Imagine Living Life Well with Perspective & Perseverance: Book 4

By Maureen Whitaker

Imagine Living Life Well with Perspective and Perseverance with Real Life and Medieval Society with Discretion Being the Better Part of Valor

Life Changes: Five Years Hence--Book Four Volume VI, Part One

The Otherside gives a preface called Inner Whispers to begin the book: "A greater truth in life is when one has listened to the inner whisperings of their mind to create a positive action by making a split-second decision to deal with any given situation, even if it is a risk to one's physical or mental self in doing so, they have done what they know."

The Four Musketeers are aging gracefully and are in overall great health. Their activities and traveling in their motorcoach keeps them going and enjoying true life adventures in the Medieval Society. There we all have grand times with our many friends. We traveled to Ireland and had a wonderful time. We continued to provide Spiritual Seminars and educating the attendees with what we know and that which is given to us. We Four Musketeers went to Alaska during a lovely Spring one year, enjoying it a great deal! Anna turns age seventy, and they have a great party. We went on a Motorcoach tour to Washington State and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It proved to have many challenges and some life changes for the four of us. Most of it is complex. In Book Five, you will read Part II of Volume VI, then Book Six will have Volume VII.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887319902

Book preview

Activities Over Time

The Four Musketeers Age Gracefully

Greetings, everyone! It is I, Anna. I knew my life story was not finished when I ended volume V by writing, The end. Or is it? Given all which has preceded this time, I realize even more now what an incredible life my dear Liam and I have had so far. We have been so blessed to have overall good health, an active life, wonderful adventures, a fabulous family and our familyship, with incredible close friends. Life has been grand, despite any Challenges which we met well with the idea of Living Life Well with Perspective and a great deal of Perseverance to resolve any Life Challenges, of which one afforded us a safe haven in all we do together and with our family, friends and chosen familyship. We are seemingly aging gracefully, still do not look our ages and many people along our path question whether it is so we are the ages we say. I do not look much different from when I was age sixty-three, and the calendar tells me I am pushing age seventy. I am actually grateful my looks fool some folks and baffles others. It always gives us a laugh. At least I am not accused of being my sons’ sister anymore. I think some folks want to know how old I am and are shocked. This given how many times, once carded, comments have been made: "No, you cannot be that age usually followed by You do not look it."

The best one was a clerk at a store saying, Honey, keep on doing what you are doing, you look great and I was sure you were in your thirties. That said when I was age sixty-five. I say, Praises be to God! Still, age is a number, not a condition. It truly matters how we take care of ourselves. In the previous years, we had numerous Life Changes and Challenges, endured a variety of conditions and/or situations and traveled far and wide, all the while managing to live our lives well, clearly knowing discretion is the better part of valor. We continue to Walk Our Talk and do excessively great in most all life aspects. Life is grand! It is who we are and what we do. We have so much fun together, alone and/or with other dear ones. We take from our past those aspects which serve us well and utilize them to create our future. We strive to leave unpleasant life matters as if they were shreds of film on the cutting room floor of life. Life is a stage, and we are all its actors. While we have had what some might call some high-drama situations, we take them down to a manageable level, mastering each section of life one at a time and carry on so they are no longer dramatic. They were what was going on, and we simply dealt with each situation as it occurred.

Liam’s and my Unit-of-One is steadfast and solid. We are so much in love with each other and have not wavered or ever fallen off our path. In much we do, we are the ones who are in control of our path. We support each other with all our might because we know who we have become. We continue to talk over everything and seek certain friends’ and our doctor friends’ advice or counsel as they do ours. We have a great team in the four of us who continue to call ourselves the Four Musketeers. I am a fortunate lady to have such a caring, sensitive and wonderful husband with Liam constantly at my side, devoted and so endearing to all my senses. He says I am to his, so this is all give-and-take, to keep and hold closely to our breasts as everlasting endurance of the love God has shown us can and does exist.

Over the last five years since I last wrote, we continue to be the elders in our Medieval Society and enjoy going anywhere in great and grand style with dear friends and our familyship by our side. We are all able to walk on our own, unaided, though at times the activities cause overtiredness. Our steps are slower now, though they are still firm. We have become the storyteller bards with Medieval Society’s younger folks asking us such questions as What was the Medieval Society like in the early days? Liam still speaks as eloquently as ever in telling the old tales of the beginning years. Liam says I can still tell the stories as well as he does. I say it is because we have different stories, though I suppose it is true we each can hold their attention. The younger ones love hearing of my Warrior Woman Archery War days. Liam has quite a way with words and gaining attention.

We each have a way of telling a story which teaches Life Lessons, of medieval life in the Common Era and on how our polite, civil society has changed and what we can do to make the best of it. We forewarn people of what is at hand, knowing it means to be forearmed and knowing what to do when life events occur. We each continue to teach classes in the sciences and arts of the modern Medieval Society’s times. I am able to relate of the sciences of Herbalism for Medicinal Use with our incredible doctor friends Master Michael of Ten and Master Dagfinn at my side to verify the properties of such herbal remedies do exist, as does consuming certain foods for health. They have studied it well, as have I. When we find something works, we use it appropriately. When Liam teaches martial arts of medieval-style combat, he still moves around quite well and fluidly, showing the follow-through of fighting techniques so the younger fighters learn how to move and what to do to block blows and continues to emphasize not allowing anyone to become injured. His main goal is to teach safety, attention to and knowing the art of sword fighting, letting them know it is not what is seen in movies or on television shows. Those are choreographed. We do not do so in the Medieval Society. It is one’s skills, speed and agility which causes one to win battles on any given day or in any given tournament. Liam and I teach some classes together. I teach some alone and as I said some with our friends Master Michael and Master Dagfinn, the doctors Andrews and Langley, meaning medical doctors (MD) and retired United States Air Force medical doctors.

In the Medieval Society, it is still quite fun we can fool numerous folks with regard to our ages and length of time in the Medieval Society; this length mostly applies to Liam and me. Most look at us as much younger, and partly it is because we do not act old, nor do we have numerous problems most our age do. It is what we consume, what we use for arthritis and how we exercise which make a difference. While we know our limits and know we cannot move as quickly as we once did, we realize this too is part of the aging process and a perfectly natural and acceptable aspect of living a long life. Dagfinn and Michael attend many events with us since both are basically retired, except Michael has speaking engagements for military medical events, given his depth and breadth in medicine. It has been great since we are all retired from working for others. Our time is ours to determine what we do and to where we travel. Our two doctor friends are eloquent, educated, physically fit, dashing and handsome gentlemen, both of whom have chosen to be single. They each do everything with great style. There are still some ladies, usually newcomers, who try as they might to woo, i.e., gain the attentions and love of, Michael or Dagfinn into attempts of cavorting with them. Neither one takes the bait. They are perfect gentlemen and have the best Savoir Faire ever, knowing how to say no without hurting a lady’s feelings. Mostly, everyone in our Medieval Society household knows the two men like being single, given the loves of their lives had met an early demise. They will tell people so if pressed or if anyone asks questions which really are not the kind to ask because it is each person’s private arena regarding one’s sexual orientation and none of anyone else’s business.

I was shocked when I was told some wondered if the two doctors were a couple. Not a snowball’s chance in hell. Both know how to stop the gossip. The funny side is, it is a compliment to the two men when ladies twenty years younger are doing the wooing. In some ways, Michael, Dagfinn, Liam and I have a few laughs over certain aspects our two friends share with us as we do so with them. We do not laugh at the ladies and the men never tell us who said what, which is fine. It is the humor regarding the ladies’ comments which is talked of between us in private. It seems that some ladies are lovelorn. Some like talking with them, and who would not? Liam and I think it is fun the two share information with others. In reality, life offers humorous moments. Seize them and talk, though do not tell who said what. It makes it not gossip and becomes information only. Our badge flag still stands strong as a testament to our convictions, beliefs, past lives, heritage and we embrace all of them in our daily lives. We still feel victorious. We have both beaten numerous dragons which raised their ugly heads. Our general comment is simply this or close to it: Most people have certain icons and symbols which have great meaning. The other half is Generally, those icons or symbols are private.

Liam and Anna’s badge flag has held up over time.

We taught a class on how we accomplished the task with great detail on how we made ours, not revealing our meaning for our personal badge if asked. We have suggested each household member and/or couple find their own meaning in such an item of identity as a household or as a couple. We asked our household to relate this same concept to anyone who asks, For what does it stand? Therein lies the secret of our Zanado in keeping our private parts of life private while flying a beautiful and iconic flag, boldly showing colors and symbols. Ours has done so, with small repairs from use, being in the weather’s elements and the fact it is made of fabric. As a result of our class, several people in the Medieval Society began making lovely badge flags, as did many of our household members. It adds to the pageantry of the Medieval Society with great color and pride in who we are within such an organization. It made us smile when folks came and asked us to view their flag, which we gladly did. We took a photo with them in it and e-mailed it to them, another place where our modern world meets medieval world in technology. They were always pleased.

We Four Musketeers balance all our numerous activities in a broad range of venues. We manage to engage in wonderful experiences together. At times, Liam and I will go somewhere alone. Mike and Dave quite understand and it is not a problem because they are the most understanding gentlemen we have ever known. By the way, they write for medical journals, so it works for all of us. Since we four enjoy each other’s company, we often go places together. We have such fun and enjoyable conversations, never a time when we do not talk or banter on some life aspect or another.

It keeps us alert and our minds active since we never know what one or the other might say. We are all for an open forum wherein we each are free to speak our mind. For heaven’s sake, none of us ever mince words. We have continued to have fun going to Classic Car Rally Shows and Cruise-In Events in various places when we can. All four of us love it. They have always been such fun, and we have met a cross section of people every single time we go. It never ceases to amaze us how diverse our country really is. Liam finally talked me into learning how to drive his old car with all its new and modern equipment. It was a learning curve since I had not driven a large car for decades. I still refuse driving freeways and told the men I cannot see that fast. We laughed and they agreed, safety is first in Living Life Well.

We decided not to replace the demise of the Ford Focus since there was no real need. It was past and this is now. Between Dave’s full-size four-door sedan, Liam’s restored classic car, which he says is our car, we are fine. He had it registered in both our names. We enjoy going places in Mike’s SUV along with our motorcoach. So there is no real need to have another car. We give Dave money for the fuel for his car. It was good Mike had the motorcoach outfitted with a trailer hitch. He decided to buy an enclosed trailer which would fit the SUV or the old car. It has a ramp, and the vehicle is simply driven up the ramp and secured, parked and the emergency brake is on and securing it means it is strapped to the trailer. There is room to open the vehicle’s door to exit the vehicle and trailer. It is totally the neatest trailer with small vent windows in front and two in back. This way, we could take the motorcoach to any event with one of our vehicles in the trailer and have it to go on our adventures. And it helped preserve our classic car by not driving it long distances and staying in hotels, which we had done. Again, Mike’s brilliance in the motorcoach was realized. We went in style to Classic Car and Medieval Society events with our home away from home. James continues to be our driver and he is a real safe driver.

The Four Musketeers Motorcoach Sign

Another fun aspect Mike asked us three was what we thought of having a decorative phrase on the side of the motorcoach. Yes, initially, we had all agreed not to have a logo or sign. We discussed it and since we had decided we were the Four Musketeers a time ago, Mike had two renditions drawn and showed them to us. One had a single hat while one had four hats with each in a slightly different style and color without cartoon faces. We selected the one with four hats, so two on each side of the writing "The Four Musketeers." We all loved Three Musketeers and Four Musketeers movies long ago and faraway in the 1970s era. Mike had chosen two different scripts of the era, even though it was a later era than our Medieval Society. No matter, we all liked the idea, and it suited the four of us as a familyship. We all agreed on one script, and it has flourishes. In calligraphy, this means the curls in the script. The writing is The Four Musketeers and under it in smaller lettering below was One for All and All for One. It was awesome Mike wanted to have this done. I believe he knew we would like it. It was a unanimous hit. We agreed on the design with four hats, and the font we selected was perfect. Mike found photos of the hats for styles and would use them for the drawing. Our motorcoach was now personalized. Once it was finished, it looked great. We loved it, and it was fun.

Musketeer Hat drawing with text to show lettering for the motorcoach’s sign. Created by author per text and vision herein.

Friends noticed the sign at our medieval events. It cracked most up and they loved it. Garrett said he wondered when we would do it. He knew we liked the movies and said, It is perfect. Nearly everyone knew for certain what the reference was and how much everyone had liked the story and movie The Four Musketeers. The deeper meaning is what the phrase One for All and All for One means to us as a familyship. Ah, this opened yet another door and certainly another brilliant idea of Mike’s. He felt we each needed Musketeer sun hats in each of our chosen colors and styled exactly like those on the sides of our motorcoach. And we each had a personalized hatbox for our hat. Nice touch. We had the hats custom-made, and they turned out quite well. There was a storage place in the motorcoach we rarely used. Since Mike is the tallest, he can reach it and bring the hatboxes to our level. When we used them, we left the boxes out until we had aired our hats dry and then put them away. We never put away a damp hat. Too much a risk for mold since one never knows what is in the air outside while in the Pacific North Wet—oh, I mean Northwest. The feathers and leather needs to dry. We had the proper items to clean the hats when needed. Awesome, Mike, awesome idea.

Once we had all agreed to it, we all knew it would be great fun. We went to a wonderful millinery shop Mike had found and we had our hats made. They were suede leather and lined in cotton or satin. The price included a hatbox, which we each selected, knowing the size we needed for our storage space. Once finished, our Musketeer hats were amazing and wonderful. We all looked great in our hats despite our modern clothing. At times, we had photos taken with us wearing them. It was fun to wear them, and they were better than most sun hats. If it rained, it would not hurt the hats. We did not wear them at medieval events because they were for our other road trips. And they were not an era for which we had costumes and it is a late time frame. At times in the Medieval Society, some folks pushed the envelope into the era, though we did not. It was absolutely hilarious to wear them at other venues, such as the Classic Car Rallies or other festivals, because it was so unusual. Why not wear something fun? It seems we were often avant-garde in certain aspects of what we did as a familyship. It gave people pause, caused queries and we had fun with it. Is life not best lived when we are having great times? We believe we proved we can do silly and fun quite well. Think what one might in the great times we four had in the familyship we had formed. Liam and I were solid in our rock foundation as a couple, and our Unit-of-One was fabulous. Our love story is one for the ages, yet we keep intimacy exactly as it is, intimate. Intimacy means no other people are allowed to peek into our private aspects of life unless we say so. Another meaning of the word intimate is private and personal. Another is involving a close connection. It should be known, when one uses the word intimacy, it can be a euphemistic term for sexual relations, though not always. Liam and I have intimate conversations sitting in chairs fully clothed, behind closed doors. The word intimate comes from Latin, intimare, which means to impress or make familiar. So take your pick on meanings.

They all apply to Liam’s and my Unit-of-One. Mike and Dave are each single and not a couple. Some had asked if they were, as previously noted. Nothing in the men’s behaviors would ever indicate they were a couple since they are not. Yes, they are best friends and have known each other for decades. Ladies have their lady friends, and men have their men friends. It is how life is. This is a fact of life since time began, to be sure. Men hunted together and were the warriors. Ladies cooked, sewed or had tea together and once it began, ladies shopped together. Men are friends, ladies are friends and in our world, men and ladies are friends and nothing more.

People need not assume things which are not there because the fact remains speculation only leads to unnecessary ill feelings due to the inaccuracies of gossip. Please do not assume. The four of us in our familyship have great fun anywhere we go and imbue the best of times. Many folks will often recognize us as the Four Musketeers and connect it to our motorcoach, even when we are not wearing our hats. It is totally awesome! We certainly have met some neat classic car buffs along the way at those events. When we visit, we learn the diversity of their lives and they ours.

The Foothills of Mount Hood

The four of us went to the foothills of Her Majesty, Mount Hood, a few times at different times of the year. While there, we walked the trails at Lost Lake and other lovely and easy nature hikes. We stayed at a bed-and-breakfast inn in Parkdale since the Hamlet had closed. It was fun being in the foothills of Mount Hood and seeing the Columbia River Gorge on the way there and returning to Portland. We stopped at places Liam and I had stopped at on our trips there together. We stopped to view the fantastic Bridge to the Gods to remember the time when Liam had his vision in full living color which combined my Eye of God with the bridge’s geometric design. Following it was when we had our lovely stained glass panel in our great room created and installed by an excellent glass artist and his team. We went to a variety of places nearby and enjoyed the area a great deal, even knowing the rumblings of the Cascade mountain chain could mean Mount Hood might erupt. Like anywhere on Earth, where we live can have some type of Earth change occurrence. We truly learnt to listen to the Sounds of Nature. Our glass art panel still impresses us as being an iconic design of color and geometric designs in a balanced form. Like the bridge, it was made to last. Whenever anyone saw it, they loved it. We never tire of seeing it due to its meaning for us.

Anna and Liam’s Bridge to God.

Besides, it is what a dream was made of, and our second dream was having it made and installed. We felt no need to attempt to take the motorcoach and tow a trailer with the SUV to Mount Hood. Mike asked to drive, so we went in his fancy, comfortable SUV. We learnt not all places had parking for a motorcoach. We did not only go to the foothills once. We always had fun going, tooling around and seeing new things at different times of the year. We enjoyed being in nature in the shadow of the magnificence and grand majesty of Mount Hood. We went to the wineries and stocked up on our favorites. We took the train a couple of times, which was great fun, with a fair amount of walking, though it is not too far from the train station to the bed-and-breakfast, and Parkdale really is not all that large. It is good for us to walk. When we took the train, we rented a car to go to local wineries to taste, though did not buy wines at each visit as it would have been difficult to take wines on the train. We went to Lost Lake to walk within its serene and wonderful nature!

Across the Pond to Ireland

One spring, we four made a month long trip to Ireland, touring with a coach tour company for fourteen days. Tours are a set venue and quite fun. We chose one with places we wanted to see, go to and experience. Next in Dublin and on to Shannon for several days each city, we hired a private tour car. We went to places we had not gone on the coach tour. I enjoyed being in Ireland again, seeing more sights, museums and churches than my first time a long while ago. In Dublin, we went to Trinity College Library to view the Book of Kells. No matter what one considers art, the illuminations in the Book of Kells are amazing, given the tools, tinctures, precision and intricacies of these masterpieces as well as their age. We bought books and prints, postcards and other items we desired. There are numerous places online and in libraries to see the Book of Kells, yet seeing it in person is a real treat. For lunches, we went to lovely pubs in the Temple Bar area and had great meals, going next to Ireland’s fabulous National Art Gallery on three different days since it is so huge. Liam was in seventh heaven seeing all the ancient jewelry. I knew he would love it! We took a boat tour on the Killary Fjord Connemara¹ and the tour is ninety minutes. Since our diets are refined and medically necessary in my case, Mike special-ordered lunch and wine for our excursion. It was fantastic. We enjoyed the ambiance of being on the calm water, learning the history of the area and what is done in the fjord.

The fjord is in West Ireland and calm waters. I let the men be surprised over what there is and how the fjords are used. I knew they would be surprised, and they were, so it tickled me. They liked the fjord-side geology with its colors and shapes, as do I.

Killary Fjord Connemara. Fjord-side photos taken by author a time ago in spring. Wires seen (left) are boat rails.

Indeed, Ireland has one thousand shades of green. After the fjord boat tour, which we all loved, we went to the Connemara Marble Visitor Centre in Moycullen, Galway, to find treasures to bring to friends and some for ourselves. The vast colors of marble is exciting as is its history. We purchased loverly items made of Connemara marble, which most think of as only being green. Liam and I bought a finished-edge slab for cheese service and a set of Connemara marble coasters. In Galway, we had dinner at a lovely restaurant in a hotel. We enjoyed some of the area’s seafood, including mussels in a wine sauce and the best scallops ever served with boiled potatoes, parsnips and carrots, seemingly Ireland’s most staple vegetables. Along the way, we toured Belleek and Waterford factories, and it was a real joy watching the three men as they were fascinated by the process at each place as I still am. Other places in Dublin we went to were Christchurch and St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Dubliner Center, a cultural tour. Dublin Castle is small, though a most interesting place. Going to Jameson Irish Whiskey distillery tour was great fun. We bought different types of Jameson to bring home.

I mention St. Patrick’s Cathedral again. It is a magnificent and wonderful place to experience, not only for its age, since the architecture of it is amazing, and the intricacies of its details are amazing. The stained glass windows are quite colorful and beautiful. Interestingly enough, the Ghosts I had seen and photographed on my first trip to Ireland were still there, so they are Ghosts which remain in a fixed location. So again, these are fixed Ghosts in those areas and they are not leaving. On the following image, note the two eyes below the stained glass windows. My Third Eye vision and the camera captured it. There is nothing on the wall where those are when you are close to it.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland. Trio of complex stained glass windows, with two eyes seen below on either side of the curved orange top of a grave marker, which is a heraldic Coat of Arms. Photo taken by author a time ago, used herein per text and visions for Anna.

While the eyes appearing below the stained glass are seemingly sad looking, they are hauntingly amazing. A most prominent Ghost is next to the grave marker of a man, which is a stone sculpture. To the right at the bottom is a man’s head as a ghostly apparition, and it appears to sit away from the wall. This one I saw quite clearly, so took photos of it. Digital cameras do an amazing job of capturing Ghosts’ images. Considering there are numerous bodies of people buried in cathedrals, it is not surprising there are Ghosts.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral. A grave monument likely of an important man, given the clothing is AD 1700s era. I did not note the name or dates because its stone inscription was difficult to read. Photo taken by author and used herein per text and vision.

I see Ghosts in bars, restaurants and hotels as well. Given their attire, most appear to be from centuries ago, as are ones I have seen in churches and graveyards in Ireland in the past and again on this trip. I do not purposely interact with Ghosts. I observe. As stated in the past, I will interact with a Ghost if it interacts with me first. One of the things on Ghosts I learnt long ago is not being afraid of them, so this is a good way to interact by letting Ghosts be. From benign Ghosts which still exist to Guinness. The men absolutely wanted to take the tour of Guinness Brewery. What is a trip to Ireland and being in Dublin, fair city, where the girls are all pretty without going to Guinness to see how it is made? Lyrics from the song Molly Malone.

To the lower right of the preceding statue/monument is a ghostly apparition. Ergo and closer, a man’s head is seen. Photos used herein based on text and visions of the familyship seeing the same images whilst inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Once at the top of the Guinness building, the men got to drink my Guinness since I no longer am able to drink beer. I got mine and the three men split it into their glasses. The views of Dublin from the observation deck are amazingly awesome. It is a three-quarter circle panoramic view. It is certainly another perspective of Dublin, fair city. There were great places to have meals in the Temple Bar area. It was where we saw entertainers at different places, having lovely evenings, listening to bands and singers, seeing Irish dancers and found great meals as we sipped Irish Whiskey or the men had Guinness. We went to places, which made sense to do, though it was an experience of a lifetime, such as crossing Ha’penny Bridge and photos with the statue of Molly Malone and more.

Other visits in our travels included going to the Shrine of Knock and its Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland. The modern chapel where the statues of the visions seen by people long ago is most impressive. The basilica is a most interesting architecture, given it is modern though quite beautiful. We enjoyed our visit to Tobernalt Holy Well, and I walked the Stations of the Cross, remembering when I was once Catholic in past lives. The setting is in a forest of trees for protection. It feels reverent and sacred. People are quiet and respectful. Truly, it is a lovely nature cathedral. The history of such places is astonishing. In walking there again, I had a sense of fear from all the energies left over the centuries. There were apparently numerous secret and protected places wherein Catholics could escape the Reformation to practice their faith.

Tobernalt Holy Well. Photo by author a time ago. It is interesting how the area is set up. It has been changed over time as improvements were made, though to a degree it is still quite natural. We cannot know what it was like in the 1500s era.

When at Blarney Castle, none of us kissed the Blarney Stone. We know better. We decided we are all too old to do so. The position one must get into to kiss the Blarney Stone is not what any of us desired to do. I said, I do not do backbends and have not for decades, to which we all laughed. Not going there as it could hurt me.

A view of Blarney Castle in spring and spiral stairs were taken by author a time ago and used herein for Anna and the familyship.

There are numerous stairs to climb to go to the top level where the views of the Irish countryside are positively stunning. To descend to the bottom floor again, spiral stairs are used, which are narrow with a rope covered in leather, periodically fastened to the stone walls. It is a handrail. As we returned from the highest part of Blarney Castle and were descending the spiral stairs, I showed them an archer’s alcove because I had explained what I had done there in the past. We each took turns going into it, and all of us thought it was a confined space. Granted, from history, we know many medieval men were not tall in most places, and yet there were the exceptions. The archer’s window we went into is not the one in my photo. The one I went into a time ago and the one we went into were not chained off like the one in the photo from the spiral stairs. Mike and Dave are taller than Liam. Mike said it felt weird standing in the space. The three men agreed my theory on how archers shot arrows from their longbows in such spaces was absolutely correct. A longbow would have been held horizontally to shoot from an archer’s window in the alcove. There is no other way. The neat way those windows are made, given the walls are likely three feet thick, creates a rather interesting view of the outside. How can that be? Depending upon where you are inside the castle and near the window, your trajectory and view can cover a vast range likened to a panoramic view. When standing in the middle of the window, there is only a small slice viewed. I believe the archers had a real advantage in those window slits.

Archer’s Window, lower right. Upper left portion of photo shows spiral stairs from whence we had come, including the underside in upper right. Black rope is the handrail. I wanted a photo of an archer’s window. Spiral stairs are not for the faint of heart.

It is something to see a castle in the state Blarney is in and having complete trust it is still solid when entering and beginning a walkabout. Where the roof used to be attached, i.e., wood beams, would have been across the castle, side to side. It is open to the sky. There are holes in the stone walls and for subsequent floors beneath where the wood beams would have been. The wood is long since rotted and gone. It is a long, long way down from the top part to the lower areas of the castle. More on the Blarney Stone is another aspect. None of us needs or desires to talk any blarney, which means to talk with intent to charm or flatter or to tell tall tales. Our comments are genuine and we speak our truths. While we can relate stories, they are for the education or information of others and not intended to ever be considered tall tales. Since Liam, Mike and Dave had not been to Ireland before, they loved everything. I loved seeing places I had been in the past and new ones I had not visited prior to this time. We had such a grand time everywhere we went.

It was quite the education in Irish his and her stories to go, see and experience the Irish culture and its current era of people. I must agree, many Irish folks have had difficulties, especially in the past, as I have seen it in certain Irish relatives and friends. A common Irish saying goes like this: Irish folks have an abiding sense of tragedy which sustains them through temporary periods of joy. Our plane left from Shannon, so we felt spending time there was worth it since there are great things to see and do. We purchased gifts for family and friends and finding items we could not live without. Ha! We indulged our senses, our taste buds, sense of smell and desires. It is wonderful to afford such trips to share great memories between the four of us and our familyship. There was more, though to be certain, a grand time was had by all. We took numerous photos. Now, Liam, Mike and Dave knew why people love Ireland so much as they loved the country with its one thousand shades of green from whence our ancestors had come. The men loved seeing the sheep and cows with cairn, i.e., rock fence separations of the fields. They liked seeing a henge hither and yon, sacred, ancient rock circles of stone, such as a famous one, Stonehenge, in England. Stonehenge is one of the largest henges in the United Kingdom. One henge we saw was in the middle of farm fields. Any henge is considered sacred and part of Ireland’s history.

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¹ Boat Tour Killary Fjord Connemara and Visitor Centre: www.killaryfjord.com. Website photos are fabulous. The ones seen herein are from the same fjord a time ago and were taken by author.

Spiritual Seminars: The Seals and Our Book

We continued to present Spiritual Seminars when asked and agreed to do them between the other parts of our active lives. The newer seminars were similar to ones in the past, only with a different audience and in new locations. We were seeing many younger folks in attendance. Some seminars were local, and for some, we traveled to arrive there. We continued to work with the Seals to assist those we knew of and those who wrote asking for Healing Energies to be requested. Some folks were ones who had been to our seminars in the past and had purchased our book. If people desired to make requests for healing, we would do so. Most would e-mail or send a letter. Specific items had to be identified by the requestor. Once the request went in, we worked with the Seals and let them know. At three and six months, the requestor let us know of changes and/or healings they were certain had occurred. As we had been doing, we logged them all, no matter what the outcome.

After years with our log of all the requests, there had been numerous great results reported, so we did a third edition of our book as we decided it was time. Every single person received a reply and a Thanks for responding missive from us. This was all research, albeit somewhat time-consuming. Mike, Dave, Liam and I felt we had to do so to realize Cosmic Quantum Energy Healing worked as well as it did. God was gracious upon our Souls and on those of many others. It had the wow exclamation factor!

In our book’s third edition and in e-mails or letters to those who had requested being on our list, we suggested people find a way to create their own Healing and Protection Seal by making them out of fabric or construction paper or felt if those were all they could afford. We suggested working on their personal Seal could send their desires to gain the benefits, knowing the premises. I shared I had made one in needlepoint, which I shared previously. We talked of the ideal of the creative factor in one’s desire helping to create one’s positive outcome. Some wrote in return they had not thought of it. One lady made one in ceramic, carefully painting it. She sent a photo. Another fellow made one in wood, carving it and painting it. So we know it is possible.

The Seal created in needlepoint by author for Anna and the familyship, used herein based on text and visions.

We had decided when we traveled to take my needlepoint Seal with us since it was lightweight and did not have a large or heavy box. We worked with clean hands so as not to transfer oil onto the screens. While it had intrinsic value to us and especially for me as its creator, it was not the caliber of the ones Dave and Mike have in their possession with the crystals, gemstones, minerals and precious metals. Nonetheless, it is beautiful. Yes, I spent a great deal of time creating it. It is washable by hand in mild soap, rinsing well and laying it flat to dry on towels since it is three layers, i.e., three needlepoint screens. Like all other art I create, it has value.

Upon publication of the third edition of our book on healing, we decided we could no longer take requests for our doing healings for others. We believed in empowering people with information to do their own work with The Seal, Design I and it was enough. Given the number of requests we were receiving, it made sense to make this change. Spirituality has much to do with empowering others to do what each person can do to improve their life so they can Live Life Well.

It worked quite well and we received letters of thanks and reports from people’s works with the Seal they made. It was awesome! One thing we had done was to keep Edgar, our editor, on our list for doing Seal work. He had done much for us, and we were pleased his condition became quite stabilized given what it is, and he remained healthy so was able to assist in our third edition. This pleased us and our keeping him in our prayers and work with the Seals was our gift to him. Edgar appreciated our asking for his healing, health and protection, along with the fact Edgar had been on the list always as we kept him and ourselves there. The Seals, God’s graces upon our Souls and our own diligence in attending our healthstyle, the four of us did well overall. It felt as if our work with the Seals, asking for Healing Energy, kept us healthier, balanced, centered and protected, often mostly free of pains. While we each had a few ups and downs as most folks do, for now we had nothing major going on at all and we simply carried on.

Dave continued to be Liam’s and my doctor, though I had some specialists. He and Mike kept tabs on each other for blood tests and/or any health issues. Mike often asked of my health. The good thing was when we traveled, we had doctors with us in case we needed it. Dave had Mike monitor my INR and its medicine since he is well versed; Mike had studied hematology specifically and kept up on it. Mike never charged me. I only went to the hematologist once a year. For any blood panel results, a copy went to my hematologist.

Prophecy for a New Way of Life

Prior to my turning age seventy, a variety of Earth changes began altering some people’s attitudes toward humanity, different cultures and religions and how life is lived, as had messages from books like ours and other educational missives precisely due to what was needed to keep one’s family and the self safe. That said, a possible prophecy follows. It is how life could be if things go the way which not only me, through other spiritual folks, have seen. We know Earth’s nature is in constant change. So within the following are some of the prophetic situations which could come to pass or are probable. In these prophecies, it shows the sheer volume of Earth change events which began to cause humanity to look for support around the world, not only in everyone’s territory and/or backyard. More community sharing, kindness and support began to become a normal way of life, exactly as it was aeons ago, when community members supported each other. There still was a sense to be cautious, be prepared and pay attention to one’s contacts with others, going into all life matters with one’s eyes wide open. We all knew this was certainly not paranoia. It is common sense. This came from decades of life experiences between the four of us with a combined almost two centuries of education, knowledge and wisdom, along with knowing ourselves well, listening to spiritual insights and knowing what to do in any life circumstance. We are basically survivalists. Dreams like the one I had titled Walk on the Wild Side were now recognized for our familyship as being a spiritual message to learn from, and we most certainly had done so. In the prophecy, to be certain, life was not as bad as in the aforementioned dream, though for some people, it had its major difficulties. Part of surviving Earth changes has to do with where people choose to live.

In the numerous facets of Earth changes, certain weather conditions caused many areas to be unable to grow crops in the conventional, normal manner, i.e., in fields or groves, on farms or ranches,. Even greenhouses, if not built properly, can be torn apart by nature’s fury, the wind. There were learning curves abound. Not only were there earthquakes, volcanic actions, monstrous tornadoes, hurricanes or typhoons, strong straight-line winds or lack of rain or too much rain, colder winters with an abundance of snow and hot, dry summers all creating damage, they all created problems. The fires in some places wiped out towns and forests. It was time for protective actions. While this is not a new concept, since there are existing biospheres,² some with curved roofs and some with geodesic dome roofs, were created to raise crops and animals.

In the biospheres, foods people consumed and fed for domestic and/or farm animals were free from dangerous substances. The addition of numerous biospheres, which were all massive, was now a necessity. It was as if science fiction à la Star Trek notions of Gene Roddenberry,³ who had met real life. The biospheres were similar to the gardens on Star Trek vessels.

Life had indeed changed. All garden and grove ecosystems were natural and organic. Farmers were scientists with complete comprehension of how biospheres worked and were operated. They could grow more nutritious and better foods which were not inundated with toxic chemicals from pesticides or other toxins. Seeds were no longer modified. Seed harvesting ensures food quality remains. No hormones or antibiotics were in any protein sources, i.e., poultry and other safe small farm animals and/or fish. All animals were fed natural products without fillers. There was no more GMO-altered foods, animals, or fish. It was truly a time to go back to nature and coexist in harmony with the changing nature of nature. These changes would shrink the number of cancers in people and their domestic pets. As people became healthier, medical science had to change with the times and move into natural remedies, not synthetic and toxic medicines with long lists of dangerous side effects for most medicines. Our world’s people were no longer going to accept toxins in our medicines and/or food chain. The farms had housing in geodesic dome pods, so those who worked the farms all lived there. There were always people on the farms, tending to and checking everything, keeping the biosphere clean and working properly. Productions were better and farms created all they needed to sustain those who worked them along with providing quality foods for the markets.

Large-animal deaths worldwide changed the chain of the animal kingdom. It created shortages of animals for human consumption in many areas. People had to learn to eat without as much meat of any kind, though there were lamb, sheep, goat and pig meats. Other food combinations were used or other protein-type foods consumed by those who did not consume animal meats. There were biosphere fisheries and processing plants for animal by-products, i.e., butter, eggs, milk, cheeses or yogurt, plain, not fancy. This became safer and certainly cleaner than in the past. No more dyes were used on or in food for what some thought it needed to look like. Dyes were considered a toxin and made humans ill. Foods tasted better and contained the proper nutrients rather than being stripped of them. Many people had their own small biosphere to grow their own crops. The ways the biospheres changed life was quite savvy and made sense. Many people stopped having allergies, illness, cancers and other conditions which had plagued humans for more than a century.

The volume of fossil fuel use decreased. Better methods were developed to replace them, and there was a complete change in most transportation. Most of the fossil fuel wells went dry completely because of overuse in the past. Places where they had fracked the Earth created larger and more earthquakes as time passed. Sinkholes appeared in almost unbelievable sizes and were seen from above by the space satellites.

Most wars, land grabs, conflicts and religious wars ceased because weapons became scarce. Terrorists had been met with force, captured, tried and once imprisoned, some were educated to change their ways to live in polite, civil society. Some terrorists and criminals were not released. Some were sentenced to death for their crimes against humanity and disregard of any life, human or otherwise and/or the commonalities of most Earth communities. This may sound harsh, though the threats of some prisoners caused them to have another trial, thus the actual outcome. One of the main conditions which stood out to me in the Earth changes were things The Otherside had talked of when I was in my thirties. Some of it was somewhat the same. Landscaping around cities, parks and housing became what is called zero-scape, meaning minimal. Tall and old trees succumbed to the high winds. Other trees were trimmed so they survived. Places around the Earth had dramatic climate changes over the years. Areas which were not deserts became deserts. Areas which were deserts changed to more tropical climates as different types of trees and plants grew in areas they never did prior to this. Tropical areas changed to dryer climates. What we think of as true tropical areas no longer existed.

The Earth’s shorelines changed. Ocean water levels increased due to the volume of precipitation worldwide and the melting ice in the North and South Poles. Some land areas had to be abandoned as they were no longer safe. Rivers grew or shrank, as did lakes, depending on where they were located. Most people finally got it that living too close to a river, lake, creek, or the ocean was unwise and potentially dangerous. Some lakes and creeks disappeared altogether in areas where the climate changed. Some cities ceased to exist because people had migrated to other areas. Depending on where they were located, all bodies of water, creeks, streams, rivers, oceans and lakes changed in some manner. Storms continued to increase in size and strength in some areas.

Most people finally understood the Earth is an ever-changing, ever-evolving living planet. When one realizes a huge interior parts of numerous countries were all flooded by the seas, it is easier to comprehend the changing nature of Earth.

Our home had a metal and more secure roof installed to make it safer. We had real shutters for all windows and doors, made of metal, installed on the outside, which we could either hand-crank closed or use electricity to close. In many ways, our home was a castle fortress and quite secured. When the winds came, it could take out windows and doors which were unprotected. We had to reinforce the porches, installing shutters, steel beams and uprights.

The home’s siding and rooftops were now thick concrete shingles. The garage door had a metal siding door which came from the top and shut when needed exactly, only stronger than the iron gates in castles in medieval times. No vehicles were parked on the streets or in driveways. We had our entire backyard covered in a biosphere dome to the ground so we could farm and have flowers and security. Many others did the same thing since the storms were such a problem. The nice thing with domes is there is a system to use the water and snow.

Businesses and stores had to update all their buildings and have safe and covered parking lots with either tunnels or hallways connected to them to keep property and people safe. Some had underground parking. There were places along highways and larger roads so when there were storm warnings, people could go into the shelters and not be out in the open. The infrastructures were changed, and some transportation and transit of goods were done in different ways. Yes, it seems daunting, yet it became a standard of operations. It finally came home to many people’s consciousness the fact nature always wins. What happened in these massive Earth changes were not the end-times. It was, in fact, a new time with great hope for humanity and our Earth.

Those who were educated understood the new ways of survival and who persevered became empowered to Live Life Well and did better than those who did not think they needed to change anything. Given how nature determines the natural cycle of survival of the fittest, it occurred. Yes, it changed how we all lived life and it became a way of life. We constantly monitored the weather conditions. We paid close attention to our surroundings no matter where we were and knew when we traveled, we might have to find shelter. While this may all sound as if it is science fiction, in the real world, it is not. It was survival, Savoir Faire and attention to our surroundings. Maintaining our lives and status quo meant being vigilant to all our Changing World. We all strive to persevere, as ever and always. We live life with an open perception and perspective and look at all methods to maintain health, sustain and support life. Please remember the preceding is all a possible prophecy of what could become life as we know it on planet Earth and remember this: Nothing is written in stone.

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² Biosphere Science Project: University of Arizona, Tucson, College of Science Biosphere 2. Contact: 32540 South Biosphere 2, Oracle, Arizona 85623. Phone: [phone]. Website: http:// b2science.org. National Geographic Biosphere: http://education.nationalgeographic.com/ education/encyclopedia/biosphere/?ar_a.

³ Gene Roddenberry (August 19, 1921–October 24, 1991): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_ Roddenberry. He was a veteran of the US Army Air Corps (1941–1945), a captain, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal. The article is an interesting read. Author’s Note: I know a lady mentioned in the article. Small world, is it not?

Anna Turns Age Seventy and It Is Five Years Hence

We had quite the party and celebration in our enclosed patio, the yard, and hired a great Celtic band to play the first week in May, when I turned seventy. It still hardly seemed it could be so. This was a fabulous milestone. A grand time was had by one and all, especially me. Dave and Liam arranged all the food, drinks and a cake. Mike arranged for a photographer and French champagne. It was all wonderful. My birthday cake was gluten-free, as were all the foods. The cake was cleverly cute as it was three layers with off-white buttercream frosting with real gilding (gold) covering over dark chocolate coins all over it with red roses which were candied organic rosebuds dipped in sugar crystals and could be consumed. The sugar on the rosebuds sparkled and the gilded coins shimmered in the light. It was awesome. We had to do the cake on the patio, which had air-conditioning now and was more useful as a room. The cake would have melted outside, and we cannot have this happening.

There were fifty people in our patio room. Some had looked at the cake and went into the yard and came in later to greet and embrace. Needless to say, the patio was packed with many people. My birthday cake did not have seventy candles on it either. It had a number 7 and a 0, so only two candles to blow out, not as if this was a problem for me. I loved it Liam made the party happen for me, albeit he had Dave and Mike to assist. I said when he turned seventy, I would arrange one for him. He said he looked forward to it. Liam said I have always looked twenty years younger than my actual age. I thanked him for the compliment.

I said only in the last few months have I no longer been carded at pubs and restaurants or when buying wine or liquor or asking for a senior citizen’s menu. We had a great laugh over it. Liam started the toast sequence to my milestone birthday. We had a delicious champagne kiss. Dave toasted and my sons said neat things, remembering when folks thought I was their sister, and next, Garrett and Mike spoke lovely toasts. From there it went around the room with lovely toasts to this milestone and my not being concerned anyone knows my age. For the cake and the toasts, the photographer did audio-video so we can remember it due to our being caught up in the moments, not that I have memory problems. The party and gathering were the best gifts I could have ever received, being surrounded by my family and numerous close friends and our familyship. Some traveled from faraway places to be there. I did not know who all would attend, so it was amazing to see all the smiling faces and visit with so many relatives and friends. If ever I adored and loved Liam even more, it was with what he had put into my milestone birthday event with its amazing touches. I would say Liam knows me quite well. As do Dave and Mike. I