The Maori Are Coming!

Are you ready for a transformational experience?


Do you need healing done on a physical, emotional or spiritual level?


Do you want to meet some of the most down to earth and "connected" people in the world?


If you can answer yes to those questions, you should think about meeting the traditional Maori healers from New Zealand who tour the world due to great demand for their services. They are blessing Long Beach, and some other cities, with their presence this month.


I have collected lots of stories from family, friends, and friends of friends that attest to the power of the Maori's healing. I have personally witnessed it. My husband had a shoulder injury 30 years ago that left his shoulder crooked. They put it back in place, in addition to straightening his spine in front of my eyes. They also released some long-held emotions and it was immediately obvious when it happened. Now it is my turn. I feel scared, but ready for a transformation. I want to free myself up from myself, if that makes sense. I want to let go of holding on so tightly. I want to be more expressive, actually, I want to be very expressive. Of course there physical issues that also need to be fixed. I'll let everyone know how it goes.


You can visit their blog here: http://maorihealers.wordpress.com/. On the site, scroll down to their dates in the U.S. and there is contact information for each venue.

The Passionate Palate Update

Oh my gosh it's June!

I don't know if I am back to regular blogging or not, but I am making an attempt to get back to some blogging. How's that? I miss the blogging community and all the joy that comes from the blog.

I have had a very full 2009 which accounts for why I haven't updated the blog. We moved in January from Long Beach to the Central Coast of California. This was a dream come true for me. I always wanted to escape the city and live near or in nature again. I spent many years on the Central Coast, mostly in Santa Cruz, but some in Santa Barbara and have always felt so at home here. My husband, Antonio, adapted immediately. Being Italian, as soon as he got his hands in the dirt, there was no turning back! We have a big garden and hope to plant a vineyard here one of these days. I have found so many benefits in being close to nature again, and indeed have begun to wonder how much damage we do to ourselves by living in a congested, dirty, ugly city cut off from nature.

Other updates: We went to Italy in March to be with Antonio's dying father. I got a real lesson in Italian hospitals while hanging out in one for a week. His father lived until a few weeks ago. He was 93 1/2 years old. (Yes, those 1/2 years become more important as we get older!) Shortly after returning we adopted a 5 month old puppy who ended up having distemper and died two weeks later. In May, I helped lead a wine tour in Italy for my wine sales company. We went from Puglia to Piedmont in a week, and of course tasted a lot of wine!

Has anyone ever seen King Frederick's castle in Puglia, outside of Andria? It was one of the cultural highlights of the trip. It is a fascinating, almost modern looking, structure built on ancient mathematical, astronomical and mystical principles.

Photo courtesy of Bridgette Fox

And for a dose of pure happiness , we got another puppy just a week ago. Mingus is 11 weeks old today and going to be a monster. Our 7 1/2 year old Ruby likes her new brother.

Antonio and Mingus


Wine tourism is way down, but we are planning two trips in 2010. By then, I hope our economy will be better and there will be more optimism.

That's the update in a nutshell. More soon, I hope.