Wild Moon Cottage is a small working homestead in the pristine Ozark Mountains. We have dairy goats, poultry, organic herb and vegetable gardens, a start of a tiny fruit orchard, several black walnut trees, wild berries and fields of wildcrafting goodness. We raise our own milk, our own eggs, much of our own medicine and food. I do laundry by hand, make my own vinegar, candles, soap, bread, cheese ........ For a living I am an artist and herbalist. My goal for myself and our homestead is to be as self sufficient and self sustaining as possible.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Happy Freedom Day 7.4.10

When I was a little girl we moved so often it's hard to recall exactly where or when different experiences occurred, but the vividness of those experiences, the sounds and smells, the feel inside and out, will stay with me always.

I was thinking today on a July 4th many years ago, when I was gritty with the days dirt and the sun had browned my Irish skin to the color of the old chestnut horse in the field by our house.

It was Texas, I'm sure of that and, most likely Del Rio but maybe San Antonio or Brownsville or ...

Pepper, my younger sister, and me were given some of those big old sparklers on metal sticks. They were incredibly magical and each one held the power of the universe and the secret of life itself, until it burned away to nothing and went out. Then the next one became the keeper of all things fantastic.

My sister would always waste part of hers because the metal sticks got so hot. But I wouldn't chance losing even one spark of magic, I would hold on to those boogers with all my might and the barest of finger tips. I remember my mother and older sister yelling ... throw it down Juli, throw it down! ... Hell no! for those few precious seconds the universe was mine and that fleeting moment of power was worth the pain to me, I wouldn't have traded it for anything.

Well for almost nothing. The threat of no more sparklers was pretty strong incentive ...



But here we are now, the day is winding down and the last chores must get done before the moon takes her turn in the sky. Blessed, peaceful & safe day everyone :)

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