Author: singingaboutcooking

I started this blog at a time in my life where everything centered around feeding people and singing everytime I could. That's why my site is named SingingAboutCooking. And since then I have continued to both find things that have served me and release others that were only destined for a season. If you are finding me in 2026 (last time this was updated), you are finding the CeCe who is still passionate about food, has retired from singing due to a medical condition, suffers daily from some new menopause symptom combination, has been diagnosed with autism as an adult eldest daughter female (IYKYK), is moving to the Anchorage-ish Alaska area in 2027, and has embraced her Scorpio crystal and divination witch self.

Cooking

Making a Meal out of Nothing

Posted on January 5, 2011September 17, 2026 by singingaboutcooking

Danielle: So, what do you want to make for dinner?

CeCe: Whatcha got?

Danielle: Chicken and feta, a veritable smorgasbord of choices there for ya <laughter>.

Um, but, yes, I am one of those annoyingly imaginative and versatile people who can take someone’s leftovers or still-frozen food and have dinner on the table and super yummy in just 45 minutes.So, what did I do with these insane options? Make a fabulous dinner in three easy steps.

Summer in Her Apron — Summer in her apron, ready to help me cook dinner!

Step 1: Entreé…I had my choice actually of frozen chicken breasts, frozen pork chops, or frozen stew beef. Since I already had a chicken idea in mind, that’s what I picked out. Simple. Tossed the equivalent of two chicken breasts into a baking dish…yes, still completely frozen…poured about 1/4 cup of lemon juice in the bottom, and sprinkled the top with salt and pepper. Actually, one of Danielle’s daughters helped with the salt and pepper. Into a 350 degree over with the timer set for 45 minutes.

Step 2: Veggie Side…here, my choices were very limited. As Danielle had no fresh veggies in the crisper, a salad was out as was any kind of sauteéd, carmelized, fried, etc. veggie. But, as any mom does, she had several bags of frozen veggies. We chose a steam-in-bag medley of green beans, wax beans, and carrots, mainly since her girls would eat them.

Step 3: Carby Side…since Danielle’s girls had already mandated mac and cheese (one of them eats ONLY mac and cheese), she always has a box mix or some Bob Evans mac and cheese.

As the timer goes off for the chicken, I turn off the oven but leave the chicken in. Meanwhile, into the microwave go the frozen steam-in-bag beans. Done. In goes the mac and cheese. Done.

Magic Sauce: While I make the kids plates (which consists of cutting up the chicken and the beans and cooling off the mac and cheese), I put one more bowl in the microwave. A special bowl…just for the grown-ups. Remember that feta Danielle laughingly mentioned? Time for a quick sauce. In the bowl is equal parts of regular cream cheese and feta cheese, liberally sprinkled with basil, oregano, and pepper (no salt because cheese is already loaded with salt). Microwave for one-and-a-half minutes, then stir it all together to blend.

Kids plates: simple baked chicken breast with a hint of lemon juice, green beans, and mac and cheese.

Grown-up plates: Baked Lemon Chicken with Feta Sauce and Kalamata Olives, Haricot Verts, and Pasta with Cheddar Sauce.

And, yes, you can do this too. Here’s what to remember:

Make three choices. That’s all it takes. Doesn’t matter what’s frozen or what’s raw.
Start cooking the thing that will take the longest. Here’s a quick priority list: frozen meat, raw root veggie or grain (like rice), box mix of something (like rice-a-roni). Well, that’s actually it. Fresh and frozen veggies take just a few minutes in the microwave.
For frozen meat, in the oven, add about 15 minutes per pound of frozen meat. In the skillet, remember that your fingers are your best judge, not a timer. Yes, I have just advocated poking your tender finger near a very hot skillet and testing the resiliency and elasticity of your meat–chicken, pork, beef, whatever.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus: for 3 oz of chicken (3 pts), 2T feta sauce (2 pts), 1t sliced olives (1 pt), 1/2 cup or 4 oz Bob Evans mac and cheese (6 pts), and as many green beans as you want = 12 points

Sorry, as happens with making a meal out of nothing, it’s done quickly and on the fly, with no thought to taking pictures at different stages.

Everyday Musings

I HATE Sally

Posted on January 4, 2011September 17, 2026 by singingaboutcooking

I have an awfully hard time just disliking someone, but a nearly impossible time actually hating someone enough that I really believe if I saw him/her that I wouldn’t be able to resist ripping them limb from limb. Oops, sorry, this is supposed to be a productive blog site at the very least, but I hate people who knowingly and deliberately hurt others. Well, I hate the ones who are so wrapped up in themselves that they only care about what happens to them and not the ones they use.

These musings are on women who destroy families.

Qualifier: what I’m about to write can certainly and easily apply to men, but I’ve really just about had it with women…no, girls…hurting wonderful men who love them and whom I care a lot about. And in all but one instance, I’ve never even met these women.

Reason #1: Cheating women are children. Really. They have gotten stuck at some pubescent stage of growing up. I mean, think about it, they are like children at recess. Sally and Suzie are playing in the sandbox; Sally, who has been digging with a shovel, puts down the shovel, brushes off the sand on her clothes, and steps out of the sandbox to go swing on the swings. But as Suzie moves to pick up the now abandoned shovel, Sally gets all possessive. Now, we know that I’m speaking in metaphor here. Sally was dating Sam, but is now done with Sam and wants to go date Mike. But at the same time, Sally doesn’t want anyone else to date Sam either, so she keeps him. Remember, Sam is the shovel in the sandbox, Mike is a swing on the swingset. As far as Sally is concerned, those two have no reason to ever play together or know about each other. That’s the mentality that allows Sally to justify keeping two men who don’t know about each other or their competition for Sally.

The same thing happens in the cheating situation (we’ll stick with Sally, Sam, and Mike). Sally and Sam are married. But Sally sees Mike and decides she likes/loves him too. While I can’t completely discount the existence of polyamory (where multiple partners all know about each other and agree to be part of a multiple partner relationship), the greed, envy, and secrecy that make cheating bad and sexy are the very things that made lying so attractive to the 5-year-old who discovered that sometimes if she said sister did it she might not get spanked…that reward rather than punishment for getting away with it. Very childish in my mind.

Reason #2: Cheating women can only lie: to themselves, to their children, and to the world. A byproduct of all of the lying necessary to cheat successfully is that at some point, she must begin to lie to herself. Not just the “getting away with it” part but the “this way no one gets hurt” part, followed by the inevitable “we’re all happier this way” part. You see, at some point, Sally will be able to justify keeping her husband Sam and dating Mike on the sly with a line of logic that goes like this: I love Mike and he makes me happy; if I’m happy from being with Mike, then I can be a nicer and better mom to my kids; and if I’m happy from being with Mike and the kids are doing well, then I can be a good wife to Sam. See, everyone is happy. At least that is what Sally has lied to herself about so many times that she now believes her own lies.

Reason #3: Cheating women deserve neither of the men they are with. Whether Mike knows about Sally’s husband Sam or not, Sally isn’t worthy of either of them. Here’s where some things might seem contradictory. But if you are Mike, and you love Sally, and she has said she’s going to leave Sam for you, you want to believe her, right? And if you are Mike, and you love Sally, and she says she has to stay with Sam because that’s what’s best for the kids, you want to believe her right? You wouldn’t love her if she was easily willing to disrupt the kids’ life just for her own pleasures, right?

In my experience as a friend to both Sam and Mike, for Sally to make this work, she has to convince one or both Sam and Mike that he is not good enough to get anyone else, to make him believe that she is the only one who can love him like he needs, despite his many and heinous flaws. In fact, such a strategy protects Sally from exactly what she fears, that she is not worthy of either of them.

What I’ve learned from these musings is that Sally is possibly the best salesperson ever…until it comes time to close the deal. Again, in both Sam’s and Mike’s cases, when push came to shove, Sally ended up with neither man: neither her husband or her lover. Both relationships failed.

And finally, I must acknowledge a special class of women who I think must be mutant, because they can’t possibly be human. These are women who abandon their children. Now, I don’t mean women who determine that someone else can give their child/ren a better life than they can and adopt them out or even sell them; though I may not agree with the method, I can respect them putting their child/ren’s needs and opportunities before theirs. I mean women who simply up and walk away. Drop the kids off at a friend’s house and just never come back from the store.

Now I’ll clarify here, I don’t have children that I can claim on my taxes, nor have I ever been pregnant. And to be honest, I’d be perfectly happy with my life if I never do have any children. But I can’t even abandon a cat or dog on the side of the road, and am horrified by the idea of leaving my nieces or nephews in the car while I take the groceries inside the house first. Truly, I believe in the existence of and challenge genetic researchers to identify the mutant gene that allows mothers to abandon their children.

Oh, and don’t even get me started on what I think of court systems who will give those same women a second chance with those children.

What I’ve ended up with are men friends who I’m pretty sure feel an immense hole in their lives, as if they will have missed some elemental life experience if they can’t find that one perfect love. (Note: I did not say perfect person.) They–the men–are the anti-players they were years ago when we were all younger, more carefree, not yet thinking of settling down but of living. Now they are worried…dare I say scared…that they’ve missed her and haven’t got a clue how to recover their opportunity, if there’s even one left. And, worse, they are scared to try again, to be hurt again. I hope I never get hurt so often or so badly that I can’t try again.

And, in case you are wondering, yes, I full-on friend love all of the Sams and Mikes in my life whom Sally has cheated on, whose children she has abandoned. Nearly all of my Sams and Mikes have been crushes, boyfriends, even lovers at some time, and have remained very dear to me. Thankfully, I can say that I have never been a Sally.

Cooking

Shepherd’s Pie

Posted on January 3, 2011December 29, 2016 by singingaboutcooking

Naturally, my first dish is quite possibly my best, but definitely a favorite of all of the families I’ve ever cooked it for. Shepherd’s Pie, or cottage pie, is more truely a “technique” than a recipe.

So what’s the difference between a technique and a recipe? Well, it’s simple really: a technique is a way of putting types of ingredients together while a recipe is a very specific collection of ingredients that blend together to make a whole new substance and flavor. Hmmm, maybe this will work better: if you can still identify the ingredients separately, then you have just made a technique; when the finished dish resembles nothing like the individual ingredients, then you’ve just made a recipe.

So back to Shepherd’s Pie: leftover meat, vegetables, potatoes. Yup, that’s it. Literally. So how does this work? Tonight’s Shepherd’s Pie is very traditionally American in the meat and potato layers, but perhaps a bit different in the middle veggie layer.

So start with a sprinkling of olive oil in your hot hot pan and toss in one rather large onion, roughly diced. Of course, if you like a finer textuer, use a fine dice. Whatever. You might also use an earthily flavored oil (rosemary, garlic, sage) as well as shallots and/or garlic at this stage. (NOTE: if you use fresh garlic, wait til you are almost done cooking the onions so you don’t risk burning it).

What you want to do is carmelize the onions, or turn them brown; at least, that is my preference. Others may just sweat them until they are clear.

When you get the onions where you like them, crumble in 2 lbs of meat. Here’s where that technique thing comes in handy. Secret: it doesn’t matter what meat you use, whether it’s ground, shredded, chopped, fresh/raw, or leftover from last week, as long as you like it. In the US, ground meat (beef or lamb) is the most traditional.

Okay, so I tossed in 2 lbs of 12% lean ground beef, sprinkled that lightly with salt and liberally with pepper and thyme. Use a spoon and break it up, browning it completely and mixing it well with the onions as it cooks. When you’ve nearly got all the pink out of the pan, sprinkle in about a quarter to a half cup of worchestershire sauce (use this GF/CF/SF recipe). This will help to deglaze the carmelized onion bits and stuck on browned meat from the bottom of the pan. I like to let the whole mixture simmer in the sauce for about 5 minutes for that delicious sauce to get into all the meat and keep it moist.

Okay, the first layer is done and ready for the baking dish. Now, because two of my family hate vegetables and the other two love them, I make two 9×9 pans of pie. Only one will get the next layer of veggies.

So, true to form, tonight I used some fresh veggies that are coming to the end of their shelf life in the veggie crisper: some brussels sprouts (aka baby cabbages) and baby carrots. Brussels sprouts are super easy to cook and come out tasting like sweet cabbages when cooked in the skillet. Just cut off the root end, peel off any yucky leaves, slice the whole little head in half and place in the skillet (yes, with a drizzle of olive oil) cut side down. And just leave them there, place each new one as you clean and cut it. Yes, I said it, just leave them sitting there, alone, untouched, unloved. Trust me, you won’t regret it. After you’ve cut up the carrots and thrown them in the pan, stir it all around a bit. Oh, yeah, don’t forget the salt and pepper…just a light sprinkle.

Okay, all done with that layer, so onto the meat it goes in the pan. Just the one pan, remember, for the veggie lovers.

The final layer is mashed potatoes. Well, tonight, I’m taking a page out of Sandra Lee’s semi-homemade book and using instant potatoes: Betty Crocker butter and chive instant potatoes, to be exact. Now since you are going to bake all of this when the layers are done, don’t even bother with boiling water, etc. Just mix hot tap water with the other ingredients and mix up the potatoes. Spoon them into the pan(s) and use your spoon to smooth them out into a nice layer.

Now mashed potatoes are the simple, American way to prepare this dish, but originally, it was made with thinly sliced or even shredded potatoes. I haven’t tried it, but I imagine some major goodness in doing a crispy hashbrown-ish top layer, frying up the tiny diced or shredded potatoes in a thin layer in the skillet and just sliding onto the top before baking. I think I would serve that with some sour cream and chives on the plate.

If you are a garnish kind of person, go to town. I’ve enjoyed a number of toppers including roasted garlic, various herbs (parsley, chive), different cheeses, but my favorite topper has always been horseradish chedder…mmmmmmmm.

Last step: shove the whole pan in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Now see all that juicy, saucy yumminess just oozing out onto the plate. Imagine the full, rich flavor of the beef complimented by the tangy worchestershire sauce, the lightly sweet brussels sprouts and carrots (now that they are fully roasted), and the smooth, buttery potatoes. This supper is well-paired with a Guiness beer or a spicy Malbec wine.

Casserole Reminder: make ahead of time and freeze until you are ready for it. This is a casserole, people. And all casseroles can be made up in double batches so you can freeze one for a later date. Same amount of effort for double the reward!!!

Weight Watchers PointsPlus: this makes 8 servings with each serving being 7 points.

Ingredients List:

1 very large onion
2 lbs meat
fresh or frozen veggies of your choice (need 2-3 cups worth)–briefly sautee or microwave-steam fresh veggies, place frozen directly onto cooked meat
4 cups mashed potatoes (that’s 8 half-cup servings)
seasonings and toppings of your choice

Cooking, Singing

Welcome to Singing about Cooking…

Posted on January 3, 2011January 3, 2011 by singingaboutcooking

Happy New Year 2011!! Just a feeling, but it’s gonna be a fantabulous year.

My blog Singing about Cooking is my first attempt to introduce the world to my secret passions: singing and cooking. Only a small circle of friends and family know what these two things really mean to me, but I’m pretty sure it’s time to let my voice out and feed the world…so to speak.

Let’s see, I started 2011 out singing with my favorite soprano friend Loretta Haskell, owner and teacher of More Music Please voice studio. But my first official performance of 2011 will be on Sunday, February 20 at 3:00 pm at Christ Church, Mount Pleasant; I’ll be singing the second lead aria “The Trees on the Mountain” from Carlisle Floyd’s Suzannah, with a finale reprisal of “Duetto Buffo di Due Gatti” by Rossini, a duet with Loretta!

Hmmm, the first thing I cooked in 2011 was Greek lemon mahimahi, Greek roasted potatoes, and sauteed brussels sprouts for possibly the pickiest eater in the whole world, my friend Marty. Again, thank you, Jeanne (his momma), for letting me invade your kitchen!

The first thing I learned in 2011 is that being laid off from my job of 3.25 years is possibly the most liberating thing that has happened to me in years. Yes, I’m worried about when I’ll run out of money. Yes, I’m looking for a new job. Yes, I have plenty to keep me busy. But most of all, yes, I’m focusing on doing the things I LOVE!!

The first thing I organize in 2011 will be my grandmother’s Christmas decorations. Today I’m headed over to “undecorate” her house and put things where they belong, so next year I’ll be able to find everything again.

I’d love for you to just follow or even to join me on my journey to discover more about the things I do that prove I am truly living and not just marking time. And if you ever feel moved to share through more than just a comment, please ask to be a guest author on a topic! Living is not possible without meaningful interaction between people who share desires…even (sometimes especially) if they don’t agree.

Children, Cooking, Crystal and Divination Work, Cultural Commentary, Everyday Musings, Healthy in Mind and Body, Published Writing, Singing, Small Business Notes

Welcome to Singing about Cooking

Posted on January 3, 2011September 17, 2026 by singingaboutcooking

Happy New Year 2011!! Just a feeling, but it’s gonna be a fantabulous year.

Everyday Musings

Thoughts for a New Year in 2010 (and thanks for things in the old 2009)

Posted on December 30, 2009December 30, 2023 by singingaboutcooking

Thoughts for a New Year (and thanks for the old!)

A New Identity (from The Upper Room: Daily Devotional Guide)

14 This is what the LORD says—
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon
and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians, [a]
in the ships in which they took pride.
15 I am the LORD, your Holy One,
Israel’s Creator, your King.”
16 This is what the LORD says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,
17 who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
18 “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals honor me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the desert
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21 the people I formed for myself
that they may proclaim my praise.

From Patricia Mohney in Moscow, Russia: I was excited to teach English in a foreign country, but I struggled with leaving my job and selling my possessions. Once I decided to go, however, I moved from my apartment to a temporary living arrangement with friends. A few days before leaving, I sold my car. After the new owner took it, a strange feeling came over me when I looked in my handbag: I realized I had no keys! These signs of my former identity—house key, mailbox key, office keys, and car keys—were now in someone else’s handbag or pocket. I felt a mixture of loss and freedom.

Then I realized that if I insist on holding on to the old or familiar, such as a comfortable job or lifestyle, I may miss the new thing God desires for me. God is in the business of making things new. By God’s grace, we have a new heart, a new spirit, and a new identity. We have God’s promise that we are becoming new creations in Christ. Old thoughts, motives, and ways of viewing ourselves pass away. God plants in us new possibilities, new desires, and hope that does not disappoint us. (See Romans 5:5)

Prayer: Dear God, give us the grace to let go of any and every thing that keeps us from new life in Christ. Amen.

Thought for the Day: Every Day, in some way, God is doing a “new thing” in each of us.

My additions—some for 2009 and some for all time:

Thank you for leading me to forgiveness—I have finally been able to let go of some really big hurts—to give them to God

Thank you for allowing me to teach this to others—that they might forgive and be forgiven and know you better

Thank you for guiding me to St. Andrews—even for the other churches I have visited—for opening my heart and mind to new worship experiences and new lessons and new light from you

Thank you for the church member who donated a new roof to Holly

Thank you for the power of prayer—all of mine have been answered, not necessarily the answer I thought I wanted, but always leading toward something new and exciting

Thank you for all the babies who were born—if I try to name them all, I’m sure to forget someone

Thank you for all those you called home—again, if I try to name them all, I’m sure I’ll forget someone important—but I will name Hugh Easterby who joins his beloved Joanne and Miss Lo Eloise Albrecht—some of my favorite people growing up at St. John’s

Thank you for Danielle, Ted, Summer, and Anna—for sending them into my life—they are a blessing and truly part of my family

Thank you for Heather, Ron, Brian and Caroline—and especially for your blessings in Heather’s granny’s life—bringing her a wonderful advocate caregiver to make sure she enjoys the life she wants and relieving Heather of the role of fostering family turmoil to do so—and thank you for leading Heather to make new choices to keep her in this life longer—please be sure to lead us to help her in the ways she needs

Thank you for Todd, Chris, Cecil, and Jonas—for sending this wonderful man back into my life after so many years and for the men he is raising in your light—that I might continue to know them more and that you continue to send your healing to their lives and to those they love

Thank you for Mark—the most awesome boss and mentor and friend I could never have imagined to have to teach me how life and work can both nurture each other—for allowing me the freedom to create an amazing job that I really don’t ever want to leave—for encouraging me through praise and the gift of time to follow my passions both on and off the job

Thank you for my work sisters and brothers—Vicki, Holly, Treva, Caroline, DeAnne, Ellen, Bryan, Ernest, Enzo, Tomas, Scott, Brad—and even work-boyfriends Steve and Frank—for the good we do in the lives of older adults—and for the happy hour fun that brings us even closer

Thank you for Marsha—my mom—for leading her to newness of life—for showing her through me what she really valued in her church life and for moving her to follow that—for allowing me to offer her respite and help in managing the lives of those she loves

Thank you for Ed—my dad—for showing him the effect he has on others and helping him to make changes to improve the lives of those he loves—the sweetness he truly does bring to our lives—for pushing him to his random acts of kindness and caring

Thank you for Tate—my brother—for the miracles he has experienced through his faith—his life, his service to the church on local and state committees, his service to Charleston on the county disabilities board, his winning swimming season in the Special Olympics and in horseback riding shows through Rein and Shine

Thank you for Grace—Tate’s service companion dog—a beautiful and loving Labrador—for bringing Tate a sense of accomplishment and responsibility for another life—towards increased independence within his limitations

Thank you for my Nannie—for the amazing life she has led and the example she is still for me to be a woman of faith, substance, and love for the world she lives in

Thank you for Jan—my aunt and godmother—for the friend and sometimes-guide she is in my life—that I can talk to her about anything and always gain a new and purposeful insight

Thank you for Gay—my aunt and daddy’s sister—for being my only girl ally in a funny family of boys and for being such a fun and happy person in my life

Thank you for Tom—my uncle and daddy’s brother—for his life and health, that he continues to share so much love and kinship despite the losses in his life

Thank you for my cousins—Ashley and Trueman, Katie and Carlos, Kelly, and Tyler—for the delightful people they are and the joys they share from their lives in mine

Thank you for the miracle of my health—especially my improved health from exercise and weight loss—and even for showing me what not to do to my body lest I hurt it unnecessarily—and for the courage to register for the bridge run and helping continue to work toward that goal

Thank you for school—that it has taught me some incredible lessons about myself…about what is truly important…about what I can do with my talents and passions…and most importantly that I’m done after this MBA!!

Thank you for the freedom of living with my parents—that we are able to mutually share the responsibilities of managing an aging and disabled family so that we can all pursue passions and share resources so that no one person is stretched too far for too long

Thank you for allowing me the luxury of helping others—both through my personal time and attention and through financial gifts—and for allowing them to accept these gifts graciously

Everyday Musings

Handwriting/Personality Analysis at the Fair

Posted on October 16, 2003September 17, 2026 by singingaboutcooking

Okay, for $3, you sign a little card and a machine tells you about yourself:

You are generally helpful to others.

You tend to make snap decisions.

Your happy-go-lucky manner belies the depth of your feelings.

You are keenly competitive and enjoy physical activities.

You have a natural talent for business matters.

You have a buoyant, optimistic nature and are not easily depressed.

In a debate or argument, you can be a formidable opponent.

Once your mind is made up, you do not hesitate.

Your bark is much, much worse than your bite. (only one I disagree with)

You believe that a job worth doing is worth doing well.

You give yourself and your time freely to others.

You face life optimistically and cheerfully.

Scorpio (The Scorpion) Oct. 23 – Nov. 21

Above all, Scorpions seek to give their lives a meaningful purpose. Scorpions have a philosophical turn of mind and a sixth sense that enables them to intuit things before they happen. Scorpions delve into the powers of the mind that others are afraid of. Scorpions may be intense, but they are also generous, kind, loving, and loyal. Scorpions never forget a kindness and try to repay in spades. They never forget an injury either. They can be subtle yet deadly enemies. Scorpio Teddy Roosevelt was known for his motto “speak softly but carry a big stick.” Clever with money, Scorpions have a good chance of amassing wealth. Both men and women are dynamos in the business world. Scorpio’s passion extends to their friends, family, children, and creative interests. To win a Scorpion’s passion and loyalty, you must first earn it. Never take your Scorpio mate for granted. Scorpio is the most complex, magnetic and intrigue-prone sign in the Zodiac. They are devoted to and protective of their children and instill values in them at a very young age.

Scorpio in the New Millenium:

How do you handle the unpredictable influence of Aquarius in the new millenium? You can’t. Forget concrete plans, embrace the unexpected and thank the stars that you are still curious, exploring and probing the mysteries of the universe. Probing your emotional patterns and why they exist will free you to be more playful. The intensity with which you live your life won’t change. What will change is your ability to work with it.

*For the coming week only:

Lucky Day: Tuesday, October 19

Lucky Numbers: 2, 4, 22

Color: Black

Scorpio Plants: Blackthorn, Heather

Scorpio Attractions: to Capricorn, Leo, and Pisces

Famous Scorpios: Whoopi Goldberg, Meg Ryan, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Wynona Ryder, Mn. Thandi Newton, Julia Roberts, Pablo Picasso