StoryBook Club visits the Wee Folk

So there I was, gripping the coat tails o' a wee sprite of a man.

A Leprechaun!

Here's what I knows to be true about them sort:

*They's tricksy, indeed.

*Dinna take yer eyes off 'im, mate, or else they disappear as will yer wishes.

*Dinna let them go afore he gives ye yer 3 wishes by rights.

*Dinna believe them when they says ye can has a 4th wish. That extra greedy one will make the first 3 disappear for'ere!

*They canna be trusted. EVER.

*They loves music and dancin!

*They loves to drink, but you'll have fun trying to drink them under the table.



A few intrepid seekers o' the Blarney, met up at Squirrel Haven, to discuss the Leprechauns, on account it were the month o' March and all things Irish and Celtic.

We supped on  delicious Colcannon, Irish Cheeses,  horseradish and crackers (goodly pub food), homemade bread, magic brownies :) and Irish Coffees and Shamrock cookies for afters!

Here's a few wee folk, a pot o' gold and some Irish Coffee...

Shamrock Cookies

(By the way, Irish Coffee may be the "perfect" food. It has caffeine, alcohol, sugar and fat :)


For our Video Choices:

We were surprised at the political inappropriateness of the movie "Finian's Rainbow" (with Fred Astaire and Petula Clark) and were amazed and astounded and sort of sickened by the stereotypes they portrayed in it...so we chose a different one.

The movie for the discussion was "Darby O' Gill and the Little People"

(with a handsome and YOUNG Sean Connery) and we learned about Darby and King Brian o' the wee folk.

WOWSA.

I've always known that Sean Connery was a babe...but I wasn't around for this when he was younger.
That is one hot man. :)

For next month...
In hopes of SPRING and SUMMER and better weather...
and seeing as how our next meeting is close to Easter....

We will be studying Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby!

Zippety Do-Dah!

(hmmm....I feel a BBQ coming on... :)

Bali on a virtual budget :)

Ok, so it's grey and snow is falling here in CNY. Not Bali-like at all. It freaking SNOWED today.
And that's ok. How'ere, the last couple of days have brought me much personal pleasure even so!

Yesterday, I had the day to myself before work. I got up with Harry at 5:30am. I wished him well, I read, and I wrote, and den? I went back to bed at 9am. How awesome is THAT?  Fecking decadent.

Know what else I did?

Yoga every day. Been eating whole grains....Ok, I've had the side glass of alcohol. Watched "Trekking the World~ Bali", 2 versions of the "King & I" and "Anna & The King", also a Netflix on "Fierce Spirit" and gathered strength from the cold wind. I've also cooked Coconut Curry Shrimp with rice, eaten papaya and smoked salmon and  pampered myself with hot baths, oils and nail polish. I've taken my vitamins faithfully for 2 weeks. I've tanned. Used my Netti pot and had it surprise me hours later with a gush of saline from nowhere. (I didn't realize that your head is a fucking cavity with a lot of secret hiding places in there...)
I've read decadently in the evening swaddled in a blanket with my dog.  I've taken naps and gone to bed early and got up when I felt like it. Been working too, checking emails and raked a lot of leaves. Been loving my man, Harry, so much for letting me find and harness my voice. I also finished editing my memoir. Fucking A! How awesome is that? Hardest thing I've ever done besides push two babies out of my vagina. But surely I digress.

BTW~
During this "DIY~Bali Retreat", I've realized that:

1) Yul Brenner is one HOT fecking male.

2) But not nearly as hot as Yung-Fat Chow. Good God, but that man is sexy. 

 
3) That's a LOT of freaking satin in the Lady Leonowen's dresses in The King & I...
This dance scene is EPIC.

4) I feel that the actor that depicted her son in The King & I resembles a Civil War version of "Eddy Munster" only like a real boy.

5) I like the actor's portrayal of the son in "Anna & The King" way better.

6) While I like the musical (sucker for musicals, I am....) I actually prefer "Anna & the King" for the story line and yet both movies depict differing versions of the same story. However, after getting hooked on the story line and the historical basis of fact, and researching it a little, the real story of the King of Siam and Lady Leonowens' is much more tragic.
Check out this link for the REAL Story of the King of Siam and Lady Leonowens

7) as is the difference in the endings of Tuptim and her Buddhist monk's lives in both movies.

Other than that,
Bali is fine. Thai food all week, eating really awesome food, tackling projects like the hot tub, that Wayne is rebuilding (the parts came TODAY!!!) and finishing the memoir are reason for one more glass of wine.

Merlyn, somewhere in Bali, chanting and stretching and eating a lot of damn good curry.

Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera....

Romanesco Brocolli and Sacred Geometry

I'll confide to you a weakness.

I sometimes wander the aisles of grocery stores in search of weird things to try.

I call it the "WTF Theory".

Like, I'll see a veggie or a fruit or food item and say "WTF are you?"

If I really don't know what it is, or what it tastes like or how to cook it, I'll buy it.

Case in point:  Romanesco Broccoli.

The fact that it said the word broccoli tipped me off but other than that....it looks like it should've been growing in an underwater environment. I envisioned clown fish swimming around it when I held it in my hands.

My friend, Tom joined me and Harry for lunch after the church service we played for and because Tom is a vegetarian (I'm a recovering vegetarian but still have leanings....) we thought we'd cook it up. He too, was impressed with it's beauty. Tom and Harry mentioned the Fibonacci Sequence, the Golden Ratio and Sacred Geometry was evident in it's construction. Truly, it is a thing of beauty!

 Fibonacci broccoli

The Golden Ratio, is evident in nature.........

I'm not going into the math here....but if you want to see it, just google it. You have fun with that. Instead, I'll just marvel in it's beauty.
So for this days' ponderance,  I thought I'd ponder math in nature and show you some of its beauty, spurred on by the awesome inspiration of Romanesco broccoli.

Fibonacci Cactus

Fibonacci Pinecone

Fibonacci Mollusk

 Fibonacci Sunflower

Fibonacci Rose

 Fibonacci Hen and Chicken (or Sedum, I can't tell...)

 Fibonacci Storm

 Fibonacci Human

Fibonacci in Space

 Fibonacci under the microscope (this is an angelfish ovary cell, evidently...)

I thought it was all so very interesting, beautiful, and cosmic....

All brought to me by wandering in the grocery store with a curious attitude about broccoli.

But more importantly, back to the broccoli....
Tom and I decided to cook it up with some olive oil, garlic, onions, soy sauce in my cast iron skillet.

It was delicious!
Try something new today.

And give thanks for a much bigger theory, marveling in the Universe, in the Gods, all out there so mysteriously connected......yet always seemed spurned on by asking WTF?
:)

Time for some Self Love and priority to Focus on it!

Tomorrow is the day that I start my self imposed wild hair "DIY~ Bali Retreat Staycation."

A time for some insight, pampering and structure for me, along with rest, dance and armchair traveling through music, movies, books and tapes.

I'm glad you are along for the ride! I love adventure. The ideas that I have take me to many new and wonderful places, full of goodness, creativity and expression. This week I've prepped by buying some wonderful fruits, veggies, ingredients and new and wonderful curries to cook with!

But what I need to first implement is STRUCTURE for my schedule. You see, as a self employed minstrel,
I wear many hats, and have many jobs. My life is flexible due to the nature of my work. My life is written in dry erase markers. But for this week, I will be implementing some actual structure and routine in my daily schedule.

I've been looking online at retreats round the world and schedules are very important to be able to accomplish some personal time.

I also will be putting in elements of creativity and surprise into my day.
Into a jar, I will be putting in strips of paper with ideas for pampering (facial, manicure, pedicure, self massage, oil treatment, hair treatment, etc...)

And into another I will be putting ideas for creative expression (journal, drawing, vision board, music, dance, photography, etc)

I intend to surprise myself every day with something FUN and Good for me!

 I am setting a schedule for myself to be able to find the time I need to do what is important to me this week.

There will be time for Yoga, Mediation, Creative Expression, Walks, Swimming, Tanning and personal care, as well as naps and reading time.

I intend to have fresh made juices for breakfast, and will be cooking with more whole grains. A detox tea will be enjoyed in the morning, and Golden Milk (Turmeric Milk) will be savored in the evening. (Recipe follows at the end)

This is not about losing weight, but living more deliberately. Less media and a news fast will be an important part to me. Focusing on the good in people, blessing others with Love, offering forgiveness to the Spirit, and meditating on my own life and purpose. Being grateful. Enjoying music and harmony and giving thanks to the Universe for my body and how well it serves me.

 So this much I will do:

I start this week of my personal retreat, by leading a Church service in Syracuse for a big congregation tomorrow morning at the FUU (First Unitarian Universalist Society).  I am honored to be asked to build the service, lead the sermon and to also perform and offer my music for the congregation. It is a service for Peace, Remembrance and Forgiveness for "Forget Me Not Day", for "Veteran's Day" and for the month of November which is "Drumming Month". I think the timing is beautiful for a kick-off! I have asked for Special Friends of mine to also offer their gifts and talents of music as well for a healing program. I am very much looking forward to it!

This week, I will also treat myself to dinner out to some Thai food (as close to Balinese cooking as it gets around here, locally, I think). I've never been exposed to it much, so I am looking forward to learning new things and tasting new delights!

During the week, I intend on enjoying some new cooking recipes, some movies ("The King & I", "Eat, Pray, Love", "South Pacific" and "Anna and The King" to give me that "Bali feeling").

I will also try to go swimming and get some extra rays!! I will wear some lively colors, batiks or clothing that I have not worn in awhile. I will feel good in my skin!  I choose to feel good about myself. I love me. It's not vanity, vanity comes from the Ego. Ego is a liar. No, real self love, loves "warts and all" as it were.
(and no, I don't have warts, it's just a saying. But even if I did....I would love them :)

The end of my week, next Sunday, I will (after practicing Yoga daily all week) be attending a Yoga Workshop and Concert by Nirinjan Kaur and look forward to it as my grand finale for this week of personal growth, spirituality, and physical gratefulness! The timing on this workshop and concert is also perfect!

I hope that you have a wonderful week ahead!
I will try to blog daily, as my Gift to you and to give you my updates as a Gift to myself.

Namaste. :)
 

Golden Milk

Heat 2 cups of milk (I use Almond milk) with 1/2 - 1 tsp turmeric powder, a pinch each of fresh grated ginger, sugar or honey to taste, and 1 cinnamon stick. You can also add cardamom if you like. Cook until the milk comes to a full boil. Drink while it's hot.

DIY~ Bali Retreat Staycation....Prepping for takeoff

Let me preface this by saying that overall, I take pretty good care of myself and my Mate.
But I hate taking vitamins.

I also am a big one for Self Help books, tapes and videos. I love learning new things. I read and cook and do...all the time.

But in advance preparation for my "DIY~ Bali Retreat Staycation" (done here at home) I've been ordering a lot of library books, DVDs, CDs and also gathering what I have here at home.

But first....
the vitamins. Dr. Andrew Weil, offers some amazingly honest and practical info on health and diet.
I like him. He looks like Santa and I trust him. He is also not rail thin, nor pumped with over the top muscles, but is a healthy fit man.
Dr. Weir says that everyday we should take:

~A multivitamin
~ C
~D
~E
~Fish Oil
~Calcium
I am also throwing in a supplement for my Adrenals.

And that's a LOT of pills when you look at them.

They also make me feel queasy when I take them...and fiddle farting around with them and all those containers makes me feel really peutrid.
So... what I did to alleviate this conundrum......I bought one of those compartmentalized pill/vitamin dispensers at the Dollar Store. Sat down last Sunday night for 5 minutes and made up a weeks worth of vitamins.
I take them with my breakfast meal....(or the dinner meal if I forget :)
So far so good....

 

I am also prepping my cupboards and larder for more "Whole Food" cooking once again.

Or "God's Food" as I call it....and less "Man's Food" (processed). 

I'm also taking this opportunity to learn about another culture, foreign to me. "Readiness to Learn" if you will. And I found out that the Balinese eat a diet heavy on grains, fruits and veggies. Meat is added TO something, not as a main dish. And I've been eating a diet much the same for the last year.

(ok, with some chips from time to time... :)

So, I took the time to shop, and cleaned out and organized my pantry....

Bought more real grains, beans, seeds to cook with. Will buy some tropical fruits next week, along with some more avocados and odd veggies. I haven't really ever had Thai food before...

but am willing to try new things. 

Like....I intend on trying this Peanut Sauce...and taking myself out for Thai or Balinese Food next week.
Who wants to go out to eat with me? Mike? Lynn? :)

 Also got a hell of a deal on Hummus at the grocery store....
buy 2 get 3 free! That will help with munchies and wraps...

Also, I'm planning on having some Detox Tea every morning...and Turmeric Milk in the evening.

Am fighting an earache, so am also going to cleanse with my Netti Pot daily, as well as Hot baths, Scrubs, Oils, Massage, Swimming and Tanning....

 So, for the rest of this week...

I'm finding my Yoga and Pilates DVDs, and CDs...

Also lining up some movies....

Like "The King & I" and "Anna and the King"...."Eat, Pray, Love"....

"South Pacific"....and setting aside some Yoga/Meditation/Chant sort of music for relaxation therapy.

And trying to get all the laundry and yard work done...

(I will still have to work, and practice Christmas music...and we are recording a Kids CD too...) in between times...

but am making the time for ME coming up and I'm excited!!

How are you doing out there??