Poetry,stories, Halloween spooky poems and stories, spiritual thoughts, funny stuff! 2012-01-27T18:58:52Z User 324 http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v324/ OrgSpace NewsLog (c) Marissa A Spencer

I was out doing the mommy thing last night. I had taken my daughter to her college class and I had to get some art supplies for the son that is in a local college as well. I had finished my errands and was with no place to go and nothing to do. I didn't want to head back to my home as it was to...

Ah! There is a solution. There is a Starbucks near the college (of course there is). I had been listening for a few weeks on some books on CD. I had borrowed them from the library. I listen to them when I drive, sew. or kitchen work. They are lectures and books by Eckhart Tolle. A very entertaining person to listen to. One does not expect such spiritual food to be delivered by someone to very easy to relate to.
Mr. Tolle talks about how one can be in "presence" anywhere. This encouraged me to try out the idea in a noisy coffee shop. I got my Vanilla Roobios tea and walked over to put sweetener and a little half and half in it. To my immediate right were two lovely young ladies having an energetic conversation. One of them was talking so quickly I was very impressed with the skill required to do that. She was not local I could tell by her generous sprinklings of "like" throughout her conversation. Southern California was my guess as she did admit to having just moved into the area. As we Northern Cali's say "Hella" a lot, I know some areas of Southern Cal does use "Like" a great deal.
I sat down in a corner with command of the room and waited for my tea to cool off. I could see the clock so I was able to know when I needed to go. In addition to the young ladies there was a man around my age looking at a skeletal anatomy book. A returning student was my guess as I had seen him walking from the college a few minutes earlier. To my immediate left was a table of Chinese American students.
I closed my eyes. Etta James' voice drifted softly, almost drowned by the din of the conversations. As I went into presence the words of the conversations stopped making sense and became sounds, rhythms, that were occasionally punctuated by the shout of the barristas for next libation finished.
The two young ladies... one was a high pitched motor and the other a softer and slightly slower one. The table of Chinese Americans would from time to time burst into enthused conversation then become suddenly silent as they texted on their iphones. I was amazed, impressed even. on how a table of 6 plus people could be so silent, heads bowed and totally absorbed.
There were eventually two tables of people talking in what I would consider the usual conversation at a coffee house. Being aware when I closed my eyes was truly enlightening. If ones sees as us all connected then all the 'noise" is superficial. I was not bored at all. Another thing I noticed was how slowly time seemed to move when I kept myself aware. So if you feel rushed and out of time, perhaps going into presence will give you more of it. As Mr. Tolle said in one of his Cd's. I am paraphrasing here. Even if you are rushed, you will get more accomplished if you are aware and truly see what is needed without going through the thinking process.
]]> http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v324/__show_article/_a000324-000445.htm 2012-01-27T18:58:52Z 2012-01-27T18:58:52Z

I made the hide glue.. and now I made the paint.

I was thinking of putting a horse on it, but somehow the drum wanted a turtle.. go figure lol
]]> http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v324/__show_article/_a000324-000444.htm 2011-05-25T15:25:30Z 2011-05-25T15:42:14Z

I have been going to a local drumming/shamanic program that is hosted at Christ Unity here in Sacramento. It is every other month and I have found it uplifting and just downright fun. I have been to two programs. here is a post of an interview of one of his past programs.. truly inspiring. ...

I expressed my desire for a hand drum to my son and he got it for me for my upcoming birthday. He got it from the Tarahumara Indians in the Sierra Padres in Mexico. The drum was purchased on Ebay from a gentleman from Texas. The price was good and I got it in three days!

[link]

The head is made of goat rawhide and is totally without flaws. I wanted to paint it and asked a Native California Indian who told me not to paint it but to put my soul into it.. my heart. I thought.. alright..but then I thought how much my heart is into my art and felt that painting it would be appropriate for me.

I did not want a funky looking one. I wanted it to be painted in subtle tones with a truly old feel to the art. So I looked up how to paint a drum. The most traditional looking ones were painted with hide glue paint. It is how to make it as 'authentic' as possible. Though.. these days.. authentic has different meanings, I felt it would look really, really cool. lol

Well.. I thought to myself! Hide glue. Now how do I make that? So,once again the internet is my friend. I found out hide glue is made of .. guess what.. hide. Raw hide to be exact. The very same thing the drum head is made of. It didn't smell as bad as it could have.

I went to the local feed store and after talking to the baby bunnies, chicks and ducklings, I purchased some very nice rawhide for a dog. It was clean and white and looked exactly like the drum head.

I read the instructions for hide glue...
[link]

uses for hide glue.. boy was I ignorant!!

[link]

[link]


here is how to make the paint for the drum head

[link]
]]> http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v324/__show_article/_a000324-000443.htm 2011-04-12T21:31:01Z 2011-04-12T22:34:45Z

ha.. bet you wont guess

The leftover brown rice came in handy for this one.


Tb olive oil in large skillet
add rice and left over turkey adobo

mix well. warm up on med low

when hot make little depressions in the rice hash and crack an egg there

add about half a cup of water to the sides of the rice and cover until eggs are just barely set

serve with Tapatio hot sauce

Serious yummy sounds with this one.

There you have it.. three meals of turkey.. each different .. each not like the usual.. and not horribly turkey tasting. as one gets tired of even that
]]> http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v324/__show_article/_a000324-000442.htm 2010-12-01T03:23:04Z 2010-12-01T03:25:17Z

here is another one.. a hit to say the least

Turkey Adobo tacos

4 cups leftover cooked Turkey chopped
1 onion
1 Tb garlic
1 Tb olive oil

combine with

Adobo sauce. I used a whole 8 or so oz of the kind that comes in a jar. I used the one without peanuts. Rogelio Bueno Adobo Sauce.

Add about 4-5 cups water or enough to make it so it can cook without getting too dry.

Cook for about 20 minutes in a large skillet

Prepare the tortillas... your preference. I used my cast iron skillet and browned some corn tortillas, but flour would work if desired.

I got a pan with sides and filled tortillas with a good serving spoon of turkey adobo and added shredded cheddar cheese and baked in 350 oven for about 10 mins.. or until the cheese melts

Served with

mashed avocado with lime or lemon juice squeezed on it

salsa

shredded lettuce

chopped green onion

chopped tomatoes

sour cream

Another successful dinner.. one comment

"I can't tell it was made with turkey"

and that was in a good way
]]> http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v324/__show_article/_a000324-000441.htm 2010-12-01T03:18:16Z 2010-12-01T03:18:16Z

I know what you are thinking.. oh no more on how to fix turkey after the holiday. Well, yes that is what I have for you here. I really do not care for some of the dishes traditionally done with leftover turkey, so I decided to step into less traveled territory. oh I just came up with these on ...

Turkey Tandoori


Marinade:

Tandorri seasoning.. I used Sadaf
2 Tb at least
1 c of yogurt
1 tb lemon juice
Tb olive oil
1 small onion chopped
Tb chopped garlic

Mix well and add to coarsely chopped cooked Turkey

Let it marinate for a hour.

preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Spray jelly roll pan or similar with Pam cooking spray.

Bake in oven until nice and brown.. Check in 20 mins.. if not done add another 5 mins or so.

Serve with any kind of rice. I used brown.

The yogurt sauce they eat with Tandoori is made with

1 c yogurt
2 tb chopped mint
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
juice of one lime
a pinch of ground cumin if desired

set in fridge for an hour

I didn't have any cucumber so I sprinkled some celery seed in it. It was very good as well.

Serve the Tandoori with some rice and garnish with the yogurt.

My three children loved it!
]]> http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v324/__show_article/_a000324-000440.htm 2010-12-01T03:08:19Z 2010-12-10T01:41:04Z

and.. I know you won't believe me!

I took it out and laid it beside me and went to get the other drawer... and sure enough.. there was the earring. I now have them both again. I wore only one for years.. never having both of them.. being so prized as a gift from my mother. Would you explain to me how this all happened. How.. how how???

oh.. by the way.. this was way before I ever got the jewelry box...]]> http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v324/__show_article/_a000324-000439.htm 2010-11-08T16:40:26Z 2010-11-08T19:20:05Z

Be the Creator. As I was drinking my coffee this morning watching the hummingbirds sip away above my head, I sighed contentedly. What a morning! Blue sky and all the wildlife busy preparing for winter felt so comforting. So incredibly right and all as it should be. I try to sit there on...

Be the Creator.

As I was drinking my coffee this morning watching the hummingbirds sip away above my head, I sighed contentedly. What a morning! Blue sky and all the wildlife busy preparing for winter felt so comforting. So incredibly right and all as it should be.
I try to sit there on my front porch every morning, weather permitting. I have already gotten my youngest to his high school and done dishes and made coffee. Pausing for a bit to connect to that formless being-ness that permeates everything, I waved each time a neighbor drove by. A smile and a wave; so easy, so simple, so meaningful.
The god-self in me acknowledges the god-self in you. Isn't that what the smile and wave means? Even though we do not speak the same language or have the same belief system it does not matter. On the real level that has meaning we are the same. We are all made of that stuff from which stars are borne. Infused with the same stuff that sparks the light of life.
In some perhaps profound way I have made a difference. How often does such a small thing make a difference? In the best of worlds a very small thing can be life changing. How do we measure our worth, our impact on our neighbors, our country, our world? It is so easy to say I have no worth, I have no power. The truth is the power is there whether we believe in it or not. The power we have to create good or ill is there, whether we believe in it or not. It happens, we create.
We carry within us a form of godliness. We create. Good, bad, indifferent, we create. I suppose we could get all technical and new age-like if you want, but I prefer my approach to be a little less complicated. Keep it simple. Smile, take that step even if it feels foreign to you. Eventually your mouth will get used to it, trust me. Laugh a little. I laugh more now. I used to be bogged down in my own muddy puddle. I kept stomping in the mud until it was quite deep. I was covered in it. Oh woe is me. Oh life isn't fair. Oh, Oh blah blah blah. What a waste of the energies I felt were so limited in my being! The whole idea that there are limits. Like I said, blah blah blah. Sure there are troubles in the world, but you don't have to hear about and dwell on tragedy in some country on the other side of the globe. Really.
The information age is all fine and wonderful. It has its great opportunities. You can meet all sorts of people in all kinds of places. The real danger is letting all the bad stuff in your mind. Really. I don't know about you , but there isn't much I can do about some of the sadness and destruction that goes on in the world. Sure, touch base with the news. It is a good thing to know the basics. I do not however need to know the latest murder or violent crime. I do not need to know of atrocities ad nauseum. If you want to help the world find a charity you like and help them. Light a candle and say a prayer. Smile at your neighbor when they drive by. Help the little corner you have been planted in.
I do not begrudge those who get out there in the muck and tackle crime and world issues head on. They are people well suited for such battles. May they be blessed in every way and protected. For the rest of us there seems to be little reason to harp on negativity. The world needs more love, more smiles and waves. You can change the world. Maybe we can make things easier for the world to heal.Create the good stuff. ]]> http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v324/__show_article/_a000324-000438.htm 2010-10-15T16:33:32Z 2010-10-15T16:52:11Z

I know I haven't written in a while.. so here goes

Gathering wild roses in my unkempt garden
the day no longer fresh
a nodding and lovely red splashing the dull greens

Pricked on my hand I withdrew for a moment,
but persevered for beauty's sake
unable to resist their bold abandoned grace

Taming them to rest upon my table's vase
was no easy task.
They flipped and drooped in wrong directions.

I could not help wonder at that moment
if Nature's wild children
should ever be ours to hold

© May 3, 2010

Marissa A Spencer

]]> http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v324/__show_article/_a000324-000437.htm 2010-05-03T22:29:08Z 2010-05-03T22:29:08Z

A great article written by Clara Moskowitz from Live Science... at this site http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100222/sc_livescience/5thingsthatwillmakeyouhappier (an excerpt of her article) 5 Things That Will Make You Happier LiveScience.com LiveScience.com clara Moskowitz...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100222/sc_livescience/5thingsthatwillmakeyouhappier

(an excerpt of her article)

5 Things That Will Make You Happier
LiveScience.com



LiveScience.com clara Moskowitz
livescience Senior Writer
livescience.com – Mon Feb 22, 11:50 am ET




Here are five things that research has shown can improve happiness:

1. Be grateful - Some study participants were asked to write letters of gratitude to people who had helped them in some way. The study found that these people reported a lasting increase in happiness - over weeks and even months - after implementing the habit. What's even more surprising: Sending the letter is not necessary. Even when people wrote letters but never delivered them to the addressee, they still reported feeling better afterwards.

2. Be optimistic - Another practice that seems to help is optimistic thinking. Study participants were asked to visualize an ideal future - for example, living with a loving and supportive partner, or finding a job that was fulfilling - and describe the image in a journal entry. After doing this for a few weeks, these people too reported increased feelings of well-being.

3. Count your blessings - People who practice writing down three good things that have happened to them every week show significant boosts in happiness, studies have found. It seems the act of focusing on the positive helps people remember reasons to be glad.

4. Use your strengths - Another study asked people to identify their greatest strengths, and then to try to use these strengths in new ways. For example, someone who says they have a good sense of humor could try telling jokes to lighten up business meetings or cheer up sad friends. This habit, too, seems to heighten happiness.

5. Commit acts of kindness - It turns out helping others also helps ourselves. People who donate time or money to charity, or who altruistically assist people in need, report improvements in their own happiness.
Lyubomirsky has also created an iPhone application, called Live Happy, to help people boost their well-being. ]]> http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v324/__show_article/_a000324-000436.htm 2010-02-23T01:44:46Z 2010-02-23T01:50:25Z