Herbs and Things

I've been asked to post this email (Who Inspires you) from Nov. 16th 2011

2012-02-20T09:20:00.000-05:00

Hello From Herbs & Things :)

After you have exhausted what there is in business, politics, conviviality, and so on - have found that none of these finally satisfy, or permanently wear - what remains? Nature remains.
Walt Whitman

Inspire or give Inspiration...1 : to move or guide by divine influence 2 a : to stimulate to greater or higher activity : make spirited b : to cause to have a particular thought or feeling.

We've all had or have people in our lives who made or make us inspire, give us inspiration's to be a better person, or give us a push in life to do something we may not have done with out their influence. I've been fortunate to have quite a few people through my life who've inspired, taught and made me see better. Whether it be through a friendship, relationship, a riding, writing, skiing, etiquette or one of those life lessons. But for this week, I'd like to focus on two people who are an inspiration to me.

My sister Madeline Cranston...
through my life has been source of inspiration, but more so today.
Kathy Crone,
who has inspired me from my pre- teen years and still is..
For me, these two remarkable women, are the epitomey of the will to live and of living life every day to the fullest.

Madeline, had to fight from the very beginning to live this life, but even then as a baby, her will to live was beyond most and though as a child she was faced with health difficulties and things she learned to live with she moved on and upward and did not let anything stop her, or even slow her down not even looking death eye to eye.
She loves life and is an inspiration, that though sometimes there are clouds, the sunshine is just a breeze behind them, and if I should ever be faced with what she's endured in the past seven years fighting her battle and still holding the line against stage four colon and liver cancer, that I do it with even a small amount of the grace, dignity and gratitude towards life she has.
Still now, though the doctors had to implant a drain in her liver to remove the bile from her body she remains vigilant of her out look on life and eagerly awaits the day they put the shunt in, and "get it done so she can move on better, there are things to do". The day after she was released from the hospital, her priority, was she had to make a birthday card and attend her great grandsons 6th birthday party, her first goal of getting out of the hospital. She's inspired me, to have...goals, to never give up on anything no matter what someone tells you, that what the statistics say does not make it so. She's taught me, fearing the unknown is ok, but not to be afraid to go in to uncharted territory, because the unknown could save your life or make your life better. I do believe she's a rarity in that she's inspired her doctors, in more ways than I can vouch for them and I'm not sure if even they can explain this to themselves...yet:)

Kathy, I've known since I was a child of about seven, and Saturday Nov. 12th, I was honored to be part of a celebration of her 70 years of life on this earth. She is an inspiration that no matter your age, the secret to living young is staying young in your heart, accessing that inner child, no matter what the calender year or you body tells you. She, who's looked death straight in the eye too and said, you sir can go %/?%/**?/ home, I am not ready to leave this party, this party of life. Her saying on living life...go for it...live it...love it while you are in it...say what you need to say..and shake that booty. Throw out the attitude and saying, I don't count birthdays any more, but instead embrace each birthday as if it was your first, and throw a birthday party, to celebrate and tell the world, I am 70 and I've only just begun! Then invite as many people as you can, dance the wood off the floor, wear neon lit necklaces, party hats, eat M & M's, Hug everyone and cry from happiness,...LIVE LIFE!

To these two woman...I want to say thank you...because I love their one motto..."No matter how you feel, physically or emotionally, if you can get up, get up, get dressed, put some make up and get moving...that's what keeps you living. "
They trust, that if you listen, to You...You know what is best for you, so follow your intuition and or gut feeling...its there for a reason...your preservation.
I thank them for making me want to be a better person to those around me. To know, it's ok to think of ME and what's good for me once in a while. That what others say or think about me especially those without the best intentions, is something I should not concern myself with, because people will think what they want no matter what I say. That if I am living life the best I know how, stay humble and honest, tell the truth and treat others well and not judge, what God and I decide is best for me, what I believe, and how I live my life, is only between me and God, but in return, I should not judge others and how they live their lives, but embrace their differences.
They know, life has glitches, they are what make us grow and these too should be cherished. They know too, sometimes it's ok to agree on disagreeing which doesn't mean you don't still love. That it's important to do for others, and that life...the only way to live it....is to live it, love it, share it and above all, embrace it...every bit of it !
Love you both...
Now....your turn...think of just one person who has inspired you, take the time to think of them, thank them and maybe give them a call, send them a card, or shoot them an email...and tell them...They have INSPIRED!

Be well
Laugh often
Love large
Dig in the dirt
Grow a garden
and may the sun light your way
Kellie
+
Herbs & Things

Email Ramblings from Herbs & Things from Dec 22 2011

2012-01-01T06:13:00.001-05:00

Flowers do not force their way with great strife. Flowers open to perfection slowly in the sun. . . .Don't be in a hurry about spiritual matters. Go step by step, and be very sure.
White Eagle

I find it amusing in a way, because of our December weather this year, that the Native Americans refer to this time of the year as the time of the Popping Trees, because usually its so cold...the trees pop... but there was no popping of the trees this night.
The night of our Solstice Celebration.

It was very very dark. It was very wet. It was windy, and the small creek, the tween place, sounded like a river running. But....just for us... the rains were stopped long enough for the brave souls, counting about 15 or so, to make our trek to the Wheel.

As soon as we walked over the bridge and stepped in to the meditation garden, I felt it. I knew it, the energy, would overwhelm or maybe frighten some. Especially when I heard, murmuring behind me, "Oh man did you feel that? What IS that?" " Oh... it is so tingly" " I am buzzing." "Holy Crap":)

There was a mix of excitement, restlessness and oh no what am I doing here, and rightly so with feelings. Feelings, I understand totally.
I asked the energy to tone down a little and we were instructed to stand there in the meditation garden for a while and allow those who were new to this particular piece of land to adjust to the energy. We then proceeded to the Wheel, hearing nothing but the creek raging, the winds blowing and our footsteps in the water. Yet, even those who'd never visited before, even in the not so idyllic weather, they heard it....and said...
"It's as if the winds are speaking to us."
I said simply, "They are."

We walked the south spoke to the circle of the Wheel, where each individual walked to certain areas of the circle and spent a couple minutes with the Wheel. We then gathered in the center of the cirlce, smudged, said of Prayer of Thanks to Nature, Mother Earth and Creator.

Because we could not see around us, but only feel the energy of the Wheel, there in the darkness on a warm/cool rainy night, we celebrated the Winder Solstice. We had written our hearts on our sleeves on small sheets of paper for God/Creator, the best we could, and then under a not so idyllic weather situation, we burned our intentions, wishes and prayers and watched as the flames burned bright, in side the small smudge pot we used because of the winds. When we were done, and it seemed the papers with our wishes and prayers were done burning, I picked up the pot and we started back to the house.

It was then, with my first step heading back to the house, with an indication the Wheel had other ideas of where our wishes, prayers and intentions should be, a gust of wind hit me and the pot holding those prayers with such force that it made me step back, and like a wave of a huge hand, reached in and picked up the remaining embers out of the pot and spread them high and far over the Wheel.

We stood there in awe and delight as we watched those glowing embers, brightened by the darkness, float over and settle in various spots in the Wheel, where in spite of the wet, they burned for a few seconds. They looked like thousand of fireflies in the night, glowing then landing....it was an amazing thing to watch and as we watched, we could not only see, but we could feel the significance of those prayers settling in the Wheel. Its like we knew, all of the wishes, prayers and intentions, were considered, embraced and received, to do with them what should be done.

When I asked why, this year we had to celebrate the solstice under such darkness and so different than last year, which was lighted by snows and the moon. I heard "this year, there was those that needed to feel the energy of the Wheel and Nature, and not be distracted by their sight. This night, they had no alternative, but to feel and 'see'without their eyes and learn about the energy of Nature and ME, and that I AM here."

So a dark, wet, windy night...turned in to a night...of clear vision and insight
and I was worried because of the weather. Silly me:)

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Be well
Laugh often
Love large
Dig in the dirt
Grow a garden
and may the sun light your way
Kellie
+
Herbs & Things

It was a Big Step, Sharing what I've learned from the Wheel

2011-10-08T12:48:00.000-04:00

And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell,
and I understood more than I saw;
for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of things in the spirit,
and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being.
Black Elk, Black Elk Speaks

I wasn't sure how I was going to share and say thank you at the same time, so first thank you to all who attended the Wheel workshop, it was an honor to share what I've learned...so far.

The Medicine Wheel workshop was wonderful and all I'd hope it would be. The weather was perfect. I believe ordered up by God/Creator, just for us. I was particularly honored, because I think God in his way, showed me he is pleased with the Wheel, and it showing people how to re-connect to him in a Natural way. Why do I say this? Not only because of the beautiful vision, giving me a message while we were in the Wheel via a Tulip, but because, a Minister, a man of the cloth, came to the workshop to learn about the Wheel and what, 'it' would have to say to him, and speak to him... it did.

At first, I was a little nervous about Pastor. Bob coming to hear what I had to say about the Wheel, God, Creator and hearing through the Divine Essence of Nature. After all, he's a minster that's had years of teaching on God... I am not someone who's studied deeply about God and or the bible. I go by what I hear and 'instructed' to learn. What I know about God and the bible, are limited through my memory of my Catholic up-bringing and what I'm occasionally told to read in the bible. My knowledge of the Medicine Helpers, the Wheel and connecting to that higher source is what I have learned through the Wheel, lectures, ceremonies and what and where Spirit has directed me to learn from.

But, 'The voice' said, "Kellie, just speak the truth. Do not be who you are not...simply be who you are. Share don't lecture on what you've learned over the past 19 months. Remember do not speak my name to be a name dropper, merely speak what you have learned in the Medicine Wheel, from Me, the Native Americans, Nature and your Guides, and you will be alright".

They were right....I had nothing to be worried about. Pastor. Bob, was a wonderful addition to the workshop. Offering insights and perspectives on things through his unique connection to God/Creator/ the Divine/Great Mystery and 'things' he has learned that are deemed outside his 'calling'. We in return, learned a few things from him, which combined with all the beautiful people that attended, made this first workshop, grand.

With that said, It was a big step. A step that's been in the works, I believe for a while. I thought I'd never get here, finally comfortable or feeling qualified enough to share what I've learned since first being instructed to mow the Medicine Wheel. There is so much to learn and learning this tiny amount has taken longer than I could have imagined, by attending lectures, listening to Spirit, and God. Sometimes having the feeling of being lost, only to be found and guided by God, an Animal, Standing people, Stone, maybe an Ancestor helper, or relative of the Wheel, or sometimes through the words of another person, to put me back on track.

I have to admit though, I think the biggest surprise I've learned in these past months, is using Animal and other Medicine Helpers is not a light hearted subject which anyone can teach...its serious Medicine, and why I questioned my qualifications of did I have the right to be a speaker on this subject. The Native Americans had 100 of years to learn what they know. They lived the life. I am a Non Native American, baby taking my first steps and I realized early, working with Medicine Helpers is something you have to live everyday, feel every day, see everyday and be guided by Spirit and God everyday to learn. I found out, which I first believed like many do, it's not merely about saying you have a Totem, and or I see this animal all the time... there is much much more. If I would have known all there is to it, I might not have proceeded and asked to learn more. That's probably why 'they' didn't tell or show me all I would need to learn. They are just so smart...:)
So I am doublely honored they asked me to be the Wheel's guardian and now share what I have learned... and I am ready for my continuing education:)

So to 'them' I say thank you, for what you've taught me through your guidance so far.
I say thank you now too, in case I forget, to those who will teach and guide me farther and with their help, I hope to offer more workshops on the Medicine Wheel and its Helpers.
I can't forget to put a big thank you out to Rick McBride for giving me and a few others the chance to take his grueling, soul searching, mind digging, 2 day, nine-ten hour a day courses of which I not only took once, but twice, and his other classes, which enlightened and prepared me to move forward on this subject.
Plus I must thank him too for answering my emails, sometimes letting me learn things on my own, and for as he put it, putting his BS indicator out on me, and lucky for me, it did not go off. Thus he came and did the 10 day retreat, where he and I got time to talk one on one, and I learned things one cannot learn in lectures, books or on the computer.
Plus it was from him and one of his fellow Sundance Elders, I received the conformation I needed, that I was not going insane...LOL.

I have to say thank you too, to Creator and Spirits of the Sundance, which made it possible that Linda and I were able to attend Sundance ceremony, of which we learned much and I believe gave us the ability to truly see the difference between knowing Creator and Medicine Helpers and only knowing about Creator and Medicine Helpers.

And I cannot forget to thank, who ever guided my friend Linda and I through our Walks of Knowing, (which I've learned now is not the time to do walks with others...yet) though they were often difficult physical and emotional 'classes' of learning, they too were preparation for understanding the power in Thunder Hollow Medicine Wheel and all its Helpers and the powers out side the Wheel and the connection to God as well. I am still learning, and not sure I could teach about any other Medicine Wheel, and its Medicine Helpers, it would be out of my territory. But for now that's ok, there is plenty of schooling in just this one and I am loving the lessons, so I say.... keep em coming. I do have to confess, that though I have seen and experienced the power, often I don't fully understand the power in it all... but I cannot wait to see what is ahead. I am ready for the hours I know it will take for my higher education on the workings of this and any other Wheel and Medicine Helpers and their powers.

Be well
Laugh often
Love large
Dig in the dirt
Grow a garden
and may the sun light your way
Kellie
+
Herbs & Things

Unconscious Ego

2011-09-04T06:10:00.002-04:00

Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up.
~Robert Frost~

Herbs & Things Will be closed
The Week of Sept 11th-17th
I'll be at The Holland Farmers Market
maybe..8:30-11 AM Sept 11th? (will let you know)
and all day...Sept 18th
Also I'll be closed
Oct 1st and 2nd...attending a lecture.

Have you ever made what some one else is doing...your problem because 'you know' what they are doing is wrong and it affects you or you think it does?
Recently I had that problem, I made what someone else was doing, a problem I thought I needed to fix or do something about...and had been struggling with it for weeks, with a mix of anger and hurt.
While mowing one day, 'they' reminded me of something I read in a book, about a Master that got blamed for something he did not do. I could not remember what book, what he got blamed for, or what his name was, I just had a flashing remembrance to the story, of which the ending or moral of the story was...eventually the truth came out that he did not do what he was accused of.
A couple mornings after this flashing remembrance, driving home on the Thruway after taking Rick to pick his semi up, I was forced to go slow (49 MPH in a 65), with flashers, slowly getting to Herbst Garage to get ......HELP Brian.:), because the stabilizer shock in the Jeep got tired and said...get a new one, and while every one was whizzing by me and I was concentrating keeping the Jeep under 55 to avoid the shattering shimmy, 'They' made a suggestion.
Their suggestion, with the reasoning, that I'd made a choice to put and fix a problem, I thought was mine...with what I thought valid reasons, on my agenda, that however, was not my problem to fix, that I should do...'their suggestion'.
They then left me to my own free will of decisions, with their suggestions, and explanation..the course of action... or better yet, a course of.. no action...would be better, than me trying to fix it. However, I still pondered...how to fix 'it'.
The next morning...leaving me no doubts or anything to ponder...they finally made no more suggestions, but told me...
"You have made something that is not your business, your business. It is not your business nor your problem, LET IT GO! God/ the Universe/ or what ever WILL take care of it. but YOU...NEED...TO...LET IT GO!"
"OK...I'll let it go. Jeeze!"
In the mix of my wanting to fix 'this problem' and then being told to let it go, my niece Rachel had come to visit and gone to the Medicine Wheel. As I watched her walk back I heard "ask her about the message she has for you".
So I did.
She said, "oh Aunt Kellie, yes I do. But,I am having a hard time deciphering what they are telling me. I'll have to sort through it and get back to you."
The next day without her knowing that I had been reprimanded about what I 'should not ' do..and had finally LET IT GO..
She emailed me the message...
I was to read in Chapter 7, section 7 in Eckhart Tolle's book, a piece called...IS THAT SO? That it would help me with a 'problem'.
But before I read that, I wrote her and told her that I had been reprimanded about making this problem that was not mine, mine:) and had let it go, But that I would still read that section in Eckhart's book...
As I read 'Is That So' at first I thought I was getting chastised again, but then was told "re-read it." I did, and realized this was the story 'they' had referred to a couple days earlier, and in reading it the second time, I figured out what they wanted me to learn...that if someone is doing you wrong...sometimes, particularly in this situation....NO REACTION is better than reacting because eventually the truth will come out. As I said, I've done what I was told and I've let it go, allowing the forces that are, to take care of it. And you know what, sense I've turned it over...and though I think of it sometimes, but know its 'not my problem' ...I feel much better!
I guess this is a lesson about...Ego, and I am suppose to share with whom ever is out there that needs to learn about the Unconscious Ego.
My Ego, which can be quite large, I am Scotch/Irish after all :) that definitely comes from my Dad's side, is something I work hard on, but yet I was shown, mine or any one's Ego, can...unconsciously... slip in disguised as 'fixing a problem' that you feel affects you, thus you put something not yours on your agenda, and it affects everything you do, how you interact with people, and your perspective on other things other than 'the problem', over all affecting your life, needlessly.
I guess, I am suppose to tell you....if right now, you have something in your life that you think you should fix but its a struggle, listen to the voice of, that no reaction some times is better than reaction, don't let your Ego take over. Trust (which may not be easy) that 'the problem' will get taken care of, just maybe not when and how you think it should be...but it will be:)

Kellie

Though they Mock Me

2011-06-25T09:03:00.001-04:00

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
Arthur Schopenhauer
German philosopher (1788 - 1860)

Most of us know, that nothing is coincidental, so when the above quote resonated deeply to me, I'll take what I've found out of late to be one of those steps and lessons in my journey of spiritual growth.

Something I guess that's no big surprise, I've been getting mocked about what I share via my emails. I understand that's part of the territory when you are willing to put yourself out there and share some off the wall stuff (to some) and I accept that. It really doesn't bother me, but it makes me a little angry. Because why not come to my face and tell or ask me if I am whacked, rather than to go to others if you have questions, doubts or concerns. I only share the truth of what happens, and often even for me it doesn't make sense and I find my self saying...this can't be right but I share it anyway. Consequently I can understand why, people would think me odd, or something to mock. Some people would take the mockers, mocking, as them saying I am lying.
I say they, the mockers, are afraid, because....isn't it true we hurt those things we do not understand or are afraid of?

However, I will and do share because that's what I am 'suppose' to do, its my path, and sometimes, even though I don't understand it myself, I've learned if I am patient...I'll eventually learn what the message was/is and or what it's intention

Alas, though they mock me, I smile because its obvious they read Herbs & Things email word for word, even though its for the wrong reason to accumulate ammo to mock me, but maybe, and if I don't let the words of a few deter me...I will reach those mockers, and one day...something will resonate with them, they'll 'get it' and maybe, just maybe it might even save their life, and that's what I am suppose to do...share and make people aware that nature, God, Creator, your Higher source, is speaking loud and clear every day, we just need to take the time to listen, learn and not fear a language we do not understand.

Be well
Laugh often
Love large
Dig in the dirt
Grow a garden
and may the sun light your way
Kellie
+
Herbs & Things

Sacred Places

2011-06-01T07:48:00.002-04:00

When I was child, 4 or 5 years old, if my mother couldn't find me, first she'd look to the dog house. :) Where she'd find me sitting in the door way with our Irish Setter, Misty (never tied, just her 'den') and her puppies. There'd be one or two puppies on my lap, the other puppies scampering around me and Misty letting me use her as a prop to lean against. Sometimes I'd be sleeping, other times just sitting quiet holding the pups and petting Misty and sometimes using toilet tissue to wipe the puppies bums, (just helping Misty:). Then at about age 8 or 9, and later as a teenager, often after school, when going to do chores I'd take my homework, a book to read or nothing but my thoughts and pre-teen/ teenage worries with me.

In our barn each horse had a hay manger, thus when my chores were done I'd climb into and curl up in the manger full of hay, (At age 11 and on, it was with my horse at the time, Big Boy a 16.2 hand, chestnut American Saddlebred, ) with a book, homework or my thoughts. While he was working his away around me getting every blade of hay, I'd sit in there, cozy and relaxed, read, meditate (didn't know that's what I was doing then), do my home-work or study for a test. I realize now, sitting in the quiet and serene spot of whimpering pups, or curled up in the manger, listening to the rhythmic sound of Big Boy munching hay, me petting his forehead, or laying my head on his jaw, feeling his chewing muscles working, with no blaring teenage music, just quiet, were sacred spaces I had created for myself.

Today, though I don't have the mangers any more, or the puppies, I'll still go sit in the barn, sometimes with the new chickens, or in the corner of the stall on the hay, usually with Old Royal, and just be. In quiet I'll listen to the rhythmic sounds of barn, the swallows talking to their young and each other. The chicks chirping that's starting to turn into clucks, the kitty purring and or the horses munching hay. I don't do it as often as when I was a child and I probably should, because when I do, many good thoughts, feelings and a since of calm, come my way. Giving me a quiet mind to work my way around any problem solving.

But now too I have the Medicine Wheel and The Mediation garden to go to, which are Scared places much like the dog house with the puppies and the manger full of hay with the Divine Spirit of the horse in my aura,..because in the Wheel and Gardens, also I'm surrounded by nature and her sounds, where calm follows too.

So what I'm wondering...do you have a scared place to go, to be, to listen, pray or relax...if not, you should. You will love the benefits...and its doesn't have to be big or fancy, just a place where you feel a sense of calm and serenity...
Make a place of your own today you'll be glad you did...I promise:)

A new Nature assignment. What animal have you noticed seeing or hearing a lot of lately...? If you haven't notice, then try to do so. For me its the Robin...Yes Robins are common this time of year, but....when one lands on the fence post every time I walk to the Wheel, sits on my picnic table every time I go outside, or the roof of the shop. Or sits above me in the Tree and makes its Robin sound, and when I hear, go under the Chestnut Tree, stop when I tell you to and look up, to find a Robins nest...yes...I do believe the Robin is trying to show me something...
Robins keynotes: Spread of new growth.
The Robin lays distinctive blue eggs...Blue the color of the Throat Chakra...communication, and creativity.
Robins react to the color red. In males it signals other males to leave the territory.
The red is also connected to the Kundalini, which one of my main totems the Hawk is also connected to the Kundalini.
Robin denotes for one to 'sing there own song' forth for new growth. Which I find intriguing especially after my last emailing about my mockers:)
Gotta love nature! It does not lie, and thank you to all of you who gave me support on the mocker subject. I think I had to share, not only to address those people, but also let some of you who might be getting mocked for being 'different' not to let it bother you! Thank you! HUGS...

Kellie + Herbs & Things

The Trees you have to love the Trees.

2011-04-30T06:44:00.000-04:00

I can't remember the date but I'll say about 3 weeks ago, I was walking in the Fairy Garden, when I was ' instructed' to visit one of the Apple Trees. Now you must understand this was while I was in the, When, What, Why Mode of thinking but for some reason...still felt I needed to do what I 'thought I was told to do' which was, visit with the Apple Tree.

I went to the Apple Tree and leaned against it and heard, No please face me. Huh..Ok. I turned around and laid the palm of my left hand on its bark. It was warm to the touch. It then felt like my heart area filled with a warm sensation too,...my first thought....Love.
With my hand on Tree wondering why and also wondering what the neighbors might be thinking of me just standing there with my hand on the Apple Tree I heard, "you need more Apple pectin".
Hmm...I recalled the old adage, an apple a day keeps the doctor away..and as a child I ate an apple or sometimes two every day, but now its only a few times a week. And I am not sure why that is, unless...because it seems harder to find a good Apple today, or maybe I am just pickier than when I was a child.
Of course as you know me, wanting to refresh my memory about the benefits of Apples, I researched their benefits again....and then few days after meeting with the Apple Tree, I had a session with an herbal practioner and told her the message from the Apple Tree and wondered beyond all its benefits, would it help me in my next step to a healthier weight....helping my adrenals. Rose, could not remember if in their multiple of benefits if helping the adrenals was one of them.
Rose as per Rose, wanting to help and learn more, did research of her own after my session...and guess what else she found!
~Apple Pectin is also good for protection against radiation!~

Now who would have thought that. I was then reminded that I read the Apple has a built in defense to help protect itself against radiation, so it stands to reason...if you eat an Apple, that same benefit helps you....you'll want to see the Benefits of the magnificent Apple...

Now really...don't you just love the wisdom of the Trees! See...this is why we need to take the time to listen to Nature. Nature knows what's good for us and what will helps us.
Then my mind went to, who would have thought a tree would know what was going on across the world, (Japan) but remember a few Herbs & Things, emails ago, (which also is why 'they' keep telling me to listen to my own words!) I mentioned the roots of the Tree are like underground connections through the Earth and the Tree tops are like Antenna...thus...they communicate. So...I was made abundantly aware...of why wouldn't they know what's going on around the world. In fact the Trees, with their built in 'technology' I believe way beyond ours (so smart humans)... probably know before earthquakes or any Earth event happens and for that matter, anything above us too.

So I say, listen to the the Trees...they are like old folks, slow to talk, slow about everything, but....we'd be wise to be still and listen, for there is much wisdom in their lessons:)

TREE FACTS and why we need to plant more Trees.

*One shade tree absorbs 10 pounds of pollution each year including 4 pounds of ozone and 3 pounds of particulates.

*By the time a Tree reaches maturity it produces 5 pounds of pure oxygen every day...enough to keep a family of four breathing

*Tree reduce the need for power plants by providing natural air conditioning. They also reduce the effects of car exhaust and industrial emissions. A single Tree can eliminate 90 pounds of carbon or 330 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year.

*One shade tree can reduce air conditioning bills by 10%.

*One shade tree can intercept 760-4000 gallons of rainfall in its crown annually, depending on species. The reduces runoff of polluted storm water and can affect the size of drain pipes and retention ponds needed in new developments.

*One tree can add at least 1% to the sale price of a $100,000 house each year whey annualized over a 40 years period.

Be well

Laugh often

Love large

Dig in the dirt

Grow a garden

and may the sun light your way

Kellie

Herbs & Things

What Nature can Teach US if we listen

2011-04-15T07:21:00.000-04:00

Hello form Herbs & Things :)

It is well that you should celebrate your Arbor Day thoughtfully, for within your lifetime the nation's need of trees will become serious. We of an older generation can get along with what we have, though with growing hardship; But in your full manhood and womanhood you will want what nature once so bountifully supplied and man so thoughtlessly destroyed; and because of that want you will reproach us, not for what we have used, but for what we have wasted.
~Theodore Roosevelt, 1907 Arbor Day Message ~

Nature definitely was trying to tell me something, last Tuesday April 5th. I was reminded too a statement made by Rick McBride last year during the 'Learning the Lifeways' retreat at Herbs & Things...he said, "Sometimes, Nature, if she's not gotten your attention in a subtle way---Will--- get your attention by showing you something out of the ordinary. For example; if you see one turkey in your yard, you'd notice but may not think twice about it. But if there are 100 Turkey's in your yard, you'd notice, thus Nature has your attention and make you wonder what's the message."
And take notice I did, when there were 100's of birds in the back pasture behind the house, in the trees and flying around. Actually kind of all over the place.
There were grackles, redwings, starlings, crows, cowbirds, and a few woodpeckers, doves, chickadee's, juncos, nuthatches, sparrows, titmice, a hawk in the Tree (probably going yum) Robins, and one blue bird. I mean we are talking all at once.
To give you a better perspective of how many of , lets say the Starlings there were, when they took off in a flock I could hear it in the house, with windows closed. So yes Nature got my attention. I searched for information in, Animal Speak and Animal Spirit Guides (which can both be purchased at Herbs & Things--shameless plug:) Haven't put it all together yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I have:)
But according to Rick McBride, after I told him, about all the birds, he said..."This was the Bird Nation not speaking to me as one species but as the Whole Nation. I must look at what Bird Medicine can offer me on a whole, what it's wanting me to see, or maybe where I am, where I am going, what I can accomplish, what it's teaching me, showing me, or letting me in on. Whew...lots of work to be going on...The Whole Bird Nation...What the heck? LOL

Be well
Laugh often
Love large
Dig in the dirt
Grow a garden
and may the sun light your way
Kellie
+
Herbs & Things

Excerpt of 3/27/11 Herbs & Things Newsletter

2011-03-29T06:08:00.000-04:00

Are you trying to get your gardens planned for this year? But like me, you're not sure what to plant, because the past couple growing seasons haven't been great. Here is my take on that, for me anyhow. I, the past couple gardening seasons, to preserve heritage, did heirloom planting. However, being a Scorpio I hate to admit... without much success. Especially because I've always had good luck gardening.

I believe, my so-so gardens are in part of the so-so WNY's growing weather, but I also believe it has something to do with the heirlooms I was planting. Why? The heirloom seeds we purchase are not cultivated and 'raised' in this area. Thus they are not tolerant of our soils and unpredictable weather changes. Many of the heirloom varieties are from areas that are use to longer growing seasons, and looser soils, not our well known temperature fluctuations, shorter growing season and often the clay-loom soils of WNY. Thus, seeds less resistant to, diseases, cold, heat, damp, and dry. Not hardy to this area:)

So this year, and this might cause a few gasps, I'm going Hybrid again. Organic mind you, but hybrid. Hybrids are noted for being diseases resistant and weather change tolerant. After all hybrids are a mix of the best growing and weather tolerant plant lives of the plant world. The way my mind works, I think maybe hybrids do well in this area, because isn't WNY and the surrounding areas, historically a community of Hybrids? Because back in the depression era and before, dreams were to come to this area for work and proposer. Ultimately growing a population of hardy, 'weather' resistant people. So I say...yea for the hybrids...they are a mix of the best of the old and new, no matter what the situation, whether it be gardening, cooking, community or churches. When all thrown into the pot, makes the best and hardiest 'stew'.

But here's an idea that came to me, and I might try it. If you plant heirlooms because you like the idea you can save Heirloom seeds year and after year. Maybe its possible to get the seeds acclimated to growing here, by setting aside a piece of garden to plant a couple each of heirlooms you like, and if they don't do well, you can still save the seeds and try them again next year, in hopes they will become accustomed to this area and it's quirky growing patterns and eventually thrive and grow.

I find it ironic as I am sure many others do, that now...after...the fact with the nuclear disaster in Japan, we are hearing more about the countries who have nuclear plants and that governments and companies are searching ways of implementing better safeguards, so no other disasters like this can happen.

One thing I personally feel sad about beyond the sadness I feel for those of Japan, and I'm probably not alone, but its my lack of realization of the vast number of nuclear plants around the world. I just did not know.
Also living in the land of Oz that is called Colden, knowing full well we have a nuclear waste facility only 20 miles from here, I realized how I've accepted it was there and hardly ever think about it, expect when my husband takes his semi in there, and comes home with a radiation detector cord (minus the radiation tag) hanging around his neck and then, even though he and his truck have been scanned before he leaves, the wait for the letter to come in mail a few days later, stating he's not (hopefully) been exposed to radiation. I would say even Japan, though on a bigger scale, are so use to those nuclear plants being there, that the plants merely became part of the scenery too...
I do believe Japan is a country equipped to handle most earthquakes, and they were prepared, and they would have been OK, if it weren't for the Tsunami...BUT...and this is a big but...this shows, that no matter how prepared we are, how highly technological we are, how smart we think we are.... we still can not understand the forces of Mother Nature, and ultimately....We...are no match for Her.

Though we'd like to believe we are the superior race, we are not superior to Mother Nature, and as prepared as Japan was, Mother Nature showed the vulnerability of all us humans or really, life on earth. We, who live on Turtle Island, (what the Native Americans call Mother Earth) must understand that even a turtle with its hard shell has a vulnerable spot.
The way I see it, according to Mother Natures standards, a tsunami, is only a sneeze at what she is capable of, and us humans thinking we are so intelligent that we can outsmart Mother Nature is not a good or safe mind set.

It's time we listen to Mother Nature, and heed her warnings. If you look back, she's been warning us for a while, to clean up our room, and just like any Mother who tells her child many times to clean up their room and they do not, she goes in and does the job. And when 'She' does the job, many things are tossed, and this cleansing is painful. So yes its time to listen to Mother Nature and clean up our room and have respect for its space...and that space, our room...is the Earth we live on.

Be well
Laugh often
Love large
Dig in the dirt
Grow a garden
and may the sun light your way
Kellie
+
Herbs & Things

Part of March 8th emailing from Herbs & Things

2011-03-08T07:51:00.000-05:00

Hello from Herbs & Things:)

"Deep doubts, deep wisdom; small doubts, little wisdom."
Chinese Proverb

Sometimes, I...as many of you, don't take the time to give myself the treat of meditation or a calming, healing form of standing meditation, such as Tai Chi. (benefits and more info about Tai Chi.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tai_chi_chuan )
because somewhere in the course of the day, I've convinced myself, I don't feel like it, it won't make me feel better, or I don't have time, forgetting the benefits even a mere 15 mins let alone an hour will give, and decide to Veg out. Then, if you are like me, as you sit there vegging out, you beat yourself up because you are not doing.....Something.

As we all know, there are times, we need to Veg, but then there are the times, we need to push ourselves past feeling yucky, to tired, don't want to do it, don't feel like doing another thing today, feelings and make ourselves go to that Tai Chi or meditation class.

That's what happened to me last Thursday. All day, I did not feel sick....just blah, thus convincing my tired, icky, so so, part of me, that I was to tired and achy, to go to Tai Chi and yoga. It wasn't until 10 minutes before Tai Chi Class, I yelled at Myself, "Kellie, its only an hour, get your butt moving. Once you get there you'll be glad you did"!
Guess what, 'Myself' was right.

Ok...but I must be honest, I compromised with Myself, saying... "Ok self, I'll go to Tai Chi, but no Yoga tonight, my body really does not feel like doing that....OK"?
Self said, "Ok, but you must go to the Wheel when you get home and meditate there".
Sigh..." OK Deal"...(sad when you start making deals with yourself, or was it 'The Voice':)

I went to Tai Chi, and as I warmed up, breathed deep, did the moves, I could feel the stiffness ease from my joints, and back. My mind was not so...agitated and I didn't feel as tired. That was in the first 20 mins. Still, I did not stay for yoga, it didn't feel right this night... BUT...I did keep up the bargain I made with 'Myself' to go to the Wheel when I got home.

It was very cold Thursday night. I bundled up, and as per instructions, took sage, tobacco, Rattle, walking stick Owly, and headed to the Wheel. When I reached the lane leading to the meditation garden, I got the impression I should take my time and feel each step, that 'they' would not let me fall.

I concentrated and set each foot down soft and deliberate, testing for solidness of the ice covered ground beneath that step. By doing this, I felt energy enter my body with each mindful on the earth step and the quiet made my inward thoughts calm.
I reached the bridge going to the meditation garden, and stood there for a while in the silence breathing in the cold air, and listening to and feeling the energy of the creek running under the bridge.

After about 10 minutes of quiet time on the bridge, I was told, "spend time with the Ancestors. Enter the Wheel through the Ancestors path, rather than the South".
I again, going through the Ancestors, went slow and deliberate. It felt like I was wearing moccasins instead of heavy winter boots. Eerily, though the night was fairly bright, I had the feeling someone or something was following me, hearing 'their' foot falls on the hard covered snow and ice. A little nervously, I'd look behind me and around, nope nothing. Did I feel and hear a presence, or was it my imagination?

I reached the Wheel's circle and stood on the edge of the Ancestors spoke and the Circle, gazing at the bright stars towards the North, wondering to Myself, what constellation I'm looking at?
When in the quiet I heard,
"you know what constellation that is".
"uh, no I don't. I didn't even know it was a constellation"
"Yes you do, be still and think".

Oh yeah, there's the be still and think, thing again. Sigh...how can I be quiet and meditate when I must be still and THINK, isn't that the point of mediation, NOT to THINK?.Ok...blah, blah blah, its just my mind going around in circles again.

Myself, "Orion?".
"Now you know better, be serious, just think".
"Do I?...I know better?"
"Yes...stop it, be still and think".
I stood there for about five minutes.
Bear constellation?
I heard nothing, of whether I was right or wrong. I shrugged my shoulders and dismissed it as my thoughts merely rambling. So I entered the Wheel's circle, and did what I came for, to relax, be in nature and meditate. I burned sage, offered Tobacco, played a beat with the Rattle, hummed a tune and tried to clear my mind. For about 30 minutes, not really feeling the cold, I just was and felt better for it.That night, I slept well and the next day, I felt better. I'd forgotten about the Bear constellation thing until I was reminded Saturday morning, so I searched.

Some of you may already know what stars etc are in the night sky, but I only know a little astronomy, such as common things, like where Polaris and Venus are, when some of the 'star shows are' and though I know of Ursa Major, I was excited to find...there is a Bear constellation...actually two, Big and Little Bear...and different histories with different cultures. I found it exceptionally ironic my eyes were drawn (unknowingly) to the Owl Nebula that night, while I was suppose to be still and thinking, because oddly for the past few months, I get the impression I have been directed towards Owl Medicine and need to learn more. Thus making what I found in my research beyond the Ursa Major constellation, mind boggling, which I will share at a later date...to much again for an email:)

So anyhow, I guess this is just another little heads up about writing down things you think you think and think you hear, even within a quiet time of meditation. You might be surprised at what you've learned or know! :)
Read more here...about Ursa Major, Latin for the Larger Bear, constellation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursa_Major
and
Thank you to some new people on Herbs & Thing emailing for signing up and if you'd like to be on Herbs & Things weekly emailing...please email Kellie and type subscribe in subjet line.

Part of Herbs & Things Feb 10th email

2011-02-10T07:07:00.000-05:00

Hello From Herbs & Things:)

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

On clear pre-dawn mornings, is anyone else enjoying Venus (sometimes called Earth's Sister planet) in the SE sky? If not, you are in luck it will be there until Oct, then disappear and reappear in Dec as an evening star. Next to Venus, to the left is the constellation Virgo and to the right, is Corvus. Corvus in Latin means Crow or Raven and there is a myth of how Corvus got its name. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvus_(constellation)

If you are drawn to this particular area of the morning sky, such as I have been, it may mean something. Why, because in nature, often Nature gives us food for thought, that will help with life, direct us to the right path, or saying simply, take the time to enjoy the view.

I was drawn to Venus and its surroundings, especially after 'they ' told me I need to learn more about the stars, that this knowledge I will use it later, not only for me, but for others. So, I researched and also used my Animal Speak book (which is available at Herbs & Things:) to look up meaning of animals I found within my research, such as Crow and Snake.

What if an animal keeps showings itself to you, literally or other wise. Such as when you walk outside, open a book, or turn on the TV...It's time to pay attention...there is a message from nature. Nature includes all things, not just Trees, Birds, Flowers and such, but includes, Clouds, Stars, Planets, Rainbows or anything created by Nature.

For instance...Rat...Yew....nobody wants a Rat as a messenger...but it can be a sign of intelligence, with its innate ability to survive and store up on rations. What could Rat be telling you? What is Nature telling you. What are you hearing?...Learn about this and MORE in Linda and Kellie's lecture Feb 28th...details in Herbs & Things EVENTS PAGE...and OH the lecture is FREE.

It's cold, and there is snow on the ground, but...now is a good time to plan your 2011 garden. Before you know it, the snows will be gone and we'll be wanting to dig in the dirt.

I have a revision in mind for the outside line of the Wheel with Flowers and Trees and also getting a plan together for the veggie gardens. This year, I am concentrating on, corn, squash, tomatoes and potatoes. Squash and potatoes (red and gold) over in the garden by the Fairy Garden. On the other side of the creek adjacent from there, more corn and potatoes and carrots, a 3 sisters garden might go behind the house. And maybe inside the corral of all places....tomatoes. Linda K was talking of covering her garden, so this made me think of covering the tomatoes, and maybe they won't blight. I learned last year, the blight is airborne and not within the soils as previously thought? So hey its worth a try. And just when I thought I wasn't going to try tomatoes...:) Thanks Linda for a great...well lets hope a great idea!

Did you know?

The 'Voice' has been telling Kellie to can Strawberry juice and I think I've found the voice to be VERY wise. Canning Strawberry juice, sounds odd doesn't it...yes right up until I researched the health benefits of Strawberries http://www.gayot.com/lifestyle/health/features/strawberries-health-benefits.html
and
Strawberries are sacred to the Native American and they believe the juice has medicinal purposes. They drank it as a healing tonic and also strawberries are associated with the Goddess VENUS...hmm so what were they telling me...OK I'll Can Strawberry JUICE...:)
Benefits of Ginkgo biloba (available at Herbs & Things)
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ginkgo-biloba/NS_patient-ginkgo

Music heightens your vibrations, (for me, at this time in my life, it is drums, flutes, meditation music and music with no words) whether, physically, emotionally and or spiritually..and apparently astronauts know this too... Flutes in Space?
http://www.wivb.com/dpps/news/offbeat/space-serenade-astronaut-has-4-flutes-in-orbit-ob11-jgr_3715441
and other ways to heighten you vibrations
http://hubpages.com/hub/raise-your-vibration-level

Heidi and I are excited...we have hand-drums arriving soon, made by Rick McBride who gave the retreat last year!
Chelated? you see it on supplements, what does it mean?...Chelated minerals are minerals that are bound to proteins for better absorption in the body. A target chelated mineral is one that is bound to a specific ammo acid geared toward a particular body organ when it is ingested.

If you'd like to be on Herbs & Things weekly email
email Kellie and type in subject Subscribed

Feb 1 Herbs & Things Email

2011-02-01T07:35:00.000-05:00

Hello From Herbs & Things:)

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart."
Helen Keller

February is one of my favorite months of the winter. Why? Not because its the month of valentines, but because though its not spring and in spite of the colds we might have to endure, it's showing us spring is not far away. The day light hours are increasing, and the sun even on a cold day, radiates more heat. To me there is something special about sitting outside on a cold day, closing my eyes and letting the sun warm my face and feeling that warmth penetrate through winter layers, creating a peace one cannot find anywhere else but within. But I have to wonder...my message? Get ready for a cold like we've not seen in a while, if this storm coming is the one 'they' were referring to? So be prepared, for just in case:)

Just when I think, I am not hearing anything from the Wheel, I receive two profound messages in a 24 hour time.
Friday morning, walking (or actually snowshoeing) I was asking to see something that I wanted to see, but did not, yet someone else did. Heading back to the house a little disappointed, I heard, clearly "if you are to busy watching for the Eagle, you will miss the Sparrow"
Huh...?
Well...this message was loaded with wisdom. Which will make tons of sense when I share during Linda's and my lecture. Feb 28th...see events page
Then....
Thursday evening again while snowshoeing in the Wheel, selfishly, I was asking, why can't I be gifted as some people with the ability to see orbs. When the an answer came in a reference to Helen Keller, who was blind and deaf, and I was told, one does not need to see or hear to know. You have an innate ability to 'feel' and know beyond what you hear. Cultivate that, more than trying to see orbs.

Most of us know the story of Helen Keller, a woman who in spite of her 'limitations' , miraculously, achieved great things. Intrigued by this message, and wanting to be reminded of what she accomplished, I googled her. So imagine my surprise when I found, today's quote by Helen Keller, which is engraved on a statue of her standing by the water pump where in a pivotal moment in her life, she understood her first word: W--A--T--E--R, as signed into her hand by teacher Anne Sullivan.

I, with the way my mind works, find it amazing that the first word she understood was water, because metaphorically what does water represent, but the fluid of life, a spiritual cleansing agent, and what is most needed to make a garden grow...yes water.
Read more about Helen Keller... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Keller
Ok so I won't worry so much about not having the ability to see orbs and concentrate more on the gift I do have:)

What's going on in Egypt, now that's food for thought...Think... how would you survive should All the internet, cell phone and any wireless be shut down and you seem to be left in the dark? And the 'professionals' say this could never happen in US...hmm ? and you might find this interesting, maybe read Exodus 10:12 as I was instructed to do Sunday morning(in my Standard Revised Edition) ? Now you have to understand, I do not read the bible as some do as a daily practice. In fact I do not pick it up unless I am 'told' to read something in particular, such as Exodus 10:12, so yes....this got my attention.

Magnesium the good and bad...get more info...
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium/

Be well
Laugh often
Love large
Dig in the dirt
Grow a garden
and may the sun light your way
Kellie
+
Herbs & Things

Some 'Things' inside Herbs and Things

Bob's Red Mill Aluminum Free Baking Soda -- 16 oz
Yogi Green Tea Kombucha -- 16 Tea Bags
Yogi Tea™ Classic India Spice® -- 16 Tea Bags
Yogi Tea Peppermint Caffeine Free -- 16 Tea Bags
Yogi Tea® Green Tea Goji Berry -- 16 Tea Bags
Hyland's Rhus Tox. 30X -- 250 Tablets
Hyland's Gelsemium Semp. 30X -- 250 Tablets
Hyland's Ruta Gravis 30x -- 250 Tablets
Hyland's Arsenicum Album 30x -- 250 Tablets
Hyland's Hypericum Perf. 30X -- 250 Tablets

New suns
Vita, C, D3, B-Complex, B-6,B-12, Life Source, Hawthorn Berries, Magnesium Blend, Magnesium with Herbs, Advanced Joint formula, Multiple Vitamin with out Iron, Probiotics, Omega 3 fish oil, Flaxseed oil,
Natures Sunshine...Chlorophyll, HSN-W, Chelotaed Iron, Dandelion Root, Auyrvedic Joint Heath, Vita D-3

Varity of
Organic Fair Trade Spices
Harrison and Crosfield Teas
Tazzo Teas
Gifts
Soaps
Books

CD's
Drum Healing
Drum Journey
Shamanic Dreams (for meditation)
Shamanic Dreams II (meditation)
Holy Harmony (meditation)
Chakra Toning with singing Bowls (meditation)
2-Celtic Dance music
Arriving soon
Bach Flower Remedies Rescue Remedy Pastilles Orange Elderflower -- 50 Pastilles
Bach Flower Remedies Rescue® Pastilles Black Currant -- 50 Pastilles
Boiron Arnicare® Gel -- 2.6 oz
Boiron Oscillococcinum
Bach Flower Remedies Rescue® Remedy Stress Relief For Pets -- 10 mL
Bach Flower Remedies Essence Larch -- 0.7 fl oz
Bach Flower Remedies Essence Impatiens -- 0.7 fl oz
BOOK...The Tao of Equus: A Woman's Journey of Healing and Transformation through the Way of the Horse"
Bob's Red Mill Organic Scottish Oatmeal, 20-Ounce Bags

Because we cannot get the Mexican Chiapas or anything with Mex Chiapas in it until March, a different selection of great tasting Dean's Beans Organic/Shade grown coffees

Marrakesh Express
Peruvian
Ring of Fire
Uprising
Full Moon

Latest Weekly Email Ramblings from Kellie and Herbs & Things

2011-01-25T06:39:00.005-05:00

Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God., ~George Washington Carver ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Carver

I find it kind of funny, that years ago when I bought my Mad Bomber hat because of its warmth, that people laughed, smirked and said, "You gotta give Kellie credit, she must be comfortable in who she is, and not care what she looks like to wear a hat like that', that now they are the IN thing! Well its just goes to show, ask a country girl what's the best style and she'll instinctively know...:):)

Minus 18 degrees is very cold.
That's what the temp was Monday morning at 4:30 AM going to the barn. Thank god for no winds. Even the one set of fluorescent lights in the barn had a hard time getting going. By 6 AM it had drop to minus 20.

This typical January cold snap reminded me of a walk I had near the Wheel last week when I was told, 'be prepared, very cold air is coming'. I don't think this cold snap is the one 'they' were referring too or I maybe 'they' meant, the weather men only 'think' they know how cold it will get, when they tell us the wind chill will make if feel like 20 below when in fact it will actually be -20.

However the reason I am thinking its not this particular cold snap is...I have boots good for minus 50 degree weather I've not worn yet this year. Repeatedly, I was told to get them out, and also get the blankets ready and on hand for the horses, which is not typical either, because since not playing polo or showing anymore I rarely put blankets on the horses in winter... Except... when it gets in sub zero weather, as it did, I am thinking about 20 years ago when the cold plummeted to minus 40 and that was NOT ...it felt like minus 40 because of wind-chill. It was minus 40 degrees!

You know me, just in case its not thoughts merely rambling around in my head, the blankets are ready as are my boots good for -50 degrees. I've also noticed, birds that normally don't eat a lot of suet are packing it in. Suet fat generates heat for the birds, so I wonder if that in itself is a sign. Could be.

So...at the chance of coming across weird, (nothing new) and as with have enough gas for the generator not being for here but other areas, I have to tell you to be prepared for 'cold weather the likes we've not seen in a while', just incase the cold air coming I envisioned, is not reference to the cold we just had, or for this area. I'm not taking chances wishing I'd said something.

So get your wood piles replenished and near. Make sure your vehicles gas tanks, food freezers and cupboards are Full. Get all your cold weather leggings, hats, gloves and boots out, and make sure any pipes that have a chance of freezing are protected, for just in case. Don't forget about your dog, cat or outside animals that need protection too and keep your suet feeders full, it will help the birds stay warm, (even though they usually can survive well with out us, it just makes their life easier and makes me feel better:)

Did you ever wonder why you are drawn to a particular tree? Its because Trees are one of the oldest living plant people on this earth. They've seen a lot and have much to teach. Each tree has its own sense of power, wisdom and are inherent to rhythms of the earth. Their root systems are underground telegraph wires and their limbs are like a telescope or antenna that can 'see' and 'sense' for many miles.

Such as if the tree is deciduous, or coniferous, that we are drawn too, might be an indication of how we are going through life at that time. Telling us whether we work with the seasons or use what's at hand at the moment.
Each Tree holds secrets and knowledge for each one of us.
If you are drawn to a Walnut...it holds wisdom. The Pine is balancing and awakens the divine spark. Oak provides strength and reminds us that true strength is also gentle. Cherry is about new awakenings, birth and insight. There are so many trees, each holding different educational properties for each one of us. Its time we introduced ourselves, and ..OH...you don't need to know the names of the trees to hear what they have to say.
If you are not sure about Trees. Try this little experiment. On a cold winters day, if you are out walking, remove your glove, put the palm of your hand on a tree that 'Speaks' to you, you'll be surprised that Tree will feel warm. Keep your hand there for a while. Because it's cold out, you will expect that your hand or the tree will start to feel cold. Surprise, it will not. Your palm will stay warm. Move your hand to another part of the same tree, and there too it will feel warm. Try putting your hand on another Tree, that at that time you aren't particularly drawn too. It might feel cold. Go back to the Tree that feels warm, it has something to teach you. Close your eyes, (don't worry what people will think) lean on, or rest your palm on it, and just listen at what you hear. Sometimes when I lean against a tree, I feel that tree vibrating.
Really, try it, you won't be disappointed:)

Book Club was fun Monday night. We met and ate at the Food Court at McKinley Mall, then went to Barne's & Noble and each of us took 30 minutes to find a new read for the month. We came back with many choices, but Cathy Cole found our new read to discuss at our next meeting...which is Thursday Feb 24th, 5:30 at Mo's by the five corners in OP, then after dinner and discussion, we'll trek to Borders to find our next read.
This months book is 'Voluntary Madness' by Norah Vincent.

Be well

Laugh often
Love large
Dig in the dirt
Grow a garden
and may the sun light your way
Kellie
+
Herbs & Things

Herbs & Things is now carrying some Yogi Teas

Mayan Cocoa Spice...in stock now
Peach Detox...in stock now
Detox...in stock now

Calming...in stock now

Green Tea Goji Berry...Arriving soon

Green Tea Kombucha ...Arriving this week (was in stock)
Tea Peppermint Caffeine Free ...Arriving this week

Herbs & Things has Hylands Homeopathics

In stock...30x

Arnica Montana

Chamomile

Nux

Allium Cepa

Hepar

Apis

Mag Phos...6X
and also

Bach's rescue remedies and flower essences

Willow, Pine, Beech, Star of Bethlehem (others arriving soon)

Arriving this week 30x

Rhus Tox.

Ruta Gravis

Arsenicum Album

Hypericum Perf.

Winds playing the Flute? Latest ramblings from Herbs & Things email

2011-01-19T06:03:00.004-05:00

Hello From Herbs & Things :)

Let us permit nature to have her way. She understands her business better than we do.
~Michel de Montaigne

My "time off" has come to an end.
Wed back to 'work' for me.
Did I get done ALL the things I had planned? Of course not. I spent to much time goofing off:) My friend told me, "Kellie, that's what being on vacation is, goofing off, going at your own pace. Not doing all the 'work' things you told me you were going to do."

It didn't take me long to begin to enjoy 'hanging out' while the shop was closed. I did not go anywhere, really do anything, but yet I felt free. When I went snowshoeing, meditated, shopping, or did something as simple as talk on the phone it felt like I had all the time in the world. There were no time constraints other than the animals, but they've been a part of my life since childhood, so that time doesn't count:).

I guess I did not fully realize that though I work from home, I am still on a time schedule, of when and what I can do, that revolves around Herbs & Things opening and closing times. I did good though, the one thing I had to get done.... I did...Herbs & Things books. Good thing I am not a big business...book keeping IS NOT my forte':) I procrastinate so.

I rearranged Herbs & Things little shop. Very little though, there is not a big space to rearrange:) but I think it is roomier, with a new rack, (graciously given to me by Rose from Body Glyphix) which looks nice and is more space efficient.
I didn't get my web site updated as planned, but I will. The new ideas have not stopped so when I get them collated, then I can start to work on the website.

On a fun 'NOTE' I copied Linda K, and bought myself a walnut, Native American Sparrow Hawk flute in the key of A. I am LOVING it. I am amazed, that though I've never played flute that I can actually play a couple tunes and already I have a flute and maybe Spirit encounter? :)

Tuesday morning around 3-3:30 AM I woke to a sound, that I figured was the wind blowing through something. But to me (probably because I've been practicing) it sounded like some one was playing a flute. I turned over and listened to the tune, thinking that the winds, in their natural beauty and rhythm were able to create music that sounds like a beautifully played flute with no squeaks or missed notes, and then I thought, gosh to bad I can't play the flute like the wind does. How beautiful it was.
Later that morning, Rick (husband) says to me, "Did you hear that sound during the night? I think it was wind blowing through something, but it sounded just like a....."
" A flute playing?" I said, with wide eyes..
He said, "Yeah....that's just what it sounded like, in fact at first I thought you were practicing in the wee hours of the morning, but then I felt you still in bed."
So, now I wonder? He heard it too, AND to him, it sounded like someone was playing a flute too.

COOL! :)

Did you know?

If you cut the Hawthorn Berry open, the fruits has a heart shape inside and what does the Hawthorn Berry Benefit? Yes the heart. Also it helps with high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, cholesterol and much more....Read more about the amazing Hawthorn Berry
http://www.nutritional-supplement-educational-centre.com/hawthorne-berry.html
Hawthorn Berry is available at Herbs & Things

Cayenne Peppers from the Capsicum family has a number of benefits, for the heart, stomach, intestines, circulatory system, metabolism and more...read more about Capsicum/Capsaicin.. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=140

Reminder...Herbs & Things has a variety of New Sun Supplements

Such as, Vita C, B6, B12, B Complex, D3, Magnesium Blend, Life Source, Probiotics, and more
and if I don't have what you want in stock...let me get it and you pick it up in the shop and save up to 30%-50% on shipping.

Also I have a variety of Herb Pharm products too.
Nettle, Milk Thistle, Good Mood Tonic, Healthy Liver tonic, Willow Bark, Echinacea, Turmeric and more...
Mention Herbs & Things and get 10% off your first Body, Soul and Mind 2 hour consultation with Rose at Body Glyphix Studio.
http://www.bodyglyphix.com/

Be well
Laugh often
Love large
Dig in the dirt
Grow a garden
and may the sun light your way

Kellie

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Herbs & Things

Part of Herbs & Things email...Fountain of Youth?

2011-01-13T07:32:00.000-05:00

Every one has heard about the fountain of youth and would like to jump in.

I've learned where to find the fountain of youth without traveling to foreign countries. It's as simple as keeping what you've acquired while spending time nature for any length of time, with you.

Here's what happened. I was taking the dogs for their walk on a snowy day last week. I went to the 'Fairy Garden' near the Wheel. In that garden along with the Pines are Apple Trees. One particular Apple Tree caught my attention with a limb that swoops down making a perfect sitting spot within that tree.

I sat there, watching the snow flakes being carried at a slight angle by a breeze and listening to that same breeze sing through the Pines. I could hear the birds at the feeder at my back, and it was in that quiet time, I recalled a couple conversations I'd had with friends during the week. One friend said she at 46 put on her leggings, went outside, and laid in the snow under some trees and just was. Her words to me were, "I felt like a little kid and did not care what the neighbors thought and it felt good".

I had just done about the same thing lying on the Fairy mound, in the snow like a child, watching the snow fall and waft through the trees. As the snow flakes landed on my cheeks I stuck my tongue out trying to catch some snowflakes, remembering what they taste like to a child. After which, I got up, did a little dance of joy in the snow, and looked up in the trees and again felt like a small child next to their tall stature. That's when I eyed the welcoming arm of the Apple tree, and sat in its cradling comfort.

It was there in the serenity of the moment, the light went on. The fountain of youth is that child that visits you for 20,30,40 minutes at age 46, 56 or 63 as you lay in the snow, make snow angels, or do a hair-do with your grandchildren and go to dinner like that....that will keep your inner child alive as you re-enter your adult world. By merely allowing that child from the past to be part of your now adult life is what keeps you young and get this...grounded.

So go out in nature, hike, sit, play in the snow, walk IN the puddle not around it. Splash in the creek, swing on a swing, do it all...and you will have found the fountain of youth and it will make you feel good.

Part of Herbs & Things latest emailing

2010-10-06T05:55:00.000-04:00

Hello From Herbs & Things:)

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
Nelson Mandela

The Retreat is over and what an experience, Not only for me and those who attended, but for Rick McBride too. Though he does not talk a lot of what he 'hears', he did tell me with tears in his eyes, he has a LOT to process that came from the Wheel. I love it. I and my husband Rick were privileged to be part of the Pipe ceremony that Rick McBride did when he first arrived and though I did not understand it all, the emotions and spiritual connection were something I COULD understand and feel. As far as the retreat goes, it will take me a couple days of sitting back and processing each day, the one on ones conversations with Rick McBride, and the Ah-Ha moments, to get all that it brought. Each lecture and workshop were magnificent. The last two days with the Medicine Wheel workshop was an experience that was surly divinely guided as each person got to the 'heart' of what their proposition to the Medicine Wheel was. Through tears and laughter, we all found things about ourselves we were afraid to explore and then the courage to speak them aloud, that without the help of the Wheel and God we would may not have accomplished. Plus we were privileged to bond with people of like mind, and learned how the 'circle' of life really works.

Which brings me to..
I am sure, now...the neighbors are really convinced Kellie's lost it. First she mows a strange looking pattern in the hayfield and then Friday Oct 1st, there were people out in that mowed area, singing and beating on drums in the cold of the night....Well all I can say, it's to bad they did not join us (especially the person walking up and down road with a flash light trying to see us.:), they would have had an experience of a life time. I know I did as did the people and spirits there.
Drumming and Drum Healing is something I had no clue of, and it ended up being an experience like no other I've encountered. The vibrations emulating from the earth and in the Wheel with the Drumming were high and filled with love. But the Drum Healing...Whew...a whole different thing. It's hard to explain the feelings as the vibrations go through and out your body. It makes you feel the oneness with the earth below your feet and the energy vibrations of everything around you. We've already planned on having a drumming next year, maybe July when its warmer, and I'd recommend that if you can or had an inkling to attend this one, you should attend the one in July. You'll find that its not about being Native American, its not about any culture at all. Its about connecting with the Earth and your higher source, feeling Her grounding life and the true 'Natural' connection, whether it be God, Wakan Tanka, Buddha Yahweh, or any other divine. Friday night in this particular instance it was in a Native American way. To put it simply we prayed outside and instead of having church music or a choir singing, there were drums and Native American songs.

Thank you to all who attended the workshops, lectures, drum healing and your gifts to the Wheel. With out your love and connection to Mother Earth, it would not have been the retreat it was. I will try to use the gifts for the Wheel wisely and as directed by those who 'instructed' me to make the Wheel in the first place. And to anyone who has not walked the Wheel, The Wheel is a place for all to come. It is not about being Native American, nor about being any religion. It is not a place where beliefs are judged or you will be instructed to change your core beliefs or the essence of who YOU Are. It is a place in Nature you actually feel and are offered connection to your higher source, enlightenment, truth and peace.

Kellie

snippet of Herbs & Things email from Sept 13th 2010

2010-09-19T18:33:00.002-04:00

Hello From Herbs & Things :)

Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence.
Hal Borland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Borland

Thursday last week I climbed a tree. I've not done so since I was a child, but every time I work a Wheel for myself, it keeps telling me to search my inner child and have some fun once in a while...so I climbed a tree. It was wonderful...It reminded of when I was around 8 or 9 and climbed a neighbors tall pine tree. I went up and up and up....then looked down. I found I was above their house and the view was breathtaking...because it took my breath away when I realized just how far I had climbed, the dilemma, I had to get down. However while I contemplated going down and not falling, which I did not think of while going up, I enjoyed my wonderful time with the tree. I thought how amazing to be a bird and live in a tree, walking out on branches and seeing the world from all points of view. It was a memorable experience in my childhood and I am glad I climbed a tree Thursday to revisited that time. For sure though this time, I was not that far off the ground, I might have only been up two foot, but for a moment, standing in the apple tree, though 56 years old the child within emerged and hugging the tree as the winds rocked me gently in its limbs, the feeling was unexplainable as an adult, but the child inside understood why a child instinctively NEEDS to climb trees. You should try it...it will awaken things you've not felt in a while...I promise:)

Its the time of the year for the angels of Virgo (August 22-Sept 21) Their keynote is Patience, inspiration and organization. Music that will help you connect to them---Ludwig Von Beethoven(Pastoral) http://www.all-about-beethoven.com/symphony6.html Angels of Virgo help awaken our magical sparks. They bring wisdom and more. (Ted Andrews 'The Intercession of Spirits')

Recently Spirit has been emphatic about me journaling, every day. Usually they tell me to go to the Magical place under the pine trees, sit on the mound and write what I remember...which I've started doing. What I've remembered with pen in hand has been amazing and made me wonder how could I have forgotten these things. I will try to share a very profound and emotional experience next week, inked from my memories, on Herbs & Things blog, I've just not had time to write it there and do it justice this week. I've told a couple people and each time its brought me and them to tears.

Rick my husband is on vacation, and the project for this vacation is putting new water lines through the whole house. Not sure if the upstairs will get done, because the ceiling in the bathroom has to come out (which is ok it needs to be replaced) as will the stairway wall leading up to the once used to be apartment that is now Herbs & Things 'warehouse':). He might need more vacation time for that I expect, but hey one never knows, maybe it will get done this week? :) During this new water line time, I've had to take 'sink baths' and use a bucket of water to flush the toilet. Its fine for a couple days, but wow this is what they use to do all the time years ago. How spoiled we are now, with the turn of a knob and walla, a nice hot shower or the whir of the potty going down.

Beaver Meadows Sept 11th 2010 was nice. The day couldn't have been more beautiful and it was the perfect day for me to be there, because Rick did the hot water lines that day and had it all but done by time I got home. COOL...:)

Still canning too. Right now I have Chili Sauce cooking and it smells...marvelous! Soon, but not last the potatoes...then one of my favorites...Applesauce~

Sept 24th-Oct 3rd 2010 retreat

Teaching the Lifeways
with Rick McBride...
Pre registration is required
open RETREAT attachment for more Info
You may register....
Via, kelliem@roadrunner.com and mail check.
Phone...716-861-4851 and mail check
Come directly to Herbs & Things
or by clicking the link to see classes and or to pay by debit or credit card
http://www.coldensherbsandthings.com/retreat.html
No monies will be transacted until retreat starts.
Workshops are filling up...

Did you know?

Check out one bench I got made from donation monies. I'll get going on more benches soon AND a place of magic.... http://coldensherbsandthings.blogspot.com/

The Super Bug might be here... http://www.examiner.com/headlines-in-san-francisco/breaking-news-drug-resistant-super-bug-found-three-states What can you do? Stop using antibacterial soaps, exposing your system to germs and bugs is natures best way of building resistance. As in a horse, if a horse gets strangles, the best way to prevent it from happening again, is to let it run its course, as long as the glandular swelling does not close their airways...let the fever, snots and other pleasantries run their course. Keep you horse comfortable, in a well ventilated area but warm, plenty of fresh water, maybe something for the achy, and your horse will probably never get it again. Antibiotics often will prolong the duration of strangles and may cause a rare condition call bastard strangles that is usually fatal. We humans can learn from the animals.

There are 7 wonders of the Underwater world
http://www.7wonders.org/wonders/underwater-wonders.aspx

There are 7 Wonders of the Ancient World
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/artarchaeologyarchitect/tp/7WondersWorld.htm?nl=1

Natural Wonders
http://www.7wonders.org/wonders/natural-wonders.aspx

New and Returning to Herbs & Things

Red Raspberry Pretzel Dip is Returning (5 big yums!)
New scents from Funky Chunks (the ultimate castile olive oil soap)
Twice the Spice, Poison Apple,Pumpkin Patch, Sunshine
these and other scents available in smaller sizes for $2.00

Recipes
Baked Stuffed Peppers
by WKBW Programming/Mr. Food
Originally printed at http://www.wkbw.com/lifestyle/mr-food/100873539.html

Ingredients
Our over-stuffed Baked Stuffed Peppers are a super change-of-pace easy side dish. Colorful red and green bell peppers serve as tasty edible bowls that team with any go-along.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2 medium-sized red or green bell peppers, split lengthwise and cleaned (see Options)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ripe tomato, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and sauté just until softened. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients except pepper halves and Parmesan cheese; mix well.
Fill peppers evenly with mixture and place in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Add 1/4 cup water to baking dish, cover with foil, and bake 15 minutes. Remove dish from oven and carefully remove foil; return dish to oven and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, or until heated through. Serve immediately.
Options :Try stuffing Cubanelle or Serrano peppers for a different gourmet flavor.

Hamburger Pie

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
2 packages (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls
Your favorite shredded cheese
1. Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Pour off any fat. Stir the soup in the skillet.
2. Unroll 1 package crescent roll dough and press on the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Press the seams to seal. Layer half the beef mixture and half the cheese in the pie plate. Repeat the layers. Unroll the remaining dough. Place the dough over the filling and press the edges to seal, if desired.
3. Bake at 350°F. for 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Makes: 6 servings.

Be well
Laugh often
Love large
Dig in the dirt
Grow a garden
and may the sun light your way
Kellie
+
Herbs & Things

HOURS
Wed/Thurs....10am-5:30pm
Fri/Sat..............9am-3pm
Closed...Mon/Tues
Sunday/Starting May 1st -Oct
Holland Farmers Market
8:30am-1pm

One bench down and more to come AND a Magical Place

2010-09-14T06:40:00.000-04:00

New Bench in Meditation Garden

Water Fairy

Bench made from donation monies

Enter and sit on a Fairy Mound...it's a magical place

Look as see what you see and hear

There's magic in them there trees...

I asked God a question and this is what he said.

2010-09-01T19:35:00.004-04:00

During Herbs & Things full moon walk in the Wheel August 24th, 2010, I realized on a bigger scale, the number of hurting people in today's world. People hurt and walking around with open wounds, where proud flesh can grow, leaving them unable to heal. Thus the anger, depression, and illnesses we see so prominent today.

I realized too, many are not as fortunate as I to live on land that has healing properties. They've no place to go, to Connect, and ask for help with their worries, anxieties, resentments and/or regrets.

The walk made me re-ponder the questions I've frequently been asked over the years, "How am I able to move away and move on from bad things. How is it I have no regrets. How can I so easily forgive those who've done me wrong?"

My answer was always "I don't know".

Until now.

Now I understand, it is this land. It has the capability of helping to heal and push aside hurts. I'm not sure it will help everyone, but I know it can help many. Understanding this about the land, I still questioned why I was instructed by 'The Voice" to put a Native American Medicine Wheel on the land across the road in May. Though the Wheel is still new, I've seen many who've come experience healing in one form or another. But they too question why are they drawn to this and feel good, but also feel like they are doing something wrong, because of what they've been taught in their religion. That believing in something else other than what you are taught, is a sin.

So a few days ago, I decided to do a sitting meditation under the Poplar tree near the Wheel in the meditation garden. I smudged the area with sage, quieted my mind and started my conversation with God.

"God, are you here?" I asked,

"Yes"

"I need to get down to the nitty gritty about this Medicine Wheel."

"Yes, I know, go ahead."

"I am confused, and once and for all, I'd like to know, why have I been instructed to build a Native American Medicine Wheel, and not move towards you in the way I was baptized, in Catholicism?"
I heard nothing for a moment, then the answer was...

"You are an example, of knowing I am one, no matter what you choose to call me. I am in you, in the Pine trees that sing music to your ears, the flowers that give you peace through fragrance, in the animals that tug at your heart through their unconditional love. I am in the dark sky's of night and the blue sky's of day.
I am in the waters that you drink which give you life, or the waters that bathe and soothe you.

I am the winds that caress your cheeks and dry your tears. I am the stability beneath your feet, upon the earth of which you stand. All you have to do, is take off your shoes, and you will feel me. All you have to do, is touch a tree, smell a flower, dig in the soil, listen to the music in the trees, the songs of the birds, frogs, crickets, or the howl of a coyote and you will find me. All you have to do is watch the miracle of a birds flight, let the sun shine on your face, be amazed at the flower that opens, or simply give someone a kind word or hug and you will see me.

I've used you in this way, because I want my children to come back to me. Religion though it a good thing, at this time in the world, people are feeling disconnected and their trust is diminishing. You ask me why the Native American Medicine Wheel. The Wheel is nature, using nature to connect to Me, and people will learn to trust it, because Nature cannot lie. When My children experience this they will no longer disbelieve or fear me.

Native Americans always knew this. They, even through the worst times of their lives, stayed connected to me through nature. They, as many I've used, have a better understanding of the sacrifice of the only son.
And those who chose to follow the ways of Nature, eventually learn to trust again, because it connects them to something tangible they can hear, feel, smell and see...Me".

Whew...a little emotional here. Just wrote what I was told to tell you.
Kellie

Ramblings from Kellie and Herbs & Things

2010-07-09T06:53:00.001-04:00

Ok I'd had enough. It was 1:30 pm Tuesday afternoon and I'd been mowing since 7:45am. It was HOT again. I decided I could finish mowing the next day or later that day, because it was cool off time and a good time to get Herbs & Things weekly email together. It was nice in my office, on a hot day like that, with the fan blowing on my skin, a cold glass of iced water, and the little Yellow Finches http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Goldfinch/id serenading me from outside my window while I send messages to all Herbs & Things addressees and hoping their 4th was great.

The Farmers Market was small last Sunday, with only a few vendors. Must be everyone else was enjoying the holiday weekend and or making hay. Thanks to all of you who came and visited the few of us that were there. Which brings me to, If you own hay eating animals and buy hay, now would be a nice time to give that hay maker a silent thanks of gratitude. Because those hay makers took advantage of this weather and kept working, working, working making hay, in spite of the heat. I know I appreciate my hay guy Joe or anyone that makes hay, because I don't miss, the hay stacking, it sticking to my neck, in the crevasses of my arms, down my back, under my shirt, in my jeans, nor that my headband was wring out wet from soaking up sweat and sometimes it would still sneak a stream of salty water down my face, then topping it off with breaking out in a prickly rash because I am allergic to it. Do I miss doing hay...Nope....well maybe just a little, there's a certain sense of accomplishment when you put in 700-1800 bales of hay in a day-Some do more... However... thanks 'LOADS' Joe...

Mother Nature Speaks to me and I heard!

2010-06-23T05:48:00.001-04:00

I am always awed, when I've noticed that Mother Nature is speaking to me and I heard! Being a bit of a workaholic, and though I spend the majority of my time out side, too often, I get caught up in the day to day things, my thoughts, the have to's, and don't take the time to 'smell the roses'. However, I am learning and getting better at taking the time and I've found, that Mother Nature has a lot to say and much to teach. I am learning better at listening to 'Her' language and not expecting Her to speak in mine. But then again, really Her language is mine, because she in collaboration with the 'creator' is from which I came. But somewhere over the course of evolution, I've lost that old world language, but its in my blood and it is returning, not only to me, but to many others. It is starting...and what happened Tuesday June 15th 2010, is a perfect example of what it is I speak of.

It was a beautiful day, one that could be considered perfect. This was the day I was finally going to put the posts and solar lights in the Medicine Wheel I am constructing in our big hay field. The skies were blue with a perfect temperature of around 73. I had spent the morning drilling the holes in the top of the posts for the solar lights to sit in. Then around 11 am, Me and John Deer went to the Medicine Wheel field and commenced with our task. There was a breeze and not a black deer fly anywhere as I started. The breeze felt good. With each light post, I asked is this a good place to put it, and when it felt right that is where 'we' secured it in the ground. After the first fence post went in and I placed the solar light, in the caulked hole atop the post, I noticed a Dragonfly hovering around it. He got close enough to me that I could see he was a bluish color, double winged with white spots and stripes. He was beautiful glistening in the sun. I greeted him "Hello there", in my language, he responded with a dart up and down. I went to the next post, pushed it in the ground, placed the solar light in the pre drilled hole, stepped back to make sure it was straight and again, either the same Dragonfly or another that looked like the first, hovered around this post and light too, as if checking it out, then flew down towards the circle of the wheel. I followed. I put the four posts in the wheel area, and for each post, that dragonfly was there.

Moving through the East path to find the perfect spot for those lights, I felt a bit lonely when I thought The Dragonfly was gone. I put a fence post in that area, and to my delight the Dragonfly reappeared. It felt like I was seeing it for the first time. I watched it, it watched me. I appeared more beautiful to me.
I continued on with my task at hand and put 14 posts and lights in the Medicine Wheel and 14 times a Dragon Fly was with me as I erected a post and light. So when I came back to the house, still feeling awed by its presence, I looked up in the book ' Animal Speak' by Ted Andrews the meaning of a Dragonfly Totem...Ready....

KEYNOTE: THE POWER OF LIGHT.

Yeah I know...it gave me goose bumps too:)

Read more about the Dragonfly and other meanings too. http://www.dragonfly-site.com/

KEYNOTE: Shared Blessings and Harvest

2010-05-26T20:11:00.001-04:00

Sunday morning, getting ready to leave to set up at the Farmers Market, I was shutting things off in my office, and outside the window, where I can see the other garden I tilled, to my surprise walking around its perimeter was one turkey, seemingly, giving the garden a good once over. My first thought was oh great; now turkeys are going to come in, dig up the garden with their scratching and its not even planted yet. However knowing turkeys usually come in flocks, I looked farther out the window to see if there were more, there were not. How odd.

I admired the beauty of the bird, which surprised me because my minds eye thought turkeys weren’t a pretty bird, but this one looked different. It was brown with a reddish tail that reminded me of a Red Tail Hawks tail. She merely moseyed around the garden, not going in, just looking at it, for a few minutes, as if she was simply admiring. Wanting to feel closer to her for some reason, I opened my window to ask her what she was doing there, and she ran in to the woods.
After she left, I thought of the book Animal Speak by Ted Andrews I am reading. It is about animal totems and their meanings. I decided to look up Turkey totems. Because getting one lone turkey, not a flock is rare.

This is a small excerpt.
Turkey:
KEYNOTE: Shared Blessings and Harvest
CYCLE OF POWER: Autumn
The turkey is sometimes called the earth eagle. It has a long history of association with spirituality and the honoring of the Earth Mother. It is a symbol of all the blessings the Earth contains, along with the ability to use them to their greatest advantage. The turkey can live to be 12. Twelve is a significant number in that the earth revolves around the sun in the 12 months, reflecting a tie between the turkey and the honoring life cycle of the Earth. Those who have a turkey totem can usually expect a year of harvest.
Turkeys’ have an intricate mythology among Native Americans. They helped create the world and showed the humans how to grow corn.
So…does this mean that this visit by one of Mother Natures creatures to my new tilled garden is her way of telling me I made the right choice and that garden is going to grow good there. We shall all see:)

I’ve been lax…as you can see.

2010-05-19T11:46:00.001-04:00

I promised I would keep you posted on how my natural healing is going.
I am sorry to say I’ve been lax…as you can see.
I think things are going well.

Here is a list of what Rose suggested I take;

New Suns
Para CL to rid me of a few parasites (downfall of a living on a farm)
Life Source…a nutritional Green drink in a capsule (for spot on left ovary she found
Thyroid extract cell salts…(for my inflamed thyroid)

8 weeks into the program

I am done with the Para CL. I won’t know if that worked until I go back and she does another Iridology exam.
Taking the Life Source, I’ve found my moods are more even, and my stamina is higher.
The Thyroid Cell Salts…I know are definitely working, 10 days into taking them…I could feel the swelling in my thyroid had gone down. By Easter, I could see at the base of my throat area the swelling had gone down.
Though I’ve not lost only a couple pounds…I’ve no longer put it on, and I am not dieting.

In addition, the exciting news is a few days ago…I notice, my eyebrow hair is growing back in.
One of the signs of a malfunctioning thyroid is loss of hair at the end of you eyebrows…and I was bald. I had resorted to penciling something in. UGH...
But there it was, blond and fair…hair growing…I am thrilled! I like to show everyone…as if they’d really be interested:)

This week…May 18th I took my husband for a session. It was very interesting, very interesting in deed. I’ll keep you posted on his journey…hopefully better than I’ve kept you posted on mine.

Be Well
Laugh Often
Love Large
Dig In The Dirt
Grow A Garden
And May the Sun light your way
Kellie

If you are interested in New Sun’s product…you can buy them wholesale by
Calling Toll Free
1-800-544-0777
Mention Kellie & Herbs & Things Colden NY and you will
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Excerpt of Herbs & Things weekly email May 12th 2010

2010-05-12T06:49:00.002-04:00

The feelings of dismay and helplessness I feel, regarding the oil slick growing and drifting in the Gulf of Mexico reminds me of a poem I wrote a few years ago. http://herbsandthingspoetrypage.blogspot.com/ Though I try to understand the surmountable devastation on the wildlife and food sources, I'm not sure I can think on that big of scale. The effects I can only imagine its having on the Seafood, salts and other healthy food choices, that eventually might be dangerous to human health, Might be?...how could it not, is distressing.

Gulf fisheries are some of the most productive in the world and to think of the toxins that will infiltrate the sea life, minerals and greens is overwhelming. How ironic too, that we are told to eat more fish, that sea salt is healthier and that's what we should consume, rather than meats or preservative laden spices, yet here another natural source of healthy food is contaminated once again by humans.

I know we have to change our way of life, but my helplessness comes from I don't know all I can do and also my dismay comes from knowing that I too contribute to destruction of our scared earth. It’s hard to make change, but somehow, some way, I am going to try to start using my vehicles and fuels even less.

I ponder, the horses...do I need to learn to utilize them more, learning the old ways of plowing and gardening. I ponder too, now that I've been instructed to build a medicine wheel on land that is abundant with waters and grows with life quickly, how will I keep it groomed without mowing as often so people can enjoy its wealth of spiritual nourishment. I guess I am going to need a lot of ground covering plants and shady trees…and what else, I don't know. So let the research begin and let the voices speak...guiding me in what to do.

Only a few moments after writing the above paragraph, my minds eye said, Kellie, search Native American Nature equivalent to Noah’s Ark (I'll explain later of where the Noah's Ark scenario came from). This search, led me to, first about growing wild rice then to a list of 28 plants that do well in wet, boggy areas and running waters...the area where the medicine wheel and meditative gardens are going...(raising of the eyebrows...blink, blink... in awe once again. I asked, they listened, I heard.)

Survey

2010-04-27T06:49:00.001-04:00

1. What would you like Herbs & Things shop to carry?
2. What would you like to see more of in Herbs & Things emails?
3. What don't you like about Herbs & Things emails?
4. What learning lectures and or events would you like Herbs & Things to have?
5. What things are you interested in...gardening, nature, different types of spiritually, politics, star gazing...other (list your ideas).
6. Would anyone be interested in a Garden Club?
7. Do you think life is destiny, coincidence, a path already written, chance, none of these, all of the above, or do you have other ideas?
8. If you don't buy Organic coffee, why...price, taste, isn't any different from coffee you buy in the grocery market.
9. Are products that are Organic or Natural important to you, rating each on a scale of 1-10...ten being most important.
10. Spices...what spices do you use the most.
11. What's your favorite tea? Do you like loose or tea bags better?
12. What kinds of gift items would you like to see Herbs & Things carry?
13. Would any one be interested in a lecture about animal totems?
14. Would anyone be interested in a writers workshop? (given by me a grammatically challenged writer)
15. Herbs & Things web site... http://www.coldensherbsandthings.com/
What would you like different. If I had a store pickup would you purchase on line? Do you like it over all?
16. Please....I'm open to comments, suggestions or ideas...of any kind:)

I'm learning about animal totems

2010-04-24T07:07:00.000-04:00

My niece gave me a wonderful book for Easter, that teaches about our animal totems, titled 'Animal Speak' by Ted Andrews. I've been reading and scanning the book everyday since I receive it, trying to absorb the abundance of information within its pages.
I was especially excited when I received this book as a gift, because those who get my emails and read my blog know about the Medicine Wheel I've been instructed to build (by my sources).

A few weeks ago I decided Willow Trees should go near where the wheel is going to be. I've always love those weeping trees and thought they would fit perfect within the gardens that will eventually be put and constructed on the land across the road (meditative, memory, medicine wheel, 3 sisters, and what ever else comes to mind) where Native Americans once lived and their history speaks to me when ever I walk upon the grasses and soil there.

So, imagine my delight to find explanations of Native American Symbolism for the Willow Tree in this book....you'll see they are going to fit perfectly.
Symbolic qualities of trees..

The Willow...Magic, healing, inner vision and dreams

The Pine tree (which I plan on putting a separate garden near the ones that are already there) Balance of pain and emotions, creativity.

The Apple tree (already there too) Magic, youth, beauty and happiness

which brings me to
Another idea that came to me while mowing Monday...by....the Pine trees
is I am going to put information signs around the trees and through the field and gardens,

explaining...the signs of nature and symbolism if the trees, birds and the land.

Do you know what your animal totem/totems are?

I believe I have a couple....

The horse, hawk, the cougar(I dream of the cougar a lot),

and most recently the bear, fox and eagle,

which came to me last year while over on the land, and working in the gardens.

Part II Natural Healing journey

2010-04-04T07:07:00.003-04:00

I am a few days late getting Part II done…sorry

One of the first things I’ve learned about natural healing is one has to believe…or at least want too believe. I am there at 90% believer and 100% want to believe. This makes my odds good in spite of my doubts.

One must remember that natural healing is not an immediate fix like Western’s modern medicine. It is however, I've been told, often a good preventative, and or permanent fix because its using your own body to help heal its self, by repairing something, not just masking a problem or allowing the body a false sense of support, only to fall down when it is taken away. Think of it as a cast that helps hold things in place until the area is healed, then when you take the cast away, often the healed area is stronger than it was before.

Previously I mentioned in my first session I had to pee on a PH strip. My numbers were good…Urine read 6.5 PH and my saliva read 7.2 PH both in the alkaline range, which is where you want you body to be. Cancer lives in acidic environment so keeping you body alkaline gives it a better chance to fight off cancer.

Rose asked me many questions, learning about me and my families history, as a doctor would. She asked why I was there and what my health concerns were. I don’t have many issues, I feel healthy except for my weight I told her. I feel there is something going on more than me merely eating too much, that my body is telling me that maybe 20 pounds of my extra weight is from what I eat, but the other extra 30, something else is going on and that though blood tests say my thyroid is ok…I feel it is not.

Rose began with applied Kinesiology, testing my internal organs, checking to see if they are functioning normally. She ran her hands over me about 4 inches from my body, asking for guidance from God and my sources to allow her see, my life energy, brain, circulatory system, lymph nodes, throat, thyroid, pituitary, adrenal, heart stomach, gall bladder, liver, pancreas, kidneys, intestines, ovaries and all my internal organs. She went back to my pituitary, adrenal, thyroid…then back again. The pituitary and adrenal are communicating she tells me, but the thyroid though its trying is not. It is inflamed and swollen and cannot communicate something like a goiter.

Its then I told her about the feeling of a lump in my throat when I swallow, like a big wad of something that will not go down, and sometimes while eating it is hard to swallow. This started about 4 years ago, along with my weight issues and has gotten worse in the past 2 years. Thus, I asked for my thyroid to be checked and had mentioned the swollen thyroid area, the doctors said their tests showed my thyroid was ok so it wasn’t my thyroid, maybe I should have a scope done…but it was my voice that kept telling me they’re wrong. Of course, that other voice told me the worst-case scenario, but the thyroid voice was persistent.

We moved on. Now she was going to use the Avana method, an emotional cleansing. Rose instructed me that if at any time, the Avana method caused too much pain I could ask her to stop. If I started to cry there was a box of tissue on my right. Oh, that’s great I thought, I’m don’t want to cry. She sat behind, and asked God and my source if it was ok to enter and heal me if need be. They said yes. She then asked me if it was o.k. I agreed.

She first checked my chakras, http://healing.about.com/od/chakratheseven/a/study7chakras.htm by opening each one, to again check internal parts of my body but delve deeper to see if emotional issues were hampering my organs from functioning at full capacity.

I can’t tell you word for word what she said while asking for guidance and to be allowed to see my chakras
She entered each chakra…Crown…good, Third eye…good. Throat…sticky, I’ll return she says. Heart…compromised. She stops, “Please show me Kellie’s heart, there is something genetically wrong. May I heal it? No? That’s not fair. Why can’t I heal her heart? It’s her Karma...Ok…then I ask you keep her safe.”
Rose sighs and says, “They won’t let me heal your heart Kellie. This rarely happens that they won’t let me heal something, they said, maybe some other time.

Ok, at this point I was surprised, because I thought Rose found something most doctors don’t find. Something I had not mentioned to her. Because I don’t think about it. Its something I live with. Though she did not specifically say heart murmur, that’s what I believed she found. I’ll share later, how I feel about her not being allowed to heal that and if it was my heat murmur she saw. I did not say anything about it yet.

She continued…Solar plexus…compromised. She asks, may I enter and cleanse and heal Kellie. Their answer yes.
She enters, and finds no souls attached. She says, “Something is not right. Please have Kellie show me her 50’s, they were good, let me see her 40’s…Oh Kellie, much grief and sadness. Allow me to cleanse her of these emotions.”
At this point, I felt a huge wave of sadness wave over me, almost causing me to cry, and then it was gone. “It is done, Its done, It is done.” she said.

“Now let me see her 30’s, more grief, sadness and communication issues. Please let me cleanse these emotions.” Again but not as severe, I felt a wave of sadness wave over me. “Allow me to see Kellie’s 20’s. Ah 20’s were good.”
They were.
She entered my teens…more communication issues…allow me to cleanse those.
Toddler years …good
“Let me see her birth. Oh Kellie…Were you born with the cord around you neck?”
“No.”
“Allow me to see Kellie’s conception and uterine life. Oh such struggles for such a little thing, you had to fight every single day form the day you were conceived to get to this world…every single day was a struggle for your life…oh such a struggle for your beginning little life.”

Though I don’t consciously remember, my birth was a struggle. My mother back in 1953-54, was given the now controversial injections (she always told me they were monkey hormones) that are known to cause ovarian cancer, (which she died from) so she would be able to carry me full term. Between the birth of my sister and me, my mother lost four babies. I still was a month early.

Sacral Chakra…good
Root chakra…good

Back to my throat, “It’s sticky; I can’t get it totally unstuck. I’ll check that more thoroughly with I look in your eyes.”

Although I felt something during and after my session with Rose… still my mind wanted me to doubt and ask is it true. Or wonder, is it something like a placebo effect, wishing for results or that I do feel something, therefore I did. However, whether it real or in my mind, it did produce positive physical effects.

A few hours after my session, I started getting tired, and though I do not do this too often, but I really had not choice, I took a nap. I slept about 45 minutes. It was a deep sleep and after waking, I felt rested. Feeling rested after sleep has been something I’d not experienced in a while. It felt good; however, I still needed to go to bed at 9 PM.

The next day, after the best nights sleep I’ve had in a long time. I felt lighter some how, freer. I couldn’t exactly explain how I was feeling, but I could take a deep expanded breath, (I've had no problems with my breathing, but this was different) I could feel my rib cage and diaphragm expand as they had not done in a while. It felt marvelous. Then something told me to check my blood pressure. I’ve been struggling with it hovering around 145/87 for months which is to high. But this day, the day after my session…it was 129/71 that too the best it’s been in a long time.

I sat there, with the BP cuff around my arm, and contemplated; can healing the body be this simple? If so, then why aren’t more people doing it? Why haven’t I done it sooner? Can all these health issues of today, even cancer…be this easy to avoid and or rid our selves of?

Just like many, my doubts stems from fear. Fears that I am wrong, or what if while I am doing this, something is in there lurking around that modern medicine should heal. However even though… that what if…is there, something (probably that voice I am growing fond of) tells me to move on.
Learn by doing it says.

Next the Iridology she performed…what did she find, and her recommendations.
Also, after taking my BP and finding it lower, did I follow Rose’s suggestions and if I did, did I order the products, because Nothing can be this easy…nothing. Right?

(Please let me confirm now as I did previously, that at no time should one be with out a medical doctor. Modern medicine has made great discoveries, and we need it, but alternative medicines used for centuries, is a possibility too. It may help to avoid -invasive surgeries...and if surgery is needed, alternative ways, many times makes the surgery and recovery easier.
If you choose an alternative route, It’s important, that you share with your doctor your alternative program and you should share with your herbal practitioner your medical program…allowing them to work together, making your chances of healing, many say greater.)

My Natural Healing Journey… Part I

2010-03-23T20:29:00.003-04:00

Being a firm believer in chiropractic care, because it keeps your body balanced and more able to heal or ward of any problems, I can’t help wonder with the immediate relief of some of today’s modern medicines, that we are put in a false sense of wellness. When in reality, we are only masking the problem rather than fixing it. In addition, sometimes, though we don’t want to admit it, or often don’t even know it, our health problems stem from emotional issues showing themselves in physical breakdowns in our bodies.

We are hearing more often, that our body, soul and mind working well together can help keep us healthy...if…we give them a chance and or at least aid them naturally. Witnessing this work with my dad & now my sister, who are proof… that mind over matter, the right combination of drugs, herbs and or both, can keep you going, even through a health crisis. I still sometimes have a hard time 'really' believing it true or more factually would I trust and listen to my body, mind and soul in a health crisis, to tell me what to do, in spite of what I'm told, hear or read, to make myself better. So with our fears or lack of knowing how to trust or understand what our bodies are telling us, some of us have lost that connection to the higher power in our life and the higher power within us to keep us healthy.

Therefore, I believing… almost 100% of the time, we do have the power within us to help heal ourselves and that our body, soul and mind are connected, decided to practice what I believe and never going to an herbal practitioner before, made an appointment for a Body, Soul and Mind cleansing session with Rose, CHE, Avana Practitioner, Yoga Master & Therapist, from Body Glyphix Studio. Over the next few weeks, I’ll take you on my journey of natural healing. What I feel or don’t feel and if I believe it to be working.

My first appointment with Rose was March 16th, Noon. The only things I had to do to prepare for this visit, was have no sugar and drink plenty of water. It’s a must to be hydrated for what Rose does.

Rose is a soft-spoken woman, easy to be with, and looks younger than her 54 years. I look at her and though she had a health crisis of her own a year or so ago, she exudes radiance and a glowing presence. She welcomed me into her studio, which had a refreshing peppermint smell and colorful yoga mats and pillows lying neatly on the hardwood floors, making me instantly comfortable. We chatted like old friends.

She turned on the small flowing water fountain, and soft music to make the room more tranquil. I shyly told her I needed to tinkle because of all the water I drank before I came. She laughed and said, not with out this, and handed me a PH strip. It was to check my urine, then later with a new strip to test my saliva for alkaline levels. Both which were good, indicating no cancer. I learned it’s best the body have an alkaline environment, because cancer cannot live in alkaline conditions.

We then sat behind her desk, face-to-face and chatted. She asked me a few questions, about stresses in my life, family health history, if I’m taking any medications, vitamins, my daily diet, allergies, and the exercise I get. What my health concerns are and why I came to her. I told her my health concerns, which I will get in to later…and then we proceeded

Before we began, Rose explained how she was going to proceed.
First …Kinesiology…is used to find out where and if I have any problem areas
Second…the Avana Method…an emotional cleansing.
Last…Iridology, to get a deeper look at my body inside through my eyes.

So before we begin on my journey here are explanations of what Rose did.

pH Testing checking the pH (acidity/alkalinity) of your saliva and urine. Just as the pH needs to be balanced in your pool, pond or aquarium- so does the pH of your body need to be balanced. Most of us like to consume food and drink which are too acidic. This leads to a condition called "acidosis" which leads to weight gain, cardiovascular weakness, bladder and kidney concerns, joint and muscular discomfort, immune deficiency and low energy levels.

Kinesiology… This therapy is designed to be a part of a holistic approach to preventive medicine. The goals of Applied Kinesiology are to (1) restore normal nerve function, (2) achieve normal endocrine, immune, digestive, and other internal organ functions, (3) intervene early in degenerative processes to prevent or delay pathological conditions, and to (4) restore postural balance, correct gait (walking) impairment, and improve range of motion.
According to AK, each muscle in the body relates to a specific meridian or energy pathway in the body. These meridians also relate to organs or glands, allowing the muscles to provide information about organ or gland function and energy. The five areas of diagnosis and therapy for the applied kinesiologist are (1) the nervous system, (2) the lymphatic system, (3) the vascular (blood vessel) system, (4) the cerebrospinal system, and (5) the meridian system.

Avana Method… this technique to clear your body of negative energy, prana, and emotions. Our emotions make us sick physically- we have to make sure your issues are not caused from an emotional blockage. Rose works with your body energetically and your source. (Prana= a Sanskrit word that refers to a vital, life-sustaining force of living beings (breathing) and vital energy in natural processes of the universe.)

Iridology the science of iris diagnosis- to find blockages, health and genetic issues as well as determining toxins that prohibit us from obtaining our health and wellness goals. It is a non-invasive means to find health issues. The science of Iridology is thousands of years old. To be re-discovered in the 1850's by Dr. Von Peczley of Hungary and is becoming quite popular today through out Europe and Asia in the medical world.

Next in PART II Sharing what my health issues are. The Kinesiology part and what Rose found. The emotional cleansing (Avana Method) did I feel anything or nothing.
What did my eyes tell her…the Iridology?

I'd like to say here...if you decide to choose an alternative health program, that it should not take the place of your medical doctor if you have one. Nor should the reverse happen-- modern medicine should not solely take the place of tried and true alternative programs for health. I have to tell you one reason I decided to do this is that what the doctors tell me about one issue and what my body keeps telling me are two different things.
Many doctors are now starting to combined modern and alternative together, to make an over all better health care system for their patient. Studies have shown, sometimes those who need to use both ways reach their optimum health goals. Others that use only alternative ways, also reach their optimum health goals.
Modern medicine has made great discoveries, and we need it, but alternative medicines used for centuries, we need too. It may help to avoid -invasive surgeries...but if surgery is needed, alternative ways, many times makes the surgery and recovery easier.
It’s important, that you share with your doctor your alternative program and you should share with your herbal practitioner your medical program…allowing them to work together, your chances of healing are greater.

Ramblings In latest Herbs & Things email

2010-03-09T07:14:00.002-05:00

Saturday, my friend Heidi and I were talking about life. How before we knew it, time slipped away and years have past. We talked of how our lives are changing, and the fears surfacing of things we've not done or worst yet, the fear of trying something new at our 'older' age. Heidi is in her 40's and Me…I am going on 56.

In our conversation, one thing that came up is why when ideas come to us when we are older, we often question, are we to old to pursue this new idea, or the big one....Why now, is it to late?

I think it surprised her when I told her that same question "am I too old", crossed my mind when at 54 I decided to embark on entrepreneurial journey. Now I question, as I’m pushing 56, and these grand ideas of a medicine wheel, meditative garden and a bunch of other ideas come to me, "Why now, why not when I was younger and had more energy."

I pondered over this a while and realized when I was younger, yes I would have had more stamina to do all this stuff, but something vital would have been missing. That is, through my journey in life I've learned, it’s the quality and the appreciation of what life has to offer that's important and these revelations...one can only acquire with age.

The meditative garden and medicine wheel will offer these revelations, on an individual level, because in those gardens not only will I plant herbs, flowers, and pathways around them, but also a part of me and my life and the lessons I’ve learned. Some who walk through those gardens will feel the wisdoms I have accumulated over the years and wisdoms of those before us (one cannot help but accumulate some wisdom whether they want to or not or at least I hope so). Consequently I believe in my life's destiny though I am older, now is the right time...so thus...one is never to old to do what ever they want in their life, whether it be build a medicine wheel, a meditative garden or take a Tai Chi class.

The time was right also when my Time To Write http://timetowrite.blogs.com/weblog/ email came. In that email the explanation in a nutshell was presented to me, when someone wrote to the editor wondering if they were to old to start writing. The editor from Time To Write...used this to answer that question...

A man wrote to Dear Abby saying he’d always wanted to be a doctor but had to go to work at a young age to support his family. Now he had the time and money to go to medical school, but, he said, “I’m already 50, so in seven years, when I’d finish, I’d be 57.”
Her answer was: “If you don’t go to medical school, how old will you be in seven years?”

Meaning...go do it, no matter what your age, if you heart is telling you this is something you should do...go for it. You'll never regret you had, your regret will come from you didn't try. Because if it came to you now...then its not to late, the time is right.

Mistakes are life’s lessons taking you under wisdoms wings

2010-02-28T06:37:00.005-05:00

I chilled Friday night, (no pun intended because the cold winds pushed on my doors and the snows tapped my windows, telling me to plow and shovel again. At which I said no). I must admit, as I am getting older, I enjoy chilling more than I did a few years ago and the best part is I don’t feel guilty about it.

So chilling out and feeling the need for some sort of warm comfort food, I, in a corning-ware baking dish with a lid, added ½ cup of uncooked corkscrew veggie pasta to a pint of my homemade spaghetti sauce with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, and mixed it all together. Then put it in the oven at 325 degrees, and let it cook while I did barn chores.

After finishing chores, around 5 PM, entering the house, the aroma of the spaghetti sauce and Parmesan warmed my senses. I took off my boots, and snow attire, and slipped in to my jogging pants. I ate green olives with tomato basil hummus over the top, as a type of salad, watched the news and when my pasta was ready, I put the movie Julie/Julia on, curled up in my green lounger, ate pasta, drank tea, and watched the movie.

It was a very good movie and I enjoyed it, however, now I am jealous. No not from the fabulous cooking, (who needs Julia when I had my own concoction of pasta and spaghetti sauce made from tomatoes picked out of my garden,) but my green-eyed monster reared its ugly green head, because of Julies blogging ability.

Sulking in my green skin, I asked myself, why can't I write something every day, so intriguing, that millions of people would want to read it ...Everyday. Why can’t I draw people in with my words such as her…what is it that I am missing, or lacking in my writing other than…eh-hem… good grammar ability.

Ok, so I wasn’t really, jealous, jealous, just a bit envious. Which isn’t good either, because haven’t I heard somewhere in my upbringing, being envious is a sin too? Oh well, who cares, all I know is I want people to love my writing and I want that ability to write something people will want to read, Every day… dam it!

Watching the movie more, one message I got, is in order to get followers you need to blog every day. You need to tell it like it is. You need to bare your soul.

I do bare my soul, well kind of, but I don’t blog every day. It’s like buying a lottery ticket, if you don’t buy one you will never win. In blogging if you don’t put you and your heart out there everyday…the followers will not come. Its not rocket science, I guess.

But to be honest one reason I don’t blog every day is because it takes me so long to write something. No… that's not the truth, I do need be truthful. I must tell my readers…AS it is.

It’s not the length of time it takes me to write something, but the challenges I face when I painstakingly try to edit what I've written. Adding things, taking things out, adding something back only phrased differently so it sounds different or using a different word that means the same thing. It’s endless even editing a short piece as this, well for me anyhow…edit, edit, edit. Next thing you know, 3 days have gone by and still no new blog.

What can I say, I want it to be as perfect as I can make it, in spite of grammar challenges. But that’s the catch, it will never be perfect. I AM grammatically challenged which is how I refer to my inapt grammar, punctuation faux pas, the tendency to be wordy and the bad habit of repeating myself, which is only because I want the readers to get what I am trying to say. However, a wise woman once told me, “trust your reader to get it Kellie, they will”.
Thanks Tricia...www.faithhopeandfiction.com

Therefore, I say to all of you out there that have these fears...Write...and forget about other’s abilities. I will try to do the same. Write when you can, what ever you want, in whatever style you want, and where ever you can. But by God Write!

So what, you don’t write perfect, the perfection will come later and then maybe not, such as in my case, but still write. Get those thoughts down. They may look like a mess of words, but they are tales, your tales with messages hidden between the lines, fragmented sentences and too many commas, but they will come together as a coherent story.

Write, even if its merely a sentence, saying...crap I don't know what to write today. Write a poem about the day. Write a short story with you as the hero.
Write even if you think you’ll be criticized for your mistakes.

Remember mistakes are life’s lessons taking you under wisdom's wings. (hmm I like that. Sounds wise doesn’t it? I just made it up and guess what…I don’t even need to edit it)

Write, because you are a writer and that's what you do.

So write my fellow writers...write from the heart and what you write….will be beautiful

Writing wishes from
Kellie

Can you hear what I hear?

2010-02-24T05:09:00.004-05:00

I wouldn’t be surprised if some folks think me crazy, oddly interesting or eccentric. Then again, maybe a few silently wish they could hear the voices I refer too. You know 'The Voice' I say is not necessarily of reason but a voice of intuition, crazy ideas or sometimes those very loud internal thoughts that cannot be ignored.

Such as, the other day, the dogs and I went for a walk across the road from the house, in our pasture and hay-fields. I was not snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, just walking quiet, feeling and listening to the winds blow through the trees while the dogs hunted for gremlins under the snows and within the deer tracks.
The sun was bright as the winds slight and steady made the trees whisper, "spring is on the way".

Once over by the creek, I stopped walking for a moment, to enjoy the sensation of the sun on my face, the winds dusting my cheeks with their cold breath, and listened to the gentle creek babbled under the snow banks, brushing against the thin layer of ice as if day dreaming out loud of the day it would roar with springs melting snows.

It was then, in the wind whispering quiet, faintly...I heard something. I held my breath to hear better. The sound was not an outside audible sound, but a comforting sound inside my head. I could feel and hear a steady rhythm. First in a low tone, then it gradually grew louder and became clearer.
Hiya, Hiya...hiyayayay...hiyaya...drums, drums, beating, hiyayayayyayaa. The rhythm was tingling through my feet and working its way up my legs, to my chest and in my throat, making my body unconsciously want to start moving to the rhythm, right there in the middle of the snow cover field. My mind stopped me.

My god Kellie, people will think you really are crazy if you start dancing and singing out here all by yourself. However, I could not ignore what I was hearing and feeling, sounds of Native American music and chanting. Standing stone still, though my mind aware of the outside world, every ounce of my inner self wanted to move to the rhythm, I, instead closed my eyes, felt the winds blow across my face and allowed the music to fill my being...It was beautiful. Time no longer mattered and I’m not sure how long I stood there with my eyes closed, drinking in the sounds, maybe 10 minutes. I opened my eyes and a sense of happiness and fulfillment was draping my chest as tears stung at the corners of my eyes. I took a deep breath, and the dogs and I started are walk back to the house and as soon as I stepped on to the paved road, the music went away.

A few days later, walking through the living room, I was thinking of my meditative garden plans, mulling over the plants and colors that would be in it, which suggestions from others I would use and the Native American music I heard. When…out of the blue...loud and clear...I heard…Kellie A MEDICINE WHEEL as if some one was shouting in my ear.

“What”? I stopped immediately as if my feet were stuck to the carpet…

"Where the heck did that come from? Medicine Wheel? What is a medicine wheel? Why do I know what a medicine wheel is, but I don’t know what it is? "

My mind flooded with thoughts, searching for archived information about Medicine Wheels. The only thing I found in the now frantic recesses, is that I knew the Medicine Wheel is Native American and it was used for healing…physical and emotional healing. But where did I learn of it? How do I know of it? For the life of me I could not recall ever researching it, or reading about it...so how the heck did I know about something few people do?

Now it makes sense, why for years though I've tried and tried to get someone to hay the hay field, I could not. It was a futile attempt to get something done that was not suppose to get done on that land. Because, apparently haying that field as Leonard Bush did years ago, is not what MY intended destiny was and is for that land...
Other plans have been put in place and one of those plans includes a Native American Medicine wheel.
So you may ask what the heck would prompt, a catholic, Scotch Irish girl to build a Native American Medicine Wheel. I’ve not a clue…but it is so cool isn’t it!

Therefore, I am researching, to learn as much as I can about the Indians that lived in this valley, and of the Traditional Medicine wheel, giving me enough knowledge so I can make a variation of it, with flowers, herbs and trees. Then I’ll invite all of you to come and feel the power of the land.

I also know, from my ‘resources’ I’m supposed to make that land a type of sanctuary or meditative area for people to go to, a healing place for the mind, body and spirit. Something so many need today. You many ask, why that land? Because I know, it carries qualities of serenity, peace and harmony that are unexplained. You only need to walk there once to feel and understand those qualities. It’s my destiny to share that with others, and I can’t wait.

However, what was to be a simple meditative garden is growing, and what it’s grown to in my mind so far…is
A Meditative Garden
A Medicine Wheel
Willow Tree Garden
Memory Garden (idea from Kathy Crone)
3 sisters Garden
And also a type of sanctuary for the animals too
Now that I’ve received this 'vision' the visit from the Eagle, Bear and Fox last year, have a new significance. People often ask me, how do you know, when what you are hearing is from a higher source and not just you talking to yourself in your head.

THIS is a good example, because along with the thoughts and ideas came peace, conviction and the innate feeling of ah ha, this is exactly right, an Ah Ha that cannot be ignored.

Dowsing the Body

2010-02-18T06:44:00.002-05:00

Wellness for your body is virtually at your finger tips.
What a wonderful tool I learned to use last night.
With Rose Czyrny from Body Glyphix...
http://www.bodyglyphix.com/home.html

Dowsing the Body with Applied Kinesiology

Dowsing the Body with Applied Kinesiology...is applied by
using the finger tips of your writing hand and holding or touching the object of question, that is good or bad for you, in your non writing hand. Rub the tips of you fingers together on your writing hand and if they slide... what you have in your left hand is good for you. If your fingers feel 'sticky' it's not good for you.

As with any tool though you need to use and practice to hone the skill.
This style of dowsing can also be applied to your pets to see if what you are feeding them is good for them. If you are not sure what they need this can help you find out. Or lets say your pet just doesn't seem up to par, you can find out where their source of un-wellness or pain originates from.
Very cool...tool.

Three points to remember when using this tool

Be hydrated
Be Spiritual
and avoid sugars or alcohol before applying.

See you soon....I'm off to hone my finger tip tools...
Be Well
Kellie

Thanks Mom and Dad

2010-01-27T07:10:00.004-05:00

My mind’s been full of all sorts of things to share this week. But it’s the frequent thoughts of my parents, who are both gone for a while now, I feel I’m suppose to share.

Allow me to take you to my world in the early to mid 1960's. Though I didn't realize it at the time, my dad was a healer and my mother a spiritual liaison. Actually I'm not sure if they knew it either. Its only within the past few years I've realized they were ahead of their time in their thoughts on healing the body and living life. Like the time mom and I went to the New York World’s Fair, we were standing and listening to the beautiful rhythm of native drums (can't remember the pavilion) when she told me, "let music fill you and it will help carry your thoughts and prayers to the heavens Kellie."

It wasn't long after that, I felt it odd but was not embarrassed, when mom took me on an excursion to Canada, so she could receive an acupuncture treatment. It was that day I learned what acupuncture was and that most people knew nothing of it. How the heck did she find out?

Around age 11-12, though I thought it a little silly, when she tried yoga and meditative ways, I was left intrigued by the practice of both, but never let on that I was.

She and my dad talked often of alternative medicines and spiritual beliefs, but did not pursue them because of the stigma attached to them at that time, but it was normal for us to practice them and use a few of the 'old wives tales' remedies that actually worked. Such as my dads none medicinal cure for in-grown toenails. After months of going to the doctors for hers, and no relief from the infection pain, finally, my mother let my dad work his magic and was never bothered by them again.

During those times, my mother tried to get me to pursue what she called my physic ability, which I bucked, thwarted, and put in the back of my mind because then I thought it too hokey, plus it scared me, especially the day when I was 19-20 yrs old and my grandmother came to me and told me in no uncertain terms she was not pleased with my purchase of my new motorcycle and that I was going to get hurt. She was right. I totaled that motorcycle when a guy ran a stop sign. I was lucky, no wait, guarded because something told me to slow down just before it happened, if I hadn't, he would have run me over.

My father, was naturally gifted with the ability of dowsing, by using the boom of his backhoe to find water. He didn’t know how he was doing it, just that he…could …then he’d find water in places where no one else could for someone’s water well.

In 1969, my dad took me for my first chiropractic appointment when chiropractic care was not considered a medical treatment. He believed the mind and body to be one, and if all is balanced, the mind could help the body heal by using positive quiet thoughts or at least get it through a difficult time. This way of thinking helped him live through a body changing tragedy at age 20 when he should have died, and later on living with Lupus longer and with less medication, than anyone anticipated he would.

I've come to realize too, they've paved my alternative road and given me the ability to learn more in these areas of healthful living. Therefore, I guess it fitting, and my destiny that I follow suit. Not only to learn more about those things considered, weird then, but to learn of all the things they wanted to know. I think they are telling me in all my thoughts of them lately, they are happy that finally after years of keeping my inner self to myself, I am (though I've always known who I am) more aware of who I am, the abilities I have and that I am embracing them, though I am still a fledging where all are concerned.

Thanks Mom and Dad.

The Horse that Slept with Goats

2010-01-20T06:05:00.003-05:00

Heidi had been without a horse for about one year after giving Glory, her horse of 6 years, away to a good home. Then one day she realized being horseless was not for her, decided it time to get another and immediately began looking through the paper, on the internet, anywhere horses were for sale, for a new equine pal.

A short time after Heidi started her search, a friend of mine called to let me know an appaloosa horse was for sale in Eden NY. Though Heidi was certain she did not want an appaloosa, with excitement of the prospect of a new horse, we made a trip to Eden, thinking, hey one never knows.

We found the house number we were looking for, and pulled in the driveway. We were disheartened with what we saw. Things were, well let’s say, not so neat, with the pasture and barn in disarray. I told Heidi, “it might be ok, my barn is no palace.”
“Maybe not… but your place does not look like this.”

The grasses were long and wild around the barn and all kinds of—stuff— haphazardly speckled the yard, in and out of the pasture. In the middle of the pasture was a large mound of manure or possibly dirt. Atop that mound, a brown and white goat lay curled up sleeping.

Doubts and thoughts of we should leave follow us up the sidewalk. Then at the halfway point between the house and leaving, a woman comes out side. Our first impression in a matter of seconds, though she seemed nice enough, her girth was not as tight as it should be. She asks us if we are there to look at the horse. We tell her yes.

Heidi and I follow her, while carefully walking around, over and through stuff, and enter the barn. Once inside we see one big stall and hay thrown everywhere. Goats are everywhere too, climbing all around us. If my memory serves me correct, four more goats were inside the one big stall. There standing out side the barn, at the stall door looking in… the not so pretty appaloosa.

A man joins us. I can’t recall if it was the woman’s son or husband now, but she instructs him to go get the horse and bring it in the stall. He tries. But the not so pretty appaloosa, unruly, rude and obnoxious drags him in the stall, swings him around, pushes him up against the stall, and then steps on his feet and stays there for a while, oblivious to his pushes to get her off him.

The woman says, I don’t know what’s gotten into her, she’s usually not like this. Heidi and I give each other that, yeah-right look. Heidi nicely tells the woman, “Sorry, I don’t think this horse is for me.”

With an animated voice, the woman says, “We have another horse for sale if you’d like to see him” and points out in the pasture.
Heidi and I let our eyes follow her pointing gesture. We don’t see anything and look at each other with a questioning look. We read each other’s thoughts, shrug our shoulders, and conclude what the heck we are here. So with skepticism, we crawl under a board, walk through the goat stall and in to the pasture with the woman, wondering if the Appaloosa from hell will push herself upon us, step on our feet and hold us against our will, or will we be run over by goats.

Its then the woman starts chanting, “Baaaaaaaaby…Baaaaaaaaaaby, cluck, cluck, come on Baaaaaaaaaaby, cluck, cluck, cluck, some one is here to see you.
Heidi and I look at each other….Baby?

“Baaaaaaaby,” more clucking, “come on Baby…come on boy, cluck, cluck, cluck, CLUCK.”

Heidi’s eyes glaze with a dazed wild look and I wonder— is this woman calling a dog?
“Baaaaaaby come here you have some visitors.”

That’s when it happens. A phoenix of sorts rises out of the dust, from the middle of that dirt or manure pile, in the form of a small dark brown horse. He shakes himself off and meanders down the pile of dirt as agile as a mountain goat. The brown and white goat follows him.

“That’s Baby” the woman says, “he’s an eight-year-old, ¼-horse mix, that my son showed 4-H before he went to college.”
“What in the goat show” Heidi whispers.
It took everything I had not to laugh aloud, though I’m not sure if the woman would have noticed anyhow or understand the brunt of Heidi’s joke.

Baby, nonchalantly walks towards us then heads straight to Heidi. As if checking her out, he nuzzles her clothes, her hair and her pant leg. Heidi backs up a step. He follows her. She grimaces, “What the heck, is this a dog or a horse? God he smells like a goat Kellie.”

They show us, everything Baby ‘can’t ’ do. We watch in horror as he bounces around the pasture with his head and nose in the air. Whoa, means he can stop on his own time. They explain how proud they are at how road safe Baby is, because as Mrs. ‘Baby chanter’ tells us, “if they ride him down the road a certain distance and he turns around and comes back—that’s his way of telling them the road isn’t safe today” hence road safe.

What?

Yes their definition of road safe, great barrel racer, stops good, can turn on a dime, and can clean his feet (that were clamped to the ground) easy, were very much different from our definitions of the above.

We asked the woman, when’s the last time he was wormed? Has he had his inoculations this year, were his teeth ever floated, when’s the last time his feet were done.
The woman response…“What?”

Why, and with out good reasoning, a few days later, ‘Baby’ is in the barn, first order of business, name change. It took a few days. Thoughts of Ziggy, Shorty, Hey You, Goat Horse, and a few other choice names came to mind, but Billy (no pun intended) seemed to fit.

Not long after he was here, Heidi and I on warm day thought it time Billy had a bath, because the barn had taken on a noticeable goatish odor.
Billy gets an—oh god, what is it with these girls—look on his long brown face, as we giggle, tell him to stand still, wet him down, suds him up and scrub away. We find something we never expect and with great excitement, we chime giddily, “He’s brown, no he’s black, no wait he’s seal brown.” We also find as we scrub more, a white spot on his forehead—and—white hind socks. Billy looks like a very different horse then the Baby horse we looked at. He’s washed into a beautiful dapple bay, with a small star, and two white socks. No wonders he smelled like a goat and blended in the pile of dirt.

Billy, of course did not know what all the fuss was about…He didn’t care— he was a horse, or maybe a goat in disguise. Although, I can’t really say with certainty he didn’t know what the fuss was about, because occasionally he’d pick up the plastic curry or brush and almost show us where to scrub.

There were trials and tribulations in the first year of Billy and Heidi’s relationship. There was a time when Heidi wasn’t sure she wanted to keep him. Then the growth of a friendship with many fun hours and loving memories formed.
Billy taught Heidi how to have fun with your horse and about unconditional love. Heidi taught Billy that a human could love and care for him and be his friend, a friendship that brought the best out of both of them.

God makes all animals special but sometimes for reasons we don’t understand some are more special than others. Billy— the horse that slept with goats—was one of Gods specialties. What a great little horses you were. We love you and we will miss you.

With one last thought, about the horse that slept with goats. I find it extraordinary that Heidi found one of Gods specialties— her equine friend that loved her unconditionally, in Eden?

4 AM...Thoughts from Heidi about her Equine friend...Billy

Gone are the days of hearing your gentle nicker to greet me as I entered the barn

Gone are the days of seeing you enjoying the pastures on a lazy summer day

Gone are the days of our care free rides and your nonstop curiosity with all in the world around you

Gone are the days of wondering why you just aren't the same and why you're not feeling well

Gained is my thankfulness for the gentle, caring hands of the veterinarians in their attempt to heal you but eventually helping you to be put to your ultimate rest

Gained is my reminder of just how remarkable friends and family can be during our seemingly darkest days

Gained is my understanding that some day down the road my thoughts of you which are painful right now will turn to laughter and joy recalling all the years we spent together

Gained is my absolute gratitude to God for the 'gift' he gave me of being your owner

RIP Billy...Jan 14th 2010...We will miss your cute horse life loving muzzle...
Kellie

The Blue-Cold Moon Celebration...

2010-01-05T20:52:00.004-05:00

Uncertainty and a tiny amount of fear, shade the margins of this blog. Not from the content, but of where to start, well OK… maybe a little uncertainty is about the content. I don’t want anyone to think me eccentric.

Most everyone who knows me, knows I am a spiritual. However, raised Catholic, I am forced to confess I’m not thee best catholic. Nonetheless, I say I am spiritual and that should count for something…I think.

What I’m about to share, I believe is me evolving and doing what I’ve always known was part of me. Some might think it means I’m simply not a good Catholic girl and consider my Catholicism slightly tarnished, but I can’t help it. Even as a child I asked questions and believed in things I wasn’t ‘supposed’ to. In spite of this, I’ve always had the feeling I have a unique connection to God, so what I felt and what I was taught did not always coincide…therefore I asked with a personality that wouldn’t allow me to merely accept what they were telling me. I had to see it for myself thus comprehending better—how—I was to perceive what they were teaching me. I wanted to understand, but could not take someone’s word at face value…sorry sisters (I’ve not changed much since that time either).

It never felt God got mad at me for being this way...He... instead spoke in a way—I–understood, which wasn’t always through written words, the words of a priest, or sister, but for me, through the animals, the earth, my sense of a higher being (something I sometimes question) and the voice.

Consequently, then and— now—I’d stay quiet within my thoughts and rarely, if at all mentioned the voice. I wanted no one to deem me a weird child. (The fist time I heard the voice I was four years old. Yes four. But that’s another story.)
As I’ve mentioned in another blog, the voice, is not necessarily the voice of reason, but a voice of intuition, thoughts or crazy ideas that come from…well you know where, or maybe you don’t. I think here is a good place, before I go on, to explain although I don’t always see eye to eye with my religion, I am still proud to be a Catholic. I can’t help it, its part of who I am, genes of my Scotch/Irish heritage.

Please, don’t worry, the voice, isn’t a voice like what Jack Nickolson heard in the Shining. It’s a little voice that speaks in the back of my mind or sometimes in the very forefront or sometimes a voice so persistent it can’t be ignored.

Everyone has the voice. You know it as that flash thought you ignored and wished you hadn’t, or the voice putting up a red flag telling you repeatedly, someone is not good but you don’t listen and you get taken to the cleaners or get your heart broken. You know…the voice, those inner thoughts that most of us have, but chose not to pursue, because of fear. Fearing that if we speak of it, (the voice), we’ll sound loony. We also fear that if we relay what we hear or think we heard we could be wrong or scarier…we could be right. I know…I’ve been there.

With maturity, I find myself taking bigger chances and listening to the voice more often (or maybe it’s because my outer hearing is not as a good as it use to be) and accessing deeper recesses within, finding what feels comfortable and right for me. As I re-read that it almost sounds selfish, but its not, because I’ve found, what’s comfortable and right for me, benefits others, our earth and I believe this is what I am suppose to do, its what the voice tells me anyhow.

So here goes, usually I do not celebrate New Years and have not done so in years. I don’t like it. It feels like a bunch of unhappy people trying to be happy, only to wake up the next morning with a hang over and feeling unhappier than they were the year before. Unhappiness stemming from the realization the resolutions they made for last year, they did not keep, thus convincing themselves they are failures for not doing what they had set out to do. Hence…grief at the loss of a year of un-achieved goals, and they jump head first with new resolutions, instead of spiritually, in to another year, and goals are re-resoluted and new ones added, consequently badgering themselves for another year of not accomplishing their goals. It’s a vicious unproductive cycle that doesn’t have to be, if they’d only realize they don’t have to wait until one night of the year to resolve and or try something new…any time is a good time, any time that’s right for them. And that sometimes the only thing we need to reach our goals, is to be silent and listen—to the voice. Well you get the drift of what I am saying with out beating you over the head with a noisemaker. I hope anyhow.

Dec 30th, late morning my friend Heidi called to let me know she’d be coming out to see her horse New Years eve and she’d like to bring pizza or something. When she called because I didn’t know what my husband was doing I wasn’t sure what I was doing. He wasn’t home yet. Then my husband got the call. New Years eve, he would leave for Baton Rouge. This didn’t bother me. Its not a big holiday for us and usually I’m in bed before midnight and simply like to wake to the New Year. This year would be no different and with the job market the way it is, as us farmers say, have to make hay while the sun shines.

Later on, the same day, a friend, Kathy, reminded me this was a Blue Moon New Year and I had to celebrate. I wondered, how could I celebrate something I don’t like celebrating. But, this…this was a Blue Moon New Year with a partial eclipse of the moon and if I didn’t celebrate in some way—I knew I would be very disappointed.

It then dawned on me it was as if God had made reservations for me to celebrate. So I searched of what one does on a blue moon celebration in December and then called Heidi with the idea I had for Dec 31st. We were about to celebrate with the blue moon. Or the oak moon, or cold moon, the moon of December, indicating the impending long cold months of winter.

Dec 31st, unfortunately, we could not see the moon. The sky was hazy with wet snows, but we knew it was there so our celebration commenced.
First, we ate pizza and salad, while drinking ginger ale, a feast fit for our small gathering. After we ate we had a nice cup of tea.
Through dinner, we giggled, talked and laughed, then went outside, tromped in the snows readying our prayer area. My two dogs romped around, and the coyotes yipped in the distance. We lit candles for those we were about to pray for, here and gone. We sat on Mother Earth grounding ourselves, burned sage to purify our thoughts, heart and area of prayer. Earlier we had written prayer requests, wishes and convictions on paper, and were holding them in our hands. It was then the world around us went quiet. The breeze stopped, the snows fell silent and straight to the earth. My dogs sat behind us, as we raised our voices to the heavens and read each prayer request aloud so our words could reach our heavenly father. We then lit the papers to let the smoke also carry the words to the heavens and saints.

After our ceremony, we had dessert and coffee, Heidi went home, and I went to bed before midnight. I closed my eyes, and saw soothing shades of purple and white. Relaxed, I fell asleep while thinking of the prayers we’d prayed. I slept better that night than I have in a very long time. Upon waking, I experienced lightness in my chest and a happiness that was almost scary. I was worried and wondered….why do I feel so happy? My psyche did not want to allow this happiness because some how it felt wrong. I called Heidi and she told me she felt the same. I knew then, the way we celebrated was right.

Still, uncertainty and fear shade the margins of this blog, because I fear as when I was a child, sharing the way Heidi and I celebrated, would cause the church or others to chastise me for not celebrating in a holy manner, but then the voice spoke…and this is what I heard.

Kellie…be silent and listen.
When you go to church and light a candle, why do you do that?

I answered, “We light it for those we pray for, to demonstrate special devotion or to make a specific appeal”.

Then I heard,
Don’t you think the Catholic Church does this because they view candle burning as a natural religious expression, not something tied to a specific form of idolatry? “So this was my need to light the candles. Got it.”

When you go to church on Christmas Eve and the priest burns incense… why is that…“
Burning incense reminds us our prayers, like the smoke of incense, ascends towards God and mingles with the prayers of the Saints in heaven?”
Psalm 141 (140), verse 2: "Let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sight: the lifting up of my hands, as evening sacrifice."

And ins't it often used as a purification ritual.
I pondered, “The sage?”
Yes…

When you go to church and sing, why do you do that?“

So the words of our prayers rise to the heavens? OMG (no pun intended) our prayers spoken aloud is music to your ears.
Yes…

And, where have I told you, your church can be?

I raised my eyebrows and conceded, “Outdoors, with the animals…in my conversations with you. Where ever you and I walk, or the places where my thoughts are clear and my soul is pure…such as in my garden, in the barn, being one with Mother Earth…anywhere you and I are together.”

Yes…

I get it
It’s as I’ve always thought…
It’s not about the religion… its about believing.
Its not important how I pray… its that I do.
Its not where I talk with you that’s important…. its that I do.
Its not about holding hands with someone saying I have faith, its about holding hands and walking with you, believing in something I can’t see…That’s faith.
Its not important how or where I celebrate….but that I celebrate with you, for you and on behalf of you.

So then, how do you know I’ve listened and I’ve answered?

The voice…

Yes

A sample of Herbs & Things Newest newsletter...join us

2009-12-16T07:13:00.003-05:00

When I'm forced to take a step back, I try and tell myself, it's merely life's way of allowing me to re-evaluate where I am, where I want to be and if I'm headed in the right direction.
Kellie M. Shanley

Getting older doesn't bother me, but It seems lately I'm reminded of it more frequently than I'd like.
Checking out at the grocery store Saturday evening, some snot nosed kid called me....Mam. OK ...he really wasn't a snot nosed kid, he was a nice young man. But... in those few seconds, while I thought, what is he thinking, MAM? I feel 40 therefore I must look 40, I felt better telling myself he was a snot nose tyrant calling me a bad name. Really, how could I be upset, he was telling it like it is, and to him even 40 is older. So I thanked him for being a nice young man and then explained with my age of wisdom weaved within the gray hairs on my head, that a polite young man is something I don't encounter that often anymore and it was a nice change. He blushed and I think he was glad I didn't pinch his cheek.
Now, I've noticed I... tune in...towards more serene sounds. Dean Martin...some of you might remember him, some of you may not....I do. I liked him when I was younger, but he wasn't one of my favorite singers...to mellow for taste then.
Monday, I was driving to my sisters, to pick her up for our day out, of taking her to see the new Wal-Mart on Southwestern, Do lunch and her Doctors appointment. I don't play the radio often while driving, but this time I turned it on and was listening to 104.1 the oldies station. After turning up the volume, singing along and rocking with Robert Palmer as he belted out Bad Case Of Loving You. I left the volume alone when Dean Martin came on crooning...Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow.http://www.whtt.com/goout.asp?u=http://www.tunegenie.com/onair/whtt/ ( If you want to listen, Click calendar for Dec 14th and songs played at 9AM) The song ended. I found I was smiling and still humming Let it snow. How could this have happened...I liked it as much as rocking Robert Palmer. But I cannot tell a lie. Dean, though I enjoyed our time together...Robert...you still rock in my book, and that's the facts MAM.

Because everything today is thrown at us in bulk, super and mega sizes, I wonder if we don't have a tendency to underestimate the power of one at a time. If so...think about the snow that fell, one flake at a time, last week socking us in over night. Ahh the power of one at a time.

The Days Of

2009-11-10T05:56:00.007-05:00

It came back in a flash, when I was cleaning out a dresser drawer. Tucked away inside the small dark area, within a handmade leather belt buckle, with a hand painted picture of Mike and me on the front of it , swinging at a ball, our number…22, were memories of Mikes & my Polo days.

I held the belt buckle gently in my hands and admired the craftsmanship of the stamped letters, “Ranchers Daughters Polo Team” and the laced edges. Then awed by the good shape it’s still in after 25 years even with the wear and tear of me wearing it. I turned it over and the initials J.M reminded me who made it, Julie Milazzo dated 1984.

I remembered the pride I felt wearing it. I was a polo player. Teamed with Mike, my ½ Arab Quarter horse (who I received as 15th birthday present, when he was 6 months old). He and I were the team of choice from the three horses I used to play polo. We played center or forward 98% of the time and he usually played all the chukkers too.

Mike, somewhat lazy, except when playing polo, morphed into a different horse, when his 1500-pound, 16 hand frame came alive with zeal at the thought of the game. He loved the game of indoor Hockey on Horseback. He loved running and chasing the ball. Hitting the other players hard, sometimes even when I didn’t want him to. I trusted Mike totally, not really needing the reins to guide him, as he followed the ball, watched the walls, let me hang off his side as I reached for the ball, and he kept an eye on the other players, while I concentrated on getting the ball to the goal. He told me through his body what was going on around me so that I could act accordingly. What a great partner he was.

He and I were voted MVP’s, if I recall, 3 times, playing a 90 minute game of speed, chasing and hitting a ball, running hard, riding other players off and getting the ball through the goalie. It was a game of breathing heavy, sweat running from my brow and he and the other horses getting covered with lathered sweat, even in 20-degree and sometimes colder weather, making a fog hover around the arena lights giving it an mystical hue.

It was the days of no fat and hard muscle on our bodies, cantering Mike and my other polo horses at least 4 miles a day. Days of loading three horses 3-4 times in week in the midst of winters snows and cold, trucking, blanketing, and putting hoods on them to keep them warm, to take us all to practice and games. It was the days of cooling horses with 3-4 layers of cooling blankets, removing the top layer when it could no longer wick away the moisture, till their coats were dry, before trucking them home, so they wouldn’t catch cold.

It was the days of much liniment, (for both horse and rider), sore muscles, carefully wrapped horses legs, chaps, spurs, gaming reins, tightened helmets, dirty jeans and faces, wrapped polo mallets, and camaraderie after a hard game of competitiveness. A game that made friend’s adversaries on the polo field and adversaries…team players.

It was the days of running your horse at 30 mph hitting the ball trying to make a goal, doing tail shots, under the belly and neck shots. One hit shots down the wall, bank shots, stopping the other players mallet, elbowing, riding off and sitting in the penalty box (I may have been in there a ‘few’ times) for unnecessary roughness, hooking, crossing the line of the ball, or talking back at the judges.

It was the days, when your horse was your partner and your partner always came first.
It was the days…of fun, late nights, and early mornings and days of going to work after a practice or game, wrapped and bound because you played to hard, sprained an ankle, jammed an elbow or jaw, got hit by a mallet or a spur raked down you calf. It was the days of black and blues, many visits to the chiropractor for you and warm compresses for your horse because you and he took a tumble while running full speed after the ball. It was the days when not only you cared about your horse, but your horse cared about you and did his best when you and he fell, not to land on you, resulting in a sore back for him.

It was the days…of when Joe said, “Uh…no way. What…you nuts… I’m not going for the ball, Kellie and Mike are coming for it. They’re like a freight train coming full steam ahead. I ain’t getting in their way, trying to take that ball. They can have the goal”.

I think even Russ McCray (he and his wife owned ‘The Ranch’) might be spending time in heaven with Mike, because it was the days of, when the first time Russ ever saw Mike play polo, his words were as he rolled a cigarette… “Well… I’m impressed. I would have never in a million years, thought that THIS horse, usually a ding bat Arab, desert donkey, and I know horses, could do what I just saw him do. Stop, spin, follow the ball and run like the wind. Yes I am impressed, very impressed.”

So here’s to you Mike, a high hoof… to one of the best partners I ever had in the, (I don’t know if I could do it now), fun days OF.

Your thoughts about the Noble Peace Prize

2009-10-13T06:19:00.002-04:00

I don't think about the noble prize. I may give it a seconds thought, when I hear someone has won. Nor am I one to discuss politics at length, because I don't follow the political road close enough to form a strong accurate opinion. Plus it's a subject that usually ends in a heated debate, which I try to avoid.

However I am curious as to what others think about the President's recent winning of the Noble Prize for Peace. It has caused quite a commotion around the world and I'm wondering what and if it caused any commotion close to home.

If you would like, please leave your anonymous thoughts on the subject here.
I will follow up with my thoughts in a couple of days.
If you are one that needs to vent, please keep your comments G Rated:)
Thank-you

Choices

2009-10-07T06:01:00.004-04:00

Choices, they can go one way or another. By this, I mean, sometimes our choices tell us —how— we will live our life. Other times—our life— delegates which choices to make.
I made a choice.
One year ago, October 11th 2008, Herbs & Things & I were married and we opened our doors to who would choose to walk through them.

The first year has gone quickly. When I am inside Herbs & Things paneled cedar walls I often ponder over this first year. With questions such as, what were we one year ago. Where are we today? Have we’ve grown? Have I made right choices? Is this marriage compatible?

I then smile as I remember stocking Herbs & Things shelves for the first time. The excitement I felt putting everything, I had on the shelves, trying to make it’s small interior look full. It was a few weeks later, I had to remove some of those items and add two more shelves to make room. Then a couple of months after that, I squeezed more ‘Things’ together, added 3 more shelves and a cabinet area with doors for the spices. It didn’t dawn on me, this was us growing.

Feb 2009, a new Herbs & Things idea emerged. A weekly emailing to keep everyone informed of what’s new, upcoming and future intentions. In my dreams, I did not expect the loving reception of those emails. Thus, I worried, feeling the pressure was on to keep them enjoyable. A little voice intervened, untangling my worried thoughts and told me “write from the heart and you will do just that.”

The first part of June 2009, came the small wine cooler, keeping Herbs & Things organic chocolates cool on warm summer days. Also in June, I added hours to Herbs & Things by attending the Holland Farmers Market on Sundays 8:30-1. Then, added more miles and hours by attending certain Saturday events, leading me down a new path. This in my mind was not only a good business move, but led me to meet some wonderful new people. Which makes packing the numerous boxes, then unpacking them, so worth it.
So, it’s a yes to my questions. This marriage feels, as if it is exactly as it should be.

Herbs & Things little home is bursting at the seams and soon, it will be time to expand its cedar walls. However I’d be lying if I said everything as gone according to plan. It hasn’t. Such as my plan of selling my fresh garden vegetables, that…became impossible, due to the bad growing season. The soy berry wax melts I ordered weren’t a good choice, they are too different. The flavored, Mud Pie Coffee was not a good choice. The Hazel Nut Dream was.
The Raspberry Pretzel dip…well that was definitely a VERY GOOD idea.

I guess now is the time I must admit to one HUGE mistake. The choice of quitting my job to open my home based business. No— the mistake wasn’t quitting my job, nor that I knew money would be tighter. I wasn’t mistaken either about the hours it takes to make the business grow. I am use to working many hours, so the hours needed doesn’t bother me. My mistake was, when I thought, because I would no longer need to travel back and forth to work, I would have extra time.
I remember telling my husband “if I do this I will have more time to do things around the property, house and barn.”
One year ago, if I were someone else looking at me, I would think too, wow she works from home that has to be nice and add, it must give her more time.
It is nice and I love it. But that extra time— never happened.

I put more hours in this little home based business than I ever did working outside the home or the hours I traveled giving riding lessons. Moreover, when I left work before, it was behind me. Now work is with me everyday. With my personality the way it is, I have a hard time shutting off when the doors of Herbs & Things are closed. The mind is always reeling, with things that need doing that I can only concentrate on when Herbs & Things is closed. such as this blog, ordering products, my writing, and Herbs & Things emails. Which none of can be done late at night either, I’m usually too tired to concentrate, hence still the early mornings 3:30-4 am.

Going back to my mistakes, I must make a retraction of the statement "I knew about hours it would take to make Herbs & Thing grow." I was wrong, I did underestimate the amount of time. I am still figuring how to fit that time comfortably in between, barn chores, canning, shopping, mowing, brushogging, gardening, laundry, housework, wash, ordering, gift baskets, stocking, packing and unpacking for special events.
Inhale deep.
The farmers market, maintaining the website, Pay Pal, my writing, photography, doing the books, spending time with the dogs, anything else keeping the place running entails and accepting that IT IS OK to take some time off to relax and re-energize. Hmm… I feel like I am leaving something out…Oh yes spending time with my husband who has given nothing but support for this endeavor.

Income wise, well I’m not getting rich, and more would nice. I do want to make money at this; however, during this first year, (anything I make goes back in to ordering for Herbs & Things) I found something important. My inner voice and instincts are more fine-tuned. My heart has a certain comfort, knowing there is something bigger going on here. I am not exactly sure what the bigger is yet, that info is down the road of this journey. Nevertheless, that little voice, the one I first listened to, a year ago, tells me if I believe and keep working hard, the money and comfort will eventually come along with so much more.

This first year has been wonderful. I’ve learned many things. Received education in different areas, made a few mistakes, met many new people and found a job I love.
One of my biggest joys is when I am alone inside the cozy walls of Herbs & Things little home, and I experience an unexplained peace inside of me. It comes from knowing I’ve worked around the mistakes, I’ve done was I was told,( Build it….and soon they will come,) that I am still here and looking forward to reflecting again, one year from now, Oct 11th, 2010.
See you then.

My Field of Dreams…About taking a chance on a dream
http://coldensherbsandthings.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-field-of-dreams.html

Passion Real Or Imagined…My thoughts on what inspired me to open Herbs & Things
http://coldensherbsandthings.blogspot.com/2008/10/passion-real-or-imagined.html

Gone Fishing

2009-09-29T05:34:00.005-04:00

by
Kellie M Shanley

My father, born in Scotland, sailed to the United States as a child in 1923 with his family. He was an opinionated, bull-headed man; rarely wrong about anything. It’s hard to accept sometimes that I’ve not fallen far from the tree, when I see things in myself I didn’t like in him. Especially the trait of having no problem telling people when they’re wrong. When someone suggests I might be mistaken though, the hairs stand up on the back of my neck and the almighty powers of evasion infiltrate my core.
Being alike, my father and I had a volatile relationship, and although we loved each other, many times we did not like each other. The love was hard to see through the conflicts and my mother telling the two of us to stop. Nevertheless, it was there, trawling the depths of our relationship.
I, the younger of two daughters, was an energetic child, always looking for things to do. I often pestered my dad, who owned an excavation business, to go with him on jobs. I regularly hung around in his garage while he repaired equipment with hopes that he would need my help. Occasionally he would protest and my mother would say, “So what she’s not a boy? I drive a dump truck with you, don’t I? Let her go with you. Guide her so she’ll someday be able to the same.”
Dad gave in to my mother’s words. From him I learned to drive a standard shift dump truck, plow snow, dig a ditch, and—as he explained to me from a man’s point of view—what a lady does or does not do. He taught me common sense, how to walk in high heels, and that having compassion for animals is good.
My father never expressed his love in words, freely gave hugs, or often told me “job well done.” Yet if someone asked him about me, his Scottish boasting ability appeared. One day, surprised, I heard him bragging about me. He never knew I heard. With my maturity came the knowledge that he respected me for who I was, in spite of our turbulent relationship and my inability to stay quiet when quiet would have been better.

One of my earliest recollections of his love was when he saved my life. I was about five and at his side. Instinctively, he shielded my face with his arm from what may have been a deadly kick from a horse. That kick tore the skin and muscle from his arm to the bone. He never got mad at me. His only concerned as he held his bleeding torn arm was if I was all right.
Another time his love came through his usually standoffish manner was when he grabbed my junior high school principal by the tie—and tightened. Such an aggressive gesture may have not been the correct thing to do, but it was a loving father’s gut reaction to the principal’s comment that “you and your daughter are mistaken” after we told him that a male teacher had slyly fondled me.
I told the principal that a couple of other girls said he did the same to them, but they were afraid to say anything. They thought no one would believe them. That’s why I told my parents; I knew they would believe me. My sister, who had come with us, explained that the teacher had done the same to her when she was in his class. This made no headway with the principal. Talking over me and ignoring my sister, the principal said he knew my dad worked a lot, so he tried to be a father figure to girls like me.
That remark set my father off. Like a cat hunting a rat, Dad lunged over the principal’s desk and, with a hand quicker than the eye, grabbed the principal’s tie and held it tight. Speaking about one inch from the principal’s face in a low voice, he growled, “A father, you #$%#% would not let someone touch his daughter or not believe her when she tells you something like that.”
At the time, of course, I did not realize it was love that made my father respond as he did. I chalked it up to his defiant Scottish nature because the principal insinuated he was not a good father and he might have been “wrong” to believe me.

A couple of years later, it was Thanksgiving recess; Dad and I were in his Jeep, plowing snow. We usually did not talk a lot on these journeys; we were just together. Sometimes he explained things, but mostly I watched and learned. Dad was not driving fast. His visibility was limited from heavy snow. Suddenly a pheasant flew in front of the Jeep, and we hit it.
I pleaded with Dad to stop, but he insisted there was no time. Driveways needed plowing, and the pheasant was probably dead. Not giving in to his first “no,” I asked him again to stop. After a moment, he sighed, did a three-point turn, and drove back.
Snow pelted us as we got out of the Jeep and walked toward the pheasant. From its colors, I could tell it was a male. Amazingly, the bird was still alive. As we approached, a little too close for its comfort, it mustered some strength and tried to get away. Agilely and gently, my father grabbed the pheasant on either side of its wings and held them against the body to keep it still.
Handing the pheasant to me, Dad said, “Here, hold him. Keep his wings under the palms of your hands to keep him quiet. Don’t squeeze hard; his wing is broken and I think his leg is, too.”
Holding the pheasant I had already named Grill, I admired its beautiful colors, while Dad trudged back to the Jeep and retrieved a burlap bag. He explained that we were going to put that pheasant in the bag to keep in quiet.
“Grill will suffocate in that thing and it’s so dark,” I protested.
Short and to the point, Dad explained that this thing would keep the pheasant quiet until we could fix it, and the bird would not suffocate. We carefully slid Grill into the sack, tied it with baling twine, and then laid him on the floor of the Jeep at my feet.
Dad plowed. We did not talk. I stared at the motionless burlap bag at my feet for five hours. As far as I could figure, Grill was dead.
By ten in the morning, Dad had almost finished plowing. The winds had died down, so he suggested it was a good time to go home and grab some breakfast. I stifled a smile when we pulled into the driveway at the barn first.
Getting out of the Jeep, Dad said, “Bring that pheasant. We will see what we can do.”
To my joy, Grill moved when I picked up the sack.
In the barn, there was a cabinet with first-aid items for the horses. Dad told me what we would need as he pulled an empty rabbit hutch from behind some fence posts. He brushed it off and fluffed hay inside it. Together, we took Grill from the bag and then spent an hour stabilizing his wing—all the while with Dad’s instructions: “Hold this here. Tie this. Hold him still; I can’t work on a moving target.”
After setting Grill’s wing, Dad suggested we leave the leg because it was not distorted and, if the pheasant lived, the break would heal.
“I understand,” I said, staring through the wire, knowing Grill would be okay.

On a sunny mid-winter day, Dad rested his hand on my shoulder and said, “It’s time to turn that pheasant loose. He needs to go to his home.” In silence, we let Grill go and watched him fly to the trees behind our house. Grill stayed there in his pine tree home for a while, coming in and out to get food.
Then one day he was gone.

Spring was budding and, to my surprise, who should come strutting from the pine trees with a female pheasant? Grill. I knew it was he, because one wing was a little lower than the other, and he had a slight limp.

“Dad!” I yelled, elated. “Dad, look! That pheasant we fixed up is in the backyard!”
My dad rushed to the window, looked out, and said, “It looks like we did a good job on Grill.”
It was the first time I had ever heard him mention our foundling “pet” by name.

Getting off the bus from high school one afternoon, I noticed a green-and-white Coleman cooler and my dad’s fishing pole near the doorway to the house. Curious, I opened the cooler. Staring back at me were six catfish, gills reaching, laboring in a desperate attempt to get air. I closed the lid and went in the house to have my after-school snack, which I could not eat, thinking about the tortuous death the fish were experiencing. I tried to tell myself, they are only fish.
Unable to finish my toast because of a grand idea, I filled the bathtub, running my fingers through the water to make sure the temperature was just right. I lugged the cooler into the bathroom and dumped the fish in. One floated to the top, belly up. With hopes of bringing it back to life, I pushed the fish under the water and swished it around. Its gills moved and it started to swim.
Of course, I had given no thought to how my mom would feel about fish in the same tub in which we bathe. Nor how dad will feel when he found his catch missing. Pleased with myself, I retrieved my toast from the kitchen and watched the happy fish swimming, splashing, and eating breadcrumbs that I broke off for them. Then I put the cooler back, thinking, Dad always told me to put things back where I found them.
I was uncertain about what to do now that the fish were in the bathtub. My mind wandered out to the pond behind our house. Time slowed as the fish mesmerized me; then I heard my mother call to me, wondering where I was and why I had not started dinner.
“I’m in here—in the bathroom,” Oh rats, I thought; Mom is not going to like these fish in the bathtub.
Seeing me sitting on the floor, with my arm over the edge of the bathtub, she asked what I was doing. Peering over, she gasped, “Kellie Marie—WHAT do you have in that bathtub?”
“Fish? I found them alive in the cooler, and I could not eat my snack knowing they were suffocating. Mo—om, I could not let them die.”
We stared at the six catfish, swimming in our tan bathtub, occasionally surfacing to grab a floating crumb. With a smirk on her face, she speculated on what Dad’s reaction would be. He had called her at work and told her about the fish; but had to do a job estimate before he was able to fillet them. Suddenly we heard Dad calling for us, wondering where his fish were. Mom covered her mouth and giggled.
Now, a little too late, I worried that Dad was going to be mad. Mom, meanwhile, glided out of the bathroom like one those fish swimming through the water to go talk to him
Straining my ears, I tried to hear what they said. Uh-oh, sounds like Dad is upset, I told myself. Oh boy what have I done? Reaching over the side of the tub, I let the catfish brush against my fingertips.
Hearing footsteps, I focused my attention closer on the fish, not wanting to look at the doorway. Fear gripped me as I envisioned Dad’s scowl. As he got closer, my heart beat faster. Finally, the footsteps stopped. The tile of the bathroom floor made that squeak it did when someone was standing on it. Still afraid to look up at him, I held my breath and swallowed. Why didn’t I think about this part before I put the fish in the tub?
My father’s deep voice echoed in the bathroom, “What have you done with my fish?”
With a sheepish smile, I finally looked up at him. He was handsome with his neatly combed black hair, pencil-thin mustache, tanned skin from working outside; his hands on his hips. I always thought he looked like Tennessee Ernie Ford. (I thought Tennessee handsome, too.) Frantically I explained I could not let the fish die in the cooler.
As I tried to explain myself out of trouble, his thin mustache moved into a small smile. He squatted down next to me and asked what I was going to do with the fish now; and reminded me that he had planned to have them for dinner.
My heart racing, fearing he still might net them out of there for dinner, I pleaded for him not to fillet them, explaining they were happy fish.
“So if I don’t fillet them, what are you going to do to make up for the loss of a fresh fish dinner?” he asked me.
Paint his boat? Clean the bulldozer? Straighten the garage? My eyebrows rose higher with every good idea.
He wasn’t sure about me straightening up the garage; he wanted to be able to find things. He then told me that one of his dump trucks needed the worn gasket scraped off and the inside of the head cleaned; I could do that.
I jumped at the chance, thinking I got the better end of the deal. I saved the fishes’ life.
“Now what are you going to do with the fish?” my dad asked me. “They can’t stay here in the tub.”
Shyly I suggest the pond behind the house.
“Good idea, we’ve never put catfish in the pond before.”
Excited, jumping up to go get the cooler without a word spoken, I gave my dad a kiss on the cheek—unexpected on both our parts. Running past him, I stopped and turned for a moment to say thank you. Instead, I said nothing.
He stood there, staring at the fish in the tub, with his hand on his cheek. Today, I thought, I love my father.
Both of us got wet gathering the fish, carrying them to the pond, and turning them loose. Standing at the edge of the pond, we watched them and meditated in a rare moment of father-daughter connection. Those fish lived and propagated a long time—long past my father’s death.

Standing at that pond’s edge, I think about my father, the day of the catfish rescue, the times we fished for blue gills (only to throw them back), plowed snow, and mended a pheasant. I commemorate those good times of our relationship and the memories we made.
Yes, our relationship was unpredictable and more often than not, we did not like each other. What’s more important, though, I know we loved each other. It was our relationship, done our way. I dare say we both could not have been wrong about that being the way it was supposed to be.
Knowing I am right, I grin with the reflection staring back at me—the refection of my father and me.

KMS © 2008

Small moment...big impact

2009-09-22T06:38:00.002-04:00

It makes me sad, that so many people seem rude, angry, hurried and generally un-happy these days. I believe living life in this state of mind, hinders logical thinking towards the consequences rude or inconsiderate actions could have. I also believe bad moods sow bad moods.

Such as the other night, I went to visit my in-laws. In the short 30-minute drive there, numerous times I heard horns beeping intolerably towards other drivers. Tires squealing as a driver swerved around another in frustration, because the car in front of them did not make a right turn into a driveway quickly enough. I saw drivers gesturing to other drivers (not waving either) apparently upset with the way the other person was driving. Then there was the man in a car sitting at a red light, in front of me and a car was in front of him. We were waiting for our green light.

The light for the other side of traffic turned red. It was in those, few seconds of time when both sides are red; the person in front of me started beeping at the first person at the red light, while simultaneously waving their hands in disgust. Apparently, upset when that first person did not jump on the accelerator to go, before the light actually turned green.

Why was he beeping I wondered and why would he want that person to jump the red light? Didn’t he realize that fraction of a second could be the difference between life and death, that on the other side; there might someone like him giving no regards to the red light and run it? Of course not, he didn’t care he just wanted to go.

These acts of anger and impatience, make me wonder frequently what has caused this mindset we the human race have allowed to take over our lives. Why are we so angry all the time?

A few years ago, I found myself much like this. I was driving my truck, behind someone and upset they were going the speed limit, because They were—In my way. Amidst one of my vocal rants towards someone doing exactly what they should be, I realized I was wrong. I wasn’t going any where in particular, so I pulled over, stopped to think about what I was feeling, doing and why.

In those few moments of introspection, it came to me, I was angry with myself and we can’t hide from out heart. What’s in our heart eventually comes out in what we say or how we act towards others. The discontentment today seems higher now, then in the depression era when people had less. So does this mean, we have too much, and then get angry because our excess still does not make us happy? Are we to busy trying to do it all, and then get angry because we cannot? The latter was my case.

From that day, I decided to try harder (I’m somewhat of a workaholic) and do something I’d not done in a while and that’s occasionally stop and smell the roses. Look at the marvels around me, appreciate life and the people in it and listen to the little voice inside my head when it says, now is the time to do something nice.

September 12th, Herbs & Things was set up at Beaver Meadows Old Homestead Days. It was a nice cool day, music 1800’s style was being played. People were dressed the part of the civil war period and children were playing, giggling, and adding more music to the air. Everyone was smiling, friendly and having a good time. I heard no cell phones ringing, boom boxes playing, car horns beeping or cross- words spoken between people. No one seemed hurried and all were enjoying the day.

A couple came up to my booth. The woman was carrying a small dried bouquet of flowers. The bouquet caught my eye, because in its simple little arraignment profound beauty emulated. I expressed to the woman how beautiful they were and how cute a little bouquet like that would look on my table. I asked her where she got them. She told me from two tents down.

“I’ll have to go over there when I get a chance. They are so pretty,” I said.

We chatted for a while. They eyed the corn bread mix Herbs & Things sells and decided to buy one. My little voice inside my head spoke and told me to give them the mini Gilded Corn Bread cookbook to go with it. They were thrilled and asked, “Are you sure, its $3.00?”

“Yes” I told them.
I really wanted them to have it.

They left and about 2 minutes later, the woman hurriedly was walking back to my booth. I could tell she was on a mission of sorts, and to be honest expected her to be unhappy about their cornbread mix purchase.

When she got to my booth she smiled wide, stretched out her arm, and said, “Here these are for you” and handed me one of those beautiful bouquets of flowers. My heart leapt with joy and I told her thank you, thank you, cradling the flowers as if they were worth a million dollars. They were beautiful and to my heart, they were worth more than a million dollars.

I am sorry I didn’t get her name. I would have sent her a thank you card and let her know, that she made my day. In reality that moment and those flowers, made more than a days lasting impression. I have that small bouquet of flowers in my shop on my windowsill. Every day when I open the doors for the day, those flowers remind it only takes one simple act of kindness to grow a whole garden of good feelings.

September 12th, I received reconfirmation that even in today's hectic world of many not wanting to take the time to go out of their way for anyone that humanity still exists. In addition, more simple acts of kindness are what the world needs, because, they make the biggest impact.

Consequently this small moment in time made me happy in my heart for days, thus what was in my heart, came out of my mouth, and actions towards others. I am hoping someday this mode of thought will re-enter everyone’s life making life happier and less hectic.

So every day I try to pick a moment and show someone an unexpected act of kindness. Doing so, seeing the joy in their eyes, makes my heart happy and that happiness consequently comes out through MY mouth, and actions towards others.

Up date,
Two days ago, after writing this blog and before publishing it, the woman who gave me the beautiful bouquet of flowers, stopped at the Holland Farmers Market.
I spied her and might have embarrassed her when I said. “Its you!”
She smiled, “yes Beaver Meadows.”
I called to Marg the market coordinator, “This is the woman I was telling you about that gave me that bouquet of flowers.”
“OH my” Marg said, “You’re her…You made her day that day.”

Again, this woman brightened my day by taking the time to stop at the market. Now I can thank her properly, because I know her name.

Thank you Mary Ann!

What an email from Herbs & Things looks like

2009-09-16T08:48:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone;
I am going to be updating my blog hopefully Thursday, about a act of kindness I experienced at Beaver Meadows Old Homestead days and how it made my day.

But in the mean time, any one thinking about signing up for Herbs & Things email but hesitates...I thought it would be nice to give you an example of what Herbs & Things emails are like. I send them once a week.

Hello From Herbs & Things

A knowledge of the past prepares us for the crisis of the present and the challenge of the future.
John F Kennedy

Its 8:30 PM Tuesday evening, and I've just come in from brush hogging the hay field. Its dark and it was cold. I wasn't really dressed warm enough, but wanted to finish the section I had started so I zipped up my hooded sweat shirt as tight as it would go.
The cold air still found its way through to my tee shirted extremities, cooling them to goose bump flesh.
Hmm maybe a hot toddy, with little tea and lots of 'toddy' will warm me up:)

The Hot Toddy originated in Scotland.

My father was born in Motherwell Scotland so I learned at a young age how to make a hot toddy. I am so glad I did!
Not only is a Hot Toddy good as a warmer, but also helps you sleep and the honey helps when you have a cold.
I like mine with Seagram’s 7 or a light brandy.( you can use anything you like)

How to make a Hot Toddy

http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink4355.html

Mowing the hay field in the dark and cold this time of year, when leaves are starting to fall and the landscape is changing, gives it a different look. I knew I was in my field, but its amazing, and accelerating how different things are in the dark, seeing them through the headlights of the tractor and the mist of my breath. As the moisture hit the cool air while cutting the grasses, a fog rose and lazily wafted across the mown hay. It looked like it was in search of something, hovering, waiting, for what I'm not sure. Maybe the fog boogie man.

Tall grass stacks took on a new look the darker it got and the tractor headlights created images that weren't there before, taking my imagination for a ride. Occasionally a bug would fly too close to the tractors exhaust and be blown away in a fiery spark, adding to the almost eerie sensation I'd been transported to a different place. Isn't it these little experiences that make life great.

Old Homestead Days at Beaver Meadows was lots of fun.
I am glad I went. I've asked to be put back on the list for next year.
I got to meet, Abe Lincoln and Robert E Lee.
Actually, Robert was very handsome and his blue coat did him justice.

I don't think about the Civil War much, except when I look at my “The American Heritage” encyclopedia set, volumes 1-16, a Christmas present in 1963, when I was in grade school.

Being at the Old Homestead Days, made me ponder about the history of the civil war and living in that time.

So let’s go on an educational journey of the civil war...1861-1865

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War

Plus that day one simple act of kindness left me believing in today's hectic world of many not wanting to take the time,that humanity lives on in some that will take the time, just to be nice.
It was a small act with a huge impact that made my day.
I will have the experience on my blog hopefully by Thursday, check it out then.
http://coldensherbsandthings.blogspot.com/

Events Pending at Herbs & Things
Please let me know if you are interested in any of them

Baking something exquisite with Grace..Making Madeline's
(maybe before Christmas)

How to make a Tooth Brush Rug (some time after Christmas)

Writers Workshop given by Me...Kellie
It will not teach about writing, but the journey of getting where you want to be.
The work and dedication it takes if you want to be a writer.

Rabies..to fear or not to fear...Jennifer Mumford DVM

Candi Thornton Spirit Medium
Private Readings $40.00
Group Readings $25.00 (max people 8)

I've tried the
Roasted Garlic & Vidalia Onion Jalapeño Salsas from War Eagle Mill
The Roasted Garlic is good with a little spice
But the
Vidalia Onion Jalapeño....Yesssssire...Yummo. Its hot, spicy and tasty! LOVE IT!

Did you ever have a recipe that called for butter and a cup of buttermilk, and you can only find butter milk in a quart size. So you buy the quart, then wonder what to do with the rest of the buttermilk.
Well here's something I did, to get the best of both worlds.
You'll need a couple pints of Heavy whipping cream. One pint make almost a cup of buttermilk.
Whip it, (I use my stand up mixer) or shake it hard for about 10-15 minutes. The fat will separate and
Walla...you have butter and the left over liquid is the butter milk.
Make sure once the butter separates you wash the butter and squeeze it dry.
Then you add salt to it if desired and use the buttermilk for your recipe.
Here...this might help.
http://www.catalogs.com/info/kitchen/how-to-make-butter.html

Did you know
Robert E Lee was an engineer and a celebrated officer of the confederate army for 32 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E_Lee
The civil war was fought 1861-1865
http://www.tms.riverview.wednet.edu/LRC/Civil%20War.htm

Abe Lincoln was the 16th president of the United Sates
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/abrahamlincoln/

Cabbage is a good for you food
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=19&utm_source=bulletin_click&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=bulletin_email#healthbenefits

New at Herbs & Things
Blackberry Pancake Syrup
Butter Pecan Pancake Syrup
Orange Marmalade 1/2 pint
Apricot Butter 1/2 pint
Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves 1/2 pint
Double berry Jam/ no sugar-pint
Apricot Spread/ no sugar-pint

Cranberry Spiced soy Candle
Macintosh Apple Candle
Happy Holiday Candle
Cinnamon Stick soy candle

Arriving soonCinnamon Sticks..(good for Hot Toddies)
Roasted Paprika
Organic Vanilla Beans...(good for making your own vanilla)
Fennel Seed
Thyme
Ginger Root Powder
Biscuit Mix
More Pumpkin Butter

Specials this weekGrilling Spice Blend...Reg $4.50 Sale $3.00
Candles in tumblers...Reg $15.00- Sale $9.00
Raspberry Vanilla Tea 20/bag...Reg. $5.00-Sale $4.00

Cabbage recipe
baked with tomatoes, caraway seed, onion, garlic and chicken broth
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
1 large head cabbage
3 medium tomatoes, diced
1 small white onion, chopped (minced onion found at Herbs & Things)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (Minced Garlic @ Herbs & Things)
1/2 teaspoon salt (yep Herbs & Things has it)
1 teaspoon black pepper (whole peppercorns at Herbs & Things)
1/4 teaspoon caraway seed (oh look Herbs & Things has this too)
1/8 cup water or chicken stock (this too):)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325°.
Quarter the cabbage and boil it in a large kettle or Dutch oven for 10 minutes. Remove cabbage sections; place in a shallow baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients in small bowl; pour over cabbage. Bake for 30 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Turn cabbage pieces about halfway through cooking time so wedges cook evenly.
Serves 4.

Till the next time
Be well
Laugh often
Love large
Dig in the dirt
Grow a garden
and may the sun light your way
Kellie
+
Herbs & Things
Where good things come in a small package
8441 Hayes Hollow Rd
Colden, NY 14033
716-861-4851
716-941-5627
FAX 761-941-5627
www.coldensherbsandthings.com

Follow My Blog
http://coldensherbsandthings.blogspot.com/

Herbs & Things is on Twitter
http://twitter.com/HerbsandThings

I am now on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/people/Kellie-M-Shanley/1742558649?sid=4d4017f2086f205526cd31d9b75587cc&ref=search#/profile.php?id=1742558649&ref=name
Hours
T/W 10am-5:30pm
Thurs 10am-7pm
Friday 9am-3pm
Saturday 9am-4pm
Sunday...Farmers Market...8:30 -1
All sales continue at Farmers Market.

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just reply to email and in subject line...type unsubscribe.

Garden Revelations

2009-08-31T06:39:00.003-04:00

Though its hard work I’ve always enjoyed my garden. For me, it’s a comforting place of birth, growth, renewal and revelations. This year however some of the enjoyment has diminished, due to the bad growing season. Which I’m sure has tested the most optimistic gardener’s peace of mind with a summer of too much rain and too many cold nights, for that perfect garden to grow.

Having a garden every year for a long time now, I understand how we gardeners feel about our tilled plots of soil. We sow our ideas when we first set the till to ground and take growing a garden personally. So often, our gardens success or failure, to us, represents what we did right or wrong. This makes me empathetic towards anyone who tried growing their first garden this year. However, I don’t believe this years success or failure, is about what any of us did right or wrong, it’s about the reminder of who’s really in control, and that is Mother Nature.

I was in the big garden trying to salvage 20 some tomato plants from the threat of blight and the ravages that this unpredictable growing season brought upon them. I usually love my garden. But this year, I’m not liking it much, especially this day, because there’s no saving my tomato plants.

This got me thinking of the days when a farmer did not grow a garden for fun or the luxury of a full pantry to save money over the winter. No, they grew their garden for food or income to sustain them over, usually, a long, hard winter.

So what would they have done in a growing season such as this? When hay is almost impossible to get in, tomatoes are dying on the vines, later potatoes are rotting in the ground and the slugs have demolished the beans. What and how did they live beyond the loss of their crops?

As I stood amongst my dying tomatoes and slug eaten beans, I had visions of tired farmers and livestock from years ago. Both whom worked long hours to grow corn to sell, vegetables to can, hay to feed livestock and wheat to grind into flours. Envisioning these almost defeated farmers standing amidst their non-producing fields wondering what their next step would be, I asked myself, what did they do when their lives depended on a good growing season that never came? How did they survive the wrath that Mother Nature can instill?

Then I pictured a chain reaction, of their inability to feed their family so the family did not have the stamina to work. Nor did they have enough feed to care for their livestock, so the cows stopped giving milk and the chickens stopped laying eggs. Maybe their livestock died or worse, they had to sell it because they could not feed them and or they needed money to feed their families. Ultimately leaving them with nothing to work their garden next year…except a single hand held hoe sitting propped in the corner of their barn.

After thinking of this my feelings of joylessness at my lack of a good garden turned to admiration to those who lived and worked the land before me. In the face of a bad season such as this, they still survived, picked themselves up and started again. They are the ones who in the face of diversity moved on and kept this country moving. They made the best of what they did get from an un-producing garden, planned ahead for next year, lived within their means for that season, hoping and praying that next year would be better, and then figured out where to start again.

They knew that with out that one small step to start again, they would not be able to finish, so they and their hand held hoe, start hoeing the earth the next season, with optimism of a good year. They hoed early crops, saved some and sold some to buy a new horse and plow. They planted potatoes, saved some, sold some to buy a new cow for milk and a couple of chickens for eggs. They sold their eggs to buy a new wagon to carry hay and wheat. They harvested their wheat, saved some, sold some that gave them money to buy what they needed next. Thus, the cycle of the garden and the gardener began again, a place of birth, growth, renewal and revelations, all with one-step into the new garden with that single hoe, thrown over the shoulder, ready to break ground.

Some Pictures

2009-08-04T05:27:00.015-04:00

The Bear by my garden June 2009

Before he noticed me taking his picture

Me using up my film

From 2008

>

Philosophically Speaking

2009-07-28T06:40:00.001-04:00

I received a welcomed call Saturday from my cousin Dave, a schoolteacher, who lives in Florida. His father and my father were twins, not identical but fraternal twins, yet identical in many ways. Dave and I have many of our fathers' characteristics, making us alike in some ways, yet very different in others.

Our conversations always vary in topics, and David a very intelligent person has a LARGE vocabulary, much larger than his country cousin does. Therefore, when he used the word existentialism in casual conversation, when talking about Herbs & Things E-mailing’s, I went silent for a second, as my mind searched for its meaning. Thinking too, it’s not only a word I wouldn’t, no wait—couldn’t— just throw around in conversation, but his use of it resurfaced the confusion the word always causes me.

Existentialism— what exactly does it mean?

For me, it’s one of those words, that has different meanings according to what you read, whom you talk with or what philosophical essay you encounter.
Consequently— my dilemma— figuring out—is it a good thing, or a bad thing to be an existentialist

With that said, my understanding of one of the philosophical meanings, or maybe it is what I want to think it means…is…
An existentialist practicing existentialism is philosophical in their thoughts of the how’s and whys of the world and they obtain the knack of making sense out of the confusing things life and the world throws at us at times. In addition, we carry the belief we are all here for a reason and purpose.
If that’s the case I welcome being an existentialist.

However if that’s not what it means…then I am in deep…VERY deep Dodo…and not sure if it’s a place I want to be.

Let me know what you think. Do the word and its meaning…s confuse you too…?

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existentialism

http://www.answers.com/topic/existentialism

http://books.google.com/books?id=gFjA5oKG37sC&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=simpilfied+meaning+of+existentialism&source=bl&ots=LfDIq_CfCp&sig=Z_A9HxB7bVUr_LgKauRVQG0wu6c&hl=en&ei=a35tSs2RGtKJtgf_6vmIDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10

What if?

2009-07-15T05:54:00.006-04:00

What if—I had moved away from the valley I live in, when some scornfully questioned, why stay and stated the waters are too abundant. The clay soil will reap no garden. The sun goes behind the hill chilling the valley early making a garden take longer to grow and the winters you never know what they will bring.

What if I had moved and left the place I was born?
I would have missed a piece of destiny Thursday July 9th 2009 and all the other life-changing experiences before.

I’ve always felt there is something special about this old house and life in this valley, for human and animal. If someone asked me to explain the special, I am not sure I could. I guess my explanation would start with, this house. It holds a sense of calmness, harmony and a way of the world, between the open spaces of the plank walls. The dirt floor below preserves history untold, there for me to hear, if I choose to listen. The land is a place where the animals speak of souls from a time before, and offers teachings, that a simple life is better.

Some feel the abundance of water running off the hills filling the creeks, ponds and any crevasses to overflowing, is a curse. However, before electric came to the valley, the running water and the wealth of life it carried, were praised and welcomed. The clay soil preserves, furrowed deep, beautiful and sometimes hidden surprises to those patient enough to have waited.

Thursday July 9th started like most days. Waking at 3:30 am, after a cup of coffee, the dogs and I turned horses out early before the heat and flies were bothersome and tended to the gardens. I went about my other morning chores too, until it was time to open Herbs & Things doors.

Like clockwork, on a warm day, by 10 AM, the flies were bothering the horses and they were ready to come in. Leading them in, I noticed a white car pulling up to the driveway of Herbs & Things. It stayed for a moment then drove away. They must have been reading Herbs & Things sign, maybe they’ll be back later, I pondered as I closed the stall doors. Not much later, while gardening behind the house, the dogs started barking. I walked around front and was thrilled to find the white car had returned.

Inside the car were two elderly people. A man and a woman, the woman was driving. The man got out ducking his head to clear the doorframe. He stood about six feet four, was nice looking, aged, tan and fit. I surmised not a day over 75. I greeted them and asked how they were.
He replied that they were good, but that he was very frustrated and was hoping I could help him. I told him I’d do my best.
He asked how long I’ve lived here and his eye widened with hope when I told him almost fifty-five years.

His story began, 75 years ago, when he was a foster child. Pointing at my old house, he was almost sure he lived here around 1931. The reason for his uncertainty was, though the house looked like the house, at the time when he lived here he remembered a big barn sitting adjacent to the house, where my barn is now. The barn was big enough to stable cattle below, farm equipment above and a hayloft for hay above that,
I told him, yes, there was such a barn when my parents bought this place in 1950, and though they tore down the barn, leveled the drives going up to the barn, the floor from the big barn is still there, under my barn built in the 1960’s.

I learned that barn stabled 34 cattle and he had the chore of milking 15 by hand every day and each cow had their own watering cup. Because there was no electricity then, each water cup was spring fed, from water running off the hill piped to the barn from across the road.
He liked the fact, when I told him, some old pipes are still there, under the soil of this ‘new’ barn.
Turning and looking at the hill across the road, he questioned again if this was really the same house. Because the hill across the road, now over grown with 40-foot trees and brush, did not look like the hill that was clear land, he would ski and sled down. With excitement growing in my chest, I shared with him, as a child, I too with my sister would sled over there down tilled farmland and that cows grazed there too.

Asking him to hang on a moment, I ran into the house to retrieve, like a child wanting to show a prize procession, my only picture of when the barn was still standing, and the hill that was clear and tilled. I assume as he ran his fingers across the glass of the framed black and white aerial photo, he was finding memories.

He gazed at the house again, his eyes flickering with pictures of the past and told me it had no electricity then either. In detail he described the kitchen upon entering the house, where the other rooms inside are, and that his room was upstairs. He described the floor furnace that once burned coal, in the middle of the dining and living room. I told him that floor furnace still heats the house, but with natural gas, instead of coal.

He described the cistern in the basement that gathered water from the running waters across the road, supplying the house with water and the hand pump used to pump the water to the kitchen, which I told him my parents removed, after my dad dug a well for our ‘electric’ water supply and put modern plumbing in the house. However, the old pipes from across the road and cistern were still in the basement.

He told of the summer he worked and lived in the woods as a teenager, in Colden, cutting wood for someone. He walk to the corner store where an account had been opened for him, once a week for supplies then returned to his tent to continue his woodcutting. When that summer was over, he attended Springville high school. His eyes widen with amusement, when I told him I also attended Springville high school. Springville Griffith Institute? He questioned. “Yes” I said, “Graduate of 1972.” He did not graduate from there, he had only gone for one year, and then left this area.

Excited they had stopped, I asked where they were from and if they were visiting family. They looked at each other with understanding grins and told me they were from Arizona and they were not visiting family, but on a sentimental journey of his youth.
“I am 92 years old and not going to live forever”, he said, “ I’m visiting some of my roots before I die. We were here four years ago but did not stop.”
His wife then said, “But today…I told him, we ARE stopping.”
I said, “well I guess today was the right time for you—and— I.

The joy that’s filled my soul, will last a while, from participating in his journey to the past. Going back to a time when something thought to be a nuisance(the water) was blessed and loved and that someone loved this old house and the land around it as much as I.

What if—
I had ever moved. I would have missed a 92-year-old man (in the greatest shape) from Arizona, on a sentimental journey, visiting the house he lived in as a foster child.
What if—
I had ever moved, he would have missed me too, someone that could tell him that the things he remembers are for real.

Putting into words my sense of fulfillment from this simple but deep visit of a man on a quest, taking me on a journey through time, with a boy of 1931, is difficult. All I know is he shared a piece of himself, giving me the ability to visit the past, which filled my soul with riches of no monetary value.

I would have missed a chance too, had I not experience this, to answer a question people often ask.
Is time travel possible?
My answer is yes, —though not through the physics of a Quantum leap, but through the eyes of someone on a sentimental journey of his life.
I am glad I was—here— for this journey in time.

Guest Blog

2009-07-02T06:35:00.003-04:00

Making Jam
By Patricia Crisafulli

It started in June with the first of the berries and lasted until the start of autumn when the pears ripened. All summer we picked and gathered; hulled, peeled, quartered, chopped, cooked, and canned. The fruits of our labor lined the wooden shelves in the unfinished basement, which we called the cellar, in my parents’ home in northern New York State: a long, deep row each of peaches and pears, and twice as many of stewed tomatoes. On the next set of shelves along the cement-block walls were the relishes, pickles, and jar after jar of jams and jellies capped with paraffin.

At the end of each batch, Mother would say the same thing. “This is going to taste mighty good in the middle of a long, cold winter.”

She canned and preserved not so much out of necessity, as habit. Then again, that’s what people did back then in rural areas in the 1960s. The home and lifestyle pages of the newspapers printed recipes for dill pickles and corn relish. Boxes of Mason jars were stacked in displays in the grocery store.

My two sisters and I never questioned it either. When Mother announced we were going strawberry, blueberry, or blackberry picking, that’s what we did. Summer after summer had taught us the drill. The picking was the hard part; our baskets never seemed to get full. Of course the ones that ended up in our stomachs didn’t help. Eventually, we’d be done: our fingers and the old clothes we wore stained with berry juice; our faces and bodies sweaty and dusty.

The real work came next, but I never minded this part as much. If we were making strawberry jam, we had to wash and hull the berries first and put them in a big kettle with sugar, to be cooked down to a pulp of the right consistency. Pectin was added for thickener, and finally—at the right moment—the sweet, sticky concoction was ladled into jars to be sealed with paraffin. It used to take all day, from picking first thing in the morning to the rows of jam that lined the kitchen counter in the evening. I don’t think we waited a day, although perhaps we did. Sadly, that’s one of the many small details I don’t remember so clearly anymore.

I haven’t made jam or pickles in many years; not since I moved away at age 21, although Mother kept it up until she died when I was 26. Her recipes written down in an old hard-covered Composition notebook with a black-and-white speckled cover are probably somewhere, but I don’t think any of us three sisters have followed them in quite a while. I know I never did; certainly not in a studio apartment in New York City or even in my home with a big kitchen and a finished basement outside Chicago. Having grown up with that legacy, I feel ashamed to admit that I buy my produce at the store, and the closest I get to a garden is the farmer’s market.

WhatI never fully understood in those days was that we were doing more than making jam and canning pickles. As we worked together, side-by-side, mother passed down to us girls her knowledge of taking care of a home and family, the way she knew best. None of us could see how different all of our lives would be; where choices and circumstances would take us, and the fact that—heaven forbid!—some of us would resort to store-bought jam later in life.

All we knew was that, week after week, the jars that had been emptied and the contents consumed over the previous months, were brought up from the basement, washed in scalding water, and then filled with whatever bounty we had just picked and cooked. Then down the jars would go: rows of gold and red and deep purple—a whole summer captured for the winter ahead.

We didn’t understand that at the time, and wouldn’t grasp it for many years until Mother was gone. It wasn’t in the recipe, but looking back, each one was sealed with love. The taste was unmistakable.

Patricia Crisafulli is a writer and published author who lives in suburban Chicago. She is the founder of www.FaithHopeandFiction.com, a free monthly e-literary magazine.

The best-laid plans are not always the ones intended for us to do.

2009-06-26T09:54:00.007-04:00

Thursday June 18th, Herbs & Things hosted a True Circle event. The only requirements to participate are, the desire to know God, self and spirit, better. In this loving circle, one can experience the energies of awakening, education, messages needed to be heard and often healing of spirit.

This gathering of old and new friends was a great evening and I wanted to share. However, the coherency of words into nice neat paragraphs wouldn’t form. I thought my writing difficulty was because it is a sensitive or taboo subject. I’ve written about sensitive subjects before with no problem. Why was I having a problem? With help from a reliable source in a High place, I figured it out. Something else was coming my way to write about and the blog of the True Circle, would have to wait a while.

You love them, you like them, you don’t like them. They often annoy or embarrass you with the things they say and do. When you don’t want them to, they mind your business and don’t mind their own. Then when you don’t expect it, they act selflessly and or give unconditional support.

They are Family

My Mother and Father- in-law in the past year have had their share of difficulties. Forget just the past year, in 59 years of marriage they’ve experienced many ups and downs. With 13 children…yes I said 13 how could they not. But in spite of all those ups and downs, now in their 80’s with 36 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren one of their greatest pleasures is to offer support to their children and their children’s spouses.

Shortly after opening Herbs & Things last year in October, my in-home business with a small shop outside that offers organic and natural products. Such as coffee, teas, soaps, spices and more, my mother-in-law Mabel wanted to come and visit. But the weather turned nasty and she was still recouping from a 3 month stay in the hospital and a 4-6 month recoup time at home. Doctors had overdosed her on medications.

My father- in-law, Dick, while Mabel was in the hospital, experienced problems with his health, his legs and had difficulty walking. However, he did not want to take care of it until Mabel was better. So finaly in May this year he had angioplasty done to his legs and 3 weeks ago a pace maker put in, which has helped his over all health enormously.

But of late, they’ve been worried. Not of their health, or that Dick needs to go back once more for his legs. Their worry—they have not been out to see Herbs & Things and do some shopping.

Writing this, I feel emotions rising in my chest like a wave hitting the shore. After all, they’ve been through, it was me and my new endeavor they were worried about.

Wednesday June 24th two elderly people, climbed in to their golden Buick and took a scenic road trip to Herbs & Things. They brought their reusable shopping bag to fill.
Mabel’s, “ohhhhh look at all the ‘Things’ you have in here.” after she entered the shop, prompted her to shooed me out of my own shop, telling me, “oh go outside, I am busy looking at everything and shopping,” was in there over an hour.

Dick and I sat at the picnic table as a nice breeze on a hot day, cooled us underneath the chestnut tree. We talked of his upcoming procedures. About Rick (their son, my husband) and I showed him pictures of the Eagle that visited my house May 21st and told him about the black bear in my garden last week. We had a nice time.

Finally, when Mabel had finished, it was Dicks turn to add to the growing pile of Herbs & Things merchandise. I felt funny taking their money; they live on a budget and they are family. However, with smiles on their faces and a bag full of Herbs & Things merchandise, they insisted it was strictly a business transaction and they wouldn’t have it any other way!

My eyes followed their car as they drove away very— very— slow, out the drive and down the road. They were taking their time, looking at everything. They stopped for a moment to look at my other garden across the road and then puttered on their way.
With a smile on my face, I thought of the times I happened to get behind a ‘sight seeing old couple going to slow’ and the annoyance I felt. Then it occurred to me, what if they were just leaving a new shop that someone they love had opened and they were giving their support.

Maybe now, both in their 80’s time passes too quick and they like to take things slow, enjoy the present moment and savor the moment before. If I was behind them and knew who they were, where they’d been and what they did, would I still be annoyed because they were going to slow, probably not.

So, the next time you get behind an elderly couple going to slow. Take a deep breath and think, it might be, they’ve been on a mission, supporting someone they love.

The afternoon of June 24th I participated in my own loving True Circle Event and experienced the energies of love, awakening, education, messages I needed to hear and healing of spirit.

Photos of Eagle that visited May 21st

2009-06-13T06:25:00.005-04:00

If I choose to fly like an Eagle, the Eagle will fly with me

2009-05-26T05:57:00.005-04:00

This was a message I sent out with my weekly Email for Herbs & Things.
If you'd like to join my email, go to my web and click sign me up.

It's wonderful when I experience a First Time, even at age 55
Thursday morning May 21, I was planting in the garden across the road. Occasionally I'd stop planting to watch the horses graze, the dogs play in the creek, and simply enjoy the serenity of the morning, when around 7am, an animal call I'd never heard before came from the woods. It didn't make me nervous, but curious.

After another call, I scanned the woods again and still saw nothing.
Walking back to the house suddenly I was in the shadow of something big. I looked up and saw a bird with a wingspan of 6-7 feet, over my head. At first glance I thought I was mistaken, when I saw gliding silently above a beautiful EAGLE.
But I wasn't mistaken, it was an EAGLE and it was visiting my little piece of the world. It landed and perched at the top of a poplar tree behind the house for about 4 hours.

Living here all my life and never seeing an Eagle grace this valley, I was elated and honored to witness this beauty.

I know Eagles are south and east not far from here, but in Colden?
Has any one ever seen an Eagle in the Colden? If so, let me know.
I feel like that moment was meant only for me. A sign that only I could read. It felt special and it was special...a great first time and I got the message.

If I choose to fly like an Eagle, the Eagle will fly with me!

NOTE:
In fear of making it fly away, I didn't get close enough with my little digital to get a good picture, but I took pictures with my 35 mm and zoom lens. I hope they turn out. When I get the 35 MM photos back I promise to share! (lets hope they turned out!)

Coincidence, a noun

2009-05-18T08:22:00.002-04:00

Coincidence: the occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection.

Coincidence, a noun, is an extraordinary word we use in the English language to help explain random events occurring at the same, or in a close frame of time, we cannot explain.

When this happens to me, it always confirms what I believe, that most things in life are not coincidence and more often than not ‘coincidences’ come in the form of small happenings. Small enough that if we don’t take a moment to step back and look at the whole picture we might miss or not get it.

I’ve had a Hobby Farm magazine, floating around in my Jeep for a while. I’d say a year, maybe longer. For some odd reason I didn’t feel comfortable removing it and always made sure it was neat and safe, sometimes wrapped in a towel, so the pages would not be torn or tattered.

Last Wednesday, my husband had to drop his semi off at Buffalo White Truck, to have some warranty work done. We’d made arraignments for me to pick him up. I arrived before him. I usually carry a book with me to read for, just in, cases like this. But this time I forgot. Looking for something to read, I reached in the back seat, retrieved that Hobby Farm Magazine, and started leafing through it.

Last year, as some people know, I opened a small business, Herbs & Things. I have organic and natural products. This year my garden plants are from organic seeds, planted in organic soil, and some are in biodegradable pots. Not one to want to use pesticides to keep my plants bug free, extreme excitement fill my senses when I opened the magazine to a page about Organic Pesticide for garden plants. I said to myself, oh see this is why this books been here, for me to eventually find this information about organic pesticides.

Below that article was another small article, titled “Wild On The Farm”. Pictured is a new fawn curled up in its ‘camouflage’ position. I read the article and was reminded how does will birth their young, then after cleaning, feeding and tending them will put them in various locations while she goes off into the woods to eat, drink and take care of herself. The fawns are wired to stay put until she comes back. When the fawns go into camouflage mode, they freeze, curl their body in a circle and flatten against the ground with their head extended.

Saturday morning the dogs and I went for a walk before I opened the shop. Partridge road is a nice patch of road, near my house, to get a good walk up a hill in a short amount of time. I was enjoying the sounds of the birds, watching them flit from tree and bush, building nests, preparing for the arrival of their young, when I noticed something red on the shoulder of the road in a patch of grass. My first thought, was oh no a dead fox, hit by a car. I found it funny though the dogs did not get a scent of it. As we got closer, I noticed spots…and with a bigger OH NO, a dead fawn, hit by a car, I tiptoed closer. Why I am not sure, it’s dead after all. But my human curiosity wanted me to look closer. The dogs still hadn’t notice it.

Close enough now to get a good look, I knew the fawn was lying in its camouflage mode. I wondered though, maybe it is dead, because I could not see it breathing, but its eyes looked alive. I decided to double check it on our way back. As we got beyond the fawn, I looked back to see it take a breath. This newborn fawn was doing what nature and its mother told it to do. Stay put, and freeze into camouflage mode, so nothing would noticed it.

I’ve grown up in the country and know to leave things alone when I come across something like that, but my curious human side wants to reach out, pet baby animals, pick them up, hug them and desperately hold the beautiful little creatures to feel their soft coat. The article I read three days before in the Hobby Farm magazine came immediately to mind, confirming I was doing the right thing when I told myself, DO NOT touch it. Mom will be back. Mother Nature knows how to take care of her own. Looking ahead as I continued walking up the hill, I saw a doe and a last years fawn walked across the road. Baby’s mom? Probably.

The fawn was still there when we walked back down the hill. The dogs still had not noticed it. I prayed a car would not pull off on the shoulder of the road there. About two hours later, I went back to check and sure enough, that fawn was gone. I breathed a sigh a relief.

I am a firm believer that—everything— happens for a reason, small and large. That each ‘what ever or who ever’ that crosses our path, whether a person, animal, event or words read, are put there, at a precise moment we need them to be there. It could be years or three days down the road, when what someone said, an event that we participated in or a paragraph we read, will give us the knowledge we need at a time when we need it, leaving nothing to coincidence.

It’s all about taking chances with a dream

2009-05-10T13:17:00.004-04:00

A little over a week ago, I finished reading a book, given as a gift by Tricia Crisafulli, www.faithhopeandfiction.com., titled ‘Go Back and Be Happy’. It’s a true story told by Margaret McSweeny, about a woman’s, Julie Papievis, recovery from a traumatic brain stem injury, and her short visit in heaven. While there, she saw two of her grandmothers and God instructed her to ‘Go Back and Be Happy’.

I find it fascinating that Tricia chose this book as a gift for me, or as she told me, the book told her where it wanted to go. Tricia had no idea of the head injury I suffered as a child. Actually most people don’t. Its not until recently that I may explain to people my seemingly air headiness, and frequent forgetfulness, beyond what the average person forgets.

Julie’s journey started with an automobile accident, she goes to and returns from heaven, wakes from a coma, and finds she no longer is the person she used to be. She wonders why she was sent back and how could she ever be HAPPY living life in a body that did not work as it use to. Her ‘come back’ is remarkable and I think any one who reads this book, will look at their own life, see where they could work harder and attain their dreams.

My head injury occurred, when a horse threw me, and catapulted me in the air far above its 18-hand stance. Falling back towards the ground, I hit the back of my head at the base where it connects to the spine, on the top of a jumping post. (Yes, I was wearing a helmet.) I seemed ok, until I passed out the following day while jumping a horse again. My mother rushed me to Children’s Hospital in Buffalo NY. They looked into my dilated eyes, then the doctors rushed me in for x-rays, or some sort of imaging. I am not sure what they did I only remember the sound of the buzzing machines around my head.
I had a fractured skull, with a blot clot at the base of my brain and the brain was swelling. They could not believe that I did not have a headache or that I had not passed out earlier than that morning.

Back in the 60’s they knew less about head injuries than today, so their instructions for my parents were to take me home. Don’t give me aspirin or any pain medication, they did not want to chance thinning the blood. Monitor my speech and mobility and do not let me sleep for any longer than 2 hours at a time.
In the first two weeks of my one-year recovery, I had to go back to the hospital every day to be re-x-rayed. They wanted to make sure the clot was not breaking off, going places it shouldn’t and keep the swelling in the brain in check.

The doctors warned my parents about mood and personally changes. But they did not prepare them or me, a once A student, the problems with attention or remembering things I had read or written, I would have. Nor did they prepare us for the hours my mother would spend helping me to write legibly again or remembering what I had read.

I recall one day coming home from school and asking her in tears, “Why was I so smart and now I am so dumb?” She told me never to say or think that again.
For one year after the accident, I could not ride horse, a bike, an elevator, jump rope, or do anything that would ‘shake’ the brain and cause more injury.

My injury was nowhere near as traumatic as Julie’s. But a few years ago, when I started researching a little more about brain injuries, I realized how bad it could have really been and often wonder why was I spared, when others who’ve had less trauma to their heads, ended with more damage to their over all body function or the loss of a life. Conducting recent research, I found my head injury was closer to the brain stem than I ever realized. As Julie wondered and asked god frequently, I too wonder more since reading the book, what went right for me? Was it, and is it all part of Gods plan?

Go Back and Be Happy, made me look closer at my life, and my dreams, and reconfirmed taking chances with our dreams is the one and only way to make them work. What this book did, beyond making me feel normal about my life long struggle with memory malfunction, was reconfirming just how lucky I was, that it could have been much worse and what I’ve always believed, but like so many have a hard time doing, is… it is all about taking chances with our dreams.

How many times in a week or month, do you wake up and think about a dream, but your fear of the unknown sets you back on the same track you follow every day (Security in the known, fear in the unknown). If only there were a crystal ball, you say to your self, so you could see if taking the chance on your dream is what you should do. It’s easier to follow your dream when you have something to fall back on, but what if you don’t have anything, what will happen then?

Taking chances with our dreams is a big thing. Most of us are afraid to do so. We are afraid of ridicule. That we’ll look foolish or that we’ll loose everything. But mostly we are afraid of failure. However if we don’t pursue our dreams haven’t we lost something important already, our hopes. Hope of a new future, a new life, an experience taking us to new heights and following our dreams of we’ve been all that we can be.

Beside our fear of failure, often we hesitate to follow our dreams, because its hard work and does not come with out bumps and bruises. Like a child learning to walk, falling is part of the process. But that’s what we need to do, pursue our dreams like a child. A child does not care if they fall or what others will think, because fear of failure not yet instilled, allows them to get up and try again.

Reading of Julies journey of moving forwarding, falling, and getting back up, taught me, if you think your dream is not working, try a different approach. It’s not necessarily the dream that is wrong, just the approach. Sometimes to get it moving again, a different perspective is needed, whether from someone else or you changing your way of thinking.

There are two recent events where people pushed their fears aside and followed their dreams. They took a chance and their dreams came true.
One is the singing sensation, Susan Boyle. What would have happened if she did not take the chance of looking silly? What if, she had not chanced having her appearance criticized or let the sounds of people laughing at her stop her. What if, she didn’t throw all of those fleshly worries to the winds, she’d still be singing in her home. But she took the chance.

Then there is Mine That Bird, the two-year old Kentucky Derby winner.
What made them think this horse could win? Was it a dream they saw in him every time they watched him run that they packed up their against all odds horse, with no pomp and circumstance, concentrated on their dream and did something that most people would fear to do, put their dreams in the heart of a horse. Like winds that carry a leaf, Mine That Bird, carried their dreams over the finish line. Why because when all odds, 50-1, were against them, they trusted in what they saw instead of looking at the odds and followed their dreams.

Julie, tied in bed, wearing a diaper, not able to walk or talk, dreamt of running again. Though the odds were against her, that she’d never be normal, she allowed her dreams to lead the way.
So what does my accident have to do with following your dreams you might ask. My answer is, everything happens for a reason. It made me work for what I wanted. My first dreams, after the accident was to, at least, remember that I enjoyed a book I read. I wanted to be able to follow my dreams, and to do, and be anything that—I—chose.

Like most every one, I am afraid of the unknown or the uncertainty of where dreams will lead, but my accident made me less fear full of the fall. Because though it slowed me, it did not stop me. I had fallen, got back up and tried again.

With out taking the chance, our dreams are only what we dream of, instead of dreams that have come true and so what if the dream does not materialize, there are more where they came from. They are inside of you. Stop, listen and know—It Is— all about taking chances with a Dream.

Done with the Poem A Day challenge

2009-05-02T06:41:00.003-04:00

Did I keep up?
Mostly. I missed two.
Prompt #28 Write a Sestina &
Prompt #29 Never (Blank) Fill in the blank
Although I can no longer post them on the poetry site
I will still do them and post them here on my blog later.
But here are the rest

Prompt #22 was to write about Work

Work
Is a necessity
we love to hate,
hate to love
and cannot live with out

Work
When not over done
keeps us healthy
the mind agile,
the body willing.

Work
Makes our troubles less
keeps us young at heart
and satisfied with who we are

Work
Gives us money to spend
Something to barter with
Or at least a since of accomplishment

Work
is what you make it.
it can be a chore,
or fact of life well done.

Prompt #23 Regret;

Regret

I have none

Yes, but what about the time you cried?
I’ve no regrets for those tears, they helped me grow.

But what about the time you lost your first love
I’ve no regrets, for that loss taught what it is
I do not want.

What about when someone said unkind and untrue things about you?
No regrets, it showed me who my friends are.

What about the time, you thought God had forsaken you.
No regrets, it was then,
I learned he was teaching me to fly.

Prompt #24 Write about travel
This is a poem I wrote a while back and revised

Open Butterfly Wings

One day a butterfly flitting on the breeze
Came upon and settled on the breast of me.
Words of wisdom it did carry on wings of softened beauty,
Mother Nature at her best.

It’s lexis of wisdom nearly lost on the breeze of Mother Nature’s breath.
Quietly, unwearied the butterfly in its beauty stayed upon my breast,
Waiting for the words of wisdom, it did carry to rest upon…
MY… life’s breathing breath.
Thus, when I did inhale the breath of life I need,
The words of wisdom it did carry
Became a part of me.

It told me of the beauty my life alone could have,
I must set aside my reservations…
Waltz the rhythmic amplification inside of me,
Dance…
Dance… with the earth as god intended it to be

Prompt #25 Write about an event and make that the title

It’s raining

Dark and gray
It’s raining
Drizzle—drizzle all of the day
It’s raining
The grass does grow
It’s raining
The birds still sing.

It’s raining
until days ends
It’s raining
A rainbow appears
It’s raining
the crops are not seared

It’s raining
Step in a puddle and smile
It’s raining
Tomorrow the sun will shine.

Prompt #26 write about Miscommunication

Miscommunications

Mary’s fed up with Bob’s performance
because he’s doing it again,
or more to the factual point…not doing it.
Repeatedly she urges him with her long legs,
yet, he is stone cold still, no action, no movement, no wanting.

She ponders tapping her fingers on her moist lips,
how to get him to fulfill her dreams.
He’ll like and enjoy it once he takes the first step, but
warming him up to the idea, will be a trick.

Whispering in his ear in her softest voice
“You’d think you’d want to do this for me.
I fix your meals, bath you, and massage your aching back
Still this one little thing you refuse to do.”

Bob would not
or could not
respond to Mary’s gentle touch and coaxing.
She speculates what to
do to get him over his shyness.
An idea she does contrive.

Bob watches motionless as she walks away
and disappears behind the sliding doors.
He ogles her with a new respect
eyes wide with skeptical anticipation
when she appears carrying a piece
of leather he’s never seen before.

“There that should do the trick”
Mary pats his long neck.
“You silly horse,
maybe soon
we'll be able to do a
flawless dressage pattern
without harness blinders.”

Prompt #27 write about Longing
another older poem pulled and revised

The Three Impish Thieves
By
Kellie M Shanley

I yearn for the days of yore,
when the three of us would seek and explore.
To laugh and giggle such follies we’d play, with
devilment, generating sparks in our eyes,
not a word thus spoken, we could surmise.
What one didn’t think of the other one would.
Only the three of us,
we shouldn’t,
we would.

The follies passed on memories for us to seek and explore,
memories of the three of us in retrospect no more.
The three impish thieves, not stealing a thing,
but a moment in time,
a laugh from the heart,
a giggle within.

The three playful thieves
Mother, sister and me
Two generations
of time too brief.

Prompt # 30 write about a farewell

Shall I ever walk this way again

I think not.
I marvel looking back… walking toward the future,
hesitant, with a vague desire to return.

Decisively
I focus ahead, though
daunting at times
to see beyond the bends and curves.
I slow a step
fear, I feel with its oppressive weight.

I cannot see in front of me
Go slow—don’t wait.
With each step forward, I gaze over my shoulder
I feel the weight.
Run— I cannot,
the purpose not visualized.
Merciless push and pull, so tedious to stay
Look back—look forward.

Shall I ever walk this way again

I think not
Ahead, doubtful curves, attainment of new sights
bends and curves retrospectively
behind the wake of me.
With no choice
I’m obligated to look ahead.

Shall I ever walk this way again

Kellie Shanley 2009

PAD poems 19,20,21

2009-04-23T06:37:00.002-04:00

Prompt for day 19
Write an angry poem

Angry

No, I am not angry
I am however

Annoyed
Nuts
Grumpy
Riled
Yielding not…

So get over it
and shut up.

Kellie M Shanley © 2009

Prompt for day 20
Write about rebirth

Rebirth of the tiny brown bird
A tiny brown bird, floating in water too deep,
is cold and ready to sleep.
Eyes closed tight, not a breath, not a sound,
solace, in the dark stillness, it found.

In those last moments, on the brink of death
a girl spots the bird floating…it must be dead.
She reaches in, the water to deep,
cups her hands around the body asleep,
gently lifts it from its watery grave,
and tries rubbing, rubbing the cold away,
then swaddles the diminishing life in a handful of fresh mown hay.

Sadness she feels for the tiny finch, alone and cold,
watching it collapse in the bedding of hay.
Placing it in the palm of her hand, she feels
its body twitch with eyes still closed,
not a breath she sees… its death exposed.
With warm hands, she holds it for just a while,
and spots a cross of white feathers, on its tiny brown neck,
She then lays it in the sun on the bedding of hay and
waits and prays for the magic of the rubbing and the sun to give way.

After a while the warmth of the sun and the gentle rubbing does bring,
the tiny brown bird to open its eyes again.
A few days later, her day is made
for in the light brown dust, of her walking pathway
the tiny brown bird, with feathers of the cross, is bathing away.
Glad is she, she’d taken the time,
when all life seemed gone, to lift it from its watery grave
giving it a chance to live a new day.

KMS © 2009

Prompt for day 21
Write a Haiku

The air crisp and cool.
Breathless-the air freezes still
Cold words suspended.

Kellie M Shanley (C) 2009

Poem 18

2009-04-22T06:41:00.001-04:00

Yes I am a tad behind, but I'm still plugging

Prompt 18
Write a poem with interaction

Dancing with the Wind

I hold my breath and listen close
as the wind taps on my windowpane.
Sometimes it s a flutter
sometimes a murmur within a raging rain.

A whirling dance it’s wants from me,
in its beckoning call, but
fickle is the wind when asking for this dance
for it runs from me that I can’t catch it,
is it playing games of chance?

Changeable is the wind, first high, then low.
Confused of which way to go, I turn to walk away.
Afraid I’m saying no to the dance, it grasps my hand,
wraps it’s self around me and lifts me off the ground.
Then suddenly lets me go, leaving me to stumble all around.
.
Sometimes it plays with my affections,
touching me so light.
I reach out to take a hold,
again, it runs away in fright.

Though I do not understand
the ways the wind does blow
I love the wind and feel alone without it.
This feeling scares me so.

The wind will have to play its games,
if only for a while,
tapping at my windowpane, dancing like a child.
For I might say yes and take the chance
to dance this dance the winds do ask of me.
But should I say yes and stumble needlessly,
the wind must promise to catch me and in fright not flee.

Kellie M Shanley © 2009

Poem 17

2009-04-20T14:23:00.002-04:00

Prompt for day 17
Write a poem starting with
All I want is....and fill in the blank.

All I want is

Time to see the world or the very least the places I want to see
Time to conquer my fears
Time to procrastinate and know that tomorrow will come
Time to do what I am supposed to do

All I want is to
Know that what I see is what I need to see
Know that I will conquer my fears
Know that I will not procrastinate, until tomorrow’s time
Know what it is, I am suppose to do

All I want is to
Do and see what I am expected to see
Do the things that will make me confront my fears
Do things today, before tomorrow has a chance to steal today’s time
Do exactly what I am meant to do

All I want is
Peace that I saw everything there was for me to see
Peace that my fears were conquered
Peace that I did not waste any gifts of life’s given time
Peace that I did all that I was suppose to do and be all that I could be

Kellie M Shanley © 2009

Prompt #15

2009-04-18T07:32:00.002-04:00

Prompt #15 was to take a favorite poem,
Give it a new title, and write your own.
This is my stab at it.

One of my favorite poems by Walt Whitman

Beginners
By Walt Whitman
1819-1892

How they are provided for upon the earth, (appearing at intervals,)
How dear and dreadful they are to the earth,
How they inure to themselves as much as to any--what a paradox
appears their age,
How people respond to them, yet know them not,
How there is something relentless in their fate all times,
How all times mischoose the objects of their adulation and reward,
And how the same inexorable price must still be paid for the same
great purchase.

Unaltered
By Kellie M Shanley
© 2009

I appear, not all at once
But I am here
I appear again
Though not seen at first
I appear silent
Speaking volumes
I appear behind you
You cannot see
I appear along side of you
You feel me there
I appear
However, not how you think I should be
I appear weighty
Although I can fly
I appear before you
And you see

Days 13 &14 poems

2009-04-16T05:47:00.003-04:00

Prompt 13
Write about a hobby

Beyond The Lens

What do I see beyond the lens
The past
A moment kept forever in time
The still of night
in its midnight blue beauty

What do I see beyond the lens
The story of hell on earth
through a one-dimensional picture
telling a powerful story
captured on still faces

What do I see beyond the lens
A smile cropped with sadness
Wheelchairs guided by angel’s wings
Wingless nocturnals in flight

What do I see beyond the lens
Love
Laughter
Life
Magnificent accomplishments in black and white
Great moments evermore

What do I see beyond the lens
Forever
Birth
Existence
Amusement
Grief
Death
Then and now

What do I see beyond the lens
Everything

Kellie M Shanley © 2009

Day 14 poem
#14 prompt
Write about love
This is an Etheree poem from 2007

Soul Intentions

Charm
Pleasure
Enchanting
Fascination
In this night of ours
Blushing— warm affection
Radiates within your face
The moons soft light—illuminates
Porcelain cheeks and ruby red lips
Ripe—ready for a kiss of divine love

My lips—pale pink rest upon yours lightly
Finding the soul of my intentions
Basking in desire of love as
I breath in your virgin breathe
Caressing your chin with
This love, more than lust
I stop desire
With purest
Love for
You

KMS © 2007

Poem #12

2009-04-15T06:33:00.002-04:00

Prompt for day 12
So we decided...blank
Fill in the blank

So we decided to take a moment

For a moment we had glimpse
A glimpse of how things could be
We took a chance to see ourselves
with only you and me

With heaviness of when, for us
gone for one day then two
We saw how nice it would be
with only me and you

For a moment, we had glimpse
of how things could be, with
smiles and sharing of simple things and
comfortable laughter at similar ways

A moment in time
how big it seemed then
how small it seems now
For a moment, we had a glimpse
of how things could be
we had chance to see ourselves
with only you and me

Kellie M Shanley © 2009

Poem day #11

2009-04-14T19:31:00.001-04:00

I am a little behind, but no fears I will catch up.
Prompt #11 write about an object.

The Struggle

There they are,
up in the tree
Struggling hard
to be free

Sparkling in the sunshine
they sway and dance,
trying to free themselves
from the branch

Where did they come from
Was it far away
Around the corner
Oh which way

I watch a struggle
which seems in vain
With every tug, the string
tightens and tightens
again

Suddenly a gust of breeze
and a single bounce down
takes the tension out of the string
keeping them bound.

Unravel-Unravel
with a burst of freedom
the balloons are free to fly again
a journey once more begins
traveling to who knows where
Someone will know
when they get there

Kellie M Shanley © 2009

Writing #9

2009-04-11T06:41:00.003-04:00

The prompt for day #9
Write about a memory

The Room Where I Write

The room where I write is a sentimental room, on the south wall in the two-story farmhouse where I was born. It’s filled with papers of scribbled ambiguous ideas and though the papers would appear to be carelessly tossed upon my blue carpet, they are not.
Books and a collection of Breyer horses, many from my childhood, surround me. The old and new together, blanket my soul, as do the memories made in this room, where imaginary friends came to play and grand ideas were born.
Out side, my window I watch a woodpecker tap his red headed rhythm upon the suet of the birdfeeder. The horses, heads steadfast to the ground, munch lazily in their own equine tempo, over the carpet of green. Their tails, with no need to brush away flies, are quiet as winter’s last breath cools the air at the gateways of the valley where this old white farmhouse sits, quaint and composed.
The Room Where I Write is snug inside and my room, the ‘write’ room, is a room where imaginary friends still come to play and grand ideas are born.

Kellie M. Shanley © 2009

Poem a day #8

2009-04-10T07:01:00.003-04:00

The prompt for poem 8 was
Write about a daily routine task
This was tough, because my whole day is
one continuous task.
It took me a while,but this is what I came up with.
I've decided it needs to set for a while and I will tweak later
I need to move on to 9 & 10 prompts.
Writing Wishes from Kellie

Part of a Day
I wake and rub my eyes
Look at the clock,
3:30 AM, oh my
Should I get up
or laze a while
My mind starts buzzing
from this days beguiling smile

I crawl out of bed and pet the dogs
No, I’ve shove them aside
and say, “Come on girls, get up
move those sleepy paws

I put on the coffee
it brews in the pot
I look out the window, wonder
a coat or not
The thermostat outside
says it’s cold out there
I decide on a coat to wear

Its 3:45, and still dark outside
I slide on my boots, and the three of us
The dogs and I, walk to the barn
I wonder as I slide the door open wide
will everything be all right once I enter inside
With horses, there could be a surprise

I feed, water, and give them a pat
Go back in the house
Apply makeup and do this and that
All done after a shower, which is must
Menopause makes the nighttime thermostat go up

It’s time for that morning
first cup of coffee brew
waiting hot in the pot
I take a sip then two

I turn on my computer
What should I write for today
A poem, a short story, maybe an essay
Jot an email, a letter, or funny little stuff
Maybe pay bills, update my blog
Or write poetry fluff
Then again maybe nothing but rambling mush

I write what I want
Then get on with my day
There is much to do
I make the bed
No more delays

Maybe I’ll rake the lawn
Or mow if the snow does leave
I want to till and plant
But the snow and cold insists take heed

There are orders to do
For the shop’s supply
Stalls to clean and to bed with pine
The barn floor needs a sweep
From mornings, hay carried down the line

I brush away winter hair
from the dogs, horses and cats
While cleaning the stalls
an Ah Ha comes at last
I write it down so I don’t forget it this time
I set it aside for tomorrows morning rise

Its almost 4 PM
where do the days go
It’s time to feed the horses once more I know
That makes three times for today
one more to go and tomorrow the same

Now at 5:30 time to close the doors of the shop
no wait, a customer has decided to stop
Its 6:15, supper awaits
The dogs are waging their tails
please give me food, my stomach aches

I watch the news and eat dinner too
Then take the dogs for romp
visit the horses again and watch them chomp
thinking, maybe I’ll take one for a ride
the days are getting longer
this makes me happy inside

The horses perk their ears
They like this idea of mine
Instead, I take my bike for a ride

The dogs stare out the window,
Watching me peddle my butt
they want to be going to run in the muck
The horses don’t care a ride was not planned
a pile of hay still in front of them stands

It’s 9 pm, maybe some TV I’ll watch
No, the peepers are peeping
The stars are bright
I go outside to watch the night

The dippers are there
as are Venus and Mars
My breath lingers, on the still cold air
Deep I breathe, in and out
clearing my soul, thoughts and cares
Why would anyone watch TV
when this particular show is free

I stretch and yawn, my back aches a little
Unloading a truckload of grain and bedding
will do that I know to a woman not twenty
but likes to think she is at fifty um, not telling

It’s 9:30
time to put the horses to bed
I throw them hay, check water twice
scratch their necks, kiss their noses
pat their heads, hug their necks
and turn out the lights

Me and the dogs
walk back to the house
Stopping for a moment
to be part of the dark
The peepers are loud
The coyotes howl
Calling each other, they’re on the prowl
I call the dogs “get back here you two
No hunting coyotes you silly fools
Its time for bed so let’s call it a night”

I check the clock
Its 10:15,
I relax in my chair,
thinking now, I’ll watch some TV
Maybe the news to see what I see

The TV is talking
my eyes start to droop
I nod off a bit
Go to bed you goof

I wake and rub my eyes
look at the clock
Its 3:30 AM, Oh My
Should I get up
or laze a while
My mind starts buzzing
from this day’s beguiling smile

© Kellie M Shanley 2009

Day 7 poem

2009-04-08T09:11:00.002-04:00

Day 7
Prompt one
Write about something clean
Prompt two
Write about something dirty
We don't have to do both prompts but
I think I will give writing about something dirty a try later.

Soap Suds in the Shower

S…Squeaky clean is how it’ll make you
O…Olive oil, oatmeal soap is not to eat
A…Alkali, essential oils,
P….Potassium make it sweet

S….Suds it, spike it to make that gorgeous
U…Up do —shower —hair hive, like
D…Dippity Do did— remember that
S….Sorry if you never tried the Soap-Do thing

I….It was like wearing today’s bling
N…Now— nip it, tuck it

T…Top it and pile your soap hair
H…High on your head, oh wait
E…Earrings now for a finished look

S…Slather that soap and make it thick
H…Hang the foam low
O…Over the lobe is the trick
W…Wear them dangling, wear them flat
E…Enters queen of Sheba
R…Rinse off, enough of that.

© Kellie M Shanley 2009

Day 6 poem

2009-04-07T19:09:00.001-04:00

Prompt for Day 6
Write about something missing

Mary Jane’s Fire

Sitting in front of the fire place glass
There in the flames,
burns her present, future and past

At first the flames peak, then dwindle low,
they mimic her life with their fiery glow.

Each flicker conveys the life she did lead.
First bright
a new life begun,
then steady,
as if in the middle of things.

The flames weaken, with the threat of burning out,
she takes the upper hand and stirs them about
creating a breath of fresh air in the cinders once more
the flames anew reach high and soar

Caring, warmth and comfort,
help them burn bright for a long while,
not possible without the stirring and mending’s of time

Once more, time ticks away
as she watches, the ashes diminish in glow
waiting to be stirred,
or this time,
will she let them go

Mary Jane ponders the scene
through the fire place glass,
within the burning ashes
she sees her life’s
present, future and past.

With resemblance to life’s motivations
she chooses again to stir them around,
and the ashes blaze with new life found
keeping the blaze of her life
present, future and past,
burning in the flames
as she looks through the glass.

© Kellie M. Shanley revised 2009

School house with a couple changes...already

2009-04-07T08:52:00.001-04:00

See which version you like best? I did a little more cutting

School House

Walking past where the schoolhouse once lived
I stare in the milieu behind the maple trees,
my imagination carries me to
visions of the small structure
calm, sitting nestled in the woods, where
trees offer shelter—
Mother Nature cradling one of her own
with knotty arms wrapped around its wooden frame
singing her song to the schoolhouse charm
The Schoolhouse quiet
listens

My visions… skip me to children assembled in
the schoolhouse with one room.
Wood desks five, ten or more lined in a row
Young girls in petticoats, pigtails, laced shoes,
open books, ready to learn

Boys growing in coveralls, finished with chores
push, shove and play strong man games
Some in bare feet, giggle lacking shame.
Their only care on this day
is their dreams
Dreams of braids
neatly plaited, down little girls backs
Lying soft— calling—tempting boys’ desires
of an ink well rendezvous.
Mischievously they anticipate perfectly tinted curls

Miss Schoolmarm at the chalkboard
in a long fitted dress, hair in a bun
laughs quietly at the dirty faces to learn
She’s seen them so many times
inkwell phantoms
dancing with the boys

“No ink well for you today,” she says,
“No ink well for you.”
They awe shucks and open their books.
Tomorrow, they ponder… will be another day

The school will remain nestled in the woods
Boys’ desire will tempt
While girls braids wait
All cradled in woody arms
one of Mother Nature’s own
swaying in a lullaby of
The Schoolhouse charm

Kellie M Shanley © 2009

Day 5 poem

2009-04-07T06:14:00.003-04:00

Prompt for #5 poem
Write about a Landmark
This is a poem I wrote in 2007
very little revison done...

School House

Walking past where the school house once lived
I stare in the milieu behind the maple trees,
My imagination carries me to
Visions of the small structure
Calm, sitting nestled in the woods, where
Trees offer shelter—
Mother Nature cradling one of her own
With knotty arms wrapped around its wooden frame
Singing her song to the school house charm
The schoolhouse quiet
Listens

My visions… skip me to children assembled in
The school house with one room,
Wood desks five, ten or more lined in a row
Young girls in petticoats, pigtails, laced shoes and
Open books, ready to learn

Boys wearing coveralls, finished with chores
Push, shove and play strong man games
Some in bare feet, they giggle lacking shame.
Their only care on this day
Is their dreams
Dreams of braids
Neatly plaited, down little girls backs
Lying soft— calling—tempting boys’ desires
Of an ink well rendezvous.
Mischievously they anticipate perfectly tinted curls

Miss schoolmarm at the chalkboard
In a long fitted dress, hair in a bun
Laughs quietly at the dirty faces to learn
She’s seen them so many times
Inkwell phantoms
Dancing with the boys

“No ink well for you today,” she says,
“No ink well for you.”
They awe shucks and open their books.
Tomorrow, they ponder… will be another day

The school will remain nestled in the woods
Boys’ desire will tempt
While girls braids wait
All cradled in woody arms
one of Mother Nature’s own
Swaying in a lullaby of The Schoolhouse charm

Kellie M Shanley © 2007 revised 2009

Poem a day # 4

2009-04-06T16:48:00.003-04:00

The prompt for day 4
(I know...I'm a little behind I'll catch up!)
Write about an animal

Ode to the Hippocampus

Suspended in waters below
It floats
amidst sea grass or coral reefs
Its home

The smallest a royal presence, merely an inch long
Another at twelve inches is a ‘horse’ of a different breed

Though not a chameleon
with colors of
fluorescent and neon preservation
It
hides within the mangroves many feet below

A diver’s delight
thirty-three species
of phenomenon to admire
and
They…
live a monogamous life
not expected in their genre

He bares the young
She’s always there

Equipped with
dorsal and pectorals fins
They
a bony fish
make us wonder
how can that be
as we watch the
marvelous
mysterious
beautiful
often hard to find
enchanting
endangered
Seahorses of the sea

© Kellie M. Shanley 2009

Hippocampus: Greek word meaning seahorse
Hippocampus also part of the brain named after the seahorse because of its shape.

Poem a day # 3

2009-04-04T06:27:00.002-04:00

Prompt for day 3
Start with, “the problem with Blank” fill in the blank

Paint

The problem with paint

Primer, latex, oil, base
Kitchen, bath, bedroom, wait
Satin, eggshell, gloss, matte
One, two, three coats apply
Twenty, thirty, forty minutes dry
Massage temple, relieve ache

Wood, drywall, metal, glass
Peel, sand, prime, tape
Roller, pad, sponge, brush
Ladder, stool, drop cloth, hat
Too many choices —stop

Behr, Sherman, Ace or that
Interior, exterior, ceiling, wall
Frown, idea, smile, at last
Hammock, book, iced tea, relax

(c) Kellie M Shanley 2009

April Challenge

2009-04-03T07:59:00.002-04:00

Well Spring is here and what better way to start celebrating than taking a challenge?
I've decided to do the Writers Digest, April's Poem A Day Challenge.
Will I be able to do it. Yes. If I truly commit myself and do not let my self slack.
So here are my first two poems,
Be back soon. Writing Wishes from Kellie

Last little girl ride

The 1938 Ford, metallic blue
seats only for two
takes us on
Our
last little girl ride

Me in my wedding dress
of satin and lace
He in his tux,
a somber look on his face

My Dad my Hero,
always was…and will be

What words should I say so he will understand
He —was the First hero,
my little girl eyes did see
and here on my wedding day
before I wed
my Hero is beside me

Maybe they’ll be no words needed
to speak
because it’s
We
sitting in Thirty-Eight’s seats
My tuxedoed Hero …
will He cry

and Me
in my wedding dress…
sigh
His
little girl tucked inside
glad we’re together for
Our
last little girl ride.

© KMS 2007

Day 2

Moonrise

I remember much
I remember nothing
Trying… I watch the moonrise
Almost dark
Light echoes behind the evergreen trees
Telling
Bigger, bigger, brighter
I remember once
A moment like this before
When
I remember nothing

Moonrise
Above the trees
A memory rising like the moon
A glimmer
Was it then
Is it now
I remember much
I remember nothing
I remember when
I remember now

© Kellie M Shanley 2009

‘we weren’t like that when we were that age’

2009-03-26T07:31:00.002-04:00

So often today, we hear more bad than good, of the world, the economy, and the ‘we weren’t like that when we were that age’ children.

When I had my 4-H group, the children kept me up to date of the greatness within a child’s soul. Their willingness to lend a helping hand, the wanting to do what’s right and their unshakable ethics of what friendship is about.

It’s been a while since those days and I don’t get daily reminders of the good in so many children. Especially being bombarded from media’s about what’s wrong with the children of today. That ADHD, ADD, selfishness, recklessness, bitterness and laziness are on the rise.

Personally, in this time of economic crisis, people losing jobs and homes, I think the media’s should shed more light on the good stuff.
I understand the importance of updates, warnings and savior from the bad things and that we all need reminding to be careful because, unfortunately, there is bad in the world. But wouldn’t showing more of the good out there help ward off the bad. You know one good deed, creates another.

Wouldn’t highlighting a child that has beaten the odds, making them a role model, rather than one that is beaten and angry, entice more to say, hey I can do that. Yes we must be made aware about the beaten and angry ones so that someone can help them beat the odds. But showing is doing.

Two things recently specifically reminded me of the good spirit in children. First, I had the privilege to help judge essays for the Joanne Champion Granger Scholarship.
I am amazed at what these kids have done, where they've gone and with these children I see hope for our future.

Then my goddaughter shared a troubling trend about a friend in her school that was having a bad time and had thoughts the world would be a better place with out them.
Immediately my heart was sad, that a child would think this of themselves. My Goddaughter’s thoughts were the same.

She wanting to help first told her mom, fearing for this friend. Then with no experience of what do next, but knowing in her heart she needed to do something, wrote down and express why this child is important to her and that it is worth living through the rough patches of life.

She wanted to let them know, when you think there is no one….that you have no friends…or no one cares…just follow the light and a friends hand will reach out…even in the dark tunnels of life.

This is the poem she gave to that friend.

The Light Of Friendship

Do not be sad,
for there is always light in the tunnel of your life,
to be found somewhere.
It may not seem so bright at first,
But with an open mind, eyes and a good heart
The Light Of Your Friends Will Always Find You.

Sabrina Sworts ….age 12

Simplicity + Integrity =

2009-03-12T22:16:00.005-04:00

It speaks to me—when ever I enter the pantry.
Lately though, it seems, in a louder, multiplied in power voice, directed at me from where it sits a top one of the pantry cupboards.

It’s been there a long time. Possibly more years than I realize — how quick, it reminds me, the years can add up. I’ve subtly been trying to discount its beckoning call, why I don’t know, but its not allowing me to do so any longer.

Sometimes it speaks to me in its own, click tick, click tick voice and other times, it’s the voice of my mother saying, “Kellie Marie…listen to me”. Then other ‘times’ behind the click tick, click tick, the tone equals the roar of my fathers excavation equipment.

I’d like to introduce you to Victor Champion 760 manual calculator, born around the 1940’s in Chicago, USA.

This marvelous adding machine is the calculator my mother used to add up invoices and bills from the excavating business, Nelson’s Excavating Inc, she and my dad built, back in the early 1950’s through the late 80’s, until dad was diagnosed with Lupus and could not longer work. Basically a two-person operation, my mother who did the paper work and occasionally drove dump on jobs with dad and dad who loved and operated his earth moving equipment, with a born talent second to none.

Now years after Nelson’s Excavating Inc. has stopped, with its yellowed rolled paper, and ink ribbon that has dried, Victor Champion is speaking out and it’s speaking to me.

Unable to ignore it any longer I retrieved it from its place of rest a few days ago. Dusted it off, fed fresh old yellow paper through the receiver, pulled the lever, and though I could not read the numbers, still with each click tick of the number keys, pull of the crank and turn of the ribbon spindle, memories appeared so clear, I did not need fresh ink to see them.

With Victor Champions, straightforward adding and subtracting, I’m reminded of simpler times before hefty taxes, when zip codes had only five numbers, and when some one could address a letter, simply The Nelsons, Colden, NY and we’d get it. When telephone numbers started with XH1 instead of all digits and business contracts signed, sealed and delivered with handshakes were more concrete than written contracts of today

Each time I pulled the crank, click tick, I remembered the days of grand Christmas parties with friends and clients. Hand written bills and a lifetime guarantee of a septic system at no extra cost. It brought back memories of fun evenings with family, making root beer floats, seeing the NBC peacock for the first time in color, sitting outside around a campfire in our back yard, my dad getting tipsy on his 16oz Peils beer and Gucky our duck swimming in ‘the family’ pool with us.

I keep pressing the number tabs and pulling the crank, adding, though not seeing any numbers, listening to the once familiar click tick of gears, adding more memories to those that have flooded my senses. I recall the time a client did not pay their bill and my parents took his 30x60 Ester Williams, Olympic size, above ground, Redwood swimming pool with a 24-foot deck, as payment.

My dad being the adventurous person he was, decided one summer evening it was time to bring it home. He brought it home in one piece on his lowboy. Yes, I said in ONE FULL piece. A whole swimming pool, balanced just right, atop dads lowboy, being taken to its knew home down a country road. Of course, it was the days when little traffic traveled our roads. If a car did come along, they were not in a hurry. They followed amused that they could not see or get around the monstrosity that tickled the road signs on each side of the road.

Making it more fun, even though they could not see past the big red mass, was that they knew who it was, where he lived and soon there would be a driveway or a dried lawn to skirt around, so they could yell as they drove by, …
“HEY George, what— are— you— doing?”
Dad laughing, “What do you mean, what am I doing? Can’t you see? I’m bringing home the new pool I bought ‘the family’.”

“Only you George, Only you,” They’d laugh and wave cruising by, not perturbed by their delay. It would be a good story to tell at the barbers or at the next fireman’s parade.

I engage the lever again and clearly see my mother sitting at her spindled legged, black wooden message desk, with the slots full of papers, and the black dial phone sitting on the corner. Click tick write, click tick write, click tick write, adding, adding, adding, hand writing bills.

Flipping the, it must weigh 10 pounds, calculator over, I am reminded by the engraved stamp on the back, that Victor Champion was made in Chicago...USA, not across the seas, filling me with pride at a time, when that’s they way it was, and sad because that’s the way it should be. Moreover, here it is many years later in its simplicity still adding and subtracting not only numbers but also memories. Could a calculator of today though faster, hold a crank to the Victor Champion in its day?

Still I wonder why Victor Campion is speaking so loud to me now. Is it because of my new business and it wants to be part of it. Is it my mom and dad speaking from beyond telling me, if I am mindful of my monies and stay simple, Herbs & Things will survive?

I haven’t decided exactly want I want to do with Victor Champion. Should I replace the old yellow paper roll and dried ink ribbon with new and use it. I fear though, that doing so, might remove all the memories within. Or should I put it in the shop just to be there to remind me of simpler days and to run Herbs & Things in that way…Simply.

I guess, I’ll have to take it out in the shop and listen for its voice…a voice of wisdom from years of experience.
Its click tick voice might be that of mom and dad, who were entrepreneurs before me, telling me through the memories added up by Victor Champions click tick, click tick, that
Simplicity + Integrity = good luck and much business for Herbs & Things.

Another small thing I've done to conserve

2009-03-04T07:49:00.002-05:00

A little update on a small thing I’ve decided to do, to conserve energy and our natural resources.
When I mail a letter from my mailbox, I’ve returned to the old fashion way of putting my return address on. I write it in that infamous left corner where I used to stick a cute return address label.
I have the luxury of doing that, because right now I have a small amount of mail I actually mail out.

I figure if all those who don’t really need to, stop making fancy labels, wouldn’t it ‘cut’ down our precious tree loss?

There’s only one problem with this method and why I went to printing labels in the first place—Now people have to look at more of my chicken scratching, once on the address and now in the return address. But I guess if it gets where it needs to go, then chicken scratching is OK.

I know—your might be questioning my reasoning, what can I say, it’s how my mind works.
Kellie

What Trees do for us
Resource ….
KIDS F.A.C.E @http://www.kidsface.org/pages/resource.html

Trees are our breathing partners. You may not live in a forest, but you need trees in order to live. People and animals depend on trees and plants for oxygen. As you breathe in, your body uses oxygen. As you breathe out, it gives off carbon dioxide. Trees do just the opposite. They take in Carbon Dioxide and then release oxygen (which also helps clean the air).
Trees also help cool the Earth. Trees give off moisture. More moisture in the air means more rain and all living things need water. Trees cool the air by shading and through water evaporation. They act like huge pumps to cycle water up from the soil back into the air. The 200,000 leaves on a healthy 100 foot tree can take 11,000 gallons of water from the soil and breathe it into the air in a single growing season.
Trees are also very important for us as a renewable resource. Trees are a natural resource that can be renewed - by the planting of trees - replacing the trees that are harvested for use by people. We depend on forest products for things like the wood we burn for heat and the wood we use to make houses and furniture. We use trees for the paper to make books and letters we write. Actually, there are more than 5,000 things made from trees. Trees give us baseball bats, shoe polish, and even tooth paste that comes from tree extracts.
Today, the people and companies that manage our nation's forests recognize that trees are a valuable resource and that it is in the best interest of each of us to conserve them. The idea of sustainable forestry means trying to keep things in balance - when trees are cut down to make paper and other products, new trees are planted or re-grow naturally and forests helps wildlife by providing them food and a home. Trees and forests help us by cleaning our air, soil, and water - and provide a place for you to camp and hike!
So you can help the world by planting a tree.
Source ….KIDS F.A.C.E @http://www.kidsface.org/pages/resource.html

Could have knocked me over with a feather

2009-03-02T06:28:00.001-05:00

18,000-20,000 soon turned excitement and eager anticipation in to a small disappointment.

Those numbers —are the dollar amount to convert Herbs & Things home to solar power.

After months of searching for either wind or solar power for Herbs & Things, when I saw it, my heart skipped a beat. It was love at first sight as I stared at my hearts desire, a Cabin Solar Kit.

I sent away for a catalog from a company called Power Up. I eagerly opened it when it arrived, flipping through the catalog, passing all other suitors, searching for my one and only. Then there it was, staring back at me, radiant with solar panels dressed and ready to go. I fell deeper in love. I dreamed that soon, Cabin Solar Kit and I would be together.

Sonny, a sales rep, had included his card with the catalog. I called to inquire about prices and options. A quiet deep voice with a slight accent answered.
I told him who I was and what I was interested in. He told he would need about five months worth of kwh’s Herbs & Things used to better estimate the best solar package.

I giggle slightly and said, “Oh I am very small I won’t need much and you know Sonny, I’m going to be very bold, but all you can do is say no. Be—Cause… I am sooooo—small, would your company be interested in paying for my set up? I’d be good advertisement in this area and I WOULD be an AVID promoter of the product.”
His answer was, he could not make that decision, he’d have to go to his boss, but it wasn’t out of the question.

I waited, counting days as I accumulated five months of bills. Sonny emailed me before the last bill came, to check in. I emailed him back and told him I was waiting on one more bill. Then suggested, while we were waiting, he might want to check out my web site. He could see how small I am. He did check it out that same day, then emailed me back and complimented my web site.

Finally—the fifth bill came. I added the numbers and thought; I bet this is nothing compared to some. Cabin Solar Kit and I will soon be together.
I emailed Sonny with my estimated kwh’s. He phoned me the same day.

Well the rest is history. Cabin Solar Kit and I will have to wait until another day. Maybe that day will come, when I hit the lottery or Herbs & Things and I become millionaires. I’d better get selling more teas and “Things”!

However, I want to express thanks to Sonny. A man in a big company, that probably knew I could not afford the Cabin Kit. And in spite of my naivety of the cost of solar power, he took the time with no condescension in his voice, nor gave me the impression he felt this very small cog was insignificant and explained, the what’s and why’s of converting, for future reference should I be able to afford to do so.
Not even, when I heard him smile over the phone, when I said in shock, “Sonny could please repeat the cost. I don’t think I heard you right”.

So again, I say thank you Sonny for taking the time to ‘enlighten’ me
Kellie

Leaving concerns

2009-02-20T22:06:00.002-05:00

I left concerns behind and experienced one of the nicest days February, Friday the 13th 2008, that I can remember. How odd. I spent it attending a funeral.

It seems I’m at a loss for words this week. Several ideas have popped up, but nothing stays afloat. Maybe a series of events from that week is erasing the ideas from my mind, or the undercurrent of the flailing economy is carrying my ideas away beneath waves of concern. However, the writer in me—wants to write—needs—to write, so where do I begin. I guess where all writers begin, with a free write.*

The economy is a concern for every one. My husband and I are ok. The company he works for is one of the few trucking companies still up and running. He’s ‘semi’ secure if they start letting people go, he won’t be first. He’s been there almost twenty years. This reduces our concern. However, we wonder, will his employer be able to hold on? We sure hope so. We’ve had to start over a couple times in our 33 years of marriage and doing it again at our age—though we are not old—doesn’t sound appealing. Though concerned I don’t worry, what’s to be will be. We will deal with it as best we can, should that time come.

Things are a little tight though, because as those who follow my blog know, I quit my job to pursue and devote my time to this dream of Herbs & Things. I must admit I still wonder from time to time, why that voice of inspiration instructed me to open Herbs & Things now, when the economy is slow. (If you are intrigued, you can read about The Voice in my October 8th 2008 entry.) I do have a theory about, why now. That is for a later blog.

Last week was a week of feelings I can’t put into words. Surreal, baffling, humbling…nope can’t find the right words. It was a week of concerns, not worries, because worrying fixes nothing.

My mother-in- law’s been sick for a few weeks, with a virus of some sort. She’s 76, my father-in- law is 80. I don’t worry about them, they have thirteen children and 36 grandchildren, so someone that lives closer than I, is able to check in on them. But with concern I called almost every day to see if she was better, fighting the fear of the worst for someone her age. Tuesday the 10th my father- in- law had a Doppler done on his legs.
I called with concern. This week she’s doing better, he had his Doppler, things are ok and after a minimal procedure, he’ll be fine.

Wednesday my friend Linda called to let me know her husband Dave passed away after battling Leukemia for two years. I’m slightly concerned about her living on the farm alone. I express my deepest sympathies. I think, she’ll be ok she has two great daughters Kathy and Kristy. I tell her I’ll see her at the wake on Thursday. I hang up and my concern turns to sorrow. How tragic such a nice family, I’ve known since she was my high school gym teacher, 1969-1972, had to loose someone they love. Then in the early nineties, as if to complete a started circle, Linda once the teacher calls a riding instructor, unknowing it was me at the time, to teach her 13 year old daughter riding. I am concerned will I cry at the wake about their loss and the past that is gone making them feel worse.

Its Thursday, the weather is terrible. Winds are blowing and it’s snowing hard. The roads are bad. My sister who is going through chemo is not having a good week and needs a blood transfusion. The hospital is 35 miles away. I am amazed at her fortitude and smiling spirit. My concern for her minimal because of those attributes but I am concerned about their drive in to the hospital.
Because her husband is a good driver, they get there and back, safe and sound, and she feels better. That concern set aside, another weighs on my shoulders, should I be dealt such a hand, would I be able troop on as my sister has. My concern turns to admiration of such an inspirational person, my sister.

Late Thursday afternoon the weather is getting worse, the plows haven’t been through and it would not be wise to drive the hour drive one way in this kind of weather. I make a decision. I call and leave a message I cannot make the wake, but I will be at the funeral tomorrow. My concern now, I have to close Herbs & Things to go to the funeral.

Thursday evening around 6 pm, the mother of my Godson calls. They are taking him to the hospital with fears of Spinal Meningitis. Immediately the only thing that plays in my mind as I stand silent, with concern, are the commercials I’ve seen for Spinal Meningitis awareness…that shows children playing and a voice saying “This is what Spinal meningitis looks likes, smiling yesterday, dead today.” My concern is fear.

It’s the morning of Friday the 13th. I hear of the tragic plane crash of Flight 3407 not far North of me. My heart saddened for those who died and those having to deal with their loss. How silly of me I think, to be concerned about closing the shop and maybe missing a customer. I already know in my heart saying goodbye is more important but needed reminding.

It is a beautiful day, the sun is shining the roads are clear. It is a nice one-hour drive to Ellicottville.

The funeral service is beautiful. It’s one of the nicest and uplifting services I’ve ever attended. There are tears, but still there is joy with a true celebration of this mans life. As we celebrate his life and life in general, it’s through his death, again the reality of what is important shines through. I have no thoughts of my shop at home. I am happy being where I am.

Even though it was a funeral, any concerns I had vanished and the day was wonderful. I met two nice women, Sharon and Gobby, (I apologize if your name is not spelled correctly) who themselves were inspirational. I spent the afternoon eating good food, talking with good company compiled with the breathtaking backdrop of beautiful Holiday Valley, where Dave worked for 43 years.

It was an afternoon spent hugging and being with a woman I love dearly and her daughters. I spent time with the memory of a man, a kind man with a gruff voice, who spoke his mind, took nothing from no one and all respected him for that. A man that worked hard but knew the important things in life, keeping his priorities straight by making sure even when he worked over time, to be home to have dinner with his family. He is loved for that.
He knew his god, who he was in God and though he was not a church going man, he and god had an understanding. They were comfortable with their relationship.

It was a marvelous afternoon. I learned more about the man I was saying good-bye to and the family I thought I knew and loving them even more.
What a glorious day I had saying goodbye and celebrating his life.

It was unavoidable, that this series of events over four days changed my way of thinking making me stop and reflect again, about what’s important in life. Reconfirming something I already know, but don’t do as often as I should.
That is, take time and enjoy life. Have fun. Socialize. Be with people. Say a kind word. Tell someone you love them. Be kind to animals. Respect the planet we live on. Enjoy and thank god for today, because tomorrow, it could be gone.

Its Friday the 13th evening, my Godson has a sinus infection—No concerns.
Saturday Afternoon, we celebrate my sisters 65th birthday—
Monday Linda is doing O–K
Tuesday...the mother-in-law put new covers on her dining room chairs.
Wednesday the father-in-law went shopping
Tues/Wed/Thurs/ Herbs & Things has some customers
Friday the 20th, my husband is home from work and going back.

*Free Write: is a writing technique in which a person writes continuously for a set time period, with no regard to spelling, grammar or topic. It produces raw, often unusable material, but allows a writer to overcome blocks of apathy and self-criticism. It is used mainly by prose writers and writing teachers.
Often writers use free writing to collect their initial thoughts and ideas and as a preliminary to more formal writing.

Sign or coincidence

2009-02-06T06:15:00.003-05:00

(Photo taken by Amateur astronomer Jack Newton from his backyard observatory in Arizona:)

I receive E-mail newsletters from NASA Science News. I don’t always read them if the headlines don’t catch my eye, but occasionally something will.
A recent newsletter from NASA was one of those.

Green Comet Approaches Earth

Does it peak your interest, like it did mine?

Meet comet Lulin, named after the observatory in Taiwan where the discovery-photo was taken, a solar identity that is coming our way.

With my mind the way it works, integrated with beliefs that most things are not coincidental, I look at a —Green comet approaching earth at a time when our energy resources are dwindling, the earth is changing and many are trying to live less wasteful lives—like an intervention or we are being told something, loud and Green.

Reading the events as Lulin gets closer, I can’t shed the question, is it a sign or coincidental, that this Green comet is approaching earth as our new president speaks of providing more affordable ways for people to go Green, with solar, bio fuels and wind power. Is it a sign that some of us are still in denial that the way we live is affecting the planet we live on.

Yes, as history would have it, earth changes every million, billion years or so. In small ways, according to the universe, it changes every day. It changed before there were so many of us, or there were planes, trains and automobiles. It changed during the ice age, the demise of dinosaurs, and other earthly evolutionary events. However, just as breathing toxic fumes is bad for our human bodies, I have to believe the toxic residue, carbon monoxide and other things we throw at are planet, are not good for Mother Earths health and that we are speeding up her change.

Anyhow, I thought you might like to meet Lulin, the green comet, and judge for your self…and see what you feel…Is it a …sign or coincidence?

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/04feb_greencomet.htm?list1068991

Have a great day
Kellie

Kellie and Green go together

2009-01-26T07:31:00.006-05:00

Many of us including me are concerned about our future and the future of planet earth. We want to make the world better, live healthier and preserve what we have before it’s too late. But most of us, are at a loss of where and how to begin a green different way of life. Consequently, because it feels like an extra burden added to our already hectic lives and not knowing where or how to begin, we do nothing.

Often when we do think of what we could do to help the future of our lives and this planet, our inner antagonist pulls us away by making us question, what can— I —do, or how will what— I— NOT do, make a difference. I am only one person out of millions. I am just a drop in the bucket, what I do or don’t do, won’t matter.
This is not so.

The other day I tuned into the Weather Channel when they had an interview with David Suzuki airing. (David Suzuki is a Canadian world known green earth activist, who’s been fighting for green, before green was in. He must be doing something right. It’s hard to believe he is in his seventies.)
During the interview David was not promoting we give up our cars or some of our conveniences to go live in a cave.
“That is not our world of today and it would almost be impossible”, he says.

But he is big on promoting the health and welfare of earth and what we are doing to cause its demise and changing the way we live to accomplish the goal of stopping this demise in its tracks.

He mentioned, that today, many families of two, have four cars. That every 20 years, houses built increase in size by 500 square feet using three to four times more energy to heat and light, though fewer people live in them. Energy used in one month that could heat and light a smaller house for 6 months. Which brings up the questions, why in today’s energy crises and economic times would two or three people need four baths and five bedrooms in an already energy wasteful home

The time has come for each of us to start asking, “What should I do to make our world better? What can I do to save earthly resources before they are gone? How can I live an energy efficient life? Now is the time to throw away the rest of those words “I am only one out of millions how could I possibly make a difference.” Remember, a small continuous drop over time will fill a bucket. You know, like a bucket you’ve placed to catch dripping water, some how, time goes by quick and that bucket you thought was big enough, is full.

Over the years, I’ve tried to increase my energy and earth consciousness. I know there is more to do, and many are doing more than I am, but these are a few of my drops of contribution.

I buy energy efficient appliances, live as simple as I can and avoid gadgets that have to stay running all the time.

I do need a pickup truck for the farm, but I have a gas efficient vehicle that I use for all other medial running around and use it 90% of the time.

I turn off electric devices when I am not using them, such as printers, computers and I unplug TV’s that the timers don’t matter, because they use power even when powered off.

My coffee pot does not have a timer and I unplug that too, just incase of stray electricity.

If I am not in a room, the lights are off.

Seldom do I use paper plates and I do not buy plastic cups, or eating utensils, they only add to our landfills because most of the time we forget to recycle them.

I do not have an electric dishwasher, which means yes I wash dishes by hand; really, it doesn’t hurt to wash dishes by hand and I use less water, less electricity and less gas to heat the water used in a dishwasher

I buy beverages in recyclable cans, glass bottles or cardboard and stay away from buying cases of bottled water. If one family buys one case of bottled water a week and throws the bottles away, multiplied by 100, 1000, or 10000 families, and so on, that is a lot of plastic in the landfills.

I use as many recycled products as I can.

I shovel what snow I can instead of using the snow blower. Doing this achieves two things, saves gas and gives me exercise.

I try to keep my snow plowing to a minimum, depending how bad the lake effects are, here in WNY.

I cut my driving miles by consolidating shopping and running around at once. I don’t run out to get one item. I wait. Usually my list will grow and waiting one or two more days doesn’t hurt a thing.

I use the carpet sweeper powered only by me, to pick up dog hair rather than run the vacuum every day.

When I do barn chores in the morning, I turn on only half the lights.

I try and plant a new tree every year.

I grow a garden; can many of my own vegetables, fruits and dry culinary herbs. Canning jars are freezable, reusable, and the lids are recyclable. If I buy vegetables in the store, I try to stay away from plastic bags and buy cans or jars. (I admit, I’ve slipped sometimes, because the bags are convenient. It’s one of my news steps, it’s a new thing I have to get use to.)

When I buy products for Herbs & Things, I consciously look for biodegradable, recycled, or recyclable packaging.

I have a rain barrel that collects water to water my garden and flowers. Not because are water levels are low where I live, but because I feel that’s less time the well pump is running.

I use solar fencers for the pastures and solar accent lights for my decorative water garden and barrel. (This year my goal is to invest in solar water pumps for those decorative water displays.)

I am searching for ways I can afford to make my house green energy efficient at least some of the time.

I drink organic, fair trade coffee, teas, and use handmade eco friendly body soaps.

I use little insecticides in my barn. Cleaning stalls and sweeping the barn every day, helps keep flies down during the summer.(I did try using natural flea control on my dogs, but my one dog is allergic to what I used, so I must keep searching.)

I bet you can think of one thing you can do today to help conserve.
What I did, to make my transition to energy wise easier, is do one change at a time. When that change became a habit, I changed something else. If you do this too, before you know it, one good for you and good for earth, habit is ten. If only a few people did that every day, soon one bucket would be two.

For more info about David Suzuki and living green, check out
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/

If you have ways, you save and help cut down on energy use and less garbage, share it with Herbs & Things in the Blog comment section,
or e-mail me at
herb_sandthings@live.com.
I would love to learn more how –to’s, and share your ideas with others.

Lucky for me, with a name like Kellie, I was born to be green!

A proud moment in 2009

2009-01-19T19:37:00.005-05:00

January 20th, 2009, all of us, will be a part of moment in history that generations’ after us will only be able to experience through reading history books or magazines.

I am proud of this historical moment, after growing up in the 60’s turmoil’s, feeling helpless while listening to the riots on the radio, that our country has started to grow beyond the color of a person’s skin, defining who they are.

I have to admit though, there is conflict within myself, when I see Barack Obama on TV, in the news or hear him on the radio. My mind and intelligence, knows the weight and monumental moment of this inauguration, but my heart sometimes questions why, should this be any different from any other of our leadership changes.

Before you get upset with me, let me explain the dilemma of my heart and mind. Remember I do understand the historical value of January 20th 2009 and I am proud to be part of it.

The fight between my mind and heart is because I do not see Barack Obama, as a black man, African American, colored or any of the tags put on the color of the skin. I see him as a man that loves his country more than I can comprehend. I see him as a man, committed and willing to take the responsibility of the job of President of the United States of America. I see— not a black man —but a Man— that loves his family and the rights of all people and the freedom of living in America.

I know I would not want the job. Nor do I know many people who would want it either, especially during this time of economic chaos and terrorism tapping at our back doors.

Personally, I feel the problems and dangers that will follow our 44th president will be three fold to those who have served before him. I’m sure he understands this too. Yet, there he was wanting and fighting for the job.

What I see is a man that every day, will put his life on the line for us, and our country. What I see is, a man, that everyday will be risking his own well-being, wanting to do this not only for his family but our families and the future families to be.

This is why I say,—this man— Barack Obama, truly loves this country. Why else would he want to take on the challenges, sacrifices, and danger of this job,( knowing that some will not see him just as a man), running head on into a inferno, much like a firefighter who rushes into a burning building thinking not of his own life but the lives inside, he wants to save. The lives I see that Barack Obama wants to save are the fighting soldiers, the children of the future and the lives of all of us today.

Many say he is to inexperience, but maybe his inexperience is a ticket that will make him run fast into the inferno, because he knows no better. It might be that untested love for this country that will make him run faster than those before, willing to take risks others would not, only to emerge on the other side, with minimal burns, consequently saving those inside the inferno.

As always, time will tell and though, Barack Obama, I did not vote for you because of your inexperience, you have my support and to you— the man, husband, father, son, and 44th President of the United States of America, I wish you well and may God keep you and your family safe.