#teawitch

Her: but you don't understand what it can do if you give it the right prompt, set up the parameters, provide guidelines and review each section to double check and provide adjustments.

Me: yes, but by the time I've done that, I've basically written the novel.

I'm realizing that as a tech person, she doesn't understand the long part of writing a novel isn't necessarily putting words on paper, it's figuring out the plot, the mood, the emotions, the tone. Essentially telling yourself the parameters, guidelines and then double checking and adjusting when it isn't right.

For me much of that comes about as I'm intimately interacting with the scene and characters. That's what writing is about. It's as much process as end goal.

I mentally shrugged and went, yeah, possibly. And kept scrolling.

Then I thought - wait - and scrolled back up.

This was apparently one of those abundance affirmations.

Honey, do you have any idea how low that bar is?

Have you seen my bloodline?

Do you not know how many potatoes I have in the pantry right now?

I have indoor plumbing.

I have even been on a big ship on the ocean for leisure travel.

My bloodline is very impressed with me.

I felt a need to make this post after seeing the "would you use dishes older than you" poll. Now I'm older than the usual tumblr user base but this question revealed a knowledge gap.

My answer is - No - because dishes older than me would be pre-1970s and that's where a problem lies.

See, before the 1970s (and even into the 1970s) dishes were often glazed or painted with products containing lead. These are not safe for everyday use. So in the late 1970s or early 1980s, everyone was encouraged to get new dishware. Or to buy testing kits to test their current dishware tested for lead.

So, while beautiful things are meant to be used, please keep in mind that older items didn't follow the same safety practices that we have today. Vintage china is wonderful to display but probably not safe for everyday use.

Who wants to break the real news to them?

I may need a bigger car to really capture this one.

Virus shawl (crochet)

I keep seeing this come up on various blogs and realized I've probably been around long enough to volunteer an answer.

I think where people get thrown off in this is -witchcraft - which creates a muddle. So, I'm going to use other skills and crafts as a bit of a comparison.

Beginner witch - okay, we all know this one. You're new. You're still learning terms and how to do things and frankly a lot of it is confusing. Particularly "why" because in witchcraft, why is sometimes hidden in an historical tangle of techniques and reasons. In many traditions, you spend a year and a day at studies before being considered for more advanced studies. In college, this is the 101 level of just about anything.

Intermediate witch - you're developing skills and techniques and can follow a written spell or ritual. Think of learning a skill like cooking or sewing where you know enough to follow a recipe or pattern on your own but perhaps still need those instructions to get from beginning to end of a project. The "why" is probably even more confusing because as you learn more, "why" becomes contradictory at times. You probably do a lot of reading and talking to other witches to learn more.

Advanced witch - you now have a strong core of knowledge, skills and resources to write/create your own spells and rituals. And explain WHY you made the choices you made. You know you may never reconcile all the contradictory "why" in witchcraft but you've developed a "why" behind your own practice. (Even if it's a weird why, it's there.) So, in the Knitting Guild, to be considered a Master Knitter, after demonstrating all the basic skills, you have to design and knit your own pattern, explain the why behind your choices and provide resources to back up your decisions. It seems witches should at least be able to do the same.

"Master" witch - at this level, you should have enough experience and knowledge to be able to evaluate the work of others, identify strengths and provide advice on how to improve weak spots. This means you likely have a broad range of knowledge of different practices outside of your own. Now, I know this idea is going to freak some people out but in writing, this is essentially your professional editor, not your opinionated writing group critic. An editor likely has an advanced degree and goal to make the writer's work as strong as possible. In witchcraft, this is likely a mentor, teacher or coven leader in a structure coven. At this level, you're doing pretty well and have probably stopped worrying about what level you're at.

Professional witch - if you report your witchcraft income to the IRS, you may be a professional witch. Less a skill level than an occupation level. These are the witches who write books, take on speaking engagements, teach classes, do public rituals and the like. Before approaching this level, you might want to consider that at this point, you're writing, classes and work is going to be open to be reviewed and critiqued by the public at large. With most of the previous levels, you'll make your mistakes in private (or with small group). Here, you're going to make them in public and might want to consider that the public still hasn't forgotten the Irish Potato Goddess.