White Cloud Retreat
Page 12
LUKE
Luke called Kelly a few days after Deidre had been arrested to tell her he’d decided to stay on at the White Cloud Retreat Center and take over Scott’s position as Zen Master. He told her that although he’d written some phony checks to a fake business he’d opened up so he could siphon money out of the Center’s bank account without Scott finding out, a few days after Scott died he’d been meditating and had a moment of enlightenment that was life-changing.
He returned all of the money he’d taken from the Center and gave up any ideas he’d had about escaping to Mexico. He said he’d decided to continue on with Scott’s dream of making White Cloud Retreat Center a haven for all who sought spirituality, as well as a good glass of wine.
Luke told her he’d already asked Jesse at The Crush to give him a crash course in making wine and that Jesse had agreed to help him. He told Kelly he was hoping she’d be coming to the Center to take some more classes and she’d replied that her wedding gift to herself was just that.
JIM
He continued to work for the electric company, troubleshooting wherever he was needed. Fortunately, he’d been able to take care of the electrical service problems the Center was having and never had to return to it. With the Center’s problems fixed, he left his .22 pistol at home because the forest area near the Center was the only place he’d ever seen any bears.
The pastor of Jim and Ellie Duncan’s church made Jim a lay pastor because of his commitment to the church. He ministered to people who were unable to come to church and on Sundays, was the pastor’s right hand man. Ellie was sure his work with the church would assure them both places in heaven and she reminded the Tuesday morning Bible study group of that every week.
DEIDRE
Deidre is now a permanent resident at the large red brick Oregon State Mental Hospital in Salem, Oregon, locked in the high security section reserved for the criminally insane. She spends her days in a world of her own, unreachable through therapy or medication. She was diagnosed as psychotic by psychiatrists at the institution and never stood trial for Scott’s or anyone else’s murder. Her mutterings indicate she killed many other men over the years, but none of the bodies have ever been recovered, and the photographs of their feet taken from her apartment have been untraceable.
Her pistol with the silencer on it was recovered from her apartment. Ballistic tests confirmed it was the gun used to kill Zen Master Scott.
BLAINE
He returned to the Center a few days after he’d mysteriously left. Blaine told Luke he’d crashed and burned when he ran out of his medication and decided to leave the Center. After he left he’d gotten in touch with the doctor at the Oregon State Mental Hospital where he’d previously been a patient and the doctor had given him several new prescriptions. The new medications worked and he now felt stable, recovered, and ready to go back to work. He asked Luke if he could have a second chance at the Center and told him he’d still very much like to become a Zen priest, but had given up thoughts of becoming a Zen Master. Luke agreed to take him back, but only if he promised to take his medications daily. Blaine promised he would and since he had more experience in the vineyards than any of the other residential trainees, he gladly agreed to be in charge of it.
SHERIFF MIKE
The bump on his head soon went away and he was back at work in a few days, making sure the people of Beaver County and Cedar Bay were safe. There was a hiatus in crime and Mike used the extra time to help Kelly get ready for their upcoming wedding and spend time with her children, Julia and Cash. Rebel had become his constant shadow and it was widely known around town that Rebel could always be seen in the shotgun seat of Sheriff Mike’s patrol car, preferably with the window open and his head sticking out, enjoying the sights and smells of the Cedar Bay area.
KELLY
Kelly was glad that for now, there were no serious crimes to investigate and solve in the sleepy little town of Cedar Bay and she could spend her time getting ready for her upcoming wedding. Two of Roxie’s friends volunteered to come to Kelly’s Koffee Shop the week before the wedding and work so Kelly could take the week off and spend it with her children and taking care of last-minute preparations. It was Roxie’s wedding gift to Kelly and it may have been the most thoughtful and appreciated wedding gift she received!
REBEL AND LADY
Rebel continued to show Lady how to be a guard dog by always checking to make sure their masters were safe from danger. When they were together they were inseparable, whether they were eating, sleeping, or playing, but as soon as they got a call from their master, that took precedence over everything else. Sometimes life is just so good you have to smile, and anyone who saw the dogs, swore they were always wearing a friendly smile!
Recipes!
There's a surprise following the recipes.
RICOTTA CAKE
Ingredients
1 box yellow or lemon cake mix
1 ¼ cups water
1/3 cup oil
2 lbs. ricotta cheese
1 cup sugar
5 eggs
¼ cup powdered sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare cake batter according to package directions mixing together oil, cake mix, water and 3 eggs. Pour into 9 x 13 Pyrex baking dish which has been lightly oiled and floured.
Mix ricotta cheese, sugar and 2 eggs together and pour mixture on top of prepared cake mix, smoothing it out so it’s level.
Bake one hour. Remove from oven and let cool for 45 minutes. When cool sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into serving size squares. Enjoy!
SAVORY MINI HAM AND EGG MUFFINS
Ingredients
1/4 baguette loaf or other bread (should be fairly dry) cut/torn into small pieces
4 oz. of a block of cream cheese, cut crosswise into 12 slices
1 tbsp. olive oil
¼ lb. thinly sliced ham, chopped (about 1 cup) (A leftover cooked meat may be substituted for the ham, chopped medium fine)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 ½ cups half-and-half
6 eggs
1 tsp. thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Using a 12 cup muffin pan, fill each cup half full with bread pieces. Top each cup with a cream cheese slice.
In a small saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat and add ham. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in half-and-half and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, thyme, and green onions together, then whisk in the warm half-and-half mixture. Add salt and pepper.
Pour the egg mixture on top of the bread/cheese in each muffin cup and bake 15 minutes until puffed up and golden brown around edges. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Run thin knife around edge of each cup. Remove from muffin pan and serve. Enjoy!
DOC’S OVEN BEEF BURGUNDY (Serves Six)
Ingredients
3 lbs. beef stew meat, cubed. I use boneless chuck roast.
2 large onions, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tbsp. soy sauce
¼ tsp. thyme
1 ½ cups sliced mushrooms
3 tbsp. flour
¼ tsp. Tabasco sauce
¼ tsp. marjoram
1 cup red wine
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Blend soy sauce and flour together in large ovenproof deep baking dish. Add cubed meat, toss, coating all pieces. Add onions, seasonings and wine to meat mixture. Stir and bake, covered, for one hour.
Remove from oven and stir. Return to oven and bake, covered, for another hour.
Remove from oven and stir in mushrooms. Return to oven and bake, covered, for the last hour. Total cooking time is three hours.
Serve over Doc’s Buttered Noodles. Enjoy!
DOC’S NO-FAIL BUTTERED NOODLES
Ingredients
2 chicken bouillon cubes (I use Wyler’s)
1 ½ cups water
1 stick unsalted butter
8 oz. egg noodles
Directions
In a large saucepan, bring water, bouillon cubes, and ½ stick of butter to a boil over medium to high heat. Add egg noodles and cook to desired texture, approx. 6-8 minutes. Divide remaining ½ stick of butter into 3-5 pieces and stir into hot noodles until the butter is completely melted.
Remove from pan and serve with Doc’s Oven Beef Burgundy. Enjoy!
CHARLIE’S SAUSAGE GRAVY WITH BISCUITS
Ingredients
16 oz. package of Jimmy Dean sausage (sage flavor)
2 tbsp. ground sage
2 tbsp. Wondra flour
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 roll of refrigerated biscuits (large flaky type)
Directions
Bake the biscuits according to the directions on the package.
While the biscuits are in the oven, tear the sausage into bite size pieces and place in a large frying pan. The pieces should nearly cover the bottom of the pan. Shake the ground sage evenly over the uncooked pieces and fry the sausage over medium high heat, turning the pieces so each piece is evenly browned - about 5 minutes.
Push the cooked sausage to one side of the pan and tilt pan to the opposite side, allowing the sausage grease to collect on the empty side of the pan.
Shake the Wondra flour into the grease and stir with fork for 1 minute.
Combine the sausage and flour mixture and slowly add the cream, approximately 1/3 at a time, until all the cream has been added. Reduce the heat to medium and stir until the mixture becomes a thick gravy (about 3-5 minutes). Add more flour as needed to make it thicker.
Remove biscuits from oven and break in half. Spoon the sausage gravy over each biscuit half. Enjoy!
*****
Here's an incredible book that turned my life upside down, literally. I wish I'd read it 40 years back. It would have saved me a lot of heartache and made life so much easier. I've never come across something this good in recent times, and boy do I read a lot. The author (http://www.vivekrajanvivek.com) has been endorsed by Brian Tracy and T Harv Eker.
The Best Book on Money and Success That'll Take You to the Top
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 - A New Beginning
CHAPTER 2 - What Do You Want?
CHAPTER 3 - Plugging Massive Energy Leaks
CHAPTER 4 - Empty Yourself First
CHAPTER 5 - Resistance Explained
CHAPTER 6 - Sin, a Wretched Invention
CHAPTER 7 - Nothing can kill
CHAPTER 8 - The Turnaround
CHAPTER 9 - Actionless Action - Act Without Acting
CHAPTER 10 - Mother's Special Recipe for Success (Reader's Favorite)
CHAPTER 11 - The Power behind a Choice or Decision
CHAPTER 12 - Why do some people never get what they want?
CHAPTER 13 - Be Very Selfish & Don't Forget the F Word
CHAPTER 14 - Reverse Engineering your Deepest Fear
CHAPTER 15 - Living in the Now & The Secret of a Billion Bits
CHAPTER 16 - The Essence
CHAPTER 1
A New Beginning
It was the first week of March and Spring was just around the corner, eager to burst forth and bless everyone with life and warmth once more. A beaming sun and blue skies dotted with white fluffy clouds greeted all those who had assembled. Smiles abounded, and even those who were grouchy couldn't help flashing their pearly or not so pearly whites.
The organization catered to those who needed someone "to listen" to them in their moment of crises, and in the long run steer them away, tactfully, from committing suicide. It had been in existence for decades, tucked away in a quaint house in a leafy neighborhood in the suburbs. What these callers didn't realize was that loneliness was killing them, slowly and softly.
Those who called the helpline came from all walks of life and over the decades the clientele included shop owners, taxi-drivers, cashiers, celebrities, office clerks, fast food workers, engineers, nurses, waiters, waitresses, CEO's, customer service reps, truckers, actors, actresses, loaders, baggage handlers, authors, directors, producers, janitors, warehouse workers, journalists, secretaries, bookkeepers, teachers, maids, pilots, maintenance people, lawyers, hoteliers, government officials, pimps, hookers, bankers, ex-convicts etc.
Twice a year the organization would hold a get-together where the Chairman would host a feast for the volunteers who were educated, compassionate, eclectic, enthusiastic and inspiring. The Chairman was a wise and generous man revered for his wisdom, both, from a monetary and spiritual angle. He wanted to share his secrets, "real secrets of life", with them.
There are principles and then there are tactics or techniques. Principles are few and far in-between whereas tactics range in the hundreds or thousands. He wanted to share his life-transforming principles (and a few techniques), the best of the best, with these good Samaritans; they deserved it. The possibilities were limitless once the foundation was laid.
The chairman had a handsome forehead, deep-set eyes, lush eyebrows, an aquiline nose and a head covered with silvery-white hair. The volunteers could invite their family and friends, and the event was always a memorable one.
The post lunch session was the most precious part of the day. By then everyone had melted into each other and the gathering resembled one big, complete, happy family. The Q&A session would begin where they could ask the Chairman absolutely anything. No topic was deemed inappropriate or juvenile, and they were free to go in any direction. The volunteers came from all walks of life and despite vast differences, both economic and social, they all shared a common thirst for love, money and happiness. Yet, at times, the intensity of that thirst seemed to get in the way of everything they yearned for.
CHAPTER 2
What do you want?
“So what's the first question going to be?” asked the chairman, as he smiled magnanimously.
“How do we make money? Lots of it?” asked one man.
“Yeah, that's a good one. We’re not happy living like this," said an older man. "A fat bank balance is always welcome.”
“Anything else other than money?” asked the chairman, with a twinkle in his eye.
“Ooh, ooh, and happiness at all times,” said a young woman.
“Yeah, and a stress free life,” said an elderly lady.
“All three if possible,” said one girl.
“That would be asking for too much, I guess,” said a young guy.
“So money, happiness and a stress free life are your top three wishes for the year. That’s doable, although there are far more interesting challenges in life,” said the chairman.
“We’ve had enough challenges. There's so much pain and suffering even amongst the educated. A few on top shittin' on the rest of us,” said a man, in a slightly frustrated tone.
“That’s understandable, so let’s start with money,” said the chairman. "Before we start, wouldn't it be nice to know the personality traits that the rich possess?"
"We already know that. They're smart and intelligent and come from rich backgrounds…," an impetuous young man retorted before he was cut off by an older man.
"We're here to listen and learn from him. I think there's more to it than meets the eye. Yes, we'd like to know the personality traits the rich possess," said the old man, sounding a little irritated.
"They're not smart, not intelligent, not rich, not lucky, not talented, not beautiful, not privileged, not confident, not achievers, not the most popular, not likely to succeed, been laughed at the most and have failed more than most," said the chairman, much to the astonishment of all those gathered.
"That gives us so much hope," said a young man. "You just described me perfectly."
"That means you'll be rich, happy and stress free," a middle aged woman chimed in.
All of a sudden the mood changed. There might be a chance after all, every
one thought. Something deep within them stirred. Really? Was it really true that most rich people came from such wretched backgrounds? Wow, who would have thought?
"If that's the case then what about the things we see on TV and read in the papers?" asked a young woman, still not convinced.
"The media gives people what they want. If they portrayed boring people who wore boring clothes and drove old, ugly cars and lived in modest homes then no one would watch the TV or read the papers anymore," said the chairman.
"Makes a lot of sense," a young woman said. The rest nodded in agreement.
"Moving on, does anyone know the First Law of the Universe?" asked the chairman. He scanned everyone's faces, waiting for an answer. When none came forth he replied.
"Whatever you want will be yours!"
"Then how come we don't get what we want?" a young man shot back.
"Well, when I asked you what the first law of the universe was, you didn't reply," said the chairman with a smile. "Then how do you expect to get what you want?"
"Also, when you ask for something there's a lack of clarity. Because of this lack of knowledge and lack of clarity, you ask feebly, and you get a feeble response, which, as we all know is not what you wanted, but you got what you deserved.
"The first law of the universe is also the deadliest law of the universe. It's a double edged sword. Exercise caution - for the cosmos will indulge your every whim and fancy."
"So let's get right to it," said the chairman.
CHAPTER 3
Plugging Massive Energy Leaks
“Before we can even begin to talk about money or anything that we aspire for in life, it’s best to understand one simple fact - your ability to create is directly proportional to the energy resources at your disposal,” said the chairman.
"In many cases the readiness to forge ahead exists, but the chains that bind you are still in place. So it's best to begin by taking a look at what's holding you back, break free from them, and then begin marching on the path to prosperity.