Pictured above: Woodfield (Childhood home)
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ABQ - Weather or Not
Well, it's August - and pretty much what we expect: Mid-high 90s during the day and some reprieve in the wee hours.
Time to stop wallowing in what isn't great and look at what we can be diong to make things more positive, more bearable, more hopeful (pick any or all).
Don't feel like the Lone Ranger. Even our former First Lady is feeling the Blues - these are challenging times. And times that will define us. Let's meet the challenges of a country under siege and suit up our better selves.
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5'8" and 350-lbs
That would be Caesar. the No Drama Llama.
He's a 6-yr old Argentine retired grand champion show llama who offers emotional support when things begin to escalate and protesters need a bit of love. Caesar's been making the Protest Circuit for years,
"I don’t care how big, how staunch, how intense that somebody is — it could be a big marcher in total riot gear, and he will come up and give Caesar a big hug," Larry McCool, 66 and Caesar's owner told the Post. "It’s all I can do to just keep him from snuggling."
During the daylight light hours, Caesar spreads his Peace and Love message to residents of nursing homes, who are confined to quarters during the coronavirus pandemic. He shows up, unannounced, outside their windows, and makes the world a little happier. Well done, Caesar.
...for more on Caesar, click hereEven the Portland Police are feeling' the love.
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Art in the Time of Covid
The best art created by Washington Post readers during the pandemic
To see more, click here
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Thank God for Pam Moore
Extend your bandwidth.....A month ago, I was doing a tele-med conference with my PCP for my annual physical.
I had already gone to Tri-Core and my test results looked pretty good. At the end of the call, my doc asked me if there was anything else I wanted to discuss and I did a little hemming and hawing until she cajoled me into, they say, speaking my truth. The long and short of it was I just seemed to be missing my usual pep, and was also running a quart low on "joie de vivre."
She's a great PCP - did additional training in Preventative Medicine after completing her residency, and is quite knowledgeable in several types of alternative medicine. Like the old Smith Barney ad, she "does business the old-fashioned way...she listens." She had two suggestions: exercise and nutrition.
I don't know about you, but under normal circumstances those are about as welcome as Dr Fauci at a WH Press Conference. However, we're in a different place these days and there's a certain "panache" to breaking up the tedium.
I pass this along to anyone who's up for the challenge: so far I'm down 15 pounds and most days I'm operating at about 2x where I was before I began listening to my new nutritionist.
Another concern, among others like "no more gin and tonics" for the foreseeable future, was not wanting to turn the house into a fitness center...
THE SOLUTION: To build strength at home without buying bulky equipment, try resistance bands. Here’s how.
Start Here to read up on this good idea.
Okay, so you drop $50 - how much money are you wasting each month by hoping your gym will be back in your orbit, but you still think that's a non-starter? With that "found money" go out and spend it on your new pastime: Working out in front of the TV.
OKAY. Now you're Ready: MIX IT UP
30 Moves to Make the Most of Your At-Home Workout
As I said earlier, thank God for Pam Moore, who is a regular contributor to the Washington Post. But if the exercises she gave at the end of the "Start Here" article above didn't blow your skirt up, you have a few choices. Google her - she's got tons of articles to choose from or...enter Nicole Davis.
She lets you pick your level and voila! The corresponding exercises - Bodyweight, Not Bands. First off these are FREE - but they are the same exercises I used to spend $60/hr with a trainer doing - so, now you've paid for the bands!
p.s. If you don't have a Washington Post subscription, consider one - In addition to a monthly digital account that you can share with 1 other person (thereby halving your cost), and great fitness information, you get one of the following:
1) Award-winning journalism
2) A counterbalance to what you hear on Fox News*
*Let's be real: All news has some degree of bias. All of us know Democrats and Republicans - politics should be something we can discuss with civility, rather than rancor and/or anger. A good approach is to gather news from different perspectives and try to remain open to other points of view. I'm not trying out for Pollyanna - I firmly believe we are all in this together and this divisiveness serves no good purpose. Build bridges, not walls.
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Zoodles
Gadget-of-the -Week
The Bad News: Pasta isn't part of the new regime
The Good News: Discover Zoodles ("spiraled Zucchinis")
With a few twists, turn your favorite veggies into uniform, spaghetti-like strands. Open-blade design accommodates long vegetables like zucchini and round vegetables like potatoes. When you get down to the end of a vegetable, the food holder keeps your hands safe; it also acts as a storage cap.
The Pay-off:
Source: click here
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Speaking of Politics
If you were one of those campaign volunteers in the mid-terms who loved canvassing and are feeling at sixes and sevens because that simply isn't "de rigeur" in the Time of Covid, take heart!
Lots of campaigns are looking for letter writers, postcard writers and people willing to personalize voter outreach.
Do you feel strongly that everyone should vote? Because I do. I'm not buying into "mass voter fraud" when the citizenry votes by mail, or casts absentee ballots.
I am, however, worried that any concerted efforts to constrict the USPS' ability to process and deliver mail in a timely manner - sorry, but that SMACKS of voter suppression to me.
Why don't you check in with the campaigns of the candidates you support and see how you can assist in GOTV - Getting Out The Vote? You'll feel you're doing something to benefit everyone and maybe we can miraculously boost voter turnout.
This November the choices are clear - and as much of a right as voting is for eligible US citizens, it is also a responsibility. Speak up! Your Vote is your Voice.
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From the Happy News Bookshelf
America's Coolest Small Towns by State
So, I'll leave you with this article (Click here). If you're feeling the symptoms of Cabin Fever, travel to these gems and if they're nearby, take a picnic. Many of these villages I have never heard of, but I look forward to the road trips that they'll inspire. Being an armchair traveller has a lot to be said for it - so, have at it. Happy Trails.
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We hope you're able to remain healthy and safe - please follow CDC guidelines, they're based on science, not on politics.