I started making mandalas around 2020 and they occupy my time while I ‘listen’ to tv making it a 2-fer in enjoyment. This type of mandala has a whole host of references to nature and early civilization.
Back in 2006 or so, I decided to give painting greeting cards a go as a hobby. My thoughts went to ‘how are folks going to remember my website for greeting cards?’ Doesn’t everyone say to themselves, ‘I should send them a card’ when thinking about a friend having a birthday, feeling ill, or graduating? Yep, you got it!
This hobby lasted as long as all my others–not long. I’ve been told that my hobby is collecting hobbies. Won’t argue that.
I was listening to the BBC World Service Radio in the wee hours, and they were citing a research study noting how it is difficult for humans to get 10 minutes of brisk walking in a day. When you say, 10 minutes, it sounds like not a big deal. When you try to find 10 minutes in the day to walk, it is a big deal. You worry about what shoes to wear, will a person get sweaty, don’t forget a kleenex for if your nose runs, what about a place to tote your phone……and pretty soon your 10 minutes are up just in the planning for the 10-minute walk. I have put together a fanny pack for the essentials and its clasp broke trying to get it on. It’s an omen.
I truly was amazed at all the things one can do with a pool noodle and will now never look at a noodle again in such bland awe. Last night’s outdoor exercise class in the community pool was taught by a bubbly gal and her notoriety as an instructor is that she likes to integrate pool noodles into the various exercises. She is so into pool noodles, that one has to make a judgment call as to wanting a low, medium, or high level of resistance pool noodle. Jeepers, what do I know about what kind of resistance I need. I let her make the choice of medium.
Interesting topic to me because I don’t recall thinking about it much over my umpteen years and of late, it has been a thought that has popped up frequently.
I think my definition is more in line with a menu of items that make me feel warm and cozy. Casseroles and stews, in general. Not a lot of fuss, all-in-one type of meal, minimal chewing (aka tongue mashing in the swallowing profession).
My grandmother was the cook of my memories and certain dishes do have me giving her a brief homage. She didn’t make anything fancy, but she was a consistent baker of cake-like sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies. And her pie crusts were famous at the church bake sales. She made great caramels and popcorn balls at this time of year which I now look back and wonder how she got the right candy thermometer stage and not burn her hands creating the popcorn balls. She cranked out all types of cookies and candies that other than those that I just mentioned, I could have cared less about. Divinity and date-roll cookies were not for my palate. Her one Tupperware bowl, now in some landfill somewhere, I am certain, still smells of strawberry jello with bananas.
My husband, Bill, is my very much appreciated chef going on 20 years. When I first met him, he didn’t have a clue about cooking and now I hardly want to go out to eat at a restaurant because he is that good at preparing all sorts of dishes. He does so many well, that I can’t say I have a favorite. And I admire how he is always looking at new dishes to create and not just stick to a few. Spices and herbs and fish sauce always are considered in each dish; so, bland is not the common flavoring.
I had to chuckle when yet again–there was an article written about: How dare you clean your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher to clean your dishes!
There must be some research group continuing to hope and pray that their findings will promote the OCDness in some that feel the need to clean before cleaning. This article went on to note that you can be the reason for your dishes to have etched surfaces and your detergent having nothing to “grab”. Gasp; how dare you!
I have never had the urge to clean before cleaning and would just tell the kids that the crud left on was “sterilized crud” and therefore just fine and not to worry; get over it and eat. They weren’t going to clean the dishes and so the alternative needed to work for all of us and we just get over it and eat.
Hope my post assures one person who has been leaving on the crud to continue to do so and encourage another person to give it a try. This also could be a fairly safe topic to share with those gathered around with dish towels after the Thanksgiving festivities. Party on!
I’m trying to be a novelist. Yes, in my dreams anyway. And of course, my attention deficit leanings decided, “why not start a novel, children’s book, and a tv series at the same time so if you are bored with one, you have the others?” Makes sense to me!
Reading other author’s shared wisdom on writer’s block, there have been some to also share how an idea just comes gushing forth and one gets the feeling they better sit down and spew that thought now or “forever hold your peace”. That’s kind of how I felt about this book forming in my mind. It wrote itself word-for-word in my mind while walking the creek bed path the other day. And with no paper at hand, I had to keep it there until I could get home.
So, the book has been outlined and coming together quite nicely. And the next book will be them learning about cooking. Of course, it is the wrong time of the year to take pictures of the trees, flowers, vegetables, fruits, and herbs, but everything but the images can be ”in the can”.
Feeling pretty amazed at the creative process.
Photo by joshua herrera on Unsplash
Decided to get out amongst the throngs on Black Friday just to get me in the ‘ho, ho, ho’ spirit of it all. No agenda, just walk amongst.
In looking back over my holiday shopping characteristics, the mail-order catalog was my go-to choice to get the deed done. This was because I worked full-time and a shopping mall was over an hour-and-a-half away. It was embarrassing having the postman shove all the catalogs into the mailbox day after day. I was definitely on the mail order company’s list.
My kids really didn’t have a list; I had to come up with what I thought they just had to have, on my own. I created a collection hobby of unicorns for my daughter and penguins for my son just to be able to buy them something. The catalogs would be tabbed by folding the upper corner so I could refer back and forth to all the possibilities.
With the advent of online shopping, it still takes hours and hours, but with me hunched over the computer with several tabs open showing product reviews and all the possibilities of what might brighten the face of a grandchild or surprise my son and daughter that despite them being old, their mother still knows of something they just had to have and they didn’t know it.
So, is online shopping bigger better brighter? Because of where I live being so isolated from a place to get into the hustle and bustle and fighting over the last box of a certain toy, I hate to say it, but I still harken back to liking the turning the pages of the mailorder catalogs rather than clicking open another tab and search for a review. I don’t want the mailorder companies to know that however, because having all those catalogs come in the mail would still be embarrassing.
Get out there and have fun watching the shoppers!
Photo by joshua herrera on Unsplash
Photo by Damla Özkan on Unsplash
I’ve attended writing seminars where they have us introduce ourselves: “Hi, I’m (fill in the blank) and I am an author.” I guess self-fulfilling prophecy hopes help you become one. I have shied away from this title. I’m trying to shed my “Jeanne, the Speech Therapist” title that I’ve proudly worn for 30 years and already they want me to hang another one on me.
But this past weekend, I decided that I had the tiniest of street cred to say the word ‘author’ when folks asked me what I did. I was at a writing conference so it wasn’t like I stuck out in the crowd. So it was a safe place to try it out.
I made sure I didn’t say it out loud until I had pitched my 2 books to 3 agents and they all wanted me to submit copies to their agencies. It was nice that they showed initial interest, but I still have to keep ‘kissing frogs and hope they turn into a prince’ because submitting doesn’t mean that it will get published by them. But, baby steps….baby steps.
Photo by Damla Özkan on Unsplash
Is not what I say as I look outside and the clouds are thick with a bolt of lightning and thunder chorus playing. Not today. Just like I recall it back in the 1970s when the last one darkened our door. Well, not my door because I believe it wasn’t the clearest of days then as well. But in the world of tech, we can watch it over and over on several websites which make it way different than waiting for Walter Conkrite to show it on the suppertime news show. I do hope it is sunny along the totality band for those that took that extra time and effort to see it in its full glory. So….back to work on a cloudy day.