Stuff I like

:: Natural Factors chewable Vitamin C. The Boysenberry makes me happiest!

:: Sounds True meditation music, especially the kundalini meditations.

:: The HP Lovecraft Tarot, which I want in the worst way, but not enough to spend $1000 for it (new), or even $350 (used). (I hope Cthulhu won't take it personally; it's never a good thing to be on his bad side.)

:: My surrogate son, South Carolina Boy, writes very personally about familial stress, shifting identities and transition: A Real Trans Person and Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.

:: Masada bagels, particularly the Everything bagel and the Cinnamon Raisin! mmmmm

:: Theraneem products, which cured my eczema. I can't recommend them highly enough, for any troublesome skin issue you might have.

:: URBAN FARM, a magazine almost as much fun as Mary Jane's Farm. (Our local equivalent is from Hendersonville, NC: Back Home.)

:: BeeWell Honey, from Pickens County, SC. Besides scrumptious wildflower honey, the best thing in Pickens County is Glassy Mountain. (NOTE: This is not to be confused with Glassy Mountain in Greenville County, which was once stunningly beautiful, but now totally ruined by rich people, golfers and enormous McMansions; Kevin Costner and Tiger Woods are frequent visitors and investors.)

:: Barbara Lynn, known as the Queen of Gulf Coast Blues and Soul.

~*~

You'll lose a good thing - Barbara Lynn (1962)

I write like a man... and other holiday updates

Mrs Madrigal shares the GenderAnalyzer, which has decided I'm really a man:

We guess http://daisysdeadair.blogspot.com/ is written by a man (54%), however it's quite gender neutral.

I guess that doesn't sound too bad. But I'd sure like to know how they arrived at that interesting conclusion.

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Ever seen a UFO? Hate to tell you this, but it might have been lenticular clouds! In fact, I am fairly certain the one I thought I saw when I was young, was likely one of these. The shape was exactly the same.

Jojo provides some beautiful, amazing photos of these incredible UFO-shaped clouds in Washington state.

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What Daisy wants for Christmas:

Gift certificate for Mary Jane's Farm! Mary Jane is our own countercultural Martha Stewart; the Style network for hippies. I am obsessed with her dopey magazine, and I particularly crave her overpriced book, MaryJane's Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook, for the farmgirl in all of us.

Yes, I know, I will never make butter or soap myself, but pretending is so much fun.

Putumayo's JAMAICA. (I heartily recommend Putumayo's WORLD REGGAE, one of my very favorite CDs.)

As my regular readers know, I shop at perennial Dead Air favorite Loose Lucy's on a regular basis, and just spent an obscene amount of money on a large patchwork handbag/tote. Yes, I fully realize that if I really was as cool as the aforementioned Mary Jane, I could make one myself... instead, I buy one and people ask me if I made it, and I just have to say, ummmm, well, noooo.

But it really looks fabulous, and if I made one, well, nobody would have to ask. They'd say, "You made that yourself, didn't you?" because it would be disappointingly obvious.

I love Lucy's and all of their clothes. Their newest location has recently opened in Wilmington, NC, and I wish them all the best. They are now up to seven locations! GOOD LUCK, LOOSE LUCY'S! (Sending all my positive holiday retail vibes to you!)

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I recently quoted Harry Truman as saying, "history is just one damn thing after another"--but I've noticed that some searches are attributing the quote to Winston Churchill. Does anyone know which is correct? I am thinking it sounds like an extremely Midwestern thing to say, so I am sticking by Harry until proven otherwise.

What's up with all of you? How is your holiday season shaping up so far?