I don't know about you, but I am so thankful that summer is winding down. Historically, summer is my least favorite season. I much prefer spring and fall. The heat of summer really gets to me, especially living in a desert climate. One-hundred degree days combined with hot flashes from menopause make me grumpy, on edge, and fatigued.
Many people love summer and look forward to it all year. I don't understand these people. When summer rolls around, I have to dig deep inside to gather all my courage and coping mechanisms. I loathe summer so much that I complain about it to my therapist. We refer to it as my summertime sadness. My sister and I had a FaceTime call recently and she said she feels like she has reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder. She commented that when everyone else is busting out their shorts and swimsuits and taking 2-week vacations, she prefers to stay inside and read or watch Netflix. My sister stated she's irritable and agitated during the summer, and basically longs for the days until October approaches, when she is magically filled with new vigor and energy. I think my sister's and my disdain for summer stems from our childhood. We were very poor and lived in the country, about a 15 minute drive to our friends' homes. Calling our friends on the telephone (remember doing that back in the day!) was long distance and expensive. This was in the 80's before we had iPhones and texting. Our family home didn't have air conditioning, so there was no escaping the heat. We couldn't afford to attend summer camp, so we were left to find ways to entertain ourselves during a three-month stretch of heat and humidity filled days. While our parents were at work, we completed chores, did Jane Fonda workouts, and read. A lot. We counted down the days until school started in late August because we would see our friends again and could flirt with the boys we had crushes on, whom we missed all summer long. As I write this, I hear bugs buzzing outside. It's a familiar noise, the soundtrack of summer. October can't come soon enough. ---------- Hashtags: #Summer #SummertimeSadness
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Today in the USA, it is National Thrift Shop Day. It's a day to celebrate the fun that comes from finding wonderful treasures at used merchandise stores. If you're not acquainted with thrift shops, they are retail establishments that sell gently used items, including clothes, books, home furnishings, and so on. Typically, charitable organizations run thrift stores to raise money according to the organization’s charitable purpose. The organization may also use some of the items to help others get back on their feet after a disaster or when times have been difficult. As a kid, my family shopped at thrift stores often, especially when we were visiting a new town or city. We would take vacations to Denver and to Estes Park at least once per year, and during each vacation, one day would be dedicated to thrift store shopping. Because the items sold in thrift stores are donated by locals, it's especially fun to go thrifting out-of-town. You can get a sense of the town's ethos by what it sells in the thrift shops. As I've grown older, my love for thrift store shopping has remained intact, and I thought it would be fun to showcase some of the items I've found at thrift stores. Bottom, left to right: 1. Fiestaware pizza tray that I use as a fruit plate (Retail price is $35; I got it for $12) 2. Beautiful hand made afghan (On Etsy this could cost $100; I got it for $9) 3. Wooden plant stand for one of my Geraniums (In a furniture store this would cost $100; I got it for $50) I try to hit up my favorite thrift stores every couple of weeks. The inventory gets picked over very quickly, so if you see something you like, grab it! It probably won't be there next time you visit.
Do you enjoy thrift store shopping? What little or big gems have you acquired? ---------- Hashtags: #Thrifting #Thriftstores #NationalThriftShopDay #Bargains About twenty years ago, I sustained an injury to my back, specifically, to my shoulder blade area. The injury was so bad that it hurt to raise my arm to get a plate out of the kitchen cabinet. I remember thinking to myself that this must be what my grandmother meant when she said that getting old is the shits. I figured I'd just have to live with the pain for the rest of my life. It was a depressing notion. I went to the doctor to have my back examined and left with a prescription for pain killers. The pain killers made me drowsy and didn't help with the underlying issue. This is a common medical practice in the USA: see a doctor for pain, and receive medication that sometimes masks symptoms but rarely addresses the root cause of the problem. A friend at work noticed that I couldn't reach the reams of paper for the printer because the paper was in a cabinet that was high enough that it triggered the pain in my shoulder blade when I tried to grab it. She said, "What is going on? You look miserable." I explained that I had a lot of discomfort. That's when she grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me to her office and shut the door. "Girl, you need acupuncture" she said in a matter of fact tone. Using a Sharpie, she wrote down a name and phone number on a post-it note. "Call him ASAP," she said. The next day I called and made my very first acupuncture appointment. I was a nervous wreck because I could not imagine having a bunch of needles stuck in me. It sounded terrifyingly torturous. The acupuncturist was a middle aged man from China and he asked me several questions about why I had come to see him. I relayed to him the saga about my shoulder blade and how miserable I was feeling. He had me change into a light cotton robe and lay face down on a table. Next, he took the pulse in both of my wrists and asked to see my tongue. He felt my shoulder blade and said that he could feel a build-up of inflammation. He said he was going to do three treatments: Acupuncture, cupping therapy, and Gua Sha. I had no idea what I was in for, and replied in a meek tone, "Ok, thank you." The session went well and the Acupuncturist asked to see me four more times. To my great surprise, over the course of my five sessions, my shoulder blade pain healed. Completely! I then began to see him for other aches and pains. Eventually, he retired and I found a new acupuncturist to see. Her name is Dr. Dina Bello and she owns and runs Apex Vibrancy Center. Dr. Bello has helped me with several, key issues and I am so grateful to have found her. One vivid memory I have of her is the session I had the week after Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 Election. I wasn't in any physical pain, but emotionally I was a wreck. Dr. Bello gave me a treatment to ease my anxiety and stress over Donald Trump being elected President. I remember laying on her acupuncture table, sobbing my eyes out. That week felt like someone had died and my energy level was very low. I recall being barely able to function. But with Dr. Bello's treatments, I coped with the outcome of the Election and life was good again. Whether you have unresolved physical pain, or emotional pain, acupuncture is something to consider. If you happen to be in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe area, I highly recommend Dr. Bello! ---------- Hashtags: #Acupuncture #Pain #PainManagement Dr. Bello, in her element
Are you familiar with this painting? It's called The Romanian Blouse and was created by Henri Matisse in 1940. I have been drawn to it for ages. I have this print hanging in my house. In fact, I have a lot of Matisse's artwork hanging in my home. I'm a big fan. When looking at this painting, one cannot help but notice the woman's beautiful blouse. For several years I tried to buy a blouse like the one in Matisse's painting. I attempted to shop for a Romanian Blouse at flea markets, estate sales, antique shops, and even on eBay. But I never found one. One day as I sat in my home looking at the Matisse print on my wall, it occurred to me that I should have a blouse like that tailor made for me. In fact, I should have a lot of blouses like this one made for me. In early 2018, I set out on a quest to find a person who could make me a Romanian Blouse, or at least a simplified version of one. I did a Google search for tailors near me and then I went to visit these stores and talk with the owners about my desire to have a blouse made. The tailors I met were grumpy and rude. Maybe they have to deal with annoying people all day. Who knows. I just found the tailors to be harsh and judgmental about my idea. The tailors' shops were kind of like fast food restaurants: busy, crowded, loud, hot, and uncomfortable. Many of the shop owners were foreigners and we had difficulty communicating. I began to doubt if I'd ever find someone who would make a bespoke blouse for me. One day it occurred to me to tweak my Google search and look for a seamstress near me. Bam! A new result popped up. I got in my car and drove over to the shop as fast as I could. From the outside, the seamstress's shop looked quite different than the tailor's shops. Sylvia's store was European, old school, sophisticated and welcoming. I took a deep breath and swung open the door to the store and stepped inside. A little bell rang when I opened the door. It was a wonderful feeling. There were hand sewn items everywhere, including the most beautiful pillows, potholders, skirts, and dresses. Also, there was a ton of fabric neatly stacked in every corner. The owner approached me and asked if she could help me. I said Yes! I had purchased a red and white blouse that had the billowy sleeves of Matisse's Romanian Blouse. And this blouse had a lovely neckline that was very feminine. The day I went into Sylvia's store, I was wearing this blouse. I explained to her what my dream was and that I didn't know how to begin. I knew I needed a creative partner because I had no idea how to sew. In 9th Grade I took Typing 101 rather than Home Economics, so I hadn't learned about fabrics, patterns, or sewing techniques. But hey, I could type 90 words per minute! Sylvia explained that she would need a pattern and that she could use the blouse I was wearing to make the pattern. I would just need to drop my blouse off so she could take it apart, trace the pieces on thick paper, and then reassemble my original blouse. I think Sylvia thought I'd say 'no way' to having my blouse deconstructed, but I didn't care one bit. I also believe Sylvia thought the steep price tag for making a pattern from scratch was going to be more than I was willing to pay, but nothing was going to stop me. I was a determined woman on a mission! I needed a crash course in learning about fabrics, and Sylvia patiently turned into my mentor. She taught me how to pick out fabrics for my blouses, where to buy the fabric, how many yards to purchase, how to pre-shrink the material, and so much more. She did the heavy lifting by sewing, but I had my part to do as well. A few weeks after dropping off my blouse for her to make the pattern, she called and asked me to stop by her store to try on the first prototype of the blouse she had made using muslin. Muslin is a pretty boring fabric, but when I tried on the prototype and it fit, I became teary eyed with joy and begged her to let me keep the muslin top to wear on an upcoming trip. Sylvia said this wasn't a good idea, so I reluctantly gave it back to her. Next, I nervously handed Sylvia the first fabric I purchased: it was a navy blue gingham fabric. And this became blouse number 1! In 2020 when Covid hit, Sylvia's shop, like so many small stores, went out of business. Selfishly, I was afraid she would no longer be able to make blouses for me anymore, but she quickly offered to make them out of her home, where she runs Leinweber Studio. Sylvia and I are going on 4 years of collaborating on my blouses. She's made dozens for me, and I couldn't be happier. ---------- Hashtags: #Sewing #RomanianBlouse #Matisse #Collaboration #Blouses #Teamwork #BespokeClothing #Handmade Sylvia, with two of my blousesSylvia, with bolts of fabricNew York Magazine has a column called 'The Strategist,' which features lists of the best products to purchase on the Internet. The products include things like luggage, razors, and face serums. From time to time The Strategist also has write ups of a celebrity's favorite things, or things they can't live without. Following that line of thought, here are ten things I can't live without. 1. The Telluride Luxury Plush Mattress from Denver Mattress. I'm on my third Telluride mattress and I absolutely love this product. We spend 1/3 of our lives in bed, so it's important to be comfortable while sleeping. 2. MacBook Pro. I have a 13 inch MacBook that's about 5 years old. I use it every day for all kinds of things, from streaming Netflix to writing love letters to creating blog posts. 3. Eucerin Advanced Repair Cream. This stuff is wonderful! I live in a desert climate where the average humidity is around 15%, which is to say, it's very dry. Eucerin cream is a life saver for my skin, especially my feet and hands. 4. Dansko Clogs. I take a lot of shit (especially from men) for wearing clogs. But I don't care. I have multiple pair of Dansko's professional clogs and people always ask me if I'm a doctor. This is because Dansko clogs are the preferred shoe of employees in the medical field. Doctors and nurses are on their feet all day, running from room to room, saving lives. They need something comfortable for their feet, and Dansko clogs fit the bill. I've been wearing Dansko clogs since the mid '90's. They are solid, sturdy, and comfortable for my feet. The clogs last forever, too. 5. Perrier Sparkling Water is my afternoon palate cleanser. Around 1:00 PM you'll see me grab a bottle of Perrier out of the fridge and sip it during meetings. The bubbles are refreshing and cool. Perrier is the perfect afternoon pick-me-up. 6. Carmex Lip Balm. Ever since I was a kid, I've had the bad habit of licking my lips to the point that they get chapped and dry. Thank God for Carmex. 7. Aveda Botanical Kinetics Hydrating Lotion. I'm lucky to have good skin and that I don't have to use twenty different serums or creams. Instead, my skin routine is very basic. When looking for a face cream, I am interested in something that absorbs quickly and completely. I can't stand the feeling of having a coating of cream on my face. This Aveda skin care product is simple and fantastic. 8. My Swatch. I'm kickin' it old skool with this one! Everyone tells me I should get an Apple Watch, but the idea of recharging my watch is extremely unappealing to me. My Swatch's battery had to be replaced last week -- 3 years after I purchased it in San Francisco. Every time I wear it, I get loads of compliments. :) 9. The Book of Qualities by J. Ruth Gendler. This is one of my all time favorite books. It's lyrical, poetic, and enlightening. If I've given it to you as a gift, please know how much I love you. 10. Tapas Cheese selection from Costco. I named my blog after cheese, so you know how serious I am about it. :) This selection of Spanish cheese is delicious and tasty. Makes me want to pack my bags and head to Spain! ----------
Hashtags: #Favoritethings #Products #Macbook #DenverMattress #Eucerin #Carmex #Lipbalm #Dansko #Clogs #Perrier #BookofQualities #TapasCheese #Cheese #Swatch #Aveda |
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