The Cave and an important message

This piece below was written for the Writing Exercise #32 by Chris. The conditions included a word count limit of 150 and that MC must be finding something in a dark, dark cave.

Here it goes in 147 words:

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The cave discharged cold dampness. Alone as I was, I felt compelled to enter.
The small cave embraced me. The backmost wall displayed a vibrant reflection.
One by one, I slid my feet closer in the silence to see what it was. Odd-shaped pieces of mist-covered gravel met my fingers as I reached out to the sides.
Suddenly, there was a grayish figure in front of me.
I froze.
The ‘thing’ was motionless, too.
Breathe in, breathe out, I tried to control panic.
No one told me there would be dangers ahead.
No one told you to enter the cave either.
Heading for the entrance would mean turning my back upon the thing. I took no risk and started my slowest ever backward march.
The thing moved too.
It moved when I moved.
My forehead was still damp as I slapped it.
The thing slapped hers, too.

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and here's the message: Earth Hour 2008!

Join us!!!

Things we did during Easter PART ONE

During the Easter school holiday we were indulged in contemplating the baby chicken, weather permitting - as it was snowing and/or raining and the wind was blowing like hell. The hen left the nest on 23 March, which meant that according to her , no more hatching would take place. If there were any eggs left, those were considered either infertile or that the embryo within is deformed and/or not healthy enough and/or under-developed.

We trusted the hen's instincts and removed the eggs from the nest. One of them was blank (infertile), and three or four contained embryos at an early stage of development.

The reason for underdeveloped embryos is that when brooding starts, we place a certain number of eggs under the hen. Basically, it is the hen who starts brooding and we have no interference into her action. You can't force-brood. That's called an incubator.

So, the eggs are heated by the hen's body. Embryos start to develop and within 22 days, they are ready to hatch. But if you have more than one egg-layers, there's always a chance that one of the hens will lay an egg into the brooding nest. Since the hen leaves the nest each day to care about her toilet and kitchen issues, eggs are left unattended. Having quite a number of eggs is tempting for another hen to lay on top of the collection.

This is how the original 12 increased up to 14-15 in our case as well.

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The first picture shows how the mother hen can cover the young chicks almost entirely with her own body and plumage. Your task: Spot the baby chicken.

This next is about feeding time. Which equals two third of their waketime.

Please note the bare neck of the Turkens. Turkens are fun to watch. Consider me as a fan of Turkens, but my devotion lessens by the minute as young Turkens are weak and can not resist the cold. We had nine chickens hatched but two Turkens have died in the first two days.

Right now we have 3 Turkens, 3 Partridge Colored Hungarians and 1 mixed bred (from our own egg).

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On 23 March, we celebrated the 70th birthday of my mother-in-law. Here's a part of the dinner table. Yum. And extra yum for the salad made of organic salad, carrots and ramsons.
Here's a cake DH's sister made for her mother (the one who turned 70). Hands down: it is a broom.
Yes, the usual flying vehicle for witches. Our family has a wicked sense of humour. Everyone had a hearty laugh upon recognizing the shape and the meaning and the biggest laugh came from the witch herself. I think she received it because of her recent interest in natural medications, energy healing and the like. She's a wonderful and caring person - if she was a witch, she would be the most positive and useful one.

On another day, we celebrated my daughter's eighth birthday.

This is her hair on the day:

The flower decoration is made of felt and was created by the same person who made the broom-cake. And here comes the main attraction: the cake that the witch has made for the 8-yo girl:

A baby chicken emerging from an egg-shell. The icing represents the shell of the egg.

Here's a close-up of the chicken. It is two balls of sweetened chestnut puree, covered with colored marzipan. The eyes are unsalted pumpkin seeds, trimmed to have a round shape.Would you care to come over for a birthday, too? Provided you get a cake from the witch....

(As I promised, there will be a second post-Easter entry about Eacter activities. Watch out for the making of colored eggs.)

Happy Easter!

Spring is officially here and it was -1 degree Centigrade this morning. The baby chicken are hatching.

It is a Full Moon today and Easter is just around the corner. The kids are home from school. We have two birthdays in the family. My daughter is turning 8 and DH's mother's becoming 70. We also celebrate my son's name-day.

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Easter is an important event in the Hungarian traditons.

The ancient people celebrated goddess Villő (will-and add a long vowel as i in bird) these days. She was an elf who brought spring along into the world. She had flowers and green twigs in her hair and shells all over her body. Winter retreats when she comes.

A doll made of straw symbolizing winter was thrown into water and/or burned.

Winter disappears into water and from water emerges spring.

Water has a central importance in Eastern festivities. In the old times, men used to throw water on women.

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Now Hungarian men and boys sprinkle women and girls with fragnance.

In return, they are given decorated eggs and/or chocolate, and more recently, money.

People gather together and eat a lot during Easter. The main meal is boiled, smoked ham and hard-boiled eggs. Sausages and other types of pork are also favoured.

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Christianity has also put down its two cents around Eastern.

While invincibility sounds just fine, I do think the idea was taken a bit too far.

The idea of staying alive and not getting deteriorated according to the laws of nature feels strange, but it is a genuie and appealing one for the many.

Many heroes and saints of Christianity also stayed intact even after death.

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Just a moment before indulging in the admiration of the revival of the outer world, many people find Eastern a time to find examine their beliefs.

I have mine, but for those of you who are open to an interesting self-survey, this place is a must-visit. There are questions and no wrong answers. All you have to do is to listen what your inner side tells you. At the end you are told that what religion are your beliefs come closest the most. I did this test twice and was found Neo-pagan once and Mahayana Buddhist the other time.

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The very first photo of the very first baby chicken. Hajas (Huh-yush), a Japanese mixed hen is still sitting on the eggs. The first chick to hatch is a Partridge-colored Hungarian purebred. Click on the photo to enlarge. This photo was made on 21 March 2008.

Update on chicken: We have checked the henhouse to find two more babies: two Turkens.

ways upon the sky

what is beneath the feet on the ground

spinning between my fingers

the air licks me

what is beside me, lost within the darkness of the coming night

around me

covering my own self

with layers of a new reality

hands tied I look up as

she calls me for a ride

a hooting across the ages

spanning the present with the closed lids of jars

across the shelves

and I follow

with a hazy halo of mist

the Moon gallops through the somber sky

years drown leaving no trace

or not more than the sound of a bud popping out

as the season starts all over again

I am there with her

driven into the depth of neverland

into a wet, salty land

looking down there's a bunch of dreams

of shredded angels

broken glasses and lost pieces of puzzles

that never come out right

she takes me higher

and I sway

to fall

a short entry

First of all, I'd like to thank each one of you for commenting on my loooong post below.

Your thoughtful notes contributed to seeing more clearly and understanding my choice. Thank you! I decided to talk in person to those concerned.

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In the meantime, I'm still doing my ordinary job, which may sound weird to those who have regular jobs. But I'm a freelancer and there are times when I have no work to do at all and there are times when I have just as much as I can handle. This is what is going on now :)

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Also, Chris had a 4-part writing exercise, which is over now, but the blog specially created for reading everyone's entry is up until the end of March. Go over and check the entries (there are about 6-8 stories). It may take some time though as each entry consists of 1200-4000 words.

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In other news, buds are opening on black currant bushes. Crocuses are a-blooming. The tulips have their leaves out. The keeps blowing like hell and my head aches. And, there is only a week to go to see the baby chickens. I can already imagine their feet trampling over the grass like clumsy, giant trolls - as if they ever were, you know. When they hatch, their size is the same as that of an egg...who would have thought that, anyway...? and they have a shape of a ball. This photo was made in 2007. It's either Fagyi (Icecream) or the late Hógolyó (Snowball).

A dilemma - LONG POST

Below are my ponderings about a group I am about to leave, and about my feelings about that. You can skip and go below to that nice shot of a sky in between late-winter storms. Or rather, are they early spring storms? Does it amaze you how much a change in definition matters?

I added some photos I made on our National Holiday 15 March in our capital, Budapest in 2006.

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This is a local women's group and was established in 2003. It was aimed at helping women of the area. One of the founders was a friend of mine, a married woman with two kids. I joined the group because the idea seemed fun, but most of all, the idea of helping and self-helping seemed fantastic.

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The nature of help involved giving advice about getting jobs, organising events where women of all age were able to get know more about their feminine side and about their rigths in their working place, about suitable places to go with a toddler....all sorts of things. It felt like fun. And a very useful fun at that.

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But most of all, it was about a community. An email group, but not just a virtual one. Members of the Board, among where I used to belong then, met regularly and decided about the next step.

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Then came autumn of 2004 when I was offered a job. I was already working but our company won some money and we extended our activities. I chose to work for money for something I adored over for voluntarily for something I also adored. I do not regret my step - and I tend to think I had no other choice. My boss was asking me something. I think it's quite obvious.

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Doing that paid job meant I had to step back from the women's organisation. I remained a member, but not an active one. I attended meetings but my mind was occupied.

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The paid job was over a year later and my mind was still a bit tired. Also, I felt myself getting involved in other subjects.

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I began to see women and men equal, and different at the same time; not by laws of man, but laws of nature. I know it may sound weird. I begun to see that their role were different in this world and that it was rightly so. Also I felt myself getting involved in politics. In a certain way - I never joined or supported any party in any way. But there were movements I liked and sympathized with. I, approaching the age of *coughs* 35-40 have sort of settled in my views.

Which does not mean I'm not open to new ideas. And also, that I'm impeccable. - Not the least.

It's just that I have my own opinion.

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When I returned to the organisation, I found some changes.

Some of the members were sort of disowned and repelled.

Some just plain left the organisation.

Some others have taken the Board.

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The good thing?

The group grew bigger and had more influence. There were many courses and events organised and/or held for women. There were and still are serious achievements made by the group - including, but not limited to installing a babychanging facility in one of the public buildings of our town, handing out annual awards for shops/facilities for being child-friendly, lobbying for a special fee for mothers with children on state vehicles (this one failed, unfortunately), starting a film-club, launching a weekly club for toddlers). The group has it's effect now at town level.

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The bad thing?

Well...

This organisation keeps repeating that it has a no-religion, no-politics, no-marketing, no-offense policy. This is part of their image.

Which is a lie.

They label certain groups as 'unwanted' and 'extremists' and well, if I had to choose where to raise a flag, I'd certainly be on those people's side.

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The same goes to having become gender-focused and strongly feminist. Back in the early days, gender issues, feminism was hardly, if ever, mentioned. Now it's out in large print, as the group has come out openly as an advocate of feminism.

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There were signs back those days....I ignored them for the sake of community. I suppressed my inner dislike of how members were thinking, because being in a community meant that much to me.

I recall meetings when I was just listening to their voices, not really caring about the meaning - for if I had done, I would have surely been outraged.

And yes, I was outraged at times. I told myself to quit, and I stayed. I stayed partly because they valued me. Not my views in particular, but it seemed that everyone liked me, as a person. I was labelled as an extremist in politics, environmental and family issues, but they did like me and I am convinced they still do.

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So, there was I - being loved by a community toward which the attachment I felt was weakening by the hours. I was feeling less and and less useful. They asked for my advice, but I hardly gave any because those I had was of no use for them. Although I did speak up for some traditional values and views, I refrained from tough criticism of their feminism. I kept that for myself.

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The situation is now clear for me: I am a member of a group I can no longer help. My views are unacceptable there. Their views are, most of the times, unacceptable for me. I do not want my name associated with the group anymore. I do not belong to them.

This feeling hit me hard about some months ago - and I was waiting for the occassion.

Do you think it is time I quitted?

Do I sound stupid for clinging to a community?

Thanks for listening.

Storm

Night falls upon the Earth

Winds scream over the roofs, like sea upon rocks

Unleashing grey dust balls on ink

Coins sparkle

With clothes ripped off there stand they,
Scraping the impervious above
Crying out their pain to none around
But to those who are weeping, too

Chain clashing against tile
Foils flame with fury
Rattle and squash
Wet soil underneath the weakness of life
And the dogs are set loose