For anybody who's interested, I do a broad, general divination reading every year for hints of guidance for the new year. Just looking at what can be expected in the flow of things.

I did it with my playing cards this time and have posted it to my Substack.

https://diydiv.substack.com/p/a-reading-for-the-new-year-2023

@XaoslordErie @InUnfunky I didn't think of that! My husband has had serious problems with getting his meds from the VA on time. We moved to a different state in 2020, so we just thought the VA here isn't good at handling mailing things.

When it comes to goals for a new year, I find setting loose goals works for me. "Write 5k words every week" may set me up for failure because my life doesn't usually allow that space. But I can work on "get more focused on writing and plan out topics". That will almost certainly lead to more, and better quality, writing for me.
#CoSoWritingCommunity

@Oma_Trisha Beautiful!

One of my #Christmas favorites is John Denver reading "Alfie the Christmas Tree". It's on the album "John Denver and The Muppets: A Christmas Together". I played it for the cats and ferrets today.

"So in your Christmas prayers this year, Alfie asked me if I'd ask you to say a prayer for the wind, and the water, and the wood...and those who live there, too."
#CoSoChristmas

@Cybermudgeon I remember one year we were adding rum to our eggnog and knew we had crossed a line when the eggnog started curdling!

@Maleah This is my grown up Christmas list.

@Coffee_and_Salt I've been seriously looking over the past couple of years at things about changing what's in the yard to not need so much water, the water crisis in Flint, MI, and the abandoned nets in oceans. Water is becoming really important to me.

@stueytheround Honestly, everybody else was so disappointed until they saw me looking all honored because I've been trusted with a ghost turtle!

They should know "normal" is not one of my settings.

She couldn't go back to the wild, and she couldn't be adopted by an aquarium.

Discovery was a real being, and the nets took her from us. We have to be more responsible with our planet. We can't shrug things off as, "But it's okay because there are people out there cleaning things up and rescuing animals!"

That work matters, but they can't save everyone. We all have to do our part. I'm going to love this turtle and work for healthy water for all creatures.

But she does deserve to be remembered! Discovery lost a flipper when she was trapped in an abandoned fishing net. They rescued her, but she was young and being trapped altered her growth and development.

Her lung development was unbalanced, and she had an air pocket in her body cavity. They couldn't operate for the air pocket because her lungs made the anesthesia not be an option. The air pocket caused bouyancy issues and she couldn't dive.

It turns out the turtle I was assigned to - Discovery - died this spring. So a family member asked me if I'm going to contact someone about being assigned a different turtle.

"No. She's with the Lake Monster now. She needs to be remembered. And I'm the right person to adopt a ghost turtle."

Everyone ignores the fact that I'm slowly developing a Lake Monster cult and agrees this is peak Fizzy.

I was given one of those...you know the "adopt X animal to contribute to wildlife rescue work" things? One of those for sea turtles. I had "adopted" a humpback whale when I was in high school, and a family member "adopted" an elephant for me a few years ago.

Y'all. My turtle is a ghost turtle.

@miserable_day This is beautiful! 😂

@Rstrahs You're not wrong, really, but everything inside of me is screaming,"What do you mean 'replace Freddie Mercury '?????" We were lucky to be blessed with both of them.

@etakeh Mine are pterodactyl, moth, double zombie. I'll try not to worry. I'm sure double zombie is some kind of blessing.

@Shelter Thank you for sharing a bit of your memory of her with us. 💜

Yes! I managed to get baby Baphomet finished in time! My arthritis will never forgive me, but whatever...the goal was achieved!
#CoSoPagans #CoSoCrochet