Patricia Garry

Review: Cheeky Meat Pies

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So there I was, doing Tarot readings at the Cincinnati Celtic Fest in Washington Park, early in September – and getting really hungry. Which I do when I’m doing readings. There was not much food there, and very little that I would eat, and very little that was Celtic. I saw a little trailer at the far end of the festival that said Cheeky Meat Pies, and wandered over, without much hope, but willing to ask.

And sure enough – they had a vegetarian Cheeky Pie! It was quite delicious! And they gave me a card, where if I bought 10, I would get one free. I kept eating, and got close – but they were out of vegetarian pies by the time I was ready for my free one.

Evidently, it’s a group from New Zealand, and it sure was fun, as well as excellent. Hope they show up next year! And while I’m hoping, I’ll hope the Welsh Cookie Company puts our festival back on their list.

P.S. As you can tell, I am catching up on what I’ve noticed and experienced around town in the last few months. : >

Reiki Books at Half-Price Books

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Friend Shaheen Miro and I are writing a children’s book about Reiki, complete with Attunement, and the same for teens. Since we wanted to see a bit of what was out there already, and since my supply of Reiki books that I share with students during classes was seriously depleted, we made a journey to Half-Price Books in Kenwood.

He had been there lots, I perhaps once years ago. I found 5 books to replenish my supply, that felt right to bring home to join the pile. Reiki for Dummies – I always enjoy these books. Not too respectful and hushed, and always with the facts in order. Fun, too. Portable Reiki – Easy Self-Treatments for Home, work and on the Go, by Tanmaya Honervogt, one of my favorite Reiki authors. David Vennells’ Beginner’s Guide to Reiki – Mastering the Healing Touch, is another one of my favorite authors, so he made it on to the stack.

Two books from Lotus Light – Shangri-La in Germany made it, as well – Paula Horan’s Empowerment through Reiki – The path of personal and global transformation, and Walter Lubeck’s The Complete Reiki Handbook – Basic Introduction and Methods of Natural Application – A Complete Guide for Reiki Practice finished up the stack.

Aaaahhhh. I feel better. : >

A Domestic Weekend

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It was an interesting weekend, with a lot of yard and Victory of Light preparation to do, as well as several writing tasks. So what did I mostly do? I roasted carrots in grapeseed oil, I boiled potatoes and peas for one of my favorite comfort food meals, I baked a bunch of sweet potatoes so I could ‘grab n go’ this week.

And I got my taxes ready – I add up all the parking receipts, office supplies, memberships, etc, etc, etc, and make a list for my accountant. It’s all good and makes me happy to have it done.

So my domestic weekend was just great!

We Are Art!

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Okay ? let?s look at the 20th century and the 20 centuries before that for our beliefs in pain and sacrifice, working hard and living not for the moment, but to get into heaven one of these days, after our full measure of suffering is completed.

Now, let?s consider what lots of us now believe about life, its purpose, and what we?re supposed to do to get to heaven ? especially since there is no hell (makes it easier, doesn?t it?).

We are here for joy. Plain and simple, that?s all there is. Learning and growing, sure ? in a joyful way. The staircase to heaven I see is Fun, Happiness, Joy and Bliss. One excellent affirmation is – My Life Is Effortless and Delightful. You don?t need to believe it ? just start saying it to yourself and watch what happens.

Okay ? now we?ve gotten that far. If that is true ? and I?m convinced the right way to live is to act as though it is ? then what should our lives be like?

One of my beliefs and life choices, based on the above tenets, is that we are Art. Here to be beautiful, express our creativity and our unique Selves, and to provide beauty, joy, good energy to the world. So we choose our clothes each morning from that perspective. Not to please a guy / partner / potential lover (though that would be fine as long as angsty need is not involved). Not to please our mothers or our religious leaders or ?them? ? whoever ?they? are.

But to be our best and most fun Selves every day. To lift our own spirits and the spirits of those who see us on the streets or in our cars, our colleagues, fellow shoppers, friends and family.

So you can figure out what that means for you. For me, it means comfy and elegant, even when casual. It means checking an outfit intuitively for congruence ? not using a set of perceived rules from the culture. Mixing colors and fabrics, throwing on a scarf or a vest or a hat ? whatever raises your personal spirits will raise the spirits of others. Taking a risk, trying something new, playing with clothes and boots and jewelry. It means not trying to disappear into the crowd, it means using sorrow as a way to joy if that?s where you are ? and definitely it means not trying to look like everyone else.

You are a unique creation and expression of the Universe ? there will never be another you. So Go for It! Play and Have Fun. You?ll find out later that?s the correct and only path!

Quorn!

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I heard someone mention Quorn ages ago – it was a new food. So when I saw a bag of it at Clifton Natural Foods just before Christmas – I went for it! Almost all the time, I’d rather eat something new and untried than something that I know all about.

And then it sat in the freezer, because cooking seldom happens around here. Last night, though, I was working on some paperwork with son Brian. It got late, we got hungry. So I went poking around the freezer – and found that bag.

Quorn’s bag says it is meatless and soy-free grounds – and also says it is low fat, a good source of protein and fiber and 80% less fat than ground beef – the picture looks just like browned hamburger. Flipping the bag over, I learned it is mycoprotein – a fungi. Opening the bag – it sure looks like hamburger.

So I poured some grapeseed oil and avocado oil in the skillet, and laid the frozen lump of quorn in it, on medium high, came back and checked a few times, chopping the thawed sections away. When it was thawed, I poured in a couple of cans of Amy’s soup to add veggies, put the lid on it, and let it get hot. It continued to look just like hamburger, browning up and all.

So ten minutes later, we had a warm and filling and pretty yummy meal. It didn’t taste or smell like hamburger – but I’m a vegetarian. That wouldn’t have made me happy at all! It sure felt like hamburger in my mouth. And it felt good to my body, which is always my major tester of food. Me and my whole self were quite happy with this new product. And I finished the rest of it up tonite for supper. Even better.

Wrist #4

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So let’s see now – I broke my left wrist on November 7, got it set on November 11, had the cast removed on December 9, had a short wrist brace for a couple of weeks.

It is totally flexible, I can make the same fist I could make before, everything moves just fine. But there is still discomfort, stiffness, particularly in the middle finger and the thumb, and sometimes achy-ness in the wrist itself. The x-rays, according to the orthopedist, showed a bit of arthrities in the thumb joints, though I hadn’t had any pain.

I’m on medicare – and I’d never used my card before. So far there have been 2 bills – one from the Rookwood Mercy emergency room, for the doctor, for $60, and the other, $160, for the two orthopedist visits, X-rays, cast on and cast off. Both already paid. I’ve been looking on this as acquiring experience points, more learning.

I am, of course, sorely disappointed that there is any discomfort whatsoever. Louise Hay’s book, Heal Your Body, talks about the wrists as meaning movement and ease – meaning the optimum is to be relaxed and happy in life. Clearly I was out of balance, fussing too much. Dad Rat it.

The healing attitude is to be accepting of what comes, have compassion toward myself and everyone else, keep that deep joy, understanding that all is well. The wrist is just another lesson, and being irritated with muself for not being perfect is – surprise! – not useful. So I’m starting over again – good thing there’s always another day.

My Wrist – Part I

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I fell out a church door on November 7, 2013 – a step much longer than I expected. I knew it was serious when I landed – but we (the CDC Association) were having a RoundTable in Phillipus United Church of Christ a few minutes later, and it never occurred to me to cancel or call 911 or leave to go to the Emergency Room. And no one there ever raised the issue.

Besides – there were three other Reiki healers in the room! Out of about 40 people. I introduced the program and the 4 speakers, and told folk what was up with me, so they wouldn’t wonder about all this activity. Then the healers set to work on me, I took a Rescue Remedy pastille, and we proceeded with the meeting! One healer was working on my left wrist. Another had made a sandwich of my immune system – one hand on my sternum the other on my back. And the third, my friend, Pat, put her hands on my hand, on either side of my crown chakra. I was also doing Reiki on myself, just pumping energy in to my wrist.

The first speaker, Molly of Resource, was taking us threw her power point of what she does and how it works for community non-profits, when suddenly Pat announced ‘My hands are burning! Whereupon several folk in the room decided something was wrong with my head. Actually, the massive amount of energy and heat was simply Reiki’s way of dealing with the energy of trauma that was flooding my system.

Three speakers and many questions later, the meeting was over. Folk packed up the refreshments and walked them to the car. Then Samantha and I drove to CVS to get an ace bandage to wrap the wrist, which hurt, but not much, and was swelling but only a little. There, we made a mistake. We started on the forearm and wound the bandage down and around – I learned later we should have gone from the fingers up. So we caused a bit more swelling – but again, not much!

My New Creation at Subway

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I, like many folk, am cutting back on gluten these days – I just feel lighter when I don’t eat regular bread.

So what to do about eating at Subway, which has otherwise pretty happy-making food? Voila! The veggie patty salad, made with two veggie patties. It’s actually more expensive than eating all that bread, but super yummy.

My personal one has a bit of lettuce, lots of spinach, jalapenos, olives and onion, two toasted veggie patties, hot sauce, chipotle sauce, and a topping of mashed avocado, which most of us call guacamole, but not Subway. Since I’m used to baked plain Lay’s potato chips with my Subway, and bought them – but they were definitely not necessary, because the entire salad was crunchy.

Very much a winner, that salad! : >

The Gun Report

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The Gun Report in the New York Times every weekday, by Joe Nocera, assisted by Jennifer Mascia, lists most of the gun killings across America each day.

The statements are very bare bones – name, age, city and state, relationship of victim to killer where known, plus whatever few details are in the preliminary police report. And still it is heartbreaking, every day.

Amazing how many husbands kill their wives and then themselves. Amazing how few of these crimes are about home invasions, where the homeowner faces an intruder. Amazing how many children kill themselves and / or their brothers and sisters. Often with the parents right in the home.

Stupid drug deals. Folks sitting on their front porches, or in their cars, and / or just driving by at the wrong time in the wrong place. There are also killers who are riding bicycles. That’s a demographic I was surprised to see mentioned!

In the last couple of weeks, there has been a spate of elderly brothers killing elderly brothers – as well as elderly fathers killing middle-aged sons.

We are all going to leave the planet at some point. Why can’t we just walk away from folk who irritate us in the meantime?

We Are Fit!

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Most of this town sure doesn’t think it’s fit. We have a lot of negative self talk around here. So the headline in the Enquirer (taken from USA Today) on May 30 said ‘Twin Cities again fittest metro area’.

BUT – on the list of the 50 fittest American cities, based on an analysis of health behaviors, including exercise, smoking, obesity rates, chronic health problems and access to health care – Cincinnati came out 13th! That would have been the headline, had I been writing the story. Cleveland came out 19th, Columbus 30th, Louisville 47th.

I am impressed. And all the new recreation at The Banks, plus Washington, plus the enhanced sustainability / walkability of this town – we should be even higher next year!