We captured the idea of this book in its title, The Wizard and The Wrench. I remember the night we met on his 70^th birthday at an open mic years ago. Today he asked me how my teeth are.

I was not gifted through DNA with the strongest of masticators. I responded to his query with a haiku:

Two teeth now are gone

Memories of words spoken

Altar ornaments

I really did place the parts removed from this body and put them on an altar I have for Saturn. Dom and I tried to avoid the conversation of politics. He gets drawn there with his degree in history gained years and years ago. It gave me a moment to remind us both to pray for peace.

Another dear friend, Lyndsay, who is also local and another I do not get to see often, gave me so much beautiful attention today. We do have the opportunity to video chat and text regularly. She is a busy mom with a household of four. One of the stories I shared with her while thinking about this birthday is this:

A couple of nights ago when we last had rain I was out back. There was no light from the sky and my neighbors who sometimes blast bulbs with wattage strong enough to make me feel like I’m living next-door to a prison yard, thankfully had their lights off.

I opened a screen door to toss a leaf outside that I had found on the deck and a tiny tree frog jumped in past my shoulder and disappeared inside the pool enclosure in the inky, velvet darkness. We have screen rooms that keep the critters and much of nature out of our pools here in Florida.

It was pitch dark so I couldn’t find the little creature. I felt really bad and said out loud,

“Crap! This frogs is going to die in here!”

A few days later, I was opening my slider, and I noticed an imprint of half of a small frog that had been dried to the exterior side of one of the heavy doors. The poor thing had been squished in there, unbeknownst to me. I have not found its other part. The ants may have taken care of that. I was pretty sure that wasn’t the frog I saw a few nights back.

More days had passed and it became this morning. I walked out back to feel the sunshine on my face as I make an effort to do and greet the new day. After, I usually walk around the pool to see if there is anything I need to clean up and I noticed two little frogs: One sitting on a small ledge looking out the back through the screen, the other, sitting looking at frog number one—both crispy-fried, and dried from the air and sunshine.

I thought to myself, “What a way to go, to be longing for fresh water and the world you left behind.”

I went outside to fetch a couple large leaves to collect the carcasses and lay them to rest. As I walked back in I said out loud, “May I never feel like this. May I always be grateful for this life and every moment and may I never make stupid mistakes and jump through the wrong door!

It is now getting late in the afternoon and I have been following a trail that led me to four stores and later a car wash. When I finally arrived home, I roasted one of two cauliflowers in the oven with olive oil and a little bit of hing, cumin, and salt.

Tomorrow I am a celebrant conducting a ceremony of life to honor a client’s mother and her transformation from this Earth. The host, her devoted son originally asked me to read Tarot for the guests.

I offered to add an honoring ceremony and a channeled message of psychometry from his beloved mother’s spirit. I will be placing my hands on her urn to receive her transmission.

Friends that I know and some who follow me that I have never had the pleasure of meeting are sending me messages of good wishes for a happy birthday and another healthy prosperous year full of joy and love. I am grateful to begin the new year and marking this milestone of time.

A friend of mine has a habit of beginning each New Year by doing a little bit of everything she wants to have happen during the year, on the new year’s day. I have taken on this habitual practice myself on January 1st as the calendar finds its new birth. Today, I decided to practice this on my birthday as well, beginning a new trend as I mark my personal new year in this physical body.

I send my gratitude and thanks to everyone who has been sending me love and prayers. What I want for all of us to do is to focus on peace on this planet, our Terra, our Earth. I ask you to join me in healthy thought and healthy practices. Visualize along with me all beings having clean water and access to nourishing food. Pray with me that we all learn to live as one group of humanity in harmony with nature.