Our Fun Feline Fae Tea Party!

So, when I found out about the fantastic Mad Tea Party being hosted over at A Fanciful Twist, I knew it would be a perfect thing to become a part of. Why, you might ask? Well, for several reasons. First, on the very day that it starts, we had already planned our annual Big Backyard Bash! And believe me, do we ever have some whimsical, fae, phantasmagorical, mad-in-a-good-way friends! Second, I have just been researching in my journals in order to write the preface to my book, Starcat's Corner: Essays on Pagan Living (you just knew I was going to sneak in another book reference, didn't you?). The time I was diving into was when I went to Vermont Witch Camp in 2005, and the theme was....drumroll please...Through the Looking Glass! So obviously it was all cosmically meant to be! So I present to you, for your viewing pleasure (whether or not you made it here in person)....Our Fun Feline Fae Tea Party!

First, we happened to drink some delicious potion...I guess that's how it begins sometimes, right?

Here is BlackLion enjoying the Stargazer lilies that are Quester's pride and joy:

We had some lovely fae feline folk show up for the gathering...

And even a Mad Hatter type!

Plus hoopers, dancers, and some of our musician friends.

There were people spread all through the backyard, near the fire pit, the tribe of kids playing football and having an epic battle in the field, a couple of visiting dogs, and endless dishes of delicious foods and drinks!

We even had a sighting of our friend Godzilla, though I don't have a picture...

Here's Dryst enjoying himself (and hamming it up):

I received some very cools gifts, even though it's not my birthday. One had a lizard friend on it!

This fae feline version of a Mad Tea Party really rocked!

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Games

I guess I'm on a roll, in terms of playing along with my favorite blogs. Here's another one: over on Ordinary Life Magic, they're running a game giveaway. Go ahead over and check it out!

And in the meantime, here are some of our family's favorite games. We have 3 adults (in our 40s) and 2 kids (ages 14 and 12) in our household, just so you have a reference. Let me also preface this list by saying we probably have about one hundred games in our home. We're serious gamers here. I canvassed everyone and asked their five favorite board, dice, or card games, and below I've included all of the ones mentioned. The games at the top got the most votes, and the list goes in descending order from there. Enjoy!

The top three games in our family all tied for three votes each:

Cribbage: This classic card game has been a part of all of our families of origin (although I don't play it, myself). Dryst learned it from my parents. There's much hilarity when a multi-generational game gets cookin'.

Dread Pirate: Buccaneer's Revenge: We got this board game from a funky local toy shop. Although it took a while to get the hang of it, this is an awesome family game of strategy and adventure on the high seas. Reading skills are needed, but you can play as teams with those who need reading help.

Skip-Bo: The best way to play this game is with partners. It's a fun numbers card game, and you can use each others' discards to help play the cards on your pile. There's no cross-talk allowed, but using your ESP can help!

The next three games tied for two votes each:

Cosmic Wimpout: The ultimate hippie dice game! You accumulate points by collecting 10s, 5s, and matches, and the first one to 500 points is the winner...unless someone catches up to you in "last licks." Totally groovy.

Rummikub: This is similar to the card game Rummy, but with Scrabble-like tiles. It takes a keen eye for matches and straights, especially since you can rearrange them in a puzzle-like fashion.

Yahtzee: Another classic game, this one with dice. We love the version they have on Webkinz, and that got us back into playing with actual dice.

And the rest of these got one mention each:

Can't Stop: A fun game of statistics and probabilities. Everyone competes to capture three numbers between 2 and 12, but if you don't stop, you may lose it all.

Chess: Dryst has been playing since he was five, and he and Quester are the real chess fans in the house. I think you have to have a certain type of mind to really love chess. A serious strategy-fest.

Clue: We started with the junior version when the kids were younger, and now have the old-fashioned board. Mystery, stealth, and shrewd guessing are involved. Some reading skills are needed for this one.

Mexican Train Dominoes: I added this game, which we play fairly often at our homeschool group. I never played dominoes as a kid, and I've found that I just love this version. Fun to play while sitting around chatting.

Monopoly: You know, Monopoly! The youngest member of our homeschool group is a fanatic about this game, and we're all convinced he'll be a tycoon one day. Be sure to have several hours available, though, and lots of snacks.

Munchkin: A hilarious Dungeons & Dragons-themed card game. You're allowed to cheat, as long as you don't get caught. The rules are a bit complex, but the game will pick up speed as you get the hang of it. Players need to be able to read the cards.

Snorta!: We just got this one for Christmas. Based on memory and making animal noises, it's one of those games that has you laughing and shaking your head in confusion.

Twister: This is another one that gets the giggles going. Be sure you have someone to spin the wheel who's not actually trying to play. Yoga aficianados have an advantage.

Whoonu: Made by the Cranium folks, this is a really fun game for getting to know people and their preferences. Once you've mastered it, play it with opposites - what would be the person's least favorite thing?

Zombie Dice: Zombies are trendy, and that holds true in our homeschool group too. Subject matter aside, it's another fun dice and numbers game, and good to play with a crowd.

Craving...Doing...Being (Thankful)

I got tagged by my friend at Surviving the Suburbs (simply because I read her entry, heh heh), so I figured I'd play along...

craving:
- a good book (I just need to pick one from my "to read" piles, having just finished The Faery Reel)
- having the Subaru back once again (can you say, transmission fail?)
- hot chocolate (when I'm out in the chilly air)

doing:
- attending a bunch of soccer games (I only like sports when my kids are the ones playing, though)
- recording guided meditations for Feline Dreamers
- enjoying a lot of journal writing lately

thankful for:
- my delightful family
- getting to go out dancing a couple of times lately
- sunshine

If you read, consider yourself tagged. Leave a comment with your thoughts, or post your own on your blog or website. It's like a chain letter, only easier.

Tool of the Oracle: Your True Nature

I'm going to play one of those "blog meme" games, which I found here. Why? Because it sounded like fun.

So, here's the deal:

Instructions:

1. Delve into your blog archive.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.

Mine, found in this post, is: "I hung out and danced to their music." Interestingly, I think it does speak to my true nature.

Hmm, perhaps it's time to go dancing again soon...

For All of You Who Love Gaming...

...and you know who you are...here's a quote I found interesting. It's from a fun novel I'm reading, and the quoted part is a bit long, but I wanted to be sure to include the whole concept. The first speaker is a game designer:

"'My feeling about it - history goes through different stages. Right? From the eighteenth century the world's dominant paradigm went from a religion thing to a science thing. Right? And now in the twenty-first century I think it's shifting to a game thing.'

"'Okay.'

"'Games are kind of a third category. They're between art and science. But they're not just a mixture of them either.'

"'That sounds right,' I said. 'I mean, I'm big on games myself-'

"'Sure. But what I'm getting at is, there're all these people out there now, and they're playing games all the time. To the exclusion of almost anything else.'

"'Yeah, that's true. That's good for you guys, though, isn't it?'

"'Oh, sure. But the thing is, I kind of think there's a reason for that.'

"'Like what?'

"'Like - well, maybe this sounds kind of girlie and spiritual...'

"'No, no-'

"'Just that, doesn't it seem to you that a lot of these people are playing these games almost, I don't know, desperately?'

"'Like how?'

"'Just, really intensely and with a big sense of urgency.'

"'I don't know. But I've always played a lot of games, so I may not be the right person to ask-'

"'Just that they're all kind of looking for something,' she said. 'Or another way of putting it is that a lot of other things, other media or activities or jobs or whatever, they're all starting to seem obsolete. People intuitively know that the games are the future. In fact, maybe they're going to be the whole future. The whole social future, anyway. The whole human future.'"

from the novel "In the Courts of the Sun" by Brian D'Amato (page 155-156)

Busy Elves

Oh, how I wish I could discuss and describe the various creative projects I'm working on this week. Alas, many of my friends and family are readers of this blog, so that will have to wait until after the gifts have been given!

Of course, I've already mentioned the cutout cards. And there is cooking to be done, as well. For our Yule celebration, I'm making warm drinks and soup. Two of the recipes are from the vegan Pagan cookbook I've co-written. On Saturday, the kids and I are going over to Mom's to decorate and bake sugar cookies. It's a fun tradition! She's been doing this with the kids for quite a while, and now that I'm not working outside the home I'm able to join them for the festivities.

Sash finished his semester of college today, so we've been finalizing our characters for the new role-playing game he's starting (Cyber Punk). Tonight we've been buying our equipment, which for my character is quite involved. I'm a street doc, which is a sort of high-level, first responder paramedic. I have a fast motorcycle to get to the scene, and a fancy full-body suit containing a computer that helps me diagnose and treat injuries or illnesses.

Last night I went to this month's Red Temple meeting. What a fabulous group of women! And during our discussion we were expressing our gratitude for the amazing Pagan community here in Maine. Speaking of which, the Winter issue of the EarthTides Pagan Network newsletter should be out soon. It has a ton of great articles!

On a personal level, I'm still enjoying the introspective energies of the time between Samhain and Yule. I've been working on my list of goals for this coming year, and reflecting on the lessons from the year past. I'll soon look over the records of my daily Tarot card readings for 2009 and see which cards were a particular focus, and why. I'll also be looking over the goals I had for this year and see how things went.

It's a very busy time of year for our family, but one that we enjoy quite a bit. I hope you do, as well!

A Snowy Day

Today we got up to a pretty snow-covered landscape. That is, some of us got up. I'm speaking of Percy kitten, who slept much of the day away. Though he did arise eventually, went out briefly, and returned wet and hungry. So the kids dried him off and fed him and all is well. Merlin kitten, too, wished the weather wasn't so messy. He hung around, looking out the door once in a while, clawing BlackLion's leg with a demand that he stop the precipitation immediately. He did go out a couple of times anyway.

The kids were out quite a bit, helping with shoveling and playing in the snow. Quester ran the snowblower and cleared the entire driveway. The kids also played crazy run-around-inside-the-house tag games. Yes, teens and pre-teens still play that sort of stuff...so do some of the adults for that matter.

We had quite a big session of online gaming today, too. The team of gamers was playing D&D Online - their group of characters are elven sisters with varying specialties. Personally, I wasn't involved in that part. I was working on the cutout card project! With some help from various family members throughout the day. I also did my usual computer communications, and helped ElvenTiger with her new e-mail and Facebook accounts (which mostly involved answering spelling questions).

Sash made a delicious dinner, a root vegetable casserole with all kinds of ingredients from the CSA, including parsnips, celeriac, potatoes, shallots, carrots, garlic, and a really cool striped variety of beets. It was very tasty and is all gone. Quester and I went for a grocery run this evening once things had turned to rain (and before they iced). We brought back a bunch of snacks for the crew as they finished their D&D adventure.

It was a mellow day at home and, although we did miss our usual Wednesday routine of homeschool group, I think everyone had a fun time.

RPGs

I never really got into the whole video game thing. I love reading fantasy and sci-fi books, and watching the movies, but I can't really seem to connect with becoming the figure on the screen. However, I love RPGs (role-playing games). You know, like Dungeons & Dragons. You play a character in a fantasy world, with your actions governed by various rules and rolls of the dice. You work with a team of other players to accomplish whatever objective the person running the game - the game master, or GM - sets for you.

I first encountered RPGs when my brother and his friends played them in high school, but never got seriously interested until a group of new friends in college got me involved in their games. My favorite characters are spellcasters: wizards, druids, the occasional cleric. Go figure! The stereotype is that geeky teenage boys are the only ones who play RPGs. But I have quite a few friends my age of both genders who play - it's a fun thing to get together and do for an evening.

A couple of years ago Quester started up a campaign for the family. We're playing 3rd edition AD&D (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons) set in the Forgotten Realms world (for those who don't know how it works, each campaign has its own imaginary world - some are made up by the person running the game, and others are published in books and game sets, called "modules"). Since ElvenTiger was new to the concept, she and I decided to play sisters, both elves. She's a rogue, and I'm a wizard, and we help each other out as we move through the game.

BlackLion decided to run another game about a year ago, based on the Amber series of novels by Roger Zelazny. This game is diceless, and thus relies more heavily on each player's imagination and creativity. Again ElvenTiger and I are sisters, this time a set of twins who specialize in mind-related skills (as opposed to combat or endurance). It's a different type of game, and it was a bit of a challenge for Dryst at first because everything is based on the actual role-played conversations you have with other players and characters. But we're all getting the hang of it now.

Our friend Sash GMs a game he made up, set in a "steampunk" world. We play that one occasionally. He also runs a D&D campaign with BlackLion and the kids. See, if you start playing with a certain group of people, you need to convene that same group to continue the game the next time. You can add in a character, but more often you keep the same set of people because they're working within the same story until their quest is fulfilled or the objectives are met.

Right now we're creating characters for a different type of game. While he's on vacation from college, Sash is going to start a Cyberpunk game. The closest thing to my usual style of character is a street doctor, someone who can heal others through traditional medicine as well as dealing with cybernetic parts. Should be exciting!

I like RPGs because you contribute to creating a story. You work with others cooperatively, working together to solve puzzles and mysteries. The game requires imagination, flexibility, and usually a sense of humor. There's a lot of freedom. To me, it's much more fun than choosing from the limited options programmed into a computer game.

Education for the Soul

"Avoid compulsion and let early education be a manner of amusement. Young children learn by games; compulsory education cannot remain in the soul." - Plato