Blog No. 261: Michelle Obama, Poem by William Carlos Williams, Holiday Songs from the Whitt Brothers

December 20, 2025

Michelle Obama

How could I not write about Michelle Obama after hearing her interview with Jonathan Capehart on ms.now (formerly msnbc.com). There are not enough positive adjectives to describe this gem of a woman. This was her first sit down interview in a long while and she was relaxed, chatty and open. Most of all: real! A real person. Not pretending to be something she wasn't.

Full of amazing photos, The Look brings readers behind the scenes not only to reveal how her most memorable looks came together but also to tell a story about how we present ourselves, the values we reflect through the clothes we wear and how as the first black lady in the White House, she was in a race against time to define herself rather than let others, misogyny and racism tell that story....

I get the feeling that part of the reason Michelle wrote the book, in typical modest Obama style, was to celebrate the designers, the dressers, the braiders and hair stylists, the estheticians, the make up artists....voices of the people who have helped make her look possible... She mentions by name Meredith Koop, Obama’s trusted stylist, as well as her makeup artist Carl Ray, hairstylists Yene Damtew, Johnny Wright, and Njeri Radway, and many of the designers who have dressed Obama for notable events over the years.

Michelle Obama is unabashedly a clothes hound with great style and has been ever since she was a young girl. It was so fascinating to hear the story of her navigating the many roles she has had throughout her life: schoolgirl, lawyer and as the most important woman in America, while staying true to herself and her image. I personally had so much fun admiring the myriad of looks illustrated in "The Look. and hearing her thoughts on so many issues related to fashion, hair and identity.

Poem by William Carlos Williams

  
    Winter Trees

by William Carlos Williams  (1883 –1963)

All the complicated details

of the attiring and

the disattiring are completed!

A liquid moon

moves gently among

the long branches.

Thus having prepared their buds

against a sure winter

the wise trees

stand sleeping in the cold.

Holiday Songs

Brothers Bill and Eddie Holm, The Liner Notes by the Whitt Brothers

My friends, brothers Eddie and Bill Holm, host a weekly radio show on a local community radio station in Rockland, Maine entitled Liner Notes with the Whitt Brothers (Dim and Half, as stated in their typical self-deprecating humor). They have been producing it for over three and a half years and I usually try and tune in when I am home on a Tuesday night. They both love music and have a huge library between them of favorite songs, musicians, and genres, playing a true eclectic mix of songs. This is the playlist they put together last week for the holidays and I enjoyed listening. Maybe you will too and it might get you into the holiday mood... Their two hour show is on wrfr.org every Tuesday night, 6-8pm, for the best in music and story...

And just because Christmas is a season that Jews often feel left out of, I have included two of my favorite
Chanukah songs:

Maoz-Tzur

"Sevivon

The Menorah my Dad, Mel Smilow, made for our family. Simple, elegant, very mid-century!

Painting of the Week

Flower Power Series: Purple mixed media on canvas 55” x 97”

Charity of the Week:
ACLU

Book of the Week

About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.

Source: old-age-young-at-heart-chorus-mark-nepo-no...

Blog No. 260: Costco's Founder Jim Sinegal, Snowy Night by Mary Oliver, Winter Songs Playlist

December 12, 2025

Snowy Owl in the Maine Woods41.25” x 29.5”, Watercolor, Gouache, Matt Medium, Embroidery on Rives BFK Paper

Costco Co-Founder Jim Sinegal

  
    When I was a kid, one of our neighbors, Marty Scheiner, gave away his very successful electronics business to his employees when he was ready to retire.  I remember my Dad making a big deal out of it, saying what a beautiful thing that was and how kind and unusual it was...As a result, I have always had my eye on CEOs and bosses who realize that if not for their workers, they wouldn't be where they are today...
I think Jim Sinegal is that kind of guy.  Co-founder of COSTCO (together with Seattle retailer Jeff Brotman), he is an example of a leader with a strong sense of humanity, placing employee and customer satisfaction over profits and shareholder interests.  And despite offering his workers a living wage,  it has still paid off for Wall Street... According to wikipedia, "Investors who bought $10,000 of Costco stock in 1992 found it worth $43,564 just 10 years later — a return of 354% (15.855%, annually). From 1985, when Costco went public, to 2020, the company's stock value increased 19,000%."

Sinegal, born in 1936, started at the bottom, beginning as a bagger at a grocery store in San Diego, California. Over the years, he found he loved the retail industry and made his way around it, ending up in 1983 as Costco's president and CEO. Sinegal always had a broad vision and his ideas and innovations created the first big box "warehouse club", selling a large variety of products including clothing, eye glasses, tires, food, electronics, pharmaceuticals, etc.  His approach was hands-on, and he made it his business to visit every Costco store across the country in order to stay in touch, ensure good quality control and worker satisfaction. You can kind of tell when people are happy in their jobs and I get that vibe there--when workers feel they are treated respectfully by their employers.  Quoting Sinegal from a Wall Street Journal article, "You can't say people are our most important product then treat them like shit...If you don't mean it, it is reflected very quickly.  The same thing is true about the quality of the product you are selling.  Your customers and your suppliers are going to see you don't really mean it..

For all the reasons above, he is a target for our current president...All the more reason to frequent and support Costco over other big box stores...I hope like me you are trying to avoid Target, Home Depot and Amazon as much as possible.

Snowy Night by Mary Oliver

Photo courtesy Peter Ralson, A Warm and Cozy Winter Break, available on his website www.ralstongallery.com

  
    SNOWY NIGHT 
by Mary Oliver


Last night, an owl
 in the blue dark
 tossed an indeterminate number
 of carefully shaped sounds into
 the world, in which,
 a quarter of a mile away, I happened
 to be standing.
 I couldn’t tell
 which one it was –
 the barred or the great-horned
 ship of the air –
 it was that distant. But, anyway,
 aren’t there moments
 that are better than knowing something,
 and sweeter? Snow was falling,
 so much like stars
 filling the dark trees
 that one could easily imagine
 its reason for being was nothing more
 than prettiness. I suppose
 if this were someone else’s story
 they would have insisted on knowing
 whatever is knowable – would have hurried
 over the fields
 to name it – the owl, I mean.
 But it’s mine, this poem of the night,
 and I just stood there, listening and holding out
 my hands to the soft glitter
 falling through the air. I love this world,
 but not for its answers.
 And I wish good luck to the owl,
 whatever its name –
 and I wish great welcome to the snow,
 whatever its severe and comfortless
 and beautiful meaning.
  

Courtesy Peter Ralston, Going By, available on his website at www.ralstongallery.com/winter

Winter Songs
Playlist

Photo courtesy Billy Heyman to accompany the song River written by Joni Mitchell

My first full December up here in mid-coast Maine. It's cold and I am feeling the need for some winter songs to keep me warm...

Here goes:

The River Joni Mitchell

Valley Winter Song Fountains of Wayne

Reindeer King Tori Amos

Quiet, The Winter Harbor Mazzy Star

Song for a Winter's Night Gordon Lightfoot

Winter Lady Leonard Cohen

Snowstorm Galaxie 500

Hazy Shade of Winter cover The Bangles

The River (again--I love this version!) cover Robert Downey Jr.

Painting of the Week

House im Snow, mixed media on canvas, 54” x 80” $8500

Charity of the Week:
ACLU

Book of the Week

Source: old-age-young-at-heart-chorus-mark-nepo-no...

Blog No. 259: Graham Platner/Mike Herz, Artist Diana Arcadipone, Heated Toilet Seat

December 6, 2025

Artist
Diana Arcadipone

I love the way artist Diana Arcadipone interprets the world around her. I often feel that nothing gets close to touching nature in its raw form--so why even try and represent it through art--too tough an act to follow! And in Maine, landscape rules the art scene and it often leaves me "snoozing". I am sure many of you will think less of me for that statement but it's the truth from my eyes...

I feel differently about Arcadipone's work. My criteria for falling in love with art is when I find something that I would have loved to have created myself. And something that sends me right back into my studio all inspired. Diana Arcadipone's art has that effect on me.

She lives deep in the woods of interior Maine with her partner Scott and is content to lead a simple life. She swims twice a week, takes good care of her body with a personal trainer, is an avid cross-country skiier in winter and otherwise produces the most stunning of nature paintings. She has a complex of buildings on her property--one devoted solely for her art, another where they live in a very handmade kind of way, and a hip guest house for when she has visitors...Most of the construction work and interiors she and her husband have put together themselves. So in a way, her life is a piece of art in and of itself. What she produces in the studio reflects her simple life and appreciation for what surrounds her.

Her mixed media Tree Ring pieces, lovingly and painstakenly embroidered by hand, send my heart rate up...each piece more beautiful than the next...Her deer paintings combine a variety of media--gouache, pencil, handwriting, embroidery, beading, the kitchen sink (just kidding)...Enough said: have a look for yourself.

And if you feel so inclined, I would encourage you to visit her website and if you can, support living artists. We exist in the world because of supporters like you.

Graham Platner/Mike Herz

click image to hear Platner speak about his candidacy

One of the reasons I moved up to Maine at this time in my life was that, aside from needing more nature around me, I felt I could make more of an impact politically up here. New York City is so vast--I didn't always know where to start, and you don't see results like you could in a small town...Mainers are politically active, at least they are in my small town of Damariscotta--people are out protesting once or twice a week, every week and they show up at local town meetings, confront police departments and county jails on racial profiling and their relationship with ICE, and generally feel the importance of being a participant in our system of democracy.

The drama of American politics is playing out in Maine right now with the race for U.S. Senate. Graham Platner, an ex-soldier and oyster farmer is trying to take over Susan Collins' seat for the U.S. Senate. Collins, a republican, has been in office for 29 years, much to the chagrin of many. (She is a worm to put it in kind terms.) Platner represents a new generation of Democrats, fighting not only against Trump and the republican establishment but also the ensconced, old school, Democratic leadership.

89-year old Mike Herz, known as a "lifelong leader for change", has been active in democratic politics his whole life, and embodies that fight. Danish TV, as they do, found their way to him and the town hall in my small town of Damariscotta to familiarize themselves with Graham Platner and the American issues of the day...(I make a joke that when I want to hear about what is going on politically in the U.S., I ask my Danish sister-in-law Hanne, who is likely more informed than I am through Danish media!).

He shared this interview they did with him which aired recently on Danish TV (complete with subtitles)--as usual, leave it to the Danes to always be one step ahead of the rest of the world, in seeing a clear picture.

P.S. Mike is a new friend up here--he and his wife Kate live down the street from me and we have been having regular playdates for our dogs: my daughter's dog Frenchy, who is on an extended visit and their newly rescued beautiful, cheerful Holly...

Heated Toilet Seats

What? Is she really writing about heated toilet seats on her substack newsletter Things We Love?!? And bidets!! Has she gone completely crazy?

Curiously, on my recent trip to the Bay Area, there was one thing I literally found in every house I visited except one: a heated toilet seat/bidet! My guess is that California is ahead of the trend in this case too and pretty soon this will be coming to a town near you.

Sitting on a heated seat, much like the heated seats in cars, was a particularly pleasant experience for me. I never realized the toilet seat was cold until it wasn't and it felt great. Not in a sexual way, just in a cozy, I'm warm way...Here is some info on how to choose one from the Chicago Tribune, complete with a comparison of prices and companies if you want to get on the bandwagon early.

And by the way, if you are interested in the history of the bidet, which originated in France and spread to Japan, click here.

Paintings of the Week

Tree of Life Series I, II, III mixed media on paper 60” x 22” each

Charity of the Week:
ACLU

Source: old-age-young-at-heart-chorus-mark-nepo-no...

Blog No. 258: Dopamine Decor, Story by Rachel Macy Stafford Over A Leaky Toilet, Achievement

November 29, 2025

Dopamine Decor

When I told people I was going to paint my new kitchen bright yellow, the almost universal reaction was pale yellow, right? When I assured them I was going to go all out with a bright sunshiney lemon yellow, I think most people thought I was kind of crazy and maybe a bit tasteless...And then the next question was, "your landlord is going to allow that?!"

The truth was that I remembered Irmi Selver's Cape Cod kitchen from when I was a little girl and that bright cheery space stuck in my mind for sixty years! Even my Dad, who was Mr. Brown Beige Guy, loved it! So when I dared ask my really nice landlords, and they said "go for it," (the current kitchen was depressing dark navy blue walls and navy blue cabinets), I jumped at the occasion.

Turns out, who knew that the term Dopamine Decor is a current trend. And it is consistent with the theme of this newsletter. Joy! Happiness! Color! Positive Energy! Even Elle Decor has written about how Dopamine Decor can affect your whole being and it is neurological...

Story by Rachel Macy Stafford Over a Leaky Toilet

I came across this story by Rachel Macy Stafford on substack and felt in her a kindred spirit. It is about Arthur, a plumber she connected with when he came to fix her leaky toilet. This touching story about simple human connection felt so familiar to me that I wrote her and asked if I could share it on my substack newsletter too. This was her reply: "I am so honored by your request! I love the common themes of our work. Yes, you may absolutely share the story about Arthur in your weekly newsletter."

Here the story about a simple every day encounter in its full glory, including the poem inside the story that touched Arthur and prompted their connection:

GET OFF THE SCALE
by Rachel Macy Stafford

Get off the scale. It cannot measure the depths of your heart.

Put down the measuring stick. It is not long enough to assess your worth.

Ignore the score. It does not show your true potential.

Don’t get hung up on the salary. It doesn’t even come close to showing your value.

Ban the mirror. It cannot reflect how much you are loved.

Ignore the critic. It has no idea how far you’ve come.

Instead, look for evidence of a day well lived:

I made someone smile. I gave a tender kiss. I hugged and wasn’t the first to let go.

I encouraged. I laughed. I believed. I forgave. I lived. I loved.

What is most important in life cannot be measured, but instead felt through the hands, heart, and soul of each life we touch.

-Rachel Macy Stafford, Only Love Today, (p. 55)

Simple Lesson re: Achievement from Winnie The Pooh

Here is a simple pep talk from Winnie There Pooh--and a big reminder that it all comes down to kindness towards oneself and forgiveness...

Painting of the Week

Equinox Health Club, East 61st Street, New York, NY

Charity of the Week:
ACLU

Source: old-age-young-at-heart-chorus-mark-nepo-no...

Blog No. 257: Andrea Gibson Documentary; To Make You Smile; Some of My Favorite Stores

November 22, 2025

Andrea Gibson Documentary

If I told you that this documentary COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT, about the death of poet and activist Andrea Gibson, is full of life and joy, you probably wouldn't believe me. But it is!

Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021, the film documents the last year of the Poet Laureate of Colorado's life."

I first saw the film at the Camden International Film Festival a few months ago. Andrea's partner, Meg Falley, was at the showing. It made a huge impression on me and I 've been waiting for it to come out to the public so I could recommend it--and it was just released on Apple TV for all to see.. I would go as far as to say that Andrea Gibson and COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT is a manual of how to live a good life, even in the face of death...As they realized, When I accept it (their death), all of the sweetness trickles in....then I get to be with life." And they realized, "whatever you are feeling right now, whether it be fear or sadness, just call it love..."

Their partner, Meg Falley, in addition to their own substack, is carrying on their legacy by taking over Andrea's substack and they have found a beautiful way to continue to celebrate Andrea's beautiful life...I recommend, if you are interested, to delve into the lives of these two extraordinary human beings, who meet unbelievable challenges with strength and grace...

A Few Joyous Moments to Make You Smile Today

These very short clips, taken from instagram and facebook, will make you smile and celebrate the beauty that is human...We all need to focus more on this--after all, kindness and compassion are traits that the majority of people have--the news is just focused on the wrong things...

This one little kid turned a whole subway car into pure joy: Pure joy

Beautiful at a grocery store We could all do this, at least once in a while, at the grocery store

Story about a biker and his daughter. You will thank me after reading--it is really an unbelievable beautiful story...

Sweet wonderful dog story

Local Shopping

  
    I am trying my hardest to stop shopping at amazon unless I am totally desperate for something I just can't get up here in Maine.  But for the holidays, I have vowed to just shop local and I am going to share with you my favorite stores in Damariscotta, Newcastle and Wiscasset, Maine.  Although they may be far away for many of you, I think they are available for online orders and if not, let this serve as a reason for you to shop local too in your area...
  

BEACH PLUM

  
BEACH PLUM, 77 Main St ste b, Newcastle, ME 04553, (beachplumcompany.com)
Love this store, full of a lot of fun and unusual items, all in excellent taste with an eye for the playful, the colorful and the modern.  Items I had my eye on last visit were these really cool shaped animal rugs, unique rice paper jelly fish and star lamps, great dishware made in Portugal, fun puzzles, beautiful local jewelry, all kinds of candles, ornaments, and a very big of variety of very Christma-y- things!  And as a bonus, Amanda is a true artist in that creates out of paper mache amazing giant window displays that go with the seasonally...

THE KINGFISHER & THE QUEEN!

THE KINGFISHER AND THE QUEEN, 79 Main St, Damariscotta, ME 04543 (www.thekingfisherandthequeen.com) I always find really interesting things in this store--an eclectic combination of vintage inspired and new products, many things from Scandinavia and France. For this time of year, they transform their already beautiful store into a European Christmas wonderland complete with carefully curated items from the other side of the pond! They have a great children's section too--nice wooden toys (you won't find plastic here), really cute, high end children's clothing, and some of my favorite children's authors (Swedish Elsa Beskow, Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking, and Jan Brett to name a few...The store is scattered with literary references, handwritten quotes and often features a poem a week in the window.

ROCK PAPER SCISSORS

ROCK PAPER SCISSORS 68 Maine Street, Wiscasset, ME 04578 (rockpaperscissorsmaine.com) is one of my favorite stores in the world. I have a long history with this place--it was a yearly tradition that we could stop by on our way back to New York from our vacation in Maine on Labor Day weekend and Morgan would get to choose her school supplies for the upcoming year. They carried the coolest folders and pens, some of it from Japan, and this ritual brought my daughter a lot of happiness and excitement about going back to school. The selection in general here is amazing--dishware, children's toys, wonderful stationary, jewelry, a huge choice of not your run of the mill cards, textiles, ceramics, arts and craft books, and on an on. Wonderful stuff!

IN THE CLOVER

IN THE CLOVER, 85A Main St, Wiscasset, ME 04578 (inthecloverbeauty.com) also in Wiscasset, right across the street from Rock Paper Scissors, is my clothing store of choice up here. They carry a great selection of women's clothing--the kind of stuff I like to wear--as well as jewelry, lots of bodycare products, scarves, and an abundance of terrific sweaters right now...They also have a carefully curated choice of a few books, all worth reading. The owner haw great taste and I go in there at my own risk--I can't just go in to browse--I always come out with something I love...

Paintings of the Week

Dress Series I, II, III each mixed media on paper 30” x 22” $1500

Charity of the Week:
ACLU

Source: old-age-young-at-heart-chorus-mark-nepo-no...

Blog No. 256: Laura Lynne Jackson, Guided: The Secret Path to an Illuminated Life, The Telepathy Tapes Season 2

November 14, 2025

Laura Lynne Jackson

Today I devote this blog to an extraordinary human being and I am proud to say, my friend: Laura Lynne Jackson. She is a psychic medium, and one of the most tested mediums in the entire country, most extensively by the Windbridge Research Institute in Tucson, Arizona.

Beginning at the age of 11, Laura knew something about her was different--on a hot day in the middle of July, swimming in the family pool, a feeling came over her and she insisted on going with her mom to visit her grandfather, even though her mom tried to convince her to stay home to stay cool in the pool... She knew right then and there that her grandfather was about to die and that this would be her last chance to see him one more time (he hadn't been sick previously). At that early age, she thought she was a freak and it made her very uncomfortable and ashamed but thanks to her wonderful mom, she explained to Laura that it was okay, there was nothing wrong with her--in fact it was a great gift that actually ran in the family...

Jackson's first book is entitled THE LIGHT BETWEEN US, and for anyone curious about mediumship, this is the book to read. No woo woo here, Jackson explains about her life and in a very clear way what it is like for her to receive the information she does and how it works in her mind...This is a great book for starters and an introduction to the paranormal...

Her second book entitled SIGNS: THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF THE UNIVERSE (you might have seen it around as it is extremely popular), explains her belief that we all have the ability to connect with our loved ones on the other side and through many amazing examples, shows how ordinary people can ask for certain (nothing is too outlandish) signs and they will receive them. Very comforting for those who are going through grief, her books are also mind expanding about the nature of reality and even the most skeptic of all skeptics has to at least entertain the idea that there is something more here...

Jackson's third book: GUIDED: THE SECRET PATH TO AN ILLUMINATED LIFE, another extraordinary book, was just released on 11/11/2025. I write more about it in the next segment...

click image to hear an interview with Laura Lynne Jackson

**Click image to hear an interview about SIGNS: The Secret Language of the Universe**

Guided: The Secret Path to an Illuminated Life

Laura Lynne Jackson and me at the launch party of her new book Guided

Some of the people whose stories are included in Guided: The Secret Path to an Illuminated Life

It is my great honor and with enormous gratitude that I share with you that I am included in Laura Lynne Jackson's latest book: GUIDED: THE SECRET PATH TO AN ILLUMINATED LIFE (Chapter 17). The book features people that the author felt guided towards and I had the amazing fortune to be one of those chosen. Through anecdotes and descriptions of our individual experiences, Jackson illustrates and shows examples of what it is like to listen to one's intuition, what it means to be open to the universe and what existence has to offer us beyond our frontal lobes...

I first met Laura Lynne Jackson when I attended a workshop of hers at the Open Center in New York City quite a few years ago. In it, she showed the participants that our souls live on, that the energy does not dissipate, and that everyone is able to connect with their loved ones if one remains open to it. We did various exercises to show that we all have powers well beyond what we experience in the day to day. The one exercise that stood out to me was with very rigid, long parfait spoons that she handed out. She explained that with the group energy of 100 people in the room, we were to concentrate on bending our spoon, even though the task seemed impossible because they were extremely rigid and not bendable at all...I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't done it myself but every person in that room bent their spoon, mine into a horseshoe and some people's spoon released more than once into a pretzel..That workshop opened my mind and in many ways changed my life...

I am at a time when things have just synched up from different aspects of my life: art and creativity-wise, my understanding and acceptance of myself and who I am, what I want to focus on in the future, and I am able to see more clearly the meaning in my life.. The synchronicities, which I used to think of as just coincidences, just keep coming on a daily basis. My Jungian therapist called this "being in the Dao"--experiencing a flow like the ins and outs of our breath... I have to say this is one of the reasons I am enjoying getting older... The chapter on me in GUIDED actually contributed to a better understanding of myself in a more wholistic and cohesive way...Thank you Laura for that and I also would like to acknowledge and thank Alex Tresniowski who worked with Laura on GUIDED and helped me also to see myself in a new broader light... ..

I can't say enough about the book or about the fascinating stories and people that are featured. Laura Lynne Jackson is the real thing and all of us have a lot to learn from her...

The Telepathy Tapes Season 2

Some people say we are on the cusp of a big change--that those who embrace love will survive and those who insist on our current path of disharmony and hate will stand to lose...The Telepathy Tapes Season 2 for me maps out that change--the acceptance that the world is not what it seems and that there are amazing things going on that defy the current model of what we think life is.

After losing my husband Gert in 2013, many of you know that I set out to try and figure out where he went, what death was all about and whether consciousness survived our bodies...Season 2 of The Telepathy Tapes covers and spells out very clearly so much of what I discovered over my ten year research on death and dying...So much of what they talk about will blow your mind. If there is one podcast I highly recommend, I can guarantee you that if you embrace it, and as far as I can see, you have no reason not to, it will change your life...

And as synchronicity would have it, I came at the Telepathy Tapes totally independent of Laura Lynne Jackson, but she is the focus of Season 2, Episode 2 of Ky Dickens Telepathy Tape Podcast...

Paintings of the Week

My newly painted studio in my newly moved in space in Damariscotta, Maine. Still not totally inaugurated and looking a little pristine…Thank you Michael Gorman for doing such a great job tranforming the space by painting the walls white…

Charity of the Week:
ACLU

Source: old-age-young-at-heart-chorus-mark-nepo-no...

Blog No. 255: A Simple Profound Thought, Psychic Comedian Peter Antoniou and Mentalist Oz Pearlman, The Mighty Sweet Potato

November 8, 2025

A Simple Profound Thought

Pam Smilow All You Need is Love, mixed media on canvas 54” x 54”

Today I share a simple profound thought, wonderfully expressed by a sweet little girl on youtube. And in the background is a beautiful song entitled Je Te Laisserai Des Mots by Canadian singer songwriter Patrick Watson. I love this song. If you like the sound of it too, to hear more of his music, click here.

Peter Antoniou and
Oz Pearlman

Oz Pearlman who calls himself a magician/mentalist.

Peter Antoniou who calls himself a comedic magician/psychic

I am very interested in mediumship and psychic abiltiies and know the real thing when I see it--stay tuned next week for a piece on the amazing and very real psychic medium Laura Lynne Jackson. But in the meantime, I am trying to figure out whether Peter Antoniou, who deems himself a Comedic Magnician/Psychic, and Oz Pearlman, who calls himself a Magician/Mentalist are really mind reading or just highly skilled magicians, as they sometimes call themselves.

Last year I attended a performance of comedian/psychic Peter Antoniou at the Waldo Theatre in Waldoboro, Maine. Peter has appeared in many interactive shows in the United States and Europe (he is British), on London's West end and including an America's Got Talent performance, and he has even headlined in Las Vegas. His performance puzzles me to this day. How does he do what he does?!? I have seen true mediums and psychics before so I don't doubt that people have abilities way beyond what we can imagine but still my reaction to him was the same as the hosts of America's Got Talent--one of disbelief, awe and wonder. I was one of the audience members he chose out of the blue and to this day I have no idea how he knew very specific things about me and seemingly was able to read my mind, with facts he had no way of knowing...He knew I was about to travel and to where, even told me I need to go to Las Vegas--that's where I will make a lot of money selling my paintings. I haven't been yet so it is yet to be tested...

Last week I saw another of these mind-reading "mentalists" named Oz Pearlman on MSNBC's Morning Joe and again, it blew my mind. As it did too for Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. Have a look at this Morning Joe segment of last week and if you can figure it out, please tell me in the comments how he knows what he knows...

Oz Pearlman has a new book out where he apparently explains somewhat how he does things...It is entitled Read Your Mind: Proven Habits for Success from the World's Greatest Mentalist.I plan on reading it...

Sweet Potato Recipes

  
    Sweet potatoes are really healthy for you!  Native to Ecuador, they are loaded with vitamin A, packing almost 700% of the recommended daily value in one medium potato. They also have about twice the vitamin C of other potatoes and are a great source of potassium.  Just in one medium sweet potato, they have approx. 103 calories

2 g protein

0 g total fat

24 g carbs

4 g fiber

7 g sugar

43 mg calcium

62 mg phosphorus

31 mg magnesium

542 mg potassium

21,909 IU vitamin A

22 mg vitamin C 

Here is a recipe that looked inspiring to me:

AFRICAN INSPIRED PEANUT AND SWEET POTATO STEW
INGREDIENTS

* 2 tbsp olive oil

* 1 medium onion diced

* 3 garlic cloves minced

* 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated

* 1 tsp ground cumin

* 1 tsp smoked paprika

* ½ tsp ground coriander

* ¼ tsp cayenne pepper optional, for heat

* 1½ lbs sweetpotatoes peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes

* 1 can 14 oz diced tomatoes

* 1 cup creamy peanut butter

* 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

* 1 can 14 oz coconut milk (optional, for extra creaminess)

* 3 cups leafy greens kale, collards, or spinach, chopped

* Salt and pepper to taste

* Juice of 1 lime

* Fresh cilantro to garnish

* Chopped roasted peanuts to garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

* Sauté the Aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

* Add the onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic, ginger, cumin,smoked paprika, coriander, and cayenne pepper (if using). Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

* Add the diced sweetpotatoes and canned tomatoes to the pot. Stir well to coat the sweet potatoes in the aromatic mixture.

* Simmer the Base: Pour in the broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.

* Stir in the Peanut Butter: Whisk the peanut butter into the stew until fully incorporated.

* If using, add the coconut milk for extra creaminess. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

* Add the Greens: Stir in the leafy greens and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until wilted. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, or a pinch more cayenne if desired.

* Finish with Lime: Stir in the lime juice to brighten the flavors.

* Serve and Garnish: Ladle the stew into bowls and top with chopped roasted peanuts and fresh cilantro or parsley. Serve with crusty bread, rice, or flatbread for a complete meal.
* Tips for Success: For a thicker consistency, mash some of the sweet potatoes with a fork or potato masher.
Courtesy the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission

BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES

Courtesy Mark Bittman

INGREDIENTS:  (4-6 servings)

2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees

Cut the sweet potatoes into sticks ¼ to ½ inch wide and 3 inches long, and toss them with the oil.

Toss the sweet potatoes in a bowl with salt, spices, and pepper..
Spread them out on 2 rimmed baking sheets.

Bake approximately 15 minutes, until brown and crisp on the bottom, then flip and cook until the other side is crisp, about 10 more minutes. 

MAPLE CANDIED SWEET POTATOES
Melissa Clark

You can always count on Melissa Clark to deliver a straightforward old standard which is perfect as an accompaniment for Thanksgiving: 
INGREDIENTS
(serves 10 to 12)

5 large sweet potatoes (3½ pounds)

⅓ cup maple syrup

⅓ cup apple cider

3 tablespoons butter

1 cinnamon stick

2 whole cloves

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

 Wash the sweet potatoes and prick all over with a fork. Wrap in foil and bake in a 375-degree oven until very tender. This can take anywhere from 50 minutes to 1½ hours, depending upon the girth of the potato. Thinner ones cook more quickly. Cool. Peel just before using.

 Heat oven to 400 degrees and in a small pot, combine syrup, cider, butter, cinnamon, cloves and orange zest. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until somewhat thickened, about 15 minutes. Pour syrup over sliced sweet potatoes and bake, uncovered, until bubbling and brown, 25 to 40 minutes.

Painting of the Week

Visited one of Gert Mathiesen’s paintings in a client’s home in Truckee, California on my recent trip. It made their hallway come alive which had previously just been dead space…

Charity of the Week:
ACLU

Source: old-age-young-at-heart-chorus-mark-nepo-no...