soul enchanted

As life (and the Universe) is wont to do, we've circled around into Spring the last couple of weeks.  The snow has changed to its soggy, noisy, dramatic self... the earth below is warming (permanently), and I am, of course, Outside . Sometime in May I shall, of necessity, be moving my work- (and main altar-) space outside.  Though I've considered it often over this winter, I hadn't really started thinking about it too much, until a couple of days ago when I was..... well.... summoned , by Spring. There is a tiny little pond in the backyard that's I've always claimed as mine (for meditation, and reflection), so naturally I'll be moving there, with a few embellishments. Since these things take time, contemplation, and lots of wiggling things about, my feet have been bare to the earth, and my hands and fingers have dirt in all the cracks and creases. Outdoor furniture is being moved back and forth... different things tried here and there.... lots of look...

I originally published this on Ordinary Life Magic. I have soap-making on my agenda this fall (and even a castile -vegetable- soap) but this day I spotted my almost-empty bottle of Dr. Bronners, and decided it was a good day for making potions. I knew I had a bar or two of Kirk's castile soap, and I knew that was pretty much all it took to make two quarts of liquid soap. Liquid Castile Soap: 8 cups boiling water (distilled, though I used tap) a 5oz. bar castile soap (I used Kirk's--cost is about $1.60.) essential oils, for fragrance and added cleaning power (optional) Kitchen Cleaner Concentrate: 3 cups liquid castile soap 4 Tb Borax 1 cup lemon juice (or you could use vinegar, if you absolutely insist. I do not enjoy the smell of vinegar.) Handsoap: liquid castile soap bit of extra glycerin, if you like. I use liquid soap for two things; the three handsoap foaming pumps (my family loves and prefers these pumps), and my wonderful, favorite...

This post was originally published on my blog Happy and Free, in November of 2008.  I still use these cleaners, twelve years later! I make my cleaners. I stopped using commercial household cleaners almost completely a couple of years ago, with the exception of laundry soaps and dish soaps - though now I make our powder dish-machine soap, too. I've done quite a bit of research on it, as I'm something of a germaphobe (thanks, Putty). When I clean, I have to know it's clean. It has to look clean, smell clean, feel clean, and sparkle clean. I have to hear the Voices of the Angels. And I don't like vinegar. So there. I am not above using a little bleach (a tablespoon or two) in a squirt bottle filled with water when things are feeling yucky. It sterilizes. I don't like to do it -- it feels like cheating, and I know it's not good for the earth. But I have lots of white tile, white shirts, and an aversion to mold stains on the bottom of white shower...