The KimboBurly Tales

a mummy with the Iliad

First of all, I’m a delight.
Second, it seems I’m addicted to learning.

“Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.”
― Isaac Asimov

Today I stumbled upon an article about piece of the Iliad being found with a mummy. It’s pretty interesting, and you can read it by clicking the hyperlinked text above.

For this week’s podcast I was going to discuss coming back to the art world, but the Universe had a different plan. Don’t worry, I’ll get there, but until then feel free to gives this a look.

Until next time…much love to all y’all,
~ KEU

the art of arting

First of all, I’m a delight.
Second, we are all artists.

“This world is but a canvas to our imagination.”
– Henry David Thoreau

If we, made in the image of a creator (science or spiritual), then we are also creators. When I taught art classes, that was always my opening statement, along with the ins/outs of the art world. My goal with every student was to help them understand that creating for the joy of it is part of who we are.

For a long time I made art to support my family – everything from abstract art to mosaics to Zentangle. There were words, images, stories, all formed by the overwhelming urge to remind others how magical humans can be. It was absolutely where I wanted to be in my life, and was doing pretty okay in the professional creative world.

The thing about being an artist is that you have to produce items, or at least talk about the processes of what you are making/writing. That was going pretty okay for me, with some art shows under my belt, classes, and even a few articles in the local newspapers. Then something happened that shifted everything that gave me an almost 11 year hiatus of everything in my life. While the Universe might have known what was up, it took me just a little more time to see the wisdom in those changes.

What got me through those moments was the support from my wee little family — my husband and our kids — who have always believed in me. Better stated, we all stood together, making sure that everything would be okay. It is hard to explain the levels of gratitude I have for the ability to persevere through some of the wildest moments of my adult life, and to also have the resources to keep all of us afloat. Sometimes when I look ahead to my goals for bringing my pieces back into the world, my being fills with feelings of grace.

This week’s episode of The KimboBurly Tales will be about some of this, and how to find your way back home to yourself. Most likely I’ll write about up until that day, so be prepared to read a ramble or seven.

It’s a beautiful Monday, and I think the best way to enjoy it is to get out some yarn, sit on the porch, and have gratitude for the little things.

Until next time…much love,
~ KEU

The erasing of lived cultures

First of all, I’m a delight.
Second, please stop saying the Gods chose who they chose.

Sun shining through plants. — If you take this photo as your own, pixies will come and tie knots in your hair.

“Imitation is the highest form of flattery’ all too often means ‘Appropriation is the easiest form of thievery’.”
― Jamie Arpin-Ricci

As I step back into my work with Mom’s Strange Magic, the algorithms have decided to show me all kinds of things like tarot readers flinging cards at their camera and telling me that the powers that be wanted me to know something. Then comes the vague information such as, “They are thinking of you,” or the “The signs say go for it.” I mean two things can be true at once, the algorithms knowing your patterns and the Universe seeing a way to get a message to you, but lemme tell you a little bit about how that kinda stuff is dripping with appropriation.

This is not the time, nor is it the place, to give an extended look into the world of cultural appropriation. Also, none of us are immune from engaging in this activity. I mean how do you think we have most of what we have now – it wasn’t from honoring the societies and communities that created their rituals and ways of being.
One little trip back into history, at any time, will show you how those with more resources and greater military power conquer societies and communities…only to adapt the rituals and folkways to their own needs. It’s sort of how I see the Romans when the early Christians couldn’t be taken down by the powers that be — sort of like if you can’t beat them, join them kind of thing. Figuring that there needed to be one central place for these folks (and their money) to hang out, wouldn’t it just be a good idea to, oh…I don’t know…create the Holy Roman Catholic Church? Once fully established, and you know, never mind all the other monotheistic belief systems stemming from Abraham, because this one is the only one. But let me not ramble a blue streak about that, because I can and often do with my dear sweet husband. He’s such a patient partner, and always willing to hear about my new esoteric and arcane fact about the history of faith systems.

So, as a very pale skinned person who has parents that are from this area and engaged in the modern rituals, practices, and culture of their parents, this makes me 100% a caucasian woman from the United States. While I can appreciate Neo-Paganism and the good intentions of that belief system, often times followers of that path overlook the darker parts of how their modern ways came to be.

Just a random side note here, your dear old 2nd grandaunt who grew up in the mountains and healed people would wash your mouth out with dirt if you ever called her a witch. That woman believe in the power of the Bible, and saw Jesus as her savior. Now I’m not saying there weren’t what modern folks are calling witches, but most likely they weren’t dressed like Stevie Nicks.

Which, by the way, is sort of appropriation of cultures that were called derogatory names. I mean, we all love Stevie for sure, but also, she is also a caucasian woman from the United States. Calling oneself a “gypsy” reduces a complex culture into a lifestyle or trend.

Maybe this is where I need to say an important thing…

Being marginalized from different directions taught me a lot about how not to marginalize others. That was amplified in 2020 when the demographics of where I live got ridiculed online with phrases like, “Y’all Qaeda.” Now I understand the psychology of why this happens, but that doesn’t mean it should be accepted. One cannot say they love all, then spew hatred at those who aren’t like them.

Before I type out a dissertation on the co-opting of poverty culture for likes on social media, let me just share this week’s episode of The KimboBurly Tales with all y’all.

Y’all, I’m relearning the rules and regulations of hanging out on this platform. Apparently if you post something daily it helps push you out into the greater reader-verse (which I’m still really trying to figure out…it’s a little easier to do that over at Medium, but I’m sticking to this platform here, so…you know…just doing my best out here). You’ll see some of my lovely creativity posted this weekend, but not a lot of words. Those are my days off, well mostly off as I’m always working, but technically…that’s when I turn off my devices for a bit and stare into space.

Thanks for listening/reading. While this might seem a little like preaching, it’s more like I’m trying to do a bit more of the teaching thing. Not because I know it all, but more like there’s too much info in my brain that can be shared with others. You know, to make more room for new information!

Until next time…sending you lots of good energy and love,
~ KEU

First of all, I am a delight

Second, my inner child is beyond thrilled.
Third, it’s never too late to have a happy childhood.

“So long as you do no harm to another, change your opinion once in a while. Contradict yourself without being embarrassed. This is your right. It doesn’t matter what others think -because that’s what they will think, in any case.”
― Paulo Coelho

Let me just start with this…

I used to be internet famous. Not one of my cats, or something silly being caught on camera, but that kind of “fame” that was cool back in the last then (1998-2005). Those of us who were Elder Influencers ran, so the new generation of influencers could walk. Back then it was kind of cool when someone would yell your name across a busy public area. It was like getting recognized for your craft and the creativity of your soul.

You’ll get to see some of those writings, and drift back into the last century with me. Then we will come into the early 2000s.

While I could type a ton of things, the Moon is full, it’s Friday, Beltane, the beginning of May, and more. Plus, I got some really nice yarn yesterday that I’m excited to work with.

Here’s the link to see the premier episode of The KimboBurly Tales.

Until next time…much love,
~ KEU

The time I was wishy washy

First of all, I’m a delight.
Second, opinions are like, well…you know.
Third, it’s a full Moon tomorrow.

Okay y’all, I just couldn’t resist. Yeah, it’s cheesy, and yeah, we’ve all seen it, but also – it’s gonna be May tomorrow, so…

Have you ever talked to a wall long enough that the sound of your voice finally trickled back to your own ears? Yeah, me too. While I was off finishing some projects, taking care of my family, and figuring out what I wanted to do in the second half of life (y’all the 50s are a wild ride, and every minute has been hard, but also amazing).

During that time I was given some helpful advice from folks that didn’t know what was going on, along with folks that had once been helpful but failed to honor my boundaries. It was a weird time for sure. While some of the things were really hurtful, it was important to hear their words. No matter where my life is, or how my world is spinning, when people want to give me unsolicited advice, my goal is to seek the meaning behind their words.

But also…

Stepping back to care for your family isn’t a professional failure, it is a demonstration of my personal integrity. In a world of chasing the coin, those who preach about alignment while neglecting their actual human responsibilities sort of squicks me out. Now I’m not saying that we can all just sit around and wait for pennies from heaven, more like when you take deep hits to your resources so that members of your family (especially your offspring) can get the care they need, it’s not being wishy-washy…it’s how it should be. Also, it’s sad that the loud voices make people feel bad about doing what needs to be done.

The choice to prioritize the people who need you most is a massive credential, showing those who matter that you are grounded in reality. And hopefully it shows that the work you do is not just a lifestyle brand you can turn on and off. With that, anyone who sees that as wishy-washy were looking for a performance, not a person.

One of the most difficult parts of taking my own version of Inanna’s descent, is something a lot of the mystics don’t speak of when talking about things like a dark night of the soul. You might think it’s the little aftershocks of breakthrough about breakdown, but it is more about remembering who you are. Add into that a dash of knowing that what made you take a fearless inventory of yourself was allowing others to make you feel unworthy.

Tomorrow I’ll be launching (look at me using that jargon…) The KimboBurly Tales alongside my work with Mom’s Strange Magic. It will have blips and bloops, and times when my rambles take over, but the thing is, it doesn’t have to be perfect…it just has to be real.

It’s a cool and crisp Spring day, and there are errands that need my attention. Remember that you are a beautiful beam of light shining in a world full of people looking for your resplendent self.

Until next time…much love,
~ KEU

Releasing the urge to combust

First of all, I’m a delight.
Second, I contain multitudes.
Third, growing older is not for sissies.

“If someone isn’t what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

In the land of cognitive dissonance, one should not be allowed anything that is combustible, nor should anyone be given kindling that looks like self-sabotage.

Not that I know anything about that crippling grasp of imposter syndrome, or how to badly manage things when my cup was overflowing to the point of flooding everything around me. Along with that, I had been very well trained in my youth to believe that everyone else had my best interest at heart. Plot twist – they don’t.

This isn’t because they are inherently wrong, or bad, but more like they got wonky data themselves. It is really difficult to get past input that looks like one thing, but is really something else. Sometimes you fall into the trap of feeling as if someone is there to help you, but really just want to talk about their degrees or themselves beyond the normal flow of healthy conversation. As one of my kids always says to me, in their youthful wisdom – “Sometimes it just be that way.”

Now, if you’ve already gathered all the things needed to set yourself (metaphorically) ablaze, making sure there are no bridges to you, don’t forget to leave breadcrumbs for yourself after you get done burning brightly as the Sun. These are the things you will use to find your way back to that behavior after forgetting what you learned in the crucible of change. Not that I would have any personal experience in this (insert pondering face emojis here).

All joking aside, I’m not exactly sure why it took me so long to work with myself the way I work with my clients. You know, all for thee, but not for me, but with an Uno reverse, a raccoon selling you trinkets, and some crows that clearly have some ideas about things. But then one day, and as much as I love a good “this [insert amount of time] ago,” I couldn’t pinpoint when it was for all the delicious cookies in the world. Just one morning my feet hit the floor, my body walked into the kitchen for coffee, and I just sat down at my desk and wrote out a life plan for the next 20 years. And not general things, but deep thoughts about all the mistakes I made, all the boundaries that needed work, and how grateful I was for a life partner/spouse/bestest friend who supported every wild hair (dream) I thought was mine to work with.

Then I got quiet. Real quiet, like silent running quiet, moving my submarine up some shallow waters to rest among the inlets of peaceful calmness.

Oh, and I threw away a ton of stuff, and I’m about to do it again here in a few weeks. If you know anything about semiotics and how the brain leaves us little messages with items we have around us, then the stacks of books, creative tools I was never going to use, and the sheer amount of doodads…good Lord, the absolute weight of the tchotchkes everywhere… Honestly it was like I was picking up these things in hopes that others would see them and see me as a person that enjoys such things. Brains are funny that way, and after years of studying why they do what they do to help people in their daily lives, it just seemed like a good time to dive into mine after the umpteenth reinvention of myself.

Oh, wait, did I just say that out loud? Well, I mean I *do* contain multitudes. And do I contradict myself? Oh, absolutely! LOL!!

This is why healing isn’t linear. Also, when working with clients I share these processes with them. That’s one thing I find lacking in the modern conventional wellness word — the admitting that just because one is degreed, has learned the dogma from the halls of higher education, or whatever language is used to show expertise in their craft, doesn’t mean they know it all (or are above making mistakes). But that is a ramble for another day…

Starting May 1st, 2026, in addition to all the wonderful stuff at Mom’s Strange Magic, the first episode of The KimboBurly Tales will go live on YouTube. Of course it will be posted here, too, so you can just watch it in a post, but if you wanna help a human out, after it launches you can subscribe for updates. There will be guest appearances, side quests with Mr. The Mister, and lots of whimsy. Also, if you’ve ever wanted to know all the details of my life, then you will be happy to know that no stones will be left unturned.

While I could continue to write things, there are crochet projects that need my attention, and I think one of the cats wants my office chair.

Thanks for being here, and thanks for being you!

Until next time – much love and good energies your way,
KEU