H.A. Larson's Blog, page 59

Investigation of Prospect Hill Cemetery

Prospect Hill Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in Nebraska, with it's first burial recorded in 1858. It was a Pioneer Cemetery, which needs no explanation. It's a bit run-down, but is still in use to this day, and, surprisingly, has a good website. The website's neatest feature, in my opinion, is the page about it's famous burials. The cemetery is the final resting place of some of the most influential people in Omaha's history. A walking tour guide and map are included on the page.
Another, more discrete, reason for the popularity of this cemetery is it's reputation of being quite haunted. I had tried to ghost hunt here before, but as it's not in the best part of town, wandering around at night is best done in groups.

Saturday night, then, a small group of us finally made it out to Prospect Hill Cemetery for a short investigation. Investigating this place isn't necessarily the easist. There is some noise pollution--although not bad for being in the city as the area is heavily trafficked--such as a car here and there driving by, and occasionally you could hear a yell or a bird. We were actually interrupted by a total of four cars that were passing through, leading me to realize that this place is popular, but there wasn't all these "kids" that are purported to hang out here at night.

I've gone through all the cool photographs I took, and there were a couple of things that *might* give me pause, but not enough for me to say, "Okay, this place is haunted." I ran audio as well as taking photographs, and while I didn't catch any voices on audio, I did have some weird audio anomalies. My voice recorder skipped out several times and, when it did, would make a weird sound. I haven't had that happen before, so it's another something that *might* give me pause, but, again, nothing definitive.






We investigated in the oldest part of the cemetery. The oldest grave I found was from 1886, although I know there are older ones in the cemetery.












This is one of the famous burials of the cemetery. The Hummel family was an influential, early Omaha family whose name, interestingly enough, graces the other reputed haunted place in town: Hummel Park. Hummel Park is home to the Morphing Stairs as well.




Here's the oldest grave I found while wandering around the cemetery. Sarah Frank died in 1886 at the young age of 39.




A shot up of one of the tallest tombstones in the cemetery. If I remember correctly, it's from around 1927, and is big, fancy, and of good quality because it's still in pristine condition after nearly 90 years of weather.




As a contrast, many of the older tombstones look more like this: worn, crumbling, and leaning (if not downright fallen).








These two cross tombstones, like many of the grave markers in the cemetery, are falling. I'm not sure if the slabs behind them were put there to prop them up, or if they were originally on top of the slabs, fell off, and were then propped up against them.




Another shot of the cross tombstones.












I was standing at a crossroads on the North side of the cemetery when my camera refused to focus. I got excited thinking back to our investigation of Edinburgh Manor, and how when my camera refused to focus, I got EVP phenomena. I went ahead and started asking several leading questions, but upon playback, I got nothing. I find the green orb interesting as it's not a typical dust particle that are evidenced in several, if not most, of the photographs from this night. What it is though, remains a mystery.




Here's a shot of the same area when my camera finally focused. As you can see, whatever is causing the green orb in the unfocused picture, isn't here in the focused picture. 




The grave immediately to the left is of someone from the Lobeck family. This is another famous grave as Charles Lobeck was a small business owner and, later, a politician from Omaha.




As you can see, dust orbs stole there way into pretty much every shot I took.


While we never got anything definitive during our short investigation, it would be best, in my opinion, to go back to the cemetery during the "Witching Hour". Ghosts are said to be most active between the hours of 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., and I'd like to test that here. It's just a hard time of the night to be in an old graveyard in a part of town that isn't the safest. I'm sure going to try though, as I'm sure I'd have less noise pollution to deal with as well.

The Write Life

Me, thinking about stuff.

I'm a writer, plain and simple. I write stories, it's what I like to do. I have a full-time day job that pays the bills, but being a writer is a full-time job for me as well. I call it The Write Life, and it's how I live every day of my life (well, most days anyway). I call it the write life for two reasons: 1) Writing is my life, and 2) It's a play on words, The Write Life is the right life for me!
I always wanted to be a writer, ever since I was a young teenager. I wrote, in long hand, a little book of shorts. I called it Cornerstones, and it was a collection of one-page stories. They stood alone, but could easily become larger and longer stories. Hence the title Cornerstones. I kept that notebook, and a few years back I found it. It was a surprise because--not only had I managed not to lose it--I had forgotten all about it. I read through the little shorts with a chuckle. I had been so proud of those little stories when I first wrote them, but looking on them now with older, more mature, eyes let me realize how childish the little stories seemed to be. 
It was around this time that I had begun plotting out a story in my head, and had typed out a rudimentary chapter in Word. This was the story that would eventually (two years later) become my book, Cold . Much like I had with Cornerstones, Cold was just an idea that I never dreamed that I'd really finish. 
Now, five years after that day, I've not only finished Cold, but four other books as well, plus two more in the works. I wrote editorials for a local magazine for two years, wrote some pieces for other online publications, and some short stories that just need a polishing before submission. I've also been building my brand now for the last several years as well. 
For these reasons, as well as a few others, I live the Write Life. While it doesn't make me the money that would allow me to quit my day job, I wouldn't change a thing. It's another thing, among a small handful of others, that gives me a sense of purpose and makes me feel like I've accomplished something. It's now a part of who I am, and I readily claim it as part of my identity. I'm proud to live the Write Life. 

Weekend Adventure, Part Two

Happy Friday! As promised, I present to you: Part Two of last weekend's adventures.
As you know from my post the other day, we did five miles of hiking on both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday, we made our way to Fontanelle Forest, where we explored a large area of the park. The Fontanelle Association owns Fontanelle Forest, but they also happen to own my favorite spot, Neale Woods. Fontanelle Forest is more popular, so I don't go here as often, but it's a beautiful spot to hike nonetheless. As we did Saturday, me, Nature Girl, and my husband enjoyed the gorgeous weather.




A HUGE leaf we saw, one of many, on our hike through the forest. It's one of our last looks of Autumn.





Nature Girl, walking along one of the main trails that leads off the boardwalk. Fontanelle Forest has a mile or so long boardwalk trail that is fun to walk. For serious hikers though, there are many trails that lead to and from the boardwalk. There are several miles worth of trails inside the forest.





We spotted these fungi hanging out on the bottom part of a tree. It's interesting to see all the different kinds of fungi that live in the woods around here. I've seen some of the "standard" white fungus that grows prevalently on the trees here, but I've seen a good four other kinds of fungi this year. I find it interesting, even though I know nothing about fungi.





A pretty bridge that provides a walkway over a creek. It lives in the valley that bridges the divide between the two elevated areas that make up this forest.





We walked on top of a fallen tree. Fallen trees make good homes for animals, as well as good places to sit as you walk through the forest. As I was stepping on, my husband and Nature Girl were already at the other end, waiting for me.





We had ascended the highest part of the woods, and as we reached the point where we could climb back down, we got a good vantage point of the Missouri River. It's just visible in the background between the trees.




After we climbed down into the valley, we crossed over the train tracks that run parallel to the Missouri River, and right to the edge of the river itself. We stood here for awhile, just admiring the beauty of nature. It's a good vantage spot for seeing the last of Fall's splendor.





After enjoying the serene beauty of the Mighty Missouri for awhile, we began the second half of our trek back to the nature center. We passed the swamp that's situated in the valley, and it's been covered all summer with a fine layer of green. It's looks like nature's carpet. 





The Sun was starting to set as we left the trails and got back onto the boardwalk. Most of the trees have lost their leaves, and look like black, rickety fingers against the darkening skies.





A view of the boardwalk as we made our way back to the nature center.





Fallen leaves upon the boardwalk. It made for a cool photograph. I might have to frame and hang this one!

While it's not going to be as warm here this weekend as compared to last weekend, it's still going to be in the high 50s and low 60s, so I'll probably bundle up and get outside before it gets really, really cold. Of course, I'll probably be saying that when it's 20 degrees outside as well. There's never a bad time to hike...not really. No matter what it's like outside where you are, I hope you'll enjoy your weekend, no matter what your plans are. Enjoy your life. 
-H.A.

Weekend Adventure, Part One

Good morning and Happy Wednesday! This last weekend was such a perfect weekend that it was hard to believe it was November. The Sun was shining and it held steady in the low 70s, temperature-wise, both days. Many trees still have their Fall-colored leaves, and the ground is littered with fallen ones. If it weren't for the many barren trees, I could have sworn it were early October. Indeed, it does feel as though the seasons are all a month behind. Summer came late, Fall came late, and now Winter seems to be coming late. I'm okay with that, as I'm definitely more of a fan of Fall than of Winter. 
I will admit that I haven't gotten out and done any serious hiking in quite some time. Summer is horrible for hiking as it's hot, but mostly because you can't hike without being swarmed by mosquitoes. I had every intention of hiking a lot in Fall, but so far that hasn't really happened. October was a busy month, and I just didn't get out like I had wanted. In fact, I've been a bit lazy outside of that, and I can feel it.
This month isn't so busy for me so, this last weekend, I was ready to do some serious hiking. With the glorious weather we had, it wasn't a problem. We--my husband, Nature Girl, and myself--did five mile hikes both days in two different places. Today, then, is Saturday's hike, or Part One. Look for Part Two on Friday!





My second-favorite place to hike in my area is Hitchcock Nature Center in Crescent, Iowa. Just across the border from Omaha, and straddling Council Bluffs, this park sits resplendently amongst the Iowa Mountains. (For those of you unfamiliar with them, it's my loving term for the Loess Hills.) 
We started off on Badger Ridge Trail, which affords a stunning view of the land from the peaks of the Hills. 









The number of trees with yellow leaves were more than any other tree with colored leaves in the park. As we walked, several chunks of trails had these leaves freshly fallen (and falling as we hiked), making me think of the movie "The Wizard of Oz". Follow the Yellow Brick Road!




A yellow-leaf tree peeks out from amongst the barren trees of pre-Winter. One thing I like about hiking when the trees are bare, is that it gives me a much further view of my surroundings. This means I can see so much more than I can see when everything is overgrown. I also don't have to deal with the person-high weeds and grasses that abound in the warmer months.





There's always fallen trees in the forest. We saw this one as we walked along the Wildwoods trail that leads through the forest and connects the major hilly parts of the Center.










A shot down Wildwoods trail as it closes in on it's end, turning into another trail.





A view down the Heritage Trail. This short section of trail connects the easy Wildwoods trail with the hard The Chute trail.





The tall grasses looked alive and glowing under the brilliant sunlight as we began our ascent up The Chute.




A shot of one yellow-leaved tree amongst the pretty clouds. No turning back as we're now in the first part of The Chute.





After surviving one of the harder trails in the park, we ended our hike at the actual Nature Center. You've seen the photos I've taken from here before as I stood on the large deck that surrounds the center. From this vantage point are breathtaking views over the park's landscape.





A view from the deck of the Center of Fox Ridge Run. One of my favorite trails in the Park, it meanders along the ridges as an easy trail. A few years back, they expanded the length of the trail, making my heart happy.





The Center has a lookout tower that you can climb and really get a view. I have vertigo though, and have never made it all the way to the top.






One last look as we made our way to our car. The sun shines down over the landscape gorgeously. Ahh, what a perfect hike this was! We got five miles in of easy, medium, and hard trails, giving us a nice workout, and giving me an energy I haven't had in quite some time. As you know, Nature gives me a boost, it resets my batteries, and washes away my worries and stress (as well as being a great form of exercise). This hike was a capstone to a great day, even if it did kick my butt (in a good way).






Afterwards, we stopped in Crescent at the Loess Hills Winery--as is my tradition--where we sipped some samples, and grabbed a bottle of wine. It's a small winery with a small, but delicious, selection of wine. The gentleman working there is gracious and humorous, and they have a frequent buyers card. M next bottle is free!   


It's Wednesday, which means we're halfway through the week, and one day closer to another gorgeous hike. Until then, enjoy your day, and look for Part Two on Friday. 
-H.A.

Recipe of the Week: Cheezy Cauliflower Bake

Good old cauliflower. It's one of my favorite vegetables, and it's very versatile. I've used it to make a variety of things, and I'm always trying to figure out new ways to make it into the main event at a meal. This was my conundrum last week, as I stared blankly at a head of cauliflower, trying to decide what to do with it. So, I did what I've done so many times in the past, and that's to wing it.
What I came up with turned out fantastic! I made a cheezy cauliflower casserole, and served it with miso-roasted brussel sprouts. Here's the recipe.




Cheezy Cauliflower Bake with Miso-Roasted Brussel Sprouts



Ingredients:
For the brussel sprouts:
3 c. cleaned and halved brussel sprouts2 T. oil (I used canola)2 T. miso paste2 t. soy sauce
For the cauliflower:
1 head of cauliflower, cleaned and broken up into florets2 T. coconut oil (any oil will do)1/3 c. flour, I used whole wheat, but any will do. You can use chickpea flour for gluten-free.1 1/2 c. almond milk, unsweetened & unflavored, or any vegan milk3/4 c. of vegan cheese sauce, you can substitute using an extra 1/2 c. of vegan milk and 1/4 c. nooch1 t. each: granulated garlic, granulated onion, smoked paprika, Old Bay, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper1 T. each: parsley flakes and chives1/3 c. vegan bacon bits (I used Louisville Vegan Jerky's Bacon Bits)

Instructions:
1. Warm oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix together the brussel sprout ingredients until well incorporated. Pour out into a baking pan or cookie sheet.
3. Warm coconut oil on the stove in a sauce pan until melted on medium-high heat.
4. Add flour and whisk until incorporated.
5. Add the milk, in thirds, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. If it's too thick for your liking still, add more milk.
6. When all the liquid is whisked in, add the cheeze sauce (or extra milk and nooch) and seasonings. Turn off the heat and mix well.
7. Add the cauliflower and bacon bits to the sauce, mix well, and turn out into a greased casserole dish. Cover with tinfoil.
8. Put the brussel sprouts on the bottom part of the oven, and the cauliflower on the top part of the oven.
9. The brussel sprouts will cook fastest, so check them after 30 minutes. Take out when they're tender, then cover with tinfoil to keep warm.
10. Bake cauliflower for about an hour, then take off the tinfoil and broil for 5 minutes until the top is lightly browned.
11. Serve and enjoy!


This is a great recipe for a meatless Monday, and pretty simple to put together really. I really loved this dish, and will make it often!

Recipe of the Week #3

Good old cauliflower. It's one of my favorite vegetables, and it's very versatile. I've used it to make a variety of things, and I'm always trying to figure out new ways to make it into the main event at a meal. This was my conundrum last week, as I stared blankly at a head of cauliflower, trying to decide what to do with it. So, I did what I've done so many times in the past, and that's to wing it.
What I came up with turned out fantastic! I made a cheezy cauliflower casserole, and served it with miso-roasted brussel sprouts. Here's the recipe.




Cheezy Cauliflower Bake with Miso-Roasted Brussel Sprouts



Ingredients:
For the brussel sprouts:
3 c. cleaned and halved brussel sprouts2 T. oil (I used canola)2 T. miso paste2 t. soy sauce
For the cauliflower:
1 head of cauliflower, cleaned and broken up into florets2 T. coconut oil (any oil will do)1/3 c. flour, I used whole wheat, but any will do. You can use chickpea flour for gluten-free.1 1/2 c. almond milk, unsweetened & unflavored, or any vegan milk3/4 c. of vegan cheese sauce, you can substitute using an extra 1/2 c. of vegan milk and 1/4 c. nooch1 t. each: granulated garlic, granulated onion, smoked paprika, Old Bay, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper1 T. each: parsley flakes and chives

Instructions:
1. Warm oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix together the brussel sprout ingredients until well incorporated. Pour out into a baking pan or cookie sheet.
3. Warm coconut oil on the stove in a sauce pan until melted on medium-high heat.
4. Add flour and whisk until incorporated.
5. Add the milk, in thirds, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. If it's too thick for your liking still, add more milk.
6. When all the liquid is whisked in, add the cheeze sauce (or extra milk and nooch) and seasonings. Turn off the heat and mix well.
7. Add the cauliflower to the sauce, mix well, and turn out into a greased casserole dish. Cover with tinfoil.
8. Put the brussel sprouts on the bottom part of the oven, and the cauliflower on the top part of the oven.
9. The brussel sprouts will cook fastest, so check them after 30 minutes. Take out when they're tender, then cover with tinfoil to keep warm.
10. Bake cauliflower for about an hour, then take off the tinfoil and broil for 5 minutes until the top is lightly browned.
11. Serve and enjoy!


This is a great recipe for a meatless Monday, and pretty simple to put together really. I really loved this dish, and will make it often!

The Night Sky of November

My dad has always been fascinated by the stars. I can remember, growing up, when my dad would say, "Come outside with me." We'd lie in the grass and stare up into the heavens, while my dad pointed out the constellations and any planets that he could see. I found myself being just as fascinated by them as my dad was, a love that I still carry with me today. It's no surprise then, that I pore over interesting articles about anything celestial, and try to keep up-to-date with any sky events that might be happening. I thought it would be fun, then, to share some of them with you.

I'm sure some of you, if not most of you, have heard about the Supermoon that will occur this month, but do you know when it's happening? It turns out that this month's Supermoon is only one of a few cool things that we'll get to see in the night sky this month. Here, then, is a list of some of the things that you will be able to see and when. I've included relevant links within the list that will give you more details about the sky events, how to watch them, and any other pertinent info.


1. Saturday, November 5th (tonight!): A crescent moon, one of the lunar phases, has graced our skies this month, and tonight you will be able to see it in close proximity to the planet Mars. 

2. Friday, November 11th: The Taurid Meteor Shower will be on display until the following morning. The shower will reach it's pinnacle at about 5 a.m. Saturday morning, but one can expect to see several shooting stars per hour.

3. Sunday, November 13th -  Monday, November 14th: I see a Supermoon a-risin'! After sunset, gaze upon the largest Supermoon, and closet one to Earth, since 1948. Cool, huh? You won't want to miss this one. 

4. Tuesday, November 15th: The Bull's Eye. The crescent moon will be parked near the eye of the constellation, Taurus. The eye of Taurus is actually Aldebaran, a red giant star. 

5. Wednesday, November 16th: Not to be outdone by the Taurid Meteor Shower, the Leonid Meteor Shower will be on display. Late night, into early morning, keep an eye out for the apex of this meteor shower, and see many shooting stars.

6. Monday, November 21st: The Lion's Heart will be visible in the early morning hours. Look towards the southeast for a view of crescent moon as it situates itself next to the constellation Leo's heart. Leo's heart is the star Regulus. 

7. Friday, November 25th: The Moon and Jupiter. About an hour before sunrise, look southeast (again) to see the crescent moon dangling below Jupiter. They will only be two degrees apart, so should be particularly amazing to see! 



There are other sky events to be witnessed this month, so click on this link at space.com for more information. It's not reasonable, I understand, to see everything that the skies have in store for us this month, but I hope that you'll catch one or two. As for myself, I wouldn't miss that Supermoon or those meteor showers for nothing! 
Have a fantastic weekend, 
H.A.

Edinburgh Manor Revisted - A Study in Black & White

Happy Friday! I don't know about you, but I'm really glad the weekend is here. You all know that amateur photography is one of my hobbies, and this post is dedicated to that. 
Last month, as you know, I spent a fateful night at Edinburgh Manor in Scotch Grove, Iowa. I had a blast, and spent time with some of my favorite people. I made a big post about it, which you can read about here, but I didn't show all the pictures I took of the building.
I like black and white photography, so I did several of my photos from our time there in black and white. I think it lends to the creepiness and really accentuates the dilapidation. I hope you enjoy these, and, as always, feel free to leave me comments letting me know what you think!

Recipe of the Week #2

Good morning! It's time for the recipe of the week! I would have done this Monday, my chosen day for this series, but that was Halloween so I figured I should stick with an October-themed post. Anyway, I actually have two recipes for you. They went together for this meal, and they're both pretty easy. Let's get started.
I like tofu, I absolutely do, but it has to be cooked a certain way. For me that means pressing it, then getting it nice and crispy on the outside. This usually involves a fair amount of frying, which is not only tedious, but takes up a fair amount of oil in the process. I really wanted to do a stir-fry with tofu, but after a long day, the last thing I wanted to do was spend a ridiculous amount of time in the kitchen. I wondered, then, was there an easier (and healthier) way to get crispy tofu? 
The answer is yes. I cut up my tofu into bite-sized pieces--without pressing--then sprayed a cookie sheet with cooking spray, spread out the tofu on it, then sprayed the tops of the tofu with more cooking spray. I then baked it at 350 degrees while I prepped all the other ingredients. I turned the pieces once so they'd brown on both sides, but I cooked them around 25 minutes. They came out perfectly! Nice and crisp outside, and the moisture baked out. I just added it to my veggies and sauce, and it was done.



Teriyaki Tofu and Veggies over Rice

Ingredients
1 block of tofu, cut into bite-sized piecescooking spray1 lb of brussel sprouts, cleaned and cut into halves (quarters if it's a particularly large one)1/2 bag of California MixTeriyaki Sauce (I used half a bottle of Soyaki's Hawaiian Island Teriyaki)1 c jasmine rice (you can use your favorite, but if it's a brown rice, cook it according to package instructions)2 c water

Instructions
1. Marinate the vegetables in 1 to 1 1/2 cups of teriyaki sauce.
2. Bake the tofu as I described above, or fry it if you prefer. If you fry it, drain it on paper towels and set aside.
3. Bring the rice and water to a boil in a sauce pan, then cover and reduce heat. Cook until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
4. Put the vegetables, including sauce, in a dutch oven or large pan, and cook over medium-high heat until the vegetables are tender-crisp.
5. Add the cooked tofu to the veggies, and mix well to coat the tofu.
6. Serve over the cooked rice.




Hibiscus Tea
Hibiscus tea is something I have been wanting to make for quite some time. I found some, for a good price, in the bulk section of Natural Grocers, but you can find this in Hispanic Markets as well. It came out delicious, and it makes quite a lot. This is easy to make but involves some prep time, so don't wait until right before you want it to make it.

Ingredients
1/2 c of dehydrated hibiscus flower10 c boiling waterSugar, agave, or other sweetenerWater

Instructions
1. Add the hibiscus flower to the boiling water, and steep until the water is a deep, dark, reddish-purple color. I would say wait at least an hour, but I put it in the fridge overnight.
2. Strain the hibiscus leaves and throw away.
3. The remaining liquid is condensed, and half of it, combined with enough water to make one gallon, makes the perfect tea. I have a two gallon pitcher so I mixed all of it with enough water to make two gallons. If you make one gallon, put the rest of the mix in the fridge where I would use within a week.
4. Add sweetener to taste. I had sugar, so I added a cup and a half for two gallons of liquid, and I thought it was perfect. Sweetness is a preference though, so start small then add more if needed...your preference!
5. Enjoy.



A few things to point out are: you can use whatever veggies you want; you can sub in whatever protein you prefer for the tofu, or add more veggies!; oven times vary, so keep an eye on things; and if you add sugar to the tea, let it rest a bit so the sugar dissolves, then stir again.
So, there you have it. Two easy and delicious recipes. I served them together and it was a winning combination. I hope you try this. 

A Day at the Pumpkin Patch

Happy Halloween! This Saturday, we indulged in one of our yearly traditions: the pumpkin patch. It's one of my favorite Fall activities. There are a handful of pumpkin patches to pick from where I live, but my favorite is Vala's. They started in 1988, I believe, and, since then, have grown into quite the place. Going to Vala's means spending the better part of an afternoon there, which is all right by me. The place is huge, and there's so much to do! Some of the activities there are: bounce pads, a train, bunny town, a petting zoo-type area (camels, goats, llamas, and sheep), duck races, a corn maze, a haunted house, an obstacle course, and hay rack rides. Whatever you decide to do, you're surely going to have a great time. 
I picked some of my favorite pictures from our afternoon there, although they don't capture all the fun stuff there is to do there. I picked these more for aesthetic purposes. If you're interested, check them out on the web. 




 Right outside the main entrance.




Fall colors were completely on display, lending to the ambience. 




A shot of a covered bridge.




They have beautiful arrangements like this scattered throughout the place.




The barn just peeks out over the corn fields.




Inside the haunted house. It's a tame haunted house so that even the kiddos can go through it.




A skeleton in the haunted house.




Haunted house head.




Dracula's mausoleum.




This llama wanted food, and was completely miffed that many of us were offering mere head scratches. Tsk!




Mr. Camel was also looking for food.




A goat!




This goat had a pretty goat and some devilish horns.