Site News – Welcome to SableWing Open Productions

Welcome to SableWing Open Productions. Nothing super fancy to look at here, I’ll admit, but hey, thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it. It’s fun to look at my web logs and see the visitors still come by.

If you’re looking for help, check out the Guides. Or, find some place better to browse in the Links section 🙂

Also, I’ve got some free stuff, a partly done musical and some more complete software for download. I plan to be adding to this area in the near future, I hope (fingers crossed)

And, there is my Brown Bag Job Club, which is supposed to help out people looking for work. I’ll be updating it, after I get this site on it’s feet, so you can watch for updates. Hopefully in less then 6 months from now. 🙂

Thanks again for stopping bye and hope you come back to visit again. I’ll do my best to get updated content up here more often.

What is Hazel Fern?

An illustration of a hazel leafFirst, the name Hazel Fern is from my great grandmothers name. I was fortunate enough to know her while I was growing up. I did not know her name until I started with genealogy research and once I found it I was enchanted by it. I decided to use it as a pseudonym for writing about topics I don’t want associated with my main blog.

Initially I thought the site wouldn’t get much traffic, until I wrote a post about a certain ex-president. Apparently there are SEO sites that searched for such posts and would initiate a DDoS to take the site down. I redirected the domain to a honeypot, then moved the posts to subdomain, where they have sat for the last few years.

The software I used will be at the end of life soon. In addition, the latest versions of the software are trending towards custom development and there are fewer plugins available for functions. I decided to combine the posts with my main sablewing.org site and here they are. A bit more of my varied topics that I like to write about.

Sorting Out My Thoughts

n

This week has been an emotional week after the US 2016 Presidential election. With the election of Trump as our next President, I feel like a blow has been struck against equality and that a bully has been put in charge of our country, with a gang standing behind him to enforce their idea of a perfect society. Which seems to want to take us back to the 50’… the 1850’s. I go back and forth between anger, fear and disgust for my fellow citizens who voted for this con man to lead our country.

nnnn

Yet, I also wonder if I have helped to fuel this situation by not listening to his supporters, not trying to find out why they are angry. I also want to take some action, do something to try and fix things. I also feel compelled to do something for my families situation, to try and protect us somehow from the insanity that I think will happen over the next few years. So many thoughts, I’m not sleeping well and I find the need to just jot things down in order to try and clear my mind. I have books I want to write and I need to empty out the maelstrom whirling through me so I can move forward.

nnnn

On a personal note, I have also felt that I have a calling for alternative healing, specifically Reiki Energy healing. I attended a class last week and I felt that something clicked within me, that this was right and somehow things would be right if I followed this calling. Due to money concerns, it will be next year before I take another class, but that also feels right somehow. I’m not sure where my path will lead, but it felt right to follow a calling of my heart after a long time of worrying about being practical and focusing on the requirements of the physical world.

nnnn

I am also feeling called back to writing after a long drought. I have written bits and pieces, here and there, but nothing on a regular basis. I have always written, but my heart was not in it. I feel somewhat lost as I’ve realized I have found places where I am accepted, I am loved, but I am still not a part of those places. I am grateful for them, it is a first to have so many places where I feel accepted but I have realized lately that I still feel empty. I want to make a difference in the world, somehow make my piece of the world a better place and it feels like I am just a cog in the wheel, that if something happened to me, it wouldn’t matter much, except to a very few people that I care about and who care about me. I realize many people have felt that way and have lived and died that way but I feel like there is something more I should be doing. Yet, I have not had the passion in my heart to work on my writing and so it has languished over the last year.

nnnn

Somehow, it feels like my heart is healing, some of the passion, my soul purpose is creeping back in and I am slowly working my back. I have learned many lessons so perhaps it wasn’t a setback but it still feels that way. I am gratified that in writing this post, I can feel myself loosening up, as I allow my true voice to speak out and express myself. I suspect that this message is the equivalent of putting a message in a bottle and throwing it into the ocean but I feel a bit better. My best to whoever might run across this post and my the blessings of the divine be on you.

n

Another Step on My Path for Alternative Healing

n

For the past few years I have not had the urge to update this site.I need to renew the site name and I decided to look around, clean up some links and remind myself of what I’ve done in the past. I found myself remembering and musing over my experiences and feeling like that person was a much more innocent and naive version of me. Yet, there was truth in my observations that still hold true.

nnnn

I am continuing with my journey in exploring energy what I sense. This weekend I took a class in Reiki and I have been certified as a Level 1 Reiki Practictioner. I had a very good day and the class seemed an affirmation of my path and what I want to be. Part of the class was an attunement, where the Reiki masters attune each student to Reiki energy. When I was attuned, I received the message that my birthright, my gift, was being acknowledged and recognized. The experience confirmed that this is the right thing for me to do at this time. Indeed, it feels as if I should have pursued this teaching sooner. However, I don’t feel that I was ready or that the right teachers were ready for me until this time.

nnnn

In the last day I have noticed a difference in my perspective, an understanding that I need to let go of ego in order to progress on my path. Since I have many habits that indulge my ego, my sense of wanting for only myself, this is not easy. I keep reminding myself of the saying from the class “I ask for something to happen in a way in the highest way possible for the universe and everyone involved.” It’s much easier to ask for things as “I want this…” but what I want is not always what I need or what is best for everyone involved.

nnnn

I have alternated between feeling on-edge and at peace, I will need to work on tuning down what I’m picking up. I feel like I’ve taken the first steps towards some important task I need to do, I will be curious to see what I find.

n

Memories of Moon Tea

Many years ago, when my husband and I were still dating, we were living in the Fort Worth-Dallas area. I was not fond of the taste of the tap water and this was before bottled water became so popular. In order to have a low calorie drink I would make sun tea on the little balcony for my apartment. I would set out a jar of water with 3-4 teabags in the morning then bring the jar back in when I came home from work in the evening. This would give me enough iced tea for the next few days.

One day, during the summer, I forgot to put out the tea in the morning. Since the days were long I hurried around and put out a jar planning to bring it back in before I went to bed. However, I again forgot about the tea and it sat outside on my porch overnight. I did finally remember the tea in the morning and brought it in, hoping it would taste okay.

My husband to be and I drank that tea and we both thought it was the most wonderful iced tea we had ever drank. My husband declared that ‘moon tea’ was a lot better than regular sun tea. I never have been able to duplicate that flavor and I can still remember the wonderful taste.

I was reminded of this when I saw the full moon while drinking some iced tea. The tea flavor was good, especially since I also had chocolate chip cookies but it didn’t match that flavor from so long ago. I may have to try making some ‘moon tea’ during one of the full moons.

Spring Weather, Road Trip Travel Tips

I got busy the last couple of weeks so missed posting, time to make up for it. The last couple of weeks have definitely been typical spring weather with unsettled weather. We’ve had light rain, a heat wave, twice and now we seem to be back to more normal spring weather here in the San Diego area. The bunnies are still around although I only see one big one around instead of two. The lizard population has declined, which occurred shortly after seeing  a hawk hanging around our area so I think I know where they went. HOwever, I have seen some smaller lizards around, usually on our driveway as I go in and out so I’m not too worried that the lizard population is going to dip below sustainable levels.

With summer on the way we will probably be busy out in the yard trimming back brush. There is a lot of dead brush and overgrown bushes that need trimming. And I definitely want to get trees trimmed back that are close to the house. This evening I was out trimming a couple of bushes and some pepper trees that were trying to regrow by my flowers. We need to pick up some stuff to put on the stump to kill the pepper trees. They are definitely a weed tree out here, you can trim them back but they quickly try to regrow where you cut. I’m not looking forward to trying to trim a couple of other pepper trees out. At least I got a few beans from the green beans I planted. Not enough to serve up but it was fun to have something to pick. And I was surprised the critters didn’t go right through the flimsy fence I have setup to have a snack of beans. Lots to learn but it’s fun to find out that things will grow out here. The soil definitely seems to be decent, much better than what we had at the old house.

With Memorial day this weekend I was thinking about some travel tips for people driving somewhere. My husband and I ran a motel for a few years and there are some things I can offer based on being behind the desk. These tips apply to traveling on side roads and not on the interstate or in large cities.

  1. When away from franchise and chain hotels look for AAA motels – We had a motel that was AAA rated and for tourists the AAA rating lets you know that the motel has been inspected at least once that year. Based on our experience our motel was not inspected by the state or city the entire time we owned and managed the property. However, in order to keep our AAA rating we had to allow the property to be inspected at least once a year and as a surprise inspection. The AAA inspectors look over the rooms to rate them on how clean they are and what amenities they offer. We had a basic one star motel, which means that the rooms are clean and have some space between the walls and beds. And AAA motels will generally be consistent on their prices even during peak times. This does not mean that other motels or lodging aren’t clean just that you know that someone has inspected the rooms within the last year and that the rooms were in good condition and clean during that inspection.
  2. Find out when the slow seasons are and don’t be afraid to ask for a discount at the desk – During slower seasons with a smaller motel it doesn’t hurt to ask for a discount. In some cases you may be talking to the owner of a family owned motel so they can easily decide to give you a discount. But know when those off seasons are and for what cities. As an example, in northwest Wyoming area, from mid-June to mid-August don’t bother to ask for a discount. From mid-August to mid-October you should be able to get some discount except when hunting season starts, October 15th. After October you can get really steep discounts, depending on where you want to stay. If it’s Jackson Hole during skiing season or at one of the lodges that are close to snowmobiling don’t bother to ask. But in other areas feel free to ask and if you stay for several days you may be able to get a weekly rate. Also, if it’s later in the evening but not too late, don’t be afraid to ask for a discount. The room would sit empty so the owner is better off renting out even at a discount. However, if it’s too late and you wake up the owner be prepared to pay full price for the inconvience and grumpiness in getting woke up in the middle of the night. 🙂
  3. If motels are full and it’s late don’t be afraid to ask a small motel owner if you can park on their lot for the evening – When we had our motel there were a couple of times when people would ask to stop and park in our lot for the night. This occurred during early August when the Sturgis motorcycle rally occurred in South Dakota. The motorcyclists would fill up motels around the rally which would push people out to other motels. As a result every motel within a 300 mile radius would fill up by 6:00 pm in the evening for about a week. Normally it’s 10:00 or later for a motel to fill up during the summer months. For people traveling towards South Dakota who didn’t know this they would try to find a room around 8:00 or 9:00 in the evening and not have any luck. We had one car stop during this time, with several older ladies who asked if they could stop and park on our lot. Their car was having problems and it was 8:30 or 9:00 in the evening. We actually opened up our big garage area for them and set up rollaways so they would have someplace a little more comfortable to stay. In the morning, when one of the rooms opened up we offered the room so they could clean up before taking care of their car. If you find out that it’s a busy time and you can’t get a motel room look for a small motel that looks family owned, you might have some luck in at least parking on the lot overnight.
  4. Staying some distance away from the main attraction will save money – Our motel was 120 miles from Yellowstone and about 60 miles away from Cody. Prices for a room in Cody that was equivalent to ours was usually twice as much. I will admit that the rooms were probably bigger and there were chain motels in Cody. However, if you are only going to stay one night in a room is it worth twice as much? If you are looking for things to do and have children then a larger city might be better but if you are watching your budget then staying further away may save you some money. And if you are looking for a quiet night you may have more luck in a motel away from the main tourist spot.
  5. If you’re driving a fancy car you may get gouged at some small motels – I heard some motel owners talk about how they would raise the rates if they saw someone driving a high end luxury car. We normally kept steady rates but there were one or two times we would raise our rates for potential customers based on their car. And we would raise the rates or offer the highest rate for the room because we didn’t like the looks of the person who wanted to rent. For small motel owners they do develop a sense of who can pay and who might be trouble and you may be judged accordingly before getting the room. If your car is pretty beat up, if you look like you haven’t cleaned up for a few days or just seem off then you may get rates boosted or an even more direct there is no vacancy even if the sign outside says there is a vacancy. On the other end, if you have a really nice car, dress a little better than average or have license plates from a state associated with more wealth the rates may be boosted because it’s thought you have more money to spend. This probably occurs more with family owned motels who are managed and operated by the owners.

Just a few things based on our experience some 16 years ago. Some things may have changed but I suspect these tips could still prove helpful. Have a good Memorial Day Weekend with family. And I hope everyone has good memories as they think about their loved ones who are no longer with us.

More Wildlife, Hot Weather and Rain on the Way…Maybe

I realized that it’s been a week and I do want to keep posting to this blog. The time has gone by quickly, hard to believe I was recovering last week. I am mostly recovered and hoping that all of my stones are gone. Next phase will be figuring out what caused the stones since I have a strong desire to avoid them in the future. Based on my research that may not be completely possible but will have to see.

For most of the week we have had spring like weather. I enjoy the still somewhat cool temperatures and the easing on my electric bill and heating bill. My flowers continue to grow and it looks like some beans have started on my green bean plants. The grass sod we planted on the side is also surviving although I probably won’t be happy with my water bill when I get that. There are some brown patches but most of the sod and some of the grass seed has sprouted. Enough so that I’ll need to ask my son to mow the patches next week. Next tasks are to start pulling out some of the dead wood around the house and trim trees back some. With the Santa Ana winds and warm weather today I was reminded of the fire danger and the need to make sure land is cleared around the house. I was pleased to notice that the wind was not too much today around our house, which is good. And it’s cooling down this evening, with our attic fan pulling in outside air the house is getting comfortable again.

I did get some pictures of some wild flowers and wild life on our lot this week. I posted them on Facebook for those who might be curious. I am hoping to skip ants in the house while we have this dry weather. With the low humidity, 1-2% in some parts of the county, that usually means the ants start looking for the nearest water, which is sometimes in our house. I think it was last week when there was a line of them from our living room to the kitchen that we had to spray.

When I was out this week taking pictures it was very soothing listening to the wind blow through the pine tree out front. We have some tall eucalyptus trees out back, sometimes I can see just the tops waving in the wind that blows over the top of our house. With all of the hills and such it makes for some interesting breaks in how the wind blows across our lot.

It’s definitely cooling down more and it’s a nice evening out. Our cat is napping by the front window on a table I have over there. She occasionally looks up and out the window but I still haven’t seen what she is looking at. Last night was funny, she was chasing a moth that was hovering around a lamp in our family room. The moth would flutter around behind her and she had no clue where it had gone. Once I would point it out she would be back chasing it then she would lose it again when it fluttered out of immediate sight. Definitely not a mighty hunter but she is a good lap cat, especially when I’m reading in the evenings before I go to bed. Hope the weather forecaster is right and we get some rain this weekend. It’s been too dry this year so every little bit helps.

Bunnies, Lizard Pushups – Spring Time!

This week I’ve been home recovering from a procedure to break up some kidney stones I have. I now have a small collection of stones to take in for analysis and I’m recovering pretty well. I’m certainly doing a lot better after this procedure than I was last fall when I passed one stone unexpectedly. In between naps I’ve had a chance to see our ‘wildlife’ wandering about. There are a couple of rabbits that seem pretty comfortable with our yard. A little too comfortable, I’m pretty sure I saw one over nibbling on some flowers I planted a couple of weeks ago. However, they are also pretty timid and if I get close to the window they run off. I’m pretty sure these are the grown up baby bunnies that hopped around the yard a couple of months ago.

We also have a lot of lizards hanging around the house. I sometimes feel like I have a lizard ranch somewhere close by. They certainly like to climb up the house to find warm spots. So far we’ve seen one hanging from the screen on the first floor and second floor. At least I havent’ seen any in the house and hope to continue that trend. In the evenings, when I drive up our long driveway I’ve counted as many as six lizards scurrying off to the side of the road as I drive up to the house. Today I was looking out the kitchen window and noticed one sitting on top of our log pile. He appeared to be doing pushups and then settled down to lie in the sun and look over the yard. A quick search in the internet and I found that lizards do perform pushups as a method of marking territory. It is done by male lizards and shows that they are strong enough for the females and can keep other lizards out of their area. After reading this it reminded me that I had seen some of the lizards chasing each other a few weeks ago. So long as the lizards stay out of our house and eat insects I don’t mind them. Although the lizard hanging off the screen for the second story bathroom was a bit much.

The sun is out this afternoon, a nice change after a gloomy day yesterday. Although since I slept most of yesterday I can’t say that I missed much. The temperature is about right, in the 70’s. And it’s cooling down at night which makes for good sleeping weather. A light breeze whispering through the trees today. I was giving direction to my son today and some tree branches to trim, it felt good to stand in the sun and feel the warmth on my back. While the sun felt good I am hoping it doesn’t warm up too soon. For me, this is about perfect weather, not too warm, not too cold, just right with a touch of a breeze and humidity. Having higher humidity this week is wonderful, it’s nice to not have painful sinuses this week.

I was pleased to see that the bean plants are continuing to grow and there are possibly some new sprouts for some other seeds I planted. Although they could be weeds that are enjoying the extra water I’ve been putting on the bean plants. The grass is still alive, yay, and some of the grass seed is also coming up. It’s fun to see things growing in the yard. So our spring continues.

Taking a Step Back

Along with everyone else I’ve been seeing the news lately and it never seems like there is good news. A bombing in Boston, an explosion in Waco, a do-nothing congress and lots of strife reported. And yet, for most people, life is quiet, families are having time together, and things keep going. I decided that I want to do some more writing on-line to try and get my writing in somewhat better shape. And I want to paint scenes with words to remind people that in spite of all of the bad news, the arguing and disagreements that there are still things in life that stick around long after the headlines have moved to the latest tragedy.

Today it was very windy and dry, which is making for uncomfortable sinuses for myself. But sitting here typing this, I can hear the wind in the trees, the leaves stirring around as each pass of wind finds its way through. I went outside earlier and just stood, listening to the trees and thinking that this is what trees would sound like if they talked. The leave shuffle together and in strong gusts they shift and brush against each other making a soft sound that seems at odds with the strength of the wind. I shift my attention over to the large pine tree on the edge of our driveway and hear the wind whisper through the needles. This sound is more like the wind itself talking to the trees, with more of the air and less of the tree in the sound that finds its way to my ears.

I walk over to turn on the sprinkler for the flowers I planted a week or so ago. For those in northern climates, patience, spring is coming, it’s found its way here in the southern part of the country. Even though I watered the flowers a couple of days ago the ground is dry. Amazing what an 18% humidity will do to suck the water out. I turn on the sprinkler and grin as it puddles up and runs through the little canals I dug out to spread the water out. Even at my age it’s still fun to play with water although I’m much more aware of the cost and scarcity of it in this desert like area. In our new house we plan to keep our watering to a minimum so I have the flowers and some grass that we will keep watered but everything else will have to fend for itself.

While the sprinkler is running I go to check on the soaker hose I’ve set up for the grass sod we are trying to grow. I go ahead and run that for a few minutes and then adjust the hose a bit. I’m experimenting with growing some beans and so the water should reach that area a bit better. I suspect I’ll end up feeding the rabbits and squirrels that hang around but for right now it’s fun to see a couple of bean plants poking up. Maybe I’ll get lucky and even get one or two bean pods, will have to wait and see.

I’ve let the water run for a while so I turn off the sprinkler and come back inside. But with the windows open I can still hear the wind moving the leaves. When the sun sets the wind dies down but I enjoyed the weather change and a chance to hear the trees ‘talk’. I will be glad when our humidity gets back up above the teens though.

Our Pixel in Eternity

As I was browsing around on various places on the internet I ran across a discussion about old souls and young souls. As usual, most of the people there felt they were old souls who were breaking through to new things and here to guide others. Myself, I wonder that there are any younger souls but that’s probably because of places I’ve browsed. And I suppose if you are a young soul you might not be taking part in such discussions. While reviewing these messages I was reminded of a thought I had a while back about our place in things.

While reading stories of people who had been hypnotized and told about their past lives and lives after death there was mention of the levels each soul goes through. A soul is born, goes to school, comes to this earth to learn, goes back to the spirit world and eventually learns enough to move on to another plane of existence.

What interested me was thinking about this other plane of existence. If there is something beyond this world and beyond the spirit world isn’t it possible that there is something beyond that level? And it seems presumptuous to assume that we are the start of everything and at the bottom. What if when souls are born they are really moving up from another level? What if there are infinite levels and we are in a teeny, tiny slice of all of that eternity. I pictured something like the image below. If there is an infinite number of possible existences I’m basically the equivalent of one pixel on a very long line. And maybe it isn’t a line, maybe it’s a circle that connects back with itself so that I repeat different types of life.

A line showing the spectrum of colors, with an arrow pointing to a single pixel on the spectrum.

Looking at things this way, I don’t feel like an old soul, I see myself as just one more piece of the tapestry, no more or less than important than any other piece. I will eventually shift to other positions and move up or down the line or circle. And the existences I move into could be wildly different from this existence with no connection to the lessons we are here to learn. When looking at this existence that way, well, referring to old or young souls seems kind of pointless. Old souls may be young souls for some other kind of existence while young souls may be very old souls for some other type of existence. And it limits our thoughts by placing on limits on what we can do or be. With an infinite amount of lives why are we trying to base our experience purely on this world of hierarchy? It seems to miss the ultimate point, what are we doing to improve ourselves instead of comparing ourselves or trying to justify our current position?

Our current position simply is, the important thing is movement as needed and standing in place as needed to support the entire work. Don’t limit yourself with just what this world prizes, it is only one pixel of a massive image that we cannot truly envision no matter our place within it. Only if someone stands outside of it can they perceive what the whole is. Perhaps someday we might stand outside and see the tapestry. But I suspect we will only be contained within yet another tapestry and will still be a single pixel within the whole.

Growing Up, Remembering How to Laugh

n

It’s that time of year, a special time of year for me. Not Christmas but my birthday. And this year I celebrated one of those dreaded decade birthdays, I am now 50. Myself, these birthdays don’t seem like that a big deal but it is a marking of the passage of time. This year was also one filled with a lot of activity. My family sold and bought a new house, there have been changes in the business I’m involved with and I have grown in some of my viewpoints. Add in the supposed end of the Mayan calendar and it all makes for an interesting time of year.

nnnn

But in the end, what does it all mean to me? It’s a time to reflect on whether I’ve actually improved or if I’m still stuck in  a rut. Too often I feel that I’m in that well known rut but this year I feel like I have made some progress. And oddly enough I feel like I have finally become a grown up, an adult. I find myself taking responsibility more seriously and understanding why I need to do those tedious tasks that are part of everyday life. I suspect having to clean up one house in order to sell helped me to see how important the little things can be when they aren’t done often enough. So in our new house I want to create new habits to take care of things which means not quite so much time spent on other items. I can also see that I need to remember to laugh. With the times we are currently in, with all of the challenges it can be all too easy to be serious, to be adult and to forget that life is also to be enjoyed. And I tend to be much too serious as it is.

nnnn

I thought of this after my birthday call with my brother. Ten years ago he called and teased me about turning 40. When he turned 40 three years later it was my turn to tease him. On my 50th birthday we talked about our work, our kids and life in general but no teasing. We were both busy being adults which I find a little sad. Not that I want to be teased all of the time but I need to be reminded that I shouldn’t take myself too seriously. Heyokah, after all, I am my biggest joke on myself. With that, I hope everyone has a cleaner 2013 as we all move onto new endeavors and new ways of doing things. Just remember to laugh and be silly as we all grow up a bit.

n