Artist Lorenzo Ross, Psychic Janet Wright, Their Pet Cats, Dogs and Friends.
Author: Janet Wright
Janet Wright is a personal growth psychic reader, assisting clients by advance appointment in-person or by phone in their wellness, personal growth and self-development. For more info on Janet's readings go to www.JanetWrightReadings.com
Lorenzo Ross is an artist, creating webcomics, graphic novels, ACEO art, paintings and prints. Vivid and affordable prints of his original paintings, drawings, and webcomics are for sale at their etsy shop PsychicUnicorns. www.etsy.com/shop/psychicunicorns
To read his webcomics go to www.AlternativeCityComics.com
Lorenzo Ross and Janet Wright are married and live together with their 4 fabulous rescue cats and three rescue dogs. They live in Chicago's beautiful and diverse Albany Park neighborhood.
To further fill their lives with animals, Lorenzo and Janet have a home dog boarding business as well www.BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com.
PLEASE COMMENT on these blog posts if you like the post, or want to support this blog. Even brief comments from real readers really help the google rankings, helping others to find out about Janet's readings, Lorenzo's art, their home dog boarding, etc.
So most of us have seen huge dessert cases, either in bakeries or at stores like Whole Foods. How do you feel when standing in front of a huge dessert case? Tonight I went to the Whole Foods on the NW side of Chicago on Cicero Ave. As an energy reader I work with many people and often help people who want to alter their eating habits. I enjoy reading the unique issues that impact each person’s eating choices and experiences.
Repressed emotion definitely comes into play when standing in front of a huge dessert case. It must be repressed emotion that blurs my thinking as I look at all of these mini fruit tarts at Whole Foods. My mind goes in a loop between:
1. How delicious.
2. I want many. They’re so tiny.
3. They are $1.49 each.
4. It’d be way too expensive with all the ones I want. Better have none.
5. (Loops back to #1)
I swear this loop goes round and round about three times in my mind, then I pull myself away either to go towards another part of the store, or to debate another dessert selection. I never get the tiny fruit tarts, yet each time I see them so beautifully arranged, the mental loop begins.
Tonight's choice, one "chocolate bomb"
I ended up buying a “chocolate bomb” shown in the center row of this photo. On the way home I realized some of the repressed emotions involved in my own dessert thought process and was able to let go of some of the blocked energy. When Lorenzo and I split the small “chocolate bomb” at home it was fantastic. Chocolate mousse with a dark chocolate shell- very light and “surprisingly good,” as Lorenzo says. The “bomb” in the name is a real misnomer, as it’s a pretty delicate flavor. I ate it so slowly, with hot tea. I haven’t savored a dessert so slowly in years. I know for sure it was because I had released some of my emotional baggage and was able to be more present with the experience. How cool. Same calories, greater experience. Woo-hoo!
My next task is I’ll have to clear even more blocked, repressed emotion so I can actually think clearly about those mini fruit tarts!!!!
This week I made a brief but wonderful visit to the Lincoln Park Conservatory. The minute I walked in there I felt great. It’s more humid for the benefit of the plants, and it’s so gorgeous. Chicago has two indoor nature conservatories, open all year: the Lincoln Park Conservatory, and the Garfield Park Conservatory. The Garfield Park one always has a great free parking lot. The Lincoln Park Conservatory is next to the zoo and it’s harder to find free parking, particularly on school holidays like summer. Both conservatories have different rooms including very old palm trees, lots of ferns, and various types of flowers. This first photo is from the Lincoln Park Conservatory’s show room, which is filled with lots of wonderful flowers they rotate out for different temporary shows. I also love that tall green bushy fern plant in the background, which is there year round. I believe it’s some type of Chinese fern, though I couldn’t find the sign this time.
Asaki fountain on loan from Gethsemane Garden Center
Here is a large, interesting fountain currently in the show room. It is labeled as an Asaki fountain, on loan from Gethsemane Garden Center in Chicago. I called Gethsemane and you can have your very own for only $795! I am big on fountains, and I love how the water just runs down the side of this fountain that is probably almost four feet high. Very neat.
Both conservatories are priceless ways to temporarily escape Chicago’s winter, but there is so much earth energy in these places they can be healing and transformative year round.
My visit here motivated me to once again think about how serene and earthy my home is. I do have plants and fountains, but this place reminded me I can always do more to make my indoor environment more like one of the conservatories. After all, I need that kind of healing every day! 🙂
The Orchid Room at the Lincoln Park Conservatory
This photo shows some orchids from The Orchid Room at the Lincoln Park Conservatory. This is a great way to get a healing dose of orchid beauty, without waiting a year for your own to bloom again! I sat on a bench in the Fern Room to meditate a little. It’s so nice to soak up healing energy from so much well-tended nature. Just thinking about my visit makes me more relaxed!
These conservatories are open 7 days a week, year round, with the exception of a few days. Both are free and need volunteers and have interesting events as well. If you are looking for places to tend your inner serenity, you could put these places on your list! Here’s where you could read more about the 116 year old Lincoln Park Conservatory including the (only) four days this year they are closed. Here’s more info on the Garfield Park Conservatory including their own website. They have a beer related event this 5/19 and regular events year round. Personally I like going when the least amount of people would be there, but that’s just me. 🙂
Happy Leah after her morning walk & a roll in the grass
Many of you know that Lorenzo and I have a home business www.BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com where we board cat-friendly dogs, only one at a time or two if from the same home. Well this dog Leah in the photos is a much loved repeat “guest dog” of ours. We have boarded Leah for her mom three times now. Leah’s big-hearted mom needs home boarding for her this summer, and we cannot do it. The time period needed is early June 2011- early or mid August 2011 and this would be a paid boarding in someone’s home. We are already booked for part of the time she needs. Also since Leah is not cat-friendly and we have cats, it’s simpler if we do not board Leah for long periods. Even though we cannot board Leah for this time, it doesn’t mean we can’t help find the right person! Please help us spread the word. Please forward this blog post link to your animal lover friends, or post/share this on Facebook.
Wouldn't your summer be better with Leah?
Leah is a great dog and she is easy to love. She is a ten years old terrier mix that still walks with enthusiasm, follows you around contentedly in the home, and of course naps with enthusiasm. We first featured her in this blog entry from 3/18/2011. Her mom is a very nice person with a career where she helps others. Leah was adopted as a senior rescue dog by her compassionate mom. Her mom has certainly rekindled Leah’s love for all adults and for life, but Leah is not good with cats nor children nor many dogs probably because her original owners did not take the time to fully socialize her. When her mom and Leah first came for their free meet and greet with us, we did have a senior mellow passive beagle around her and they politely lounged in their separate beds and ignored each other. It’s more likely that she will get along with a dog if he/she is very mellow and/or passive, and close to Leah’s 30 lbs size or smaller.
Leah having a zen moment receiving a simple massage
As you can see in this photo of Leah receiving a massage from me, Leah adjusts very easily to a new home so she would be a blessing to the right person and home who has the time and love for her this summer. Leah’s mother is willing to pay boarding fees and is looking for a real home where a responsible loving adult is home quite a bit, with absences generally not longer than 4-6 hours at one time. Generally Leah is in a kennel during the work day and her mom comes home at lunch to give her a walk/yard time. When Leah boards with us we are always home, and she follows us around and naps peacefully in various locations. She also favors belly rubs, is great in car rides, loves her walks, and loves rolling around in the grass in our yard. Leah’s mother is willing to drive far if necessary to drop her off with the right person for her home boarding. The person who boards her needn’t be a professional, but needs to be loving and responsible, with a child free, cat free, and probably dog free home. If you do have an older child who visits occasionally, Leah would be happy in her crate as long as she can see you.
Leah making herself at home with her pillow
Please help us spread the word to all the animal lovers you know. Leah is a lovable senior rescue dog and her mom is very kind and we want to help them. If you want more information about Leah please feel free to contact me! As I said we have boarded her three times so we can answer many of your questions. Check out our dog boarding website for our contact information www.BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com We will answer any initial questions and then will refer interested people to Leah’s mom.
Today I learned a valuable lesson. Choosing plumbing tools based solely on what is attractive is a recipe for disaster. Buying them at Target may not be a good idea either.
Did you know this is a SINK plunger?
So our toilet was clogged and I figured my trusty “toilet” plunger would save the day. I got it at Target when we moved, and it was blue with a white stand to hide the plunger part for a prettier effect. Wrong!
The plunger we had was similar to one in this photo, except the rubber was a dark blue, and it was so cheap that it would invert if you tried to use it, plus the rubber seemed incapable of forming a seal at the base of the toilet. Little did I know it’s not even made for toilets! It’s a SINK plunger! Sink plungers may work on some toilet bowls some of the time, because I unwittingly have used them before with results. Today my pretty sink plunger was not up to the task.
THIS is a real toilet plunger. It is good for sinks and all toilets.
Fortunately my wonderful building owner lives in the building and had a toilet plunger, so I had the right tool thanks to her. It works like a charm when you actually have a TOILET plunger! Now I’ve bought our own at Home Depot, and even watched a cool instructional video I found with a quick search on youtube, so I am pretty much an expert at toilet plunging. Did you know that there is actually some technique to it? This youtube video from expert village does a very good job at demonstrating points 4 and 5, and mentions points 2 and 3 towards the end.
1. Check the photos here and make sure you own a real TOILET plunger. It is really worth the money, and if you don’t mind one with a bright yellow handle a proper toilet plunger is $4.99 at Home Depot. I bought ours, shown in this photo in front of the toilet, with a clever white case for $14.99 at Home Depot, not bad for esthetics AND function. Apparently real toilet plungers can also be used on sinks, so get it and you’ll be all set. I put my crappy Target sink plunger out by the dumpster today!
2. Have a bucket of water so that your test flushes are done by pouring water from the bucket into the toilet bowl to produce a flush. This way you can pour the water and control how much so you make sure you don’t overflow the bowl if your clog is still present. This is key. I wish I had known this today because all my test flushes were done the usual way with the toilet flush and I was just praying it wouldn’t overflow. That’s not cool. It was pretty nerve wracking.
3. Also use your bucket of water to make sure you have enough water in the bowl. You need a fair amount of water in order to get a good seal between your plunger and the hole at the base of the bowl. Sometimes if the toilet is clogged the water level goes too low, so if that’s the case you add water.
4. Empty the air out of the toilet plunger before using, as much as possible. This is done by tilting the plunger under water so that the air comes out. I saw several sources that said this is more effective to have the plunger thrust water rather than an air bubble.
5. Try to pull the clog up towards you rather than push it further into the toilet tubes. This is because the toilet tubes are long and narrow with tight curves, and ideally you don’t want to jam the clog further into those tubes. This means press down slowly then pull up with reasonable force and speed, to pull the clog out. Eventually most videos say plunging up and down a bunch is OK if the pulling up doesn’t do it. If you really want to geek out and watch another short video this one actually shows a cross section of a toilet so you can see how the tubes look. It also shows a “closet auger” tool you’ll need if the plunger doesn’t get rid of the clog. Optional viewing, for sure!
So there you have it folks. I was sooooo happy and relieved when our toilet was finally unclogged. Now for the rest of the day when I flush it makes me happy. Sometimes it takes some drama to get you to appreciate the little things, right? Oh and the other moral of this story is that between google searches and youtube videos you can learn anything.
Who knows when inspiration will jump into your lap? 🙂
Well after a long hiatus Teddy is back! Here is Teddy today jumping into my lap. Today he had a nice car ride with us, a few walks in today’s sunshine, and he is about to dine on the raw food that his parents left with us for him to eat. He also had a good time stirring up the next door neighbor’s three chihuahuas by sniffing them through our fence and having a barking party with them. 🙂
Teddy is pretty cat friendly since we were able to give him socialization to cats by boarding him earlier in his puppy life. Unfortunately one of our cats YoYo runs away scared from him, and he still finds it very fun to chase him. The other two have a moderate truce with him, and have taught him to be respectful of them.
Dog-Cat Diplomacy Summit
Here I am with Teddy today letting him nose kiss the cats in a safe non-chasing environment. The cat in the right foreground is YoYo who still runs from him when they are both on the ground. There has been progress though. At the end of YoYo’s run to higher ground his tail is no longer fluffed. He doesn’t really think Teddy is about to murder him anymore. In his (fear-distorted) mind Teddy is no longer a huge monster, just a mean doggie. It’s progress!
Have you ever heard Jerome McDonnell’s Worldview program on Chicago Public Radio? Currently it is every weekday at noon CST but if you are reading this months later you can see when Worldview comes on by checking the Chicago Public Radio schedule. The biggest reason I love Chicago Public Radio is that every Thursday of the Worldview show is called the Global Activism Series. Each show of the Global Activism series features one really amazing person or group that has done something to help make a difference in a developing country. There are always simple ways you can help if you want to be a part of this group’s work. Sometimes it’s people from the US who have founded a unique global charity such as Share Your Soles or Working Bikes, or sometimes it is a person from a developing country who is doing something amazing to help their country and is fundraising to continue their work. Catch up on old shows you missed here http://www.wbez.org/globalactivism.
Each year there is a Global Activism Expo. This year’s expo is coming soon, and will be this Saturday April 30th from noon to 6pm. Read all about the upcoming Global Activism Expo 2011 here. It is free and will be held at the UIC Forum, just west of downtown. It’s a fun way for kids and adults to get involved and learn so much more about great groups making a difference globally. You could bring a used bike you want to donate to Working Bikes, bring items for and help put together toiletry kits that will be delivered to Japan, or speak to many other fascinating people who make a difference around the globe. Thousands will attend. Surely it will be a really diverse and engaging environment, with food and music too. I went to one years ago they held in Edgewater and definitely enjoyed myself. If you go definitely let me know how it was for you.
This was my first CAPS meeting I’d been to in at least 10 years if not longer, and the second CAPS meeting ever. It was more interesting than I remember, actually. It was pretty short, only 50 minutes long, and throughout the meeting they discussed specific addresses and what disturbances have been noted there, either by police or citizens. Many people came prepared with specific addresses and info, and the police were very informed and on the ball about it all. They said our CAPS meeting is generally the most attended in the whole city. Good for you Beat 17! Beat 17 is part of Albany Park and Irving Park neighborhoods.
Is it more disturbing to know literally what crime has occurred in your area recently, or not know at all? Honestly I am more disturbed now that I know, but I think after a good night’s rest the disturbing part will subside entirely. It was nice to be around so many citizens who care about keeping their streets safe. I think being more informed will encourage me to be more aware and I believe that those two things together will translate into increased safety. I love my Albany Park neighborhood, more than any other Chicago neighborhood I’ve lived in. I think it’s the tree lined streets and the variety of small homes and larger apartment buildings, and all the different front yards and porches each with their own unique character and personality. So my CAPS meeting was time well spent, and I will go again next month. Thanks to Martha Hack, our CAPS citizen rep who helped spread the word and let me know about the meeting. If you want to find out what Chicago police “beat” you live in, and when the CAPS meetings are for your “beat” then you can go to this link. Here’s another link with basic info about CAPS.
Here’s our Dyson vacuum. I had wanted a Dyson vacuum for years before we finally got one last September. Did we pay full price? Nooooooo. It was never the plan to pay full price, and I ended up buying this one used and one year old on eBay, for $161 including shipping. I had wanted a Dyson because of the hepa filter, which many vacuums have these days, and also the famed suction. It does blow some things into the air when you use it, so I end up using the super suction wand first to get anywhere I know is bad, then vacuuming everything.
I like the easy-empty canister so I see all I’ve picked up, yet not touch it. I like all the suction in the wand. I like the bright yellow color. Whatever mojo it has that actually gets me to use it, to vacuum my 3-cat, dog-boarding apartment on a very regular basis, I am grateful. Because when all is said and done, what matters is not the brand of your vacuum, but whether or not you actually use it!
Love this packaging, Trader Joes Snaquarium Cookies
When I saw this cookie box and that it was only 99 cents I had to buy it, well, buy two. I ate one box as I drove home from the store. They really don’t taste that great, but the fact that I was eating tiny cookies shaped like ocean animals from a box with a string was really great for my inner child. I’d show you the ocean animal shapes in a photo here, but I’m saving the other box for when I spend time with my “Little Sister” from Big Brothers Big Sisters this Saturday. She’s 10 years old, and in some ways she’s 10 and in some ways she has been exposed to so many adult things in music videos and lyrics, etc. she’s partially all grown. Also she may not have ever seen the animal crackers cookies boxes that come in a little red box with a string handle, so she won’t get the reference. Will she love these cookies? We’ll see.
A cookie you buy for the taste, not the packaging, melting in my hand
As a kid, a cookie just had to be a cookie for me to love it, except for those weird rum balls from the holidays. Now as an adult my husband and I both watch our carb intake and calories and sugar to some extent, so for me a cookie has to be worth it. Here is the cookie I’ve been nibbling as I type this. It’s a Trader Joe’s Chocolate Chunk cookie which comes in a simple white bag, found near the bread rather than the cookies in the store. Also their double chocolate chunk cookie is even better. Often now we try to go weeks without bringing any cookies at all into the house, which certainly makes it easier to behave. When we have cookies at home, like now, we pick a number of them in advance to put on our plate, and generally stick to it. I am hypoglycemic so my carb, sugar, and protein intake have to be appropriate. I had a big sandwich with lots of meat and only one piece of bread before writing this cookie post, to make sure my blood sugar would remain stable enough for me to enjoy my experiential writing exercise. So, it’s a little more complicated then when you are a kid and you think you could eat cookies all day. But with great power, comes great responsibility, right? Here’s to cookies.
I just loaned $25 to this woman in Mongolia w/Kiva.org
I just loaned $25 to a woman named Oyunjargal Luvsanpurev in Mongolia through my kiva.org account. I didn’t have to pay anything new since this was money already in my kiva account. I have been a kiva.org member for almost two years now and this is my 13th $25 loan. I have loaned to men and women in 11 different countries around the world. Sometimes I will spend $25 plus the $3 or so operating costs to make a loan. Other times I have balance in the account because my old loans have been repaid. I have never had anyone default on my loans so far so I get to use the money again and again to make these microfinance business loans, except for that separate “operating costs” fee which is around $3. If you want to make a loan to this woman too, a clothing designer who will use the money to buy a sewing machine for her business, you can follow this link. Though she is asking for over a thousand US dollars, the loan will probably be fully funded within 24 hours. It’s really amazing to see all these people from around the world helping others through kiva. Oyunjargal is a widow and mother of two children. I love learning details about the people I am helping, and loooooove seeing their photo. I always am happy to see that they are gradually paying back their loan, which to me means that their business is succeeding.
I still have enough in my kiva account to make another loan, but I will wait until this Saturday and have my 10 year old “Little Sister” (through Big Brothers Big Sisters) help me to choose who gets the loan. She has helped me once before, and it was actually hard for her to imagine that there were people out there who needed money more than her family. When searching for a loan to fund on kiva.org you can specify if you want the loan to go to an individual or a collective group, and if you choose individual, a male or a female. You get to browse through the photos, read the people’s stories, etc. I’m a big fan!
