Victorian Homes and a Historical Christmas

Yesterday I attended a "historical Christmas" event at a nearby fort that dates back to the 1820's. There were volunteers dressed up in 19th century clothing that were singing traditional Christmas songs, cooking a meal in the kitchen-house, and working as blacksmiths. It was quite a fun event, though very crowded (which tends to make me a bit claustrophobic.) After that we visited a row of Victorian-era homes that stands near the fort. Some of them are now offices and could not be entered, but one is a restaurant and the other is open for visitors. They were all beautiful, and the interior of the one we visited was truly breathtaking, with its carved wooden staircases and gorgeous stained glass.

 A few days ago we visited a local tree farm and chopped down our own Christmas tree. I don't think we have any big Christmas plans, but I do plan on cooking a nice meal of shepherd's pie, brussels sprouts, and a chocolate bread pudding for dessert. This is my first Christmas ever spent away from my old hometown, so it's bound to feel a bit "off," but I am SO in love with my new home state that just being here feels like the best Christmas present ever.

Not much new to report on the magic front. Personally, I always find it a bit harder to work Witchcraft in the winter. So much of what I do involves plants and the outdoors, and when it's cold and rainy out there's not much to work with. On the other hand, the "dark half" of the year is the perfect time for working with spirits and the shades of the Dead, which is an area I would like to practice on anyway. At one time it was popular to tell ghost stories during the Christmas season, and in fact I've been reading up on haunted places and legends of the Pacific Northwest. As it happens, I've discovered that the cemetery I like to visit in my new hometown has quite the reputation for being haunted. I haven't encountered anything paranormal there myself, but I have had a bit of an uneasy feeling there at times and plan on investigating further.

Please enjoy some pictures of the historical Christmas event and the beautiful Victorian homes!

The huge fireplace in the kitchen (which was built as a separate structure) at the fort.

The main house, decorated with greenery

The fort

A Victorian home. This one was open to visitors.

The beautiful carved staircase of the above home

The parlour

Victorian Christmas tree

Another Victorian home. This one is now a restaurant.

How To Restore Old Cast Iron

I know, I know, I've written about this before. However, so many people have asked me how they can restore/season old, rusted cast iron that I thought I would do a step-by-step guide on it. I had a friend who was planning on throwing out his old cauldron because it was rusted and in bad shape. He followed by tips on how to restore it, however, and now it's good as new.

I have some old cast iron cornbread molds given to me by my mother. They've not been used in ages, and were rusty and dirty. Here's how I fixed them up.

1. First, find yourself a good assistant. Fortunately, I had Marmalade here to lend me a paw.









2. Next, you need to clean your cast iron. In the image below, you will see how rusty and stained the old cornbread molds were. Using a good sponge and water (do NOT use soap!) scrub off as much rust and grime as you can. On some items you may have to use very fine steel wool for this, but it's best to test a small area first and make sure there's no scratching. I just used a sponge in this case.

3. Once you have it cleaned and dried, place it in a 300 degree oven for about 10 minutes. This heats it up and helps it to absorb the coating. Once it's good and hot, carefully remove it from the oven and let it sit until it is cool enough to handle comfortable, but still warm. At this stage, you need to apply the seasoning. I use plain old Crisco, but you can also use vegetable oil. Do NOT, however, use olive oil because it will go rancid! Apply a thin coating to the entire cast iron piece, using your fingers or a soft cloth. It's important to apply enough, but do not go overboard because you can end up leaving a tacky film. Below you can see the greased cast iron molds.

4. Now that you've got your coating on, put the cast iron in the oven at about 325-350 degrees for an hour and a half. It's best to put down a cookie sheet with some foil over it on the lower rack beneath the cast iron; this will help catch any drips. Now, while it's baking you will smell a strange metallic smell; this is nothing to worry about.

5. When the hour and a half is done, turn off the oven, open the door, and let the cast iron gradually cool down. When it's completely cool, take it out and voila! You are all done. Your cast iron piece is now restored and ready to cook with. Be sure to maintain your results by IMMEDIATELY cleaning it out after each use using only water and a soft cloth. You will probably need to re-season it every year or so. Below, you can see my finished result. Look at how pretty and black it turned out! Nothing cooks like cast iron does.

In other news, I have returned to the South for a few weeks to visit family. I already miss my new home in the Pacific Northwest, and am very much looking forward to returning next week.

Hallowe'en Happenings

It's a wee bit late, but I did want to share some of my Hallowe'en activities. This was my first year in my new Pacific Northwest home, so I was not able to decorate or celebrate as much as I would have liked. I am still getting settled in, there's been a lot of things to replace, and I've been without a car for a few months while I waited to go back and get mine from down South. Never the less, I did manage to visit the local historic cemetery, carve my usual Jack O' Lanterns, and perform my Hallowe'en ritual/ offerings to the Ancestors.

Hallowe'en is by far my favourite time of year, doubly so now that I live in a climate with an actual Fall season. Watching the leaves change and feeling the Veil begin to think never ceases to give me a thrill. I also love all of the trappings of the Hallowe'en season; the black and orange, the fat pumpkins on every doorstep, and the cardboard cutouts of Witches and ghosts that festoon most of the houses. It's fascinating to me that something as ancient and steeped in rather dark folklore as Hallowe'en is is still being celebrated today.....in America.....by people who (mostly) do not understand the origins of the customs.

Incidentally, they say that from an astrological standpoint, or using the "Old" calendar, that Samhain actually falls around November 6th to the 11th. So, don't put away those black candles and offerings just yet.....

I don't photograph my rituals or working tools, but here are some images of my Hallowe'en decorations as well as of my new town and local cemetery.  Enjoy!

The First Fire of the Year

Behold, the first fire of the year! Now, keep in mind, I've just moved to the Pacific Northwest from Texas. Back home, it stays in the 80's all the way through October. In my new home, however, it's chilly, windy, and grey......in other words, just how Autumn SHOULD be. We've also been getting quite a bit of rain. My new place does not have central air, and I don't like to use the heater anyway, so I've been bundled up under blankets and wrapped in sweaters. Tonight, we made the first of what is sure to be many winter fires. I'm very much looking forward to spending long hours in front of the fireplace with a book and a good cup of hot tea!

In other news, my Hallowe'en preparations are coming along. Despite a few personal setbacks, I'm still quite excited about the holiday. I'm also pleased to report that my sprained ankle/foot is doing a bit better; it's still pretty sore, but I can put my weight on it now.

An Ill-Timed Accident

It's been rainy, dark, and chilly here all week which of course has meant some time spent indoors. Yesterday, while my housemate was away, I decided  to make a cup of tea as I needed a bit of a pick-me-up. So, I headed down towards the kitchen. I'm still not entirely sure what happened, but about 4-5 steps up from the first floor something went wrong and I fell down the stairs. I have a memory of feeling "nothing" beneath my feet, and the next thing I knew I was laying on my right side on the hardwood floor. I knew immediately that I was injured; my right leg and left foot were in a lot of pain, and my right arm was hurting from where I had landed on it. My cell phone had come out of my pocket, went flying, and smashed to bits on the floor. I managed to get up, gather the pieces, and hopped back up to my bedroom in a daze.

At first I thought that maybe I'd just bruised something, but my right foot was very tender and as the hours went on it began to swell. I had a very rough night and got little sleep because the pain has continued to worsen. When my housemate wakes up  he's going to take my to the ER for x-rays.  I probably should have gone last night, but I did not fancy waiting hours in the lobby for a doctor and anyway, I didn't realize it was as bad as it was. I'm afraid my right foot may be broken; at the very least, it's extremely painful and I am not able to put any weight on it at all. This could not have come at a worse time; Hallowe'en is my favourite holiday, this is my first autumn season in my new Pacific Northwest home, and I have a Hallowe'en party scheduled at home in a bit over a week. While I'm very grateful that I wasn't hurt worse or even killed by my fall (and it was a pretty long one) I'm also angry at myself for managing to fall down the stairs in the first place. I put my phone back together, and though it still works it's going to have to be replaced.

So, I hope all of my readers will send me healing thoughts. I simply cannot bear to be  unable to walk, and I'm hoping the doctors will be able to put my right pretty quickly. I'll update this once I get back from the hospital and get an accurate diagnosis.

Update: I've been to the emergency room and back. After some x-rays they determined that I did not break any bones. However, I've sprained my foot and ankle rather badly.  I have to wear a special boot brace and be on crutches for a few weeks at least. Apparently, a sprain in this area can hurt even more than a break. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I heal up quickly.

The Cemetery in Autumn

Today, I went with a friend and visited the historical cemetery located not far from my new home. The graves date back to not much earlier than the mid 1850s, but the place has an aura of history about it that makes it captivating. It was a perfect Fall day, and the rays of the setting sun really caught on the trees and gave the graveyard an otherworldly glow. It wasn't hard to feel the presence of the Spirit World.

The cemetery view

An unusual stone

Another unique tomb

Tall trees in the center

Oven-style tomb

Autumn finery

A twisted tree

The tree

Hallowe'en Approaches!

October is finally upon us, and Hallowe'en approaches. This will be my first Hallows in my new home, and I am quite excited about it. When I still lived in Texas, October was likely to be hot and much the same as summer. In my new Pacific Northwest home, however, it's definitely Autumn now. The days are cool, the nights chilly, and the trees are changing to beautiful shades  of red and gold and yellow.

Oregon is well known for its farming, and every year it's possible to go and pick your own  fruit at some of the local farms. It's past the season for blackberries and blueberries, but it's just the time for pumpkins. I'm going to be visiting a local farm soon where you can pick your own pumpkins, visit a corn maze, and do all kinds of Hallowe'en related activities. I also need to get my ancestor altar up and running; unfortunately, I don't have a lot of space in my new bedroom, and as I share my house with non-magical people I am limited as to where I can work.

I've added a picture of the mountains and low-hanging clouds that I took during my trip to the Tillamook cheese factory last week. I'll be posting more about that later. I hope you enjoy, and I hope that all of my readers are having a good Fall so far.