The woman who was to talk to the family of our recently deceased landlord does not have any significant updates for us. She still intends to try and buy the 3 properties, but has no word on that yet. She did however say that she’s been given the impression that the family intends to keep renting this place out to me and my father. Which leaves the question of price and any strict arrangements they wish to make.

I still hope she’s able to purchase them though. We’ll see what happens.

I’ve learned over the last 2 years during my struggle and success with my financial independence and newfound bachelorette-hood, that the best way to work through issues is through baby steps. Setting small goals for myself and meeting each of them individually, rather than setting one big massive goal. Often when a large goal is set, if you are unable to meet it right away, you feel defeated. And I never accept defeat.

A good example would be my mustang. It was my search for a new car that catapulted my mindset financially. After much disappointment and turn-down after turn-down on loans due to my credit history, I decided to take a step back. If I wasn’t able to buy the 2005 mustang that I wanted, then I needed to lower my standards. After all this car was a tool I needed to get back and forth to work, not just a toy or luxury for me to enjoy.

So I started looking at my other options. I had thought about financing through Bar-None due to their commercials I saw all the time, but decided against it on some good research about how shady their service really was.

After several more attempts through banks and such, on a whim I decided to check out a Capital One offer I received, just to see if they really met up to all they were offering. Low and behold I’m given a $14,000 loan, which I used to purchased my pre-owned 2004 mustang (with originally warranty still in place). I had also recently established a credit card with Capital One maybe a year prior, and can honestly say I’ve been happy with their service ever since.

So essentially I found what I needed for -my- situation. A great car, better gas mileage, and a loan that fit into my budget. It’s a small step, but the next time I’m looking for a car, I’ll already have a rung of the ladder in place.

I realized yesterday that I’ve put myself in the best possible financial position I can be in right now. Not only are all my debts besides my car payment gone, but I’ve deduced my bills (really all except for one, which I have to wait for anyway) to the lowest I wish to be at for my quality of life, and I still have all the benefits of saving money in my 401k, Roth IRA, Christmas fund and emergency savings. With all of this, I still have money to buy something for myself now and then, so long as I’m not doing it regularly. When my mustang is paid off, I will still be putting that $323/month away into my Roth IRA instead.

This makes me very happy. And took many small steps to get there.

I also realized that this month is the first month in a while where my father’s checking account is not overdrawn. Granted he only has $9 to his name until Social Security pays him again next week, but he’s not being charged one or more $35 overdraft fees. If we can keep every month like that, it will be my father’s first baby step to his financial independence as well.

Granted me helping to pay off his debts helps. I paid off one of his debts for his birthday this year, and have already started a fund to pay off all of his hospital bills by fathers day next June. Instead of trying to come up with all the money at once, I can put a little away each month, which really is the key, despite my taking so long to realize it.

We had our Fall Equinox ritual this past Saturday. I was unable to allow myself to fit into the ritual due to some things I’ve had on my mind as of late. They plague me still. But it was still enjoyable, and I was able to try out a new Welcoming ritual for new Grove members and receive feedback on how to improve on it.

One thing I did notice throughout the ritual was the “more than usual” presence of the nature spirits. Mocking birds, and even a hare came prancing through the sanctuary during ritual, with 30 some odd people standing there.

This ritual had many Greek influences, invoking Hermes and Iris, with Hecate as the Gatekeeper. As much as I love Greek Mythology, I just can’t seem to get into our Greek based rituals. Maybe they always happen when I have shit going on, I don’t know.

I’ve asked to be involved in Samhain, as it’s one of my favorites. The whole season of Autumn, the secular Halloween, and the sacred Samhain all make me very excited. I have so many ideas running through my head for not only ritual, but just setting around the house and at the feast afterwards.

In other news, I received a subpoena today to appear in court for a friend. I’m actually not to happy about it because 1. I wasn’t asked, and 2. I already stated I didn’t want to be involved and be exposed to the drama that could ensue. Not just for me, but because it would affect my father and our home here as well. And my father is always my #1 priority.

So who knows what will go on there.

I think I need to clear my head.

I should note that I love the secular Halloween, and always had as a kid.

“Halloween is the sweetest day of the year for most kids. But while we gobble up treats, the burden falls on children of West Africa, which exports 43 percent of the world’s chocolate. Almost half of the Ivory Coast cocoa farmers’ kids never go to school because their families need them to work.

Thankfully, companies like Dagoba (dagobachocolate.com), Equal Exchange (equalexchange.com), and Endangered Species Chocolate (chocolatebar.com) source ethically traded cocoa from small farmers who put profits back into their schools and communities. Better yet, they each sell individual pieces perfect for handing out on October 31st. Global Exchange (store.gxonlinestore.org) also makes a Fair Trade Trick or Treat Action Kit with dark chocolate minis, handmade paper decorations, and postcards full of information.”

Friday while driving to work, I passed by a series of telephone poles next to the Elk Vineyard. I’ve seen vulture mounted on top of them before, sometimes three in a row. But this time there was one vulture and it had its wings outstretched as far as they could go. It did not move, it was almost like those owl statues you see on top of posts in gardens to scare away crows and such. It just stood there on top of this pole, and it was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen.

A sign of rebirth? Pueblo Indians consider it a sign of purification and transitions. Obviously they are scavengers, helping to rid of disease (stress?).

Yesterday I did not have such a good day, and was stressing a bit. On the way home I saw a red-tailed hawk fly up on top of a telephone pole as I drove by.

My totem and guardian. Perhaps a sign of protection or intensity? There is a lot of intensity right now, not only in my life, but other people within the Grove. Perhaps it served as a reminder while I was feeling particularly down, to remember my roots and who I am. To stay focused.

Today on the way to work, a crane flew overtop of my car, barely missing it.

I remember seeing cranes on the old farm all the time, and thought they were beautiful. Maybe a sign of upcoming justice? Or to become more focused on my life and what tasks I need to finish up, instead of letting some slip to the wayside.

Dad turned 57 today. For his birthday, my sweetheart and I got him a book on Guinea hens, a set of John Wayne DVD’s, and we paid off his $465 bill at the feed store. It was a good birthday for him, and of course he teared up.

Afterwards, we found out the piece he took in to be prepared for his tractor was finished, and that the bill was over $600. As soon as I heard him say it, a big fat “Doh!” went off in the back of my brain, because I knew I’d have to be paying that too after just paying off the other huge bill this morning.

That’s a bit of a financial set-back, but I’m at least in a position with my finances now that I have some choices:

1. Place the balance on my credit card and pay it off gradually. My interest rate is 14.15%.

2. Take the money out of my emergency fund, which will put a big dent in it, but I’ll still have 4 figures in it to build back up on so it doesn’t leave me entirely helpless. It does however make it longer until I reach my $5k goal for my emergency fund.

3. Pay half of it with emergency fund money, and gradually pay the rest off. I get taxes back in March, which is usually another grand or so back. Though I had intended on putting this towards my car.

4. Use my Christmas Fund money towards it, which is about $550 right now. But that would take away the whole purpose behind the Christmas fund, which was to prevent me from having to worry about where I was going to get the money for gifts each holiday.

I’m thinking I will probably go with number 3. I may pay more than half, and pay the rest off gradually. I’ll replenish the emergency savings with my tax refund and my regular deposits each month. Afterall, this is what I started the emergency fund for, when I get in a financial bind. I just didn’t think tractor repair would be on the list of “emergencies”.

My cousin Steph also stopped by today, as she was in from Georgia with her newborn. I took tons of baby pictures for her and burned them to CD. She also dropped me off a small amount of genealogy information from my mothers side that I’ll work on researching and inputting into the family tree program.

I’ve purchased a new domain that will host a variety of my public projects, including my resume, a public blog I can share with family, etc. That way I can reserve Tawodi for more personal and spiritual type projects, and keep it away from my mother and most of my family. Most importantly is a site on the genealogy of my family that I want to make available.

I don’t intend to set anything up until after the new year, but we reserved the domain at least, and my sweetheart and I can start populating it with information.

This weekend I spent the day on Saturday up at Highland Farms participating in the annual Earthdance. I stayed out there till about 2am drumming and spending time with glorious people, then came home and crashed.

Otherwise things seem to be going fine.

A a letter I wrote to BB&T about recent issues I’ve had, since it explains it and I don’t feel like trying to repeat the explanation:

“Dear BB&T Representative,
Read the rest of this entry »

My father went to the steam show today in Westminster (like a tractor show) at the Farm Museum. He knows a lot of folks that show off their tractors there (it’s actually where we bought our current one), and a lot of his old friends that he grew up with are there.

One friend in particular, whom I’ve been wanting to speak with regarding financing for this house, was also there today. My dad explained to her and her husband the situation, as they buy properties all the time as I mentioned before (though I can’t find the article) about how they helped an old farmer from losing his place.

Anyway, my dad mentioned our predicament to her, and she now has interest in buying all three properties and potentially letting us live here rent free if she gets them. This would be fantastic news, obviously, and we’d have to still do the maintenance on the place, but rent free.

On the same token, if she buys the 500 acre farm, I may also want to look at that for purchase or renting. I don’t know how all of that would work, if she’d sell it to us, if it’s even the type of property I want to invest in (I want something heavily wooded). But it could be an option.

It does ease my concerns a bit, but nothing is final, so I don’t want to get my hopes up too high.

In other news, my sister stopped over unexpectedly today to spend the night. We were playing with the pup outside and she started talking about religion. She asked about Wicca (even though I’m not Wiccan) and asked if it was possible to be Wiccan and Christian. She wanted to know what Wiccan’s believed, and to know if it was okay to believe in some of both.

I’m glad to see that she’s being open-minded, as I was close to her age (13) when I started questioning religion as well (I was baptist). I told her to just learn about different religions with an open-mind, and if she sees things that she feels strongly about that it’s okay to incorporate them into her own type of spirituality. I also made sure to reassure her that any choice she makes I would always support and she can always talk freely with me about it.

I’m glad she at least trusts me enough to confide in me about her spiritual thoughts. If she went to my mother with this, she’d flip her fucking lid.

Dad fell the other day and busted his knee open. He’s alright, just embarassed. I’ve tended it with some tea tree.

We’ve lost 4 or 5 guinea’s in the last two weeks, probably due to a hawk. We’ve seen a gray hawk come after the chickens once last weekend. I’m not sure what we’re going to do about that yet, but it’s gotta be something. The downfalls of owning fowl I reckon.

My best friends came up from Baltimore today to treat me to dinner to celebrate my latest accomplishment. With them they had a gift to present to me, courtesy of my sweetheart. It was a blue morpho butterfly pendant that I had been wanting for months. Of course I almost cried when I opened it and realized they were all in on it.

I was also offered two very special things from my sweet Anna and Dennis, which I’m not going to disclose here, but to say the least, I have the most amazing friends.

After dinner we rode up to Highland Farms to unload a piano and hung out till about 2am or so drumming and chatting.