In the Service of Her Majesty The Queen

I hope you had a good day and night.

Well into the next day already, even if it is still night.

I went to the Southern Showcase of Champions, a marching band competition, and skipped out on any trick-or-treaters that may have
hit this neighborhood. None have come in years past, so I don't expect
I disappointed anyone. This is not a neighborhood that trick or treaters
would frequent. And many of the families that live here do not celebrate Halloween, for whatever reason.

Usually, I go to the homes on my street that have kids and drop off a
bag of candy...that seems permissible for some reason, while knocking
on the door and asking for it does not.

The various marching bands, all high school bands, were interesting to watch. None of the smaller rural schools won enough points to go to the state competition that is coming up. There are 2 high schools here, one where most of the poor/lower class kids go and one where most of the richer/middle class kids go. Guess which one won in every category (save one for the best solo player - the local 'poor kids' high school won that one)? I heard someone comment (about that band) "The best band money can buy."

Right or wrong hardly matters: that's the way things work. The 'rich kids' band even had a little train to haul their equipment off the field, while all the other bands (19 in all) had to make do with pick up trucks.

One noteworthy thing, the Flag Girls, our state's equivalent of majorettes, had boys as well as girls. Not many, I only counted 3 boys, but that seemed to be a first, according to the comments I heard. I might add that at least one of the boys was better than the girls.


To all who sleep tonight on this side of the earth,

The Nightly Mission:

Take comfort that your bed is warm,
perhaps the warmth will pull your
busy brain down into sleep.

Ask the Lady to smile on you while
you sleep and the oncoming day
will go better when you wake up.

I ask the Lady to smile
on you every day of
your life and to bring
you great joy.

G'Night.

 

I hope you had a good day and a great night.

I did not realize that we set the clocks back an
hour here in the US (most of it, anyway) until
late this afternoon. So I lost that extra hour
of sleep.

Not that it matters much...this body's brain
is not into sleep, it seems. It prefers to
dwell in misery, evidently.

Two of my male friends told me recently that
they sleep off emotional pain and thinking
back, I wouldn't be surprised if most men do
that. I am quite envious. I can not do that,
and I don't think I know any women who can,
either.

It is probably just as well...I'd sleep all day
long, around the clock.

For me, pain is like my shadow...it follows me
around all the time, except shadows aren't
very noticeable at night. Mine is. Likely
because my clattering brain keeps the pain in
the light, unceasingly.

It is obvious to me that my brain is very
untrained.


To all who sleep tonight on this side of the earth,

The Nightly Mission:

Train that brain! Tell it to shut up and
turn out the light. Seek the solace of
sleep, sink down into the depths of
forgetfulness and let pain slip silently
away.

Wake up tomorrow feeling better.

I ask the Lady to smile
on you every day of
your life and to bring
you great joy.

G'Night.

 

I hope you had a good day and that the night went well.

I will hear no bells ringing tonight, nor will my feet dance
their way up the mountain.

Perhaps I will burn sage instead. Sage, as well as purifying
an area also strengthens the mind and enhances clarity.

Could use some of both.

I have to be careful of the thoughts that roam around my
brain...thoughts have power and I wish no harm to anyone.
I would only hurt myself in the long run.

So sage sounds like an excellent idea.


To all who sleep tonight on this side of the still illuminated earth,

The Nightly Mission:

Light some sage before you sleep,
asking for the Lady's favor when
you do. Walk through all the rooms,
paying particular attention to where
ever you will lay your head.

Hope for a dreamless night and fall
into sleep.

Wake up to the light. It will be there.
It always is. Sometimes your eyes are
just clouded.

G'Night.

 

I hope you had a good day and night.

Totally crazy at work tonight...we have a full house.

I heard a great horned owl tonight. No mistaking what it was,
the call is um very assertive.

I am very tired, doubt if I will have problems sleeping
this night. Even the brain is too tired to rattle on like
it is wont to lately. Good. Silence is golden.

Lacking discipline, go for exhaustion.


To all who sleep tonight on this side of the earth,

The Nightly Mission:

Ask the Lady to smile on you
and sink into a deep sleep,
down, down, down into the
very bottom of the well where
the water is coldest and refreshes
the most.

Wake up in the morning and see
how things look in the light.

I ask the Lady to smile
on you every day of
your life and to bring
you great joy.

G'Night.

 

I hope you had a good day and night.

I heard the owl again tonight, where I work.
I wonder if owls take care of their young together,
as a pair, like other birds do. They have such an
image of being solitary birds that it is difficult to
visualize them doing that. If I wasn't so tired, I'd
google it. Maybe tomorrow, assuming I remember
and have the time.

Yes, burning the candle at both ends, I am. It
brings exhaustion and that shuts the brain down
and, in turn, brings sleep. Can't keep that up for
long, unfortunately.

Maybe I will take up rocketry. Fire off rockets at
the sun that is moving inexorably farther away,
shining no light whatsoever, a black hole sucking
my emotions down its spiraling vortex, gravity at
its finest. (That, my friends, was a pun. Poor
grammar, inconsistent allegorical juxtaposition,
and who cares.)

Ahhh, wish that I could.

But no. Instead, I tip-toe around with great care,
trying not to do damage where damage has already
been done, losing myself thoroughly in the process.

Acceptance. Acceptance is the key. So am I told,
and, indeed, I know it to be true. But standing squat
in front of acceptance like a stolid stone wall is I Want.

So turn your attention in another direction. Makes
more sense than battering your head against stone.

I will have to think on that.

Enough.


To all who must surely be sound asleep (except me) on
this side of the dark and gloomy burning earth,

The Nightly Mission:

Collapse and bury yourself under the blankets,
letting every single solitary thing go and fall
into deep dreamless sleep. Sometimes that's
all you can do.

Wake up the next day, and seek the Lady of
Mercy.

I ask the Lady to smile
on you every day of
your life and to bring
you great joy.

G'Night.

 

I hope you had a good day and that the night is going well.

It takes me a long time sometimes to get where
I need to be. But get there, I do.

And I am there.

No more tip-toeing. I am reclaiming my power.

And I have help. Lots of it. More than I thought.

The Lady is smiling, and she is smiling on me.


To all who sleep tonight on this side of the earth,

The Nightly Mission:

Tonight, the bed is safe, the covers
are warm and there will be no more harm.

The dreams that come will be sweet.

Tomorrow is a new day, and I will walk
it smiling, standing tall, and on my feet.

I thank the Lady for her blessing.

G'Night!

 

I hope you had a good day and that the night has been kind.

Now, the obvious question is, kind of what?

Kinda? Neva minda.

The answer is, kind to you, of course.

It has been kind to me, thus far.

In other words, kinda nice.

I love being silly.

Silly is infinitely more fun than battering
a stone wall. Stone walls are good for
nothing but vines to grow upon, small
creatures to live in, and to mark property.

Walking on, too.

Yes, we like that thought. (Using my Queenly
prerogative here.)

And there is no longer property to be marked.

Long live the open range!

Down to business.


To all who will sleep tonight on this side of the earth,

The Nightly Mission:

Spirit rise and Spirit circle
over you when asleep in bed,
please bring dreams that are sweet
and help you clarify your head.
Guard you throughout the night,
guide you to the path of light.
And in the morning set you free
to be all you were meant to be.

(Yeah, I know. Just another version
of 'Now I lay me down to sleep.')

Thank you Spirit, and the Lady,
for the Blessing.

G'Night!

 

I hope you had a good day and that the night went well.

My modified version of 'Now I lay me...' did not work so
well last night. Ah well. Perhaps the price one pays for
near plagiarism. And perhaps I will not ask for sweet
dreams again...


To all who sleep tonight on this side of the earth,

The Nightly Mission:

Fall into sleep tonight without
dreams and sleep long and hard.

Wake up tomorrow refreshed and
in the light.

Thank you, Lady, for the blessing.

G'Night.

 

I hope you had a good day and a great night.

If not a great night, then a great day.

My day went well enough. I was busy. One of
those busy days where you can't identify much
that you actually accomplished.

I have a friend in crisis and it is, well not nice
exactly, but for once it isn't me. And I was
actually of some help.

And I gained some insight on a couple of things.

During the chore of doing laundry, I realized
that I have way too many washcloths. (That
was not one of the insights, btw.) Nobody
needs as many washcloths as I have. Either
get rid of some of them, or go for the World
Championship Washcloth Collector title. Maybe
I'd get a fancy framed one just for winning. A
chromed washcloth? A washcloth belt buckle.

This is what lack of sleep does. You start
monologues on washcloths.

The brain is not trained yet.


To all who would sleep tonight on this side of the earth,

The Nightly Mission:

Open the window and let in
the cool night air, if you can
do so safely, and give your
lungs a break. Breathe. And
breathe again. Imagine you
are floating out the window
and flying with the owls.

Mayhap when you wake up
the next morning, you will
have gained some of their
proverbial wisdom.

Ask for the Lady to bless
you.

G'Night.

 

I hope you had a good day and make it through the night.

Now I have 2 friends in crisis. I have probably a half dozen
friends that I am close to. So 1/3 of them are in crisis. I
hope the rest stay stable for awhile. It does take my mind
off my own stuff, though.

A bird was singing outside my window today. Tomorrow,
I am returning to the porch for awhile. I haven't had my
morning coffee on the porch for months now, and it is
much cooler, so I have no excuse.

On Second Life, the clan I belong to had weapons training
tonight. I was killed twice, and I was just observing. We
definitely need more practice.


To all who will sleep tonight on this side of the earth,

The Nightly Mission:

Sleep warm but don't forget to breathe
first, letting the day's events leave with
each exhale, bringing in silence and the
light when you inhale.

Wake up and have coffee on the porch.

Thank the Lady for her blessing.

G'Night!

 

I hope you had a good day and that the night went well.

Raining off and on today. At 3 this afternoon, it was as
dark as it generally is around 7ish. Driving home from work
was almost like driving down a dark tunnel. The only reason
there aren't more deer on the road, I guess, is because of
all the horse farms/stables.

From what I've heard, a lot of race horses are stabled there.
But one by one, the land is being sold off. New neighborhoods
spread steadily along in their place. Fully one third of the
length of the road is now new houses, fairly large houses,
with two banks and a big church interspersed between the
housing developments.

People are buying those houses, and they aren't cheap. So
our area seems not to have felt much from the recession or
depression or whatever it is, except for the auto industry.
But our homeless population seems to be increasing right
along with the spread of all these big homes.

No doubt I could make some type of sociological point about
that, but I am not up to it tonight.


To all who sleep tonight on this side of the earth,

The Nightly Mission:

Lay down and drift into sleep
like the moon sliding behind a
cloud. Perhaps your dreams
will be as lovely.

Wake up in the morning and
thank the new day for arriving.

Thank you, Lady, for your blessing.

G'Night.

 

I hope you had a good day and night.

I am back to meditating.

And gritting my teeth.

I am coming down with something and as usual
when I don't feel well, I get thin skinned. Or
emotional (like I don't anyway). Or just a royal
pain in the rear to not only myself but anyone
within range.

I am surprised sometimes, when I am in a mood
to be grateful for it, that people have as much
patience and tolerance with me as they do.

Ah well...it's just another day and it will pass,
like they all do.


To all who sleep tonight on this side of the earth,

The Nightly Mission:

Eat soup. Meditate. Ask the Lady
to smile on you. Sleep.

And try to wake up in a better mood.

G'Night.

 

I hope you had a good day and that the night went well.

I am still not feeling well, but I do feel better. Some.

Physically and emotionally. I think.

Expecting someone to be what you want them to be
is a waste of time. I know that. So why do I keep
doing it? I think because it is a hard lesson to learn.
Or it seems to be for me. One of those things that
has different layers, maybe. If so, I hope I am at
the inner most layer. And do not have to work my
way out again.

I need to give myself a break. I have learned many
lessons so far, and every single one of them came
hard. Why do I expect this lesson to be any different?
I 'got' the others, I'll 'get' this one too, eventually.

It is cold here in Florida, again.

And the dark moon comes soon. Good. Maybe I
will be in a better mood.


To all who sleep tonight on this side of the earth,

The Nightly Mission:

Sleep long and hard and heal
yourself. Wake up and be
glad you are alive.

Ask the Lady for her blessing.

G'Night.

 

I hope things went well for you on this unlucky day and night.

Even if it is a little late.


I just spent an hour looking for cats singing happy birthday
on YouTube. Am I nuts? Meow. Puuuurrr. (That should tell
you something, right?)

So if your birthday is today, or coming up, and you like cats,
look in the music thread for all the links.

I am over what ever bug I had, I think. It didn't last long,
if it is gone.

It is cold out. I am in my sweats.


To all who sleep tonight on this side of the earth,

The Nightly Mission:

I hope you, Birthday Boy, have the
sweetest dreams ever tonight and
wake up tomorrow smiling.

G'Night.

 

I hope you had a good day and a good night.

Sometime tonight the dark moon officially arrives.

My favorite time. For me, high energy.


To all who sleep tonight on the dark side of the earth,

The Nightly Mission:

Stay warm tonight, safe in the arms
of the one who is important to you,
or with the Lady if you have no one.

Wake up with memories to make you
smile and brighten your day.

Blessings!

G'Night.