Herbalsheila

"As I see it, every day you do one of two things: build health or produce disease in yourself."

Logo for Star Trek Freedom

-Adelle Davis

"(Medicine is) a collection of uncertain prescriptions the results of which, taken collectively, are more fatal than useful to mankind." -Napoleon Bonaparte 1769-1821

Warmest Greetings and Salutations!

About Sheila

Hearth Crafts Handcrafted Soap

I am known on the Star Trek: Freedom forum boards as herbalsheila, but of course my real name is Sheila. I am married to the most wonderful man in the world named Jim. I ran and owned a brick and mortar natural health store called Herb-n-Oils [[1]] here in St. Joseph, Missouri USA from May 17, 1999 to July 31, 2009 and has now become an online only business. I live with my husband and our two cats. Micelle was one of three cats but passed away in December 2007. We have a black female cat with golden eyes named Thomasina who is now around 15 years old herself, and a larger, younger, long haired teenage cat with boundless energy and a will of iron named Rascal. Neither of them go outside and so will live for a very long time.

I have been studying Ryu Kyu Kempo Karate Kobodo since August 2008 and have begun studying Akido in late June 2009, especially after someone broke into our store in December 2008. I have been learning the use of the weapon called the tanbo or baton.

I formulate, market and create handcrafted Hearth Crafts bar soap. I handspin and weave wool, flax, silk, cotton and various other fibers whenever I have the chance, which isn't as often as I'd like.

Herb-n-Oils in St. Joseph MO USA

I am an hysterical/historical reenactor and I have been a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism [[2]] for a little over twenty years. My heraldic arms for the SCA are shown here. I am known as Her Ladyship Gwennan nic Ailpein na Loch Shiel. [[3]] I have also been part of the Civil War Missouri Irish Brigade Ladies Auxiliary [[4]] as a sutler, soapmaker and entertainer for about 3 years now.

I enjoy singing diverse types of music, including ballads, madrigals, black gospel, rounds, and sacred choral music. I have sung for many years in church choirs as a soprano and second soprano and lately as a tenor and alto. I love music from the eighties and early nineties and I have a soft spot for a lot of music from the fifties and sixties that came out of Motown. I love all different types of folk and ethnic music, but my favorite genre has to be Celtic, both historical and modern. I am still arguing in English and not Gaelic with 'Bheag an Bheag,' an online tutorial series published on the internet to teach Gaelic.

I want to learn how to play my mint condition mandolin that I purchased for $50.00 at a garage sale, but since I have no teacher, I purchased a teaching DVD and some beginning music. In only two days, not only were my fingertips on my left hand very sore but I can play a G scale with some confidence. I am going through a lot of bandaids.

Gwennan's Arms: Vert, a flax distaff, dressed and tied, between two flaunches, or.

I keep fighting with my weight and have done my own highly modified version of Tae Bo, but in August 2007 I joined a free community class for Ryukyu Kempo Karate Kubodo which is the root form of much of the different sport styles of Karate practiced today to learn more. I have long outgrown Kathy Smith and Richard Simmons' low impact aerobic workouts. I stick to low/no impact aerobic workouts due to my medical difficulties.

After our store was broken into late one December night in 2008, I have been able to purchase an extendable baton. My karate instructor has promised to school me in its use, though I already have some pretty good ideas on how to go for the easiest ways to disable any attacker enough to allow me to escape. The extendable baton is used extensively in law enforcement and is allowed only with a license in California and Canada since it is considered a deadly weapon.

Petunias that were a-growin' in my crack!

After getting involved with Star Trek Freedom, to my astonishment, I have discovered I have a penchant for writing. Who'd a thunk it?! After I picked my jaw up off the floor upon seeing people's reactions to my posts, especially my characters' introductory posts, I am seriously considering writing a Star Trek novel to submit to Simon and Schuster who work with CBS Paramount to print them, though I might do some sort of science fiction story to submit to DAW. My husband is particularly proud of me and is thrilled that I write so poignantly. I am still astounded that I wrote this stuff!

Shayhiloosh's first post ended up being a little story all its own and getting hir onto the ship had to be done in two posts since I was attempting to allow the other players the chance to get to know hir a little better. Shayhiloosh is more reserved, but Maraht is more humorous; he waves his main phalange about to indicate laughter and has done so on numerous occasions, to the delight of the crew of the Hades and its players.

If you would like to read some of Maraht's or Shayhiloosh's posts, feel free to do so on their story pages with a link from their bio pages. I have put up the posts that I thought best describes their individual personalities and how I play them. They are both a lot of fun.

Maraht the Horta

This player has a character stationed aboard USS Hades!

Lt. (sg) Maraht on the USS Hades

"Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place." -Mark Twain

My primary character or PC, Maraht the Horta, passed his final exam at the Starfleet Academy on Holodeck 8 with his instructor Lt.Standorval Thrall with flying pebbles June 2006. Maraht (sg) had been assigned to the USS Mystique(NCC-68125-C) which had been mapping space in the unexplored beta sector. But now the crew has moved to USS Hades (NX-60637).

Maraht was promoted to the Hades Chief of Operations in the Spring 2007. He was awarded senior grade Lt. in late Fall 2008.

For more information about Hortas ,please see The Horta Report. For more information about Maraht, please see Maraht the Horta.

I guess this by default, makes me the unofficial Horta Reporta! LOL!

Shayhiloosh the Arborian

This player has a character stationed aboard USS Hades!

Trees are the kindest things I know

They do no harm, they simply grow

And spread a shade for sleepy cows,

And gather birds among their boughs. -Author Unknown

I have a character, or SPC, called Ensign Shayhiloosh (jg). S/he started out on the USS Boudicca as a Botanist as of October 2006. Hir is one of the species called the Arborians, a species I made up all by myself, with lots of encouragement from my dear spousal unit, Jim and my friend Connie who played Brianna Frazier on the USS Champlain. Please feel free to read the articles and leave your comments under the discussion tabs.

Playing hir is lots of fun since hir has three eyes on long vine-like stalks and it's pretty cool to swivel those eyestalks around in a post. S/He has some minor telepathic abilities and has discovered the Boudicca's Dreamplane, but hir abilities had become augmented when in contact with a scruffy little creature, a Pelluvian Howler named Winston. Winston is considered a pet and he belongs to the ACSO Ensign Jonathon Linskens.

Shayhiloosh had seen hir first battle up close and personal with some of Admiral Doenitz's Marines from the USS Exeter. S/he had gotten badly injured and was eventually sent to Cait to recuperate in a natural planetary environment. Shayhiloosh will be joining the crew of the Nimitz soon in connection with thier upcoming mission.

Valek

This player has a character instructing at the Starfleet Academy!

I recently began playing an instructor as of January 2007. Rather than confuse or discombobulate newer players, I opted to go with a humanoid character and chose a Vulcan.

Lt. Valek (jg) is a dark skinned Vulcan who is known for being demanding on his cadets, but is willing to go the extra mile when he sees the cadet is doing thier best.

Micelle

This player has a character stationed aboard USS Hades!

I play Micelle, an NPC first on the USS Boudicca and now the USS Hades, and she was based on my real life Calico friend of 17 human years who lived with me and my husband at our home. She became ill and died December 22, 2007. She was my beloved friend, though her character on the Hades does not replace the dear sweet companion she had been to me for so long.

Micelle the real cat, was not a cat but a human wearing a furry colorful cat suit. She was approximately the size of a large beach ball. She was the smartest cat I ever met and made her opinions well known immediately. Being the vocal creature that she was, she knew good and well that talking was a way of communication for us humans and so she did everything in her power to do likewise to speak to us in return.

She was quite humorous and playful, enjoying her favorite game of Ruler Under the Rug. Chasing and tussling roughly with the wooden yardstick under the thick chenille throw rug in our living room was a well loved past time as well as the early morning game of Kitty Paws under the Bathroom Door.

She had a habit of cuddling with me early in the morning in bed before I would get up and giving me numerous kitty kisses on my face, arm and hand. I miss her terribly.

T'Kron

This character is stationed aboard USS Rosenante!

SPC Vulcan Ensign T'Kron is an Engineer on board the USS Rosenante. He is often solemnly funny though this is not his intention.

Durston Croft

This player has a character stationed aboard USS Hades!

Engineer Durston Croft is on the USS Hades as an NPC. He is full of Scottish brougue with Geordie influences in his delightful and colorful manner of speaking.

In Conclusion

Sheila and Connie at the Fortescue Civil War Reenactment, 2005

Sheila, with a friend, wet spinning line flax from a distaff at an American Civil War reenactment, 2005

Ode to Sheila by Frank Gibson

A golden lovely sunshine voice

Came shining from my phone.

I thought "To hear this voice each day,

I'd never feel alone."

Can't help myself but wonder,

Are her eyes green, blue or brown?

But there's no doubt;

To look in them,

I'd fly and never drown.

A very blessed man up in St. Joe

Has made this girl his wife.

My word to him?

Keep smiling Jim.

You're blessed for all your life.

There once was a lady from Gretna

Who had been employed by Etna.

Said she, with a scowl,

“I really must howl,

Or face too much toil, I bet ya.”

by herbalsheila

At one point, a dried up old prune,

Said she would eat bread with a spoon.

She shouldn’t have tried it.

Someone had dyed it,

And she’s now a colorful loon.

by herbalsheila