When I got home from Maine yesterday I read a note from Debbie our pet sitter who said there were a couple hawks living in the yard. At first I thought they were living here for a while and I didn’t notice, but then I heard their cries and realized these are new sounds for our yard.

It sounds as if there are two hawks. One has a higher-pitched scream than the other. I’m thinking it’s a mama teaching her young how to hunt, but I could be way off on this.

I’ve been trying to get a picture for the last 24 hours to no avail. They are fast and stick to the trees.

Man, do these hawks make a lot of noise when they swoop! I had no idea how vocal they are. And it’s a cacophony of sound around here. All the birds are making a raucous (Hawk! Hawk! Danger Will Robinson! There’s a HAWK!) and flying hither thither. I do feel a little bad, but it’s all part of the food web so I don’t feel too bad.

Here’s a link to some pictures of a sharp shinned hawk. That’s what it looks like to me.
I did take my recorder outside and recorded its screams (and the chatter of other birds), now I just have to figure out how to upload an MP3 onto this blog.

Very exciting!

Today I got back from our week in Maine and found an explosion in the garden.

Zucchini and pickling cucumbers

Tabasco pepper (I think)

Spaghetti squash

Turnips

Grey squirrel running away from Francesca who was running from a hawk.

We’ve heard a hawk around the yard since we got home. One landed right on a tree branch (not the same tree this squirrel is on) but flew away before I had a chance to get the camera. I’m hoping it comes back.

Engorged tick

About a month ago we found this fat tick on Jaxsun’s belly. Poor pooch, when I took the tick off, I took off a layer of skin.

We’re heading to the beach for a week. Be back next Saturday.

It’s raining again. The clouds rolled in last night. I awoke to the sound of rain hitting the metal roof this morning.

For the last few days it’s been sunny and dry (no humidity) with nary a cloud in the sky. I’m not sure how long this rain will last — I’m hoping not as long as the last bout we had, which was about a week. A long humid, no Sun week.

The garden continues to grow. The zucchini are doing very well as are the spaghetti squash, pumpkin, and cukes. Too well in some cases.

What is it that we Pagans have to do to be included and invited to interfaith events? I know it’s hard for the Christian and Jewish faiths to accept women in religious leadership roles, and it’s up to them each faith to work through its own gender inequalities, but we Pagans often have the same social justice agenda and wish to participate in events which bring faiths together in collaboration.

Protesting is one of my favorite activities. Here is a list of all the protests I’ve been to:

September 2006 Interfaith Peace March, Concord, New Hampshire
January 2005 Inauguration of George W. Bush, Washington, D.C.
August 2004 Republican National Convention, New York City
July 2004 Democratic National Convention, Boston, Massachusetts
June 2004 Bridging the Gap for Health Care, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
May 2004 Marriage Equality, Boston, Massachusetts
April 2004 March for Women’s Lives, Washington, D.C.
April 2004 Death and Taxes, Andover, Massachusetts
December 2003 BAE Systems, Nashua, New Hampshire
July 1998 Economic Human Rights Campaign, New York City
December 1997 Brookline Clinic Massacres Memorial March, Boston, Massachusetts

Only once have I been to a protest involving religion, the Interfaith Peace March in September of 2006. I have always wanted to marry my faith and my activism, but have never been able to find a suitable outlet for such. I have not been able to figure out why, but I think it’s because most Pagan activism takes place on the West Coast and not on the East Coast.

I find many Republican/Conservative Pagans in my area, which I don’t understand at all (a completely different post to be addressed at a later date) and some very shy Pagans, myself included. Coming out of the Peace Closet is hard enough as is coming out of the Broom Closet. Marrying the two makes one unemployable and unfriendable.

So how can I reconcile my Paganism with my activism? How can I create a single person instead of two halves to one person? And where do I find like minded individuals who promote social justice through their Paganism and vice versa?

I’ve been thinking about studying Reclaiming as a first date between my Paganism and activism. I contacted the only person listed in my area, who sent my name to a list. A second woman contacted me, to which I’ve responded. I have not heard from her, but it’s only been a couple days so I won’t panic yet.

But before I go down such a path, I need to practice my faith in a more personal manner. I’ve gone back to the basics by educating myself in spell casting, writing, and creation. I find that I lack many of the tools necessary for spell casting and wish to rectify this, but money is tight. Where does one go when one is poor to find supplies that are difficult to find, at best?

On June 23 I posted a picture of a budding tiger lily. It flowered the other day into a beautiful lily with lots of color.

Did you know lilies are edible flowers? I ate one to see what it tasted like: it was very sweet and had a weird texture. I’m not sure I would eat one again, but they make beautiful decorations for buffet tables.