I see a lot in this image. We have a nurse stump/log which speaks to the endings and beginnings theme of the tens. A tree falls and as it decays it gives new life to moss and ferns and fungi and tree seedlings.
I get a sense of journey’s end whether you look at the physical or symbolic. It even looks like the man is walking toward the light. “Light at the end of the tunnel” anyone? Or, on the spiritual side, “going into the light.”
I have mixed feelings about the man being alone. On one hand, it looks like he’s out on a peaceful afternoon stroll through the woods. On the other, I wonder where his family and friends are. I want to step up next to him, linking my arm through his, and ask him to tell me a story as we walk along the path.
Keywords: Tradition, Comfort, Abundance, or Inheritance.
Shadow (upside down or reverse) Reading:
Beware of feeling trapped, or seeing the glass half empty.
Keywords: Family Troubles, Suffocating Traditions, Dependence, or Excessive Materialism.
Plots:
How about a storyteller? An elder passing on his history to the next generation? Perhaps, a first-time grandparent holding that grandchild (or great-grandchild!) for the first time. Or maybe, a grandparent caring for/raising a grandchild? A governess or nanny?
Maybe retirement? An ending to working for a living and a beginning to living for a living.
It’s hard to look at this image and not think about an end of life. Transitioning from the physical plane to the spiritual or metaphysical. Perhaps a ghost story, or life-after-death tale.
Ten Themes: Transition, Transformation, or Endings and Beginnings.
Typically, this card shows three generations of a family. According to Tarot for Writers by Corrine Kenner, “The Ten of Pentacles suggests the richness of family life.” Perhaps a tale of inheritance, whether monies or wisdom or experience or values or beliefs. Perhaps a story around a family tradition.
Characters:
Passing our knowledge to the next generation.
Suit Archetype/Feudal Class: Merchants, Business, and Professional class.
Additionally, look up one of the Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) for personality traits.
For more information on the Tens in general, please refer back to the Ten of Fire.
Image: Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert from Llewellyn Worldwide
As I mentioned last week, I’ve got a new job. A full-time job. An I-need-to-plan-the-week job.
Squeee!
The wee beasties are notorious for eating That Man and me out of house and home. So I knew I’d have to organize breakfasts, snacks, dinners, and lunches on the weekends in detail. I’m also trying to encourage everyone to eat healthier in general.
I made a dinner plan. I made a snack plan. I made a breakfast plan. And I was a baking fool.
First up:
Banana Bread
This is a great breakfast and snack item. I substitute half the oil/butter in my recipe (from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, nothing unique) with unsweetened applesauce.
Next:
Blueberry Pancake Muffins
I discovered this time-saver on Facebook. Whip up your favorite pancake recipe or mix. Pour into muffin tins. Add some of your favorite berries. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Pancakes on the go!
And what baking day would be complete without cookies?
Sugar Cookies
No special recipe here, I use whichever cookbook is closest And, yes, I was rather unimaginative in not decorating them or cutting them into fun shapes.
Then, our snack staple:
Fruit and Veggie Muffins
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip this time, you can find the recipe here.
What do you do to help the work week flow smoothly?
A tired Bugs Bunny after his first hop using his new harness and leash.
I promise NOT to bore you to tears with my whole job situation but I have to share this…
I arrived Monday for my first day
to
FLOWERS and a welcome aboard card.
Coolness, or what?!
I can relate to Bugs this week.
For obvious reasons, the ROW80 part of this post is rather red. I’ve been learning new programs, new terminology, new processes. The mind is fairly spinning with information.
On to the ROW80 part of this program.
Writing/Editing:
Morning Pages for a minimum of 250 words or half hour, whichever comes first, every day. Yeah, not a word.
Fiction, either 250 new words (new or existing WIP) or 1 hour of editing each week. Not yet.
This is one of my favorite cards. Typically, the image shows a man and a woman overlooking a couple of children playing. It has always given me a sense of happily-ever-after (or at least for right now). This image is more primal to me. We have the salmon who swim downstream to the ocean just to struggle upstream to lay their eggs in the same spot they hatched only to die. We see that here. We have the living salmon in the water and the decaying ones on the bank. This makes me think of a Billy Ray Cyrus song, one line in particular, “All gave some and some gave all.” I definitely get a sense of trying one’s best.
Keywords: Unity, Domestic Harmony, Optimism, or Wholeness.
Shadow (upside down or reverse) Reading:
Beware of feeling overwhelmed, it’s okay to ask for help.
Keywords: Delinquent Behavior, Impermanence, Smothering, or Overflowing Emotions.
Plots:
Perhaps a play on the descent and return of the salmon cycle? Or even a story with that at its center. How about a visit to fish ladder? Or a dam? Perhaps your hero/ine works for Fish and Wildlife.
How about a generational story? Or returning to one’s roots?
For you horror folks, how about a serial killer? I don’t know about you, but that kind of looks like a body dump site to me.
Ten Themes: Transition, Transformation, or Endings and Beginnings.
As I mentioned above, traditionally, this is a card of home and family. Perhaps, Home Sweet Home is your theme. How about a marriage? A family with young children?
How about a promise? Or a goal?
Characters:
You have given your best.
Suit Archetype/Feudal Class: Clergy and Priestly class.
Additionally, look up one of the Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) for personality traits.
For more information on the Tens in general, please refer back to the Ten of Fire.
Image: Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert from Llewellyn Worldwide
The other day, Mum and Dad packed the pups and me into the car. I still don’t trust car rides but Mum assured me we weren’t going to that nasty place for shots.
We went hiking!
Mum oohed and aawed about the view.
Me, I was more interested in the horse poop on the trail and herding the pups in the right direction.
See that little bit of white in the middle of the picture? That’s where we started.
I’m not a mountain goat!
But apparently, SOME dogs (not that I’m saying I am a dog, mind you) ARE mountain goats!
Do see her?
She’s half-way up a cliff face! Her human couldn’t even follow.
While watching that Austrian Shepard, it seemed like a good time for a break. Mum handed out water and snacks to the pups and poured me a nice bowl of water.
I don’t think Dad trusted me NOT to go after that Aussie :shakes head:
What would hiking be without someone getting hurt?
Poor Mum.
I didn’t do it. Honest. The pups didn’t either. I was watching them.
No, Mum slipped climbing out of a wash. She said, “Loose limestone plus the wrong foot gear equaled ouch.”
Not wanting to lose the interview momentum of last week, I sent out a new round of resumes Monday. It netted an application packet being sent to me for one position and an interview on Tuesday for another position.
I never got around to returning the application packet.
Because.
The company that called me in for a second interview last week, called me in for testing (writing :snicker: and personality). I was informed they’d would be calling my references.
Had a bit of drama when I found out my main reference was no longer with the company I’d worked for. Some scrambling ensued. But I found a second, then a third contact at the company.
No longer am I sans job.
Yes, much squealing and Snoopy dancing commenced.
On to the ROW80 part of this program.
Writing/Editing:
Morning Pages for a minimum of 250 words or half hour, whichever comes first, every day. 1915 words and all but Saturday (at least at the time of scheduling this post.)
Fiction, either 250 new words (new or existing WIP) or 1 hour of editing each week. Not yet.
Finish Margie Lawson’s Deep EDITS lesson packets. Not yet.
Reading:
A minimum of 8 books to stay on track for 100 books this year. Yep. Crazy for Cowboy by Roxy Boroughs, Her Immortal Love by Diana Castle, and Tangled Threads (Elemental Assassin, Book 4) by Jennifer Estep (I know, a bit of a contradiction to my Tuesday post but I had to read this baby as soon as it arrived in the mail) read this week.
Update Goodreads at least every other week. Yep, did this yesterday, even fixed the widget here on the blog.
Support/Social Media:
Visit and comment on 5 blogs, at least three times per week, for a total of 15 blogs each week. Only 10 this week but I’m giving it the green because it’s more than half.
One non-blog related post per week on Facebook and Twitter. Yep, on both Facebook and Twitter this week.
One share, re-tweet, whatnot per week on Facebook and Twitter. Yep, on Facebook. No, on Twitter.
Non-Writery Stuff:
Exercise three times per week. Yep, I got out with Beastie Girl twice and did yoga once.
Complete The 30-day Diabetes Cure in April. I’m up to day 10, a little behind, but am feeling really good about it, except for those darn fast carbs.
Family day, no working and time with family, one day per week. Yep.
Can be any point of death and rebirth, the Ordeal, the Dark Moment, or All is Lost; the character’s re-dedication to the change in their arc; that point in which the character has everything to lose; or the final push toward the end.
Are the “dark night of the soul” mentioned in the Numbers in Tarot post.
Tarot Notes hasn’t done her Tens post yet as part of the Take a Number series. (I’ll add the link when she does.)
What I See:
Fire can be so frightening. Yet it is often just what nature needs to reestablish itself. I think of the Phoenix. I also get a sense of chaos. The wind is whipping the flames higher and further afield. I imagine the forest animals are running, staying just ahead of the flames. The smoky clouds feel a bit oppressive. I think of crawling along the floor under a smoke cover to safety. Are the firefighters on the scene? Was the fire set on purpose? Or is this a naturally occurring fire?
Keywords: Perseverance, Patience, or Home Stretch.
Shadow (upside down or reverse) Reading:
Remember to trust the cycle.
Keywords: Overload, Pressure, Encumbered, or Onerous Burdens.
Plots:
A fire. A forest fire. Firefighters, firemen. Perhaps, a story focused on running for safety, whether you use the fire or some other danger?
The smoke could be exhaust, perhaps a landing ship started the fire? What if the fire is a result of weaponry?
How about a retelling of the Phoenix myth? Maybe, that isn’t a fire…
Ten Themes: Transition, Transformation, or Endings and Beginnings.
Typically, the card depicts a laborer carrying a load of ten wands. The wands aren’t laying neatly but are tangled. Perhaps, a theme of good intentions going awry?
Characters:
Release what is done and make way for what is to come.
Suit Archetype/Feudal Class: Peasant or Servant Class.
The nine-point personality enneagram can also be useful for character building.
All Tens are E1: Perfectionist and/or Reformer
Self Image — I am right
Passion — Anger
Virtue — Serenity
Narcissistic Trap — Perfection
Avoids — Vexation
Speaking Style — Teaching or Moralizing
E1 people are instinctive, spontaneous, and intuitive. Their “gut” feeling is the center of their awareness. They are often direct or territorial. They are concerned with power, ruled by aggression, and may be troubled by self-doubt or self-blame.
Additionally, look up one of the Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) for personality traits.
Image: Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert from Llewellyn Worldwide
Why I picked it up: That Man brought this home for me. I have the rest of the series, have read and loved the majority of the series, but hadn’t been in a rush to pick this one up.
What I liked: The quirkiness of Sookie is always fun. There’s the expected danger and love and paranormal drama. Once I sat down with it, I flew through the pages.
What I disliked: It’s feeling tired. Perhaps Ms. Harris should have ended the series a few books ago. The thing that got me were the inconsistencies, continuity issues. However, someone just coming to the series, or reading this as a stand alone, wouldn’t pick up on them.
Why I picked it up: Someone, quite awhile ago now, raved about this book. It’s out of print now, so I’ve been searching for it off and on since hearing about it. I managed to land a retired library copy a few months ago.
What I like: We’ve got Merlin in “present” day (book was published in 1990) as the illusionist Kyle Falconer. We have Catherine, a reporter, who’s strangely drawn to Falconer. And wrapped around their story is the Arthurian myth. I’m enjoying Catherine. I’m not far enough into the story to see if we have Falconer’s POV.
What I dislike: There’s a bit of an omnipresence to the narration and it occasionally pulls me from the story.
What I expect to like: “None of us can choose where we will love.” ~ Erik. The Phantom’s POV! It appears the entire story is told in first person. The book is broken down into parts and we open with Erik’s mother’s POV.
What I expect to dislike: I’m not sure. I’ve never read anything by Ms. Kay before so don’t know what to expect.
One always hopes the sending out of resumes will generate interest which will, in turn, generate interviews and that dream job offer.
As always seems to happen, I spent months — months I tell you! — sending out resumes, tweaking cover letters, and sending out even more resumes with nary a response.
What was in the water last week? Not that I’m complaining…
Seriously, though. Got a call Thursday morning for an interview that afternoon which I had to turn down as I was walking out the door with the wee beasties for some Spring Break fun. And a dam broke.
Two interviews scheduled for Monday, one for Tuesday, and two (well, kinda three) for Wednesday. On top of that goodness, one email requesting further information, a phone interview, a SECOND interview, still another I need to call to schedule, and yet another scheduled for tomorrow.
Exhausted? I am.
Then there’s all that interview etiquette to follow up with. You know, the thank yous. A great chance to sale yourself but I’m so not the tipping of my own hat kinda person and these are hard for me to pen.
I had Thursday off, but did I do anything other than put my house back in order? Nope. Allow me to sit back and catch up on my DVR recordings, please. Thank you very much.
Have you ever had a whirlwind week of interviews?
Sadly, still sans job. I did have an offer but declined it. However, here’s hoping the momentum continues this coming week
On to the ROW80 part of this program.
Writing/Editing:
Morning Pages for a minimum of 250 words or half hour, whichever comes first, every day. 1965 words and all days but Friday.
Fiction, either 250 new words (new or existing WIP) or 1 hour of editing each week. Not at the time of scheduling this post.
Finish Margie Lawson’s Deep EDITS lesson packets. Not yet.
Reading:
A minimum of 8 books to stay on track for 100 books this year. Not yet.
Update Goodreads at least every other week. Not yet
Support/Social Media:
Visit and comment on 5 blogs, at least three times per week, for a total of 15 blogs each week. Only hit 8.
One non-blog related post per week on Facebook and Twitter. Twitter, yes. Facebook, no.
One share, re-tweet, whatnot per week on Facebook and Twitter. Twitter, yes. Facebook, no.
Non-Writery Stuff:
Exercise three times per week. Only got out with the dog once this week and no other activities.
Complete The 30-day Diabetes Cure in April. Doing well with the Day 1 assignment of cutting all sugars for 10 days. Finding the other daily assignments more of a challenge, perhaps I wasn’t prepared enough in the kitchen for the changes. However, I am sticking to the plan as best I can and next week will be better!
Family day, no working and time with family, one day per week. Yep
There’s this place in me where your fingerprints still rest, your kisses still linger, and your whispers softly echo. It’s the place where a part of you will forever be a part of me.
I see a lot in this image. We have a nurse stump/log which speaks to the endings and beginnings theme of the tens. A tree falls and as it decays it gives new life to moss and ferns and fungi and tree seedlings.
And, yes, I was rather unimaginative in not decorating them or cutting them into fun shapes.
in April. 
by Roxy Boroughs, 
by Diana Castle, and 
by Jennifer Estep (I know, a bit of a contradiction to my Tuesday post but I had to read this baby as soon as it arrived in the mail) read this week.
