Clarissa Johal's Blog, page 5
October 8, 2018
#MeatlessMonday - #Vegetarian Cauliflower-Cheese Soup
I'm all about spending less time in the kitchen, so here's a recipe you can set up in the crockpot and off you go. You can substitute chicken stock (if you wish), low-fat milk, or different vegetables for a change in flavor. Experiment and enjoy!
Vegetarian Cauliflower-Cheese Soup
1 chopped onion
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
4 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley.
Add everything into a crock pot (or soup pot) and cook until veggies are soft.
Add:
2 cups light cream or milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese.
Blend until smooth.
Add some salt/pepper.
Serve!
Vegetarian Cauliflower-Cheese Soup
1 chopped onion
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
4 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley.
Add everything into a crock pot (or soup pot) and cook until veggies are soft.
Add:
2 cups light cream or milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese.
Blend until smooth.
Add some salt/pepper.
Serve!
October 4, 2018
#FolkloreThursday - #GhostStory Bites for Your Reading Pleasure...
It's October! Time for some ghost stories....
I've gathered these little tidbits from around the globe. Enjoy!
Photo by Glen BowmanThe Radiant Boy
Northumberland, England.
Chillingham Castle is a 13th-century castle reputed to be the most haunted place in the world. The most famous ghost in the castle was the "Radiant Boy" who used to haunt the Pink Room. His cries would emanate from a spot near where a passage was (later) found. As his cries faded away, a bright halo of light appeared, followed by the figure of a young boy dressed in blue. During some renovation work, they found the bones of a young child behind the wall, wrapped in decaying fragments of blue cloth. The child was given a proper burial and the hauntings ceased.
Used by Permission via Mr. HarmanResurrection Mary
Chicago, Illinois
There are many hitchhiker ghosts reported across the USA. The most famous resides near Resurrection Cemetery on Chicago's Southside. Since the 1930s, many have reported picking up the blonde, blue-eyed young woman dressed in a white party dress. Once the driver reaches the cemetery, the young woman asks to be let out and then disappears. She is thought to be the spirit of Mary Bregovy, who died in a 1934 auto accident in the Chicago Loop, or possibly Anna Norkus, who died in a 1927 auto accident while on her way home from the Oh Henry Ballroom.
Used by Permission via McKarriFlying Dutchman
Oceans of Europe, Asia, and Africa
The Flying Dutchman is a legendary ghost ship doomed to sail the oceans forever, unable to make port. The myth likely originated from the 17th-century golden age of the Dutch East India Company. The ship and its crew became eternally cursed when its Dutch captain refused to take safe harbor during a storm despite pleas from the crew and passengers. Instead, the captain challenged God to take them down. There are many sightings and literary references to this ship. If hailed by another ship, the crew of the Flying Dutchman will try to send messages to land, or to people long dead. In ocean lore, the sight of this phantom ship is a bad omen.
Blackbeard's Flag
Used by Permission via Fred the OysterBlackbeard's GhostOracoke Island, North Carolina
Ocracoke Island is an inlet off the coast of North Carolina. The inlet is reported to be the favored spot where Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, anchored ship. It's also said to be where he met his end. Some say his ghost haunts the spot to this day. On moonlit nights, people have reported that the ghost of Blackbeard (Edward Teach) can be seen swimming around Ocracoke Island cove where he died. It was rumored that after being shot and stabbed repeatedly, his headless body swam three times around the boat before it finally sunk. Many people report seeing a strange light moving beneath the waters of the cove. This ghostly light is thought to be Blackbeard's spirit searching for his missing head.
Eleonore Zugun (right)
Used by Permission via Unbekannt, WienEleonore Zugun
Teleorman County, Romania
In 1926, Eleonore Zugun, an illiterate 13-year-old Romanian peasant girl, suffered spontaneous attacks of poltergeist activity and stigmata. Fearing she was possessed by the devil, the villagers locked her away in an asylum. She was brought to London for a series of experiments at the National Laboratory of Psychical Research. Conclusions were made that the stigmatic markings (ranging from a whip, scratch or teeth bitemarks) were spontaneous and she was not consciously responsible for the production of the marks. According to the report, she could also move small objects without physical contact. There were over 1,070 recorded instances of either stigmata or poltergeist activity. The activity soon diminished and by 1928, Eleonore returned to Romania where she later married and was said to have lived a “normal life”.
Used by Permission via KatyaMSL
La Llorona ("The Weeping Woman")
Mexico
The story tells of a woman by the name of Maria who drowned her children in order to be with the man she loved. The man would not have her, and she ended up drowning herself in a river in Mexico City. Maria was not permitted to enter the afterlife until she found her children. Trapped between the living and spirit world, she wanders the Earth for all eternity. Her constant weeping as she searches for her children has earned her the name "La Llorona."
Portrait of Lady Dorothy Walpole
by Charles Jervas, circa 1805
Public Domain
The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall
Norfolk, England
Said to be the ghost of Lady Dorothy Walpole (1686–1726). She became one of the most famous hauntings in Great Britain when photographers from Country Life magazine claimed to have captured her image in 1936. Lady Dorothy Walpole was the second wife of Charles Townshend, who was notorious for his violent temper. The story says when Townshend discovered that his wife had committed adultery, he punished her by locking her in her room. She remained at Raynham Hall until her death in 1726 from smallpox.
I've gathered these little tidbits from around the globe. Enjoy!
Photo by Glen BowmanThe Radiant BoyNorthumberland, England.
Chillingham Castle is a 13th-century castle reputed to be the most haunted place in the world. The most famous ghost in the castle was the "Radiant Boy" who used to haunt the Pink Room. His cries would emanate from a spot near where a passage was (later) found. As his cries faded away, a bright halo of light appeared, followed by the figure of a young boy dressed in blue. During some renovation work, they found the bones of a young child behind the wall, wrapped in decaying fragments of blue cloth. The child was given a proper burial and the hauntings ceased.
Used by Permission via Mr. HarmanResurrection Mary Chicago, Illinois
There are many hitchhiker ghosts reported across the USA. The most famous resides near Resurrection Cemetery on Chicago's Southside. Since the 1930s, many have reported picking up the blonde, blue-eyed young woman dressed in a white party dress. Once the driver reaches the cemetery, the young woman asks to be let out and then disappears. She is thought to be the spirit of Mary Bregovy, who died in a 1934 auto accident in the Chicago Loop, or possibly Anna Norkus, who died in a 1927 auto accident while on her way home from the Oh Henry Ballroom.
Used by Permission via McKarriFlying Dutchman Oceans of Europe, Asia, and Africa
The Flying Dutchman is a legendary ghost ship doomed to sail the oceans forever, unable to make port. The myth likely originated from the 17th-century golden age of the Dutch East India Company. The ship and its crew became eternally cursed when its Dutch captain refused to take safe harbor during a storm despite pleas from the crew and passengers. Instead, the captain challenged God to take them down. There are many sightings and literary references to this ship. If hailed by another ship, the crew of the Flying Dutchman will try to send messages to land, or to people long dead. In ocean lore, the sight of this phantom ship is a bad omen.
Blackbeard's FlagUsed by Permission via Fred the OysterBlackbeard's GhostOracoke Island, North Carolina
Ocracoke Island is an inlet off the coast of North Carolina. The inlet is reported to be the favored spot where Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, anchored ship. It's also said to be where he met his end. Some say his ghost haunts the spot to this day. On moonlit nights, people have reported that the ghost of Blackbeard (Edward Teach) can be seen swimming around Ocracoke Island cove where he died. It was rumored that after being shot and stabbed repeatedly, his headless body swam three times around the boat before it finally sunk. Many people report seeing a strange light moving beneath the waters of the cove. This ghostly light is thought to be Blackbeard's spirit searching for his missing head.
Eleonore Zugun (right)Used by Permission via Unbekannt, WienEleonore Zugun
Teleorman County, Romania
In 1926, Eleonore Zugun, an illiterate 13-year-old Romanian peasant girl, suffered spontaneous attacks of poltergeist activity and stigmata. Fearing she was possessed by the devil, the villagers locked her away in an asylum. She was brought to London for a series of experiments at the National Laboratory of Psychical Research. Conclusions were made that the stigmatic markings (ranging from a whip, scratch or teeth bitemarks) were spontaneous and she was not consciously responsible for the production of the marks. According to the report, she could also move small objects without physical contact. There were over 1,070 recorded instances of either stigmata or poltergeist activity. The activity soon diminished and by 1928, Eleonore returned to Romania where she later married and was said to have lived a “normal life”.
Used by Permission via KatyaMSLLa Llorona ("The Weeping Woman")
Mexico
The story tells of a woman by the name of Maria who drowned her children in order to be with the man she loved. The man would not have her, and she ended up drowning herself in a river in Mexico City. Maria was not permitted to enter the afterlife until she found her children. Trapped between the living and spirit world, she wanders the Earth for all eternity. Her constant weeping as she searches for her children has earned her the name "La Llorona."
Portrait of Lady Dorothy Walpole by Charles Jervas, circa 1805
Public Domain
The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall
Norfolk, England
Said to be the ghost of Lady Dorothy Walpole (1686–1726). She became one of the most famous hauntings in Great Britain when photographers from Country Life magazine claimed to have captured her image in 1936. Lady Dorothy Walpole was the second wife of Charles Townshend, who was notorious for his violent temper. The story says when Townshend discovered that his wife had committed adultery, he punished her by locking her in her room. She remained at Raynham Hall until her death in 1726 from smallpox.
October 2, 2018
#Paranormal Wednesday - Ring-Around-the-Rosie with my Tulpas
Photo courtesy of thejbird via FlickrA friend and I were discussing the concept of tulpas the other day. A tulpa is defined as an intelligent companion imagined into existence. They can be people, animals, or "other." As an author, I don't find this concept weird at all. I don't know an author alive who doesn't think of their characters as "real" people. Some more than others. We spend countless hours, days, weeks and years writing their deepest thoughts and desires. We create their lives from nothing. We cheer them on, we laugh and we cry with them. To us—and hopefully, to our readers—they are real. We have in a sense, created tulpas.According to tulpa ideology, it takes time for a tulpa to develop a complex personality. As they grow older, their life experiences and the attention you give shape them into a person with their own hopes, dreams, and beliefs. Communication occurs through your thoughts and emotions, but your tulpa is said to have thoughts and emotions separate from your own. Tulpas aren't malicious. They aren't considered a spirit or demon. They coexist with their creator.
Does that blow your mind? Make you laugh out loud? Seem perfectly normal? Regardless, tulpas have a significant place in several cultures. In Indian Buddhist texts, they are defined as any unreal, illusory or mind-created apparition. In Tibetan Buddhism, tulpas are a spiritual discipline and teaching concept. In the Western occult tradition, they are called thoughtforms (magical emanation, phantom, or something conjured). They are as real as you or me—they just happen to exist in our minds.
That said, how many of you had imaginary friends as a child? Personally, I didn't have just one imaginary friend, I had an entire tribe. We could have held hands and danced a Ring-Around-the-Rosie. Tulpas? Probably not. If they were, they ran off to join the circus and didn't stick around. As far as my tulpa-like characters...that's a different story altogether. Excuse me while I go make more. We'll get that Ring-Around-the-Rosie going yet. [image error]
Tangled Tuesday: And now for something completely different #writer #artist #motivation
Photo courtesy of april-mo via flickrStuck in a rut? It happens. In most cases, the best solution is to take a break. Walk away from what you're doing. That doesn't mean walk to your bed and flop across it like a dead fish. Walk away. Try something different, rattle your brain. Whatever it takes to climb out of your rut and get your creative-self flowing again.Here are some things to try. And don't just read through them and say, "Yeah...I should try one of these," and then not do it.
Because I'll hunt you down.
1) Do something physical. Your brain can't be creative if you're catatonic in your chair. Muscles need to move. If you're stuck in an office, buy a mini-trampoline and keep it in the corner for jumping breaks.
2) Play. Jump rope, do cartwheels, build a fort, blow bubbles. You know, all those fun things you used to do as a kid but don't anymore because you're a boring grown-up.
3) Visit a factory. See how something is made. Candy factories are awesome.
4) Learn something new. Take a tap-dancing class if you like noise, a fencing class if you like swords, or a trapeze class if you want to run away and join the circus. It always makes me sad when I hear people say, "I've always wanted to (insert cool thingy here), but I haven't because (insert lame-o excuse here)".
5) Stomp grapes at a vineyard. While you're there, take a winery tour and see how wine is made. Next time you buy a bottle, you'll truly appreciate the crafting that goes into it.
6) Build a bird or bat house. Hang it in your backyard or donate it to a local recreation center or garden.
7) Rent a paddle boat or kayak and take off for the day. Find a secluded spot and go skinny dipping.
8) Try something completely new and out of your career-comfort zone. Are you a photographer? Paint a picture instead. Do you write romance? Try writing science fiction. Work with numbers all day long? I'm very sorry, I have no advice for you, your life must be a nightmare. Haha. I do have advice, actually. Fingerpaint. On the wall.
9) Plan and cook a meal using a one color palette. For example; a cheddar-cheese omelet, butternut squash soup, and saffron toast. End the meal with a lemon tart and apricot screwdriver.
10) Juggle. It's okay if you drop them all unless they're glass bottles.
11) Fly a kite. If you don't have one, now's the time to go shopping OR you can make one
12) Take public transportation to a random destination. Get lost and wander. It's okay, you will find your way home again.
What are you waiting for? I see you still sitting there. Don't make me come get you.
October 1, 2018
#MeatlessMonday - Pumpkin-Green Chili Pepper Soup #vegetarian
Our local grocery store has exploded in pumpkin-spice. Pumpkin-spice cookies, cupcakes, coffees, and chocolates. I even saw pumpkin-spice kale chips. *sigh* I like my veggies as much as any vegetarian, but just...no.
This pumpkin-spice recipe is a bit different. The spices are truly spicy, but not too much. Enjoy!
Pumpkin-Green Chili Pepper Soup
1 onion, diced
1T olive oil
4 ozs diced green chilies
1/4 cup parsley
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, diced
1 tsp ground red pepper
1-15 oz. can pumpkin purée
2-1/2 cups vegetable broth1/2 cup sour cream
Sauté onion in olive oil until translucent. Add green chilies, parsley, cumin, chili powder, garlic, salt, and ground red pepper. Set aside.
Mix pumpkin purée and vegetable broth. Add onion/spice mixture.
Cook in a crockpot on low/med for about an hour. Blender until smooth.
Heat through. Stir in sour cream before serving.
This pumpkin-spice recipe is a bit different. The spices are truly spicy, but not too much. Enjoy!
Pumpkin-Green Chili Pepper Soup1 onion, diced
1T olive oil
4 ozs diced green chilies
1/4 cup parsley
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, diced
1 tsp ground red pepper
1-15 oz. can pumpkin purée
2-1/2 cups vegetable broth1/2 cup sour cream
Sauté onion in olive oil until translucent. Add green chilies, parsley, cumin, chili powder, garlic, salt, and ground red pepper. Set aside.
Mix pumpkin purée and vegetable broth. Add onion/spice mixture.
Cook in a crockpot on low/med for about an hour. Blender until smooth.
Heat through. Stir in sour cream before serving.
September 28, 2018
Frightening Friday-Collecting #Ouija #paranormal
Photo courtesy of felinebird via FlickrMainstream religions (and some occultists) associate the use of Ouija boards with demonic possession, opening portals and an invitation to evil spirits.I like Ouija boards. There. I said it--and my head didn't spin around or anything. I don't know when I became fascinated with them. I don't even remember where I acquired mine, but according to eBay, it's an antique. The last time I "played" with it was in high school. Our school theatre was reportedly haunted, as all good theatres are. One rumor was that a student had hung herself in the dressing room, another was that a student had slit her wrists in one of the bathrooms. When we asked the teachers for details, they were vague. The school was over a hundred-and-fifty years old and probably had many buried secrets. Regardless. When word got out I owned an Ouija board, well...sorry Mr. B, when you thought the cast of Midsummer Night's Dream was rehearsing, we were calling upon spirits of the dead in the dressing room.
Fast forward years later. Would I "play" with an Ouija board now? Probably not. While I don't feel the board itself is dangerous, the invitation may be. I'm still undecided on whether the board is a tool of divination or the subconscious at work. Regardless, I don't dabble. I collect paraphernalia because it holds a fascination. I have several T-shirts, a blanket, necklaces, earrings, sunglasses, hair clips, a pair of socks, a business card holder, cellphone case, wallet, mug, spatula, computer sleeve and even a pair of undies.However, the Ouija board I used in high school is in the attic. My teens keep bugging me to dig it out so they can look at it. I'm reluctant. The board holds secrets. Secrets of what a bunch of high school kids contacted in that haunted theatre, years ago. Secrets of what should have stayed buried. Secrets that probably need to stay in the attic.
Frightening Friday-Collecting #Ouija
Photo courtesy of felinebird via FlickrMainstream religions (and some occultists) associate the use of Ouija boards with demonic possession, opening portals and an invitation to evil spirits.I like Ouija boards. There. I said it--and my head didn't spin around or anything. I don't know when I became fascinated with them. I don't even remember where I acquired mine, but according to eBay, it's an antique. The last time I "played" with it was in high school. Our school theatre was reportedly haunted, as all good theatres are. One rumor was that a student had hung herself in the dressing room, another was that a student had slit her wrists in one of the bathrooms. When we asked the teachers for details, they were vague. The school was over a hundred-and-fifty years old and probably had many buried secrets. Regardless. When word got out I owned an Ouija board, well...sorry Mr. B, when you thought the cast of Midsummer Night's Dream was rehearsing, we were calling upon spirits of the dead in the dressing room.
Fast forward years later. Would I "play" with an Ouija board now? Probably not. While I don't feel the board itself is dangerous, the invitation may be. I'm still undecided on whether the board is a tool of divination or the subconscious at work. Regardless, I don't dabble. I collect paraphernalia because it holds a fascination. I have several T-shirts, a blanket, necklaces, earrings, sunglasses, hair clips, a pair of socks, a business card holder, cellphone case, wallet, mug, spatula, computer sleeve and even a pair of undies.However, the Ouija board I used in high school is in the attic. My teens keep bugging me to dig it out so they can look at it. I'm reluctant. The board holds secrets. Secrets of what a bunch of high school kids contacted in that haunted theatre, years ago. Secrets of what should have stayed buried. Secrets that probably need to stay in the attic.
September 27, 2018
#Haunted Okiku Doll - #FolkloreThursday
Photo courtesy of Stewart Butterfield via FlickrThe Okiku doll has resided at the Mannenji temple in the town of Iwamizawa, Hokkaido prefecture since 1938. According to the temple, the traditional doll had short cropped hair, but over time it has grown to about 25 centimeters long, down to the doll’s knees. Although the hair is periodically trimmed, it reportedly keeps growing back.The doll was originally purchased in 1918 by a 17-year-old boy named Eikichi Suzuki. He bought the doll as a souvenir for his 2-year-old sister, Okiku. The young girl loved the doll and played with it every day. The following year, Okiku died from a cold. The family placed the doll in the household altar and prayed to it every day in memory of her.
Sometime later, the family noticed the hair had started to grow. This was seen as a sign that the girl’s restless spirit had taken refuge within the doll. In 1938, the Suzuki family moved and placed the doll in the care of Mannenji temple, where it has remained ever since.
Nobody has ever been able to fully explain why the doll’s hair continues to grow. One scientific examination of the doll concluded that the hair is indeed that of a young child.
I was unable to find a photo of the doll under the Creative Commons license (and I never post photos in my blog unless I have permission). You can view the actual doll via YouTube:
September 25, 2018
Writing With Persistent #Ghosts During the Month of #October #amwriting #paranormal
Ahh, the month of October. October is always an interesting time in our house because things go a little haywire. One year, the hot water heater exploded, another year it was my car. Last October, my husband and I both witnessed a weird pocket of electricity bursting in the air. It was like an invisible lightbulb exploded in the Otherworld. Who knew they used those? Speaking of, we go through more lightbulbs than usual during October. Way more.
This year, I've decided to keep a daily diary, of sorts. I plan to document all the things that go amok in our house. Check back daily, as I'm sure I'll be adding more entries. The craziness is starting a bit early this year, so we're going to start this diary on:
September 24, 2018
Feeling unsettled today. I heard someone walking on our back deck around 3am but when I checked, there was nobody there. It wasn't an animal unless the local raccoons have decided to wear boots and walk bipedally. There's a freaky thought.
Zeus kept barking and growling at empty spots in the living room while I was trying to do some research and work on my opening chapter. Everybody's a critic.
I decided to sage downstairs and went upstairs to do the same. While I was smudging the hallway, I heard heavy footsteps crossing the attic. I considered calling my husband like a damsel-in-distress but knew there's no way anyone could break into our house, much less get into our attic, without Zeus pitching a fit.
Time to man up and check it out. I am woman, hear me roar. (Which is exactly what I did. I figured roaring like a lion was enough to scare any ghost into thinking I was just plain crazy.)
It was spooky up there. No signs of animals or anything else.
Back to writing...
September 25, 2018
My coffee maker decided to turn on/off by itself this morning. I'm writing it off as a very thoughtful ghost anticipating my caffeine needs. If they could just figure out how to fill the coffee pod, we'd be set.
Back to writing.
There were strange noises coming from the haunted room upstairs. Both cats and Zeus were sleeping on the couch, so it wasn't them. Zeus knows he's not supposed to be on the couch but I decided to ignore my shameless dog and the noises upstairs because I had too much work to do.
The garage door kept opening and closing at random times this morning. I checked repeatedly to see if something was triggering it and couldn't see a thing. It behaved itself for the rest of the day, so... *shrug*
Of course, just as I drove away to run an errand, it decided to open on its own as a final farewell.[image error]
This year, I've decided to keep a daily diary, of sorts. I plan to document all the things that go amok in our house. Check back daily, as I'm sure I'll be adding more entries. The craziness is starting a bit early this year, so we're going to start this diary on:
September 24, 2018
Feeling unsettled today. I heard someone walking on our back deck around 3am but when I checked, there was nobody there. It wasn't an animal unless the local raccoons have decided to wear boots and walk bipedally. There's a freaky thought.
Zeus kept barking and growling at empty spots in the living room while I was trying to do some research and work on my opening chapter. Everybody's a critic.
I decided to sage downstairs and went upstairs to do the same. While I was smudging the hallway, I heard heavy footsteps crossing the attic. I considered calling my husband like a damsel-in-distress but knew there's no way anyone could break into our house, much less get into our attic, without Zeus pitching a fit.
Time to man up and check it out. I am woman, hear me roar. (Which is exactly what I did. I figured roaring like a lion was enough to scare any ghost into thinking I was just plain crazy.)
It was spooky up there. No signs of animals or anything else.
Back to writing...
September 25, 2018
My coffee maker decided to turn on/off by itself this morning. I'm writing it off as a very thoughtful ghost anticipating my caffeine needs. If they could just figure out how to fill the coffee pod, we'd be set.Back to writing.
There were strange noises coming from the haunted room upstairs. Both cats and Zeus were sleeping on the couch, so it wasn't them. Zeus knows he's not supposed to be on the couch but I decided to ignore my shameless dog and the noises upstairs because I had too much work to do.
The garage door kept opening and closing at random times this morning. I checked repeatedly to see if something was triggering it and couldn't see a thing. It behaved itself for the rest of the day, so... *shrug*Of course, just as I drove away to run an errand, it decided to open on its own as a final farewell.[image error]
