Category Archives: Thoughts On Life

School Days, Again

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It’s back to school for me. Except this time, I’m the teacher!

As one of my new job options that I’m exploring, I am working as a substitute teacher. Today was my first day. I had 7th graders and it went pretty well. I do tend to like kids this age. I started with an assignment that was only a half day. I thought this would break me in slowly and give me time to take care of that pesky, mandatory paperwork that every job requires.

My subject was English and the teacher prepared well for her absence and left instructions for what the kids were to do. The morning passed with me receiving only one eye-roll and only having to say once “please don’t assault your classmate”. (This was just a couple kids good-naturedly snapping each other with their fingers, no real violence.)

Tomorrow I am giving 2nd grade a try. I’m sure this will be quite different so we’ll see how I like it. I think I will enjoy the kids and this is part of my “give them all a try” plan. One nice aspect is the school day is much shorter than what I was used to working as a scientist. I am only there for seven hours and this includes lunch.

After spending a full day in the class room tomorrow, I will let you know if seven hours still seems to be a shorter time!

Life Journies

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After I retired from my job of 32+ years as an Environment Scientist, I always knew that I would move on to something else. I just wasn’t sure what it would be. I decided that my best move would be to try everything! You only live once, right?

My first attempt at something new was to set up an Etsy site to sell Arts & Crafts. My Etsy site is still open and you can view my offering at the link below. https://sanctuaryacres.wordpress.com/2019/12/16/sanctuaryacresshop-on-etsy-is-open/ I will be posting new items soon with a Spring/Easter theme. Keep an eye open.

Then I took a test to be an on-line proofreader. I need to do a little brushing up on my grammar before I can pursue that option. I will continue to pursue it.

Another career option is, I have always wanted to write a book. So I started doing it! This will take a while and any pay off would be quite a way down the road. I am writing two books so I can switch back and forth between them depending on which one I am in the mood to work on. Both are non-fiction and I am drawing on my life experiences to write them.

Recently, I checked into the possibility of taking a position with a group that has you take a working border collie and chase geese off of airport runways, golf courses, etc. for their clients. The current opening is too far away for me, but I did fill out an application in case they have a position open up nearer to my home.

One of the other options I had considered was teaching. So, tomorrow will be my first assignment as a substitute teacher! I am very excited. This photo was a few years ago when Shelby & I were volunteering to read books to kindergarteners for an hour each month. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to this new job tomorrow. Unfortunately, Shelby will be at home.

My first class will be middle schoolers. I like to work with this age group as they develop their personalities and discover who they are. There is a chance to affect their lives and motivate them. I plan to try a class with each grade at some point to discover just which age group I prefer to work with. I’m sure they all have their positives.

I do not know what I will end up focusing on in the long run, but I am enjoying the journey. I still have other options to try. Life has so many possibilities and opportunities that I can’t decide where to point my energy. I know I will figure it out. The process is the point of this journey.

Books Read in January

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I enjoy seeing what other people are reading so thought I would start my own reading list for 2020. I will comment on what I have read at the end of each month this year. Below is my list of books and magazines read for January 2020. I will also share with you a recommendation of which book was my favorite and why.

Books Read January 2020:

1. Noel Street-Richard Paul Evans

A struggling young mother of a biracial child helps a Vietnam Veteran overcome his emotional troubles after the war.

2. Everybody Has a Book Inside of Them-Ann Marie Sabth (Non-fiction)

The author coaches you through deciding what your book is and gives inspiration and advice to write it.

3. Midnight at The Blackbird Café-Heather Webber

A young woman inherits her grandmother’s café and learns about her family, herself, and the legend of the blackbirds.

4. The Oysterville Sewing Circle-Susan Wiggs

The main character takes in her friend’s two orphaned children. This book is only peripherally about sewing. The scope covers a much larger issue.

5. The Enlightenment of Bees-Rachel Linden

The main character breaks up with her boyfriend and travels to foreign lands as a volunteer, having many adventures along the way.

6. Aussie Rules-Jill Shalvis

Love and a mystery with an Australian sidekick.

7. The Second Worst Restaurant in France-Alexander McCall Smith

The main character goes to a small town in the French countryside and has numerous unlikely adventures.

Magazines

  1. O Magazine (Oprah)- December 2019
  2. Magnolia Journal-Fall 2018
  3. National Geographic December 2019

And the winner is…The Oysterville Sewing Circle-Susan Wiggs! I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable book. It has a social message and awareness for us all to benefit from. The characters were also realistic and I found myself rooting for them. The main theme of the book took me by surprise and was much more than I expected.

In the spirit of brevity, I did not give in depth descriptions or summaries of the books. If this is something that you would like to hear about, leave me a comment and I will offer more details in the future. Thanks for reading!

Free Yoga & Downward Dog

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Zekie in Downward Dog

This evening is my last night of free yoga. I have been attending these sessions at the local library and they are so much fun. Every Monday evening for the month of January the classes were offered.

It has been a great opportunity to hang out with new people as well as sharing the experience with someone who was a coworker before I retired and remains a friend. I have found yoga to be a time of relaxation, peace, and meditation, as well as exercise.

I always knew that stretching was good for you, but I never realized just how good. My knee that I hurt while hiking last spring, barely hurts at all now. The injury has caused me pain all these months and with just a few weeks of yoga, I rarely notice any pain in my knee.

At the last class they were collecting signatures to ask that the library continue the class. I sincerely hope that they do. It is a wonderful experience. People with different physical capabilities are all at home in the same room. I find it fascinating that there are exercises that I can do, but the person next to me cannot do. A few movements later, I cannot hold the pose, but that same person next to me can do it just fine. We all have different abilities.

I also like the names of the poses. Visualizing them helps me to do the pose more accurately. When I see an actual dog doing “downward dog”, I am able to do downward or upward dog better.

With any luck, the library will extend the free yoga sessions. They have been popular. Most sessions there is barely enough floor space! If not, I already have Yoga On the Courthouse Lawn marked on my schedule for summer.

Benefits of Retirement (or Life With Dogs)

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Be content.
Adoration
Life in the morning

Not only am I enjoying retirement, so are the dogs. Zekie still has separation anxiety, but it doesn’t rear its ugly head as often because I rarely leave home. This makes us all happy.

I am still in that adjusting and recovering from years of work phase. It takes me until 10:00 am each morning to finish drinking coffee. An acquaintance who retired a few years ago and understands, asked me “oh, you mean 10:00 pm?” So I guess I am doing ok.

In the last photo, you can see not just Zekie is enjoying this new life. Claire the foster dog and Cassius the greyhound are also on the couch with me passing the morning. The others were hanging out nearby.

Retirement is a new journey and I am ready for the ride.

A Bright Spot

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My husband and I like to have plants around in the winter time to enjoy, and to give us hope that spring is on the way.

This parlor palm is a plant that I brought home from work when I retired at the end of November. It was gifted to me by a former coworker when he retired. I am particularly proud of this tree because it was spindly and only had a few branches when I got it. This was through no fault of my desk mate. Our office had no windows and he would keep the poor thing going by putting it on a filing cabinet in the hallway every weekend.

I was moved to my own office eventually and it had a window. The window was shaded by a large pine tree but the palm liked it better than having no window. The palm grew a few more branches even if they did have brown tips.

When I retired, I brought the palm home and it now has a large window with good light. The palm has grown a number of new branches in the past couple of months and is as healthy as I’ve ever seen it.

It sits on one of our mantels along with a lantana and a mandevilla that I dug up before frost and am wintering over to put back in the raised garden beds again next year. The wreath is made with bittersweet berries that my husband harvested from our property for just this purpose. The orangey red of the berries is cheerful in the darker months.

I even dressed the parlor palm up for Christmas so it fit in with the festivities.

It is important to create bright spots in our world that make us feel good and remind us of good times. It is a healthy thing to do. This palm fits the bill because I think of growth, greenery, and new life, as well as my thoughtful coworker when I see it.

How can you make a bright spot in your world?

Yoga As Exercise, Meditation, and Humor

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I found a free yoga class that meets for an hour every Monday for the month of January. That’s a deal I can’t pass up so I adjusted my schedule accordingly. I love yoga.

It’s a good workout and can accommodate everyone’s level of ability. It’s really cool how I notice that I can do some things that someone near me can’t do. And there are things that they can do that I can’t. Everyone’s abilities are unique.

I am taking this class with a friend. I feel good about the fact that I am finally one of those people who does a workout as a social activity, rather than just meeting my friend and going out to consume large amounts of calories, although that can be fun too. It is fun to hang out with someone who gets me. The instructor told us to imagine our leg was a log as we held it. My friend and I chuckled.

Me: Oh, no it’s the log lady!

Friend: My log has something to tell you.

Laughter ensues.

Fans of the Twin Peaks series will understand this reference. I never watched Twin Peaks until last year. I don’t know why I waited so long. I recommend it.

I also recommend yoga. It is satisfying to the muscles and organs, as well as the soul.

Namaste.

Welcome 2020, Happy New Year!

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A popular meme says “Here’s to all those people spending New Year’s Eve at home in their pajamas with their pets”. That would be us. And we’re happy about it.

This also leaves lots of time for introspection. Where will 2020 take me? The year of 2019 was one of great change. The most significant of which was that I retired from my job of 32+ years. That leaves me wide open with lots of options. Life has so much to offer, so many possibilities. I guess I won’t know until the door on 2020 closes.

I do know that the dogs are happy to have me at home. They still follow me from room to room most of the time. Even if it’s the bathroom, they seem to think that there is a secret exit or maybe that I will make a break for it out the window if they don’t stay close at all times. I haven’t done it yet but I imagine the dogs think that is because they always accompany me. I guess we’ll never know as I haven’t been to the bath by myself in about 35 years. But that’s ok, these faces bring me joy every day.

Every single day. I was smiling recently because Zekie figured out how to open two of our trash cans that have lids. This reminded me of my heart dog Duncan, and made me smile. Zekie also chewed something up recently and that reminded me of Duncan too. The dogs that are the most trouble, take the most work, these are the ones that I bond the deepest with. And so they bring me great joy. I plan to spend lots of time with my pups this year so it should be a joyful one.

I hope each of you has great joy in the coming year as well, as you find out where your journeys take you. Happy 2020! Make the most of the new decade and take advantage of each new opportunity.

It’s A Great Day To Be Alive

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Do you have that one song that comes on the radio and you can’t leave the car, no matter what? Even if it means you are late to your desk at work? I heard that song today.

For me, that song is It’s A Great Day to Be Alive by Travis Tritt.

My mother suffered and died from Huntington’s Disease, which for years was known as Huntington’s Chorea. It results in the death of brain cells. This causes lack of coordination and a jerky, unsteady gait that interferes with walking. Onset of noticeable symptoms generally begin around 40 years of age. Physical abilities worsen and as brain cells continue to die, the person loses the ability to talk. Mental abilities decline into dementia. The affected person eventually becomes completely incapacitated, requiring full time care. (Here is a link about what I did the day my mother died. What I Chose to Do the Day My Mother Died).

The disease is genetic and passed on to offspring by a dominant gene. If one parent has it, each offspring has a 50% chance of also developing the disease. Believe me, the family of the affected person suffers greatly whether they also have the disease or not.

In the late 1990’s, when I was in my mid-30’s, I got tested for the disease. I had recently divorced and knew that I wanted to adopt more dogs. This was in my pre-Dog Rescue days. I wanted to know that I would continue to be able to care for any dogs that I adopted. And so, I underwent genetic testing to see if I had the disease.

I did not! Upon receiving my negative diagnosis and leaving the medical facility, we were driving down the road and I heard the song. It’s A Great Day to Be Alive! And it was.

Ever since, when I hear that song, I am taken back to the joy of that moment. Reminiscing the moment has always made me feel like the Phoenix rising out of the ashes.

I am free.

Friend

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When daughters grow up and become adults, they become your friend and life cheerleader.

I missed my daughter.

She came to visit yesterday.

She went home.

Now I miss her again.

I hope you have such a daughter.

BTW, the beautiful flower arrangement above is courtesy of my daughter. The flowers are from her garden and she wanted to share them with us.