10 Questions I Ponder

Why do people ask questions when they really do not want the truth?

Why in body piercing jewelry does the gauge# get larger as the actual size gets smaller?

Why can't I have my cake and eat it too?

What is it about toasted Ravioli and Green Bean Casserole that gets Mid Westerners all excited?

What is the purpose of fingernails and toenails?

Why must it be so smelly to grow mushrooms?

Why is Velveeta allowed to be passed off as cheese? The same question applies for them individually wrapped slices of wax known as Kraft Singles?

Speaking of cheeses, who in the hell buys Limburger cheese anymore?

Why do so many parents hate Barney?

What is my obsession with Judge shows and Reality TV all about?

An Ancestor Reading

I would like to share with you a reading I had by Kathy Crabbe, aka SoulReader. This was an extremely emotional reading that I want to share.. no, I have to Share.

( the artwork displayed is also by Kathy Crabbe. Please visit her website @ www.soulreaderblog.blogspot.com to see some more amazing and beautiful artwork, please meet this lovely soul.)



An Ancestor Reading for RuthAnn Dickinson

*This reading was done for RuthAnn in late August, 2009) You can read my comments at the end of this post. They are inside the brackets []*


This reading is in response to your wish for a connection with Jeffrey, Geraldine or Bill.

I believe that it is Jeffrey that I am connecting with at this time.

- Jeffrey makes me smile – he has a wide face, very open to everything and smiling.

- He really wants to play!

- I see him with straight, short hair that was blonde when he was young and then it darkened to beigey-light brown when he got older.

- He appears to be a bit pudgey (overweight), but comfortably so.

- I’m also getting an image of you wearing tall black boots and he’s picking you up off the ground.

- Someone named ‘Jimmy’ is around too.

- He shows me the backyard (grassy) where he used to play. I also see trees changing color (Pennsylvania?)

- Was he your older brother?

- I am getting the number ‘51’ in relation to his death.

- He did like sports, but was good at other things as well – such as accounting.

- He was a warm man and liked to flirt too, but that got him in trouble!

- His wife appears quite plain (Ann?) with straight blonde hair. She appears practical and simple and he says, “She was a good mother to our kids… (I see three) …whereas I didn’t always do what was good for me!”

For you RuthAnn, he says, “I always admired you. You knew what your were doing.”

- I’m also seeing that he may have sensed his own death ahead of time.

- In regards to how he died, I get a sense of pinching (of veins, arteries?) and shrinking, a caving in on himself.

- He comes really close (to me) to say that he “always loved you.”

- I’m also seeing some sort of blue-grey ring with a flower petal like silver lacing around it. Then he says, “Remember me dear heart” and he clutches your hand and the ring.

- I say good bye to him and I see him leaving with a small fluffy white ball of a dog and he waves goodbye (he may be riding a bike also).


RuthAnn's Comments are in brackets [ ] below:

[This has been the most emotional reading yet… a release of tears that I so dispiritedly needed. I yearn for more time with him. I need to find a way to contact him myself. I have been trying to do so for 32 years. I still trust him alone to guide me… for he knew what he was doing.. only he didn’t know that.

I can not thank you enough for this reading… emotions that I have buried far too long are being released... although it is sad, it is also cleansing. Thank you.]

I believe that it is Jeffrey that I am connecting with at this time. I am so happy it was Jeffrey that you connected with.

- Jeffrey makes me smile – he has a wide face, very open to everything and smiling. [Jeffrey was always smiling and made all that were around him smile]

- I see him with straight, short hair that was blonde when he was young and then it darkened to beigey-light brown when he got older. [His hair was almost white when he was a toddler , and turned a dark brown as he grew up]

- He appears to be a bit pudgey (overweight), but comfortably so. [Jeff was only 5’5” and we like to say “sturdy” or “stocky.”]

- I’m also getting an image of you wearing tall black boots and he’s picking you up off the ground. [I use to jump into his fishing waders and get stuck.. so he’d have to lift me out.]

- He shows me the backyard (grassy) where he used to play. I also see trees changing color (Pennsylvania?) [We grew up in eastern PA… he and I would play in the backyard which blended into a large grassy field.]

- Was he your older brother? [Yes, 4 years older than me and my hero.. he always looked out for me.]

- I am getting the number ‘51’ in relation to his death. [hmmm the only thing that comes to mind is that I will be 51 in 2 months]

- He did like sports, but was good at other things as well – such as accounting. [He played football and fished. He also liked using an abacus]

- He was a warm man and liked to flirt too, but that got him in trouble![Boy, did it ever get him in to trouble... that makes me smile… his flirting was in such a giving manner.]

- His wife appears quite plain (Ann?) with straight blonde hair. She appears practical and simple and he says, “She was a good mother to our kids… (I see three) …whereas I didn’t always do what was good for me!” [His wife’s name was Susan and she has blonde hair and looks like Joanne Woodward. They did not have children, but I have 3.]

For you RuthAnn, he says, “I always admired you. You knew what your were doing.” [Jeffrey was the only one of my family that believed in me and supported me unconditionally.]

- I’m also seeing that he may have sensed his own death ahead of time… [Yes, for he committed suicide.]

- In regards to how he died, I get a sense of pinching (of veins, arteries?) and shrinking, a caving in on himself.[ *tears* for his internal suffering in life and in death. It is good to know he is the happy-go-lucky Jeffrey in his eternal life.]

- He comes really close (to me) to say that he “always loved you.” [I never doubted his love.. not even now.]

- I’m also seeing some sort of blue-grey ring with a flower petal like silver lacing around it. Then he says, “Remember me dear heart” and he clutches your hand and the ring. [I shall be on the look out for that ring, a day does not go my without him in my heart… always... always with me.]

- I say good bye to him and I see him leaving with a small fluffy white ball of a dog and he waves goodbye (he may be riding a bike also).
[I so wish he would come visit me.. I miss him terribly.. I do need him]

In Memory of Jeffrey Alan Roland - you are very loved.

It's Saturday Night and The Dickinsons Are Getting Cleaned Up

The other day my husband Frank wrote a blog entitled “Cleaning House – Sacred Sage Smudging Ceremony”. He wrote that blog after I returned home from our Herbalists shop with a couple ounces of sage sprigs to cleanse our home from the bad juju that has accumulated in the past 5 years we have been living in it. It was and is time to have a ceremonial sage cleansing.





For the past few years, Frank and I have been working on our spirituality, our impact on the environment, our relationship with those we love or yet to meet to love as well as many other aspects of our lives. The inventory was taken and now it is time to rebuild, restructure and firm up our foundation.

Friday when I returned home from my workday, I found my home was being maneuvered around, room by room, swapping and switching everything up. Rugs were meticulously steamed cleaned by Frank, while our daughter and our Chad were moving the furniture about. Only 1 room remained as it was—our bedroom *s*. Heather and Chad’s room became our office, our office became their bedroom (it was originally a living room), and the dinning room became our grandson, Keygan’s playroom. The kitchen which also doubled as Heather’s mini office was turned into the dinning area. And the little vestibule between the front door and kitchen became Keygan’s sleep area.
As you can tell, our family takes up every available nook and cranny within a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom house. We wanted to make sure everyone has their space and not merely crammed in a hap hazard manner. In these trying economic times, families need to come together and help wherever they can, however they can. For us, it was combining households to help make ends meet, for all of us.

Okay, there you have the background information for the crux of this blog.


It is now Saturday evening, 10:41 and the rooms are all put together, rugs almost sparkling they are so clean, heads are sleeping peacefully on their respective pillow.Such busy lil bees they were!







We had a huge Ah Ha moment when we went into the basement to get our Tarot Cards. There was no way to wade through, move boxes stacked on other boxes and squeeze between the cracks to even get close to them. We looked at each other and said “shame on us”.

Tomorrow Chad is our Grill Master/smoker. Whilst he is tending the savory meat, the rest of us are dragging everything out of the basement, scrubbing it clean and recycling what we don’t use to those that need it, toss what is broken and unable to fix and then organize properly. We felt that we were in an episode of Clean Houseand at any moment
Niecy Nash was going to appear and say “OOoooooo Such foolishness and mayhem!” She would be absolutely correct.

For how can we strengthen our foundation when the core is in complete shambles? Bottom Up is the motto of Sunday, August 23. By the time the smoke master is ready to call us for vitals, it really will be bottoms up in celebration of cleaning our core giving us the ability to have our Cleaning House – Sacred Sage Smudging Ceremony proudly from the bottom up. Out with the bad juju and in with the good mojo.

Bottoms Up!!

Project Heart

Today I, along with my daughter Heather, had the pleasure of giving of our time and ourselves to give back to a small community through a wonderful organization, the United Way.

I know some of you are rolling your eyes at the mere mention of the United Way. Yes, this is the organization that comes to our places of employment,
tugs at our heart strings for a money commitment from employees then in turn our employer pleads for all of us to contribute.





I use to be one of those eye rollers in my younger days. Thankfully I grew up and out of my self-centered stage of life. Okay… back to the theme of this blog (more on me me me in a Blog post later ~smiles~)

This morning was spent painting hallways, stairwells and baseboards in an old converted school that lives on today as a Civic Center. This center is there for this small community in Mascoutah IL. The center serves as the tornado and severe weather shelter, takes children in after school and feeds many of them dinner after they do their homework. Some of the children would not get anything to eat if it wasn’t for the lunches at school and suppers at the Civic Center. It is an activity center for older folks where they can enjoy card games and serious games of washers (it’s a mid west thing),TV’s, wii game system, exercise equipment (brand spanking state of the art new) and many other activities for kids of all ages. NO ONE gets turned away.

Last year, my husband and I donned our paint clothes and painted small bedrooms in the Violence Prevention Center. The VPC was a safe house for woman and their children that are in abusive relationships and have no where to go. They house these women, children and families, and help put their broken spirits back together. They help them find employment, permanent housing, counseling, clothing to begin a career so that they can survive on their own.

How are these wonderful places supported? Mostly through the United Way and the kindness of others.

In a few days the United Way is kicking off their 2010 campaign with the company I work for, Allsup. I am excited to make my bi-monthly contribution to this wonderful charity.
Think about what a difference you could make in the life of another when you are approached to make your contribution.

BTW – Project Heart is what Frank and I call our monthly commitment of finding some way to give back to those in need as a thank you for all we have.

To Spank or Not to Spank, That is the question

“Spare the rod and spoil the child” “Beat until submission” What is the difference between these two phrases? Age. It all comes down to age. Why do we think that children do not understand what we are saying and therefore deserve a spanking? By spanking we are communicating that we, the adult, have lost control and have now resorted to brute strength to obtain our desired result from the child. Why do we choose to spank rather than remove the child from the situation and speak with them? Of course it is going to take many a talking to until the child understands.

When we beat someone into submission, it is called domestic abuse. That is a crime. If the abused can be brought to submission after numerous beatings, it is because they have been broken…broken down in body and spirit. And this is an adult.

What do you think spankings do to children? Do we really think that they are thinking” hmmm I get spanked if I anger mommy or daddy, so I will anger them purposely”? NO, the child is trying to learn their boundaries and spread their wings. It is our job as parents, aunts, uncles, etc., to help the child learn right and wrong, good and dangerous and most importantly, love.



So next time you have the urge or the reaction to want to spank, take a moment and think about it. Do you really want to show the child that you are bigger and stronger or do you want to help the child understand with love and compassion?
The choice you make is critical.


Any thoughts to share?

Dedicated to My Love Muffin, Frankie D O double G

It's Not Easy Being Green

Green. The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence. Green with envy. Green eyed monster. Green is a color associated with sickness, possibly because people's skin takes on a slightly yellow/green tinge when they are seriously ill. Green is also the color of many unripe foods that cause stomach pains. Why does the word green have so many negative connotations? Even though Shriek was as gentle as they come, he was presented to us as a green character.
Why even Dr. Seuss made green a negative word when he wrote, Green Eggs and Ham.

Lately I have been noticing more jealousy, begrudging, and just plain old envy from people around me, especially at my work place. I have never been a jealous person and because of that, I do not understand why people get jealous. For example, If Joe won the lottery and was made comfortable for the rest of their lives, why do some people draw the attention of the happiness of Joe with selfish words like, “Why couldn’t that be me” or I am so jealous of Joe. I wish more folks would just be happy for Joe. For if it wasn’t you that won, wouldn’t you want someone you know to win?




That brings me to my next word. Gracious. As an adjective it is characterized by kindness and warm courtesy, by tact and propriety: responded to the insult with gracious humor, of a merciful or compassionate nature, by charm or beauty; graceful, by elegance and good taste: gracious living and to favor or grace; acceptable or pleasing. I see people on Blogs, Twitter and Facebook exhibiting the grace they possess. Offline is a different matter. What I am surrounded by is the complete opposite of graciousness. Bad manners, discourtesy, impoliteness, pompousness and rudeness are what I witness on a daily basis. A sense of entitlement and the lack of grace seem to go hand in hand with jealousy.
What should we do if we find ourselves surrounded by self-indulgent people? Smile. Just keep on smiling at them and lead by example. So next time you feel green with envy or the green-eyed monster appears, exchange those words and thoughts with “the green green grass of home”, “Green Tea”, or the “Green Hornet”.

Positive energy is powerful. It’s concentrated! A little goes a long, long way.


Start today and sing with Kermit:






It's not that easy being green
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold
Or something much more colorful like that

It's not easy being green
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're
Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky
But green's the color of Spring



Love Peace & Bicycle Grease
RuthAnn


P.S. My husband, Frank Dickinson(@frankdickinson on Twitter)recently made a groovy Squidoo Lens on Aura's. Press here and take a ride to his lens.