Stubblejumpers Cafe

new vehicle?

Stubblejumpers café — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:52:52 GMT

Hubby wants to trade our car in and purchase a truck. The car is completely paid off but we would end up with a loan on a truck. I am not sure that it is the right timing for us, what do the cards think? -Leanne

X Cups, VI Rods, V Cups

You’ll be happy with the truck, but will have a tendency to hate that damn payment rather than think about how nice it is to have the truck!

However, the cards for keeping the car instead are not positive ones. It looks like you’ll be having problems with it soon, and will wish you had traded it in.

the daily coyote

Stubblejumpers café — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 22:17:35 GMT

If you love wild animals, you’d probably give your eye teeth to see a coyote up close—day after day. A young lady in Wyoming adopted an orphaned coyote pup, thereby saving its life. It now lives with her, a boss cat, and a new puppy, and with stunning photography and up-close commentary, the young lady documents the coyote’s growing up. Although this particular coyote may seem domesticated, he’s still got a lot of wild in him and it’s fascinating to read about. The Daily Coyote has acquired a vast following of animal lovers and Charlie the coyote has become a star.

the diaries of jane somers

Stubblejumpers café — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:21:08 GMT

Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing has written a fictional two-part diary about a successful middle-aged career woman who has been blind to the struggles of those less fortunate than herself. In Diary of a Good Neighbour, Jane Somers uncharacteristically befriends a lady in her nineties who lives in extreme poverty. As Jane’s eyes open to the realities of old age and infirmity, she begins to understand how difficult it is to be alone and in poor health, to see that not all families take care of their own, and that even government-paid assistance falls drastically short of adequate care.

“Solitude, that great gift, is dependent on health, or an approximation to health. When I wake in the morning, I know that I can shop, cook, clean my flat, brush my hair, fill my bath and soak in it … and now I greet each day with ‘what a privilege, what a marvelous, precious thing, that I don’t need anyone to assist me through this day, I can do it all myself.’ “

In If the Old Could… Jane has taken a hapless niece into her home and, while enjoying a new love in her own life, cannot help seeing more of herself in her niece than she would like to.

“A handful of years, and they will wake up one morning, and know that there is an absolute barrier between them and what they could have had, but did not, because they would not.”

Doris Lessing's website is here.

class 3 drivers'?

Stubblejumpers café — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:53:10 GMT

Hi! I have a question for the Tarot. I am thinking about getting my class 3 drivers licence...I am looking at a career change & the prospect of 'going wherever the road takes you' each day seems wonderful. Will it be so? Thanks in advance.
- Lorraine

VI Wands, IX Pentacles, King Cups

Yep, it’ll be pretty wonderful. It will give you lots of time to think, which you will like, and you will be doing something that gives you a feeling of power and a sense of working at something that fits in with your values. It wouldn’t be without any dissatisfaction, though. There is no such thing as perfection in any job, really, so it’s to be expected that in time you will want to make changes, and that’s all right. Overall the cards tell us that you are going in the right direction and for the right reasons, and that you’ll be successful with it.

walmsley writes

Stubblejumpers café — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:59:12 GMT

Tom Walmsley’s webpage showcases some of his unpublished writing.
Most recent is Eilidh, a story written from the perspective of a molesting father who believes he’s done nothing wrong, and that of his daughter who has grown up feeling otherwise yet having no idea what normal is.
Also posted, regularly and in small groupings for short, powerful sippings, some of Walmsley’s view of life is distilled into potent haiku.

You can read more about Tom Walmsley at The Canadian Encyclopedia and find his blog here.

a three dog life

Stubblejumpers café — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 03:57:44 GMT

Imagine. Your husband goes out to walk the dog, as he does every day. But he doesn’t come back at the usual time. Instead, just as you’ve begun to worry, news arrives that he’s been hit by a car and, though he’s alive, he’s never the same again, and neither are you. This is what happened to Abigail Thomas.
Her memoir A Three Dog Life articulates the fear, guilt, loss and stress brought on by this huge and unexpected event. Rich is brain-damaged and must stay in a nursing home. Abigail must now live alone, except for her devoted dogs. But her husband still loves and needs her, and she loves and needs him. His memory is damaged, sometimes non-existent. He is often angry, frustrated, sad. And he has a surprisingly intuitive awareness of things he has no obvious way of knowing.
We can never be sure what’s coming or when, but whatever happens, we learn to cope. Maybe we can be happy again, and maybe we can’t. A Three Dog Life is an inside account of one person’s journey toward acceptance and contentment after tragedy.

what do i need to know?

Stubblejumpers café — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:14:04 GMT

    To Madam Kay:
    My question to you is - I have come through a challenging period with many changes inside and out. My father passed away in November at which time I had to re-visit my emotions concerning my mother's passing 10 years earlier which I'd somewhat buried. I moved to a new apartment, a dear friend passed and an important friendship relationship has become distant. Through all of this I have let my study of tarot suffer and am working hard to focus and get back on track. What can I expect or need to know relating spiritually, mentally and physically over the next months.
    Thank you
    Carol

Hi Carol
To answer your question, I pulled three cards.
What do I need to know spiritually? I- The Magician
Mentally? V Rods
Physically? II Swords

The most exciting advancements will be in the area of spirituality, where you have all the tools you need to go where you want to go, learn what you want to learn, and to take your knowledge and put it into practice. While mentally you may feel frustrated because you can't answer all your seekings and questions with logic and you can't always figure out the next steps you need to take, and physically you may also feel your energy level isn't what you'd like it to be, the cards suggest that you focus on your spiritual education and practice for now, and that in time the mental and physical aspects of your life will follow your progress there. In other words, as you become more comfortable, more sure of yourself, more firmly based in your philosophy of life, and more easily able to focus upon and manifest your beliefs, you'll see them expressed and demonstrated in your ways of thinking and feeling as well as in your physical body. For now, your spiritual life is where the most growth and satisfaction will be gained, and where your power is, and once you're paying attention to this aspect of your life, problems or dissatisfactions in other areas will decrease.

how to learn swedish in 1000 difficult lessons

Stubblejumpers café — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 02:03:33 GMT

Francis Strand, a magazine editor, married a Swedish man and began to learn the language. According to his blog’s title, it’s been a laborious process. But I don’t believe a word of it. It seems to me Francis has the Swedish language pretty well figured out. And while he’s sharing his linguistic discoveries with his readers, we’re getting a glimpse into the life of an American in Stockholm. Read it here.

the zookeeper's wife

Stubblejumpers café — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:12:01 GMT

Antonina and Jan Zabinski were operating a zoo in 1930s Warsaw when Germany invaded Poland. During the Second World War they used the bombed-out, limping enterprise to daringly shelter fugitives right under the noses of the murderous Nazis infecting their city. The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman is the story of their determination to do the right thing as a part of the underground resistance against the brutal Nazi occupation.

A couple excerpts:

“Every bomb creates a different scent, depending on where it hits, what it boils into aerosol and the nose detects slipping apart, as molecules mix with air and float free. Then the nose can pick up ten thousand distinctive scents, from cucumber to violin resin. When a bakery was hit, the rising dirt cloud smelled of yeast sours, eggs, molasses and rye. The mingled odours of cloves, vinegar, and burning flesh spelled the butcher’s. Charred flesh and pine meant an incendiary bomb that blasted houses with a hot, fast fire, and that the people inside had died quickly.”

And

“The Nazis were ardent animal lovers and environmentalists who promoted calisthenics and healthy living, regular trips to the countryside, and far-reaching animal rights policies as they rose to power… Although Mengele’s subjects (Slaves, Gypsies, Catholics, Jews) could be operated on without any painkillers at all, a remarkable example of Nazi zoophilia is that a leading biologist was once punished for not giving worms enough anesthesia during an experiment.”

And

“Gibbons couples yodel formal songs complete with overtures, codas, interludes, duets, and solos.”

You can read an interview with Diane Ackerman on this page of the Washington Post.

memorial speaker?

Stubblejumpers café — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:15:01 GMT

I keep getting feedback, over and over again, on the funeral service I did for my nephew. I enjoyed doing it. It was very meaningful to me. Am I meant to do more of this kind of thing? People keep asking if I would. -Annette

Question: What are the conditions around Annette doing more funeral services?

Answer: Page Swords
Why that is: XXI The World
Outcome: II Swords

You are not meant to do more of this kind of thing, at least not professionally, though you are capable of doing it well and may do it from time to time. It is not your heart’s desire and shouldn’t be a large part of your vocation. You have many talents but need to focus on the one(s) where it is most important to you to make achievements, and this avenue does not appear to be one that would be most satisfying over the long term.

runaway granny

Stubblejumpers café — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 03:26:17 GMT

All on the same page are entries on the following topics: poor judging, professional blogs, a dream, missing mum, and an afternoon in Glasgow. But my favourite, entitled “Coupling,” ends with this wishful thinking:

“Now, I’d rather write about sex than actually take part in all that heaving, sweaty exercise – been there, done that loads-a-times, nothing-new-to-be-had. How could I ever be bothered again? I can’t imagine. Maybe I’ll pick up a nice old gent when I’m eighty and he can perambulate me in my wheelchair, lift and lay me in my single bed, bring me my Earl Grey and chocolate biscuits. It won’t matter what he looks like as long as he’s kind and has lost his sex-drive. I don’t want to give up any of my power or precious time to someone else’s pursuits, so that man would have to give his life over to me completely and be my slave, and leave whenever I wanted to be alone. So really, all I'll need is a male live-in carer who also wants to be alone to write his novel or paint his art – what a perfect couple we would make!”

Rather the reverse of the common wishful thinking among women, is it not? Since Runaway Granny is only 55 years old, I get a kick out of this.

sex with the queen

Stubblejumpers café — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:39:32 GMT

Until reading this book, I was never so glad to be a nobody. A nobody, that is, who can choose her lovers without interference and marry whom she pleases.

Author Eleanor Herman recounts the not-so-romantic lives of nine centuries of royal women, among them Catherine the Great, Marie Antoinette and Anne Boleyn. Some wielded political power but many were used (and abused) by it. They may have worn fine, jewelled garments and had plenty to eat, but they were traded like cattle and, in many cases, treated less humanely. It’s no wonder that some, stuck in cold and loveless marriages, chose adultery, even though its discovery could mean charges of treason, imprisonment or death for themselves, and torture and brutal execution for their lovers. Love was a risky business.

“Having examined the emptiness of palace life and the sorrows of the marriage bed, well can we understand why a queen would have been unfaithful. Looking at the earliest stories of adulterous queens, we are unsure whether to condemn their weakness or applaud their courage.”

mother and daughter?

Stubblejumpers café — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:05:51 GMT

How do I better my relationship with my 16-year-old daughter? –Laura

I asked, What are the conditions around the relationship?
Answer: IX Cups
Why that is: Knight of Swords
Next Step: II Swords
Outcome: IX Wands

Your relationship with your daughter has a strong and loving foundation but where you get worked up is that you both have your own agendas and strong motivations and your daughter has a mind of her own. The II of Swords suggests that you need to face a certain reality or truth about your daughter, that you have been unwilling to see. More: you need to accept and approve of her as she is for now. Remember, nothing stays the same forever.
Not only will this do your relationship with her a world of good. It will reduce your personal anxiety level considerably. -Kate

I have received the reading and it was very helpful and definitely fits for us. I will take the advice and hopefully be able to get close to her again. -Laura

a thousand words

Stubblejumpers café — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 20:47:02 GMT

From Vancouver, British Columbia comes the journal of a photographer who has captured the images of many well-known artists and performers during his long career. Alex Waterhouse-Hayward’s portraits are accompanied by his memories of a childhood in Argentina and in Mexico, and a married life in western Canada. Now he watches old films with his young granddaughters and takes them to concerts, art shows and galleries. He tends a lush flower garden with his wife Rosemary and, while his life revolves around his family, there are always the photographs from both present and past and the stories that go with them.

Visit A Thousand Words.

mrs hudson and the malabar rose

Stubblejumpers café — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:32:18 GMT

Anthropology students are told “Cherchez la femme,” because when you want to know what is really going on in a culture or a community, you talk to the women. This is a reality of human life, and it’s a reality in Martin Davies’ fictional novel about two women in the domestic employ of Sherlock Holmes and his sleuthing partner Mr Watson.

While Holmes and Watson get the big government commission to protect a priceless gem, the Malabar Rose, housekeeper Mrs Hudson and her young ward Flotsam take up the case of a vanished husband. Sherlock Holmes does not wish to bother with such a domestic triviality, which he dismisses as a man going willfully—and understandably— awol from a tasking marriage. Besides, the great detective himself has bigger fish to fry.

Mrs Hudson and Flotsam carry on undaunted, only to discover, as the clever and sharp-eyed Hudson suspected all along, that there is a connection between the two cases. That’s when Holmes and Watson are forcefully reminded that Mrs Hudson is an investigative force to be respected.

Find out more about the series of Mrs Hudson mysteries by visiting this link.