Advent, Advent....
This is the magical time of year I anticipated as a child, and now my children do. Advent :). It is the countdown, 4 Sundays before Christmas Eve, or Solstice. Today we lit our first candle.Even though I do not come from a religious family, we always celebrated Advent, in our own way. I do with my family. Our w

Cooking with the Spirits - Hello, Papa :)
Certain things I cook are not only tradition, they are linked to certain loved ones in my life. If they have passed over, the process of preparing, cooking, and then enjoying "their" dish brings them rignt into my kitchen, and to our table.This one is from my Papa. You can buy Rotkraut in a jar in Germany (and

Brewing.....
Lots of healing....We are almost waiting for the herbs to jump up and start singing!

Countdown to a new life.
"You have to practically die, and wake back up".Not his exact words, but that is what Dr. Wayne Dyer told me the other night at 2:30 am on PBS. I could not sleep, and thankfully was so frustrated that I decided to while my life away by watching TV.Why would he say this? Well, what I heard was that you have to practically die and wake up "brand spankin' new" in order to drop all your baggage, your bad habits, your toxic friends, family, and life in general.....unless, of course, you are committed enough to begin following the Tao. Dr. Dyer fascinates me. Check out his "Change your Thoughts, Change your Life".I swear I heard him say: "So Heike, the first st

In my next life, I will be a Drifter.
I have decided to be a Drifter in my next life. My family agrees that this would be the preferred lifestyle, so I don't have to do it alone. My dog does not care, as long as he is with us. We love the road, and discovering new places and people.There, it is decided.I have come to this conclu