July is half way through. Time just seems to go faster and faster as I get older. To the left is a portion of the newest installment for the free coloring pages at Magical Child News. This month features the letter J and the Goddess is Jerah, a Semetic Goddess. Sign up for the yahoo group mailing list to download this and previous free coloring pages.

I joined a new blog group this week called Watercolor Wednesdays. The members have to be watercolor artists doing children's book illustration. Every Wednesday we receive a prompt for a new painting. This week's prompt is "this little piggy." We are to let our imaginations run wild, and mine is working over time. So much so I haven't been able to decide what to do yet.

Work on Rabbit's Song is moving along smoothly. The rough layout for the cover has received approval and I am busy finalizing all the changes and tiny details. The publisher will be making the book available for pre-order as soon as the cover receives final approval. The authors and I will all be appearing together in Tennessee for a pre-release party. All the books pre-ordered before the mid October event will be signed by all three of us. I am very excited about this.

I've decided that watching the scale inch up over the summer has got to end. I got my bike out of the basement and dusted off the cobwebs yesterday morning. I rode out to the post office and back in the morning. It actually felt kind of good to be doing something just for me. In fact it felt so good that I decided to ride the bike down to A Visual Impact in the afternoon to get my hair cut. (Check out the logo -- I designed it for them.) I arrived at the shop without incident, got my hair cut and started on my way home. I took the main drag home (fewer hills) instead of taking the side streets I traveled on my way downtown. That was a mistake. Not only was the traffic heavier, the folks in the cars seemed to think they needed to honk their horns at me as they drove past. The side of the rode is not in good repair, so it was tough going. I gritted my teeth and struggled on until I cam to the rail road tracks. The tracks cut across the road at an angle. I was attempting to pedal my sorry self across them and avoid the worst of the potholes and road debris when a car swooshed by rather closely with horn blaring. It startled me and I took my eyes off the road momentarily to see the car rush past only to have the front tire of the bike catch in the track and get stuck. Needless to say, I kept going and my bike didn't. OW! I now have a nice pair of matching road rash on my right knee and left leg. :( I wear leather biking gloves, so my hands are undamaged. A good thing because I used them to stop my face from landing in the gravel by the side of the road.

Suffice it to say, I won't be traveling that section of road again!

Spell casting is an art and science that most Pagans are eager to learn. Witchcraft spells and magick enhance all of life's experiences, drawing love, power and money and repelling negative influences. Magickware offers witchcraft spell kits with everything you need to cast a spell. We also offer resins and stick incense, anointing oils, smudges and other items to use in creating your own spells and rituals.

Magickware is proud to offer you a large variety of unusual Pagan and Wiccan jewelry from around the world. We have traditional pentacles and more esoteric items such as the Druidic Sunwheel shown here.

Did you know part of every purchase at Magickware.com is donated to charity?

When I took over Magickware from Branwen in 2004, I promised her I would find a good cause that was close to my heart. Branwen provided support to a Californian feral cat rescue. I have finally found a charity that combines my love of art with my focus on children. Brushes for Vincent. Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff commitment is to use every dollar collected for art supplies for kids.

What is Brushes For Vincent? Annually, any children’s non-profit organization or children’s charitable groups can make written requests to receive FREE art stuff to benefit the children. In the past, Cheap Joe's has supported burn hospitals, inner city day camps, orphanages, hurricane relief (and all the rest).....