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Quarantine – Search for your inner Ninja

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Ninja.png

If you are in quarantine, are you focusing on your inner Ninja?

What does that mean? It means, you are not letting quarantine get you down. You have dreams/goals that have been dormant due to life, work, family, no time. While you have “thought” about your dreams, you did not focus on them.

It’s the start of May, a new month, a new day, a new week.

I had a lovely inspirational post written for you. I was about to post it, but WordPress DECIDED it was not worthy of your viewing! When I went to “preview” the post, ALL of my “good writing,” which I had written, reviewed, rewritten — WAS GONE!

As a writer, you can imagine my disappointment. I had worked on this post, crafting the words JUST RIGHT!

ONLY the first two paragraphs remained. I am FURIOUS, but at the same time, I think it is a message from the Universe that while I work on my children’s book, I BETTER remember to SAVE, SAVE, SAVE my work!

So, you are getting the “short version” of my inner Ninja message!

Now, go to it! Accomplish BIG THINGS this week… I plan to!

Fitness at HOME – Getting creative with a concrete block, mucking out stables…

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Concrete BlockI admire people who are driven to exercise — NO MATTER WHAT! They find creative ways to reach their goals. My daughter was out walking with her friend and came across this concrete block. Any normal person (like me) would have walked past it. However, my daughter saw exercise potential in this block, so lugged it home.

Good deal – concrete block is $2.00 versus a purchased weight ranging $20-80.

Spring is here… gotta step up our exercise routines even in quarantine.

This made me think of walking. Years ago, when I lived in California, I called a horse stable and asked if they needed volunteers. I was getting BORED with walking. Sure enough, they needed help. I was excited. I would be outside, be around people/horses and exercise all at the same time!

Every weekend, I went to the barn and they gave me different chores to do. This gave me a full body work, while getting fresh air. Well, hold on, mucking out stinky horse stalls does not give fresh air, but it is an excellent work out.

For those of you, who have never mucked out a stable before. Here is a YouTube video from “This Esme” on how it is done. She’s super funny, she loses her GoPro camera in the truck where she is throwing out all the “poop.” THEN has to go into the poopy truck to retrieve the GoPro camera. This made me miss being at the barn for a couple of hours.

Being quarantined, has me thinking about outdoor activities.

Can you tell I have cabin fever!

Missing Outdoors -> Bring camping to the backyard

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Kids idea of camping.
My idea of camping.

What a great idea! Being in quarantine is bringing back memories from my childhood. As kids we would “beg” our parents to let us set up a tent and sleep in the backyard. Of course, they would say, “No!”

Well, they saw a bunch of kids in the backyard making noise, coming in and out of house all night – it got them NUTTY just thinking about it. However, we would beg and beg and FINALLY they would relent.

I’ve gotta tell you, I have NEVER liked camping in a tent, but I don’t mind a cabin. WHY, well, my first camping experience was with Girl Scouts. We camped in someone’s backyard, two girls to a tent. We put up our tent and it kept collapsing, which got me claustrophobic, because the zipper was closed to keep the mosquitos out. Needless to say, I could not wait until morning to go back home!

I like the “idea” of camping and being in the outdoors, I’ve upgraded my sites though. Look at this British camper. NOW, I smiled. I can definitely see myself camped out on one of those beds, cozy with a blanket and a good book. The windows are charming, I would just need someone to bring me some hot tea in a “tea cup.”

Ah… the beauty of dreaming….

Photography – Beautiful SUNRISE

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86130B87-3145-449C-9224-4BAFFFAE0332I went walking this morning, looked up, RUSHED to get a photo.

Beautiful sunrise!

The sun is shinning.

It makes all the difference in our mood, UNTIL we listen to the news reports, which are grim.

Still the warmth of the sun gives us HOPE.

Wishing you all a special day!

Create ART using water; Buy a Buddha Board

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86F99B28-B5D9-4164-9D01-13AC68056F8DA friend of mine sent me a picture of this Buddha Board. She knows I have been practicing drawing, but also focused on a zen lifestyle.

Founder and CEO, Eric Thrall, created the Buddha Board to give children and adults a fun, relaxing and quick way to “be creative” and “in the moment.” With the Buddha Board, you draw with water, within 10 minutes your drawing fades away. So, you don’t have to be perfect, instead you are FREE to be as creative as you like.

This would make a great gift. Also, be wonderful at the office. We have a candy jar and employees come by for a treat. I bet if we had a Buddha Board by the candy jar, people would enjoy being creative.

When I was young, we all had an “Etch A Sketch.” We LOVED drawing, even though it was a bit cumbersome to use, we enjoyed it. The Buddha Board is modern and allows for more freedom in drawing and a lot easier to use. I’m excited about this, I want to try it out!

Fitness: Weight lifting routine

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Exercise - weight liftingHow do you remember YOUR weight lifting routines? I’ve been working out with a personal trainer. When we’re going through a routine, I think I’ll remember everything he taught me.

Then I get to the gym on my own…

NOPE, NO MEMORY –  I think, “How did he do that, what size weight, did I bend up or down?” You get the idea.

So, I smartened up, after each session, I started doing quick stick drawings.

Guess what, I’m becoming a PRO.

AND I have a start of a new exercise book!

SPECIAL NOTE: Never tell your trainer you don’t like a certain exercise. WHY?? Because he will MAKE YOU DO the exercise you HATE every single time, i.e., planks!

Chicago – Visit “21c Museum Hotel – MGallery,” newly opened

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The talk of the town in Chicago this week is the newly opened “21c Museum Hotel.” It’s an elegant boutique hotel, which has a small contemporary art museum. The art gallery features some thought provoking pieces.

I found this art piece interesting called, ‘The Police State,” by Sebastian Errazuriz, his take on the three world leaders. There were other interesting pieces, but since the museum is so small, I’ll let you visit to see the rest.

The Reception desk said that 21c Museum Hotels have quite a few other locations, you can visit their website to see where. Condé Nast Traveler has written about this hotel chain, so worth a visit. Now, I am inspired by art, need to go to the Art Institute.

Happy Lunar New Year 2020 – Year of the Rat

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I was at the Post Office this week mailing a package. I was almost done with my transaction when I asked for some stamps. GUESS WHAT — the Post Mistress brought out these stamps for Lunar New Year! She asked, “Would you like these?” Why, of course!

I believe the Year of the Rat starts off the 12 zodiac signs. If that is true, looking at the sheet of stamps, it appears the Post Office has their next 11 stamps set up for the next 11 years. We will see.

This illustration of the Rat is really beautiful. Personally, I think it looks more like a jaguar than a rat. However, as I keep looking at it, this rat clearly has a magical look.

I realize I am a little late, but better late than never!

Wishing you ALL a Happy Lunar New Year!

Puzzles… exotic travels

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14B9E8F5-458A-4694-9E92-33DD6FBCFFC6I’ve always enjoyed doing puzzles. When my children were little we had a few favorite Disney puzzles that were about 35 pieces. Super easy, but just enough pieces to put some effort into making them without getting bored or tired.

For a few years now, I have been looking for a good puzzle, nothing caught my attention. This Christmas though, I found this puzzle by accident. I immediately liked it. Exotic travels, super colorful, and it looks like a group of stamps put together.

I started my puzzle with such excitement.

THEN THE LET DOWN… turns out this puzzle is an oversized shaped 24 x 30. As I was making the puzzle my pieces were not going to fit on my table. My table is 24 inches long, I need 30.

So, I started investigating puzzle tables. I didn’t even know they existed. However, do I really want a big table? Where would I store it when I’m not making a puzzle?

I don’t have the answers yet, BUT I do want to make my puzzle!

Not sure where to start… Rome, Hong Kong, Egypt, Bahamas?

My puzzle — HOW WILL IT GET DONE?  I need a puzzle expert!