Sun Sextile Mars

Something seems a bit off here - 11:20 (a.m. at least) and I'm still in bed, although I've managed to spend close to $100 on clematis and ornamental cascading oregano, which I've bought three times before and it's always died. Also managed to write one sentence on the piece I'm *writing* on 9/11, and will not allow myself to get out of bed to start gardening until have added one line of dialog to Anonymous and Me. Could be worse.

More to come. We hope.

Cardinal Grand Cross on Nodes Revised

Er, that comment I made last Wednesday when Apple announced its seven for one stock split about my annual income doubling - well, see, that just happened to also be the day that Venus opposed Jupiter for me and, er, see, when someone told me that a seven to one stock split meant whatever dividend was paid would have to be divided by seven I said of course it didn't, the dividend stays the same, you just get seven times more of it than you did before...

I hate it when other people are right.

Progressed Venus in Taurus...

...trine progressed South Node in Capricorn - this was within two seconds of exact when MV called to see if I'd be willing to work on his book for him. Two days later, with Pluto smack on the natal South Node, I broke my wrist playing tennis, but that's another story.

Cardinal Grand Cross on Nodes,,,

...Uranus squaring both. Apple declares seven for one stock split and raises dividend, thereby increasing my annual income by $13,000.

Slightly stunned and return to news item every ten minutes to ensure date not April first. It's not.

Driving with the Eclipse on Mercury

So AFTER I made a reservation for a flight on the 19th of April I realized the lunar eclipse fell on *my* Mercury the day before the flight, of more significance than it might sound as flying from Silver City involves a three hour drive to the airport first.

OK. So first my bnb couple ask on Monday morning if they can possibly stay another night.  Of course, I say, my eyes turning into dollar signs the way Bluto's (?) used to in the Popeye cartoons. But aren't you getting ready to leave, they say. No problem, I say, I don't need to leave till the evening, I'm all ready basically and all I have to do are last minute things.

So I wave them off at 10 am on Tuesday, eclipse happening overnight Monday, and immediately strip the bed and wash the sheets because friends will be spending the night on the 20th, while I'm away. Sheets out of washer, into dryer, towels into washer. Have said will drop off cats at kennel between twelve and one. Quick sweep of floors, dishes washed, sheets out of dryer and onto bed, towels into dryer, clothes I'm planning on wearing on trip into washer. Need to go to Walmart for grapes and jerky for plane and decide to go on way back from Kennel, four miles past Walmart on way out of town.

Get Pretty Boy into real live cat carrier easily. Grab Good Girl and manage to get her into cardboard what you bring animals back from shelter in when you don't have a real carrier carrier. Holding two top flaps down when she pushes up against top and as I have no strength in left wrist forces it open and hides behind washing machine. Wait ten minutes to see if she'll come out and for reasons unknown to self decide to take Pretty Boy then and take Good Girl on way to ELP. Kennel closes at 5:30.

Drop off Pretty Boy, harden heart and refuse to look back, go to Walmart, do shopping, take home. Take towels out of dryer, fold and put in guest bathroom, remember must spray non-native plants with Deer Out as when deer realize house is unoccupied will leap fences and devour any green. Decide to spray right that very minute as realize if put off again will remember as pulling car out of driveway. Spray all outside non-native plants. Start to load toiletries into wheelie bag. Look at clock and realize need to get skates on if to get Good Girl to kennel by closing time.

See Good Girl outside on back patio, pick up and toss into car, close door. Realize need to crack window, open door a chink to get arm in, Good Girl escapes and runs away. Go back in house to put clothes in dryer, realize didn't turn on washing machine. Turn on washing machine. Look at clock. By time clothes washed and dried, kennel will be closed.

Do a walkaround of house, collect all necessary cords and cables and chargers and put in computer bag. Clean out litter boxes. Water house plants. Out clothes in dryer. Look at clock. See Good Girl on front porch, pick up, throw in car, drive to Kennel. Arrive at 5:15. Carry squirming Good Girl into kennel, drop off, take one look at Pretty Boy lying docile in shoe box bed, drive back to house. Open dryer, roll up clothes and put in wheelie bag, take off for ELP, heading past kennel for first time.

Get to ELP, find hotel, repack bag, leave a lot in car. Sleep, get up, drive to airport, told at check in desk have missed flight and will have to go on standby for next. Decide to go to gate anyway, allowed on, bag checked. Flight to DFW fine, flight to LGA fine. Now have to take bus to US Air terminal for final hop, go through security again. US Air refuse to take home-printed boarding pass (accepted by American on both other legs), have to go to desk. Official pass accepted.

Get to Logan, luggage lost, appears with no name tag, told must always have name tag on luggage.

Picked up by T, get lost, find selves at bus entrance to South Street Station, $50,000 fine. Drive into parking lot, drive out of parking lot, no fee except being asked why took wrong turn. Now in downtown Boston rush hour traffic, home in only 90 minutes.

Mercury Sextile Uranus

So the futon has been gone for five months, leaving behind a fetching black line on the pale green wall which its iron back pushed up against for twelve years and I've had the roll of  Marimekko wallpaper frieze to cover it up for three months, and, with airbnb people arriving this evening today was of course the day I chose to put it up.

The result, for someone with only one usable hand and one pair of eyes to scrutinize straightness, was remarkably successful and once I recovered from looking at bright pattern which I usually avoid like the plague I was quite pleased with myself.

I'd post before and after photos but Google won't let me upload straight from the computer any more. I have to go through Picassa which I have yet to download, and also find a more visually appealing blog template, so until whatever transit that will support both of those activities rolls along, almosteveryday will remain text only. Free will? Hah!

Progressed Moon Square Uranus

OK, so maybe this is why I went haring off 60 miles away to Glenwood last Saturday to fill my trash bag with rummage sale clothes for a dollar. I'm  not paying as much attention to astrology as I have in the past, hence the shorter and shorter posts in here.

All I know is I went to the informal knitting group I go to sporadically last Thursday, after not being able to knit for months because of cast on arm, and felt very itchy (metaphorically speaking) and restless and the two hours went very very slowly.

Moral: do not go to a knitting group on the day the progressed moon squares your natal Uranus exactly. Choose, perhaps, a more exciting pursuit like watching an adventure movie on telly.

Venus Trine Saturn

This is usually when I start cutting up curtains to make a new frock, but I was saved from that by a friend who'd got her days a bit mixed up and wanted to take me for a birthday lunch.

So much for sobriety and stability - it was Little Toad Creek for a pint of lager and the sewing machine stayed exactly where it was.

Sun Sextile Moon

I have this natally, and seeing as how it was my birthday yesterday it was in effect double time, I suppose. No people around to be at ease with me because I was at ease with myself, and no friends or close neighbors around to have harmonious relationships with, but lots of phone calls and emails, some expected, some not, and no argie-bargies, just a lot of thank yous.

Made an expedition out to the car and brought in the loot from Saturday's trip to the dollar-a-trash-bag-full-of-clothes rummage sale, sorted it all out and washed it, put shorts on and went outside and watered and started cutting the yellow vinca, got the wheelie bag out and started figuring out what I'll take east, watched Dr. Phil, now all caught up, knitted a couple of inches of cardigan sleeve - blimey, just might be returning to life.

Mars Trine Moon

And also, on my astrological birthday, with this in effect, I signed up for a free week's trial of Skype Extra or whatever it is and spent a pleasant three hours looking at a fixed image of my sister who doesn't know what an image of a video camera looks like and watching Lloyd, the Morongo Valley cat, wander from room to room of his house. Two girls, one boy.

Sun Conjunct Sun

Many happy returns to me on my astrological birthday, when I set the tone for the coming year by having chocolate cake for breakfast and doing some pruning and watering in the *garden* in the afternoon.

I can knit again, albeit slowly and awkwardly, so am catching up on unwatched episodes of Dr. Phil and in general returning to something like normalcy since that fateful day on February 12th when I lunged for a ball, tried to return it with a backhand and have spent the time ever since recovering from a broken wrist, just in case anyone reading this missed the news flash.

Wrist is now in a removable splint but will spare readers images until arm begins to resemble an arm and not a chicken's neck.

Mercury Opposed to Chiron

This one passed by completely unnoticed, proving, I suppose, that at the age of 68 I am *healed* enough to be able to survive a fleeting transit to Chiron unscathed or that I'm an insensitive boor unaware of my own feelings or those of others.

Maybe it's the upcoming Mars trine to the Moon, but I had the best day in ages having now discovered that the misery of the past six weeks was caused by an allergic reaction to - yes, you guessed it - Good Girl the short-haired cat, cue memories of the winter I spent in New York several years ago with long-haired Sweet Pea, short-haired Mr. Patches, the cat I saved from death row and fostered for five months, and a constantly dripping nose. Thanks to Amazon and Animal Dander Allertox my turkey wattle cheeks have gone, my eyes no longer sting and itch and water, and I am a new woman, ready to face whatever else Pluto on the south node and Uranus about to square them both will bring.

Venus sextile Venus

Finally, after about six weeks of misery, my eyes are returning to something like normal and great patches of the day go by when I'm not *bothered* by them. They're still little slits but I suppose that's here to stay, but to not have them watering and itching and making me want to rub them into my head is truly a joy. It's a bit like when I used to transcribe for a living - simply not doing it is like being on vacation.

Anyway, slowly slowly slowly something like energy is beginning to return. I finished getting the B&B room ready, went to the dump oh joy oh joy and realized I'm capable of knitting again, albeit it slowly and a bit awkwardly. Not a chance of "All Aboard for Toyland" being finished by Star Child's birthday, but I might get both sleeves done. Glass half full and all that.

Mercury Trine Midheaven & Ascendant

Well the dining room table is still covered with piles of paper from my burst of filing energy earlier in the week but it got a little bit uncovered yesterday. I don't know about plans for the future but I asked *my* accountant to confirm he's filed an extension for me, and he has, so all the tax stuff went into the Taxes & Medical 2013 folder. I made a folder for Paid Bills 2014 and that got rid of two more bits of paper. I made a copy of the cover page of my home insurance policy that went up by $200 a year because of my claim for the chicken coop and any day now I'm going to find and copy last year's policy, so I can send it to John who's going to research a cheaper one for me, or at least get a quote for having car and house covered by the same policy, something seemingly now far beyond my capabilities.

Of course, I ought to have made the call myself because communication was flowing so smoothly I could easily have gotten all the information I needed in order to make the best deal, but there you go. Just lazy, that's me.

Venus sextile Mercury

So which one is it - the anonymous comment I just got telling me the poster had learned a lot about blogging from my blog and sending me off to his, which just happens to have the words payday loans in its title, or was it the call I didn't pick up from State Farm Insurance about a claim going back to August 2012 when I scratched a car in the parking lot at Enterprise  because I asked for a compact and they gave me a Town &  Country eleven-seater mini bus? (Mercury, cars, get it?)

Mercury Opposed to Jupiter

I'm still trying to figure out a tagline - which I'd never heard of before - for Just For You so I can send it to a Canadian contest I just discovered with a deadline of today - April Fool's Day - but Michael Lutin described the day (Sun conjunct Uranus for everyone) best with "whatever you think is going to happen won't."

Went to get my cast off to find out I still have to wear a splint for another two weeks and take it off four or five times a day and try to bend my wrist, which I can't do, and got back from that to discover the man who was going to clean the gutters couldn't do it by himself and was going to have to come back today with a helper so he didn't fall off the roof, which seemed eminently reasonable and meant I could go straight back to bed and continue watching Mad Men.