My Dear Visitors and Friends:

There are times in my life when the demands on me are great and I must turn inward, towards my spiritual reserve, in order to deal with all my challenges. One of the things that help during those times is freeing myself of unnessary obligations before they feel like or become burdens. To that end, I'm going to take a little time off from blogging while I deal with my son's impending surgery and recovery, deal with the peak busy period at work, and some other projects I have committed to. I really expect to have them all completed and be free once again to write and enjoy the rest of my summer by the end of July, so it will only be a small break.

I don't know how much time that'a all going to take, but rest assured that while my energies will be focused on my son and I, I will be visiting you and commenting when I can. I do so enjoy the entertainment and company you provide. And I want to say thank you for the friendship you've extended.

During this time I'll be closing comments, so I don't have to deal w/the scum of the earth that are spammers. May you all have a wonderful and blessed summer. I leave you with a breathtaking piece of music that I simply haven't been able to get out of my soul since I first heard it a few days ago.

To my male readers and the non-romantics, I'm sorry: simply listen to the music while browsing elsewhere. Update: The composer of this beautiful piece and for the entire North & South mini-series is Martin Phipps.

Thank you so much for visiting.

Posted by: Michele at 06:04 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Updated entry to explain a little more of what's going on with me.

It's my first bout with a stomach problem this summer. As a vegetarian, who has not eaten any meat for over 20 yrs., cross-contamination is usually the cause of my stomach ailments each summer. For most vegetarians its usually not a problem. For me however, that's not the case because my body has an inability to break down meat or its by products and as a result I get very sick to my stomach. In other words, if someone uses a knife or a cutting board to cut raw meat and then without cleaning it properly uses the same knife or cutting board to cut veggies, for lets say a salad, then as a vegetarian I'm screwed, becuase I'll definitely get sick. That's one of the reasons I eat mostly Kosher foods or very nice restaurants. Kosher laws forbid cross-contamination and usually Kosher restaurants have 2 separate kitchens for cooking this very reason.

In this case, the culprit were beautifully designed, very expensive cupcakes from a 4 star, Martha Stewart sanctioned place. Hell, my cupcakes taste better! A dozen cupcakes meant that 12 of us got sick.

I haven't been this sick since this time last year. 48 hrs and counting. Music is helping me get through this. Will resurface when I feel my old self again.

Posted by: Michele at 05:11 PM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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