A Day at the Ceramic Guild

On the third Sunday of every month, the ceramic guild meets to learn a new technique or share an idea on how to paint a ceramic piece. I go about half the time because, basically, I am not around -- lunch dates with friends, travels, wine tasting all take precedent over the meeting. But, this month, September, I was able to attend.

We were supplied a bowl, paint (we needed to bring our own brushes and tools), instructions, and food, lots and lots of food. It's donuts and coffee for breakfast and a potluck for lunch.

The ceramic bisque had raised surfaces where the butterflies were going to be painted. The instructor gave us two examples of how we could finish the bowl. The top corner (left) shows one with color. The one to the right is simply the outlining of butterflies but if you look closely, there are small white dots along the butterflies' wings. I am not into black (although that is my preferred color to wear) so I decided to make my butterflies in pastels.




I started painting with light blue, pink and green. Reminds me of a summer day and beautiful flowers.

We (there were about 30 of us in attendance) steadily worked on the bowl while people helped themselves to coffee and a donut. Then, the guild meeting started, and I continued to work while some people finished and sat listening and commenting to the plans for the Christmas Party and upcoming guild meetings. One lady asked if anyone was interested in China Painting, and said this was a dying art if no one is interested.

After the meeting, people started to line up for the potluck lunch. There were sloppy joes, chicken and rice, meatballs, a potato dish, cut veggies, my chicken and noodles, potato chips and dip, macaroni salad, potato salad, cakes, cookies, way too much food.
My chicken and noodles was a hit. Many people came up and asked my for the recipe. Simple. I told them it was one of the recipes I snagged from Facebook, and then told them the basic ingredients.


It is a Chicken and Noodles Crockpot recipe:

You will need: 1 -24 ounce package of frozen egg noodles.
                         2 -14.7 ounce cans of  cream of chicken soup
                         1 - stick of butter (1/2 cup) cut into small pieces
                         1-32 ounces of chicken broth
                         4 - large skinless chicken breasts
                         mixed vegetables (if you want, I did not add)
                         salt, pepper and parsley for presentation

In the crockpot, place the uncooked chicken breasts on the bottom after you have salt and peppered the chicken. Then, mix the soup and broth together and spoon this mixture over the chicken. Place the butter on top before putting the lid on. Put the crockpot on low for 6 hours.
After the 6 hours, take the chicken out and tear it into small pieces. Then put it back in the pot and now add the noodles (and vegetables if you desire) and cook on low for another 2 hours.
No pain, little mess, and it was a hit!
(Since I had some left, I found that when I heated up the chicken and noodles it was a bit too thick for me, so, thankfully, I had more chicken broth in the house, and I added some to the dish! Still good to eat!!)

In between the eating and the talking, I was still painting.

It was coming together. I outlined the butterflies in darker shades and complementary colors.

I still had work to do and it was time to wind down, so I picked up my crockpot of noodles, put my paint brushes and tools away, and would have to finish my project at home.

Once home, I finished the painting part of it, then a couple of days later, I glazed the bowl to have it ready for the kiln once I returned to the regular ceramic classroom.

Today, I picked up my bowl. I am satisfied

Just a day in the life of this one person who is finding out how I want to live the rest of my life.

Tomorrow is the idiom blog on wordpress. Once again, if you are interested on idioms (such as fair and square) you can find it on wordpress.com and the name of the sight is miswordsdotcom.wordpress.com

Until Monday...have a great weekend.

Volunteering Locally

Previously, I posted about volunteering outside of the United States. I learned a lot from that and I do believe it is a noble and worthy way to spend time. I also believe in helping those people closer to home. Here, I do not have to spend a thousand dollars to travel someplace else, and then I do not have to worry about the language barriers, and most importantly, it can be accomplished immediately. The thing is, people everywhere need help -- whether it is the people down the street or those across the pond -- many, many people need help.

It is one thing to volunteer to be a committee member to a club or organization you belong to, and another thing to volunteer to a community member that you have no connections with. Although I will volunteer to the club or organization, I believe that is simply being an active member of the group. Volunteering, to me, is giving my time in helping someone I do not know. And there are a thousand ways to volunteer

There are former alcoholics or drug addicts who volunteer to help another person break the habit. There are former people of ill repute who counsel people to change a way of life.
There are people who have a mental illness who help educate the public on ways to understand.

There are people who have lofty goals of saving humanity from human trafficking, or medicare fraud or poverty or or the homeless or hunger or biases or unjustices or...the list is endless, and the goal will never be met in a lifetime. But you gotta start somewhere.

But, I believe, through one act with one person, things do change. Here are 10 ways to help locally:

1. Volunteer in a food pantry. There are many jobs to be filled, from contacting businesses to give, to stocking shelves to handing out the food to those in need. Also, sometimes those pantries serve a hot meal, so you could work the food line or be on clean up. Food pantries are everywhere. Open your phone book or contact a church or chamber of commerce to see where you could help.

2. Collect clothing -- Slightly used items for a child to wear to school or a woman or man to wear on a job interview. Better yet, here, guide the person who is going to have a job interview on what to say during the interview and how to act to have a favorable impression. If you have the skills, help someone pull together a resume so they will be able to compete in the job search.

3. Big ticket items -- Have an old car, or a working refrigerator or stove, or a sofa, or an air conditioner that is used but still good -- talk around with people you know or from a church or an organization, and see if anyone is in dire need of a big ticket item but does not have the money for it. You will bring a smile and a sigh of relief to another.

4. Money Cards --  Usually, this is good if there is a fire and you want to help the person who had a great loss because of the fire or other disaster. This is also nice at Christmas or a holiday when you want to help but you do not know if the gift is going for young or old, male or female.

5. Help with an organization such as Habitat for Humanity. Many, many people are in need of adequate housing or to make their house up to code. Whether if you are helping people build a house from the ground up, or are giving a new coat of paint to a house, it is going to not only help that receiving person, but will also help the community look better. Also, be a handy man or woman for a day. There are many people who can not physically maintain a home, but it is theirs, and they want to stay at home. So, clean the house, put in new light bulbs, trim the bushes, paint the cabinets, repair a screen...

6. Mentoring -- So, so many people need a bit of guidance. As people age, we gain experience, and I believe that experience should be passed to the next generation. We, in America, also have many people who migrate here from other countries, but they have no clue how we go about our business of living. When you help someone assimilate into our culture, America has gained because someday that person will be a citizen of our United States.

7. Schools -- Oh, how they need help. Whether tutoring a child who needs extra help in reading or math, or filing records, or helping a teacher prepare for the day or the week, someone is always needed in our schools. There is no money to educate any longer, and any help, I am sure, is always appreciated.

8. Hospitals -- There are all kinds of volunteer groups at hospitals, from those people who push a person in a wheelchair from one place to another to working in the gift shop to working at the information center, you could find a place here. Also, I knew someone who had permission from the hospital to read stories to the children on a unit. Great idea. That idea could also be extended to a library or a school or a daycare center.

9. Visit the elderly in a nursing home. You would be surprised by how many elderly do not have frequent visitors. Simply taking a few minutes to say hello to someone who is lonely is monumental. A smile and a kind word goes a long way. Also, still thinking of reading to someone, stay an extra minute and read a story or newspaper to the resident.

10. Be a driver for the day -- Here, if you were transporting someone (let's say to a doctor's office) I would first check with the insurance company to see if it okay, but I would assume it would be as long as there is no money exchanged, and that is what volunteering is about -- not being paid with money. There are so many people who need groceries, a visit to the doctor, a stop at the local Walmart or Dollar Store, and do not have a way to get there. Offer to take that person.

There are so many ways to help your neighbor in need. And most of us, at some point in our life, need a little help from a friend....or a stranger.

What are other ways to volunteer?

Until tomorrow...have a great day...

BMI and All Those Numbers

BMI -- Body Mass Index -- the numbers that tell the world we as a nation are overweight. We are, no doubt on that one, but, really, what does it mean and is it really an accurate way to measure obesity?

I remember when the almighty scale was the answer. I would get up every morning, put my feet on the scale and depending on what IT read was how I approached my day and the food I put in my mouth.

But the scale is out and BMI is in. And it is simple to calculate. The easiest formula I found was height x weight and you had the magic number. You can find this do-it-your-selfer on www.weightwatchers.com. If you want a more in depth look at the BMI, www.livestrong.com/article/154837 shows a different calculator to gain your BMI magical number.

Below 20 -- underweight
20-25 -- healthy
25-30 -- overweight
Above 30 -- obese

As Americans we are overweight. The average BMI for a male is 26.6 and for a female, it is 26.5. We also have the second highest BMI rate in the world. Kuwait is the first. The leanest can be found in third world countries with Bangladesh as the lowest. If you want to see where your country fits in, go to dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2301172.




Insurance companies used to use our weight for our health risk. Today it is the BMI number. But, really? Really? Yes, I agree, the person who sits at home all day, doing nothing, eating fast food for a meal every day, has high blood pressure, either has diabetes or on the verge of it, and weighs 300 pounds is obese. I would imagine, morbidly obese, because the health is at risk. But what about the other person -- what about children and the elderly and the athlete.

I don't know about you, but a child, say 9 or 10 who is active may have numbers as being obese, but not really. They are children. The same holds true for the athlete. I just finished physical therapy, and my therapist is a body builder. She told me that when she started she actually gained some 30 pounds -- all muscle. In her legs. There is not an ounce of fat on her, but because of the muscle weight, she may be considered overweight. The norm or stereotype of a football player is big, tall and strong -- and that muscle weight could throw him over into the overweight or obese range. And for those people who are aging, they are the ones who are losing the muscle. Here, it's a continual battle to keep the muscle and lose the fat the muscle wants to turn into. But, is that fair?

My mother was 95 when she died and before that time she went from a woman of around 150 pounds to a little old woman of 90 pounds. It's what happens when you get to live a long life. But, what would have happened if she did not carry those extra pounds?

Today, there is talk of defining obesity or being at health risk even further by measuring the waist's circumference. That would be good. Already, most people know that those who carry weight around their middle are more prone to heart disease. And isn't that what it is all about -- preventing heart disease and diabetes. And if you can't prevent it, keep it in check by eating healthy foods and getting a bit of exercise. Isn't that what it's all about? -- living a healthy life so you can be active and vital for a long time to come -- to say, 100 years old? Oh, that is old. We would definitely have to change how we see the aged, and then, we would have to work longer because we would be living longer. It's a never ending conversation.

BMI -- I guess I am okay with my numbers and I will continue to try to lose that 10% of my weight because they (the experts) have said I will have more energy, and I always want more and more energy. Other than that, I guess I am just like every other overweight American who tries to eat healthy and tries to stay active on a daily basis.

Until Wednesday...have a great day...

Updates

It's a day where I am assessing where I am and how to proceed from here. Here's what I have cookin'.

My book -- I am making the final corrections/re-writes before it goes to the last editor. In between time, I am exploring how to make a web page and gather the steps on INDIE publishing. Recently, I was at a SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) meeting where I met a man who has published two books on Amazon. I have his phone number and have called, but he is never at home. It appears that I simply need to hole myself to my house for a good week and glue my eyes to the computer screen as I find out all the ins and outs of INDIE publishing. After I have the list of what to do, I will post it, so the next person will know the steps.
     On another note on my writing, I am starting to get to know my three main characters for my first of a series of books. I am toying with the characters, and soon will sit down and write a good character sketch for each of them.



Ceramics --

I continue to paint the planter I am making for a friend. It is coming out so well, my fellow ceramists believe I should submit it to be judged for a show in February. I will think about that one! and see what the end product looks like.


In between time, I continue to hand paint the pasta dishes for a Christmas present. I have 4 complete, another 3 almost complete (just need to glaze them) and will start with the cleaning of the final pasta dish and the large serving bowl. I have been working on these all year and will celebrate when they are completed.

I have also painted a butterfly dish in the ceramic guild -- need to see how that comes out.

I do know that the next piece will be for me. I have a parrot ordered and I want to paint a heron for my ledge.





Stain Glass --

The car is coming along. I plan to spend Saturday at the shop grinding the glass. If I am lucky to finish it Saturday, the next step will be to foil. then solder. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.


Starting to sell items on e-bay, right now it is my purse collection.

Fitbit --

Had a great day yesterday. Over 10,000 steps, within calories, more than 64 ounces of water -- a perfect day. And then today -- well there has been ceramics (sitting most of the morning) then the Money Monster  movie this afternoon (a 2 thumbs up on that movie), and then all the wrong food in the afternoon -- well, my good yesterday turned out to be a bad today. And tonight, all is wiped clean, and I get to start all over tomorrow.

Going Places --

Having friends from Illinois stay here in October, so I am getting ready for their arrival. Planning a spectacular Friday for them. Then, in November I am going to San Diego. Have never been there, so I am looking forward to my time there. Then, it's the holidays....

My house --

The master bath is in the works (look forward to the before and after pictures) -- Tuesday the painter comes, and then soon after will be the counter top and then the shower door. If I have the vision correct, it should be stunning.

I think I am doing too much -- there are many more items that I have not listed, like fused glass, the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), genealogy, church, exercise/gym, and readings. Really, I am reassessing all this. I am trying very hard to downsize, and then to simplify, so I know some projects are going to be put on hold or are going on the shelf. I just need to determine what is important to me, and how important it is. That's what this chapter of my journey is all about. Changes. Reinventing myself.

Until next week...have a great weekend...

Autumn Starts Tomorrow

Fall, autumn, debuts tomorrow, September 22nd.

I like autumn with its changing colors on the leaves before they twirl to the ground for parents to rake and children to jump in the pile of raked leaves. I like long car rides in the country to marvel at the colors changing from greens to browns, yellows and reds.

I like autumn when I feel the coolness in the air, and I think of bringing out the sweaters to tighten around my body for warmth on a chilled day. And I love to buy new sweaters, the tweeds for color and the fine knit of a soft cashmere against my body is all I need with a pair of jeans and a smile on my face.

I like autumn to take a long walk in the park, watching the squirrels gather nuts for the upcoming winter and feeling the crunch of leaves under my feet.

I like autumn for its comfort foods of chicken and dumplings, soups and chillis and the smells of pumpkin pie in the oven or apples baking with cinnamon and a bit of butter. Better yet, I love the smell of apple cider on the stove with a clove and a cinnamon stick to stir the cider, or a good homemade cup of hot chocolate.

I like autumn because there is finally some shows on TV.

I like autumn to watch football games in real life at a stadium or on a TV. I like the excitement of going to a game and getting lost in the moment, drinking the overpriced beer and eating the overpriced nachos. I like to watch the game on a TV in a sports bar because the enthusiasts are there. I want to share the moment with others, to feel that touchdown or the loss of the day.

I like autumn because it reminds me of a childhood where there were hayrides and getting lost in a corn maze and bonfires with roasted marshmallows and making s'mores and digging out pumpkin from its shell and carving a face and then roasting the seeds.

Why do you like autumn?

Until tomorrow....have a great day....

Destressing with Coloring

Last year, sometime, I discovered -- or rediscovered -- coloring. I had been hearing that adult coloring was all the rage, and I decided it was about time to check it out. I went online and downloaded a ton of designs to color. Then I went to the craft store and bought different coloring pencils and fine-lined markers to color. I was excited.

Before coloring became the rage, I had to ask a little one if I could color with them, and then it was usually a picture of their liking -- basically a Disney or Comic Hero book, but I could color. And usually, the pictures were fairly basic.

But, with adult coloring, the designs are intricate and I could let my imagination go with color!

The above picture is the first one I colored from www.coloring-pages-adult.com, a free site to download your coloring scenes. There are quite a few of free online adult coloring pages when you google free adult coloring pages. Another one is www.art-is-fun.com.

What happened while I was coloring was I was transported back to the days of my childhood when days were easy and carefree. Then, as I colored, my mind went blank from the endless chatter of thoughts, and I was able to focus on the skills. My mind relaxed from all thoughts, and before I knew it, I was feeling relaxed and so into the moment. It felt good.

Without telling anyone about my new hobby, I received this coloring book from my niece for my birthday. How did she know?


I looked inside the pages and started coloring.










My shoulders relaxed and they did not reach toward my ears any longer. I was truly relaxing as my mind cleared from thought as I produced beautiful colors on the pages.

Research also says that coloring helps with fine-motor skills and vision. There were examples of people with multiple sclerosis who shook horribly but with time was able to quiet the mind and relax the body to finish a colored page. Other people with chronic pain including fibromyalgia believe that coloring helps them.

But, don't forget, hunching over a page for an extended time will cause wrist and back problems as well as neck problems, so I advise not to do it for hours on end. I have a lap board that I put my coloring book on and then I wear a compression glove for my hand and wrist (feels great when you have arthritis) and then, simply enjoy as I watch TV for the evening.

Mandalas are symmetrical patterns, and they say that as you work on one of these patterns (originally from India), you go into a meditative state -- or maybe I should say a quietness of the mind -- which reduces stress as we become more mindful of what we are doing.

I can believe that. Any repetitive activity will give our mind quietness which then proceeds to focus which then proceeds to destressing as we clear our mind from our everyday thoughts.



I think I will go color.


I will be back on Wednesday...after writing on Miswords on Tuesday. Once again, if you are interested in idioms and the sometimes strange meanings of our words check out
www.miswordsdotcom.wordpress.com on Tuesdays and Fridays. The other days, I am here.

Until then...have a good day...

Morgan Freeman takes a Look at the Sexes

It's back. One of my favorite shows -- "Through the Wormhole" with Morgan Freeman. It's on the Science Channel, and will continue on Tuesdays this season. He always presents an interesting and sometimes thought-provoking topic. This past one was definitely thought-provoking, and one which I wanted to dismiss from the start because I did not understand. Maybe now I do understand -- a little. The topic was Are There More than Two Sexes. At first I thought maybe there is another sex out there. Hold on...it is not that easy.

It has to do with transgender. One topic I do not understand, but possibly a bit more after viewing this program. There were many different ways of looking at the topic, but I am only gong to cover one, the one that has to do with the xx and xy chromosome, and what scientists are discovering about it.

From high school science class, we learned that women have xx chromosome and men have xy chromosome. Well, there is another important factor for men to be men -- and that is the hormone, testosterone. This gives the male his characteristics, such as facial hair, deeper voice, etc., but there is another factor to this steroid hormone called DHT (dihydrotestosterone) which is very important to the male factor.

Okay, okay, we know all that. So what!

I thought of the transgender topic which is foreign and new to me. This is what is being explained on "Through the Wormhole". I thought of the "60 Minute" interview where Leslie Stahl talked with Schuyler Bailar, the girl who transgendered into a boy. She was not an ordinary girl, she was the fastest high school swimmer in the country and the Ivy League schools wanted her. She selected Harvard, but when it was time to go, she went as a boy, and they accepted her to swim on the boy's team instead of the girl's team, which meant she would not be the fastest any longer.

So, why does someone want to change sexes? Schuyler was giving up a lot to be who he was meant to be. Why? Morgan Freeman narrated an explanation that shed a new light for me to understand. It has nothing to do with wanting it -- it has everything to do with that xy chromosome. This is a bit hard to understand, but sometimes girls will look like girls, but they really have the xy chromosome which may manifest to something more than a want, but rather a need to transgender.

What was even more amazing was one scientist who tested people, and particularly one girl who he found had the xy chromosome but she did not have any inkling that she did. What she didn't have were periods and she could not have children. The scientist then tested family members, and there were some women in the family who also had the xy chromosome, did not have periods and did not bear children. And they lived their lives as women. I could not even imagine learning this information after living an entire life. Here is where, I believe, the mind and attitude would play a part.

I don't know. I really don't know. But I do understand the topic on a more intelligent basis. As a species, we have a long way to go to understand. In our square mind, it is hard to accept another way of looking at our gender, our way of life, but then, I have a body of a woman, an attitude of a woman, and I would assume the xx chromosome of a woman. But, what would happen if I had the body of a woman, an attitude that vacillated between male and female attitudes (and I believe both sexes have some of those attitudes -- male and female) and then the xy chromosome. Just hard to understand.

If you want to see the entire episode, you can probably catch it on the science channel site or youtube. It is Season 7, Episode 3. Definitely, food for thought.

Have a great weekend, and I'll write again on Monday....

5 Secrets I've Learned Through the Years --- the Hard Way

I stayed home most of the day today because I was waiting for the repairmen. Gotta take care of business somedays! My time at home led me to look through old notebooks and papers -- purge time for most, but I came across a yellowed sheet of paper where I had written "Secrets I've Learned Through the Years -- the Hard Way". I looked at the numbered 5, and thought, shoot, I know that, but it appears that I have not always heard these secrets. Here goes:

#1. Go for the gold. Be determined to succeed, set your mind on one thing -- and never stray. Persevere and success will be yours.
     Go for the gold. Don't we all think we are going for the gold as we travel this highway of life. We want to succeed, to win the gold medal, but what does it really take to win, and what was I willing to sacrifice to succeed. I knew at a young age that I would never find success at a young age. It was thrown in my face, offered to me in all its glory, but the stakes were too high, and I said no. If I was going to succeed, it was going to be on my terms, in my time. But I was determined. My eyes have not left the dream. And so I think that is for many people. That is what retirement is for many of us who have made it this far. To pursue the dream of youth that was never forgotten. My mind has always been on one goal, one way to live this life. Stray -- yes. It's called life, but I always found my way back to the dream, to the writing, to sharing stories so I can show one other person that life is the same for all of us. We are all striving, for love, companionship, shelter, and food in our tummy. Those are the basics, and really the only thing there is -- just more of, bigger and better as we accumulate, until we realize we don't need the bigger and better.
      What I have learned since writing those words I found is to persevere and success will be yours. I now know it's not in the winning, it's in the journey. I persevere every day because I get up with a smile on my face and go about my business, and that success is mine. It was mine before I started. I have no grandiose ideas of being famous for my words, don't even admire the famous, and so my idea of what success looks like has changed. Success is doing what I was meant to do. It's so simple. So simple. All I have to do is do.
      Before I leave this idea, I do want to comment about "set your mind on one thing" -- boy, that is a hard one. Years ago I had a friend named Rich, and we would talk for hours and hours about life and what it is and what it meant to us. One subject that kept coming up was exactly that "set your mind on one thing". It seems that both of us had the commonality of being able to do nearly anything and our interests lied in nearly everything. We always said, if we could only concentrate on one thing, we would win. How well I understand that now. And I believe that is the key for those who achieve greatness. They have tunnel vision. They focus on one item and work until it is achieved. Look at Einstein, the Wright Brothers, Steve Jobs. Their focus was on one thing, and one thing only, and they changed the world, changed how we live in this world.
     I am learning to do that today. I am trying to get rid of all the "stuff" in my life so I can write, and write alone. I am getting there. I know it's the key, I just know it.

#2. Confidence lies within. Set realistic goals and achieve them at all cost. Then, pat yourself on the back. You have just won.
     I remember in my youth -- really young, that I thought I would be a failure if I was not a best selling author and married with children and have a big house by the time I was 27. 27! Boy, was I living in a fantasy world!
     Through the years, I learned how the world really works, and those grandiose ideas would never, never have happened. I also learned through the years that confidence does lie within but you also have to set realistic goals. They can be big goals, but they have to be realistic. I did not have an inkling for business, and that is where the real money is, that and a little help from a mentor. But I never wanted money per se, and you can't have all the trimmings without the money, so through the years I understood what realistic goals are.
     I learned that I needed to work at a place with a pension and insurance so my basic needs would be met. I learned that I needed a roof over my head so my shelter was met. And I learned that I did not need the best and brightest of anything as long as my needs were met. Realistic goals. Then, achieve them -- I did, at a cost. I worked for the pension and the insurance that had nothing to do with the written word, with conveying ideas to others, with helping others succeed, or with who I really was. But, once again, I persevered and I achieved them at all cost. It wasn't easy. Some days felt like they were never going to be over, but they did, and they accumulated, and today, I can pat myself on the back. I lived long enough to retire and pursue who I am with the written word. I have won.

#3. Learn to hear what people say. Double messages are confusing and you don't need people who give those messages to you in your life. Get rid of them at all cost.
     I have always been a good listener. Shoot, that is what I was trained to do. That is what you do as a journalist. Or, at least it was, when I practiced the skill. I listened to what people said, and then I wrote about it to share their story, their experience.
     Then, you meet the person who says one thing but does the opposite. Double messages. It's like, "I love you", slap, slap. It's like, "I love you but you're too fat, too skinny, too ..." The message I remember is someone told me once, "I will never pick another smart girl." but then he wanted to marry me. Hello!!! I just couldn't be smart if I wanted to marry him. Really!!! Needless to say, we never walked down the aisle, but I will always remember his comment. And I wonder if his current wife is smart, or not and he can then do anything he wants. Don't need those people in my life. Double messages are all over this world, and they drive me nuts.
      It took me a long time to really hear those messages, although I knew there was something wrong with them. But I finally got the message, and I quit being confused. Sometimes it was hard to drop the people, especially if I felt I wanted to be close to them. This is meant for family members also, and that is a very hard one to do. But, sometimes, to save yourself, it must be done, they must be out of your life. Without guilt. Without worry.
     What I thought remarkable with this is when you really hear what people say, and you get rid of the negativity, confidence in yourself escalates. It's a win-win situation.

#4. Smile and the world smiles with you -- frown and you frown alone.
     I've almost always seen the glass half full, but I know one thing, when I went through some rough days, and the frowns grew long, the people left. Or maybe I should say the acquaintances left. Those people who were looking for a smile. Real friends stayed. And then I learned about people.
     Friends are real and they stayed through the good and the bad.
   
#5. Love. Learn to love those who love you, and get rid of the ones who don't love you or respect you.
     This kinda goes with #3 -- learn to hear what people say. Love is such a precious and great gift. When you get it, and experience that unconditional love, there is nothing in the world like it. Nothing. Through love you learn that success is loving back, that that love gives you confidence, that through love you can distinguish the double messages, and love puts a smile on your face even when the days are long.
     I am so blessed to have been loved with this unconditional love. It started as like/love/lust, then turned to love, then to unconditional love. It was a process, a quick one, but a process and the outcome was far beyond my wildest imagination. I could never imagine throwing this away over an argument or differing opinion. I learned to love him more than I could imagine that he loved me, but I knew he loved me more than I could have imagined. Get it, keep it, fight for it.

And these are what I have learned in my life. The essentials. I have learned a lot more, but these put a lot in a nutshell. So, who am I today -- a wildly successful lady who exudes confidence and who has been loved with a smile on her face and an ear to what and how people say their words.

Until tomorrow...have a great day...
   

Physical Therapy and Posture

I thought I had a bad shoulder. Well, actually, I do, but not because of the bones or anything like that (thank God!, I don't want any more surgeries). It's because my posture is bad. All those years being hunched over, working on beading, at a typewriter, writing, working on crafts, driving, etc., etc., etc., and not straightening my torso to stand erect -- and walla, Pain, aches, and limited mobility. Now, I can't have that. Remember, I am getting my body ready to go to China.

I started physical therapy last week for both my knee (from when I fell at Christmas) and the ongoing shoulder pain. Come to find out, I have/had a bruise on the soft tissue in my knee. So, that is why it still hurts at times. But, with one week of therapy and an exercise program plus ice (not heat), it feels 90% better. I can do the rest of this by myself and a little help from my friends, and they can focus on my shoulder.

I am so glad my shoulder's ligaments, tendons, etc. are not torn and the shoulder joints are okay. Now, I really need to strengthen those muscles so there will be no further damage down the road. Along with the bones in that arm being broken three (that's right 3) times, arthritis because of the breaks, my posture is to blame for the pain in that area. She looked at my back, and she saw a marked difference in the two sides. Ice, ibuprofen, and exercise to strengthen -- that is my schedule now.

But, why posture? I am no different from anyone else driving, typing, cooking, crafting, writing, etc., etc., etc. Come to find out, many people -- shoot, most people, suffer from poor posture. And the PT aide commented this will be a huge concern in the future (and she is already hearing about this complaint) because of everyone hunched over texting, glued to their smart phone and sending instagrams and tweets for all to see. So, today, I want to share three exercises I do now, and these three have been shown to me before by other PTs for my posture, so I imagine they are fairly universal. I have done the first two on a semi-continual basis for probably the past 20 years.

This is an easy one. stand close to the wall with your feet squarely in front of you. If you feel more comfortable for balance, go ahead and put one foot back a bit so you have leverage. Keep your head straight and even.

If you have a towel, great, use it by putting both of your hands on it. (If you don't have a towel handy, just use the wall.)

Put both hands on the wall and slide the hands up as far as you can reach. Repeat -- to begin 10 times -- using gentle motions going up and then down. Do not jerk or let the arm down with a sudden movement.

(I have also been taught to use this method, but instead of sliding the arm up and down, I have used my fingers to crawl up the wall and then slide the arm down.)






The second one that I have been doing for years is using the wall again. This time you are going to be back away from the wall because you are going to push away from it. It is very important with this exercise to have one foot in back and one foot in front for balance. Keep your head straight and even (do not look up or down.)


Your hands are going to be on the wall with your fingers pointed up (although I have also been taught to have my hands pointed together with the fingers in).

Simply push towards the wall (when you do this you should feel the pull in the back shoulder blades) and then away from the wall to relax. Repeat -- to begin 10 times -- using gentle motions going in and out.

The third one is new, but I believe is an innate one. When your back hurts, what do you do? You throw your shoulders back and squeeze the shoulder blades together to throw your chest out in front of you. That is what this exercise is all about.

What I have learned with this exercise is to use the wall again. Actually, the corner of the wall.

Simply, stand at the corner of any wall and squeeze the shoulders back toward the two sides of the wall. Of course, you are going to be standing straight with your head looking evenly ahead and straight. Again, repeat -- to begin 10 times -- with gentle motion and feel the pull of the shoulder blades.





I do have many, many more exercises than these, but I believe these are so universal, and everyone should be aware of them if not already. What's great is that you can do them anywhere. When I am starting to get a muscle spasm in my back, I go to the wall and start pushing. Plus, I drink a ton of water. Usually, I can catch it before it brings me to my knees. But it took me years to learn what worked for me.

One thing I am more aware of since I started with the PTs is when I walk (and I do every day) I am standing straighter, and I feel taller. Shoot, maybe I will even grow an inch or two!

With the new schedule, I will be back on Wednesday, and once again, if you want my take on the idioms and cliches of the world, you can read about them at miswordsdotcom.wordpress.com. My blog is titled Miswords.

Until then...have a great day...

Traveling Is Helping Define Who I Am Now

I started this journey of the 14th Chapter in my book of life to help me define who I am today. What is really helping me is my travels. Today, I know that Chapter 14 will not be a long chapter in my book, but I do believe it will be the groundwork for a very long Chapter 15. My travels are helping me look forward to the future and what I want it to look like. Let me give you a glimpse.

My goals for Chapter 14 are to write, travel and do my crafts. I will continue to write, for myself, and for any one who wishes to read my words. But that is expanding. I will continue this blog for as long as Chapter 14 exists, but I am resuscitating the Miswords blog starting next week. It is my play on words, especially idioms. cliches and phrases. And I hope it helps the people from foreign lands to understand our use of words and how we use them in the different parts of our country. If you would like to check that out go to miswordsdotcom.wordpress.com. I will be writing that blog on Tuesdays and Fridays. I will continue to write this blog on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. On this blog you will see my travels, crafts and some writing information until I have my own web page, then I will start posting shorts or parts of shorts on the web page, but for now, I gotta figure out how to make the web page.

Along with the blogs, I am in the process of preparing for my first INDIE book of shorts. I am toying with the first novel, or rather the first in a series of novels. I am also in the process of gathering information on another collection of short stories, but these will be based on other people's experiences. Throw in a couple of stories about the ancestry I am researching, and you can get an idea about how my life is veering. And I have not given up on the idea of being a personal historian. But that is in the idea stage, though.

Travel is becoming a huge part of my life. I am learning how to travel on the cheap, and will give you my tips along the way, as well as any ideas about traveling. Here is one. Since luggage can no longer be locked at the airports, I read somewhere to put a paper clip on the zipper part of the luggage. I did, and guess what, the people at the airport cut off the steel pulley to close the zipper instead of the paper clip. So...I figured instead of the paper clip, just use one of those twistees from the bread wrapper. It works.

As you see, I am one pulley short, but the luggage is secure so it does not open on the way down the conveyor belt.

I know for sure I will never spend a lot of money on luggage -- it is ruined the first time out, so I look for bright colors and it being light weight.

And pulleys, I want pulleys. It looks like I am going to have to go to the handware  or craft store and buy a lanyard clip.



I want to see the world, travel to all of our 50 states (I have been to 31 of them), and do as much as I can on the cheap. I am not wealthy, so it has to be on the cheap. There is volunteering, like I covered before, and if I wanted to stay somewhere for a year, I could teach English abroad. I doubt much if I will stay in a hostel, but you never know. I do know I will never stay in a 5 star hotel. There is no way I would spend a lot of money for a bed for a night's sleep. So, somewhere in between. House swapping is not out of the question, but I would have to move to do that. I don't think this active adult community allows that. Rules! Bah - humbug...

As I travel, I need to learn how to write while traveling -- that is, the blog and web page writing.

Crafting. I can tell you that already I am tiring of ceramics. I have a list of items I want to paint, but as the weeks go on, my list shortens as I cross off items instead of completing them. I just need more time for the writing. I will continue with the stain glass and fused glass, but at a certain point, what else do you do? But, for now they are in my life.

And friends and family -- I want to keep them around forever. New friends are hard to keep because they don't really know me and they want me to stay in one spot. It ain'tta gonna happen. I don't want to put down roots, stay in one spot. Not now, maybe not ever. But, I do need a home base, where I can store my clothes and a good bed, somewhere to wash my clothes and sort out what I need to take to the next place. For me, that is going to be San Diego. Soon.

Heraclitus said in 535 B.C. that "There is nothing more constant than change", and he was so correct to say that. I know the world around me is changing at an alarming speed. And my world...well, it is changing, also, but not as speedy as our world today. And you know what, I want that change, I embrace that change, I look forward to that change. I want to be a part of it. I am a part of it because I am bound determined not to stay in one spot, whether physically or mentally or both.

And on that note, I gotta go....

Until next week...have a great weekend...

Victoria -- The Last Stop

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, was our last stop before we landed back in Seattle to start the trip home to Florida. I have crossed the border into Canada at a couple of places years ago, but I have never seen such beauty in Canada as what Victoria has.

Victoria is the capital of British Columbia with about 80,000 people and about 350,000 people including the surrounding areas. It has many institutions of higher learning, and many, many retirees. Our tour guide said Victoria has many wealthy people because when the Canadians from the plains retire from their ranches, this is where the want to go. I don't blame them. Victoria's weather is mild year round, it has flowers everywhere (it is known as the Garden City), and appears to be a clean, well cared for city. Plus, there is scads of events that take place.

We didn't have a lot of time here, but we were able to drive past the British Columbia Parliament Buildings. As you can see, many people simply walk the grounds.










We also saw a Kwakwaka'wakw "big house" built by Chief Mungo Martin. It was located at Thunderbird Park in front of the Royal British Columbia Museum.

I would have loved to have gone into the museum to see some of this lovely city's treasures, but there was not enough time. I guess that means it will be put on my list to revisit sometime in the future.

What I thought cool was going through Chinatown. It is the 2nd oldest in North America after San Francisco's. When you enter the area, there is a gate with stone lions to tell you you have entered.

This picture is a school, and the children who attend here learn Mandarin Chinese. Now, I hear that is an extremely hard language to learn. I really hand it to anyone who is from China, Russia, anywhere where they do not have our alphabet and then attempt to learn our language. Really, what an accomplishment. It's hard enough learning another language with a similar alphabet, but wow! another lettering system altogether.

After I retired, I taught a GED course through the local community college for a bit, and there was one lady there who came from China. She said she worked on learning how to speak English for 8 years, and when I met her she had been learning academics to be able to gain the high school equivalency diploma. She had been at this for over 4 years. I hope she made it. I admire anyone who has the tenacity to tackle such a challenge.

I had to take a picture of this house near the water because it had a PALM TREE. I never expected to see a palm tree in Canada.

And there was water everywhere, mountains in the background, and more than a totem pole or two. Simply a lovely city.











That night we sailed toward Seattle, and the next morning, bright and early, we were on our way back to Florida. A wonderful, awe inspiring trip I will never forget. If you ever get a chance, this trip is one to take.

I was home for a few days, and within a week, I was itching to go again. Gotta love going....

Until tomorrow...have a great day...

Russian Influence in Alaska

Sitka was the place where I learned about Russian's influence in Alaska.

Let's back up a bit to when Alaska was owned by Russia. Alexander Baranov was born in 1747 and became the reason why Alaska flourished in the 18th century under Russian rule. The story goes that Baranov, a merchant, sailed to Kodiak Island in 1790 and saw the potential for a fur trade (sea otters to name the main source). Then, in 1799, Tsar Paul I approved the formation of the Russian-American Company, bascially a trade company with the rest of the world, and specifically China. Alaska flourished, and Baranov introduced modern days to its natives, built schools, encouraged intermarriage with Alaskan Natives, and encouraged the Russian Orthodox Church to come to Alaska. Life was good.

Previous to Tsar Paul I, Catherine the Great ruled Russia, and she wanted the Orthodox Church to have a presence in Alaska, so she sent 10 monks from Valaam Monestary. They arrived in 1794. Herman was one of those monks, and he was the one who lasted through some horrific conditions. I believe he was the only one who lasted. And the Natives loved and respected him. Along with introducing them to the Russian Orthodox Church, he taught reading and writing in the mission school along with catechism, and he taught agriculture on Spruce Island off of Kodiak Island.

Then, Baranov died in 1819 and the Russian military took over the Russian-American Company. It was not a good mix, and all of Baranov's dreams seemed to die out. At the same time, Herman really wants to live the life of a hermit so he retires to Spruce Island, but the Natives love him. Soon they came to the island for Sundays and feast days. Eventually, there was a chapel, and then a school for the orphans.

He was canonized in 1970, and people make pilgrimages to his chapel. There is much more to this story, but that is it in a nutshell.

The coffin where people come to pay homage to St. Herman. If you notice in the far left there are chains that he wore every day for penance.


These are the chains.

Now, returning to Russian history. The Russian-American Company is not doing so good, and in 1853 the Crimean War broke out. It was not a good war for Russia and by this time Alaska was not a good financial territory for Russia because the sea otter trade was basically nil. Because of the Crimean War and the tension between London and Russia, talks started to sell Alaska.

The U.S. Secretary of State William Seward strikes the deal with Russia, and on March 30, 1867, Russia sold Alaska to the U.S. for $7.2 million (about $122 million in today's money, according to Wikipedia). But the Russian religion (Russian Orthodox) and Russian heritage continues in Alaska.

The second part of this tour was to listen to Russian music while we enjoyed Russian tea. (Oh, it is good.)

Dressed in Russian attire, the Kodiak Russian Balalaika Players played music such as Arkan, Basso, and Minka, Minka on their mandolins, balalaikas, bas balalaikas, banduras, and the accordian while we drank Russian Tea.

The tea was so good that I looked up how to make it from Allrecipes.com. When you read the ingredients, you will understand why it is so good. The recipe follows:

In a large bowl, mix:
1 cup instant tea powder                2 cups orange flavored drink (i.e., tang)
2 cups white sugar                          1 3-ounce powered lemonade mix
2 teaspoons cinnamon                    1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix thoroughly and store in a sealed jar.
To use, mix 3-4 Tablespoons of mix with 1 cup hot or cold water. Adjust to your liking.

It is good.

The final view in Kodiak was the U.S. Coast Guard station. It is the largest unit in the Coast Guard.

and right across the street from where we were standing to take this picture was a bunker used during WWII.

Great history. Great music, Great tea. Great scenes. In other words, a great day. Kodiak, Alaska.

Until tomorrow...have a great day!

Otters, Glaciers and Bears, Oh My!

Hurricane Hermine has come and gone, and the Labor Day holiday weekend is over, so it is time to get back to my schedule. The next three days I will culminate my Alaskan trip. Without a doubt, the highest point of this trip for me was the glaciers, and I have to show you just a few more before we turn to Kodiak and Russian tea and then to Victoria in British Columbia. What a trip!

Few cruise ships dock in Anchorage, but with this Holland America Alaskan cruise, we were lucky enough to dock the ship in the largest city in Alaska, and probably one of the ones that is most thought of when one thinks of Alaska.

Actually, Anchorage is a large city (about 300,000 people with a total of about 400,000 when you count the surrounding area). It's not a bad city, one that when I look at cities I wonder if I could live there. Maybe. It would depend if I could live with many days of sunlight and then many days of darkness. I guess you could get use to anything.

This day we had a tour planned where we would go on a catamaran that would take us up close and personal to some glaciers. This is what I came for! Let's go. But, before we boarded the boat, we stopped at an animal reserve for bears, moose, deer, etc. that have been injured or abandoned and can not go back into the wild. I learned something about bears.

The brown bear is also known as the Grizzly. It's most distinguishing characteristic is the hump on its back.

Black bears do not have humps, and they are usually smaller than the grizzly. They are more aggressive, also. It is the black bear that will attack you, so fight, fight, fight -- punch and aim for its face, kick it, do anything and everything you can to fight off this animal.

On the other hand, the grizzly will fight you if you are threatening to the cubs, or you have food. Please, no food around animals -- ever! When you encounter a grizzly this is the one that you should stop dead in your tracks, wave your hands, talk calmly (CALMLY!!!) to it to let it know you are a human. And if it does come too close, play dead. Lay with your head down, arms over your head, and feet apart (harder for the bear to roll you). Hopefully, as long as you have no food on you, it will get bored and leave.

Since Florida has black bears (oh great, we have the aggressive one!), I now know that if I see one, I should make noise, clap my hands, scream, honk the horn, anything, and I should throw something at it to scare it off. I have seen bears in the clearing on I-75 between Sarasota and Ft. Meyers, so they are here.

Lastly, I learned that when a bear stands on his hind legs, he is curious, not threatening. I would want to run, but, no one can outrun a bear, so...good luck....

The moose is to the left and a herd of deer is above,

And the Wildebeest is part of the antelope family. What was fun, was, while watching them, they started to run and play with each other. I never thought of large animals playing.


On the way to the glaciers (and away from the glaciers) we saw many sea otters sunning on a rock in the middle of the water.

Then, it was on to the glaciers. Once again, breathtaking pictures. I have combined these glaciers with the Mendenhall glaciers where we saw them calving, as well as waterfalls within the glaciers. I never would have thought of seeing waterfalls within the glacier. WOW!

Notice the blue of the iceberg.

I had to throw in one of the lone boats we saw heading closer to the glaciers.





Two days later, we cruised past the Mendenhall glacier and here, I saw the glacier calve where chunks of ice broke off. Amazing, and everyone whooped and hollered to see such a sight. Cameras flashed everywhere!

Where you see the white spot, the snow, that is the glacier after it calved. We actually watched the ice drop into the water and then the snow pour into the water. An amazing sight.

A very nice picture of the calving, the blue in the glacier and the "tire" marks. 

I leave you today with another scene from nature. Tomorrow, on to Kodiak and a Russian tea.

Until tomorrow...have a great day...