“Every Time I Sing, I Heal. And You Can Too.”

Music transforms us in a myriad number of ways, our experience of it as unique as we are.  Listening to our favorite songs or performers can lift our spirits, cause us to be more introspective, or soothe our jangled nerves.

But singing?  That shifts us into an entirely different state internally, one that we may not even be conscious of.  Bringing the vibration and frequency of our singing voice into our body is deeply therapeutic.

Let me guess: you’re saying “I can’t sing.” or “It’s not pretty when I sing – the dog howls for me to stop!” or “The only place I sing is when I’m alone in my car…so no one else can hear me.”  I hear you.  However this isn’t about perfect pitch, singing on key, following a melody precisely, or remembering lyrics.  The most important thing is that you SING however it is you sing.  Make sound with your voice that resonates in your body.

I love this quote from Usha Anandi, Founder of Womben Wellness:

“Every time I sing, I heal.  And you can too – your voice is a unique medicine that has been specially formulated to heal your heart and reconnect you to the essence of your soul.  Not only does singing feel good, but it’s good for you, too.”

So please sing wherever and whenever you get the opportunity.  Not only will you receive some blessed medicine, you’ll also send that healing frequency out into the world, healing its heart.

There’s No Time Limit for Grief

There is no designated or pre-determined end point for grief.
It has a timetable all its own and is as individual as our losses are.


We don’t know what course our grief journey will take, so there’s no way someone outside ourselves can possibly venture a guess (or opinion) on what our path will or “should” look like.


Be true to yourself. Be kind and loving toward your precious self and tender heart. 

Photo by Steve Halama on Unsplash  

Mycelium Marvels: Exploring the Fungi-Rich World of Rabbit Compost in Your Garden

Unexpected Allies for Your Garden

In the realm of gardening, there exists an unexpected but powerful ally that can revolutionize fungi growth: a seemingly disregarded ‘waste’ product with astounding potential to enrich soil. For those passionate about sustainability and nurturing a flourishing garden, this discovery is a game-changer.

Enter the Fungi World

Delve into the captivating universe of mushrooms and fungi, where seemingly mundane materials like rabbit hutch cleanings play a pivotal role in nurturing their growth and fostering diversity. This exploration unravels the mysteries of how these elements contribute to a thriving fungal ecosystem.

The Rabbit Hutch Cleanout Goldmine

Unveil the components of this treasure trove: rabbit poop, sawdust pellets, Timothy Hay, and rabbit urine. These seemingly ordinary elements combine to form a composting material packed with nutrients and life-giving properties essential for soil enrichment.

Fungi as Soil Builders

Witness the miraculous transformation of barren, neglected soil into a thriving ecosystem through the use of rabbit compost. This compost serves as a catalyst, infusing life and nutrients into the ground, creating an ideal environment for plant growth.

Mycelium Marvels

Explore the wonders of mycelium and its pivotal role in enriching soil. Discover how this material not only enhances soil quality but also potentially yields a diverse array of mushrooms, adding an exhilarating dimension to gardening experiences.

Rabbit Compost Insights

Uncover the significance of timing in planting trees and shrubs. Learn about the optimal seasons for planting to ensure robust root development and healthy growth, leveraging the benefits of rabbit compost for sustained plant vitality.

Join this enlightening journey to unearth the magic concealed within rabbit hutch cleanings. Discover how this organic material can transform your garden into a thriving sanctuary for fungi, nurturing your soil and plants through the changing seasons.

Share your thoughts, experiences, and queries in the Comments section. Let’s cultivate a community centered around sustainable living and continual learning.

If this resonates with you, watch the video below and express your support by hitting the Like button and SUBSCRIBING.

Let’s embark on this journey together towards sustainable living and nurturing our planet.

Thank you for tuning in and for your dedication to crafting a sustainable life. Until our next exploration, take utmost care and revel in the joy of growing! 🌱✨

For the Birds! DIY Suet Cakes

Wintertime provides some of the best bird watching opportunities, especially if you offer them these suet cakes made in your own kitchen!

Not only does making these bird delights give you that great feeling of connecting with the natural world, it also adds another check in your zero waste column.

Instead of buying commercial suet cakes in non-recyclable plastic molds again and again, you can save the molds you’ve purchased before or ask friends to save theirs for you and use them for making this recipe.  Once you and your bird-loving friends make these cakes, you won’t buy commercial ones again.

What’s so great about this recipe?

  • It’s super easy to make
  • Calls for readily available ingredients
  • Can be done with the kids.  Let them measure out the dry ingredients and mix them all together.

So let’s get started!

SUET CAKES

2 lbs. lard (do not substitute vegetable shortening!)  This is the brand I use.

3 cups whole wheat flour

4 cups rolled oats

2 cups wild bird seed mix, black oil sunflower seeds or a mix of the two

Melt the lard over medium low heat in a heavy pot.*

In a large bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients until well combined.

Once melted, carefully pour the lard into a 4+ quart, or larger, glass or ceramic bowl.

Stir in the dry ingredients a couple of cups at a time, making sure all the oats and seeds are covered in suet.

Once all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the lard, spoon into plastic suet tubs that you’ve saved up or received from a friend.  Whatever containers you use, just make sure they fit into your wire suet cage holders.

Once frozen, remove 1 cake from its ‘mold’ and insert it into holder.  Wipe out the mold with paper towel and store until it’s time to make another batch of suet cakes.

Store the remaining cakes in a heavy plastic bag in the freezer.

YIELD:  About 8 cakes, 4″ x 4″ each

Hang your suet cake from a tree or bird feeder pole.  Now sit back with a cup of tea and watch the birds flock to indulge in your gift to them.  You’ll both celebrate the connection!

**I suggest turning your overhead cooking vent fan on when you begin melting the lard.  It can be a pretty disgusting smell to have permeate your home if you don’t have the fan whisking the odor away.  Bring your air purifier into the kitchen for additional help with taking the odor out of the room.

It’s Time for Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast-or anytime-Cake

Pale green globes, pinkish purple, dusty blue then dark purpley blue.  There’s the evolution of a blueberry in a few hues.

For those with blueberry bushes of your own, you know how tough it can be to wait until they achieve that dark purpley hue before twisting them off their tiny stem.

I’ve been so eager to pluck the zillions of huge berries this year (thank you mega rains in late spring!) that I find myself picking far too many before they’re in their prime color and sweetness.

Photo by Susanne Weihl workingtitle.studio

So I’ve been waiting a few more days in between gathering them and when I do plop them into my buckets, there are a boatload!!!

Blueberry bonanza!!

Loads of Berries, Now What?

With such a bumper crop, I put those delicious berries into more places than straight into my mouth from the bush and freezer.

Blueberry muffins, pancakes, paired with fresh peaches over yogurt, and swirled in smoothies are frequent summer treats when these babies are ripe and ready.

Then I found this recipe for Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cake a few years ago and have been enjoying it often, both during berry harvest and even in winter with frozen berries.

Whip up this simple cake and let me know what you think of it in the Comments!

Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cake

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour.  To make gluten-free, I used half oat flour (how to make your own in a cinch here) and half gluten-free blend with good results.

3/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal, uncooked

2 Tbsp granulated sweetener of choice

2 tsp baking powder (make your own aluminum-free here)

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup milk of choice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease an 8-inch round baking pan; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, sweetener, baking powder and salt.

In a 2-cup measure, stir milk, oil and egg.  Pour at once into flour mixture.

Stir just until moistened (batter may be a bit lumpy).  Fold in blueberries.Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake until cake is golden and pulls away from sides of pan, 20 – 25 minutes.

Cool on a rack, 5 to 10 minutes.

Do I have to eat this cake just for breakfast?

Of course not, silly.  You can devour this seasonal and healthy treat anytime.

Tell me how you like it.

The Heart Health Test Most Docs Don’t Order, But Should

The typical blood test for heart health measures cholesterol levels, aka lipids: the HDL (“good cholesterol”) and LDL (“bad cholesterol”).  The test results are just three numbers: HDL, LDL and Total cholesterol.
 

Can 3 numbers give a full and accurate view of your cardiovascular health?

I don’t think so.

While these numbers can be helpful, they illustrate a very small part of a person’s cardiovascular health.  This partial view can be misleading and leaves out key information that is helpful in creating an action plan for greater heart health, including lifestyle modifications specific to your body and test readings.
 

Good News!

There is a test that provides lots more information about your heart health with the same blood sample testing cholesterol levels.
It’s The Boston Heart Diagnostics test.
 

What does the test tell you?

Instead of measuring only the lipid (cholesterol) indicator, this test measures all 4 heart health indicators:
  1. Genetic
  2. Metabolic
  3. Inflammation
  4. Lipid

How to get the test

Boston Heart Diagnostics informs and trains practitioners how to order the test kits and interpret test results with their patients.
 

So much more than a prescription!

I cannot emphasize how comprehensive and helpful this test is to truly show your cardiovascular health.  I believe everyone over 30 should get a Boston Heart Diagnostics test because you learn so much about your system and which marker areas (indicators) may need to be improved.
 
Also, you receive a personalized booklet with your test results explained using great graphics, descriptions of the markers and suggestions for how to improve your heart health.
Your practitioner goes through the booklet with you, reviewing your test results and offering a plan of steps to take to reduce your risk of heart disease.
 
Personalized details of your Boston heart Diagnostics test results in booklet form
 
 
Wouldn’t you rather have the full picture of your cardiovascular health and make the changes that will get you healthier instead of getting a prescription drug (statins and others) based on 3 numbers?
 
I sure would.
 
Will you get the Boston Heart Diagnostics test?  Please tell me in the Comments that you will, or have, so I can breathe easier knowing that you are taking the steps toward vibrant health.
 

Healing Our World One Postcard at a Time

There’s a lot of hopelessness and helplessness in our country and world right now.  Hopeless that true change may never happen, and feeling helpless to do anything that contributes to the healing.

We have lost connection with ourselves, one another, our world and especially Mother Earth.  I believe this disconnect is at the root of our ills.

Each of us has a heart and voice (even those who are non-verbal have ways to express themselves).

Why not join our heart and voice to help heal ourselves and the world?

How Can We Heal?  How Can We Help?

What if we started with one small act to reconnect and begin healing?  An act taking 5 minutes, costing less than 50 cents that will change someone’s day and expand love in the world…Would you be in on this?

The Postcard Connection

Starting tomorrow, June 1st, and each day for the month of June, I’m writing a postcard expressing my heart to someone in my world.  30 postcards.

The sentiment could be one sentence or several – whatever feels right at the moment.  I’m already imagining who I will write to and what I’ll say.  Here are some examples:

  • “Missing you and thinking of you today.” sent to a friend I’ve not been in contact with in awhile
  • “I love you!” for one of my beloveds
  • “You made such a difference in my life.  Thank you.” to a beloved teacher
  • “My life is enriched and blessed by your music.  Many thanks for creating and sharing it with the world.” for a talented musician or band

You get the idea.

How to Do It

Write a postcard to someone in your life, currently or in the past, expressing love, gratitude, appreciation, and/or kindness to them.  Each day can be a different recipient or you might want to write several postcards to the same person over the month.

Mail it off and feel the delight in knowing that someone will be thrilled to receive real mail and your heartfelt expression.

Please join me!! I’m doing this for 30 days, but you choose how many days you participate.  Whether it’s one postcard or 12 or all 30, you will make a difference!

What This Isn’t

It’s important to say what this invitation/practice is NOT:

  • a challenge
  • a competition
  • a task to tally or track, unless you want to do so to acknowledge yourself for the goodness you are putting out into the world
  • an obligation, should or have-to

None of us need more challenges, pressure or items on our To-Do List.  Keep it light and easy for yourself while considering whose day you wish to brighten, including your own.

Let’s Do This!!

Every one of us makes a difference with every act, every thought, every postcard.

Let’s do this.

May the healing begin.

Featured photo credit Guillaume Coupy on Unsplash; postcards, stamps & pen photo Heather Michet

Your Best Self-care Tip May Be Doing Nothing

We’re at the crossroads again: a new year, new promises, new shoulds and pressures to strive higher and harder to “be more, do more and have more.”

We’re told that bigger dreams and bodacious goals get realized when we push the limit.

But is this really the only way to get there?

I mean seriously: Are your body and spirit deeply crying out to hop on the treadmill, both literally and figuratively right now?

Mine aren’t.

Think how out of sync a busy calendar and pushy task list really are in the month of January.  Are Mother Earth and her creatures scrambling around like maniacs to get everything done while they hunker down?  Nope.

We’ve just bustled through a full and hectic holiday season (ok, perhaps less so than those of 2 years+ ago, but still).  Winter weather has set in which means snow and cold for many of us.

Then January 1st hits the books and we’re supposed to wake up bright, perky, and fired up to set the world, our business, and our health on fire to the highest and healthiest heights.

Are you sensing a disconnect and incongruency here?  Some cross-purposed energies, perhaps?

Think about this for a moment: December 21st was the first day of WINTER.  Not Spring.  Not Summer.  Winter – a time to pull in, tuck under the covers, reflect, get quieter, sit still, rest, recharge and engage in gentler, slower activities like reading, sipping a great mug of tea, writing, handicrafts and naps!!

What if easing into the new calendar year this way was the ticket to more fulfillment, enjoyment, peace and prosperity?

What if savoring our days and their offerings by being fully present for each experience vs. hustling through the task list every waking moment brought us closer to ourselves, our dreams and our world?

What if taking stretches of doing nothing (however brief or extended) resulted in richer outcomes than we ever imagined?

What if, indeed.

I experienced this quite intensely in November after returning from 2 marvelous weeks in Italy.

Part of any “away” time I take is followed by a day or two (or more), of a blank calendar; a time when there are no ‘out there’ commitments, no To-Do lists, and little to no connecting with other people.  This delicious time is all mine to simply BE as I soak in, reflect upon, and write about my experiences and perceptions garnered while away.

During this integration and recovery time, I allow my body, mind and spirit to dictate what’s next: It’s 3:30 p.m. and I’m so wiped out that I have to lie down and sleep?  Sweet dreams.  It’s 1:40 a.m., I’m wide awake and famished?  Chow down!  Muscles and limbs feel stiff and yearning to stretch and strut?  Get on the hiking boots and head out the door!

This “after party” time following my Italy trip was blissful and rich.  No social media, no phone calls, no work agenda.  And boy howdy did the slow and quiet time provide space to receive some big abundance!!

One phone call from an acquaintance resulted in 2 new healing clients, followed by 2 ceremonial clients confirmed a week later.  WOW, this practice works!!!

Now I’m not advocating for a slothful, undirected or mindless life with this occasional practice of slowing down and quieting.  Nor am I guaranteeing spectacular gifts to roll in like those I received.

But I know these periods of quiet stillness help us come back to our center to see, feel and discern what is essential.  And I propose there’s no better time to do this than amidst winter’s unhurried season.

So, in addition to visioning your year ahead with its goals and dreams, pull out your planner and schedule in some nothing time that’s free of the external noise.  You never know what goodness may come to grace you.

All photos Copyright © Heather Michet 2021

Here are some great resources to guide and support you in taking slow, quiet and restorative time:

Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May

Daring to Rest by Karen Brody

(This post first published at Romancing the Genres January 29, 2022)

DIY Veggie Oven Fries

Sweet potato fries are all the rage as an upsell from regular (baker potato) fries.  Both can be ordered dressed up in all sorts of ways: sprinkled with herbs, garlic, cheeses or served with a plethora of dunking sauces.

No matter how they come to the table, they are tasty!  But not very healthful with all of the saturated and trans fat from deep-frying and the oozy toppings (:

You don’t have to give up your fries or your health.  Veggie fries are super simple to make and can be customized by using whatever root vegetables you prefer and the flavors you love.

Here’s my basic recipe:

VEGGIE OVEN FRIES

White baking potatoes, unpeeled if organic

Sweet potatoes, white and/or orange [known incorrectly as yams], peeled

Parsnips, peeled

Carrots, scrubbed or peeled if not organic

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

For one large, rimmed baking sheet, I use 1 white baking potato + 1 sweet potato (usually orange) + 1-2 parsnips depending upon their size + a large handful of mini carrots.  Choose whatever veggie combo you like.

Cut potatoes and parsnips into wedge shapes, like keg or steak fries.  No need to cut mini carrots, but if you’re using regular whole carrots, cut them in wedges as well.  Try to have all of the different veggie wedges fairly close in size so they cook at the same rate.

Put all prepared veggies into a large bowl.  Drizzle over a small amount of olive oil, about 1 – 2 tsp., depending upon how many veggies you have.

Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.  Toss all together in bowl with your hands to spread a bit of the oil over each of the wedges.

Place on rimmed baking sheet in a single layer.  Put into oven and bake for 10 minutes.  If veggies are beginning to lightly brown, take pan out of oven and turn the wedges,  Return pan to the oven and bake another 5 – 10 minutes, until this side is lightly browned.

Remove from oven and devour!!

VARIATIONS:

  • Sprinkle veggies with smoked paprika in addition to salt and pepper
  • Squeeze 1/2 a lemon’s juice over veggies after adding olive oil.  Then add a generous shake of curry powder.  Mix well.
  • Taco Seasoning adds a Southwest taste twist in place of salt and pepper.  Add a bit of cayenne to crank up the heat!
  • Toss in some dried oregano along with salt and pepper.  Immediately after removing cooked wedges from the oven, sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over all.  Yow.

Let your imagination and tastebuds roll with more variations you come up with.

Enjoy these delicious and healthful treats!                                                         

3 Steps to Turn Turmoil to Peace

“Peace.  What does it mean to you?”

This was the question posed to me by a friend who asked me to write a guest blog post for her writers’ site Romancing the Genres.  July’s theme was ‘Peace’

As you might surmise from this blog’s title, it was a journey and an adventure, that ultimately led me to a liberation.

Here’s the story:

FLOWING INTO PEACE. OR, HOW I ALMOST DIDN’T WRITE THIS BLOG by Heather Michet

“It’s midnight on the day before my guest blog piece on Peace is due; but I missed my own declared deadline which was the day just ended.

The Mind Map loaded with ever-increasing ideas, words and notes about Peace was started weeks ago and boy did that feel like a victory over my often, okay usual, last minute completion of anything with a due date, or dreadline, as I lovingly refer to it.

I’d even kept my agreement to myself to do the actual writing on the morning of my self-imposed submission date.  But as I wrote, some Squirrel!!! idea took me and the article on a trail that didn’t feel quite right.  Sure, it was talking about Peace and how we can get there with steps and tools, but it wasn’t what I wanted to publish. Now I’d spent the writing time and ended up with crap on the page, along with feeling like crap about what I read there.

As I’ve learned through my writing life, I let it rest, figuring that when I came back to it I’d realize that maybe instead of crap, I had a great piece or at least part of one.  Nope.  I felt even worse about it because not only had my writing window been blown, but I now couldn’t justify enjoying the rewards I’d set up to indulge in.  Bummer.  And I had nothing to submit…double bummer and self-love and peace destroyer.

3 Steps to Turn Turmoil to Peace

Clearly, something shifted because here you are reading this!  How did I move from freaked out to calm and confident?  My first step towards peace (and a completed article) was to:

  1. STOP and sit in a favorite chair,
  2. Let out a few tears as I was being healed and comforted by my Velcro cat, Yasmina, and then    
  3. Sing my chantra I Am the Light several times to continue clearing what was holding me back from a sense of peace and flowing writing.

Just like magic, I was ready to write something congruent and submittable because I had cleared the blocks, the stoppers, the resistance, to Flow that leads to calm, harmony within oneself and serenity.

Unblocking the Flow of Peace

Whether I am zonked out during an Acupuncture treatment, sitting alongside a river, or singing at the bedside of a client’s final hours of life, the uninhibited circulation of energy throughout all of my being (the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual bodies) brings forth Peace.  Time and time again, using breath work, stillness and singing releases whatever I’m holding onto that is blocking my Peace.

Does this practice apply to two individuals, a corporate team, or nations?  Absolutely.  When we are experiencing anything but peace in our personal, work, community and world relationships, there are blocks keeping Peace from being possible.

Each time we feel less than peaceful with ourselves and others, let us ask ourselves what is blocking us from flowing into Peace.

Is it judgment, fear, ignorance, a righteous position we’re not willing to let go of?

Chances are it is one or more of these.

We all have blocks and resistance within us, and the power to let go, open up and flow into Peace.

I leave you with that, for a river is calling me to come sit and sing beside her on a rocky blanket.”

Share What Makes you Peaceful

Can you relate?  How do you walk through discord in yourself and arrive at peace?  What works for you?

I would love to know, so please share in the Comments.

Breathing, singing and transforming right along with you!

Originally published at Romancing the Genres.