I don't have a whole lot of time right now, but this came to me via several channels that I trust. Robert Mathis-Friedman suffered a massive stroke in December of 2013. Following major brain surgery and months of occupational and physical therapy, he's home from the hospital but his family are asking for donations to help modify his house so that he can lead a more active life.

If you can donate some money, please do so to help him.

Lyssa and I got up early (which is to say, we slept in for a change) last Tuesday to get our stuff packed and leave for our first vacation in a couple of years. Jason met us at our apartment and helped us load everything into the back of his SUV (we packed kind of heavy for a change, though most of it consisted of books that we were hoping to catch up on). After a quick lunch at our local deli and a sidetrip to pick up some essentials (like shampoo and asthma medication) we then hit the highway …

While wandering around northern Virginia recently, Lyssa and I happened across a couple of new stores that could really use patronage as well as suggestions if they're going to take off. The first is a little pagan-type store on Route 50 west called Sticks and Stones (9970 Main Street; Fairfax, VA; 22031; phone 703-352-2343) which opened its doors just a week ago. Their selection's not bad for a brand new shop - a little thin on books but they have a good selection of practical materials and good prices all around. They're taking suggestions for things to stock and classes to …

A couple of weeks ago Lyssa and I hooked up with House Eclipse to buy seats at a second table at Persephone's Ball 2007, the annual fundraising dinner held by the Open Hearth Foundation in their effort to set up a community center for the pagan community of the Washington, DC metropolitan area. They've been at this for almost ten years now; I've been keeping my eye on it for about five but this is the first time that I've ever participated in one of their functions. We weren't sure what our schedule was going to be like on Saturday …