latest book

I just finished reading a book called Healing Through Exercise,

by Jorg Blech. Aside from the comprehensive dependence on 

evolutionary theory to explain the findings presented, it's an

excellent read. The author goes through a variety of research
which supports the value of basic, regular exercise to defend against
all sorts of illnesses and many of the common symptoms of aging.

What surprised me most was how frequently the statistics pointed
to low-intensity activity as having a substantial impact.
A brisk, thirty-minute walk (or jog or bike ride) five or more days
of the week has been shown, among other things, to decrease the
incidence of head colds by one-half, reduce stress reactions,
significantly combat depression, push back the onset of age-related diseases,
and diminish the chance of heart attack by one-third.

Other varied amounts and types of exercise were shown to cause the release
of stem cells and the growth of new neurons and arteries, increase testosterone
levels (thus reducing impotence), prevent Alzheimer's and cancer, improve
concentration and coordination in children with ADHD, reverse chronic
and acute back pain, reduce arthritis pain while increasing mobility, and
turn around age-related strength and muscle loss, thereby improving quality of life.

This book focuses on the way that the fields of science and medicine are
beginning to recognize the benefits of physical movement as comparable,
complementary, or sometimes favorable to medical intervention. It also
discusses the many dangers of bed rest being a primary treatment plan for
all sorts of ailments and suggests the benefits of moderate exercise in its place.
Because the research findings are presented in a readable, interesting format,
I easily read the book from cover to cover. It's an encouraging look at the
 rewards we can reap in our own lives with a daily investment of a relatively
 small amount of time and energy. Tennis shoes, here I come!!

bunny bag

I just love making these little guys.

the creative process

 

This summer, I set aside many of my ordinary

pursuits (particularly the creativity-oriented ones --

the laundry must go on, as you well know) in order

to be fully present to my kiddos. However, one thing

I took up anew was the arrangement of choral music.

My little church holds the belief that creativity is one of the ways that 

we as people made in the Creator God's image can worship and reflect Him. 

So we do a lot of song writing, as well as painting, cooking, poetry writing, 

building construction, computer programming (once again I say, "who knew?"), etc. 

Sometimes our creative efforts equate to

reinventing the wheel, but we don't mind having lots

of freshly chiseled, slightly lopsided stone wheels around.

So, as we established a choral group for the first time

this year (our musical style usually leans toward 

"hippie punk"), we thought it important to take a song that

our community is already familiar with and completely

re-orchestrate it for Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass.

A very exciting endeavor, indeed. But this journey has 

been frought with complications and a huge learning curve

for Yours Truly. The first software I used for transcribing

the music took a long time to learn, and then once the information 

was saved, it would not print the words in the correct place

on the page. Then it stopped printing altogether.

So all that data must now be transcribed into another program

(I'm using Finale NotePad at this point), which I am learning how 

to use, and which takes quite a bit of time to redo. 

I am also learning about "tenor clef" and other new choral 

notations and how to direct a vocal group. 

Now, please don't hear this as a ranty complaint. This whole

experience is great fun so long as I keep the long view and

allow each step to be a natural part of the creative process,

rather than a bump in the road or some sort of wonky detour.

It's very rewarding to develop something totally new from 

something familiar, and doing it with a group of people who 

love to sing and who come up with harmony lines I would 

not have envisioned is the best!

I also think that this view of life as a naturally curvy road

is helpful as I go about the daily stuff of life. Surprises 

always arise which differ from the agenda I have planned,

but they are much more enriching when taken in stride.That 

idea seems to be something that's sinking in, or resounding

through the different canyons of my life, as a result of this 

music arranging process. So there it is.

The photo, by the way, is a candle made from a 

wine bottle -- it's in a nook in the wall of our garden.

day trip

I drove down to Nogales today to visit my friend Adrienne who's in state for a week.

It was great to see her & those adorable little boys again.

And Nogales is beautiful! It's hilly, green, and ten degrees cooler than Tucson;

we actually sat on the back porch for an hour, and it was quite nice!

As you can see from the photo I snapped while hurtling down the highway at 

seventy miles an hour, I drove into a beautiful storm on my way home.

We stopped into this cute little cafe for lunch and had tortas, 

or the Mexican-food version of a sandwich. Who knew? 

Mine was filled with carne asada and topped with sour cream. 

That's salsa on the side for dipping. Delicious!

new beginnings

 Here is the before...

and the after...

of my Door of Inspiration today.

The kids went back to school on Monday, leaving me 

with a certain amount of time and energy to reallocate.

This new chapter finds me wanting to organize our belongings in

a way that facilitates the ways we use them and the purposes

that we pursue. It turns out that organization, however, is 

far enough down the priority list that not much of it happened

last school year even though it was something I had hoped to do.

So be it. Still, I found time today for one bit of organization

and several bits of other pursuits, of which I hope to tell you soon!

hi again... and a hair baby

Hi, peeps! It's been about forever since I posted.

I blame summer and living in the moment (yay!).

This particular summer has been busy in all the 

right ways, i.e. spending a ton of time with family, 

friends, community and my specific little nuclear unit.

I haven't been crafting up too many messes,

but a friend recently asked if I could sew 

a hair doll for her baby boy who loves playing

with his mama's hair while he falls asleep. 

I used Butterick pattern 4027 as the framework

for this first attempt. It's soft and snuggly, but

pretty light-colored. Which means it'll be dark

grey in no time. So maybe the next one will 

be adjusted to match reality a bit more closely.

I hope you all are having a wonderful summer!!