Before bedtime, I put on a pot of "butter" beans with chunks of ham and onions. "Butter" beans are large, white lima beans. He detests limas, but loves this version. I laugh at him, telling him they taste the same, it is just how they are cooked. (grin) I awoke to the smell of the beans simmering in the crockpot. It is maddening when I do this sort of thing, but it is worth the effort.

The teeny ham He bought for the beans is too big. I do not eat ham, but I do enjoy the flavor it gives to beans. The ham hocks up here do not come precooked. I was so grossed out when I tried to cook one, I switched to precooked ham, or cooked up a bit of pork. Sometimes, I use bacon. It depends on what I am making. Where is this leading? I washed some pintos and they are soaking now. I will cook those up tonight and freeze them for meals. I should make some chili while I am at it, but I prefer that meal fresh.

I received my Amazon order yesterday. One would think that as much as I spend at Amazon, they would give coupons or stock-options. Yes, I have spent that much at Amazon. I am a reader, a dirty word these days, it seems. I bought two new tarot decks- "Legacy of the Divine" by Ciro Marchetti and "The Fairytale Tarot" by Lisa Hunt. Two distinct styles in art and approach. Both are stunning.

The woman featured on the front of the "Legacy" tarot deck is half Irish and half Colombian. (laughing) I would not want to be the one to piss her off. She is dressed in a folkloric/tribal garb I have seen worn at Ren Faires. I had only seen the henna-like mask once on a dancer. The whole deck has the flavor of this time period, yet the machine stuff is thrown in. The span in periods is beyond Steampunk. The deck feels nice and looks to be very readable. I like it better than the first deck of the series, "The Gilded Tarot."

The Fairytale deck is awesome. Lisa Hunt used the suit's symbols on the cards, though a few are like a puzzle you may of done as a child, finding the hidden item. (grin) I do not remember the other fairytale decks incorporating the suit's symbols like this. The book gives the tale's name, the culture it came from, keywords, the tale itself and finishes with a short paragraph applying the tale's message to the card. The images cover the feel of the card quite well. Yep, I love the deck. The Fool is Little Red Riding Hood with the wolf behind her. How appropriate!

Bored yet? (laughing) I am going to curl up with my various new books, sip coffee, and occasionally look out at the rain for the day. I am still resting from my 4 months of labors. I think I earned a little rest.