It’s National Pumpkin Day? October 26, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Happiness, Life Balance, Nature.26 comments
National Pumpkin Day falls on October 26th . . . which seems about a month early to me.
Why not have it coincide with Thanksgiving?
Gobble. Gobble.
I mean what other day of the year involves the consumption of a gazillion slices of Pumpkin Pie?
And that’s AFTER people push away from the groaning board feeling as rotund as pumpkins.
Well, as has happened before, no one consulted me . . . so it is what it is.
TODAY is National Pumpkin Day.
Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to . . .
Oh, wait!
I know what happened . . .
Linus with all his talk about The Great Pumpkin got the holiday booted from November to October to coincide with All Hallows Eve.
We can live with that, right?
Right?
Aah . . . that’s better!
Disentangling From Disinformation October 21, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Less IS More, Life Balance, Mindfulness.12 comments
“The Social Dilemma disrupts the disrupters by unveiling the hidden machinations happening behind everyone’s favorite social media and search platforms.”
Have you seen it yet?
What did you think?
If not, here’s a trailer designed to draw you in:
Want to dig deeper? Check out Time 100 Talks ~ Engineering A Better World (October 20, 2020), curated by Meghan & Harry (Duke and Duchess of Sussex). Meghan was marvelous!
Asking yourself, “What Can I Do?” ~> Swing by the Center for Humane Technology and Take Control!
Aah . . . that’s better!
Earth Optimism September 21, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Health & Wellness, Less IS More, Life Balance.17 comments
Change is happening . . . sometimes for the good!
Aah . . . that’s better!
To learn more: Earth Optimism (Smithsonian Conservation Commons)
Thoughts on Thoughts August 19, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Gratitude, Happiness, Life Balance, Mindfulness.34 comments
Only one thing stands in the way of our happiness.
The thoughts that we think.
Need some pointers?
The NY Times has a great article on How To Be Happy . . . which starts (and ends) with managing the thoughts we think:
Practice Optimism
Optimism is part genetic, part learned. Even if you were born into a family of gloomy Guses, you can still find your inner ray of sunshine. Optimism doesn’t mean ignoring the reality of a dire situation. After a job loss, for instance, many people may feel defeated and think, “I’ll never recover from this.” An optimist would acknowledge the challenge in a more hopeful way, saying, “This is going to be difficult, but it’s a chance to rethink my life goals and find work that truly makes me happy.”
When we accept life as it is with cheerful indifference, nothing disturbs us.
We stop struggling against the current and allow things to be as they are.
We just go with the flow.
Aah . . . that’s better!
An Internet Portal July 29, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Home & Garden, Life Balance, Mindfulness.24 comments
Getting tired of the same old view out your window? Visit Window Swap & turn your desktop into a calming portal to somewhere else.
In just moments, you can be transported to India, Spain, Belarus, the UK.
You might even enjoy a cat’s eye view out of a window in Qatar!
Aah . . . that’s better!
Let There Be Music July 27, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Health & Wellness, Life Balance, Music & Dance.35 comments
Listening to music is good for your mood . . . and your health!
“Studies have shown that music can buoy your mood and fend off depression. It can also improve blood flow in ways similar to statins, lower your levels of stress-related hormones like cortisol and ease pain.
“Listening to music before an operation can even improve post-surgery outcomes.”
To learn more: Is Listening to Music Good For Your Health? (TIME)
Music is especially good for your health if you ZUMBA while listening!
“The workout-in-disguise has unique physical and mental health benefits. [One] study linked Zumba’s hip-swinging, stomach-gyrating movements to increased core and trunk strength and better balance in older overweight women. After just eight weeks, the women’s quality-of-life scores jumped 9% and their self-esteem increased 16%.
“A related study on Zumba’s psychological benefits found that people who practice it feel more independent and said that their lives seemed more purposeful.”
To learn more: Why Zumba is Insanely Good Exercise (TIME)
Aah . . . that’s better!
What A Feeling! July 21, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Gratitude, Happiness, Life Balance.29 comments
The other day, an unprompted “thought” bubbled up from inside (perhaps from my heart chakra?), accompanied by a sense of grounded well-being.
“WOW! What a great life I’ve had.”
Reflecting back to that unscripted heart-felt moment of gratitude, even days later, makes me smile.
Of course, lots of things make me smile, including this amusing moose!
Aah . . . that’s better!
A Place to Start June 5, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Life Balance, Mindfulness, People.34 comments
Many of you have expressed shock and outrage and sadness and grief at recent events.
You know that Black Lives Matter ~> that ALL lives matter.
And perhaps you want to be more involved in efforts to level the landscape and achieve the dream expressed so eloquently by Martin Luther King, Jr. half a century ago.
If so, here’s A Place to Start ~ an incomplete list of resources and organizations for fighting racism and supporting justice and equality put together by MoMA.
Another list of resources and organizations that support of justice and equality has been collated by Poets & Writers.
One world. One people.
Let’s remember that we are all in this together.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Put A Lid On It! May 9, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Joke, Life Balance.30 comments
Friday’s Super Short Stories over at Nuggets of Gold got me thinking:
Why don’t apes and chimpanzees and monkeys (our closest relatives) need periodic trims?
What did people do before hairdressers and hair salons?
Home styling?
What did people do before the invention of scissors and razors?
Did they use their teeth?
Did they sharpen shells?
Maybe it didn’t matter in the days before cameras.
And selfies.
On a related note:
I think I’d like hair like a cat ~ always neat and tidy.
No fuss. No muss.
In the meantime, I’ll be like the Cat in that Hat . . .
And put a lid on it!
Aah . . . that’s better!
I’m Still Here . . . May 6, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Home & Garden, Less IS More, Life Balance.20 comments
Wow!
I’ve got so much to tell you.
I hardly know where to start.
Let’s see . . .
Time is getting the best of me.
And I don’t know where it’s going.
I get up.
I get dressed.
I enjoy a cup of tea.
I go for a walk.
I come home.
I check e-mails.
I read and comment on friends’ blogs.
I think about writing a blog post . . . and procrastinate.
I do the NY Times puzzles.
I have lunch.
I go for a bike ride.
I “work” on jigsaw puzzles ~ we’ve completed six!
Oh, what puzzles?
Glad you asked ~ VW Buses, Sea Turtles, Birds, an Attic Stuffed with Stuff, Great Americans, and a Tall Ship.
What size?
I’m going to assume you’re asking about the # of pieces, rather than the dimensions of the finished puzzles:
VW Buses (1000), Sea Turtles (500), Birds (500), an Attic Stuffed with Stuff (500), Great Americans (1000), and a Tall Ship (750).
4,250 pieces total!
Minus a few missing pieces.
One puzzle was missing 7 pieces!
I bet the dog ate them!
Bad dog, Pluto!
Wipe that grin off your face.
You are in the dog house!
What’s that, Pluto?
You think it was Goofy?
You might be right.
Goofy’s got opposable thumbs . . .
So he could be the piece thief.
I’ll give him a good cross-examining and see what he has to say for himself.
OK, readers, that’s enough goofy-ness for now.
It’s time for my Cinco de Mayo siesta.
Wait! What?
Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo?
Huh.
The days seem to run together.
Oh, well.
I’m still inclined to recline for a Siesta Fiesta before dinner!
Aah . . . that’s better!
So, what’s “new” with you?
