming in--maybe to mitigate the expense. So I may make this a sort of 'wait and see' thing. Especially with Mercury Retrograde coming soon...

Love,

Material Things: You're Doing OK...

2012-02-20T10:00:00.001-07:00

...but don't let materialism rule you.

This is absolutely true.

Note: this is a long, rather boring ramble about my qualms with traveling and such. You can skip down to the lettering in orange if you are sick of this ramble. Lol!

Financially, despite the fact that we've had a lot of expenses lately, including the huge expense of buying a house (!) we are doing better financially than we have in a long time. Why is this? I have no idea. I think it's because, following my daughter's seizure scare, we poured so much money into finding solutions to her issues, including extensive testing, expensive supplements, and special diets. And although many (most) of these things are still in place, the initial cost of the testing and materials is gone and it's just a month to month juggling of figuring out when/how to buy things.

I'm incredibly lucky in that, like the rest of my family, I have a generous benefactor of a grandparent who gives us money every holiday season. Because of this money, we often struggle less than a lot of our peers of the same age (unless they have really high paying jobs) and we know that we are very spoiled in this sense. Despite my parenting challenges with my daughter's health and whatever personal issues I might have, I am very grateful for the financial family support that we all receive.

But...it's interesting because even with that help, we often have more expenses than we do money. I think everyone can relate to this at one point or another. Several years in a row we had a lot of hospital expenses. Some of them were for me...with silly surgeries like gall bladder and appendix. Other times it was dental work under anesthesia for my daughter, since she was beyond freaked out by the dentist and wouldn't accept work in the dental chair. This latter item cost a few thousand dollars (gulp). Anyway. This, combined with expensive travel to see family, since most of our family lives out of state, made finances quite tight on an ongoing basis.

Realizing how expensive all the organic, allergen-friendly food, supplements, monthly medication expenses and other things were, we started to realize we couldn't do the trips and other extra things. It's been a few years since we've gone on any sort of a trip. The last time we tried (last May) my daughter freaked out so badly about being there (to the point of frequent meltdowns and sensory overload) that we had to leave the next day. Thankfully we got the money back from the hotel for that second night, but now I'm spooked from traveling!

Still, a lot has happened in the almost-year since that trip, and even though this year is probably out already due to a lack of vacation days on my husband's part and a lack of extra money after buying the house, I'm hoping we can travel sometime next year. We probably have to pick one destination, and find the best prices for flights, etc, but I think we may be able to do it.

I admit that I'm rambling about this. I'm sad that I won't be visiting with my family with my parents, siblings and grandmother on their trip next month. The trip ironically falls on my birthday. My siblings are flying in either the day of or the day before my birthday, and staying a few days. Mostly I am sad I won't see my grandmother, whose memory is gradually failing. I hope that I can see her before too much more of it goes. My husband has a three day meeting falling on my birthday this year. Not my favorite thing in the world, but if we doesn't go to it now, he'll have to travel out of town to do it and will be gone 3-4 days. So I'd rather he do it locally so I am not stuck alone with my daughter for several days.

Hah! I am obviously obsessed with the whole traveling thing. I have such a love/hate relationship with travel. I really miss traveling. I want to travel. I often feel hemmed in and depressed because I feel limited in what I can do before my daughter gets overstimulated, and also before I lose my cool. I don't find it particularly fun to travel with a hyperactive daughter with some mood issues and a host of special dietary requirements. It sort of takes the fun out of things. Most of the time. I explained to my parents how I envied my siblings since they don't have children and don't have to worry about these things. But soon enough I'm sure they will. Not that it matters...I guess I was indulging in self pity.

BACK TO THE CARD!!

This card warns that, although you're doing well financially, you need to not RELY on material things to make you feel good. It's too easy of a trap. Boy, howdy! They definitely nailed it with that. Even though I don't want to, I often fall into this trap. Feeling down? Get some fancy soap, a tarot deck, expensive snack or pair of earrings. Of course, in the end, it's not really worth it (usually) but sometimes it's fun to indulge in superfluous items, so long as it's done with enjoyment and an awareness that it's not the 'end all' of life (also that it doesn't interfere with your financial well being), and that the best things come from warm connections with family, friends and ourselves.

I am going to try to find non-material ways to enjoy life today. Something that I know would be helpful and probably would make me feel better would be to sort through items in my house to donate. Although we donated quite a bit last fall, there are still several items I want to sort through. By donating them, we're giving them a second life with someone else who probably needs them more and who can get them for a really cheap price. That's what I love about donating!

Having enough for yourself means that you can share in various ways, whether donating as I mentioned above, or old-fashioned gifting. I have to be careful of this because sometimes I go overboard, but recently I found a couple charities which I donated a small amount to each one. It made me feel good to donate to things like the local humane society, or to a family whose father died and they started a fund for the daughter so she'll have money for things she needs, etc. One of my favorite things to do is send a small gift to someone who seems depressed. I know how much a package in the mail or card can be cheering when you're feeling down.

Well, I've rambled for an inordinate amount of time, and my daughter has been interrupting me every thirty seconds so I think I'll end this post. I wish you all a wonderful day.

Love,
MM

Why I Feel Drained Reading: Bread and Bag. Broom and Moon...and Casket!

2012-02-19T19:54:00.001-07:00

Howdy, folks!

I found this pull interesting.

The topic was: why do I feel so darned drained?

And while I can rattle off a list of things, I wanted to see this through the perspective of the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards. The first couple of cards I received were 'Bag' and 'Broom'. This made sense to me. Something important is happening--in terms of moving onward and upward. The 'Broom' card means a literal new home, which is absolutely true (as you all know) so that definitely is a big source of stress with all the chaos surrounding that.

Now, the 'Bread' card (and, now that I mention it, the rest of the cards) seem to be very positive. So how is this a bad thing? The answer is that it may not be a 'bad' thing per se, but it is a draining thing. Change, even positive change, can be a drain, due to the sheer momentum of the thing. Of course...as I am looking at this card I see a second meaning, more literal than the first. Bread makes me think of carbs (literal bread) which I've had too many of in recent weeks. It reflects my desire to cut back and see the benefits both in energy, mood, weight and other areas.

Finally, we have the 'Moon' and 'Casket' cards, which feel a bit more somber to me. Again, this doesn't necessarily have to be a death or something really painful, but any ending comes with a sense of sadness. We build strong attachments to everything in our lives, from houses to neighbors to friends, family, possessions...you name it. The 'Moon' card is much more generic than the Moon card in tarot, and it feels more like the Death card. Come to think of it so does the 'Casket' card.

All in all I think this primarily points to our selling of the house and buying a new one, and all that comes with that, both good and bad, but mostly good (hopefully). There very well may be literal things implied here (such as a job raise or change of job for my husband, for instance) and even a death (hope not, but I never rule these things out) so if that's the case I will try to update.

Love,
MM

XOX, See Y'all Soon, XOX

2012-02-15T09:26:00.009-07:00

My Dearest Love Buttons,

So, I'm feeling very relieved and glad about the house hunt coming to a close, but at the same time, I am also feeling rather drained.

I'm going to take the advice from Chloë's reading and take care of myself. It's been a non-stop house-related roller coaster since the beginning of the year and it is only going to continue (a bit) as we pack up and prepare to move in mid-March.

So I am going to take a few days. I'll catch up with blogs and such soon. Of course, you know me, I'll probably still read blogs and such. Laugh. But if I am gone for a few days and don't comment or post, it's because I'm just really tired.

I'm even considering scheduling a massage for next week. I haven't had one in ages. I have to say that I'm glad this process will be over before my birthday at the end of next month. That's a tremendous birthday gift! I was sure that we'd still have our house on the market now, and look at how far things have come! I'm definitely very glad of all of this, despite the exhaustion and general chaos.

For now, I'm going to take a nice warm shower and then do a lovely cartoon caption reading for someone. :) I am thinking of offering them again, for a reduced price. Even though I don't get many takers for paid readings, it's nice to do them once in a while.

Sending y'all lots of post-Valentine's day love and divinatory hugs.

XOXO,
MM

The Best Valentine's Day Gift...Ever!

2012-02-14T18:33:00.001-07:00

We got a house! Woo. It's one we liked but got lured away from by the evil, dilapidated money-eating house that we had to walk away from. So this one is in wonderful shape and they accepted our offer!

This card I pulled this morning, before I heard back as to whether our offer would be accepted (or countered) and I really wanted to post some good news, but I didn't hear anything until about 5pm!

Oye. They really made me wait. But I'm glad it is working out.

Hooray. I am so relieved!

Love,
MM

(Update) Star: Guaranteed Success

2012-02-13T10:35:00.008-07:00

*ANOTHER UPDATE*

This ended up being absolutely true. We offered on another house the same day and got it!

*UPDATE*

Before we even had a chance to see the house, it was under contract. Sigh. Back to the drawing board.

This is the card I drew to post today. Topic? Whether we'll find housing in time! We even put an offer on a house only to start feeling like we didn't like the house very much. There were too many things we didn't feel sure about, and we just felt 'blah' overall about the house, despite having some advantages, and a good price and condition for the square footage.

I sure hope this card is true because my realtor is concerned that we may not even be able to find short term rental options. Most people try to get you in for a year. So, I'm very nervous and headachey today. I'm trying not to panic, though. Yes, we're on a time crunch and we're running out of options, but all is not lost.

There is a property that my realtor sent that I like a lot. It's an older home that was renovated a few years back and I love the old-fashioned details paired with newly-renovated charm. It is also on a large lot with established trees and near the lake, etc. It has a lot going for it. It's a tiny bit higher in price than we'd like, but it's do-able, and they might lower the price, especially since it needs air conditioning and a couple appliances. Thankfully nothing bigger, though.

So I'm going down there this afternoon to take a look. I'm trying to stay at least somewhat detached, not get my hopes up, etc. I know that, one way or another, we'll figure out something. I just didn't want to jump into getting a house that we just sort of liked, but didn't really feel that great about.

Actually, this card does refer to today's look at the house by the lake, so maybe it will work out even better than I think.

But again: I am not going to put so much pressure on it to work out.

Love,
MM

Video Blog: My Colorful Party Outfit and a Brief Reading

2012-02-12T11:00:00.001-07:00

The Wisdom of Bailing

2012-02-11T21:37:00.000-07:00

I pulled these two cards just now and I absolutely agree with them. Sometimes the wisest thing to do (as was the case with us today in our money pit of a potential home purchase) is just to bail out. We'd be tossing the goldfish out with the pail full of water if we were to continue with this purchase, so for that...even with the added hassle...I am very grateful.

Love,
Magic Mentha

Optimism & Victory

2012-02-11T20:31:00.003-07:00

Dear Folks,

This follows on the heels of the somewhat deflating event of the house we were interested not (anywhere near) passing inspection. I popped over to the Artist's Inner Vision Online and did a single card pull as to whether we'd find a house we can move into (soon!) and I received the Six of Wands.

Tarot folks recognize this card as the card of victory and advancement. I liked the part about optimism. It's definitely a necessity in this situation, otherwise I'd be wallowing in the icky, nitty-gritty details.

A great quote from the description:

"We tell ourselves that the best outcome is possible, even probable, and half the battle is won, success becomes closer to our grasp."

So. Here's to keeping our eyes on the prize.

Love,
Magic Mentha

(Update Added) Good House Inspection Results: What's Not to Love?

2012-02-11T08:16:00.006-07:00

*UPDATE*

This is either the MOST inaccurate reading I've ever done, or the results are those we've yet to see. Even though this reading made sense, was in context, and all that...the inspection results were deplorable for the house we were (originally going to be) buying. It was so bad that we decided not to buy the house. The repairs, which were very extensive, would be upwards of 20-25 thousand. With the price point in the very upper end of our range, and 41 (yes, 41!!) items to repair on the list, with the owners of the house being financially tight, we knew we'd be in over our heads.

So...back to the hunt! May we be more successful this time.

I love how literal my readings have seemed lately. Here's another great example, using the Answer Deck. The topic of this reading was today's house inspection. Now that the inspection of our current house is over and we've officially agreed to fix a few things from the list, we turn our attention to the house we're moving to. Today the inspection is from 9am-noon. We want to go over there, at least for a while, to see with our own eyes what the inspector is seeing.

My husband being on call is putting a minor crimp in things, since he was called in to do something, and he has to drive an hour both ways. But he should be back close to 9, so even if we're a bit late, it'll be fine. We aren't required to be there, but we wanted to take a thorough look around to see what needed to be done.

SO. Anyway. Back to this reading. I initially chose only two cards about the house inspection, which are 'Brown-haired Man' and 'Home'. Yeah, right? Duh. So that shows me the man we're meeting who's inspecting our house (doesn't his pipe and wary gaze remind you of a traditional 'inspector?') and the house itself. I decided that it wasn't divulging any information to me, either good or bad. So I chose a third, outcome card for the inspection. It was a 'show me the damages' kind of card. To my delight, I received the 'Good News' card. Wow, nice. That's one of my favorite cards from this deck.

Anyway. I'll update on this post by this afternoon or early evening, once we know more of the results of the inspection (assuming we know them by then) and can report on it.

Love,
MM

Two More Dog Draws

2012-02-10T16:52:00.001-07:00

Here are two more sets of dog draw cards. They seem (kinda?) straight-forward but if any of y'all have input, let me know. It's odd. It's like one of the draws (top) shows support for me, and the other one (bottom) shows the icky situation with the dogs.

Love,
MM

Protecting Myself: My Neighbors and Their Loud Dogs

2012-02-10T10:13:00.001-07:00

As I drew today's cards, I was standing by the sunny windowsill looking out over the garden. The lighting is best there and, most of the time, that's where I photograph my cards. I pulled 'Turkey' and 'Shield' and thought, 'Oh grrreat. What does THIS refer to?' Just then, as if answering my question, the neighbors dogs ran out into their yard and began barking. I thought, 'Really? Could it be about the dogs?' I decided to pull a clarification card. Guess what card I got? Dogs.

Yes, I realize that there are subtitles on these cards that refer to topics that may not correlate precisely with the image on the cards, but with these cards the visuals can be more important than the subtitles (as I'm sure some of you tarot folk may attest). I have to say that while I initially found these cards a bit challenging to read, I now find them to be one of my top favorite decks; they ended up being very pointed in their messages and very accurate.

This morning, maybe an hour ago, I was talking to my husband about how disappointed I was in the neighbors. After ALL the chaos, after pissing off several of their neighbors and being called in to animal control for their dog biting a city employee, they STILL leave their barking dogs outside while they do whatever it is they do. It is just the very essence of turkey-like behavior. Hopefully I won't have to literally defend myself from these neighbors and their loud dogs. So far we're sidestepping them well enough (except the noise, which we can't control so much) and we're out of here in a month, so I am just going to keep my distance.

Love,
MM

Contractual Obligation Misunderstanding

2012-02-09T20:10:00.003-07:00

*UPDATE*

Now that I look at these cards I see that this points to major issues in the repairs. When I say major I mean MAJOR. Deal breaker. Yep. Well, I appreciate the warning. I definitely think the owners of that house were insanely insincere. You should've seen the shoddy condition of SO many things in that house. How could they leave the house in that state and sell it for what they were selling it for? It's evil, I tell you. Incomprehensible.

Yep. That's what I'm gonna call this one. When I drew these cards I immediately thought, 'Uh-oh. There's gonna be some issue over the house thing.' Either we're going to get our wires crossed or something is going to come up that wasn't in the contract that becomes a problem. Or, since the Feather card mentions insincerity, I wonder if someone will try to screw us?

Lately, the 'Inkpot' card has brought to mind the house selling and buying process. The quill and ink pot reminds me of a contract. So seeing that plus the feather made me think of the paperwork involved.

I hope it's not that bad. It just seems like it might be a little annoying. We'll see, I guess.

Love,
MM

Money Path: I'll Take It!

2012-02-09T09:59:00.001-07:00

Wordless Wednesday: Nurturing My Talents

2012-02-08T16:00:00.001-07:00

A Brief Break and the Karma Police

2012-02-08T11:50:00.001-07:00

I pulled these cards on Monday and even edited the image, but to be honest I didn't quite know what to think of them. So today I'm taking a crack at them. I love the Cobweb card. It shows protection during difficult times. I like that. It's also a pretty image. The Haystack card is a bit more confusing. I'll reap what I sow? Yeah, I guess so. We are trying to do right in what we're doing, whether it's selling this house or with our daughter or whatnot, but of course we're nowhere near perfect. I often worry about what I'm setting in motion each time I do something (or don't do something as the case may be) but what can you do, though? You can only do so much.

So I'll take the final advice from the Hammock card, which is to take a breather from this chaos. Even if it's just for a few hours or a day. We have inspection repairs lined up for this week. A guy is coming over in two hours to check to put radon mitigation in (giving us a quote) another guy is coming in on Friday to fix a (minor) electrical issue on one plug that shouldn't be too expensive. Then on Saturday my husband is taking three hours to do an inspection of the house we're moving into. Then he has to go off to work for several hours because he's on call. The following day, we have my sister's birthday party, and then my husband leaves again for work. Then he'll be gone all during the week. So I admit I am feeling pretty frazzled and low on energy. I've been having a lot of headaches again and my sleep is suffering a bit more than usual.

So I may not post as much as usual the next few days--obviously we'll see how I feel.

Lots of Hugs,
MM

Boat: Money or Property

2012-02-07T18:02:00.001-07:00

Here's a good example of how literal this deck CAN be. Sometimes it is a lot more metaphorical. Other times it is literal, which is nice, too. I received this card at the same time today as the 'V' and 'Rainbow' cards. It definitely seemed to bode well for the house sale. But not only is the property gain thing correct, but we're also getting quite a bit of money in soon from various funds/tax returns and bonuses. Thank goodness, because if it weren't for that money, we wouldn't be able to move at all. Granted, this money is NOT from an inheritance, etc, but I still consider the card to be pretty accurate.

Love,
MM

Good News: We're Set to Move!

2012-02-07T17:56:00.001-07:00

Today has been a crazy, whirlwind day. It started out slow. Yesterday dragged along with little to no news. Today began that way, and then shot forward at the speed of light. While waiting to hear about our offer to the house we're interested in, I pulled these two cards. Looked really good but I didn't want to count my chickens before they hatched. Now that things look really good on both ends (selling our house and buying the other) I think I can at least post this: we're going to be moving in mid-March!

I'll be honest, though. I am NOT looking forward to the moving chaos. But I am glad things were able to move forward in such a short period of time (even though we've been wanting to do this for ages and we've suffered a lot of crappiness at the hands of our loooovely neighbors). I just hope things will be better!

Love,
MM

Fresh Offerings

2012-02-07T11:15:00.003-07:00

Some Relief During Chaos?

2012-02-07T09:32:00.003-07:00

Here are today's cards. I'm feeling rather drained and a touch depressive today, but I realize that this feeling will pass. Not sure when but I know it will. In case the effect I used on the cards obscured the writing too much, the messages on the cards are as follows:

Flowers: Happiness.

Vine: You must seek out information that will help you.

Whale: Great worry over nothing.

Bouquet: Compliments from an admirer.

Overall, I think these cards are positive. After a lot of struggling, I hope there is a good outcome. We were a bit disappointed yesterday evening when we found out that the folks whose house we're offering on are tighter financially than we'd like.

Because of this, we are making a higher offer, since they owe more than we thought. We can do this, although ideally we would've preferred not raising the rate of our mortgage payment for this new house. We are frustrated and concerned that they won't accept our offer, but hopefully, as the whale indicates, our worries are over nothing.

So I'm just trying to find a way to see the positive side of this. To be sure, the main thing is getting to move and live in a home we like better. Of course we HOPE we like it better. Gosh, that would be crappy if we didn't. There are too many things to be concerned with, but for now I am going to try to let go of my negative impressions of what could happen and instead focus on trying to feel less frazzled right now.

Love,
MM

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting...

2012-02-06T16:04:00.001-07:00

I pulled these cards a couple of days ago, but it's still true. I'm still perched, waiting for news. I've gotten the bird flying card several times (a lot) over the past week or so. And indeed, in this process there's a lot of back and forth. Waiting and worrying about whether things will work out or not. It seems so delicate and I guess it is. It involves large amounts of money and several people's cooperation.

Let me be honest. Waiting is NOT my forte. I like things to happen quickly. I don't like being left hanging. I guess that's normally true for most people, but really. It's like a special form of torture to have to wait for this. As Woley pointed out in the Carrot/Dog post, I've got to stop salivating after that dangled carrot. I just have to live life as if it's all business as usual, which it is, for the most part.

Obviously if I hear anything I'll be back to report on it.

Love,
Magic Mentha

Whale: Great Worry Over Nothing

2012-02-06T10:48:00.001-07:00

This is lovely. One of my favorite cards in the deck. I received this today. I was feeling agitated and worried, and also having this sort of melancholy, nostalgic thoughts about friends, family, etc. I tend to worry about my relatives and friends and don't focus nearly enough on the positive aspects of life. So it was a pleasant message to receive, and a very poignant reminder.

Don't you think you should get this as a tattoo? :)

Love,
MM

At the End of the Empty Pot of Gold Lies a Rainbow

2012-02-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

Ring and Horseshoe: House Contract?

2012-02-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

I pulled these cards yesterday, at the same time as a few other pulls. I like the look of this duo. I've been getting primarily positive draws with regards to the house selling and buying process. The exception to that is warnings about our finances and being careful with them. That's definitely a concern. A lot of things rest on whether the people buying our house will nickle and dime us to death, getting us to fix every little thing. We have a limited base of funds to use, and we can't use all of it on this house. My realtor assured me that it's very rare for a contract to fall apart at the inspection and it would take a pretty significant problem to stop things form proceeding. But I can't help but be nervous.

The new house, the one we love, does need some work and a couple of appliances (washer/dryer as well as a refrigerator) and so we have to make sure we have money in the budget for that. As it stands, we'll have to take out my husband's other financial account which is around $4,500, in order to cover these expenses like the appliances and such. But that's ok. I am grateful that we even HAVE that option. It may make things a touch dicey financially for a while, if we do milk every resource, but it will be worth it if we love the new house and we manage to move this forward.

Love,
MM

House Hunt Happiness

2012-02-04T19:14:00.001-07:00

These cards were chosen earlier today. My husband and I went house hunting today. We only had a small handful of houses on our list, and I wasn't feeling too optimistic about it, to be honest. BUT, despite my fear and pessimism, we ended up finding a house we REALLY like. The additional good news is that the sellers are apparently motivated. They moved several months ago and need to sell their house. They were considering renting it out. There appear to be no other bids out for it.

So, the only (main) task remaining is that we get the inspection information back on our current home. We need to make sure we can get that all squared away in order to move forward and get anything fixed that needs to be. We aren't looking forward to that cost, as it'll make things tight, but if we can do it, we will. At the worst, we hope we can compromise with the buyers and fix a few things, if not all. We want to do right by the people who are purchasing our home.

All in all...we're nervous but hopeful. We're not out of the house selling and hunting woods, but we're seeing surprisingly swift progress, which is always encouraging. I'm glad we didn't put a bid on another house which we didn't like quite as much. Now we're hoping these sellers aren't too stubborn about their price, because the house could use a bit of work, and it doesn't have AC. There are a few things it needs, but overall we really adore the place.

In terms of the inspection report, we should be hearing something very soon--within the next day or two. I will report back at that time with (hopefully) good or at least not-too-bad news. From there we'll immediately put an offer on the house we're interested in, then set things in motion.

This trio of cards looked super positive. They were the cards that represented the outcome of today's house hunt. I noted when I pulled them that they looked like, 'Oh, yeah, you'll find the house you want.' But I wasn't sure whether to believe it.

Will update soon!

Love,
Magic Mentha

A Social Opportunity

2012-02-03T17:10:00.001-07:00

Today was the house inspection. We had to leave the house for four plus hours while they did it. Oy! Not fun. Especially considering it was snowy weather. Already more than a foot of snow has fallen, so I'm glad we're back home. Thankfully we didn't have any problems while out.

Now the waiting for the results. But I decided I would turn my attention away from the house stuff for a while and just see what cards came up independently of that. The cards I received were 'Carrot' and 'Dogs'. I wasn't entirely sure how to read them. The Carrot card is vague. I don't know what that could relate to. The Dogs card made me think of a social event (a clothes swap) I was invited to on the 18th of this month. But I haven't felt very social. I don't really feel like going, but I am wondering if I should go (if I'm not scrambling to find a house, that is). Even though I find myself poo-pooing the idea, I think I should. The people who are attending are nice people and even though I'll only know two of them I haven't seen them in years and it would be nice to see them again.

Mostly I feel worn down and wish this house selling and buying process was over. But I'm grateful we even got this far.

I am trying to keep that in mind!

Love,
MM

Victory...at a Cost

2012-02-02T21:22:00.001-07:00

I actually pulled and edited these last night. Forgot to post them. Then got the bird flying card again today.

Nuff said.

Awaiting News of the House Inspection Schedule

2012-02-02T14:40:00.002-07:00

First of all: forgive me for dwelling so much on the house stuff, particularly the inspection. It's just that so much hangs on that. If too many things are found wrong and we can't afford to fix them, then we're screwed. Hehe. But hopefully that won't be the case. Another thing: there's a nasty winter storm coming in tonight and the inspection is for three hours tomorrow from 9am-noon. But I have no idea how that's going to happen during inclement weather. My thought is that it will be delayed (and delays we don't need because we're closing on our current house on March 16th) and rescheduled. But so far we haven't heard anything.

A few minutes ago, I pulled this duo of cards. I immediately took it to mean that I would be soon hearing some news that the inspection will be delayed. The 'Bird Flying' card is the near equivalent to the 8 of Wands in the tarot, in my humble opinion. When I've received it (which is a couple times in the past week or so) I hear something almost immediately afterward. So I'm assuming the wedge, which shows something coming between what I want to get done (the inspection) indicates what I mentioned above. Ah well!

I'm glad that my husband is coming home early tonight and then staying home Friday, because there is a forecasted 12-22 inches of snow coming in, particularly where he works, an hour south of here. Even so, I would've been happier if the weather was nice, he was at work, and the inspection was going through. But that definitely isn't going to happen, so I'll try to see the bright side.

I must say that the longer I work with the cards, the more I love them. It takes time to learn their unique language. They are something like speaking with rudimentary cave drawings or sign language. They speak to you and you get a decent idea of what they mean but it's imperfect. I guess tarot is like that in general but these cards are even more like that. Having said that, I've gotten some very specific readings from them.

Love,
MM

House Inspection: Maintaining a Practical Balance

2012-02-02T11:55:00.002-07:00

I de-saturated the color a bit; I thought it looked nice and peaceful that way.

I pulled these two cards to represent tomorrow's house inspection. Oh, I'm nervous! If this inspection goes badly and too much needs to be fixed, we may be totally out of luck and have to nix this sale! The buyers have a sort of specific need in terms of having things be just so in order to procure their financing. So let us hope it all works out.

The two cards I received from my Vision Quest Tarot were the Ace of Earth (Pentacles) and Balance (Temperance). What immediately struck me is that these cards LOOK so similar. The colors, the corn shape in the middle. So strange. It made me laugh, actually.

Like pretty much EVERY pull I've done on the house, I've noted a theme of general good luck but with a strong need to attend to details. With retrograde Mars in Virgo, this would make absolute sense. Also, that is par for the course for house sales, I think. You have to really pay careful attention lest that clay pot fall off your head and shatter. But with care and skill, things will work out.

Love,
MM

Wordy Wednesday: Navigating the Winding Road

2012-02-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

House Hunting Trio: Hand, Bread, Door

2012-01-31T21:58:00.000-07:00

I pulled these cards earlier this evening. The topic for this draw is my house hunting excursion with my realtor, to take place tomorrow morning. There are fourteen houses on the list! It sounds like a lot, and it is, I suppose, but I am a very decisive person. I actually am particularly decisive when it comes to houses. I really have a strong feeling for or against a house in a short amount of time. And once that feeling sets in, it seems hard for me to shake it.

Of course, my husband's input is very important, and when there are perhaps a handful of houses to choose from, we'll set up a weekend search so he can come. Because we're in a bit of a hurry, I'm going in the middle of the week, while he's at work. I admit I am nervous that we won't be able to coordinate the close of our current house with the next house, but my realtor does it all the time, so I should trust that she knows what she's doing.

So, anyway. Seeing these three cards was nice. There's nothing too painful in this group of cards. The 'Hand' card clearly shows that I need assistance in this matter. That's for sure! I don't know much about the real estate market, and I don't know the neighborhoods in this city anywhere near as well as my realtor does--since she has sold homes here for more than a decade. I definitely am counting on her to give me feedback on the best neighborhoods, any problems with contracts, or other issues related to the technicalities that wouldn't otherwise occur to me.

The 'Bread' card feels really welcoming and wholesome to me, even though I don't eat gluten. Haha! Anyway. The subtitle, since it got cut off, reads, 'Period of prosperity and plenty.' I guess you probably figured that out without my help, though. The final card, 'Door' definitely makes me think of a house. The door symbol is used more vaguely to represent opportunity and 'doors opening' in one's life, but in this case, I also think it literally means a door to a house.

I'll try to post tomorrow, late afternoon or early evening, and report on my house hunting experience. :)

Love to Y'all and Happy February,
Magic Mentha

House Inspection: Protecting Ourselves from Stubborn Buyers

2012-01-31T16:57:00.002-07:00

(Update) Something Different: Jewelry and Money? Really?

2012-01-31T16:46:00.003-07:00

*Update*

I ended up getting both! My husband got me a very pretty necklace with swallows and an antique skeleton key, and I also got money in from my husband's bonus that I wasn't expecting.

Now this one I can't figure out. Seems so literal. Getting jewelry and money. Really? Strange.

I guess I'll have to update on this one. :)

Love,
Magic Mentha

UPDATED Wish Fulfillment

2012-01-31T09:15:00.004-07:00

*UPDATE* Our offer was accepted. That is, of course, unless the inspection finds more things wrong than we can cover financially, but barring that, we should be ok! Now the nerve-racking task of finding another home and coordinating the close with this one!

I decided to pull a couple cards this morning, but because I don't have my camera (I left it somewhere in the car and my hair's wet and it's cold and I don't want to go out there--whine, whine) I used my Photo Booth program to take this somewhat mediocre picture of the cards (and goofy pic of me) which are 'Wishbone' and 'Well'.

The question I asked of these cards was, 'Will the buyers accept our counter offer?' Now, sometimes it's hard to interpret yes or no in tarot, but usually I can get a good idea from the cards. If they're overtly negative then I take that as a no. If they're primarily positive I take that as a yes. If they're mixed, I take that as a 'well, maybe, but after some changes.'

Since you can't see them, the captions read:

Wishbone: A wish is granted.

Well: Family wishes come true.

Seems redundant, doesn't it?! Yeah! However, I'll obviously update either way on what the final word from these buyers is. I sure hope they accept it. For crying out loud, we're paying their closing costs AND we are giving them an amazing deal on the house price itself.

Anyway. This morning, around a quarter to 8am, I was reminded again why we're moving. Even though the neighbors were strongly warned (and punished, I'm assuming) about the bigger dog biting the city employee, the smaller dog was out there barking and baying to beat the band. But no matter. We're getting the heck out of here soon. I can't comment on the ridiculous idiocy of these neighbors. But really, it's a good excuse for us to get moving, which we've been thinking of doing for so long.

I like the contingency on the 'Well' card. The description talks about a family wish coming true ONLY if it benefits the entire family. Judging from the complaints from all three of us I'd say that's true.

Love,
Magic Mentha

A Work in Progress

2012-01-30T18:39:00.003-07:00

3 of Coins from the Artist's Inner Vision Tarot

Hello Pretties,

We got the offer from the buyer in today. While we were a little disappointed that it wasn't a higher offer, it actually was the closing costs they requested that worried us at first. But after finagling a lot of things we figured out how to make it work. We countered with an offer that's very similar to what they're asking, with the full closing costs paid and only 2k more on the house price, so we expect they'll probably accept it.

We'll hear something more official tomorrow. The card I pulled to represent this is the 3 of Pentacles. Sure, we could've held out for another 1-2k or so, but why? This couple is buying their first home, short on cash and moving out of apartments, and that's where we were nine years ago when we moved here. We like the idea of helping a couple get their first home.

Will update more sometime tomorrow with their response!

Love to y'all,
Magic Mentha

Fielding an Offer on the House

2012-01-29T21:00:00.001-07:00

I chose not to look at these cards I drew earlier today because I was too distracted thinking of all the house things I wanted to attend to before the showings today. Now that this is all behind us (at least today's part of it) I decided to take a peek at them. The Page of Cups definitely makes me think of an offer. I told my husband just about an hour or so ago that a cup in the hands reminded me of an offer. Like a hostess would give someone a drink, you know.

Temperance makes me think of give and take--not unlike a contract. There is no doubt going to be some haggling. You can count on it when it comes to house price offers. Let us just hope the haggling is not too detrimental to us. As it stands, we're at our breaking point price-wise, so their offer has to be pretty good for us to accept it. Oye!

The Three of Pentacles seems to indicate something being worked out, however. The professional stands talking to a couple (the realtor writing up the offer contract with the people looking at the house?) as they listen attentively to his explanation. Will their offer ultimately be accepted? That definitely depends on what the offer is, and what we can do financially.

We shall see! I'll update y'all on this tomorrow afternoon, as I find out more about it!

Love,
Magic Mentha

A Strange Turn of Events: Healing the Dog Situation

2012-01-29T20:22:00.001-07:00

Today has definitely been up there on the list of strange (but oddly satisfying, though mixed?) days. It started out with us getting the house spruced up and cleaned for showings. I've basically spent my days cleaning and organizing. It's just the way it goes when you're showing a house. Anyway. We left the house a bit early (around 11am) due to the fact that we were really sick of being in the house, cleaning it, thinking about it...etc. As we pulled away we realized about 4 blocks down the road that we had forgotten my husband's bag with his cell, wallet, iPod and all manner of things he tends to need when he's out. So we turned around and went back to the house to procure this bag.

As we were heading back out to run a couple of errands and then have lunch before the house hunting we had scheduled for 2:30pm, we saw an animal control car drive by. Instantly, we knew it was bound for our next door neighbor's house. We decided to drive back near the house (but not too near) to investigate. Sure enough, it parked in front of the neighbor's house!

Now, some backstory: a few days ago (less than a week ago) I happened to be home when I heard the dogs barking like crazy at something (not a very uncommon scenario, unfortunately) so I peeked out my bedroom window to see if the neighbors were home. That generally determines whether the barking I hear is going to last all day or just 15-20 minutes. Seeing that the neighbor's cars were not there I sighed, but just then I saw what appeared to be a meter reader standing in the driveway of the neighbor's house. He had taken his glove off and was keenly examining his hand and saying something aloud. He did this for what seemed like ages, but was probably only a couple of minutes. He then replaced his glove and dialed someone, talked for a few minutes, then moved on.

Could it be what I thought it was? Did he get bitten by the neighbor dogs when he was reading the meter? The thought was thrilling to me, only because these neighbors have been so stubborn in not dealing with their loud, aggressive dog problem (despite warnings from neighbors, and requests from multiple neighbors) that their dogs were a nuisance. The next day I thought I had my answer. For the next several days throughout last week, someone came over and seemed to be dog-sitting the dogs. They never stayed outside for more than a minute or two (since anything more yielded constant barking) until the latter part of the week when I had two showings. I was dismayed when I came home to find the dogs out barking and the owners gone again.

I couldn't believe it! Had I imagined the scenario? I wasn't sure but I was feeling a bit discouraged. Until today. When we saw that animal control van we knew our suspicions were correct. I HAD seen the aftermath of the dogs biting the meter reader. Yikes! How scary. I have no idea exactly what will become of this visit from animal control (if anything) but so far things have been quieter. Granted it's only one day in, but I am feeling hopeful. The amazing thing is that the animal control van arrived two hours before our showings rather than during one (which would have scared me away if I was looking at a house). Thank GOODNESS for the timing of that!

Interestingly, as I was typing this post I heard a few barks. But that was about it. I'm assuming this is because the dogs are let out each evening to pee before they're brought in. We have no idea what is going on. Whether the dogs will stay there. Whether they'll be muzzled. Anyway. I don't know.

It is a sad situation when it takes someone being bitten to bring any attention to such a long-standing problem. It was addressed just in the nick of time--as we received our first offer today house-wise (the second showing by these folks occured today and the contract for the offer will be drawn up tomorrow afternoon)...fingers crossed!!

Love to y'all,
MM

A Good Focus for Today

2012-01-29T08:56:00.003-07:00

These are two cards I got last night. Well, it was either last night or morning. I can't quite remember. Well, whatever. It was recent. The Success card is actually an astral house card (and I didn't mean to choose it because usually I leave those out when I pull cards, but I accidentally left it in and it showed up next to the Broom card, and it looked really nice!) if I remember correctly. I've gotten this Broom card maybe 6-7 times in the past few days. Obvious, right? We're looking at houses today. In addition to that we have three house showings, one being a possible offer! Our realtor told us someone was VERY interested in the property and told her to alert them if there was another offer on the property because they were returning today to get a second look. Fingers crossed.

Love,
MM

A Sunday Prediction Comic

2012-01-28T19:29:00.002-07:00

The Standards of Victory

2012-01-27T09:44:00.002-07:00

Here are today's cards. Not too bad. They're basically saying, 'doing well...buuuuuuut be careful.' That pretty much sums up the cards I've been getting this past week. This particular card I know I've gotten at least a few times in the past couple of days in using this deck. My husband immediately saw it and took it to mean not lowering our price. First off, we can't lower it any further. We can only lower it a very, very small amount and we really shouldn't, because as it stands we are waaaay past breaking even. We really can't mess around with this. AND considering the interest the house has received in the past few days we are not going to just jump at any offer, particularly low ball offers that put us in too scary of a financial position. So this makes me think that if we do receive an offer today, tomorrow or over the weekend, we should very carefully review them and not appear too desperate.

I like the meaning that the Flag card has in terms of being patient because lowering your standards in order to procure an expedient outcome is not the way to go. The tortoise is rewarded.

Love,
MM

Last Night's Draws and a Veritable Cornucopia of Crazy Good News

2012-01-26T22:26:00.001-07:00

Y'all know how it is: you get a bunch of crazy, glowing, happy, shiny cards and you think, 'Yeah. Right.' Can't be true. Nuh-huh. And usually you're right. But sometimes...well, sometimes it's true in spades. Maybe this is just the nature of probability, but I'm not so sure. Is it blessings in disguise? I have no idea. Rather than pretend I know that oracles work (or don't work) I'm just going to use this RARE opportunity to crow about my good news!

Yesterday afternoon we decided to lower our house price by 4k. The last lowering. We can't go any lower. We're delving into our personal money in a big way. We bit our nails and pressed send to our realtor. We feared that we were just throwing good money after bad, and that our dwindling showings would not be propped up further but a fairly minimal price lowering.

But we were wrong. Thank goodness! In a matter of one day we got five showings scheduled. Three have happened already. And it's not even the weekend yet--where most showings tend to take place. My realtor has been getting a slew of calls and e-mails from interested parties, asking if our house is still for sale, and is it a short sale/foreclosure? They can't believe it's for sale in that range because everything else in that price range is a piece of crap, a lot smaller and you need a tetanus shot just to enter them (aka: they're filthy). So I think that means they're interested!

So, again. We just did this yesterday and we're getting a flurry of crazy responses. The feedback has been very positive from the lady who saw the house this morning. She left a note saying the house was beautiful. Her note to my realtor said her buyers had only started looking today, so I think decisions are not made yet, but we've got more showings coming so we are not too worried.

While this was happening, we had to run out to get dental work done on my daughter (triple cringe) which we've been dreading for literally almost two years. We've tried any number of semi-barbaric and other ideas (bribery of all kinds, numerous distractions, restraints, calming aids) to no avail. But somehow today, despite a struggle at the beginning, we had a very productive dental visit in which we got ALL of the dental work done! Nothing left to do. We go back in six months for a routine cleaning!

Anyway. This last item was something of a minor miracle. It's been weighing heavily on my mind because (due to her incredible fear of dentists) we were facing another expensive dental surgery, thinking we had no other choice but to put her under to get any dental work done. Thousands of dollars that we can't spend. We could either move out of this neighborhood or we could get this expensive dental surgery. Now we're feeling more hopeful that we can do both.

There's still quite a bit of work ahead and we don't know what sort of offers we'll get, but the cards (despite the warnings about being careful of our finances) are very positive on the matter.

Obviously I'll update again when I hear something!

Love,
Magic Mentha

A Precursor to Valentine's Day

2012-01-26T08:41:00.002-07:00

This is cute. Last night, while it was my husband's turn putting my daughter to sleep, I was laying in bed trying to shake a sinus headache and looking at my Tea Leaf Fortune Cards. I did something cheesy and silly, pulling a single card asking what my husband thought of me. Isn't this a cute answer?

Well, I send that cutesy thought out to the world and wish you all well.

Love,
MM

Wordless Wednesday: Tricky but Lucky

2012-01-25T10:35:00.002-07:00

A Rainbow Between Bear and Broom

2012-01-24T14:44:00.005-07:00

A Whole Lotta Cards About Somethin'

2012-01-24T09:00:00.003-07:00

My husband thinks these cards are about the house. It shows the frustration of waiting (Funnel) along with possible new, good things coming (Sunrise). It shows connecting with someone (Chair-Filled and Teapot). There's also some kind of positive feedback or admiration (Bouquet/Bow). When my husband and I saw 'Flag' we both thought it meant not lowering our price. We are already at our break even point and if any minor fixes need to be done to the house, or if the buyer wants to negotiate down a few thousand, we really can't budge from where we are. We only have a few thousand dollars, maximum, to put toward anything for this house, sale-wise. Granted, it IS tempting, because lowering the price again would no doubt make it sell faster.

Just some thoughts...

Love,
MM

Applying My Own Meanings: Intuition, Communication & Patience

2012-01-23T09:54:00.001-07:00

When I saw this trio I took a bit of liberty with them (what else is divination for, anyway?) and I decided to see these three cards as important and helpful factors for me right now. The Unicorn represented using my intuition (which actually isn't a departure from what the card says), and the Parrot, which is supposed to be about gossip, is about communication. Of course I could see how this could EASILY turn to gossip or negativity if not carefully handled. Finally, we have the good ole slow tortoise. Patience, my friends...not my strong suit. But it's definitely a very important one.

Love,
MM

p.s. Happy Year of the Dragon!

More House Sale Progress (BUT) Warning About Finances

2012-01-22T21:07:00.002-07:00

House Sale Progress? (BUT) Possible Contract Issues

2012-01-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

Butterfly: Change for the Better

2012-01-22T17:17:00.002-07:00

The Tea Leaf Fortune Cards Make a Pun

2012-01-21T09:13:00.004-07:00

Planting a Seed of Hope and See Y'all Monday!

2012-01-20T14:57:00.001-07:00

Using Annikin Not only, but Also and Mixed Emotions™

Not only

HOPEFUL
You have planted the seed of hope. What could you do to help it bear fruit?

But Also

LONGING
Desire is what drives us to create. How can you create what you long for?

Keeping My Life in Balance

2012-01-20T10:21:00.003-07:00

This morning I decided to pull from my Tea Leaf Fortunes because I misplaced my Vision Quest Tarot. D'oh! It's OK. I know it's not lost. It's just that I've been putting away anything that might normally be left out in preparation for house showings.

The problem with this is that I tend to lose them temporarily. I also put my camera in hiding and now can't find it. I imagine it's in one of my bedroom drawers. So, that's why you have this photo taken with my Photo Booth program then edited in Be Funky.

This card reminds me to keep my life in balance, as it states in the caption. Good advance for anyone and everyone. It's also very Libra-oriented, clearly, with the scales being prominent. I love how vignette-like this deck is. Just one easy to understand, striking image in the center. That doesn't mean they're always easy to interpret, but I find them pretty straight-forward most of the time. I do tend toward obsession, so this image of the scales is very appropriate. I'm insanely focused on getting this house sold. I am going to try to relax now. My realtor is determined to sell my house and is showing today. She is a bit of a bad@$$ (in a good way) and I like her candor, positive energy and can-do attitude.

Hugs to y'all,
MM

Thursday's Stay-at-Home Kinda Day

2012-01-19T21:57:00.001-07:00

When I pulled these cards earlier today (right now, where I am, it's 10pm on Thursday) I wasn't entirely sure what they meant, but they felt 'restful' as if I wasn't going to do much. That really did fit the theme of the day--where I only ventured out briefly with my daughter and then scurried back home. I just felt tired, unmotivated and quiet.

That changed a bit toward the end of the day when we were notified of two house showings, which got us excited again for the possibility of us selling, but overall it's just been a stay-at-home kinda day. Tomorrow I'll be leaving, of course, for the house showing that we always hope will lead to a sale.

This time, however, it's being shown by my realtor, and she is motivated to sell this house since it's her listing. Let us hope it helps!

Love,
MM

A Very Vibrant Draw

2012-01-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous cards I pulled yesterday, made even more vibrant in BeFunky.

Ten of Earth: Good House Tidings

2012-01-19T10:25:00.008-07:00

Hello Earth Babies,
*UPDATE* We do have a second house showing. Friday! And it's my realtor. :)
In asking about whether we'd get more showings this weekend (we have one which is confirmed for Saturday morning) I got the Ten of Earth (Pentacles) as the answer. Looks good!

My feeling on this is either we'll have more showings or the one showing we do have will be especially fruitful. Look at this haul of gorgeous woven baskets and produce! Nice, eh?

We lowered the house price by 4k less than a week ago. The price finally updated on the sites yesterday, so I'm hoping that goes a long way toward bringing interested, penny-pinching buyers our way. So far feedback has shown the correct/fair price to be in the range we're currently in.

Even if the house doesn't sell immediately, the housing market in our price range (according to the data) shows inventory being absorbed within three months, so we still wouldn't have TOO long to wait. Even so, any waiting seems like forever when you're focusing on it, which is why I have been trying not to obsess over it too much lately.

Love,
Magic Mentha

Nine of Wands: Ouch. Don't. Burn. Me.

2012-01-19T06:23:00.012-07:00

For some (fairly obvious) reason I don't like this card very much. I think it's visually beautiful but it's sort of foreboding-looking. It's like...don't cross my burning sticks or I'll smack you with them and give you 3rd degree burns!

My first thought beyond that is that the horrible searing, burning pain of the sticks keeps you blocked and barred away from the serene landscape beyond. No entrance, nuh-uh.

Of course, in the traditional version of the Nine of Cups, there is a certain gnarly and unwelcoming feeling but generally it's not quite as defensive. A bandaged guy standing next to his stick, ready to fight is somewhat foreboding, I admit, but not as scary as burning sticks that can cause massive blisters.

As I'm writing this, I realize I have no real concept of the Nine of Wands. I have an idea of what it means but I think I avoid reading it, probably because of the uncomfortable feeling this card gives me.

This card was chosen along with a couple others in a line of cards. I decided to take a quote from one of my favorite tarot description sites:

"Preparation and strength will be necessary for any opposition that can arise now - but you will be victorious! Face your greatest fears with the gift of this strength of purpose - turn away from that which is not right for you and aspire to your higher purpose. Meet your future with an unshakable stance."

Wordless Wednesday: Mother Earth

2012-01-18T20:26:00.000-07:00

Favorite Card Alert: Integration (AKA Temperance)

2012-01-18T14:08:00.002-07:00

Wordless Wednesday: Medicine Woman

2012-01-18T14:05:00.003-07:00

A Successful Dental Visit

2012-01-18T12:59:00.000-07:00

Three of Cups, Six of Wands, Ten of Cups

I drew these three cards this morning, moments before leaving for my daughter's dental appointment. This is the first dental appointment she's had in over a year. Going to the dentist is usually a horrifying affair, involving lots of screaming, tears, and usually the need for multiple restraints. Definitely emotionally scarring...

However, today went differently I'm happy to report, and these cards reflected the change. Happy, happy, happy! It was not a PERFECT scenario but it was damn near close enough and for that I am utterly and lastingly grateful. Time will tell, though, since we only did a cleaning and x-rays this time, and none of the fillings that need to be done.

However, I am still very pleased that it went 1,000 times better than the last visits she's had. This is a new (female) dentist in a child-friendly office. I hope that it continues to go well!

Love,
MM

First Deck of the Year: Vision Quest Tarot!

2012-01-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

This is my first deck purchase of the year (since late fall, 2011) and I couldn't be happier with it. After using it on the My Divination site, I fell in love with it. The richly saturated color, the tasteful Native American images, the lack of explicitly sexualized women and men...just everything about it rocked. Also, I feel like the images are really unique.

I've just included some of the pulls I've done before the sun goes down (which is soon--it's almost 5pm and the sun is beginning to set) but I won't interpret them yet, unless something comes to mind. I'll post something more interesting tomorrow.

Wish us luck. We have a dental appointment for my daughter tomorrow. It's probably one of the worst things we've had to do with her--we've had times where we literally had to have her strapped down as she screamed bloody murder. We have to find a way to get dental work done on her--otherwise we're in for another expensive dental surgery under anesthesia...

Love,
MM

The Good News Trio

2012-01-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

This trio seems pretty positive. I'm not going to even bother speculating on what it means. Just wanted something to counter the previous draws I did. Hehe.

Hope y'all are well.

Love,
MM

Blargh Inducing Cards

2012-01-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

Ick! The knot says, 'Unsuccessful Plans' but was covered by the Forest card.

Indecisive Buyer vs. Impatient Seller

2012-01-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

Entering the Archway

2012-01-16T19:02:00.002-07:00

Bear, Bull and Rooster: Navigating the Nasties in My Life

2012-01-16T18:58:00.001-07:00

Just a quick observation since I'm currently suffering a sinus headache: the bear makes me think of possible house stuff. The Rooster is my daughter's Chinese astrology sign and it reminds me of how difficult she's being again lately. The Bull also makes me think of my daughter. She's super stubborn and bull-ish, with her moon and mars signs in Taurus.

Yep. It has been one of dem days.

Tiredly,
MM

Wheelin' and Dealin' in a Hopeful House Sale Scenario

2012-01-16T08:51:00.003-07:00

The Dangled Carrot

2012-01-16T08:44:00.001-07:00

This is a one card draw I did regarding what's on tap for this week. Sorry for using a beer reference (I don't even drink)...but anyway. This is a nice card, obviously. Do I believe it? Not necessarily, but it can be the proverbial carrot before the mule's cart for me--to help me get through my daughter's foul moods, impatience and refusal to do anything I ask of her.

Love,
MM

Working Something Out

2012-01-15T10:48:00.004-07:00

When I pulled this card today (I've pulled it a few times recently) I thought not of the traditional meaning of paid employment or commissioned work, but of the 'working something out' and 'working ON something' meaning. I also feel like this visual reminds me of some professional (the man) working out the details of some project with the couple he's speaking with.

This is very house-ish. Reminds me of the concept of back and forth negotiations as well as possibly working with our realtor (the professional representing our realtor and the couple being my husband and myself).

In looking for house references with the Three of Pentacles I did come across this meaning:

THREE OF PENTACLES
Upright - Reward for skills or abilities, success through effort, buying a home or improving a property.

This is how I felt about this, too. I am not looking to start any creative or job-related ventures until after we sell then buy another home and get settled in, so this meaning makes more sense.

Love,
Magic Mentha

p.s. I decided to end my blogging drought early. I think I need to get a gel wrist rest, though.

Carpal Tunnel Break

2012-01-12T16:22:00.002-07:00

One of my HH pendant pieces

Hello Folks,

I think I am experiencing symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. I have numbing and soreness in my left arm, which seems worse when I type or use the computer too much. In order to test this hypothesis, I'm (mostly) going to be off the internet from now until Monday morning. I want to see if I notice improvement. So I won't be blogging and will only spend short amounts of time on-line.

That said, if you need to contact me, I'll still be checking my e-mail.

Lots o' Love,
MM

Wordy Thursday (Kinda Rhymes) and the Ace of Wands

2012-01-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

Throwing Caution to the Wind

2012-01-12T06:20:00.002-07:00

When I pulled these two cards yesterday I saw, in the Fool card, a sense of throwing caution to the wind in order to head towards happiness, health and good feeling (Star). There is a certain risk (Fool) in trusting that things will work out if you take a flying leap off a rooftop. It's scary to go for broke, even if you don't have much to lose and you've been worn down, unhappy, lonely, unfulfilled or otherwise compromised for a long time. Change is difficult and just plain a lot of work.

But it's worth it when you see that there's healing and a prize (or a literal pie) at the end. A pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. A light at the end of the tunnel. Insert more cheesy metaphors and sayings.

Once upon a time, despite my anxiety issues, I considered myself to be an open and adventurous person. A creative soul ready to do something interesting or unique, to move forward. Nowadays, I feel like my creative spirit has been tied in knots, stymied by the seemingly inescapable complexities of reality. But regardless of what my situation may or may not be, I have to reclaim this adventurous spirit, even if it is only in small doses.

Love,
MM

Wordless Wednesday: Restoring My Health

2012-01-11T21:09:00.002-07:00

Wordless Wednesday: Celebrating Something New

2012-01-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday: Goblins

2012-01-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday: Frustration, Fame and Ending

2012-01-11T10:59:00.001-07:00

Thinking of Chloë's Video Reading About Our Move

2012-01-10T00:03:00.003-07:00

Chloë did a wonderful video reading for me back in early October, just over three months ago. It was about moving in 2012. At the time, I wasn't sure when I was going to move, but I thought I wanted to expedite the process and list in October, which we did mid-month, only to find that there was not a single showing for our house in about a month and a half, and because it was getting close to the holidays and impending bad weather, we decided to pull the listing for a couple of months.

So, a week ago, we re-listed for a reduced price, and we did get a few showings. The first showing received feedback that they thought the price was a little high and that the property was just 'average' in terms of condition and they ended up purchasing a foreclosure in another part of town. The second showing didn't happen because the silly realtor couldn't get into the lockbox! The third and fourth showings (a couple days ago, on Saturday) also yielded no interest, with feedback basically saying the same thing: not the world's greatest neighborhood and price a bit high.

Earlier today we decided to lower the price four thousand dollars to accommodate the feedback we've been getting, and we did get a showing right away-for tomorrow (well, tomorrow is technically in about 5 minutes) afternoon. I'm nervous because I can feel myself continually getting disappointed if things don't pan out. But I am trying not to worry. I guess the important thing is that we have a roof over our heads. :p But seriously.

I think our primary worry is that we cannot afford to lower the price much more. As it is, we are already breaking even. This price is our breaking even point. So, with our very limited saved money, we are going to end up spending out of our personal cash in order to get out from under this mediocre neighborhood. We have to set a limit, because we really cannot afford to spend every cent we have on this. Even so, I'd be willing to spend a bit, knowing that we'd be sacrificing it to a greater cause: getting the hell out of redneck land...

Anyway. That is all for now, loves. I am still basically on hiatus. If we hear something amazing or get an offer, I'll let you all know!

Love,
MM

Be Back Later!

2012-01-09T12:25:00.001-07:00

Tapestery image by Amy Zerner

Hi Folks,

I've decided to take another mini-break.

I feel rather tired and distracted but hopefully I'll feel more up to blogging soon.

See y'all soon,

Mentha

Eat, Sleep and Be Well

2012-01-09T11:18:00.001-07:00

I pulled these cards specifically in reference to some healthful adjustments I'm making to my life. Specifically, I'm going on a reduced carb diet (not NO carb, but low carb) and amusingly, the buffalo in the first card (Daughter of Stones) reminds me of this! I think because the animal buffalo reminds me of the whole 'paleo' lifestyle thing, which many of my friends are benefitting from. It's helping their weight, their autoimmune issues and their blood sugar.

Because all of these things are issues for me (running in my family or already an issue for me) I'm trying to get a jump on it. The Daughter of Stones also makes me think of a new health plan. Daughters (pages) make me think of new energy, new ideas, and in the realm of the physical body (stones/earth) it makes sense here.

The Four of Swords always makes me think of sleep. Especially for me, since it's such a chronic problem. It can also mean mental (air) balance (4) and that is also applicable to me with my ongoing anxiety issues. But primarily it makes me think of working steadily to fix my sleep issues once and for all. I like this as the centerpiece of my reading. Without good sleep, the body cannot repair itself.

The final card shows victory and general good tidings if I follow this basic plan of a more balanced diet (leaning more toward veggies, meat, low sugar fruits and a small amount of whole, gluten-free grains) and better sleep. I e-mailed my naturopath about it this morning and she seemed to agree that it would be especially good for me, given my health concerns. I showed her my blood sugar numbers which were MUCH better on days where I ate lower carb. In other words-I am rarely going to be making pies, pancakes or other carby offerings. When I do eat them, it will be in smaller amounts.

All in all I thought this reading was very good and straightforward, and confirmed things I already knew.

Love,
MM

Lowering the Price, Rolling the Dice

2012-01-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

Lowering the house price

Using Cards of the day and Vision Quest

Ace of Water
Fertility - emotional overflowing - love - fulfilment - happiness - gratitude - connection to the very source of being. MM's note: Seems good. It's a generally happy card. It isn't a MONEY card (duh, we already know this house isn't a money maker) but it is happy.

The positive aspects

Eight of Fire
Insight - a light goes on! - seeing through - quick reassessment of a situation - productive communications - effortless sharing - spontaneous changes - moving on MM's note: Yeah, I love this card. This portends a swifter conclusion to this. Now that we're lowering the price a few thousand we might see some more offers, sooner. The feedback we got was the same. The house was fine but the neighborhood isn't great (no one mentioned the dogs, but they just generally didn't like the neighborhood) and they thought the price was a little high. So we're lowering.

The negative aspects

XVII. Star
Grace - beauty - inspiration - generosity - patience - receptivity - openness - flowing energy - harmony - contentment - gratitude. MM's note: This is odd. The STAR is the negative aspect? I guess that's good. The negative isn't so bad. :p Maybe the generosity thing is there. We have lowered the price a lot on this house--but we kinda have to in this market and neighborhood.

Cartoon Caption Reading on House Sale Potential or Haggling?

2012-01-06T14:58:00.001-07:00

A Relaxation and Health Reminder

2012-01-05T22:25:00.002-07:00

Sorry for the ugly pic; this is a photo of my screen. To try a ZF reading, go here.

Awaiting Further Orders

2012-01-05T17:24:00.003-07:00

I selected a few cards from the Morgan Tarot On-line and this was the final one I selected. I've been feeling stressed and antsy about the house stuff. I KNOW I need to chill out but I guess I'm amped up from the stress of the past several months and want something good to happen.

Either way, I think I need to chill out. This is one of my favorite cards from the Morgan Tarot. It's so cool. An image made from words instructing me to 'await further orders'...so true!

I don't know if the house price right, whether I should lower it. What people really think of the house, etc! But it's truly silly to worry without more information.

So I just need to wait and see what happens.

Love,
MM

Another Nice Deck on My Divination (Some Examples)

2012-01-05T17:16:00.001-07:00

Try it yourself!

A Hopeful House Prediction: Looking Good

2012-01-04T22:14:00.003-07:00

I pulled these cards earlier today when asking whether the showings we're getting this week will yield a sale. I have to say these cards look really positive (celebration? victory?) but I don't want to count my tarot chickens before they hatch. We'll just see how it goes, be flexible with the time line.

Hugs,

Wordless Wednesday: In the House, Out of the House

2012-01-04T00:49:00.002-07:00

Lighting a Spark: First House Showing

2012-01-03T20:16:00.001-07:00

"The spark of creativity is within you, and you have every reason to move forward with optimism and hope."

First house showing is tomorrow afternoon. Wish us luck!

Hugs,
MM

Gathering Momentum: Movement

2012-01-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

Setting My Compass to True North

2012-01-02T19:33:00.001-07:00

Pretty card, isn't it? This is the card I chose today as a kind of focus for selling our house (and for the year in general). The meaning is essentially knowing what is most important to you, then setting your compass in that direction and forging forward with it. That's a great (though general) way to focus on the fresh energy of a new year.

Today we officially put our house up for sale. It's about 7k less than the listing amount last fall. We set it so that we still have a few thousand we can go down on in price if we need to. We hope it gets some interest! I think it'll sell. No idea how long it'll take but I'm just not going to worry about it.

Love to y'all,

Magic Mentha

Understanding My Stress Level and a Recommended Approach

2012-01-01T20:35:00.004-07:00

This one read fairly easily, in my humble opinion. I whipped out my much loved Albano-Waite Mini, and shuffled, thinking I really wanted to find a way to reduce my stress level. I seem to be on edge all the time, sleeping badly and other myriad stress-flavored symptoms. I'm having a hard time relaxing. Despite this, my blood pressure and blood sugar are both normal. Good even. Well, my blood sugar was always pretty good, but my blood pressure has not been the best in recent months. But I've been taking hawthorn and fish oil and implementing other changes that are beneficial to blood pressure and heart health in general. Even so my blood pressure has remained high...until recently.

What do I cite as the miraculous reason for its lowering in recent days? The dogs haven't been barking much! Yep. You heard me right. The neighbors must've finally gotten more complaints because the problem is only about a 1/3 as bad as it was. It is still annoying at times, but I've noticed that during the day, the prolonged barking (and we're talking it used to be hours on end) has stopped and the owners seem to keep the dogs indoors. These owners don't strike me as being THAT kind, so something MUST have happened to trigger this change of heart. Even so, they still occasionally do something really dumb like leave the dogs out barking after dark. The other day they were out barking late, while I was trying to put my daughter to sleep. Frustrating to be sure. Even so, I am grateful for what improvements there have been on this front.

Anyway. Despite my blood pressure being better and such, I still can't sleep. My mind is full of draining detritus and I can't unwind at night, even with valerian root and soothing bedtime tea (herbal) and doing relaxing things like warm, aromatic baths, enjoying a book, etc. I still can't shake this high level of tension I seem to have. I wake up frequently in the night feeling anxious. This has been a life-long problem for me but it tends to get worse at certain points.

In any event, I've been rambling too long on this topic. I just wanted to explain a bit of backstory before the interpretation. The first card I take as the sleep and recovery card. I definitely get it a lot when I am feeling run down and haven't been sleeping well. I have periods of time where I sleep even more poorly than usual, and right now is one of them. The first card to pop up was the Four of Swords, reminding me of this.

The second card was the Queen of Swords, followed by the Eight of Cups. Nothing wrong with those cards but I was not thinking clearly and had trouble connecting the dots. So I shuffled them back in again and went back to choose two different cards. But lo and behold, the same two cards flew out of the deck upon further shuffling.

So I decided to take the cue and apply some sort of interpretation. The Queen of Swords made me think of the need for detachment and objectivity. When stress is involved, there are often a lot of difficult and twisted emotional elements. It's hard to untangle oneself from the mess and see that maybe the problem isn't that complicated. Maybe I'm just tired and worried about the house selling and worried about the next steps to take with my daughter. Maybe I am not imminently dying and going to die a slow and painful death (maybe, but at least not YET! haha!)

So that's how I took that. Then I saw the Eight of Cups as knowing when to move on. The letting go is hard, as they say, and sometimes we linger too long where we don't belong. I've stated my intentions to myself as knowing that it's time to move house and also to move forward with my daughter's development (possibly putting her in school--eek) or other things in my life that I feel like I've been putting off the past couple of years. I definitely have been allergic to making any decisions in my life, except the ones I've been forced to make under pressure.

So that's about it. I am going to try to relax, let it go, and hopefully get some sleep.

Love,
MM

See You in a Week (AKA Next Year)

2011-12-29T11:37:00.005-07:00

Image from the Cornish Tarot

Hi Dearies,

I'm going to be very busy over the next several days cleaning and fixing things and putting the house back on the market. But mostly I just want a break from my normal routine. I have felt really restless and bored lately.

Thankfully, my husband will be home five days in a row (one of the days he had off for the new year and the other couple he took off) so we'll try to not spend the entire time striving and fixing, but also take time to relax and be together.

Here's wishing you a wonderful wrap-up of 2011 and a gentle entry into 2012.

Love,

Jolanda Tarot's Take on Next Week's House Listing

2011-12-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

Thoughts on listing the house next week

8 OF WANDS
Swift activity, speed, hastily made decisions

MM's note: Well, this could simply indicate that it's coming up quickly (in less than a week, unless it gets delayed) but I'm hoping that it also means the sale will be relatively quick. The newsletter recapping December 2011 and 2011 in general from my realtor said that sales for lower-priced homes (in the price range I'm selling) were going a lot quicker than homes in the higher brackets, and that people were not listing, and were holding onto their homes even though there's a demand for them on the market.

10 OF PENTACLES
Riches, security, intactness, family, ancestry, inheritance, dwelling.

MM's note: Ok, this is obvious. This is the 'house' or 'house selling' card. I think this is just a confirmation of the question. I also hope it means we'll find a house we can settle down in for a while. Not this week, obviously, but after we sell our current home.

5 OF SWORDS (Reversed)
Uncertain outlook, weakness, possible misfortune befalling a friend, seduction, burial.

MM's note: Haha, well even though THEIR listed meaning is rather negative, I generally see the reversed 5 of Swords as a good thing. Upright, the 5 of Swords represents giving up on something, defeat, etc. Reversing that trend feels liberating to me. You decide to take a step out of defeat and back into the ring.

30 Second Tarot: Today's Cards

2011-12-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

30 Second Tarot: How Quickly Will the House Sell?

2011-12-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

Magic Mentha's Potent Dose of Tarot

Bag and Be Back Later, Babies

More Indications of Impending Career Changes

Today's Card Focus: Broom

More Information on the Money Path Message

Wordless Wednesday: Positive Projections

More Good Crap for Y'all

A Technology Tinged Tea Leaf Reading

Material Things: You're Doing OK...

Why I Feel Drained Reading: Bread and Bag. Broom and Moon...and Casket!

XOX, See Y'all Soon, XOX

The Best Valentine's Day Gift...Ever!

(Update) Star: Guaranteed Success

Video Blog: My Colorful Party Outfit and a Brief Reading

The Wisdom of Bailing

Optimism & Victory

(Update Added) Good House Inspection Results: What's Not to Love?

Two More Dog Draws

Protecting Myself: My Neighbors and Their Loud Dogs

Contractual Obligation Misunderstanding

Money Path: I'll Take It!

Wordless Wednesday: Nurturing My Talents

A Brief Break and the Karma Police

Boat: Money or Property

Good News: We're Set to Move!

Fresh Offerings

Some Relief During Chaos?

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting...

Whale: Great Worry Over Nothing

At the End of the Empty Pot of Gold Lies a Rainbow

Ring and Horseshoe: House Contract?

House Hunt Happiness

A Social Opportunity

Victory...at a Cost

Awaiting News of the House Inspection Schedule

House Inspection: Maintaining a Practical Balance

Wordy Wednesday: Navigating the Winding Road

House Hunting Trio: Hand, Bread, Door

House Inspection: Protecting Ourselves from Stubborn Buyers

(Update) Something Different: Jewelry and Money? Really?

*UPDATED* Wish Fulfillment

A Work in Progress

Fielding an Offer on the House

A Strange Turn of Events: Healing the Dog Situation

A Good Focus for Today

A Sunday Prediction Comic

The Standards of Victory

Last Night's Draws and a Veritable Cornucopia of Crazy Good News

A Precursor to Valentine's Day

Wordless Wednesday: Tricky but Lucky

A Rainbow Between Bear and Broom

A Whole Lotta Cards About Somethin'

Applying My Own Meanings: Intuition, Communication & Patience

More House Sale Progress (BUT) Warning About Finances

House Sale Progress? (BUT) Possible Contract Issues

Butterfly: Change for the Better

The Tea Leaf Fortune Cards Make a Pun

Planting a Seed of Hope and See Y'all Monday!

Not only

But Also

Keeping My Life in Balance

Thursday's Stay-at-Home Kinda Day

A Very Vibrant Draw

Ten of Earth: Good House Tidings

Nine of Wands: Ouch. Don't. Burn. Me.

Wordless Wednesday: Mother Earth

Favorite Card Alert: Integration (AKA Temperance)

Wordless Wednesday: Medicine Woman

A Successful Dental Visit

First Deck of the Year: Vision Quest Tarot!

The Good News Trio

Blargh Inducing Cards

Indecisive Buyer vs. Impatient Seller

Entering the Archway

Bear, Bull and Rooster: Navigating the Nasties in My Life

Wheelin' and Dealin' in a Hopeful House Sale Scenario

The Dangled Carrot

Working Something Out

Carpal Tunnel Break

Wordy Thursday (Kinda Rhymes) and the Ace of Wands

UPDATED Wish Fulfillment