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Animal Communication & Grounding

I talk to animals and they communicate back to me. More to say on this later, but for now this entry is about Grounding. Many of the people who contact me for help can improve their relationships with their animals by grounding themselves.

Grounding simply means releasing your energy out of your head, down like a river through your body, down your legs and deep into the ground. Often you'll feel your breath release, your shoulders release and your heart feel open.

When we are scared or too busy, all this great force goes right up into our heads! Or we stop it by holding our breath. Or shutting off our heart. We pull it all in, but what happens is we short-circuit ourselves in many ways. Our animals pick this up.

In future posts, I'm going to explain more and offer other ways to ground.

7 Deadly Challenges

Seven weeks of summer left. If you don't count a few weeks from Mid-August on where:

a) everyone in California goes on vacation. It's the deadest few weeks of the year, for those of us who are in an "on-call" type business.
b) anyone left behind in New York City is sitting in front of a fan, dripping wet. (Because if they are in NY, they are not on vacation).
c) something deeply stirs inside each of us to make the most of what was, and get ready for what is to come.

Before that time, however, I have 7 weeks of:

a) a painting class,
b) an attempt to rewrite and send out two children's stories to publishers,

and most important -

c) the Weekly Farmer's Market Challenge!

The Farmers Market Cooking Challenge

One of the reasons I am out in Los Angeles this summer is because of the colorful Farmer's Market on Third Street Promenade every Wednesday morning. REAL food.

Another indirect reason is because Top Chef just started a new season Wednesday night at 10 pm. Watching this show makes me so hungry. By the time the final dishes are shown or like Pavlov at 10:45 pm, I want to add 3500 calories to my intake and then sleep on it, dreaming of a full-time chef at my beck and call, my beans and cauliflower.

So I devised...a WEEKLY Farmers Market Challenge!

I run to the Farmer's Market on Third Street Promenade 2 blocks away from the Pacific Ocean with either ideas in mind or to be inspired by what's there, have my 20$ bill in my sweaty fist like a five year old, spend til there is no change left, and get on the Number 3 bus to arrive home, just in time to sit down at my at-home computer job, by 1 pm. After work is over, I have ONE HOUR to prepare my dishes (in order to accomplish it in Top Chef Real Time).

Whatever happens gets plated, and eaten up in front of the latest episode of Top Chef.

A Plate, a Glass of Wine, TV commentary, Food Discussion on preparation, politics, sustainability, creativity as offered up to an enthusiastic, high aesthetics but learning-as-we-go chef. Notice small caps.

Holiday

I went to a marvelous party. Last night. Blue and green lights only on the tree. Blue and green ornaments. Leaves on the floor of the house. Magic house. Yes, you walked into the house and underneath your shoes were leaves. Crunching in the kitchen, living room, dining room. Arriving post-industry time. No deals being made. Just talk amongst old friends. The evite being scattered with bulletholes of replies from people confessing they were going to "lesser parties" "parties not so interesting as this one"

Good thing I don't host and e-scrutinize.

Do you know how fast you can get to an agent on the phone when you are not an actor?

We almost didn't go. We'd spent the entire day not doing my errands, but shopping for his. He himself and his family. All well done though. Except I still feel two days behind.

The best present we found we also bought a copy for ourselves. Annie L Photography from 1990 to 2005. Not only is it laid out so that the order of photos leads you into deeper revelation, the photos themselves make you take a deep breath in and relax. Inspiration.Fantastic meditation. Which brings you to points in your own life. Reflection. Anyone will make their own personal attachment and meaning to her book.

We shopped and shopped carrying heavy bags that grew. I missed out writing my daily allotment of 350 words for the 2nd day in the row. And we only have 3 days into a challenge of writing 350 words a day for 5 weeks. a challenge I myself set up.

Animals & Poinsettia Lovers

After many years of the ASPCA frowning on poinsettias and their killer attributes towards small beings including children and animals, the ASPCA now reports a huge downgrade of concern. Excerpt from their website report:

"As toxicologists at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) explain, poinsettias were first brought to the United States in the 1820s by J. Robert Poinsett, the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico at the time. The myth of the plant’s toxicity began when the two-year-old child of a U.S. Army officer allegedly died from eating a poinsettia leaf. Says the APCC’s Dana B. Farbman, CVT, “In reality, ingestions typically produce only mild to moderate gastrointestinal tract irritation in pets, which may include drooling, vomiting and diarrhea.” "

Why would an animal be tempted towards red or white poinsettia leaves? Why would I be tempted in the direction of holiday sugar cookies - oh just one? You never know what it might taste like, so just try it, right? Curiousity killed the cat? Relief for a Post Holiday Headache?

Just let your animals know you are looking out for them by providing alternative holiday treats so they won't be binge-poinsettia eating. And get some red things to eat for yourself too.

Marcello and Lily

FYI: Marcello and Lily is Christine Sang's newest book - a children's book - on animal communications. Marcello is The Dog.