Web site in process

I have been working on my website www.wisewomenofthewest.com/ all week and even though I'm using templates, it's still challenging. The frustration factor is high. Software programs can do 50,000 things, but the one thing you want them to do, forget it. I could be out there fighting traffic and crowds in the annual rush to outdo yourself and your friends, known as "Christmas Shopping"! I either do it all year long or give my products. Now that my line of herbal products, and cordials has expanded so much, there's a lot to choose from. The website is started and there is still a lot to do. As for this blog, you might have noticed that some of the ads are wonky and some of them are selling questionable products. This is not my doing and I have to monitor daily to see what they've come up with. I will probably be switching to another location soon. I will keep you posted.

Ah! Monday

Last week I was so busy getting ready for our third annual Joy Road Art Walk and Craft Sale in Occidental, I didn't have time to do any posting. I did read an interesting blog - http://www.todolistblog.blogspot.com/ with a posting called "110 Things to do Before He Dies". It's down the page a bit but worth looking at. I think most of us have made such a list even if it was just in our heads. How many of those things have you gotten to do? Send me a list or comment with 5 things you wanted to do in your life and then actually did. Then tell me 5 you still want to do. I think its good to check it with oneself from time to time. It's a way to call attention to our lives and what we're doing. In the modern world we have more choices than ever and even if we feel stuck in something, we can still change our attitude about it. I have found that when I changed my mental relationship to something, it changed as well. The material presented in The Secret about the Law of Attraction is real for me and I have had my world change amazingly by changing my thoughts and language. For books on this and other related topics go to the Amazon ad on the page. They are having some incredible deals the day after Thankgiving. One winter after I had had surgery, I had many challenges with my house - problems with the well and a leaky roof. I was not able to work because of my surgery and (oh did you know that state and federal employees cannot get disability pay?) so... no income. My car had blown a cylinder the day after I stopped working before my surgery, so no car. And I didn't have enough money to pay for propane heating. In short, I was cold, in pain and the only reliable water I had was falling on my head from the roof. I did have a mound of yarn. I decided to make ponchos. I sat for hours crocheting. The yarn kept me warm. Rather than feeling sorry for myself (tempting I admit, but not helpful) I realized there were hundreds, maybe thousands of people, maybe hundreds of thousands of people who would give anything to: 1) have a house, 2) be home crocheting rather than being at work, and 3) be alone rather than with the person or persons they were with. I thought of all those people who have so many duties and obligations they never get a moment to themselves. I remembered my days in the Peace Corps and my experiences traveling in "third" world countries where people lived in cardboard shanties. And I thought "Wow, am I lucky!" Happy for what I have rather than what I don't have. I viewd my circumstances from a different point of view. Everything has changed since then. I have two cars now, I am self-employed, and the roof and well got fixed. It's important to monitor your thoughts and your feelings. Meditation and contemplation (not worrying) can help with this. I have also found that all the recordings by Caroline Myss are beneficial for changing one's relationship to their life. Have a great week.

In Gratitude

Today I want to pay homage to my teachers and to the spiritual path it took me a long time to find. Thirteen years ago today (Nov. 12) I went to my first "Sufi Dance" in Sebastopol, CA and found my home. Being involved with Sufism has been the one thing I have "committed" to (besides going to school) for so long. I have been more or less actively participating with several lineages during that time, but the community is large and flexible and it is not a problem (except in terms of time). I started with a lineage that came from Hazrat Inayat Khan from India, then added one that came from Mevlana Jelaleddin Rumi, who is buried in Konya, Turkey, but who was born elsewhere. Through my connection to Sufism, all my dreams have come true. I was reading a blog this morning about "to do" lists. Throughout my life, I have made lists about things I wanted to do before I die, places I want to go, etc. I have done them all. I also want to pay homage to Marianne Williamson, whose book Return to Love helped me get my priorities straight and get off the path of being a love addict. I'm not saying I'm "there" yet, but now I can see the "Beloved" in everyone, including myself more and more everyday.

The Invisible Woman

I think it was around 10 years ago when I realized that I wasn't being noticed anymore. I was a fairly attractive woman in my day and always got plenty of attention from men (sometimes unwanted). I knew this would not last. But when it got so that I couldn't even get service in public places, I knew I had joined the ranks of the unseen. One day at a local fund-raiser in town, I went to buy a glass of wine. I knew what I wanted. I was looking attentively at the server with the money in my hand. As I waited my turn, a couple walked up on my right. Before they had even made their selection, the counter person was helping them. I was a bit irritated, but hey, this was a "fund-raiser" for the town park and I wasn't going to make a stink. Then two men came up on my left, and before they knew what they wanted, they got help. THAT WAS IT!!!!! Here I was with my money in my hand and two other sets of people got waited on before me. I said "What's going on here? Do you have to have a d__k to be waited on?" Well.... that got everyone's attention. The counter person hemmed and hawed and helped me. The two guys were red-faced (more embarassed than me). I got my wine. I also learned that even though I was not seen anymore, now that I was "an old lady", I could get away with being strange. I could say just about anything I wanted. I've made the most of that believe me!!

May in Morocco

Early last May I went to Morocco with a group of herbalists, herb growers, massage therapists, healers, and producers of herbal products. We visited spas, healing retreat centers, herb farms, herbal doctors and even a rose oil distillery.

Here’s our tour leader having a healing footbath. It was inspiring to me since I also grow medicinal plants and create my own herbal products.
I discovered ingredients used traditionally in Morocco, but still not well-known in the United States and have been making my own products with them. Watch for a link to my website where you can find out how to get them.
We also did some of the usual tourist things like ride camels (I love camels). How could anyone ever say that camels are vicious? Isn’t he the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen? We visited the historic kasbah Ait Benhaddou, where they recently filmed a movie.

Did you ever see goats in trees?
Here they are eating argan fruit.

A wonderful oil is made from the nut inside that is used both for cooking and skin care. Whoever came up with the expression “a hard nut to crack” must have been talking about argan. We got to try cracking them at a women’s collective.

Thanks to the French I learned in the Peace Corps many years ago, I was able to talk to the locals. One afternoon, I was talking to the young man who works at the hotel desk. He asked me why, at the height of the season, there were no Americans, besides us, at the hotel. “We built this place especially to cater to American tourists and you’re the only ones here. Why aren’t Americans coming to Morocco anymore?” Part of me was surprised at his naiveté. “You really don’t know why?” “No, not at all. We love Americans.” I felt so bad telling him that to the average American, all Arabic speaking people are the same. Most people think they are all terrorists. Even some of the people in the group I was with were so on edge about something happening, that every normal setback or misunderstanding (common while traveling anywhere) was seen as a deliberate attempt to upset and derail us. He was so sad to hear this. “But don’t they know that Morocco is completely different than that? We don’t want fanaticism here.” “No they don’t know that,” I replied. He said it was my job to tell them. This was my second trip to Morocco. I loved it so much the first time that I wanted to pack up my life and move there. This time was no different. The focus of this trip brought us to more rural areas than I experienced last time and we had a chance to meet and interact with lots of people. I saw how I could live there and perhaps that will be part of my future.

Road Kill – Stories from the Post Office

Several years ago while I was still a Rural Carrier, I was helping my mom host an Elderhostel event. I never told them what I did for a living since it was irrelevant to my role. One afternoon some of the people were sitting around chatting and someone made a crack about postal workers. Another replied “Well you know, they only hire road kill at the post office”. I wanted to “out” myself right then. Earlier these same people had praised my intelligence and complimented me for my interesting presentation on California history. They were so impressed …Blah, blah, blah. What if they knew I was “road kill” too? I was outraged at the stupidity and insensitivity of such a remark. It was one of those moments in life where you stand there wondering what the right thing to do is. Stand with the underdog or pretend you don’t know him? I said nothing. But to this day I wish I could have set them straight about the incredible job postal workers do – 24/7 all over this country.
I have mixed feelings about my time in the Post Office, but I will say this: nobody knows except one who has done the job, just what it’s all about. Presently, there are nearly a million people working for the U.S. Postal Service as it is known today. Then there are the families and friends, whose lives are affected, not to mention the retirees. I’d like to share stories. Not “going postal” jokes. Although….
I never thought I’d be standing up for the Post Office. Except for one Postmaster, they were not very nice to me. I worked for them for only 8 years. But it was a job I will never forget. I’ve done many jobs in my life, but overall the Post office was the hardest. And strangely enough, the one I miss the most.
The reason I decided to start this blog was that lately, I’ve begun to see how much better things were with snail mail. Having worked for the post office, I appreciated the level of service and the job we did more. The other day, I was creating an email list of customers for my home-based business (I had to do something after the P.O. put me out after getting hit by a car and not being able to do my job anymore – more about that later) so I took the settlement money from the insurance company and started a business. I entered the list, being very careful to type everything right. I had made a point of telling everyone to write legibly – what does that mean in the modern world? – people can barely write at all. Of course I got a mailer daemon. No such address. I thought “XXXX” lost that contact! Then I remembered the post office. We used to get mail addressed to “Grandma Jones on Second St.” There was always someone who knew who that was – usually the carrier for Second St. who went on the same route everyday and knew all his/her customers. All I had to do was sort that envelope to route X and the carrier knew the rest. Not with email. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. No office of dead letters. Sent off into the ozone never to be heard from again. Now how many of you have had snail mail lost? I know there’s a joke about that – but honestly, how often has it really happened? Compare that to how many times you have had email lost. Sometimes it disappears before you even send it. The computer snags up and all is lost. Maybe that’s why email is so short. That’s all you can remember of whatever you planned to say before the computer ate it. I rest my case.
Then just two days ago another snafu that would never happen at the post office. I had ordered some software and it was being delivered by FedEx. Someone had entered my home address incorrectly, leaving off one digit. First FedEx called to say there was no such number on that street. The next day they called to say the courier (sounds more upscale than carrier – as in postal carrier) said all addresses on that street had five digits (getting better). Oh yes, they didn’t leave their phone number. It took me over an hour and several phone calls to get some help. The command center, or whatever they call it, knew my address because it was connected to my phone number, but the local “hub” didn’t have that capability. It should arrive tomorrow – 3 days late. Once again the letter carrier would: 1) have recognized my name; 2) known what the address was supposed to be; and 3) most important – delivered it anyway. So my question to you is – Are things really getting better?
I’d like to hear your postal stories.

Where is Mystery Ranch?

Mystery ranch is the place we want to be......

In the world we wish to create.....

Someone said "be the changes you want to see" or something like that. Mystery ranch is the world you want to live in. What does it look like for you? We want to show you our world.