Black cat…

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?

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. 🤞🏽

Have a good night! 

Leftover sweet potato gnocchi…

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!

Journeying…

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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.

Instead of describing the process that works for me, here is a link to learn about how to journey. Journeying – A Shaman’s Meditation Technique.

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.❤️

Magic…

Me and Bethany on Wednesday night.

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. 

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. 

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.

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 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!

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! 😚

A grown-up grilled cheese sandwich…

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!

Reiki…

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I decided to start writing about one of my spiritual gifts of healing; reiki. It’s now mainstream, and many people believe in its healing powers.  

Reiki (霊気, /ˈreɪki/) is a Japanese form of energy healing, a type of alternative medicine. Reiki practitioners use a technique called palm healing or hands-on healing through which a universal energy” is said to be transferred through the palms of the practitioner to the patient in order to encourage emotional or physical healing. Wikipedia 

Mikao Usui was the father of a form of spiritual practice known as Reiki, used as an alternative therapy for the treatment of physical, emotional, and mental diseases. Here is a link if you would like to read more about Mikao Usui. 

Unlike other healing arts, reiki is passed from master to student through a reiki attunement that allows the student to connect to the universal reiki source. The attunement allows you to become a vessel of reiki and move reiki energy for yourself and others. While you can read about reiki in a book and learn hand positions, until you have been attuned to channel reiki, you cannot truly practice reiki.

There are three levels of reiki training. The reiki student must wait in between their attunements; the time in between is up to their reiki master and how dedicated they are to mastering their healing skills. 

Reiki is now practiced in many hospitals and hospice care. My reiki master Everley worked tirelessly to get reiki into our local hospital. She volunteered with a team of other volunteers attuning nurses and administering reiki to hospital patients and employees. 

As for me, I use reiki on a daily basis, several times a day. While I am a reiki master, I don’t use it the way most practitioners do. I don’t do attunements since the few I did do weren’t taken seriously. 

I use reiki on myself before bed and during meditation. I use it when I am balancing my chakras and cleansing my aura. I can perform energy work to the chakras and auras remotely on anyone who is in need.

I have done reiki on other people but have never charged money since it’s usually friends or people I know. I find the more I use reiki, the stronger it gets, so it’s a win/win.

I don’t use reiki practice as an income but will always offer or accept a request from anyone in need. The healing energy I have been attuned with is coming from above; through me, I am put in these situations to heal. 

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One of my good friends, who is 20 years older than me, was curious about reiki and what it’s like, so I offered to do reiki on him right in his kitchen with other friends in the room. 

He said, “Oh no! I am afraid!” I asked him what he was afraid of. “I’m afraid my pee-pee will go up.” Everyone cried, laughing, including him.

I started cracking up and told him, “Shut up, you dirty old man and relax, for Christ’s sake!” 

I grounded myself and thanked Dr. Usui and Everley, my reiki master. I asked for the energy to flow to wherever it was needed, then focused on the reiki master symbol. 

Immediately I felt my hands get hot and tingle. I am guided on where to go and to stay there for as long as needed. 

He relaxed and was amazed at how hot my hands got and how he could feel the warmth as I moved from his head, neck, and shoulders. 

When the reiki treatment was over, I smoothed out his energy field and stepped away from him. I always feel hot and get super sweaty whenever I administer reiki to someone. 

Sometimes I get dizzy or nauseous, depending on what is ailing the person I am working on. I have to keep grounding myself and staying focused on what I am doing. 

“That’s it, Bert, you survived!” I told him. He liked it, and his tense neck and shoulders felt better; his pee-pee stayed put, thank goodness. We laughed about that one for years. Lol.

One of the biggest things I do with reiki is removing negative energy from homes and objects or sending it to a location for a specific situation. For example, sending it to an OR and the surgeon who will perform surgery or for a person going on a job interview. 

I removed all the negative energy and charged the location with reiki, where we had our belly dance gig last month. The space felt light and had good vibes. We had a great time, and everyone was relaxed and danced well.

What else can you do with reiki? Charge a glass of water before drinking it or charging the water in the bathtub. I always charge a piece of jewelry or gift to someone.

I use reiki whenever I am doing house clearings on ghosts or beings stuck in spaces or objects. I will talk more about my specialty when I write about working in the middle world. 

I’ve moved many beings, also called lost souls, to the other side in the last 15 years. I never charge a homeowner when I clear their home; I am not doing it for them but for the souls stuck in the middle world. I would gladly accept a bottle of wine as a thank you, if I am being honest. 

Reiki can be sent not only to places and situations but can be sent long distances to someone sick or injured, which is very effective for me. 

I use a photo of the person if I don’t know them and visualize the reiki treatment as though I were there. People receiving long distances can feel something happen. It’s really quite amazing. 

Plants, animals, and trees love reiki; there are studies on how they respond to reiki energy by blossoming, growing, and getting better if sick.

I know I am forgetting many other uses, but these are the ones I use all the time. It’s part of my life, and I feel blessed every time I use it. 

If you would like to learn more about reiki, there is a ton of information either online or in books. It may be something to seek out if you are interested in having a treatment or fulfilling a calling by becoming a reiki practitioner or master yourself. 

Reiki healing has been around for many years and is passed down through lineages. I call myself lucky to be part of Dr. Usui’s lineage through my reiki master Everley. Thanks, Ev! 💜

I wrote at the end of my Charging Station post I may scare the shit out of some people when I write about my “gifts.” I lost 15 readers by the next morning. 

I know I am not everyone’s cup of tea; frankly, I don’t want to be. I’d rather people unsubscribe and leave my blog than be uncomfortable about my posts. 

For those of you who stuck around…🎼 I’ve only just begun.🎵😉

It’s smiling at me…

Marty and I have a running joke about one of the final scenes in the movie A Christmas Story. 

We love this movie and know it by heart, but our favorite line is when Ralphie and his family end up at a Chinese restaurant on Christmas Day after the neighbor’s dogs ate their turkey dinner. 

The family is introduced to Chinese turkey or Peking duck. The waiter serves the duck still with the head on. Ralphie’s mom shrieks and the confused waiter looks at Ralphie’s dad. 

He points to the head and says, “It’s smiling at us.” The waiter understands and whips out a cleaver and whacks off the head. 

Ralphie’s mom shrieks even louder, followed by hysterical laughter. They didn’t tell her this was going to happen in the scene, and this is her honest reaction. Priceless! 

We also have another reference to “It’s smiling…at me.” This is said whenever we see someone with a plumber’s crack. Sorry plumbers, you brought it on yourselves; wear a damn belt, for pity’s sake.

The other night we watched a new Chef’s Table series on Netflix, focusing on pizza. The show’s point is to find the best chefs in the world under specific categories and highlight them and their food, dedicating an episode to each of them. 

When I think of pizza, I think of what my father called pizza joints or pizzerias. The kind of place where you order and pay at the counter, then wait for them to scream out your name. 

The pizza is big, thin, and a gorgeous shade of orange. The toppings were kept simple such as pepperoni, sausage, peppers and onions, anchovies, meatballs, and a veggie or white pie was thrown in for good measure. 

The pizza chefs are people who have thrown caution to the wind and aren’t just making traditional, buffalo chicken, or penne vodka pies. They are making some dope ass pizzas.

These chefs have the belief in using the best, and I mean the best ingredient available to them, found locally and seasonally whenever possible. They use their creativity and skills to create new and exciting pizzas.

Chris Bianco

One of the chefs was a man named Chris Bianco, who relocated to Phoenix, AZ, from the Bronx, NY. Long story short, the chef took everything he learned in the Bronx and elevated it.

He uses only San Marzano tomatoes squeezed by hand. He also uses purified water and mozzarella cheese he makes by hand, a skill he learned when he worked in a deli back in the Bronx.

Herbs and veggies for the pizzas are grown outside the pizzeria. He sources the wheat locally and supports farmers whenever he can.

No reservations, take-out, or delivery. People line up for hours before the pizzeria opens.

I totally get this guy. Then, when he was referring to knowing when his dough was done, he said he could tell when “it’s smiling.”

When I was a beginner cook, I watched TV cooking shows or read articles on dough or pasta made by an old Italian Nonna or grandmother. The interviewer would ask them how they knew when the dough was ready, and they always replied, “When I feel it.” 

My new cook’s brain couldn’t wrap itself around it. What do they mean they can feel it? Through the years, I finally learned what they meant and could feel if my pie crusts and doughs were ready. I was cooking and baking like a Nonna! Yay! 

When we started our spätzle business, the most important thing was consistency. Each batch had to be the same. This is crucial for food manufacturers’ products. People want what they remember from the last time they purchased your product.

When I worked at school as the school lunch director and lunch lady, kids always expected my food to taste the same because they loved it and knew what it tasted like. This is where I learned about consistency.

It was stressful initially to spätzle production, but as I went through the four seasons and all types of temperatures and humidity, I realized, like a baker, that the weather made a huge difference in the feel. 

Some days my spätzle batter is a snap; other days, it gives me a run for my money. I work it until I get the right feel. 

It’s smiling at me! The little brown specs are grated nutmeg.

My “feel” uses a rubber spatula and how the tip drags through the batter. I can tell immediately if it’s too stiff or just right. 

Now, since watching Chef Bianco and his pizza dough, when my batter has the perfect feel, I say, “It’s smiling at me,” and laugh every time. 

If you enjoy cooking or eating out, I recommend The Chef’s Table on Netflix; besides the pizza series, there are others to choose from which are all interesting.

Happy Friday! Again. Shit, time is going by so fast; it’s crazy! Cheers.

I’m back…

Guess what? i feel back to my old self again! It was a long 5 weeks on a medication that wasn’t for me.

Tuesday I started a different medicine and bingo…I feel great! I have my energy back and I am not exhausted!

I’ve got a lot if blog post floating around in my head, I just need time to type them out.

Have a great day!

Charging station…

There are so many reasons why people read my blog. Some read it because they have known me since childhood and want to stay in the loop and see what’s new with me.

Others like my cooking and recipes. Some have found me through a couple of my friend’s blogs; Jon Katz’s Bedlam Farm Journal and Maria Wulf’s Fullmoon Fiber Art.

Through work, belly dancing, meditation, friends, and family, I have met some of my blog readers over the years.

It’s hard to believe my blog is almost two years old, which went very fast. I’ve only had writer’s block a few times and have become a better writer. It took me a while, in the beginning, to discover what type of writer I wanted to be or already was, for that matter.

Writing came naturally to me as if I had been doing it my whole life. I wanted to do it my entire life but didn’t. Why? Maybe out of fear, not having enough time raising my family, not feeling worthy enough to take that time for myself. Whatever the reason, I am just glad I started writing.

Thank you, Heather Z., for being the person who lit the fire under my ass when she wrote something on my Facebook page like, “Just start a blog already,” or similar. I listened to Heather and was so happy I did. I don’t always listen to people telling me what to do.

In the 21 months of writing, I’ve only touched on my spiritual gifts a handful of times. It’s not that I was afraid of scaring people away, but I wasn’t ready to share them with you yet.

The Harvest Full Moon we experienced was a powerful full moon for me. I’ve been “off” because of the new anxiety medication I was taking, but now it makes sense the moon had me going too.

It wasn’t until I looked at the full moon yesterday morning on our way to the Troy Market I realized how magnificent and incredibly beautiful it was. I took these photos on Route 279 at the exact time of the full moon. I didn’t find out about the time until I looked on my phone when it was going to occur. It was happening at that very moment! How cool!

For years I thought I only “got” my spiritual gifts in the last 23 years, but in all reality, I had them all along; I didn’t know it.

In 2003, I met my friend Everley when she came to belly dance class. I was drawn to Everley immediately. I noticed this very different and beautiful necklace that she made and was wearing. We both felt the connection right away. We were destined to meet; we both knew this early on.

This is the piece of jewelry Everley was wearing when we met. She gave it to me, and it’s been in my medicine bag ever since. It’s a powerful piece and full of love.

Ev and I have met before in past lives; I figured out later, that beautiful necklace she was wearing was a clue or trigger for my soul to remember her by. Sound crazy? The only time Marty got a perm was when we met; the curly hair was my soul trigger for him. This is wacky; I know, but it’s 100 % true.

Ev and me at Body Blend Tattoo Palor, where she renewed Marty and my vows for our 25th wedding anniversary. We got new wedding rings tattooed on our ring fingers by our artist Larry.

Everley became my healing and spiritual teacher and mentor. She trained me to be a Reiki Master, a Shaman, work with Angels, Spirit Guides, and Power Animals, do past life regressions and work with gemstones.

Finally, she made it clear to use my psychic abilities for only the good in all situations. While she was teaching and training me, throughout the process, we both found it amazing; I knew how to do it already.

Everley made me my Shaman’s pouch or medicine bag.
She also gifted me with the items in the pouch.

When Everley was training in Shamanism and healing, while she was in class, I was downloading the information in my brain simultaneously, not knowing it.

My medicine bag has black bear hair, bone, and tiger’s eye gemstones, including a turtle, my spirit animal, a crystal pendulum with a gemstone bear, a crystal and a garnet mediation piece.

We met with a few other women every Sunday night to meditate and learn how to “journey” through Native American practices and become Reiki practitioners.

It blew everyone away when Everley and another friend Bethany started to share what they learned in their Shamanism class called “Seeing with the heart,” I would tell them first what I learned the day before while at home. Very weird, but again, 100% true.

I found through this training I had known many of these things since childhood. Many of my fears, hunches, and knowledge were all legit.

The moment I had in the third grade, in Sister Cornelia’s religion class, when I suddenly felt a rush of overwhelming love and understood everything in the universe was enlightenment. I forgot it all when that moment was over. I have no idea how long it lasted, but I will never forget the feeling.

Enlightenment is something that just came to me when I was only nine years old; something people try to obtain their whole lives by trying too hard. I don’t believe you can “make” it happen like losing weight.

When I was working with several different Archangels, I experienced it one other time through a dream with Archangel Metatron, who I still work with all the time. He guided me in working with the children in school and helped me whenever I asked him for help.

One night, Archangel Metatron took me “flying” through the universe and explained the lights and shapes we were going in and out of. I kept consciously thinking about how amazing this was and how I wanted to remember all this information to share with my psychic friends; I didn’t remember any of it when I woke up. Again.

I researched Archangel Metatron and was beyond shocked when I read he watches over sacred geometric shapes that store all the information of God in the universe.

Why was I chosen and blessed twice to experience enlightenment without trying? Sometimes I feel like the character Sybil Dorsett in the 1976 movie Sybil played by Sally Field, with several different personalities.

After all, I am no saint or try to be one. I am a sinner who swears like a sailor. I am crazy, loud, drink, and outrageous sometimes, with a bad temper. I don’t lose my shit nearly as fast as I did when I was younger; I guess I’ve matured. Lol!

I am also fun, loving, caring, kind, and generous. I can be extremely patient when I want to be and can be a good teacher and mentor. I’ve always been very spiritual, even though I am no longer religious.

I keep my relationship with God and Jesus between us; I don’t have anything to prove to anyone else. Period.

Last night, I took my collection of the gemstones I work with and my Shaman medicine bag and placed them outside on the picnic table to be recharged by the full moon.

I said a prayer to the full moon, which I’d used for years. It’s funny; yesterday, I saw it on my Facebook newsfeed, posted by one of my longtime friends, Sandi. Great minds think alike, Sandi.

I do this every full moon, but usually, I only put the gemstones and bag on the window sills. I knew this full moon was something powerful and meaningful.

I was drawn magnetically to the picnic table and my gemstones when I woke up this morning. I put my medicine bag around my neck and felt its power.

My sacred meditation space or sometimes called an altar.

I want to write a series of blog posts dedicated to each one of my spiritual gifts, how and why I use them, and how I honed my craft. This may fascinate some people or scare the shit out of some of my readers, and I may lose them.

I lose readers whenever I write uncomfortable, honest, and authentic blog posts. Sorry, not sorry. In other words, in Jersey, we say, “don’t let the door hit you in the ass.” Again sorry, not sorry.

Today is the day for you to learn the other side of me, of Julz. Stay tuned…

Getting there…

We went from vegan to carnivore overload in 24 hours. Lol!

Last week I wrote about our taxes and how we procrastined until we couldn’t procrastinate any longer. As scheduled, we started to enter our accounts receivable and payable for the spatzle business. We made a massive dent in the project and were pleased.

The next day we finished the data entry; Marty electronically sent our accountant everything she needed. There are still a few things pending, and other items will come up in the process, but for the most part, we are caught up. It’s not a done deal yet, but it will be when we sign everything, and I mail out the taxes on or before October 15.

A big chunk of stress has been lifted, and we can now focus on the business and fall projects that need to be done inside and outside the house.

Despite being busy, I made some pretty delicious food, even a pot of pasta fagioli for lunch on one of the damp, rainy days. It hit the spot.

Marty and I had dinner alone on Wednesday and Thursday; we know from my previous post I made butter cauliflower on Wednesday; I made grilled wagyu burgers topped with caramelized onions, homemade balsamic fig and pear compote, and bleu cheese. It was ridiculously delicious. Marty grilled the burgers because he is known as “burger boy.”

Why top a burger with balsamic fig, pear compote, and bleu cheese? Well, I had some fresh black mission figs in the fridge that needed to be eaten and a few pears that fell off the tree in the yard and were ripe.

This compote would be perfect with pork!

Some people hate hot fruity things, but I love to make perfectly balanced foods. As in Thai cooking, I try to balance the sweet, salty, bitter, sour, or acidity and texture. The combination of sweet and salty is a big favorite of ours, so I design a lot of dishes with their flavor components.

It’s been a long week with a lot of running around and stress, but after tomorrow’s farmers market, it will be our day of rest on Sunday. Yay!

Happy Friday, tequila was my drink of choice tonight since the weather was hot again. Last Saturday, I traded a distillery vendor spätzle for their whiskey, which was beautiful tasting and perfect on one of those chilly evenings we had here in Vermont.

Have a great weekend, guys! Wow, two blog posts in one day from me, that’s rare. 😂