I'm NOT Kathryn Budig...

...and that's not a complaint (specifically, I guess) - just a fact. 

In just about every issue of Yoga Journal, you can see Ms. Budig, an international figure in the yoga scene, and also a philanthropist. You see her mostly unclothed, except for a pair of Toe Sox. At first, clothed - some of the older ads had her in remarkable poses, and fully clothed. 

Lately, not so much. Actually, once she got to "showing butt crack" my own teacher cancelled her subscription to YJ. 

It sells socks. 

But it also pretty much destroys a normal person's concept of themselves. And yeah, you always try to be strong. But let's face it.

As women, we are bombarded, almost hourly, it seems. We're not good enough; not thin enough; not pretty enough. The fashion mags would have you believe that if you are anywhere near a double-digit size, you're fat. And God help you if you're over a size 10...because now size 12 is considered a "plus" size. 

And Yoga Journal is not immune to that either. For all their preaching of "acceptance" and "living in the moment," their recent cover model was Hilaria Baldwin, and they're calling her an "up and coming yogi." Uh-huh. She's most famous for marrying Alec Baldwin and having a baby. And not in that order. Oh, and crap-loads of "yoga selfies" in the oddest places. 

So YJ does a cover story. And it seems like it's more a fashion shoot. Just as an example, check out her Virabhadrasana III at the left. Yeah. The one in 4" heels on a cobblestone road. Full disclosure: I found this on Google; it's not one of the shots in the magazine. 

To the right, you can see my slightly chubbier, barefoot version - in my back yard. In no way am I saying mine is right and hers is wrong. Many of her poses (when she's not wearing haute couture) are lovely. 

I'm just saying that this isn't promoting a healthy look at yoga. 

First off, there are many of us who are qualified teachers who do NOT look like either of these women. Of course, there are many qualified teachers who DO - and I teach with several of them. 

Second, yoga is meant to be done a certain way, and I'm not being a hide-bound traditionalist stick-in-the-mud. High heels? Really?

As my very wise yoga teacher once said to me, "Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD."

Anyway, there's a backlash to Hilaria et al. Heck, you can barely see a YJ cover featuring a male, much less a realistic look at what a lot of us yogis and yoginis look like. And so I submitted a shot of myself to the FB page "My Real Yoga Body." Check them out. You'll see some awesome yogis and yoginis in every shape and size. And in just about every pose you can imagine. 

Just as it should be. 

I mean, realistically, I'm 56 years old, recovering from some significant health challenges, and I gained back some of the weight I lost. I do find, yes, even in my "wisdom," that things like 'picture perfect' yoginis make me miserable. In fact, the photo of myself up above there makes me miserable. It wasn't what I thought I saw in my head. 

And maybe I need to take that to heart. Didn't some scientist once prove that technically, bumblebees can't fly? They should be, because of their larger bodies and smaller wings, totally unable to fly.

Somehow, the bumblebees never got that message. Maybe that's the message we all need to "not get."

Knitting...

The Fluro socks are done. D-O-N-E. And there's a bit of an issue. They run. I did a 10 minute soak in a vinegar + water bath, then nuked them in a plastic bag for 2 minutes (to help steam and set the color). Then, I swished them with some Burt's Bees baby shampoo to get the vinegar out. 

And they still ran. See the pink? Well, not only did it run in the basin, but some of the hot pink ran into the green. 

Does it annoy me? Yeah. Will it continue? Yeah. But it won't continue to annoy me. 


They're socks. Frankly, had this been a scarf, a shawl, or a sweater?

I'd be spitting stitch markers. 

But they're socks. Wear 'em out and move on.

That's the point of socks. 

Speaking of which, here's a picture of the itty-bitty bootie!! I got the Atlantic colorway in, and started on the booties. I'm at just about 3" for the cuff and then I can turn the heel. 

Yes, knitting a "newborn" size layette will likely bite me in the rear end. But at least the baby can use the blanket till it falls apart. 

The booties are on size 6 DPNs and in the same yarn: Rowan Handknit 100% cotton. 

So far, no frogging or cursing. Check with me when I get to the toe...

Yes, I still have to do a few rows on the Teal Monster, but I wanted to get a jump on the baby layette. The baby has a deadline. The Teal Sock has not. 

This is what I've spent my afternoon on. This morning we took a bike ride, and did a little over 6 miles. 

The headwind was a stinker, but the overcast really helped, since it was a prairie path with no trees. 

Labor Day...

Hubby has been laboring in the "Room of Doom" - which is what he's taken to calling Kid #2's room. Since he's procrastinating, we decided to start boxing his stuff up. We'll give the walls a scrubbing (he likes candles) and then probably repaint it. 

Also have to figure out if we want a ceiling fan in there or just a light fixture. I changed out the nasty ceiling fan in Kid #1's room (was there when we moved in) and just have a light fixture. It's enough, especially with central air. There's a stand fan if I need it. And I usually don't. 

And yes, we still have more pickles. Probably just one more batch. That'll be later on this week. Hopefully they'll hold out till my next day off, but you never can tell. 

Random Picture...

And this is how Raisa & Quinn are spending "Lazy Day." Didn't you know that EVERY day is "lazy day" for dogs? In our house it is! 

Raisa will be going to the vet on Tuesday; we think she's got a tummy upset, but you'd have to really pay attention to notice. She's her usual bouncy self, except for a few accidents in the house. She's about 3 days from being 1 year old, so that's not normal. 

We shall see what the vet says. We did a blood panel, and they're checking for Cushing's though it's doubtful in a young dog. But Huskies are prone to that, so we need to know.