On  a  highpoint  of  land  overlooking  the  sea  in  Montauk, NY, 
 sits  a  massive  boulder  of  white  granite  known  as 
THE  COUNCIL  ROCK.

This  exact  spot  is  claimed  to  be  a  Spiritual  Vortex. 

Montauk  Indian Tribal  Councils  included 
twelve  other  local  American  Indian  Tribes 
and  were  held  at  this  location. 

 As  they  gathered  to  discuss  current  events, 
 the  surrounding  base  of  the  rock 
 would  spontaneously  erupt  in  flames 
 which  was  seen  as  a  beacon  of  light  from  vessels  at  sea.

Many  Supernatural  events  have  been  recorded  at  this  place.

The  ghosts  of  Indians  have  been  seen  by  many
and  the  sounds  of  beating  drums  often  reported.

A  band  of  Teddy  Roosevelt's  Rough  Riders  died  of  Tuberculosis  here
and  have  also  been  seen  wandering  the  grounds  in  Spirit.

CLICK  ON  THIS  LINK  TO  READ  MORE  ABOUT  THIS  PHENOMENON !  

This information comes from the 

ARCHCONFRATERNITY  OF  THE  HOLY  GHOST
located in Bensalem, Pennsylvania,

 whose objectives are to glorify GOD,
the HOLY GHOST
 and to obtain an abundance of his gifts for all.


*  YOUR  COMMENTS   WELCOMED  AND  SECURE  *

I  wasn't daydreaming about how Teddy Roosevelt
and the
Rough Riders
trained on horseback
and lived in the self same area
I was strolling through   ...

UNTIL  ...

Peaches  were  my  husband's  favorite  fruit.
We planted this one in the front yard
together
a year before he passed.

I certainly had my Dominic in mind this morning
as I snapped a few shots of the freshly opened blossoms.
He would have delighted in seeing the tree so healthy.

He would've eaten himself peaceful with peaches last season.
It yielded a whopping

SIXTY  POUNDS

of  succulent  sweet  freestones
at the age of three.

I don't know what the two yellow orbs in this picture are.
Someone told me they are a classic example of
Spirit Orbs.

Hmmm...
I do like that idea.
It's far more interesting and romantic than
simple floating dust balls.

While I am joyed by the blooms,
and the magical appearance of the orbs,
I am also conscious of  the very late bloom time.

My Gardening Diary has usual bloom time as  mid  April.

In addition,
last weeks entry regarding 
the usual arrival time for Hummingbirds 
in this area of Upstate New York,
has also changed.

It is May 6 th. and I have seen
NOT  ONE  HUMMER  YET !!!

???  WORRY  ???

"Ain't  no  need  to  worry
about  the  things  to  come.

Forget  about  your  problems
and  face  them  one  by  one.

Ain't  no  need  to  worry
about  what  might  have  been.

Just  trust  the  Heavenly  Father
and  let  that  be  the  end.

Ain't   no  need  to  worry
about  things  unknown  to  you.

Have  faith  in  God
and  rest  assured
that  He  will  see  you   through."

Poem  by
Earline Ross Cole

SOMEONE  LOST  THEIR  MARBLES

in the desert of
 Las Cruces, New Mexico.

I  know  because

I  FOUND  THEM !!!

Funny  thing  is
 that  I  found  each  one
on  consecutive  days
 and  in  varying  locations,
 miles  apart,
 as  I  was  rock  hunting
around  the  region.


I  can  only  surmise  that  losing  one’s  marbles
in  the  wastelands  around  Las Cruces
is  a  rather  common  occurrence…

-  OR -

 ... the  gods  had  me  strolling  in  the  same  path
as  the  one  poor  soul  who  lost  them  all. 

COINCIDENCE  ? 

What are the odds ?


So, if  you  are  the  sad  soul,

{ or souls },

who  lost  their  marbles  in  the  desert,

PLEASE  e-mail  or  LEAVE  A  COMMENT
with   a   description  of  them

-  AND  -

IF  IT'S  A  MATCH,
 
I'LL  SEND  THEM  BACK  TO  YOU

ASAP ! 

I  really  don’t  need  anyone  else’s  marbles.

I  still  have  all  of  my  own.

I  know  because  I  checked.

Thank you.


In the meantime, 

supposing   that   Abraham Lincoln   was   correct   when  he  said,



“MOST  FOLKS  ARE  ABOUT  AS  HAPPY 


AS  THEY  MAKE  UP  THEIR  MINDS  TO  BE.”,

just  for  today,

I  WILL  BE  HAPPY  !
 
How ‘bout you ?

Minutes before the
"witching hour",
I went upstairs and
quietly got ready for bed.
 
Nigel slept neatly tucked
under the blanket;
his breath soft and deep.

I slipped into my side of the bed
and recited evening prayers
in silence.

 Off In the distance,
something softly jangled.
It stopped and jangled again;
stopped again
and began again.  

I would have dismissed the sound
but it became more frustrated.  

It suddenly dawned on me that
someone was testing keys
in an attempt to unlock the door
two flights below !




At that very moment, 

THE  DOOR  UNLOCKED  and  BANGED  SHUT !!!

HEAVY  FOOTSTEPS  of  a  MAN  BOUNCED  UP  the  FIRST  FLIGHT !

ALARMED  and  TERRIFIED,
I immediately jostled Nigel's arm
and anxiously whispered,

"Nigel, someone's in the house ! Wake up !"

But Nigel was in deep sleep,
obviously not comprehending.

He shook me off  and  shooshed  me with annoyance.

 Everything was completely quiet now.

My ears were perked like a doberman.

For a moment,
I questioned myself about what I had just heard.  

Just then, 

THE  KITCHEN  CABINET  DOORS  BEGAN  TO  SLAM  !

The housebreaker was obviously in a terrible rush,
searching for something
and

CRASHING

each cabinet door
in hasty succession !

The clatter horrified me and my heart palpitated with panic.

Without delay,
the heavy feet 
thumped
up
the remaining set of stairs
and

ENTERED

the bedroom suite
where we lay !!!
 
There had been no time
to hide in the closet
or under the bed.

There was nothing within my reach that could be used as a weapon ! 

I  KNEW  THE  STRANGER  COULD  SEE  US  NOW  ! ! !

I begged God for our safety
and
pretended to sleep.

I lay Frozen with fear,
my heart beating hard with horror.

His now cautious steps
came
closer

and then

a succession of swishing sounds

followed by

a
 
! ! !   SHOCKING  SMASH   ! ! !

as  metal hangers clanged across the oak floor !
 

Everything fell oddly silent again...

but that's when
the very

WORST

happened !


THE  INTRUDER  BENT  HIS  FACE  INCHES  DIRECTLY  OVER  MY  OWN   !

I  CLEARLY  FELT  and  SMELLED  HIS  AWFUL  BREATH  ON  MY  FACE   ! ! ! 


He was checking me out,
watching to see if I would flinch...

I thought my thumping heart would give me away for certain when...

Nigel snapped on his bedside lamp and exclaimed,

" WHAT  THE  HECK  WAS  ALL  THAT  ? "

The breathing sensation instantly vanished.

I bravely  opened my eyes,
uncertain what I would discover.

Nigel and I were alone, sitting upright in bed.

 The  ROOM  was  in  TOTAL  DISARRAY  !

The contents of my  large suitcase were strewn everywhere. 
Tops, slacks, socks, underclothes,
that had been so neatly folded,
were in corners,
hanging on chairs and  on lampshades.

The bags of metal hangers had been
kicked clear across the room;
the contents scattered all over the floor !

Like a couple of eight year olds,
we held hands and nervously

TURNED  ON

EVERY  LIGHT

IN  EVERY  ROOM !

We opened every closet
and
scrutinized the front door. 

The triplex was
void of anyone but us
and
everything else was in complete order !

We tossed my things into the case
and
HURRIED
back to the flat in our pajamas.

The remainder of the evening was spent
wondering and trying to make sense of the event. 

Nigel admitted to waking at the kitchen clatter
and had also been fear frozen. 

We didn't get any sleep that night.

! ! !   HAPPY  HOLLOWEENIES   ! ! !

! ! !   MAY  YOU  ALL  HAVE  SWEET  DREAMIES   ! ! !

As we ate pungent Puttanesca Pasta,
Nigel and I planned the week ahead.

With both of us working
on the Triplex Reorganization Project,
it would be complete in a week,
instead of two. 

This would give us time together
before his Employer returned
with wife and children.  

We went back to the triplex that evening
to settle in til the job was finished.

For the sake of convenience,
we agreed to share the Master Suite
on the top floor
that had an adjoining bath. 
The other rooms had already been
cleaned and made up.


Did I mention that Nigel is a lifelong friend; like a brother to me ?

So, dear reader, don't get any wrong  "ideas"  here.

There  NEVER  has been,

and  NEVER  will  be

any hanky panky between us.


And, so it was that Nigel claimed the left side of the King bed by the window
and I, the right, near the bath and  door.

Several paper sacks of metal hangers still leaned against the foot of the bed.
I placed my suitcase on a bench against the opposite wall  and removed my toiletries.

Nigel used the bath first and reappeared with
blue and white striped Brooks Brothers pajamas

properly buttoned

to the

neck. 

He hobbled into bed, obviously exhausted,
and immediately curled himself into a ball.

He needed to fall asleep undisturbed,
but
I was wired,
excited about my trip
and filled with thoughts of things I wanted to see and do.

I grabbed my book and went down a level to the kitchen.

A cup of tea and a scone,

{ Nigel had baked the day before },

helped

me

unwind.

The scones turned out to be

OUT  OF  THIS  WORLD !

{ Best I ever ett ! }

!!!  THANKS  NIGEL  !!!

for sharing something so out of this world,
with the world !

Out of this World Tea Scones
 
WHAT  YOU'LL  NEED:

2     Cups all purpose flour
2     Tablespoons Sugar
1     Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2  Teaspoon Salt
1/3  Cup dried currants - or - raisins -
        or - chopped dates - or -
        dried cranberries,{ OPTIONAL }
6      Tablespoons UNSALTED BUTTER
        at room temperature,{ A MUST ! }
1      Beaten Egg
1/2   Cup Whole Milk
1      Slightly Beaten Egg for
        brushing on top prior to baking

                                
                                WHAT  TO  DO  WITH  WHAT  YOU'LL  NEED:

                                 1.    Preheat oven to 425.
 
                                 2.    Thoroughly stir flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.  
 
                                 3.    Stir in dried fruit of your choice, if desired.
 
                                 4.    Cut in butter until the mix resembles coarse crumbs.
 
                                 5.    Add One beaten egg and milk stirring just until dough clings together.
 
                                 6.    Knead gently,{ 12 to 15 strokes }, on lightly floured surface.
 
                                 7.    Gather into ball, flatten and roll out to 1/2 inch thickness.
 
                                 8.     Use a glass or a round pastry cutter and cut into 12 to 16 scones.
 
                                 9.    Place on ungreased baking sheet, leaving a bit of space between them

                               10.    Brush scones with slightly beaten egg.

                               11.    Bake at 425 for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.

                                                                       Enjoy warm or at room temp,
                                                                                    as they are...
                                                    or accompany with whipped cream and strawberries,
                                                        jams or anything else that pleases your palate !

                                                           I hope to read your comments about them !
                                                                        Aint they the bestest ever ?

                                                             

                                                                            TO  BE  CONTINUED...

It's soon to be All Hallow's Eve;
the perfect time to tell a spooky story !

I could tell one of UFO's
or Angel Visitations.
But I think one about Ghosts
would probably be best.

You decide whether or not
it ever really happened.
 
No matter,
truth is always stranger than fiction
and even a vivid imagination has
a hard time making up stuff,
especially when there are witnesses.

So...as all good stories begin...



Once upon a time,
and a long - long time ago,
I came to visit a dear friend in London, 
who remains as close as a brother to me.
 
At the time, Nigel,
{ who will laugh at his nom de plume
which I have chosen more for his delight than his anonymity  },
was employed as a Man's Man in London.

In other words, he was a domestic; a Butler,
despite the fact he studied under Julia Child for years
and is an excellent Pastry Chef.

His second floor flat on the Kings Road in Chelsea, directly faced the Royal Stable.
Every day began with Royal Horse Guards in handsome uniforms of black, red and gold,
effortlessly lining up 30 or so gleaming  black stallions in the twilit morning sun. 

With an invisible command, the steeds swiftly raised their heads and legs high in unison
and pranced, clip clopping in the early hour of silence, through the misty London streets. 

There was something ethereal about watching this display at the crack of dawn
while having coffee that left me feeling good and strong for hours.

Though I was on vacation and his people were on holiday in the south of France,
Nigel was deep in the midst of reorganizing their triplex next door. 

I enjoyed spending my first day  exploring London on my own
and planned to catch up with my friend for dinner.

That evening found Nigel replacing every metal hanger
in the Master's immense clothes closet
with a new wooden one.  

I gathered the metal hangers and placed them in paper sacks
at the foot of the unmade King size bed. 

We happily chatted and worked for hours until we realized it was too late for going out.

London evenings have a foggy foreboding appeal, and this evening,
being my first, seemed especially other worldly to me.

I was glad when Nigel suggested we return to his flat
to enjoy a quick Italian dish of pasta with savory Puttanesca Sauce.

You may want to try this one on your Vegan dinner guests !
The beauty of this dish rests not only on the speed of which it can be put together,
but also the flexibility dependent upon ingredients you have on hand.

ITALIAN  PUTTANESCA  SAUCE

YOU  WILL NEED  SOME
OF  THE  FOLLOWING:

BUTTER,   { 2 Tablespoons }

ONION,     { finely chopped }

GARLIC,    { one to three cloves -
                   mashed or minced }

TOMATOES, { use a can of crushed or chop up several fresh ripe ones }

BLACK  OLIVES, { 1/2 Cup - if you have it - sliced or diced }

GREEN OLIVES     with or without
PIMIENTO, { 1/2 Cup - sliced or diced }

ARTICHOKE  HEARTS, { 1/2 Cup - if you have it - marinated or canned, chunked }

SUN DRIED  TOMATOES, { a few or more pieces - if you have it - softened and chopped }

CAPERS, { 1 teaspoon or more }

ANCHOVIES, { 1 or 2 or 3 filets -
a most excellent "secret" ingredient, if you have it, as they will dissolve and those who claim they don't like them will  LOVE  them here, if you dare divulge !!! }

CHOPPED  FRESH  PARSLEY
CHOPPED FRESH  BASIL

1 or 2 CHERRY  PEPPERS - chopped 
- OR -
1/2 tsp or more of RED PEPPER FLAKES
- OR -
a few splashes TOBASCO

OLIVE  OIL
GRATED  CHEESE

WHAT  TO  DO  WITH  WHAT  YOU  GOT:

• In a large pot, melt butter and quickly saute onions.

• Put everything else,{ EXCEPT OLIVE OIL and GRATED CHEESE }, in the pot and bring to a boil.
  

• Turn down to a simmer for about 15 to 18 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  

• In the meantime, choose a pasta and cook it al dente; usually 8 minutes ! 
  

• Drain the pasta and stir in some Olive Oil.

• Spoon a serving of pasta into a bowl.

• Spoon some sauce over the top.

• Scatter some  GRATED  CHEESE over that

• and drizzle with some more  OLIVE  OIL.

• Pour a glass of red wine and break off a chunk of nice bread.

• Smile on yourself and enjoy good eats !

TO  BE  CONTINUED...