HedgeWitch (31 page)

July 15:
Another rose today!!! Began tearing up the pathways between beds. What a terrible job. Several years ago, Dad put down old carpet because some gardening book told him to do it. What an unbelievable mess. I'd like to call that author out here and have them clean up this mess. The trash collector is going to hate me this week. I'm covered head to foot with black soot. Yuck. Six done, one to go. I have decided to go with red tan bark. Maybe 7 bags will do. Healing ritual for Heather. Created a healing soap for her to use.

July 16:
Finished clearing out all the pathways. Super high humidity. Picked my first beefsteak tomato. Grilled ham with an herb bundle of sage, thyme, and basil. Added savory and tarragon to the asparagus with a nice sauce. Baked potatoes in foil with fresh sage and rosemary. Excellent!

July 20:
I can't believe it: the dogs mowed down the rose bush. Broke to bits. Such a shame! It took 11 bags of tan bark for the pathways. Built my toad habitat! The garden looks super! Made another batch of gardening soap. Prosperity ritual for Joanne. Poured a prosperity candle for her.

August 10:
Finally, the moonflowers bloomed! Moonflowers have been my signature plant for years, and I have always been able to grow them. I thought they would never flower this year. I know I put them in too late and moved them around too much. I'm so glad that they finally took off. Several super hot days and three whopper thunderstorms. I made nine bottles of thunder water for magick and ritual during those storms. Peppers finally getting big, but the tomatoes split because of all the rain. Mints all died from some sort of blight. Too much sun, I think. Next year I'll plant them in container pots so I can control their environment better. My ferns are so beautiful on the back porch! Grandma, you would be proud!

… and so forth.

Recipes and formulas:
This section holds my tried-and-true formulas, from organic bug spray to ingredients I use for family-favorite soaps, vinegars, teas, room sprays, and more.

***

Although the description of my journal pages may seem like a lot of work, it really didn't take much time at all to put the book together. Once I had the categories the way I wanted them, I often spent only a few minutes jotting things down when the opportunity arose. Near the end of the growing year, I added pictures of the fruits of my labors. I used the journal many times over the growing season, then read it at the end of harvest and then once more in April when I was preparing for the new season. Not only did my little book become an invaluable record for the business of growing my own garden, it also became a written testament of how I spent my time throughout the planting and harvest year. These days with everything computerized and the threat of losing your data in a heartbeat, or of systems changing so fast your electronic diary of ten years ago can no longer be read, having a good, old-fashioned journal with a cover you can run your fingers over and pages you can lovingly turn isn't a bad idea after all. Even if you are not a full or part-time gardener, perhaps you have a friend or family member that would love to receive a garden journal as a gift like I did. You never know how inspiring your creative efforts can be!

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Appendix 2
How to Make Florida Water

Florida water can be made with or without alcohol, and can be made with raw herbs or with essential oils. The shelf life of waters made with alcohol is longer. Raw herb water should be refrigerated.

Do not ingest either of these waters! And as with all formulas, if you have sensitive skin, take care with any herbal recipe.

Florida Water with Alcohol and Oils

½
gallon 90-proof alcohol

1 ounce lavender essential oil

1 dram lemon essential oil

1 dram citrus (such as tangerine or bergamot) essential oil

1 dram lime essential oil

½
dram clove essential oil

HedgeWitch Florida Water with Water and Raw Herbs

Fill a one-quart Mason jar with the following:

Spring water

2 slices orange

2 slices lemon

2 slices lime

Fresh mint from the garden

Fresh lemon balm from the garden

Fresh hyssop from the garden

1 fresh rosemary sprig

1 fresh basil sprig

Pack jar with the herbs as full as you like. Boil spring water (enough to fill the jar). Pour into Mason jar (note: please use a canning jar or Pyrex brand glass container as these can withstand the boiling water). Make sure the jar is warm before pouring in the boiling water. Allow mixture to cool completely. Strain. Pour liquid into a sterlilized jar or bottle. Keep in refrigerator. Potent for three days.

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Appendix 3
HedgeWitch Haggling

A 5:50
am
sunrise lurks somewhere behind the curtains of my bedroom window, and part of me refuses to believe I set the alarm for this early. I must be insane. By the time I've fried the bacon, flipped the eggs, and started the coffee pot, the western horizon is dark and foreboding with thick, nasty fog. Where the heck did the sun go? After breakfast, I step outside and shiver. Unpleasant black clouds stall overhead, anxious to dump yet another day of rain. What else is new? However, I have made up my mind that drops of water, no matter how big they plan to get, will not deter me from my mission.

I take the dogs out for their morning run, throw on my heaviest sweatshirt, comb my hair, brush my teeth (a nice smile is important today), and arm myself with cell phone and money pouch securely attached to my blue jean belt loops hidden under that oversized hoodie. Beats carrying a purse.

The sky looks really evil, but the clouds hold as I motor into the parking area. I'm surprised at the amount of people here, given the potential weather. Obviously, I am not the only determined soul out for a bargain at 8:00 am on a gloomy Sunday morning—but I will bet you that I'm one of the few people here with a magick formula for bargaining in my mythical back pocket! Today I have a special job to do: I am testing my HedgeWitch haggling secrets at the flea market.

I'm pretty excited as I huff my way up the hill and into the vendor area. I've never haggled for anything before. At least, not consciously. Up until now, I was one of the hundreds of thousands of Americans that listened to the rules of middle-class society in my youth: to ask the price, or to dicker over the amount of any object, was…well…uncouth, disrespectful, and greedy. The fact that just about every other culture on the face of the planet exercises the art and science of haggling somehow didn't make it into my educational curriculum.

As children, many Americans are taught that the other side of bargaining—auctions—are good. Attempting to lower the price of anything else (other than coupons dictated by the seller) is considered rude. I believed this myth of misinformation up until last month when two things occurred—I wrote an article on belief and our economy went into the toilet. Now gas prices are high, and like everyone else, I have bills to pay—I need food and clothing, not to mention paying utilities and the mortgage. Let's not forget house insurance, laundry detergent…you get the picture, because you're right here with me.

Like you, I'm not into cheating anyone—I just want a fair price, and since I can't get it at the gas pump, I've got to look for it in other venues. After watching the news the other day,
I found myself insulted that many large companies involved in the making and selling of creature-comfort items (soda, makeup, toys) don't plan to lower their prices, feeling that Americans will continue to spend top dollar on their products to relieve themselves of the stress of higher prices they are experiencing elsewhere.

Oh yeah?

See ya soda, hello to making my own iced tea from my garden all summer long! Toys? I'm pretty darned crafty, so guess what my granddaughter will be getting for her first birthday? Cool handmade stuff. And cosmetics? Hrumph! A little sunshine for blush (if we ever get any sunshine), a splash of lip gloss, and a dash of eyeliner, and I'm good to go. If large corporations think they are gonna predict my behavior…well, we'll just see about that!

Too, after writing on the subject of belief, I realized that some of my conscious and subconscious beliefs about the energy exchange of my buying behavior was only making other people richer and me poorer. Time to align my brain on that one! Today is my experiment of taking charge of my financial buying power.

The wind blows, and I can smell the impending rain. Undaunted, I adjust my hoodie. People around me walk either silently or exchange words in soft, low chatter. It's either the weather, the time of day, or both, gently subduing the atmosphere. Not unpleasant, just slightly ghostie. I sort of wish I'd brought someone along, but my experiment this time requires I work solo.

Today will be my first official experience in haggling, but not at HedgeWitch shopping. For the past three weeks, I've been using a technique that helps me find exactly what I want, employing the primordial language you read about here. To date, this has been incredibly successful for me. Now, after researching how to haggle on the Net, and understanding this is an acceptable and even desirable social process for both buyer and vendor, I'm ready to combine my primordial language technique with the art of bargaining.

For me, step one in the science of shopping has always been to go with a plan. As my footsteps crunch on the gravel, I review in my mind what I want to find at the flea market today:

Item Number One:
A good-condition, portable, sturdy, wire shopping cart that rolls well on any surface and collapses easily to go in the trunk of my car when I'm not using it. This is my highest priority.

Item Number Two:
A new, plain sweatshirt for gardening. I plan to add embroidery to spice it up. I'm not into name-brand products unless the brand name is known for high quality.

Item Number Three:
A handcrafted photo book for my granddaughter. I'd seen one last week that really caught my eye, but I thought the price a bit high. Yes, I could make my own, but her birthday is right around the corner, so time is a consideration here.

Armed with my new knowledge that it is okay to haggle, I'm ready to rock 'n' roll! I particularly look for personal creativity when flea-market shopping. Seeing the creative, hard work of others always brings me joy, even if I don't buy the item. As I round the first bend of the pathway, I remind myself of haggling rule number one: believe you will get a deal.

I've made a few “be prepared” alterations in my plan for today. I broke all the twenties I was carrying with me in my little money bag into ones, fives, and tens at the convenience store outside of the market. I put the money in various jean pockets: tens in the right upper pocket, ones in the left, fives in the lower right. Haggling for a few bucks, winning, and then handing the vendor a twenty seemed a bit on the gauche side. Plus, having exact change and knowing precisely where it was located on my person would save transaction time should I strike a fair bargain. This splitting the cash into denominations actually served me well by accident, as you will see.

I also know a bit of information that will be helpful today. This is my fourth week at this large flea market. I have a pretty good idea of who the regulars are and of who might be just passing through. I even look at license plates to see where the vendor is from. Stickers, decals, business addresses, and school slogans all give you a general point of origin if you are observant. Although I treat all vendors with respect, I remind myself to be extra nice to the regulars should I wish to visit them again. They might, or might not, remember me. I want to leave them with a good impression regardless of any deals.

Down the path I march, deciding to begin at the far end of the site and work back toward the car. Three quarters of the way down, I spy the shopping cart I want. I have already done general haggling rule number one: research the market value of the item.

The retail value of the type of cart I want ranges from $80 to $40 brand-new (this information was from a fast Google search). The asking price if I were selling such an article used at a yard sale would be 2/3 to 1/3 of the price, depending upon condition. This means the highest a seller might ask could be $54 and the lowest $13. I now follow haggling rule number two: scope out the item from a distance, then make a closer inspection. It's best if the seller is busy with someone else at this time, as it gives you a nonstressful way to think about your opening bid…

Which allows you to now move into haggling rule number three: size up the seller, but don't make snap judgments on hair, clothing, etc. This is a flea market, after all. Look at the general window of prices the seller has marked on their items (if they are marked at all). Remember, numbers are magickally powerful and can tell you something about the seller without him or her knowing it. For example, if he or she uses a lot of fives, they desire immediate change in their life. Number eight? Self-mastery and confidence on the physical plane has been reached in many areas. Lots of twos? They like socialization and partnership. They will compromise on most sales. Fours? They desire stability and may have a firm asking price or need a little extra coaxing. Of course, this rule fluctuates, but it is an interesting one to keep in mind. And if the seller is well coiffed, sports designer clothes, or is dripping with accoutrements of gold in a flea market environment, you've got a barracuda or a shyster on your hands—tread carefully (or not at all).

General haggling rule number four: once you have sized up your vendor and carefully observed your target item, set the price in your mind that you are willing to pay. Before you even begin, agree with yourself that you will not go over this price and that you will walk away if a satisfactory deal cannot be had. Now cut this number in half; this is your opening bid.