Friday, December 31, 2021
Thursday, December 30, 2021
Capturing December, day 30
Capturing December, photo a day challenge.
Day 30. Your winter wonderland.
#capturingdecember #capturingdecemberchallenge #december2021 #photochallenge
Capturing December, day 29
Capturing December, photo a day challenge.
Day 29. Sky view.
#capturingdecember #capturingdecemberchallenge #capturingmoments #capturingdecember2021 #photochallenge
Capturing December, day 28
Capturing December, photo a day challenge.
Day 28. Words.
#capturingdecember #capturingdecemberchallenge #december2021 #photochallenge #winter
Capturing December, day 27
Capturing December, photo a day challenge.
Day 27. Night sky.
#capturingdecember #capturingdecemberchallenge #capturingmoments #capturingdecember2021 #photochallenge #winter
Capturing December, day 26
Capturing December, photo a day challenge.
Day 26. Grateful.
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| So grateful to have these two after a lifetime of dreaming of owning one someday. |
#capturingdecember #capturingdecemberchallenge #capturingmoments #capturingdecember2021 #photochallenge #winter
Capturing December, day 25
Capturing December, photo a day challenge.
Day 25. Christmas morning.
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| Breakfast burritos with Mimosas! A Christmas morning tradition (Mimosas, that is). |
Capturing December, photo a day challenge.
Saturday, December 25, 2021
Capturing December, day 24
Capturing December, photo a day challenge.
Day 24. Favorite part of Christmas Eve.
Being outside with my family, enjoying the sunset while watching my grandchildren play.
Capturing December, day 23
Capturing December, photo a day challenge.
Day 23. Scarf.
Wearing my 'wild rag' scarf to keep my neck warm while riding my horse bareback at the barn.
#decemberphotochallenge #decemberphoto #december #december2021 #capturingdecember
Capturing December, day 22
Capturing December, photo a day challenge.
Day 22. Tradition.
In our community, the Christmas star shining bright on the hill north of town, is a beloved tradition.
#capturingdecember #december2021 #decemberphotochallenge
Capturing December, day 21
Capturing December, photo a day challenge.
Day 21. Peace.
#photochallenge #december #capturingdecember #december2021 #decemberphotochallenge #decemberphoto
Monday, December 20, 2021
Saturday, December 18, 2021
Capturing December, day 16
Capturing December, photo a day challenge.
Day 16. Outside Christmas lights.
Friday, December 17, 2021
Capturing December, day 9
Capturing December, Day 9. Something you're reading.
I love this magazine. It has a real retro vibe. The articles, advertisements and just general goodness of it always feeds my soul.
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Capturing December, day 7.
Capturing December photo a day challenge.
Day 7. Bright.
My co-workers VW Bug decked out for the holiday made this drizzly day bright.
Monday, December 6, 2021
Sunday, December 5, 2021
Capturing December day 4
Photo a day challenge.
Day 4. Joyful.
Found a hummingbird nest in one of our fir trees, and that made me joyful.
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Capturing December-Photo-A-Day challenge
12/2 Favorite holiday movie.
No question.
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| I'll never grow tired of this one. |
LIVE @ Santa Claus Village - Arctic Circle - Rovaniemi - Lapland Finland (YouTube)
Time to travel without leaving the comforts of home.
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Music to live by
Funny how over time our views change. Last month I discovered an Indie channel, Alex Rainbird Music, on YouTube. Never was into Indie music but I'm loving this!
I have it playing in the background when I'm crafting and I honestly believe it enhances my creative flow.
And here we have December
Dear December, I don't want any trouble from you. Just come in, sit down, don't touch anything and keep your mouth shut!
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| 12/1 - My view today |
Friday, November 19, 2021
Another dose of irony
Woke. It's apparently something new according to DC and the media. They've had a revelation and must educate the world to make things right. Push, push, push.
Isn't it ironic?
Meanwhile, back here in the real world, we the people practice mindfulness every day. Nothing new, it's been around for centuries. Mindfulness: being present without judgement in every moment.
We've stood by them through so much, if only they would stop, pause, breathe and check-in with us. That's all it takes, all we ask. Connect. Practice, don't preach.
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
Health Highlight: Diabetes prevention
Small steps, big difference.
November is national diabetes month.
One in three U.S. adults is prediabetic! Could that one be you? Learn ways to prevent diabetes and take a short 1-minute risk assessment.
Sunday, October 31, 2021
How did we ever...
Every now and then, an invention comes along and if we are one of the adventurous type that take the plunge to acquire said invention we may find ourselves struck by the revelation "How did we ever get along without _____."
For the past two years I've heard people talking about their new insta-pot; recipes filled my social media feeds every day of all the yummy food prepared in a fraction of the time. When our oldest daughter Amy purchased a Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker, Sam and I contemplated purchasing one, but never acted on it. We felt it didn't fit our needs--it just wasn't what we wanted.
Then came along the Ninja Foodi Smart Grill. And this past August we took the plunge. Would this be yet another high-priced gadget that we use a few times, and then lose interest when the newness wears off? Nope. Not this time. Holy moley game changer! We were gob-smacked. To say the Smart Grill is amazing is an understatement. After the first two uses we found ourselves asking How did we ever get along without one?
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| Our Ninja Foodi Smart Grill |
Want to grill a steak but it's cold, windy and rainy outside? No problem. The Smart Grill can take care of that without any smoke inside your house.
It even tells you when to turn the food over. O-M-G! It air frys, it grills, it roasts, it bakes, it dehydrates. It handles dinner in a snap when you've had a long, exhausting day at work and you just don't feel like cooking for 45 minutes to an hour. We haven't tried the baking or dehydrating feature yet, but I'm sure we will.
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| Fried chicken, our first meal with the new Foodi Smart Grill. |
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| Fried chicken breast for a summer salad with apples, pecans and parmesean cheese. |
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| Steak on the smart grill. |
We've cooked salmon cakes, fish 'n chips, steak, port loin, chicken, hash browns, roasts. We even made jojo's (an Idaho thing...potatoes cut into spears and then fried in oil) in the air fryer without having to worry about the oil, and they turned out better than anything cooked in oil.
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| More air fried chicken. |
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| Salmon cakes. |
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| Pork loin. |
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| Frozen hash brown patties, fried to a crisp in under 20 minutes. |
I truly can't sing the praises of this machine enough. We use it practically every night. Having the ability to fry food to a crisp without the use of oil or grease is a blessing for our health. Being able to cook dinner if we forgot to thaw something in advance makes meals a breeze, especially when you find a recipe during the day that you have everything on hand for, but one item is still in the freezer.
Every time I walk into the kitchen and see my smart grill on the counter, I smile and ask myself that question again...how did we ever get along without you?
Thursday, October 7, 2021
Of these things...
For as long as I can remember, I have felt myself pulled toward the unusual. What-you-could-call the out of the ordinary. Things others may not hold as truths. Esoterics. If our experiences shape our beliefs, then my experiences have created in me the ability to keep an open mind. To see possibilities. Because anything is possible.
I don't believe in coincidence. Well, now that's a handy little contradiction, isn't it? Anything is possible, but I don't believe in concidence. Okay--but here's the thing--I do believe in synchronicity.
If you've been reading or following my journal, then you know I've had some unusual experiences in my life...okay, some may be an understatement because there have been many. Some I share and talk about, others I keep to myself.
Everything happens for a reason, of that I am certain.
I'll just get to the point. I love animals, especially horses, cats and dogs. My top three. At the barn where I board my two horses we have several cats ranging in age from 15 years to 1 year. Hard to believe a barn cat in the country has lived 15 years with coyotes and speeding vehicles always near-by, but it's true. That's Sylvester, a big floofy tuxedo male; he's a survivor in every sense of the word. Sylvester's best bud is...or was...Mr. Thomas, a ginger tabby who came to live at the barn as a kitten with his gray tabby litter mate in 2009. Unfortunately a few months after moving in, the gray tabby disappeared--we don't know what happened to him, could be someone fell in love with him and took him home, or something else. We'll never know, he just disappeared.
But I digress. Back to Mr. Thomas, who began to show signs of his age this summer, losing weight and looking poorly as the weeks passed. Myself and two other boarders who share the responsibility of caring for our barn kitties did everything we could to help him gain weight; one gave him vegetable oil, I brought him canned cat food. For a short time he improved, but by the end of August he started losing weight again, he became lethargic, showed interest in food but ate very little. It was clear he wouldn't make it through the harsh winter weather. We started to worry that one day Thomas would just wander off the way cats do when it's their time. Neither of us wanted that for him, all things considered. And yet, I guess we three held on to a thread of hope that maybe we were wrong, and Thomas would improve.
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| Thomas, July 2020. In better days, healthy and happy. |
A couple of weeks ago, Thomas showed all the signs that it was time to make a difficult decision on his behalf. He had no interest in food, appeared to be extremely weak, and his eyes were dull and empty. After encouraging him to eat something, unsuccessfully, and giving his boney body some extra pets and love, I stepped away knowing it was time. Before I left the barn for home, I turned and gave Thomas one last look. It broke my heart. I contacted my barn kitty caretaker team and we all agreed. The next day, Monday, September 20, while I was at work they took him to the vet to put an end to his suffering. Sometime between 12:30 and 3:10 Thomas crossed the rainbow bridge. Being at work, hearing the news was difficult. I closed my office door and wept for the loss of my sweet ginger boy. Silly I know, but he was such a love-bug and very picky about making friends with people.
My work place is downtown in a non-residential area. Next door is city hall, and the next block over is the county court house and city police department. That day I left work at 5:00 p.m. as I have nearly every day for the last five years. Before I reached my vehicle, with thoughts of Thomas on my mind, I glanced up momentarily and something caught my eye, then stopped me in my tracks. My heart leapt. I pulled my mobile phone out of my purse, switched on the camera and took a photo. Sitting next to the city hall building was a cat. Not just any cat, but a big, ginger tabby cat who closely resembled Mr. Thomas.
For five years I have walked out of that building at least twice a day, and in all those days I have only seen that ginger tabby cat once (maybe a year ago). The irony wasn't lost on me. I lingered for a moment before walking on to my vehicle. Once inside, I shared the photo I took with my two barn kitty caretaker teammates. The consensus was clear. This was Thomas, letting me know he was fat and happy.
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| The ginger cat who appeared to me just hours after Thomas crossed the rainbow bridge. |
Oddly enough the cat who appeared was a manx, which really means nothing, until you consider the fact that one of the two women who took Thomas to the vet that day also has a manx cat at home. A ginger tabby manx. When I told her the cat I saw outside my work was also a manx, she replied "That's his nod to me that it's ok." I smiled at her reply, then looked up from my mobile phone, but the cat had disappeared. Probably off to do cat stuff.
I think about Thomas every day. I know Sylvester misses his friend, those first few days it saddened me to see Syl sitting alone, waiting for me with that question in his eyes. Where is my friend? We hope he will buddy up with one of the younger kitties but so far he prefers to be alone.
The world is full of possibilities. Do you notice those little things that happen every day? Those nuances that could bring joy, wisdom, or maybe just a sense of peace to your soul. Open your heart, pay attention, hone your awareness. Sometimes it's those little glimpses, appearing in the blink of an eye, that may carry a small message. A message just for you. A message you didn't know you needed in that moment, that could make all the difference for the rest of your days. You won't forget those moments, and you won't regret the awareness.
Life is pretty amazing when you stop and look around you.
Thursday, September 16, 2021
Self-care check-in
More on the topic of self-care. Oh-so-important any day, every day. If knowledge is power, may these small offerings of information empower you to make positive life strides for yourself and others in our world.
Who among us hasn't reached that point where you give and give until you have nothing left? You're numb, and yet you still feel--exhausted, frustrated, drained...and maybe even hopeless. It doesn't have to be that way; you have the freedom of choice and the option to prevent burnout. Do those little things today and make your-self a priority. If things feel out of balance, it's time to bring balance back.
Save the date! September 27 is Idaho Family Dinner Night! Make family meals a regular event in your home with the Idaho Family Meal Recipe Guide. So much good stuff here, I can barely contain my excitement and my smile.
Monday, September 13, 2021
She's Wild and I'm tired
It's a wrap! The 87th Lewiston Roundup is now a page in local history books.
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| AJ and I, Grand Entry, September 8, 2021. Photo credit: Photography by Gini |
We made so many memories, experienced highs and lows, made new friends, and all our horses got used to having jets fly low, loud and fast over their heads. The first night took us all by surprise; we gallop into the arena after the national anthem, and a minute before our entry a P51 Mustang buzzed overhead at the end of the anthem, just barely missing the arena lights. Horses, previously neatly lined up side by side, frantically scattered--rearing, shying and bolting--from the sudden sound of the low flying jet. All this while we held reins with one hand, and the sponsor flag we are tasked to carry in the other.
Grand Entry, Wednesday, 9/8/2021
Entering the arena is always an adrenaline rush, and it was even more so that night. But we were ready the next three nights, with Saturday nights performance being on 9/11 the Roundup Association directors scheduled 5 jets to flyover...but not at the same time. Three buzzed the arena, followed 30 seconds later by two more. By then most of the horses realized there was nothing to fear.
With over 40 horses in our group, we have to maintain a half a horse length spacing between the horse in front of us and ourselves, at all times. What we do isn't easy, but some of us make it look easy. Had issues with spacing every single night during Grand Entry which made us look sloppy and the line kept getting bunched up near the gate during our first loop. Given that half the group were riding with us for the first time, it's no wonder. AJ and I are right in the middle, marking the spot where most everyone in front of us is a long-standing member, and everyone behind us is new to the group. One rider got cut the first night because she couldn't keep up. It was particularly tricky for me because the rider who got let go was in front of me, and that position got replaced twice more. So AJ and I had to get used to a new horse and rider in front of us every night. And each one was different.
Grand Entry, Saturday 9/11/2021
My boy gave me his all, each performance. Wednesday night the footing was slick, so much so that during the royalty bust out a horse slipped and rolled on top of, then over the princess. She is okay, but no one ever wants to see that, or hear the audiences reaction while you are waiting for your turn to go in. It was definitely slick, because AJ did slip coming out of the last turn before we head down the rail and out the arena, but he righted himself quickly and kept going. It's no fun being the rider behind a horse that slips, not knowing if they are going down or not. Then Saturday AJ either tripped or stumbled--I'm not sure what happened--because for a split second I thought we were going down right after we came diagonally up the center of the arena. We do this, knowing full well the risk we take each time we enter that arena; that's why we start practices two months before the Roundup...to prepare, to fine tune, to train, to get into that space where everything goes right because we put in the time and effort. There is always the unknown, and so each night, before each run...I close my eyes, breathe and surround each and every horse and rider in the group with white light and a prayer of protection. Everybody rides in on top, everybody rides out on top.
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| Tough Enough To Wear Pink night, 9/10/2021. Waiting to go in. |
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| Patriot night, 9/11/2021. Waiting to go in. |
And then there's always a parade on Saturday morning. And it Duke's turn to shine in the limelight. He loved it, although he was a rather sweaty boy by the end of the 2.5 mile parade route. Fortunately I arranged for a friend to pick me up at the end, so as not to push the limits of Duke's 26 year old body. He's semi-retired now, but to him that just means he's bored. He hates it when AJ gets to go every where and do every thing with me. Horses never cease to amaze me with their character and quirks.
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| Duke and I (nearest the camera). Photograph credit: Photography by Gini |
Another season of memories and magic has come to a fruitful end. Until next year when practices start up again in July 2022. I'm looking forward to it!
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She's Wild...again
Just me and some friends vibing to hoof beats, heart beats, the summer heat and ice cold beer.
Love these women and I've missed this so damn much. This summer we returned to that arena for the first time since September 7, 2019. It felt so good to be back. #BackInTheSaddle
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