OK, let's see if this works... No comments, so either people couldn't read the last blog entry or nobody had a problem with the font change. 

So teacher training is still kicking my butt. My last Body Reading assignment and my last sequence were...not received well. But unlike Graduate School, I can just re-do them. It's not graded. 

This week, I started the Apprenticeship segment. Now NORMALLY, we'd have a "Head to Toe" yoga class and we (the trainees) would be the apprentices to the master teacher. We'd learn by doing. But, now, COVID has changed all that. Now, there are 8 of us, and we have to figure out how to learn to do these therapeutic techniques when we can't even touch each other. 

So, this picture has nothing to do with teacher training...but it IS a great reminder. Left to right, it's amethyst, green aventurine, and raw black tourmaline. These are gemstones that I got in barter for knitting a baby hat. They're lovely stones. I have them on my table next to my little "yoga gnome." 

Friday night, we had a lot of lecture and a few teachings where each of us was chosen to demonstrate a technique. We then had to discuss how we wanted to go forward. In that, I mean, we need to learn in this module how to sequence for therapeutic yoga, we have to learn a myriad of adjustment techniques...and we have to do this without student to practice on! 

All I can say is that it's going to be interesting. 

But this weekend's Therapeutics module -- today I had fun. Prenatal Yoga!!! I've wanted to teach prenatal yoga since I started my 200-hour training, but I never felt like I knew enough. We've managed to talk to the master teacher who presented today, and might be able to get a class together to do the actual 85-hour certification. Yeah, I know - I'm probably nuts. But it's something I've always wanted to do.  

The Knitting...

Well, Kid #2's Afghan proceeds apace. It's going a lot more quickly. I had a consult with my "color consultant." A/K/A the Hubby. I was trying to balance out the 2 sections of black that The Kid wanted in there but I was having trouble placing them properly. Hubby took a look at it, then we slightly rearranged my notes and you can see that I've got about 10 rows to go, then a 5-row border that matches the bottom border. For once, I think it might work out as a balanced pattern! I mean that on MY part, not Hubby's...his eye for color is amazing and I will usually consult him because I'm not good at that. My mom is actually pretty good at it, too. 

We ended up switching up the black sections; initially I had grey where the black was and it would've been almost 6 more sections (12 rows!) to get the balance right. I am totally winging this color combo. Initially, it was just the red and grey (college colors are red + white, but I try not to put white in an afghan unless it's just a slight accent). But then the request for black...(sigh - a ginormous pain to knit with, even with my lovely Ott stand light). 

You can see my "color list" here, working from the bottom up. It's rough, but if you have a system that works for you? Go for it. You are the only one using it. 

I am anxious to get back to the Baby Car Seat Blanket, because I want to stay on schedule for that. 

And I want to get back to knitting a few things I've set aside -- the Longsands Tee and the February Lady Sweater, along with a couple of shawls. 

The Reading...

I finished the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency book series - at least what's been published. Aside from all the yoga stuff I've been reading, I've also just purchased a couple Agatha Christie books. I mean, you can't exactly snuggle down before bedtime and read Ray Long's "The Key Muscles of Yoga." 

Well, you could, but you'd have to be wayyyyyyyyyy geekier than I actually am. 

Anyway, I have "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd," which has been called "the greatest murder mystery novel of all time," and "Murder at the Vicarage," the first Miss Marple. 

For me, Geraldine McEwan was the perfect Miss Marple; Joan Hixon was the first one to play the part, and she's my #2. Just as David Suchet is  -- just "is" Poirot. 

I'm looking forward to one of those tonight; not sure which one yet. My other favorite murder mystery author lately is Louise Penny, with her Inspector Gamache mysteries set in Canada. 

And of course, I love the "usual" ones: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (I've been reading Sherlock Holmes since high school), P.D. James, Martha Grimes... A good murder mystery is just a balm to my imagination and restful to read. Funny, maybe, but there it is. 

I'm also re-reading The Whole 30, which I'm starting on Monday. Or I should say, "re-doing." I need to get rid of the COVID-19 that I gained. 

I suppose I should have been on the ElliptiKILL or knitting during the shut-down, instead of making (and eating) bread...

So today is "prep day." I have made ghee (so stupid-simple, why would you pay $11/jar!?), and I've got eggs boiling. So why ghee? It's clarified butter. When I was a kid, the Galloping Gourmet (just Google it...) used to talk about clarified butter and it always sounded so exotic! 

It's easy. Take a small saucepan, put in 4 sticks of butter (you can cut them up if you want). and simmer over medium-low heat. The worst part: DO NOT STIR IT. Seriously, that's the hardest part. As it simmers, you'll notice a froth on the top - that's the dairy solids, which you don't want. Skim them off the best you can; you just toss those. 

Then, put a strainer over the top of a canning jar, stick some cheesecloth in there (it's way easier than a coffee filter - ask me how I know that...), and strain the now-clarified butter into the jar. Cool before storing it in the fridge. You can keep this in the fridge for 6 months, or at room temp (easier to use) for 3 months. 

The biggest thing is to prep. If you try to do this on the fly, it usually won't work. I'm really in need of a  re-set; I've gotta get my sugar demons under control, and I think I need to do something about gluten. It doesn't make me sick, per se. But it does make me bloat. Is that a problem? Not sure it's a real medical issue; just more of an intolerance. Either way, I'm over it. 

And if I don't do something, I'm setting myself up for a gigantic lecture by my cardiologist. Wish me luck...

The Politics...

So #WeezyMussolini violated (again) the protocols and held a rally.... a "rally" on the WH lawn. In the middle of the COVID pandemic, while he's still contagious (and no, I do NOT believe the "doctor" who said he was fine). And --- he PAID THE ATTENDEES. 

Dude was supposed to speak for 1/2 hour, made it to 18 minutes. He's still got pneumonia, I'm tellin' ya. I've had it (pneumonia, minus COVID) and it's bad when it's "regular" pneumonia. I can't imagine COVID pneumonia. 

November 3rd can't come fast enough. We need a landslide and Electoral College victory that cannot be denied. And then the Secret Service can move the mendicant crime family out of the White House, fumigate it, and we can get back our democracy. 

I'm not sure we'll ever get back our "original" pride in our country. And it's goingto take years to get back our reputation - even a shadow of it. But we can start the process by ending the reign of mendacity that's occupied our country for the past 4 years. 

Maybe we will have learned something profound during this time. We've certainly learned the ugliness of our nation was really just under the surface. Maybe now we've learned that it takes all the good people to get up off their sofas to make the changes necessary for us to live in a better world. 

I watched the VP debate. God, it gave me flashbacks of every moron male boss I ever had... Mikey P. was a total jerk. Kamala's "mom look" was perfect, though sometimes, you really wished she'd have just said "SHUT. UP." 

The problem is, "angry black woman" is a real stereotype. But what angered me even more was the rubber spine of the moderator, who was a prior donor to the Republican party. I swear, they should've gotten a mom in there who's been home-schooling her kids. Pence wouldn't have stood a chance if my mom was the moderator. Then again, my kids would say the same if they thought I was the moderator! 

Vote. Please. 

The Random Picture...

Well, Raisa was not looking for toast. I actually had her huge Kong bone in my hand. The one she flung at me and that clocked me in the shoulder. She knows how to pitch. 

Her problem is that her aim is off. You're more likely to get whacked with that bone as she uses her skills as a doggie baton tosser. She'll roll the bone around her neck and then toss it up - and that's cool. It's when it goes on an angle where it gets dangerous - then, it could land on your foot. In your knitting bag. On your lap. 

Or, as frequently happens, bounces off your head. 

That's always fun. 

And remarkably, as with buttered toast...the bone always hits you with the slimy end that she's just gnawed on. 

It's a good thing she's cute...

Want yoga, but don't have a studio near you? Join us online via our subscription service! Classes for Seniors/Boomers, include Forever Young, Chair and Gentle/Restorative. $85 a month, auto-renew. 

Classes under our Premier category -- ALL of them! Including Vinyasa, Basic, Hatha Flow, Yin and all the senior ones. $129/month auto-renew. 

Contact us at info@just-breatheyoga.com, or call/text: (815) 546-2770. 

Do yoga at your convenience. 

Veni, Vidi...

...ego quod plantatum est....

Or, "I came, I saw, I planted."

I spent Mother's Day in what I consider the best way possible: a quick trip to Eastside Greenhouse and coming home to plant my haul.

For the veggies and herbs, I got: Big Boy, Golden Sunshine, and Sweet Cherry tomatoes. I got carrot seeds and radish seeds (truly enough for YEARS, but more on that in a moment). I got Rosemary, sweet basil, curly parsley, Lemon balm and chamomile. I bought two strawberry plants.

For the flowers, I got two LARGE hanging baskets, and an "angel" plant that I'd never seen before. It's a spiky plant that is an annual and vaguely reminds me of foxgloves.

That one came in coral pink, baby pink and magenta. I got the coral pink. I'm assured that butterflies and bees love it. I'm in for that!

You can see the haul in the back of the truck. The two hanging baskets went up first. We moved them away from the brick (a) so they wouldn't bake as the weather got warmer; and (b) so that when it rains, Mother Nature can help with the watering.

Within an hour after we'd planted what we got, we had hummingbirds at these plants. This is what I'm talking about!

In the front garden, I chose to put the herbs in pots. So again - they can take advantage of the strong western exposure. Our maple tree in the back shades virtually the whole yard, and the herbs hadn't been doing well in the large trug. Hubby also wants to stain it so that it lasts a bit longer, so this year, it's getting the year off. In the white-ish planter is the curly parsley (4 plants). In the small dark planter to the left of it is the sweet basil. And at the rear, that brown planter? Rosemary. It's something I'd been wanting to do for a while -- well, that and an herb spiral, but it's baby steps for now! I know these plants can take the heat and I know also that they'll benefit the birds and bees who stop by.


Hubby was all excited (yay!) because he saw a solar bird bath that might actually work. I'm excited about that too. The moving water will not only keep mosquitoes down, but it'll make it easier to keep the birdbath clean, and attract more birds. We've had bird baths forever, but they are difficult, with our water, to keep clean and the "solar" apparatuses we tried haven't seemed to work consistently. I'm hoping this one does, because I'm never going to talk him into a fountain or a pond!

To the right here are our lily of the valley. They desperately need to be thinned out, which I'll be doing in the next few weeks. I'd like to put them in pots on the back deck, but Hubby says he's got "a few more things to do" for it. We shall see. I love these plants and I'm so happy they're flourishing.

Speaking of flourishing, I was picking some of the Monster Bleeding Heart. And I about dropped my clippers. This is the longest string of bleeding hearts I've ever seen on this plant. I didn't pick it. I figured it was good to leave it there. There are fifteen hearts on this stem. I'm so happy every spring to see this old friend come back. It's like my harbinger of good things to come.

Moving to the back garden, Hubby refilled the three raised beds. Seriously the best way to grow things because (a) it's compact gardening. This year we're spreading out, but typically, we fill these things to the hilt. It saves space and is more efficient in keeping the weeds down. And (b) our soil is not your typical "Illinois black dirt" that's famous. Nope. We've got the "famous" --- or "infamous" clay. Yep, right under that set of planters, there's maybe 2" of black dirt (our contractor was hardly generous in this regard) and under that? Clay. Nothing grows in clay except our maple trees, apparently!

The top picture there is 7 heads of romaine, and 4 rows of carrots, of two varieties. The carrots are slightly crowded, but we will thin them out. Normally, we'd crowd that space with lettuce, but Hubby and I are the only two here. Nobody's going to eat that much lettuce, and then when you try to give it away, people look at you as if you're handing them yet another zucchini!

The middle bed holds an odd combination of bedfellows... two strawberry plants and two rows of radishes. I love radishes. According to a holistic website, I'm correct in my love for these little spicy red globes. Aside from the fiber aspect (and we all need a little more fiber), they're a natural detoxifier and diuretic. They'll clean out your liver and your kidneys. They'll help you sleep (that's never been my view, but I'll go with it); they're actually very high in Vitamin C and can help you fight off cold and flu bugs. They have cooling and anti-inflammatory properties and they're a natural decongestant (seriously, a nice spicy radish will make your nose run!).

They also have a high water content, are low in calories and help you feel full. Also, it's alleged that they can even help prevent cancer because of their sulphur containing compounds that can help protect cells from mutations.

Anyway, I'm nuts about radishes and can't wait to grow my own again!

And in the last bed are the tomatoes... The two in the containers are going to Kid #2. I hope he gets some good ones out of them. I reminded Hubby that we really need to keep the plants in trim - he once let the vines grow and grow and grow... The plants put so much energy into producing actual 12' long vines that there were about 3 tomatoes. Total. THREE tomatoes for all that greenery.

So he'll hopefully keep them from growing like crazy and I may get tomatoes. After tonight's forecasted rain, we'll put the lids on the beds, so that the squirrels won't have a heyday in there. The lids will eventually come off once everything settles in. I'm thinking of putting a "fence" down the middle of the strawberry/radish patch, because the berries can really take over.

Whole 30 Update...

So I kept going. Ish. I'm slowly introducing more variety into my eating, and still not really snacking like I used to. My body is responding by continuing to lose weight (yay!) and as of Day 41, I'm down a little over 10 lbs.

I admit - I was getting discouraged, because in the 30 days, I didn't see much. But like they promised, I do see some changes now. It just took me a bit longer. I'll keep on keeping on and hopefully will be able to see long-term, positive changes.

Knitting...

I'm on Point # 12 of the Close to You Shawl. That's 12 out of 18. So it's humming along and I got a good bit done this weekend. I also put together a Mass that I could play on the guitar, and now I have to practice it till I can play it in my sleep. And hope that our organist isn't absent much so that I don't really have to worry about doing it!

I also put on a few rows of the green traveling sock. It won't make it as a pair on the upcoming Colorado trip. It just won't unless I clear my entire schedule. And I'm not doing that for socks! They'll materialize. They always do.

You may notice something strange in the picture. I'm wearing nail polish. I haven't done that in years.

And now I know why. This lasted a total of 3 days. I removed it today because it was chipping. I'm not used to babying my hands and I was annoyed because it didn't last, even with a good top coat. And I don't have time to fiddle with it.

So off it went. And good riddance. I'll stick with pedicures. They last till I take the polish off, even when I'm barefoot so much. And I can't be worrying about my fingers. Between the knitting, the computer and the guitar (not to mention gardening and cooking), I've got enough to do without worrying about polish on the nails.

It was a nice try. Girly-girl just isn't me. Oh, don't get me wrong. I love my jewelry and I like to look nice, but the nail polish was kind of a disaster in the making, and I could tell I was being "hesitant" about doing things. Again: nice if you can do it, but not for me.

Random Picture...

Kid #2 gave me a Mother's Day gift after my own heart: an orchid and a book (Strangers on the Train...). He said, "Happy Mother's Day. Enjoy the book, and try not to kill the plant."

That combination of sentiment and snark was just what I needed! You have to enjoy the balance he achieves.

Temporarily, the orchid is at the studio, on the altar. If it likes it there, it'll stay. Otherwise, it can sit next to the white one I got a few years ago.

Which I've managed to keep alive, and which actually may bloom again. I did get another one to bloom twice and then it died on me. Could be that I didn't water it enough.

Anyway, Kid #2 knows a guy down the street from us who he swears is "The Orchid Whisperer." If I get into trouble, he says that AJ can resurrect just about anything.

I'm going to try to keep this one alive as long as I can.

Tippi is beside my chair and giving me that "It's time for bed already" look. And I need to water the other orchid.

Tell me what you're reading and what you're knitting! Let's chat!

PS: Sorry about the sudden change of theme... When I previewed this, it was all wonky, with white stripes where words ought to be.

Oh well, this one's spring-ly.

It Is Complete...

I finished Whole30 today. It's Day 30. I'm not sure how I feel. I don't feel "lighter." I honestly didn't even lose 10 pounds, which surprised me. I think it was the fruit. And the portions of protein. I'm not a big meat eater, and I was a bit overwhelmed with that part of the plan. 

That being said, I learned that I don't have to snack. I also learned that I really don't like eating breakfast that early. I also learned that I have to figure out a portable breakfast that doesn't involve "warm food." Which is difficult when you're limited to "clean" food - i.e., eggs, other proteins. There are only so many eggs one can eat. And while I don't mind eating leftover dinner for breakfast, I really can't face it at 6 a.m. I've never been an "early breakfast" person. 

I probably ate too much fruit. If I'd eaten less fruit, perhaps the scale would be different. But it wasn't and that's that.

So here was my meal tonight: a pork cutlet, sweet potato "hash" and Brussels Sprouts. That's homemade mayo for the "plated fat" that you need to add. Also, I drizzled infused olive oil with a touch of light balsamic over the Brussels Sprouts. Kind of like a "warm sprout salad," if you will.

What I have found is my motivation. I've dragged it, kicking and screaming, out from under my knitting chair and I've gotten myself into walking and tonight I was on the elliptical (a/k/a "The ElliptiKILL") for 20 minutes. I figure I can build up, with the upcoming trip to Colorado, so that when I'm out there, I'm not a total "pffffffffffffthhhhhhhhh" fizzle during hikes. Though I did warn them that I'm not "that" fit! I've also started walking at noon. I need to build up endurance on the ElliptiKILL and then get the "pounding the pavement" aspect by walking at lunch. 

I just have to watch that I don't do too much at lunch so that I'm dripping during the afternoon! 

I'm figuring that for the most part, I'll continue to "eat clean," but I will allow myself a few things: beans come back to the salad, and I won't feel like a sinner if I eat a scone. Not sure about dairy. Yet. I'm actually ok without cheese.... Whoa.... I think the earth just tilted... 

What is this???

A "swirl" that's actually a poop emoji that's now a cookie cutter. How in heaven's name do you serve that to people? And to whom would you serve it? Perhaps your average 9-year old might like it, but I'm not sure how I feel about poop cookies. 

I admit it might be worth a laugh with the right person, but I'm not sure if I actually know the right person for this little gem.

Just so you know, if this looks funky, Blogger is messing with the pictures again. It's like the coding is wonky and it won't wrap the text around the pictures. That's incredibly annoying and I've had it happen a few times. Hubby figured out that I had to do "hard" returns, and basically format them in. What a pain in the kiester. 

Church Remodel...

The remodeling of the church hall is coming along nicely. This is the kitchen, and we have the fridge in, the dishwasher in, and we're almost ready to finish off the cabinets. As soon as the carpenter gets the tops in, we'll be ready to finish the tile, and paint. 

I say "we" but all I'm doing is babysitting. And occasionally helping the contractor by shoving around a large fridge!

When it's done, it'll be approved by the Health Department for us to hold weddings, showers, and the like. It'll be almost a "commercial" kitchen in that we can rent out the space to folks wanting to use it for certain types of events (like said showers, etc.). It's a small hall - maybe holds 100 people comfortably-ish. But the church is stunning and people will come from miles around to enjoy the sanctuary and the hall when we're done.

I'll be glad when it's all over, though. It's dusty, noisy, and smelly. I've lived through the tear-down, and the re-build. Now it's the finishing touches that are kind of gagging me.

Who knew that cabinets "off-gassed" formaldehyde? The windows have been open a lot. I'm glad that we've had the weather for it. It's hard to be in the hall working when it's freezing out and all the windows are open so you can breathe!

Tippi Strikes Again...

Who says "real men don't pet therapy dogs?" Well, nobody, actually. Especially at the university where I take Tippi. This next week is Finals Week, so we're adding another day to visit the library. This batch of guys came over this past Tuesday and were enjoying her. She was enjoying their shoes.

My dog is a shoe fiend. She doesn't chew them. She doesn't bother them, other than to smell them. Incessantly. She's fascinated with shoes.

The kids laugh because she's such a "foot fetish" dog. But they love her and she loves them. 

Random Picture...

I came home tonight after taking this shot of a rainbow. Up there, we had about 5 minutes of pitter-patter rain, and thunder. Then this gorgeous rainbow. 

When I came home, there was a tree fallen on Rt. 53. Hubby told me that in about 5 or 6 minutes, there was a torrential rain, straight-line winds so strong that the rain blew into the windows of our covered porch -- and that never happens. And there was "tree debris" all over the yards. 

Apparently, no rainbow was spotted... 

It's hot and humid, so in typical Illinois fashion, we have apparently had one day of spring, and we're in summer now. Gotta love it. 

Plugging & Plodding...

I wish I had something remarkable to report. As I'm on Day 25 of Whole30, I wish I could say that it's awesome, I'm awesome, life is awesome, and I'll do this the rest of my life. 

But I can't. There are also no new revelations about recipes, food or anything of that sort. 

I've been doing more research, and I'm also listening to my own body. I don't like the protein content of this diet. I feel like my portions are all off. I feel as if I've done no good at all except that I've not eaten any processed food, no sweets, and gotten off sugar. 

I think I'm feeling unbalanced. I think that perhaps the fruit that we're allowed is even too much sugar. But I'm enjoying the fruit. 

I was thinking that I could eat this way for a long, long time, and the truth is, that in the main, I have been. All a long. Except for the sugar. If I were to truly go off sugar, I'd eliminate the fruit. 

But I don't like saying, "I will never have XYZ ever again in my life," especially when that XYZ is a whole food group!

I do have good  news, though - this has been rather morbid, hasn't it? All "woe is me" crap for a food plan where you really have to have the ability to pay for the food - it's silly. 

Anyway - I'm going out to see Kid #1 in a few weeks, so "clean eating" is still on the bill, but I'm going to start walking and exercising more. Kid has plans for hiking --- and I don't think I'm up for it right now. But I can work toward it. 

I'm really excited about that, because Kid hasn't been home in a long time, and frankly - it's hard not to worry. Of course, someone could make the case that moms having kids in the military have it harder - and they do. But that's not the case here, and I'm not apologizing for missing one of the kids. 

Knitting...

Well. Knitting has happened. I'm on Point 10 of the Close to You Shawl, and I'm plugging along on that. I've put a few more rows onto the traveling sock, but I haven't done a thing on the Petty Harbour sock. I need to start alternating projects. 

Of course, watching "Miss Marple" is kind of inspiring. The little knitting detective, plying away at whatever's on her needles (I've never seen a finished project in all the Marples I've watched!), and solving crimes that have stumped the authorities. This one is Joan Hickson. She's one of the better ones. I was going to say she wasn't the "iconic" one -- but it turns out she was!

I just haven't seen a lot of her versions. 

The one I'm watching now has a heroine who's apparently fallen for a real creep. She's just found out, and I've been thinking, "How could you NOT know he's a creep? I don't have to do anything but listen to him and I'm feeling queasy about him touching you!"

Anyway, I feel good about progressing on this project. I'm planning to spend time with the intended recipient this weekend, so that's kind of a nice, juicy secret I'm keeping - hoping the recipient will love it. 

I've been looking at other knitting blogs - different ones than I usually read. And honestly? I can't find anything else that engages me. I've read some and I either get turned off by the format (please don't type everything in a medium grey on white background and center every line of your work), or I don't like the projects, or I think the person is ... boring. 

Not like I'm lighting the world on fire with my prose. My friend Nat just wrote a lovely short essay on a jar of peanut butter which left me near to tears. My words don't often flow like that. 

There are so many bloggers out there, it's hard to read through all of them - I just don't have that kind of time! So I think I'll stick with the ones I read now. But I'm willing to take suggestions - if you know of a knitting blogger who just makes your needles sing - let me know!

I have to plan the knitting for the trip to see The Kid. Definitely the shawl. And a pair of socks. I'll be gone a week, and there are already activities planned, so we shall see how much I get done. I'm driving, so that's kind of no help. Looking forward to some time by myself and some silence. 

I hope to have lots of progress pictures ready after that trip. 

It's Spring...

We had the windows open! Spring has sprung! The daffodils at the church have come back to life after a wilting frost-ish kind of span of time. 

And sort of to celebrate, flowers were brought to work. Pink tulips. 

Funny enough, in a vase which I've had for almost 15 or 20 years - a crystal vase into which water and flowers were never put.

It's serving its purpose now, but I had used it as a "pretty" -- I put either shredded curly ribbon in it or Christmas ornaments, or those cute marbles. 

My thoughts are turning to the garden. Hubby, in spite of his continuing shoulder thing, managed to clear out two of the raised beds. 

My young tomatoes are looking peaked - so I may put them outside tomorrow to see if they perk up a bit. I talked to a friend who's done heirlooms from seed, she says that's not unusual. Thankfully. 

They're little sprigs of things. She says to plant them right up to the leaves. All I can do is try. 

I want to do lettuce (even though it's kind of late), mostly because of the whole "romaine scare." And I want to do carrots and radishes, along with the tomatoes. That should about do it. Though I'd love to try potatoes one year. Have to ask Hubby about that one. My MIL used to do potatoes every year. 

Herbs, too. But given our winter, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to start them from seed. It's almost May already. 

Stained Glass Repair...

I get to watch someone fix our stained glass windows at church. As you can see here, if you click on the picture, you can see the lead part slipping away from the glass. I understand from someone who knows about these windows that they're restored, and on the outside, they're protected by triple-pane thermal pane glass - also protecting them against fading and against the weather. 

On the inside, that wood frame is removable, so they can remove the stained glass when it's needing repair or something. The church is over 180 years old - and some of these windows date back nearly that far. 

Anyway, a couple of people noticed that two of the windows had some damage at the top. 

I called a restoration expert - happens to be the one who worked on the windows when they were first restored - and she'll be coming to the church on Tuesday, and I'm getting kind of excited to see what she's going to do. 

I will try to snap some pictures of our windows - now that the light is better, they'll be easier to photograph. I also have to take some new pics of the hall as it's being renovated. Which reminds me of a few other things I have on my to-do list... it just never ends!

Random Picture...


The sunset a few days ago after yoga class. We all enjoy watching it as the class ends, and we all joke that the building there on the left? We want it moved about 100 feet to the south, so we have a better view. 

It's a beautiful way to end the day. I turned around and saw the nearly-full moon, and it was stunning against a sky that was the total opposite of this one. 

I love to be able to look out at the sky. That's why I'm eagerly anticipating the trip to see Kid #1 - I've never been to that area, but am anxious to see it. I was told that, during one part of my drive, that I'll be "able to see the curve of the Earth." I'm looking forward to that! 

WHAT "Tiger Blood"???

I'm on Day 19 of Whole30, and supposedly, Days 17-ish to 20-ish are when you feel "energetic, ready to tackle the world, and have Tiger Blood."

Well. 

Not so much. 

I mean, I'm feeling like I'm going backward. I know part of my problem is portion control, as well as knowing that I have a problem with sweets. But I'm not feeling the light, feeling the better sleep, and feeling that ZIP that we're supposed to feel. 

But then there's the asterisk.... *your results may be different*... So I think I may have to do another round, lighten up on the portions (particularly of meat and fat, and have fruit only occasionally) and see if I can drop more pounds. I also think that taking another round will push the sweet tooth farther in the background. 


The meal planning has been good for me. And lucky for me, I'm not easily bored, so I'm kind of in a "the usual" for breakfast, and I'm not tired of eggs. Yet. 

I bought 4 large portobella mushroom caps, and roasted them. So dinner the other night was a mushroom cap with cauliflower rice + spinach, some cherry tomatoes and bacon. 

There's a question, maybe, on whether it's portobella or portabello... Either way: big, meaty mushrooms. 

Roasting was the easiest thing: just rinse them off, rub the top with a little olive oil, and place on a roasting pan, gill side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then flip them over and roast for another 5 minutes. 

They'll keep for about a week, and I'm kind of moving through ways to jazz them up and eat them. 

Breakfast today was 2 eggs, mushroom, and my usual salsa and avocado. 

I left the yolks a little more runny - more a matter of timing than anything. Sometimes, I misjudge and it's not as cream and "yolk-y" as I'd like. 

The thing is the texture. The texture of the yolk contrasts with the salsa. And then there's the creaminess of the avocado. All with the undercurrent of the meaty mushroom base and it's got protein, appropriate fat, the veg and the hot/cold buzz to the tastebuds. 

I'd encourage you to give it a try. 

Dinner tonight was courtesy of Hubby, as I had a class to teach. Pork loin, sweet potato hash and broccoli. I added a mayo dip to it (there's got to be what's called "plated fat" in the meal), and then I had a banana. I hadn't had fruit all day, so I figured that would be ok. 

Tomorrow, I'm likely to revisit that breakfast, have a salad for lunch and then something will present itself for dinner. It's been another weekend where it's all gone woooooooooosh and I'm not sure that I'm ready for it to be Sunday tomorrow!

Zonta Club...

So I'm a member of our local Zonta Club. It's an organization concerned with advancing the status of women. We do service projects around the town, and today we were cleaning up the gardens at the Joliet Hospice. I got to prune a tree... and then we plucked the "reeds" out of the spent lilies so that they can re-flower this spring. 

We spent two hours doing the work. Bending over. I ended up teaching my "crew member" (dwindled from 4 of us to 2 of us as the others got assigned to other spots) how to properly bend, because she was complaining about her back. 

The person coordinating the clean-up was very grateful, it was just cool enough and just cloudy enough to make it bearable, and yes, that's my jacket hanging off the tree. It's not the tree I pruned, but after wrestling with the one I had to trim, I was warm!

And now I'm sore!! I've been having trouble with my hip, and even though I was practicing proper technique, I've got a sore rear end!

But the gardens are gorgeous.

After we were done, I meandered down to the creek that borders the one edge of the hospice's property. 

You can see how tranquil it would be for a stroll or just to look out the windows. It's a beautiful property. 

Meeting with friends...

The other day, I met with a friend of mine. She's recently retired and it had been a while - since the Women's March in January - that we'd been able to spend time with each other. 

We had a great time, but before that, I was running early, so I drove through our local park. It's being rehabbed, and wowza - the roads are lovely, and the signage is all fixed up. 

So as I was traveling through the park, I stopped dead when I saw this little guy... Well, I'm not sure whether it's a guy or a gal. But the man who's parked outside the frame says that "it" comes out about lunchtime every day, and he shares his lunch with it. 

I'm not sure how I feel about feeding the wildlife. But it looks like the creature was foraging in the garbage anyway. 

It was great to see my friend. We got to vent to each other about the "stuff" we needed to release, and we made tentative plans to meet up to shop - she's got a kid getting married, and needs to work with a Mother of the Groom dress. 

I don't do that often. I know it sounds cliche, but my schedule is pretty tightly regimented, and if something's thrown off, then the whole thing goes kabloooey. 

I find, though, that I need to get together with friends. I need to sometimes not be in charge of stuff. I'm finding that I need those relationships to keep me on an even keel. 

All work and no play makes me cranky. 

Random Picture...

When I got home from the garden jaunt, I had to prep for the class I was teaching - it was a "Ditch & Switch" class for Young Living Essential Oils and I was working on handouts and the stuff you prep for being able to present. 

Anyway, this is what greeted me when I came home. She actually sat there, didn't move, didn't woof, didn't whine. 

Sat there. While I walked in, dropped my stuff off, went to pet the elkhounds, went to the bathroom, and THEN...

When I sat down in front of my computer, she decided to waddle herself off the couch to say hello. 

She continues to amaze me with her personality. She's aloof, but cuddly. She wants to be petted, and yet she'll walk away. 

Can't quite figure her out some days. Some days, she's a "mama's dog" and some days, I don't exist. 

Which is fine with me. We all have our days. Even our dog days. 

Hangry Pains...

Up till a few days ago, I thought I was sailing along pretty well with Whole30. I did have a "not quite prepared" start, but I'd gotten some really good meal prep done, did the shopping, and had all my fruits and veg ready to go. I'm not sick of eggs (yet), and I'm learning the joys of home-made mayo and "Dump Ranch." (Though my recipe turned out a bit too salty.)

Then came Days 12 and 13.... Yikes! Bored, angry, hungry, "hangry," frustrated. Felt bloated and "fat" even though I've stuck to every rule and done everything, including more yoga and making myself move more (I have a job where I sit far, far too much). 

On the "timeline," it indicates that days 10 through 12 can be the "roughest" days on the plan. Well, I went a few days over and had my tantrums (in my mind) this past few days. Today was much better, thanks, and I feel like I'm doing ok. 

This morning, I made "cauliflower rice hash" -- cauliflower rice, shredded carrot, a couple cloves of fresh garlic and a handful of spring onions. It turned out well, and also of course, my Penzey's spices... This will do me for a couple of days - because I used some for breakfast with an egg and compliant chicken/apple sausage and some Wholly Guacamole.  

Wholly Guacamole has become my BFF. I love avocados, and Hubby has gotten good at picking them out at the proper stages so we don't have "Instant Avocado Death."

But Wholly Guacamole is my answer to the fact that sometimes, the avocados are whoppers, and I have yet to figure out how to keep a half fresh for more than a nanosecond. 

Breakfast is at the left here. It was delicious. 

So - "Instant Avocado Death" goes something like this... Just bought avocados, put them in fridge. They're hard as a rock. They're hard as a rock. They're hard as a rock... Two days pass, you desperately need an avocado for something. 

It's dead. 

You know how that goes. And they're not cheap. It's frustrating because that "soft spot" actually means that you have to use the blasted thing within 24 hours... Or else. There's nothing deader than a dead avocado.

You can search for "dump ranch" - it has its own life... It's good, but mine is definitely salad dressing and not dip. I don't know what I did wrong. But it's also salty - so I think the 1 tsp. of salt can be halved. I used a big bunch of cilantro, so my dressing is more "green goddess" than ranch, but I can live with it. 

I was getting a little bored with V & O...And I bought a compliant dressing. And just about had a heart attack - $6.99 for a bottle, and it's about 9 oz!! Yikes... 

Anyway, I'm on day 14, so things are going ok, and I can really see myself doing this for a longer time. At least 99% - I'm not sure how breakfast will fit in long-term. That's been my biggest struggle. 

Knitting...

Moving along on Close to You. Working on the 10th point, out of 18. I can make it bigger if I want to, but I'm going to see what's going on first. I'd like to "biggen" it a bit, but we'll see how the yarn goes. I really love how this yarn is laying out the colors. It's Expression Fiber Arts, colorway Stone Tulips. 

I don't know if the colorway is available anymore, but you can check. Her patterns are interesting and her colorways are lovely - you feel like you could dive in and just roll around in them. 

This one is the "brightest" that I've knitted with and it's got an interesting twist to it. It's like the stitch definition has gone into high-def with this, and I'm pretty sure that blocking will make this shawl much larger than mine done with another sock yarn. 

This is sock weight, but I can't imagine it on feet. I don't know - it just seems that it's calling to be a shawl. Whether it's the twist to the yarn, or its density as I'm stitching it...not sure what but it does seem to fit a wearable on the upper half of the body - it might even make a pretty nifty hat. Definitely a cowl if I thought about it. 

But not socks. I'm just not sure. I've watched Chandi's site, and I get the emails. And frankly, I see everything BUT socks made with her yarn. She's got a gorgeous V-neck short-sleeved sweater on there, but right now? $120 in yarn is out of my budget...even with her discount. 

I'm taking the travel sock to work tomorrow and will work on it at lunch. I would normally, in the middle of April, take a walk. But there's a "wintry mix" forecast for the day, so I'm planning on walking up and down the office hall, and then knitting. It's the best I can do till Mother Nature gets done having a hissy fit.

Maybe Spring...

Last week, I was able to get out for a walk since it hit 70 degrees (before the bottom dropped out and it got ugly again). I hadn't really walked around the neighborhood near the office, but I did and I found a park where I could sit and contemplate - except for the noisy, exuberant soccer players on spring break! 

That being said, I found a retention pond, and aside from all the nasty looking trash that people tossed in (can't call 'em pigs, because that's insulting to porcine creatures...), I found ducks. I was able to stroll around and just enjoy the fresh air. 

The pine trees were bursting with life: both pine cones ready to disgorge their seeds, and birds - in fact a couple of birds were annoyed that I got close. As long as they weren't dive-bombing me, I was happy. I didn't care to get crapped on and then have to go to work in pooped-on clothes! 

In fact, the sunrise was beautiful. I was running late, but I still snapped a picture of it because it was just. Beautiful. 

Lately, even though I feel like I'm chasing my tail, I've found myself looking up. 

Taking time to just look up and see what's in front of me. It's all too easy to not think about it, because you're busy or time's flying or there's the next thing to get on to.

But if you look up, you'll see some stunning things, courtesy of the same Mother Nature who's now having a temper tantrum and throwing snowflakes our way. 

That being said, I'm happy we're not getting what the UP in Michigan is getting or what they're getting in Minneapolis. 

Thanks, but we'll take our flakes and get over ourselves. 

There's a quote:  "No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn." That's worth remembering. 

Also, remember to look up. It's pretty up there.

Random Picture... 

This one isn't actually random. I'm feeling like things are in the balance. I'm not sure what the "balance" is yet. Or whether I'm the one balanced - or not balanced. 

This is a formation from Granite City State Park, from the last trip Kid #2 and I did together. Not that it was the "last" last - just the most recent one. 

We're not going anywhere this year. I'm going to visit Kid #1. That gives Kid #2 time to work on some projects and gives us time to plan our next adventure. 

This is actually a space we walked through to get to the other side. "Why did the chicken cross..." -- well, the path went through this formation and I admit to crossing myself, holding my breath and kind of rushing through this. 

Notwithstanding the fact that it's stood there for God-knows-how-long... I was more than half-way to believing that I'd be the one it would tumble upon.

It didn't. We survived a blistering, humid August day on our way down to Oxford, MS, and we were only disappointed that we couldn't stick around for lunch at the lodge. 

Supposed to be the best fried chicken in the entire state of Illinois. Who knew?