We have three pear trees in our yard. For a long time, we only had two. We never got one pear; it was so disappointing to the boys because they were still little.
Finally, someone told us we needed a different variety of pear trees to act as the pollinator. Interesting! What do I know about growing fruit especially growing up in the busiest part of NJ?
We put in a different variety tree, and voila! We had pears on both the other trees. Not great pears, but we finally had pears.
Most of the pears were tiny and funny-shaped with brown marks. Ewwww, the boys would say. Ugh, kids!
Over the years, the pears were still small but got better and better. Sometimes, we couldn’t give them away; we had so many.
This year only one of the trees produced fruit. The pears were the size you find in the store’s produce section.
They didn’t have many spots, so we picked them quickly since Klaus would try to pull the pears off the tree if there were none on the ground for him. Smart little bastard!
All the pears were ripe at once, so Sam suggested I make a giant pan of pear crisp that he could take to his fellow ER night shift nurses who never get any of the goodies dropped off for the day shift.
I put my peeled pears in a water bowl with lemon squeezed in it. This stops the pears from turning brown.
I made the best pear crisp of my life just by winging it. I made a small one for Marty and me to see how it came out. It came out freaking delicious! I couldn’t wait for Sammy to try it.
Maybe it was because I put so much love into making a treat for the nursing staff using local fruit; Sam said it doesn’t get any more local than this.
SVMC ER pear crisp. I forgot to take a photo when it came out of the oven. 😖
The night Sam brought the pear crisp in, he didn’t get to eat more than a bite since the ER was slammed. He said it was perfect, though.
The next night we all know what happened, there wasn’t any left for him, but he was happy everyone loved it so much and said it was the best pear crisp they ever had.
I am a cook through and through. My purpose in this life is to feed people, and I love doing so. When I see people eating my food, I get so happy seeing them enjoying it.
Love is the most important ingredient you can cook or bake with. When people ask how we cook our spätzle, we give them instructions; then we tell them the most important thing of all is adding love.
Our customers think I am kidding when I say that at the farmers market, but love makes everything taste better. It’s funny when the customer’s kid says, “Yeah, mom, you don’t put love in yours.” 😂
This is the first of my short food posts about fall cooking and baking. I’ve been on a roll for a couple of weeks now. Stay tuned.
This image is the closest thing to what I am trying to explain.
I’ve been thinking all week about how to write about the upper world, which is made up of many levels or layers. The first time I went to the upper world was with turtle; the only way I knew how to enter the upper world was with a power animal.
When I started the journey, I went to the lower world to get turtle, and he took me to a free-standing staircase with a million stairs. I carried turtle since he was so tiny, and the next thing he said was, “watch this!” The stairs began moving like a bullet train escalator at the speed of light.
The stairs stopped even though we were nowhere close to the top. We got off and walked through a veil-like cloud into a more extensive meadow like the one in the lower world.
Turtle told me to sit on the bench; this was made of marble, unlike the wooden one I sat on in the lower world. What’s with the benches, I thought? Lol.
Suddenly, an ancient Chinese ancestor or elder stood before me, coming out of thin air. He told me his name was Cho, and he was one of my spirit guides. That’s all he said telepathically to me.
Cho was dressed in a fancy red silk Chinese outfit with a hat. I thought he looked like Mr. Foomanchu with the skinny mustache. I could tell he didn’t have a sense of humor and was all business.
He vanished as quickly as he appeared. Another spirit guide presented himself to me. All I could think of was scrooge and how these spirits were visiting me.
He was Native American, and his name was Walking Moon. He had long dark hair with a square chin and chiseled cheekbones. He was tall and big. He was in his ceremonial wear with a huge feather headpiece. He was intimidating since he was huge.
I remember thinking holy shit! Even in heaven, I swore. They know every move and thought I’d had my whole life, so why stop swearing now? Lol.
After my initial meeting with Walking Moon, he is in more casual attire, a pair of pants and a denim-type shirt. When I asked him why he wasn’t dressed up, he said that’s for special occasions. Meeting him for the first time officially was a special occasion then.
My third and final spirit guide appeared, and somehow I recognized him immediately. Not from photos in books but a past life. This was very weird and strange that I “knew” who he was.
He was an olive-skinned man with thick, long dark hair. He was dressed in light-colored short robes tied at the waist. He was very handsome. He had a white aura around him.
Then, my heart started beating faster; I couldn’t believe it was him; it was John the Baptist. I asked him if he was one of my guides, and he nodded. He didn’t speak to me. He didn’t have to tell me his name since I knew it already. He smiled when I said his name. Wow! Then he vanished.
The next thing I knew, I was sitting on the bench in the lower world still with turtle. I asked him why my guides didn’t talk to me more. He told me they will. They have.
The next time I was allowed to go to the upper world was to visit the Akashic Records. I read about them and was doing research at the time while I was working on my skills.
Seeing what the Akashic Records looked like was my intention for the journey, which was granted to me accompanied by turtle.
We took the “fast stairs” again and, this time got off and walked into an enormous marble building. It was the most prominent building I’d ever seen. Everything was white and marble.
There were many “people,” many hallways, and more staircases with gold banisters. Turtle showed me around and told me this is where everyone’s soul information is stored from every life you’ve had and will have.
The place seemed to go on forever, and while everyone looked happy, this was a serious place. Since my intention was to go to the Akashic Records, that was all I was allowed to do. I didn’t have access to any files in the millions of rooms. I could only stay in the hallways.
We walked down a staircase, and I was back to ordinary reality time lying on my bed. I made a mental note to be more specific next time.
I learned quickly that I don’t have to go to the lower world or upper world to speak to my spirit guides and power animals or ask for help since they are always available, like God, Jesus, Angels, and Ascended Masters.
The upper world was so enormous I felt like a spec of dust. There was so much to take in, and it was difficult even to comprehend what I saw. I was in complete awe. I felt so blessed I was able to visit the AK in the first place. It’s indescribable.
Last night, I tried to journey to the upper world to write about it. When turtle arrived, we flew up the fast stairs, and I was seated back on that marble bench in the meadow.
My guides appeared, and I could tell they had something important to say to me. Cho, who addresses me as “young one,” shook his head at me, telling me no.
Walking Moon spoke to me in another language which I somehow understood. He told me I’d have to” use my references from within.” I talked to him in his language but didn’t know what I said.
John just stood there and smiled at me. Is that all he was going to do? My mouth couldn’t form words to ask him anything. Then, I was back in bed, realizing I wouldn’t be shown anything new but had to reflect on what I already knew. I am sure turtle knew this but wasn’t allowed to tell me.
So that’s it for my upper world experiences. Now that I reopened the veil to the other side after having it closed for so many years, maybe I’ll try to come up with a specific reason to go back again.
Next week, I will write about my spirit guides and why I have them. All my guides have to do with previous lives, which I learned through past life regressions.
My guides now make total sense to me, and I’ve realized as a child, I had strong connections to each of them and never knew. They’ve been with me since the day I was born.
I am still going to write about the middle world, but before that, I want to write about a soul retrieval I did on myself a couple of years ago with my guides while I was in therapy for severe depression.
I also want to write about the past life regressions I’ve done on myself. I can only do retrievals and regressions on myself and not others. The past life regressions I’ve done tie so much together for me.
When people discover I have psychic abilities, they always ask me if I see a loved one around them, but I don’t. I only communicate with middle-world spirits, which I try to help cross over and become unstuck. It’s not for the faint of heart.
Before closing, I want to touch on soul clusters since it belongs to the upper world. Sometimes if I know a person well enough, I can recognize them as another person in a past life. They are part of my soul cluster which we all have.
A soul cluster is the souls you work with over and over, coming back to earth school to try to learn our soul’s lessons. It’s usually family and close friends or people you have in your life. You may have met them already or not yet. All the souls in the cluster make agreements with each other before going back to earth school for specific purposes.
They may come back as a good lesson or a test. I wrote in an earlier blog post that before we come back for another life, we plant soul reminders so we can recognize people in our soul cluster and know they should be in our life. Good and bad people included.
Bad people are just as important as good and loving ones. Bad people are “tests” to see if you have learned their lesson or continue to make the same mistake over and over for many lifetimes.
God knows a couple of souls in my life have been extremely difficult, hard lessons; my mother, for one example. I have no idea if I passed or failed, but when they died, I said out loud that I don’t want to do that again with that soul through all bands of time, which means forever, no matter how many times we come back.
Everyone has intuition and gut feelings that we should always listen to. I believe people know the difference between good and bad people and situations; it’s our free will to make correct choices and decisions.
People believe some things are left up to destiny or fate, but ultimately, we all have free will and must make the best decisions for ourselves and not blame it on destiny or fate. We are all responsible for every decision, lesson, and test.
No living person is perfect; if we were, we wouldn’t be here; we would be a helper in the upper world, hanging out in paradise. I’ve been told this is my 453 life; I am a slow learner. Lol.
This post took a lot out of me.; writing about the middle world will be even more complex. This series is essential since it answers many questions about who I am and how I got that way.
When I was a kid, I always watched the NY Rangers games. One of the broadcasters would always say after a goalie made a save at the goal, “Save, and a beaut!” Every single time. Lol.
Today, I had my own “save and a beaut” moment when making scones. I like to post my goof-ups as much as my successes.
It’s an ass-ache every week trying to figure out what to bring to eat at the Troy Farmers Market. We leave the house at 6 am and don’t get home until 3:30 pm, so whatever I bring has to hold us over.
We usually eat before the market opens since there isn’t any time once things get busy. Neither of us likes to squeeze in bites while giving the spätzle spiel over and over.
I decided to make large cheddar & chive scones that are easy to eat and filling. I’ve made them many times before, so it’s a snap.
After putting the scones in the oven, I turned around to clean up and saw the can of baking powder; the one I forgot to put in the scones.
I let out a frantic series of swear words and quickly took the scones out of the oven. They were only in for less than a minute, so I would try to salvage them. I hate wasting food and ingredients!
I quickly took all the cut scones off the hot baking pan and threw them back into the bowl. I added the tablespoon of baking powder I forgot to add and a little more flour.
I mixed and kneaded the baking powder into the slightly warm dough, then patted it into a circle. This time, I cut the scones into four pieces instead of six.
These scones looked better and were thicker than I originally wanted. I popped the scones into the freezer for 10 minutes, then put them back into the oven. They did what they were supposed to do and got a beautiful golden color.
The power went out just as it was time to pull them out. Thank goodness they were done baking completely, or they would have been ruined. Another “save and a beaut!”
My scones looked and smelled delicious. Talk about a “save and a beaut!” Two will be for tomorrow, and two will get wrapped up tight and put in the freezer for another Saturday.
The lights came back on after a while, and I could finally see how great the scones came out! Whew!
Happy Friday, everyone, and enjoy the weekend; the fall foliage colors are magnificent up here in Vermont this year! Truly outstanding! It still leaves me breathless and reminds me how lucky we are to live here.
Our area is packed with tourists along with bumper-to-bumper traffic going through Manchester. The leaf peepers that have flocked to the area after not coming for a couple of years will be given quite the show! 🍁 🍂
My gorgeous enamel blue cast iron dutch oven was last year’s Christmas gift. 💙
I’ve made time to cook even though we are so busy with the spätzle business; however, my writing time has dwindled.
I’ve made some random yummy food over the last couple of weeks that I’d like to share with you. Maybe something will inspire someone since the most challenging part about cooking is figuring out what in the hell to make.
Instead of one big long post, I will do short ones. I know it’s not like me to do short and quick posts, but I will give it a shot anyway. 😂
***I didn’t intend to write psychic and healing blog posts more than once a week, but even though I did write about my cat Sheba, I will continue my Sunday series on those topics.
Last Sunday, I wrote about Shamanic journeying and briefly explained the three worlds, the upper world, the middle world, and the lower world.
The lower world is where I learned how to journey. This is where I work with my power or spirit animal turtle, my lifelong power animal, but I have met with several others during different situations in my life.
The first time I tried to journey to meet my power animal, I didn’t know what to expect. Everley began playing Shamanic rhythmic drumming for our meditation group on a drum she made.
Everyone’s portals to the three worlds are different; mine is a huge redwood forest tree. The tree has a large hole or portal. When I step into the portal, I usually slide down the tree’s roots, twisting and turning until I get to the bottom. Some slides are crazy fast. Others are slower; I don’t know if that has a meaning.
Pinterest image.
There are three directions for me to go once I get there. If I go to the left, I am led down a forest path to a small beautiful blue body of water surrounded by large rocks. The sun is always shining on the rocks, and they are warm.
If I go straight, I am led to a green meadow with wildflowers, and there is a bench made of wood and a back. This is where I usually meet power animals for the first time.
The first time I journeyed, I was led to the bench. I sat down and looked at the meadow and the woods surrounding the meadow. I was expecting to see an animal run or jump toward me.
Image credit Encyclopedia Brittanica.
As I sat on the bench, I looked down to my right foot, and there was a small green turtle. He said, “I’ll bet you were expecting something fuzzy, right?” It made me laugh because he was right. I told him I was, but he was adorable too.
Turtle is my power animal because I am impatient and like to do things fast. I don’t like to wait for things. It made sense to have a turtle; he has slowed me down immensely.
The third direction is to the right, down a path leading straight to a large cave. The first time I was led there, I was afraid. I could see the light in the cave down a dark tunnel. I felt whoever I would meet in the cave wouldn’t be soft and fuzzy either.
As I walked toward the orange-yellow light, I saw a fire and a large, mean-looking hawk. There were stones lined up like a classroom. Hawk was a teacher and very stern.
He told me, “Sit down squaw,” in a loud booming voice. This made sense to me why he called me this after I did another past life regression.
Image from National Geographic.
All I could think of was what I did and where the turtle was. Hawk was my power animal when I was out of control with different stressful situations, things that were worrying me sick, literally with my ulcerative colitis.
He showed me a hawk-eye view of the situation and how ridiculous I was to be so stressed and upset. After a visit with hawk, I was able to deal with whatever situation came up. Each time he led me to the cave, I knew he would scold me and show me the big picture; over and over again.
Over the years, I have had different power animals for short periods. Recently, I met a tiger. I had to face a situation that required the right timing, strength, and courage.
I knew what I needed to do but was dragging my feet; after I saw the tiger, I knew it was time to have a discussion with a friend who was dealing with acute depression and on a path of self-destruction.
I spoke with my friend the next day, and the talk went smoothly. Now the ball is in their court to get help; it’s not my place to go further than tell them the truth. Even today, I don’t think they got help or spoke to the doctor.
Sometimes I go to the lower world to hang out with turtle. I always plunge into the water, swim to one of those warm rocks, and wait for him to join me. We sit together; it’s very relaxing and feels like paradise. Sometimes we chat; other times, we sit in silence, usually with him on my lap. I’ve never touched a turtle in real life, let alone kiss one on his head when I leave.
Image Encyclopedia Brittanica.
There are many times I try to go to the lower world with an intention or a question. Try as I might, sometimes I can’t get the portal in the tree to appear, and I know the journey isn’t going to happen. I guess it’s not the right time to find the answer I was looking for. You cannot bully your way to the other worlds; it happens when it happens, even though it’s frustrating when it doesn’t.
Whenever I do a house clearing, I call in turtle to help me, along with my three spirit guides and some Archangels. Turtle is there whenever I need him without going to the lower world; I have to ask for help. It’s like that when working with angels as well; they are waiting for us to ask for help. They can’t help us if we don’t ask, so I ask a lot.
When I was learning to journey with my meditation group Everley would change the drum rhythm when she did a callback. A callback is a rhythm for us to recognize to return to ordinary reality. Sometimes I am in the middle of something awesome in the lower world, and I hear the drumming get faster, then stop, followed by seven fast beats bringing us back then and there.
I’ve learned to journey without drumming and can return to ordinary reality by myself whenever I want during the journey. I wish I could explain it better; it just happens.
People who have a hard time with traditional meditation may find this easier than trying to think of anything. In my blog post title, Journeying, I added a link for anyone who would like to know more and possibly take a stab at it themselves.
Remember not to try too hard or have a preconceived notion of what will happen because it’s not up to us; it’s up to the other side. If you are frightened, it will not happen; the other side works with your comfort level and abilities.
One of our meditation people we found out was so frightened when trying to see their power animal it would not happen. Finally, after months of trying, the group journeyed to find out their power animal.
We all cried out at the journey’s end, “Bobcat!” If that’s not confirmation, I don’t know what it is; we were stunned and amazed! Right, Everley?
When journeying, it’s a bit like lucid dreaming, except you are aware of everything in the ordinary and non-ordinary worlds. You must focus on what you are seeing and learning and make mental notes to remember it.
When I journeyed with a group, we would all tell what our journey was like and try to decipher things. When I journey alone, I do the same thing. I recount what I sometimes saw out loud, so I would remember.
Some things don’t make sense to me for days or weeks, but when I figure it out, it’s always a moment of, “Ah, that’s what they were trying to tell me.” Sometimes you understand a journey immediately.
I plan to teach one of my friends how to journey in the next few weeks. I know she will be great at it and love the lower world since she is already so connected to nature and animals. We may both write about it; we will see how it goes.
Well, that’s another blog post in this series. Next week, I am planning to write about the upper world. It will take me a week to figure out how to explain it. It’s the most heavenly place in the three worlds with a lot to explore and learn. I’ve barely scratched the surface since I don’t go here often.
It’s difficult for me to get to, but when I am allowed, it’s the most beautiful place where all the Angels, Archangels, Ascended Masters, Spirit Guides, Buddha, Jesus, and the rest of the big guys reside.
The upper world is a place of infinite wisdom and where the Akashic Records are stored. It is a place of great respect and gratitude. Your power animal or a guide must take you to the upper world; you can’t go there alone. I hope you’ll join me as we explore the next realm through my eyes.
Today, I am in a cooking mood while tackling laundry. We have a very busy week coming up. We have a large order to fill and deliver to our Pennsylvania distributor in Albany, NY, on Thursday, along with our regular wholesale orders and farmers market spätzle production.
It’s definitely Oktoberfest season, and we are beyond grateful for every package and order we fill.
I’ve got some food posts on the back burner to write this week, as the cooler weather has produced some fall food cravings. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday! 🙂
*** I always include images in my blog posts because I am visual and look for photos as closely as possible to what I am trying to describe. Thank goodness for Pinterest, which is where I find many of the images I use. I always give credit to a known source or photo credit.
When I started writing about my “gifts,” I intended to go from my healing energy work and make my way to my different psychic abilities. I wanted to start slow; you will see how close everything is linked.
That is until Monday night; it changed my blog posts around. Before I begin, I want to share with you all how freaky and unbelievably this stuff is to me, especially when I am least expecting it.
When we started our spätzle business, I put my psychic stuff on hold by closing the veil to the other side.
A veil separates our real world from the spirit world. By closing the veil, I could concentrate on our company and not be interrupted.
A few months ago, I reopened the veil while I was working on a house clearing for a friend. It was scary and hard work; thank goodness I had help from some energy worker friends. It turned out to be a successful clearing for everyone involved.
I left the veil open and could feel my abilities gaining strength again, even after five years. I kept up with my healing work like reiki, chakra, and aura work, but shut done the psychic stuff, for the most part.
Monday night, I dreamt about my old black cat, Sheba. I immediately recognized her in the dream, realizing it was a visit, not a dream.
Ok, here is where the crazy shit starts, Sheba was my cat not from this life but from many lives ago. I know it’s nuts!
Around 12 or 13 years ago, when I was learning and honing my psychic abilities, I was on a roll doing past life regressions on myself. It was easy for me, and some of the things I was shown made much sense for this current life.
If you don’t believe in past lives and coming back over and over again until we learn our soul’s lessons, then none of this will matter or make sense, I’m afraid.
One of my lives ended with me as a very old woman sitting in a chair in front of a primitive fireplace with a big black cat sleeping on my lap. I knew right away the cat’s name was Sheba.
Primitive fireplace image from Pinterest. This image is very close to what I remember from that past life regression. It’s so similar it’s spooky.
Jump ahead a couple of years when a psychic person came straight up to me and told me I had a large black cat with me all the time, and it’s been there for many lives. Holy shit!
I knew they meant it was Sheba. It made me laugh, thinking someone else saw my big black cat. I wasn’t a total lunatic. They also said I am more powerful than I realize.
When I woke from my visit with Sheba Monday night, I did what I always did and asked for total confirmation that this was Sheba from so long ago.
I always ask for a minimum of three confirmations, so I know it’s not coincidental.
Does the other side laugh its ass off saying you want confirmation? Here it is! This time they went over the top.
On Tuesday, when I opened Facebook, I saw one of my friends post the first black cat. After scrolling down, I saw another friend’s post, which also had a black cat.
I have a lot of friends that celebrate the Pagan holidays, so many of them posted blessing wishes last week for the Autumn Equinox or the holiday called Mabon.
That explains why I saw two more black cats. Why did they show up almost a week later when I’ve been through my newsfeed daily? Maybe it’s a coincidence?
From my newsfeed.
Tuesday night, Marty and I watched a travel program called James May, “Our man in Japan,” and what do you think they said five times in one short scene? Black cat!
At this point, I started freaking out, and Marty didn’t know what was happening. I grabbed my phone, opened photos, and showed him the screenshot photos of the black cats I saw earlier in the day. I told him the story, and he didn’t say anything; I am sure he thought I was off my nut!
Wednesday, I had to stop at our vet to pick up medicine for Klaus. When I got there, I noticed I could go in immediately and didn’t have to call or have someone come out. I stood at the counter waiting for Klausie’s meds when a woman stood next to me and told the employee behind the counter about her three black cats!
In my head, I was thinking, are you kidding me? Then she repeated black cat. It was more than unbelievable; it was also amusing at this point.
Today, I saw a post from one of my longtime friends who puts up different creepy old black and white Halloween photos. There wasn’t a black cat in any Halloween pics, but his profile photo was a black cat!
Photo credit Michael Webster.
I showed Marty and said, “You see?” Then I reminded him about the black cat lady at the vet that I told him about last night.
I saw and heard over ten black cat examples in 24 hours; it’s safe to say the universe convinced me it was a visit from Sheba, not a bunch of Mabon or Halloween season coincidences.
Why did Sheba visit me now? Was it because I opened the veil and she had been waiting? Maybe she wanted to let me know she was still there.
I don’t know, but the visit was special, like seeing an old friend. I cried in my “dream” when she kept purring, rubbing against my legs, and jumping up on my lap. She was still as black as coal and so soft and smooth. The details were incredible—what a great visit with her.
Ok, so now that I’ve jumped ahead about one past life regression, I’m sure half of you think I am crazier than you initially thought. Sometimes I do too. Lol.
I do know Everley and others told me I am only allowed to use my powers for good in this lifetime, specifically no black magic. I know in my heart of hearts in the life I had with Sheba that I was a witch and not a very nice one.
I have many Wiccan friends in this life; it’s as though I am drawn to them. Is it a test to see if I go back to practicing witchcraft myself? I wonder if this may be my chance to prove a lesson I should have learned long ago. I don’t know. Is the universe trying to tell me something?
I was pushed and pulled hard to write about this experience; maybe now that I did, the black cat references will stop, or maybe not. One thing for sure, whether I was good or bad, I loved Sheba so much, and I felt that overwhelming love again when she visited me.
After this post, I hope you guys stick around my blog and not run for the hills. 🤞🏽
Crispy sweet potato gnocchi sautéed in brown butter and sage.
Last week, I made sweet potatoes for dinner to go with chicken and had some leftovers. The sweet potatoes sat in the fridge over the weekend, but I was inspired to make something different with them today.
Yesterday, Marty smoked a brisket, but we didn’t eat it since our friend Martin, a chef, invited us for dinner. We always say yes to his dinners and eat what we had planned for the next day. Today was that day.
It’s a no-brainer that sweet potatoes and brisket go together, but I didn’t want to reserve the leftover candied sweet potatoes as is. I made sweet potato gnocchi sautéed in brown butter and fresh sage.
Gnocchi is easy to make and doesn’t require fancy skills or equipment. I make regular potato gnocchi often in the winter, but this was my first time using sweet potatoes. It was easier if that’s possible.
From start to finish, I made the gnocchi in under 30 minutes, then just sautéed them right before dinner, getting them slightly crispy. Yum!
I made coleslaw to go with the brisket for Marty and Sam, but I wanted creamed spinach since I had fresh baby spinach in the refrigerator. I made the creamed spinach healthier using my lactose-free milk instead of cream.
I used to follow a recipe for this dish, but the last time I made it, Marty didn’t like it. I probably used frozen spinach, which sometimes tastes bitter, so I don’t use it anymore.
I am a million times better cook than I was ten years ago and created my own creamed spinach recipe. It had lots of flavor and was creamy and delicious. It was a hit!
Yum!
Marty has his smoked brisket down to a science now. It’s easy for him to get it done consistently now and not a crap-shoot on how it will turn out. That’s almost two years of practice. Barbequing meats is not grilling or cooking; it’s a beast all of its own.
Here is a basic recipe for sweet potato gnocchi. The gal Sarah who wrote the recipe, does an excellent job explaining how to make gnocchi; her recipe is easy to follow. Why reinvent the wheel?
I found this recipe for the creamed spinach that was pretty damn close to how I made mine. Here’s what I did differently. I melted 2 Tbsp butter instead of the olive oil and didn’t add more butter. 8 Tbsp is not necessary, definitely not on a Monday night. Lol.
I added 3 cloves of garlic to my recipe. I sautéed the onions and garlic in the butter. After they were soft, I sprinkled potato starch instead of regular flour to make them gluten-free.
I didn’t cook the spinach beforehand; I added it to the milk mixture and wilted it that way—a pro kitchen move since you don’t want more steps.
I added more spices than the recipe suggested; 1/2 tsp of paprika, 1/4 tsp of nutmeg, and 1/4 old bay. I tasted and checked the salt and spices while they cooked and adjusted them as needed.
It’s fall cooking weather! Even though summer is my favorite season, I love fall and winter cooking, braising, and baking. I’ve been searching through new recipes I want to try this year and will share them with you after I make them.
We didn’t work in the production kitchen today; we had too many outdoor projects to be done before the leaves start dropping like sons-of-bitches.
We closed the pool, and I severely pruned my hydrangeas since they were out of control! I cut back the lilies and transplanted a couple of them to an area where they had more room to grow.
We decided not to go full fall foliage on the front porch this year, part of it is laziness, and the other part is the lack of time fussing over mums. I will decorate inside the house since that’s a one-and-done kind of deal.
I hope you had a non-sucky Monday and Mother Nature didn’t keep changing her mind every twenty minutes between sunshine and dark threatening skies and storms like it did here. Have a great night!
For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been dedicating my Sunday blogs to the series about my spiritual gifts and how I use them. There is plenty to write about; I must remember when writing that most people don’t know or understand what I am trying to explain.
Marty doesn’t know how I do what I do, but one thing is for sure, he believes it. I always ask for confirmation on whatever I heard, was shown, or happened, which I always receive one way or the other.
I get freaked out sometimes when psychic crazy shit happens, but when I figure out why or am assured everything is fine, I am okay with it. Some of the things and beings I have worked with have been funny, sad, mean, heartwarming, scary, and a whole list of other emotions.
I started with my practicing of reiki energy; now, before I can move on to everything else I do, I have to explain about Shamanic journeying. It is my gateway to the other side, where I go from ordinary reality to non-ordinary reality.
Shamanism is a Native American practice. Shamans are also known as Medicine Man or Woman. The title Medicine refers to spiritual healing and not medication.
A Shaman is said to be walking with one foot in the everyday world and the other in the spirit world. It sounds scary and difficult to do, but on different levels, it happens to all of us at different times of our lives, like in a dream, for example.
Shamans pass through doorways or portals, leading them from the physical world to the spirit world. For me, it’s a hole in a tree: a ladder or staircase, a cave, or a pathway.
Journeying is a way to meet and communicate with ascended masters, ancestors, spirit guides, power or spirit animals, Archangels, and the big Kahunas like Buddha, Mother Mary, and Jesus. The last three have only happened once or twice, but the rest of the list is who I work with every time I journey.
Journeying is a way to find information, healing, wisdom, lessons, answers, and truth. I use it to communicate with the other side, do energy work on chakras and auras, help lost souls, soul retrievals, and find out what’s next for me.
The Shamanic world comprises three parts, the upper world, the middle world, and the lower world. These worlds are of equal importance and used for different purposes. Shamans can transport themselves from the present or ordinary reality into non-ordinary reality, then back again. It sounds tricky, but it’s a snap once you learn how to do it.
However, sometimes when I want to journey, no matter how hard I try, I can’t. I take this as a sign I am not ready for my next lesson, job, experience, or knowledge. You can’t force things when journeying; you must be patient and open. Patience is a hard thing for me; this is why my main power animal is a turtle who resides in the lower world.
I’m going to describe the who, what, and whys of the three Shamanic worlds but will focus on each in different blog posts since each and how I use them are so different from each other. The three worlds may be somewhat different for others who use journeying for their type of energy work and or skill level.
The lower world is the easiest to work in since it looks a lot like earth and has several places I go to once there. I have learned many of my lessons there and received information for others. When I enter, I have a clear intent, such as who my power animal is, what the next lesson I need to learn, or if I have questions or need help with something.
I think of the upper world as the celestial world. This world looks like whatever you imagine heaven to look like. There are different places in the upper world, like the lower world. This is where I meet with my three spirit guides, Archangels, and accented masters.
I am usually guided to the upper world since my choice would always be the lower one because it is more fun and less serious. I must take a deep breath before journeying up those stairs and immediately wonder why I am being called.
When I do choose to go to the upper world, it is because I need to work with the Archangels, try to do a past life regression on myself, or ask my spirit guides for answers or advice. This is the most challenging world for me to get to; it is another sign I am not ready to be there or for what information I may find.
The middle world. This is a scary place, and many people don’t work in that world. I found out early on that this is my calling, and I am called or go there frequently, whether I want to or not. I know immediately when situations present themselves on the physical plane, I need to journey to the middle world and find out what’s up.
Sometimes I set an intention to go to the lower world to look for my different power animals, but I am sucked or pulled into the middle world. In the beginning, when I wasn’t expecting it, I said to myself, “Oh, no, oh shit, or oh fuck.” I dreaded it. I’ve been there so many times that now I feel more at ease.
This is where I work to help lost souls or beings cross over to the other side. Most lost souls have no idea they are dead or why they can’t cross. When I watched the comedy series, Ghosts, I was amazed that this is almost exactly how it is when I am working with these beings.
When a situation arises on the physical plane, such as a request or questions from a homeowner, I begin to receive messages from the lost souls. They tell me who they were, what happened to them, and show me what they look like by using my third eye.
So, that is what happens when you go on a Shamanic journey, but the real question is how to do it. I’ve always had difficulty meditating or clearing my mind of racing thoughts and concentrating on nothing. Journeying is another way of meditating.
Journeying is being guided with drumming through a different type of meditation, either by yourself or another person. Many people download guided Shamanic journey drumming to start with. Everley was the person who introduced me to journeying and was my drummer.
I usually journey in the afternoons by laying down and covering my eyes. I begin reiki on myself whenever I journey. I don’t need drumming to start and end my journeys anymore.
I am always aware of what is happening in ordinary reality, even though I am in non-ordinary reality. Sometimes, a distraction will rip me from one reality to the other.
Next week, I want to focus on the lower world, I am not sure if I’ll have enough for an entire blog post, but that usually isn’t a problem for me.
I lost a few more readers last week after my reiki post. These posts are too uncomfortable for some people, and they leave, which is okay, considering this blog is about me and my life. My goal isn’t to turn people off but share with my readers another part of me.
My spiritual gifts are a big part of my life and deserve to be shared. Very few people know about them and my experiences. I did receive many comments from readers that can’t wait to read more and find it interesting. Some of my readers told me they were healers and what their “gifts” are.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, everyone; I am going to journey now.❤️
No, magic isn’t one of my spiritual or supernatural gifts; however, I’ve always been a big fan of magicians. I loved a magic kit I had when I was a little kid.
One of my close friends and dance bestie, Bethany, moved to North Carolina 5 years ago. I was sad when she left, but I knew it was the right decision for her.
All different looks for all different gigs.
We danced at so many gigs together and went to many events, all of which we took selfies of beforehand. Our selfies always came out great with my selfie technique, not overthinking it and just snapping the photo in less than 3 seconds.
The Sahidi Sisters at a photo shoot. Photo credit Steven Trubitt.
Dance just wasn’t the same for a while. Kathleen and I continue to dance in our dwindling professional troupe, The Sahidi Sisters, as a duet which is fun, but not as fun as a trio, quartet, or when we had 7 Sahidi Sisters.
More looks.
Bethany is now wrapping up a year-long cross-country adventure and was able to pass through VT on the final leg of her trip.
I was so excited when I found out she could visit and be able to come on Wednesday, our belly dance day. I quickly set up our guest room and started planning what food I would make. It’s what I do. Lol.
Kathleen, Bethany, and I danced together for 13 years, twice a week, for thousands of hours. We danced very tight, meaning you wouldn’t believe it was improv, and we could read each other’s minds when it came to dancing.
So many fun gigs!
After Bethany arrived, we had a quick bowl of pasta fagioli and went to meet Kathleen at the dance studio.
Bethany told us she was rusty since she hadn’t danced our style for so many years and didn’t dance during covid or her year-long adventure.
I put on a music set, and bam! Magic. Not just magic, but fucking magic. It was as if no time had passed. We were a tight trio again, so tight we could have performed right there and then seamlessly.
The selfies I posted don’t even scratch the surface of how many we took together.
The three of us locked into each other’s energy and were able to read each other’s minds again. It was so familiar, honestly, as though no time had passed—the magical power of music and dance.
I know music is magic since it can bring back memories to dementia patients and muscle memory from activities such as dance and other movements.
Bethany stayed and danced with our students during our classes, some of whom she danced with for 10 years. Again, as though no time had passed. She got to dance with students who had joined us since she left.
The Sahidi Sister’s photo “Belly dancing in Vermont isn’t for sissys.” 😂
Yesterday, we hung out all day and just chatted. We ate a lot of yummy food and drank lots of red wine.
Marty, Bethany, and I watched a live arena production of Jesus Christ Superstar that was filmed 10 years ago in England but seemed like it was filmed last week. It was fantastic with such a talented cast. We all enjoyed it; we are all big musical theater fans.
Bethany’s visit was easy since I didn’t have to fret about her coming since she’s been here so many times before. Otto and Klausie may have remembered her since they loved her so much, taking turns cuddling with her.
They say true friends are the ones where you can pick up right where you left off, even after not seeing or talking to each other for long periods. They are right!
Such hams!
She has one more week of her long journey then it’s back to North Carolina for her. We promised each other we wouldn’t wait 5 years to see or dance with each other again. ☺️
It did feel great playing hooky yesterday, but today it was back to work, making deliveries and packing for the Troy Farmers Market tomorrow.
Happy Friday, guys! Enjoy your weekend! Safe travels, Bethany! 😚
When I think of grilled cheese sandwiches, I think about grilled, golden brown white bread with ooey gooey American cheese melting out the sides. When you pull it apart, you get that gorgeous cheese pull; you have to eat it right away to get a proper cheese pull.
I tried making different grilled cheese sandwiches with cool names when I cooked at school, like a cowboy melt with ham and bbq sauce. It was a big hit. I wanted to introduce the students to something they already liked, but like Emeril says, “kicking it up a notch.”
I tried some delicious flavor combinations when I was on my fancy toast kick last winter. One of my favorites included a fig spread I purchased and began experimenting with.
Wagyu burger topped with caramelized onions, that fig & pear chutney, and bleu cheese.
A few weeks ago, I made a wagyu burger topped with homemade balsamic fig & pear compote. It was dope! It was perfectly balanced and delicious.
I found the leftover fig compote Sunday morning in the refrigerator. It was still good; I knew I needed to make something with it. I poked around the fridge and found the components of one of those fancy toasts we liked.
I sliced a loaf of sourdough bread (Schar gluten-free bread) and spread the balsamic fig & pear compote on one side of the slices. I added thinly sliced brie cheese and prosciutto. I buttered the outsides of the bread and threw it on the flat-top grill.
Marty was on the front porch drinking his Sunday morning coffee when I told him breakfast was ready. He smelled nothing cooking, so he had no idea what I had made.
The grilled brie, prosciutto, balsamic fig & pear compote sandwiches were warm, buttery, and golden brown. The cheese pull? It was sensational. Magnificent. It was delicious.
The grilled cheese sandwich hit all those flavor and texture components salty, sweet, creamy, soft on the inside, and crunchy on the outside.
After calling my fig & pear concoction a compote, I researched if that’s what it was called. I read an article on Masterclass on the differences between jams, marmalades, compotes, and chutney.
Technically, I made a balsamic fig and pear chutney. Why a chutney? Because it contained vinegar. If I had added lemon juice, it would have been a compote. Good to know.
Jams and marmalades usually contain pectin or citric acid and can last longer in the refrigerator than compotes and chutneys. Interesting and informative, right?
Ok, let me try this again. I made a grilled sourdough, brie, prosciutto, and balsamic fig & pear chutney sandwich for my grown-up grilled cheese sandwich on Sunday morning.
It sounds fancy schmancy, and pretentious, but it was delicious and easy, especially if you buy fig jam, marmalade, spread, compote, or chutney.
I found a recipe close to what I did when I made my fig spread. However, I added chopped pears, kosher salt and chopped fresh rosemary to mine. Instead of olive oil, I browned my onions in a tablespoon of bacon fat which I always keep in the refrigerator.
Here is the link to the fig spread in case anyone has some ripe fresh figs. Figs have such a short season here in the Northeast; many recipes use dried figs if you can’t find fresh ones.
Grown-up grill cheese sandwiches are all fine and well, but right now, I want to have the kind I grew up eating and a cup of tomato soup. Yum!
