Future Forward

I wish my magic wand had an autopack setting. I am just about sick and tired of it already. The house we're moving to during the interim while the new house is being built won't see a picture or a piece of art from my boxes because I absolutely refuse to unpack them. Any of them except those necessary for running my business. Basically, I won't see my personal stuff again until May, when it's being moved into the Plum Palace. Almost everything except my shop is well on its way into boxes and bags. I didn't realize how much stuff we have until I began pulling it all out of cabinets and drawers. I'm getting too old for this crap. It is my wish that once stationed in the Plum Palace, it is the last place that I live.

I started burning some of the incense created by the free class students. I'm quite impressed by them. I couldn't tell you who made what because I was a bit punch drunk from all the aromas in the air and didn't think to sort them out and label them. What fun we all had! It is reflected in these wee witches' hats of incense (aka cones). None seem to be self-combusting because the students added more resins than they should have. They burn great on the handy-dandy electric incense heater. Each cone on the burner with the heat turned at about 150 F will disperse scent for a couple of days. The things in my room, from my clothes to my art, are being infused with scent almost 24-7. None of the work the students did is bad. They all smell wonderful. Some more wonderful than others. I ran a free-for-all kind of class. Each student chose the ingredients for their incense after getting some very basic information about resins, woods, herbs, etc. The point, after some consideration, was changed from an attempt to get cheap labor to provide my shop with incense to a day of grinding incense in a mortar and pestle, and an electric spice grinder, and choosing elements for inclusion into their incense, and then working with the materials to get a feel for what they were doing. It was about experiencing what incense-making was all about. The next class will be the labor class. Since they all know what they're in for now, it should be easier to separate those who want to help from those making social calls. Even though the event was very social, full of energy and joy, I could tell a couple of the folks just weren't into the work. I hope by the next time around I'll have a new professional spice grinder and a few more mortars and pestles to make things move more smoothly. I had a blast, and so did everyone else, and though the event was scheduled from 12-4 pm, many of the participants stayed as late at 8:30! We're building a community out there at the farm. There's a store that is being prepared to open in an old 1950's something trailer (cute as heck!), and soon there will be a classroom building to keep us out of the elements while we're learning about incense and soap and perfume and herbs and medicinals and homemade vinegar, and setting up harvest days to wrap and package white sage bundles and other herbals. Great things are happening at Seasons of Spirit's farm.

We all need something to look forward to. Community and spiritual progress is the path I've chosen.

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