Not flashy at all, this is a regular diner from the old school days. Pete’s has actually served the Fort Smith area since 1933! Just tried Re-petes last August when I was in town for an investigation. It was surprised at how quiet the place was for a diner that seemed to get good reviews.
The waitress was exceptional and got a big tip from me. The burger was really good as well as the chili cheese fries. I could have had a large bowl of just the chili. The desserts were begging for me to try them but I was busting out of my clothes from all the food. I am looking forward to another trip to Fort Smith to sample more food from this place!
In Minnesota an accident in August of 2011 sent two year old Jairden Loukota to the hospital. He was hit in the stomach by a golf club. When the hospital checked him out they found a cantaloupe size tumor growing in his liver that burst from the accident. Apparently he is seeing things now. This could be an indicator that he possibly had a near death experience. His Mother Megan stated “He kept asking me ‘Mom, who is that guy in the corner? There’s a guy in the corner. There’s light.” His mom thinks that it is angel but perhaps there is another explanation.
There is a range of experiences that happen with impending death. Some of these include detaching from the body, levitation, fear, peace and the presence of a light with loved ones inside the light. I had a case once where a mom took care of her adult child who had cancer for a few years before he passed away. He would ask his mom all the time who the man was sitting besides her. She would leave the room to cry because nobody was present but her. If I were in the same situation I would have been fascinated and would have asked many questions but not everyone has been exposed to the paranormal like I have. Not only was he seeing a man but his grandparents would visit him regularly. He had no idea they were no longer alive because he saw them as living. She also reported cold spots and saw shadows herself. After the passing of her son the activity continued on and off and was escalating when she finally decided to call me.
A number of the cases that I get have someone in the home that has had a near death experience. I believe that because of their brush with death it makes them more sensitive. Perhaps a doorway is open they are now a beacon for the other side to come to visit but we really do not know. Once I had a case where a woman had a near death experience and was from that point forward haunted by what seemed to be many different spirits. Those spirits were mostly negative causing her to alter her life in a way that was not healthy.
Since the beginning of time people have had near death experiences. In the earliest documented account Plato describes in The Republic a soldier’s near-death experiences which included the afterlife and even reincarnation. The scientific community has been actively doing research on near death experiences for years. They have found many people share common experiences.
Here is a list of common experiences
An awareness of being dead
A sense of peace
An out-of-body experience including hovering over your body
A tunnel
A sense of moving through a passage
Being in the light or a powerful light
Communication with the light
Beings of light and deceased loved ones
Life review and unconditional love
Knowledge about the universe and everything
A decision to return to the living body
15% or more have a hell type of experience which includes
Barren place
Darkness
Beings or shadows moving around them like blobs
The feeling that they are going to hell
Hopeless and helpless
The cause these experiences are thought by some to be hallucinations from a surge of electrical activity, neurons dying, lucid dreaming or other natural causes. Others believe that the experiences are real and the stories are confirmation of an afterlife. A study of terminally ill patients found identical surges in brain activity moments before death. Is this proof that energy surges out of the body? Is this the body’s one last ditch effort to revive the body? We do know that we are made up of energy which cannot be created or destroyed but can only be changed. Death is a transformation of that energy. The question that many people have is do retain any semblance of who we were when we were alive including memories. I happen to be a believer that our soul continues on and I have had many experiences to back it up.
As a nurse I have observed patients dying who have exclaimed things like “I was wondering when you would show up” or smile at an invisible someone who has come to apparently assist them. Even famous people exclaim interesting things as they are going through the process. A great recent example is that when Steve Jobs passed away he looked at his family then past them and his last words were then “Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow”. Jobs was according to his biographer 50/50 on if he believed in the existence of God and hoped that there was some kind of afterlife. I would like to think he saw something miraculous and that he was delighted with it!
When elephants retire to a sanctuary they usually bond with another elephant to live out their final days. Tara the elephant and Bella the dog were an unusual pair and inseparable for the past 8 years. They did everything together including eating, drinking, sleeping and playing together. Even when Bella got a spinal cord injury, for three weeks Tara held vigil outside the building where Bella was being cared for.
Bella passed away last week after most likely being attacked by coyotes. Her friend Tara carried her body back to the barn where they spent much of time together. Since Bella has been buried Tara has gone back several times to visit the grave. Here is a video about their friendship that was put together in 2009
To read the tribute at the Elephant Sanctuary click this link
When Surya the orangutan met Roscoe the stray hound dog the two became best friends
When Owen a baby hippo was orphaned after the 2004 tsunami, he took up with Mzee who is a giant tortoise and 130 years old. They have their own website here: http://www.owenandmzee.com/omweb/
Cassie the kitten was abandoned by someone who threw her into a backyard. She was so small the homeowners thought she was a rat. Moses the crow took her under her wing and began taking care of her. Moses would pull up grubs and stick her beak into Cassie’s mouth to feed her.
Sierra was adopted by Sushi when her mother rejected her. Sierra is a tiger and Sushi is a mini pincher. Watch their relationship here
I really love a good burger and this place has a pretty good one! I almost hate to blog about it because this place is a chain that is growing all over. I think the food is overpriced for what you get, however this is the new trend it seems. The decor is bright red, industrial minimalist.
You walk in and order from a menu hanging on the wall. The burger selections are already put together for you. You can do your own combination if you prefer. They give you a number and a drink cup like many of the new chains do these days.
We decided to sit outside for the ambiance and because the temperature was perfect.
The burgers come in a wire basket with paper. The buns are not only chewy but toasted for something extra special. They offer sides like french fries, sweet potato fries, haystack onions, fried pickles, fried jalapenos and smashfries which are tossed with rosemary, olive oil and garlic. Everything I have tried so far has been tasty!
I have had the burger when I am dieting on the plate with no bun and all the way full on with a bun. Yes you can diet and eat burgers! It is called the Atkins diet:) At the moment I am eating bread. Yay for my taste buds! The burgers are good both ways. I prefer to eat them with the bun because it is fresh, chewy and adds another flavor component.
I have never had to wait long for the food which is another plus!
My great-grandmother Bessie used to say whenever we were going to make jam that we needed to remember that cup for cup was the recipe for any jam.
5 cups strawberries
5 cups sugar
Lemon juice (optional)
Pick through the berries and discard any bad berries
Wash and drain
Do you know what this is for?
Did you guess strawberry huller? Use a knife if you don’t have this gadget
Chop up the berries
Add sugar to the strawberries in a heavy saucepan. If the berries are very ripe also add 5 tablespoons lemon juice
Cook and stir constantly until the sugar dissolves.
Bring to a rapid boil. Skim off the foam that forms off the top and discard
Cook until the jellying point by testing on a spoon or until you reach 220. I like to use the spoon test even when I use a candy thermometer
When you have reached the jellying point the syrup will run off in two drops and sheet
You need to use a metal spoon for the test like I used above. I am using a white spoon to make it easy for you to see double dripping and sheeting
Ladle into sterilized jars to within 1/8″ and process in boiling water bath 5 minutes if canning
This is yummy! I use this recipe for my strawberry cake filling. Making the filling myself rather than buying from the store makes the cake more special
This is my favorite jam for toast. Hungry yet? I am!
7830 Highway 71 S
The waitress was exceptional and got a big tip from me. The burger was really good as well as the chili cheese fries. I could have had a large bowl of just the chili. The desserts were begging for me to try them but I was busting out of my clothes from all the food. I am looking forward to another trip to Fort Smith to sample more food from this place!
