Category Archives: Digital Art & Photos

November 13, 2016

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse ~ 13 November 2016

It is a new day. A Super Moon Sunday day. Another opportunity to a live what I believe, to have my spirituality tested, to step up to the plate and not be found wanting, to know if all those lofty ideals I cling to and write about are true. It’s an opportunity for me to practice empathy, compassion, forgiveness and healing even, and most importantly, in the trenches of despair.

In the wake of the shock and awe of the election, I found myself faced with several moments of truth.

I have been unfriended by my youngest daughter. She doesn’t understand why I am so selfish, and she is especially angry that I would express my thoughts on social media where her friends can see it, embarrassing her (she was obviously for the other candidate, as were all my daughters, along with their in-laws and extended family members). What cuts the deepest is that I no longer have access to her daily pictures and posts, to what has been a happy window into the milestones and growth of my youngest granddaughter. She promised to send photo texts. Social media aside, I imagine that the holidays will be a superficial practice in polite pleasantries. And yet, I do forgive her…she doesn’t realize what she has done. I hope for the best and look forward to that day when she and I can reconnect again in a meaningful way.

My oldest daughter called to check on me too, and to say she was sorry because she knew I would likely be very sad about the election results. We talked for over an hour. I forgive her too, for being a one issue voter, for not stopping to consider the consequences of her vote. I accept her apology fully with all my heart. Love saves us. Love always wins.

It’s going to be bumpy. I imagine I will have daily opportunities to practice forgiveness and to find hope in miracles. Believe it or not, I’m grateful for this test of faith.

That being said, please be gentle with yourselves, forgive, empathize, seek truth, fight for justice, practice peace, hold one another, be kind and love one another. This is new ground for many of us. But we can do it together.

Peace and love!

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse ~ 13 November 2016

And that is all there is to it
Could forget it
but remember truth matters

NO WORDS

I can be more effective when I am free from the bonds of unforgiveness.
how eximious one is
Has grown dark…

kat

The Shi Sai (formerly known as a ReVerse) is a new form I came up with during Poetry Month in April 2016. I’ve actually been writing shu sai for years but was inspired to give it a proper name. It is a poem created by taking one line of verse from several poems of an author’s own collection. The shi sai is done as a review of a series or collection of poems and therefore, each line should flow in chronological order of the dates the poems were written (from oldest to new). The lines chosen should be the author’s favorite from each poem. This form works best if the author resists the temptation to read the full new poem before all the verses have been added. (It helps one to resist the impulse to change a line to make it “fit”.

11 Comments | tags: hope, love, peace, shi sai. week in ReVerse. forgiveness | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Life Lessons, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Shi Sai, Social Issues, Spirituality

November 12, 2016

Her Name is Peace – Magnetic Poetry Saturday 12 November 2016

By Kat Myrman

how gently the
moon rocks her
when this world
has grown dark…
rest our souls
in deep peace

kat ~ 12 November 2016

13 Comments | tags: Challenge, Magnetic Poetry, moon, peace | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, Magnetic Poetry, Social Issues, Spirituality

November 7, 2016

Magnetic Poetry Monday – 7 November 2016

By Kat Myrman

a password needs
to be hard so your
information is protected
and easy or you
could forget it!

– kat – 7 November 2016
(Magnetic Poetry – The Geek Kit)

5 Comments | tags: geek kit, Magnetic Poetry | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Life Lessons, Magnetic Poetry, Poetry

November 6, 2016

Vegetarian “UnStuffed” Cabbage Pot

By Kat Myrman

I love stuffed cabbage at this time of year! But it can be a bit fussy to make. A few years ago I discovered a recipe for “unstuffed” cabbages! It’s a match made in the cabbage patch!

Now that I’m pescatarian (a vegetarian who eats mostly vegetables and fish) I decided to try this new favorite using vegetable based meat crumbles (my favorite brand is “Beyond Meat” because it maintains a nice texture and doesn’t get mushy).

So, here’s all you need:

Ingredients

Olive Oil
2 chopped onions
2 tsp chopped garlic
Pepper and salt
1 large head of cabbage, chopped
2 15 oz cans of chopped tomatoes
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
(Today I used some leftover tomato garlic pasta sauce. This is the fun of home cooking. It’s okay to substitute like ingredients. You can’t mess his recipe up!)
2 cups water
1 11 oz package of vegetarian “meat” crumbles
(If you like your cabbage dish extra “meatie” use 2 11 oz packages.)

And here’s how you throw it together:

In a Dutch oven sauté the onions and garlic in a tablespoon or so of olive oil. I salt and pepper the onions while they are softening.

Turn the heat to medium and add the remaining ingredients, giving it all a good stir to coat the cabbage with sauce. Your pot will be pretty full, so it’ll be a little hard to toss it all together, but don’t worry. As the cabbage softens you will be able to stir the dish more easily. Cover and let simmer, stirring occasionally to make sure all your cabbage has a chance to “stew”.

And that is all there is to it! No separate batches of stuffing mixture, pre-cooking the cabbage to make it soft enough to make rolls, no separate baking. But it’s just as satisfying as the original in a single pot!

If you are like me and you like a little zing, throw in a dash of sriracha sauce. You will also want to taste test and add additional salt and pepper to your liking.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and perhaps a slice or two of warm beer bread (my recipe is HERE) slathered with butter. It’s the perfect meal for a blustery autumn day! Enjoy!

And dinner is served!

14 Comments | tags: recipes, unstuffed cabbage, vegetarian | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Random Thoughts and Musings, Stone Soup and Other Delicacies

November 6, 2016

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 6 November 2016

By Kat Myrman

This US election cycle has been a long exhausting run. And we have learned an inconvenient, ugly truth about ourselves in the process.

Once it became socially acceptable to lie, slander, subjugate, ridicule, denigrate, marginalize, judge, discriminate and hate, our worst angels oozed to the surface, from under the moss-adorned rocks we hoped would contain them, and flaunted themselves in broad daylight. We never wanted to believe that this element of our society was legion. But we can no longer fool ourselves. What’s more, it is who we are as a nation. It is our friends, co-workers, neighbors, family. And the most disturbing thing we have learned is that it is us too, all of us, each time we choose to feel anger, to lash out toward those who don’t agree with or believe as we do.

It has been shocking to witness my own range of emotions as they have shifted from light to dark, from compassion to frustration and anger, to feel that surge of satisfaction after having crushed an opposing view with “the truth”. It has been sobering to realize that even in the name of all that is right and good and true, my own heart and soul can be found lacking when my intention is self-serving.

Yes, it’s true. Most of us are a combination of good and evil. What matters most is not that we are both, but that we can always choose to do better. We choose.

This is my final pre-election post. But I realize that it is just the beginning for all of us and this dysfunctional country of ours, to take what we have learned about ourselves…and do better.

✌️& ❤️ ~ kat

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 6 November 2016

rest our souls
each minute crept excruciatingly into hours
it can be tricky
each is hoping you’ll believe
memories whisper
no doubt about it,
privilege creeps in
the what’s don’t matter, for’s don’t care
“Because I said so,”
la, la…la, la, laaaa!
you and yours (we) can do better

~kat