Weekly Roundup 45: Breathe

As we close in on the busyness of the holiday season, I'd like to remind everyone to set aside time each day and breathe.

Just breathe.

If you like, try meditation breathing patterns such as 4-7-8 breathing or box breathing. Here are others to choose from. 

But all you really need to do is get quiet and attend to your natural breath. 

Go outside if possible, as being in nature has additional benefits for mental and physical health. 

Sit or stand with your feet firmly planted, so you're grounded. Close your eyes if it's safe to do so.

And breathe. 

Feel the air come in and go out. 

That's it!

Spas and massages are great, but they're also expensive and time-consuming. Mindful breathing is free, and you can do it anytime, anywhere. Along with stress reduction, you might experience increased energy, improved focus, pain reduction, better sleep, and even boosted immune system function.

And did I mention it's free?

Take care, friends. See you next week!

Weekly Roundup 20: The Corpse Flower

It was an exciting week at Colorado State University's Plant Growth Facility when the resident corpse flower bloomed for the first time in eight years!  

Here's what the plant, nicknamed Cosmo, looked like on Friday, pre-bloom:

The much-awaited event happened on Sunday. I was out of town but am lucky to have a friend who was willing to wait in line for 90 minutes to see this:

When I returned on Monday, Cosmo's spectacular bloom had wilted:

I was also not able to smell the rotting-flesh scent the flower uses to attract pollinators, which my friend described as "nauseating but subtle." 

Nature. So cool.

One of the volunteers told me that some of the pollen will be saved in the CSU Seed Lab, which has the largest collection of its kind in the world.

More than 8,600 visitors came to experience this incredible phenomenon. In Colorado's climate, this rare tropical plant can only survive in a suitable greenhouse environment. And it helps to be cared for by a group of very dedicated humans.

Learn more about Cosmo here. 

Weekly Roundup 17: May Is...

2024 is moving along pretty quickly, and we're already a week into the fifth month of the year. I appreciate that May brings flowers and greenery into my life, and more opportunities to be outside in the spring sunshine before the heat of summer kicks in.

But May is also a great month to focus on physical and mental health, as it is...

• Mental Health Awareness Month
• Better Sleep Month
• National Walking Month
• Women's Health Care Month
• Blood Pressure Month
• Arthritis Awareness Month
• National Salad Month
• Lupus Awareness Month, and
• Bike Month

May includes these notable health and safety weeks:

• Nurse's Week
• National Police Week, and
• Emergency Medical Services Week

And as far as special days go, I am looking forward to:

• Eat What You Want Day (May 11)
• Mother's Day (second Sunday in May)
• National Chocolate Chip Day (May 15)
• Love a Tree Day (May 16)
• Lucky Penny Day (May 23)
• World Turtle Day (May 23)
• National Wine Day (May 25)
• Water a Flower Day (May 30)
• National Macaroon Day (May 31)

The world is hectic and stressful, and I encourage you all to set aside time to care for your physical and mental health this month. Additionally, take a second to thank the people who help keep you healthy and safe, and who bring joy and fun (and macaroons) into your life.

May is also Graduation Month, and I'm so happy and proud that son #2 will be graduating from university on Mother's Day. (The day after Windmill Day.)

Be well! I'll see you next week.

August Good Things

Hi, everyone! It's the last day of August, which always feels like the end of summer. I haven't blogged much lately, for a variety of reasons. But all is well, and I'll share a few things I've enjoyed this month:

Seeing live baseball for the first time in two years!

This beautiful rainbow, which was even more beautiful in person.

My sister was here for two weeks, and we had a few adventures.

More sister fun...using homegrown and farmer's market veggies for this delicious (but rather labor intensive) ratatouille.

Participating in a local tradition with my younger son. Colorado State University used to be Colorado A & M, and the A on the hill has been painted annually for nearly 100 years. Here are the photos before and after the first shift. Go Rams!

A private party/concert with The Motones, a Motown tribute band. Fantastic music and a great time.

I'm so grateful to have had these outdoor experiences this summer. Our Covid numbers are climbing steadily, and I'm afraid we will soon be facing increased restrictions even for fully vaccinated folks like me. 

I hope you are happy and well and ready for September!

July Good Things

Welcome to the second half of 2021! Here are some things I'm enjoying these days:

A visit to the local butterfly house

My new crane birdbath and copper cattails
(the birds don't use it, though--probably because it's metal,
and the water gets really hot!)

Golden zucchini blossoms

Kayaking through quiet coves at Horsetooth Reservoir

Ferret Cam: 

Native black-footed ferrets were thought to be extinct by the 1950s, but were rediscovered in Wyoming in 1981. Since then, conservation efforts have increased the population and continue to support this species. Our local Discovery Museum has a live ferret cam. A lot of the time, nothing happens, but it's exciting when the little guy pops out of that hole! Here's more info about black-footed ferret history:

What good things are happening for you mid-year?

Shape of Play Update

In my last post, I mentioned the idea that the most playful shapes for humans-and some other animals, too--are circles and spheres. I haven't done much in the way of decorating tweaks since then, though I really meant to get some round throw pillows. But here are the small, plant-based ways I've added spheres and circles to my life:

Marimo moss balls:

Goldfish plant in a bowl:

Air plant habitat:

String-of-pearls succulent:

And this moss terrarium:

My history of plant care is a little spotty, so it's a good thing these are all fairly low-maintenance. Because the least joyful shape for a plant is, well, dead.

I hope you're having a good week, and I'll see you soon!

Joy Project: Freedom

Photo credit: Nathan Sundstedt

Whew, April's Blogging from A to Z Challenge set me a little behind schedule, but I don't want to let this month go by without posting about the third chapter in the book Joyful. This chapter's aesthetic is Freedom, which is a complex ideal right now as many of us are feeling physically, socially, and psychologically confined by the coronavirus pandemic. But in some cases, those restrictions are actually opening up our lives in unanticipated ways.

Ingrid writes that "Joy thrives on the alleviation of constraints," which seems completely at odds with the increase in constraints we are all experiencing. I'm finding personally, however, that some of those constraints are balancing out. Yes, I have to work from home, but I can do it without business casual. No, my husband and I can't take the beach vacation we planned, but we can use that time and money to make long-needed improvements to our landscaping. And if no one has been to the supermarket in a while and we don't have much to cook for a meal, we all just fend for ourselves.

Much of the Freedom aesthetic doesn't have to do with coming and going. It's really about the feeling of freedom that comes from removing or mitigating obstacles that block us. That could be as simple as rehoming a piece of furniture that doesn't quite work or stepping away from your technology for a while.

But the best freedom is found by going outside in nature, or bringing nature in. Research shows that people living with more access to green spaces have less stress and more contentment. Workers who sit near windows report better health and job satisfaction. Even the humble houseplant can make us feel happier. Walking about in the forest, aka forest bathing, improves immune function and has been a public-health initiative in Japan since 1992.

We humans are deeply connected to nature down to the molecular level. So I encourage you during this unsettled time to experience and appreciate nature as often as you can--at a safe social distance, of course, and taking all appropriate precautions. Get a houseplant and give it a name. Plant some seeds and flowers. Victory gardens are a thing again--although in all honesty, mine will likely be more of an uneasy truce.

Be well, everyone! Find some joy today!

 

Meet Jeffrey

A to Z Joy: Yellowstone National Park

Established in 1872 by President Ulysses S. Grant, Yellowstone National Park is one of my favorite roadtrip stops in recent memory. We spent only a day there, and I'd love to go back and spend much longer. It is a large National Park, with tons to see and do. Because it's basically located in a volcanic crater, geothermal features abound: bubbling mud pots and geysers and mineral-rich water in otherwordly colors. Everywhere I turned, I saw something that amazed me. And because we visited in October, we missed the hordes of summer tourists.

Thanks to my husband for the pictures!

Tomorrow is the last day of the A to Z Challenge! We're almost there!

A to Z Joy: Quiet

As I was thinking about this post for the all important "Q" day, I realized that quiet and silence are not the same thing. Silence can be good, and silence can be golden as the saying goes, but silence is not what brings me joy.

I much prefer quiet, which I generally define as the opposite of loud. I enjoy ambient sounds and can tolerate almost anything--music, traffic, conversation--as long as it is quiet. Once the volume ramps up, so does my stress level. Even my favorite music will set my nerves on edge if it is too loud. The same goes for loud-talkers.

At an outdoor concert a couple of years ago, which was much louder than I anticipated, I despaired when I realized that I had left my earplugs in the car. I was forced to improvise with little wads of chewed gum wrapped in Kleenex. It sounds disgusting, I know, and I'm not proud of it. But my desperate ingenuity saved my sanity and most likely my hearing. Necessity is the mother of invention, after all.


I come by this naturally, as I was a very quiet child who was easily overstimulated. I think every single report card from elementary school identified me as being "too quiet," and it didn't get much better in the upper grades. A few years ago, I read the book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking (2012), and I recommend it. In fact, I think I should read it again, because the world is just getting louder.

Of course, being too much of a "low talker" has its drawbacks, as well!









 

A to Z Joy: Grand Canyon

The first time I saw the Grand Canyon, it was filled with a cloud. Literally. I couldn't see six feet down, let alone six thousand. Disappointed, my husband and I found a cheap motel room (there was such a thing in those days) and spent the evening playing cards and listening to the rain. We left the next morning, and, on a whim, decided to try another look. Lo and behold, the cloud was gone, and the view of the canyon was spectacular.

Carved by the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon is 277 miles long and 6,093 feet deep. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson signed the law that established Grand Canyon National Park as the seventeenth national park in the country.

I've been back since the first visit, and of course the Grand Canyon was still spectacular. The only drawback is that I'm afraid of heights, and my palms sweat the whole time I'm anywhere near the edge. There's no chance of me falling in while trying to take a selfie!

A to Z Joy: Birdsong

Birds have long been maligned for being dumb--hence the term "birdbrain"--but they're actually pretty smart. They can navigate thousand-mile migrations, they use tools, they solve problems, they recognize faces. And their songs for defending territory and attracting mates are complex. Interesting note: in temperate zones, the males sing and the females call; in tropical zones, males and females will often sing in "duet."

For today's purposes, I'll just mention how much I enjoy hearing my backyard birds sing, the occasional hooting of an owl if I'm very lucky, and even the screech of a blue jay.

Bird Academy has great resources about birdsong. And I'll leave you with this short clip:

Down-to-Earthing

You know how the noun friend has given rise to the verb friending? Ditto the noun earth. Earthing, or grounding, is the idea that by putting our bare feet in contact with the earth, our bodies are thus "plugged in" and able to absorb electrical charges that are potentially beneficial.  Here's a more science-y explanation from the "Journal of Environmental and Public Health":

"The Earth’s negative charges can create a stable internal bioelectrical environment for the normal functioning of all body systems which may be important for setting the biological clock, regulating circadian rhythms and balancing cortisol levels."

Supposedly, this can help reduce inflammation and stress hormones, improve sleep, boost energy, and lower pain. 

Okay. Well.

I understand that the human body produces quite a lot of electrical activity, and so does the earth. And I also know that for millennia, humans walked around barefoot. Simply being outside has benefits that include better mood and increased vitamin D production. So I had no problem with the idea of spending time outdoors without my shoes on.

Sedona, AZ

I started my earthing/grounding week in Sedona, Arizona, which, if you don't know, has quite an alternative culture that includes energy vortexes, crystals, healers, psychics, aura photography, and $17 dollar smoothies. (No joke, I paid almost $20 for a blueberry and kale smoothie.)

The first morning, my husband and I decided on a sunrise hike. I wore my shoes on the way up, because pointy rocks, but when we arrived at the top, I took them off and sat with my bare feet on the red Arizona sandstone. It was a nice experience, but it was probably equally nice for all the other people who had their shoes on.

Throughout the week, I also earthed at a river, in a garden, in a hot spring, and on my patio. (Frankly,  I was pretty proud of my diverse earthing locations.) The tougher part was determining if it improved my well-being. I was on vacation for much of the time, and it's tough to beat that for a mood booster.  So I don't know if I buy into earthing or not. But anything that gets me outside and connected to nature is a good thing. Plus, I tend to walk around barefoot a lot, anyway.

Oak Creek, AZ

So I think I'll keep at it, at least until the cold weather arrives, which makes this week's experiment a seasonal Take It.

Happy Friday the 13th! Don't walk under any ladders today!

Kurzgesagt. Gesundheit!

For months now, Son #2 has been telling me interesting things he's learned by watching Kurzgesagt videos on YouTube. He loves science and general knowledge about the intricacies of the world, so I trust his recommendations. (Probably not all of them, but the ones he deems okay for his mom.)

Kurzgesagt, which loosely translated means "in a nutshell" is a German animation studio that produces "minimalist animated educational content discussing scientific, technological, political, philosophical, and psychological subjects." Whew. That's a mouthful, and so is the name.

The funny thing is, I didn't read that description beforehand, and I had no idea the videos were animated. When I found the YouTube channel, which has 9.1 million subscribers, I wondered if I might be in the wrong place. Like maybe Kurzgesagt for Kids or something. But no, that's the way they're done.

Off the bat, I disagreed with the description of the animation as minimalist. Here is my idea of minimalist:

And here is Kurzgesagt's minimalist:

There's kind of a lot going on there, right? Add in motion, and a British narrator who sounds a bit like John Oliver explaining black hole science at a rapid pace, and my brain melted a little that first time. I didn't give up--I had six more days to go, after all--and it got better. My brain didn't feel quite as melty, but I really had to make sure to concentrate on what was being said so I didn't get distracted by the visual input.

As far as Take It or Leave It...I'm not exactly sure yet. I think I'll give Kurzgesagt a continued trial, but I suspect I'll be better off with TED Talks in the long run.

No-Buy July update:
Today is the last day of July! And I did really well this month cutting down on my unnecessary purchases. I'm not sure how much time and money I saved, but I think it was significant on both counts. I'm glad I made a conscious effort, and I don't plan on going nuts come August. But we'll see :-)

Good Morning, Sunshine

After last week's trial of sleep semi-deprivation, I thought it might be nice to do something to help me get back in my normal routine, a.k.a The Routine of the Failed Night Owl. I read somewhere that regular exposure to morning sunlight plays an important part in establishing a good circadian rhythm, which seemed like a good place to start. Plus, it sounded like a lovely way to begin the day.

Two of the most important byproducts of sunlight exposure are melatonin and Vitamin D, which support and regulate all kinds of physiological functions, but apparently our bodies also release some bonus endorphins. Yeah, sign me up for that good stuff first thing in the morning. 

Although some recommendations call for 30-45 minutes of morning sunlight, a general suggestion for a pale person such is myself is fifteen minutes of exposure between the hours of eight and ten. Unfortunately, I, like many people, am at work then, so my sun time during the week was 7:15-7:30.

The first morning, I was pretty excited to bask for a while before starting my day. But the sun didn't cooperate. (Actually the sun rose as it normally did; it was the cloud cover that messed things up.) Ditto the second day. The third was a little bit better, but honestly, I'd never noticed how many clouds hang around in the morning. So inconvenient.

In fact, of the seven mornings in the week, I only had solid sun exposure on three of them, which overall was a disappointment. It was nice to eat breakfast outside, though. (So nice that I almost made myself late a few times.) I didn't notice a difference in how alert I felt in the morning or how tired I felt at night, and I assume it's because I didn't get enough regular sun to have an effect.

As much as I wanted this morning sun exposure to be a Take It, it didn't work out as well as I hoped. And as the days get shorter, it will be nearly impossible. So this one is a regretful Leave It.

I hope the sun brightens your day today, whatever time you're out. See you next week!

'Sup, Single Use Plastics?

Last Monday was Earth Day, and in respect for that important observance, my goal for the week was to reduce my single use plastics.

Plastics have done so much to make the world safer, more accessible, and more technologically advanced. But as you probably know, we're suffering from too much of a good thing. It is estimated that there are more than 150 million tons of plastics in the ocean. If we continue along this path, the ocean is projected to contain one ton of plastic for every three tons of fish by the year 2025. That's an astounding number, and not that far in the future.

Those plastics choke, strangle, and foul up the digestion of thousands of creatures. Additionally, plastic can degrade in the sun and salt water, resulting in trillions of microplastic particles that work their way up the food chain to us. Super fun, right?

Like most modern humans, plastics make an appearance in all aspects of my life, but nowhere more so than food packaging and consumption. From clamshells to take-out containers to straws and stir-sticks, food and plastics are nearly inseparable. I may feel virtuous buying organic baby carrots, but they still come in a plastic bag.

An alien creature consumes my avocado

The good news is that there are options available for consumers wanting to use less plastic. But it takes some advance planning. Before the week began, I assembled my kit: metal utensils in a pouch that I could toss in my purse; mesh produce bags; cloth shopping bags; reusable water bottle and coffee mug; and a weird but fun product called Cover Blubber Super-Stretchy Foodsavers (that's the green one on the left). I meant to also pick up some of those cloth-and-beeswax food wraps, but I didn't get to it. (So I wrapped food in aluminum foil instead.)

Since going without plastic is virtually impossible, I focused on reducing items such as the water cup and "disposable" fork that get used for ten minutes at a fast-casual meal and then discarded. I wasn't perfect, but I did manage to score some eco-points over the course of the week:

• At a dinner meeting, I had to use a plastic plate, as piling salad directly on the table didn't seem to be a great option. But when I took out my metal fork from its handy pouch, my fellow diners were impressed.
• I brought a travel mug when I went out for coffee. Not only are coffee lids plastic, but the paper cups are plastic-lined, too.
• I made the ultimate sacrifice a conscious choice to not purchase my favorite single-serving guacamole cups.
• A woman at the grocery store asked where I got my mesh produce bags, and I again felt that I was setting a positive example.
• On a quick errand, when I ended up buying more items than I anticipated, I refused to let the clerk bag them and, with as much dignity as I could muster, stuffed them in my purse instead.

These are not huge accomplishments, but I'm the kind of person who believes that small changes add up. That's pretty much the point of this whole Take It or Leave It experiment. Speaking of which, this week's reduced use of plastics is a Take It, no doubt about it.