Morgan

This is a picture of our very first Jack Russell Terrier, Morgan. Our son, Beau drew this and he really captured her.
She was quite the old girl here, probably 16 or so. She loved that chair and napped in it every day.

The Embarrassingly Huge Fitness Collection

I’m always referring to it so I thought I’d show it off. This bookcase holds pretty much all my Fitness DVDS and my most referred to fitness books. It actually doesn’t look too bad until you notice that there are three huge and two medium sized DVD wallets on the bottommost shelf.

I currently have no exercise streaming subscriptions and don’t have a membership to a gym. Actually the only gym membership I ever had came as a perk for teaching there - and I still used my DVDs instead! So this bookcase represents 40 years of staying fit. If I calculated 40 years of gym memberships I’d definitely come out ahead of the game.

And yes, there are workouts from 40 years ago that I still use these days. They were originally VHS tapes that I replaced with DVDs as they wore out. I actually did Callanetics so many times that I wore out two VHS tapes and finally bought a DVD of the workout. Same with some of The Original Firm VHS Tapes.

This is definitely not for everyone and I understand that but, for me it’s a huge source of joy. My daily exercise time is my “me” time. It’s me taking the time to care for myself and I love every minute of the process from deciding what to do, to doing it, to thinking back over the workout as I take my post workout shower.

I wish I could bottle the joy and elation that my daily workouts bring me and give a bottle to anyone who wanted one. That’s not possible because we’re all individuals and you really need to discover what lights your fire and keeps you coming back for the joy. I assure you It’s worth the effort to find it.

So what type of movement, sport or exercise lights your fire? Feel free to share in the comments below.

My Serenity Place

Unfortunately the camera fails to capture the magic. :)

We have a huge area of our yard “fenced.” This keeps the critters out and the dogs safe. It also helps stave off the relentless encroachment of the forest. What can I say? Nature lives to go forth and multiply!

Anyhoo, we expanded the fencing an additional 6’ back and 6’ to one side and when we did I discovered this lovely sun-dappled view. The light plays through the tree tops so it dances about on the forest floor and the birdsong is wonderful. I took the picture through the fence. I want to put one of those benches that converts to a picnic table there so I can enjoy the view and read and journal in warm weather.

The UPS Guy Left These

He’s new and I suppose he wants to win the dogs over. Little does he know how much they already love his arrival. The same 4 dogs who are totally quiet when a massage is going on in the massage room go crazy when the UPS truck arrives. (They’ll bark a couple times but are strangely subdued if he arrives while a massage is going on.)

Our old UPS man used to delight in trying to sneak up on the dogs and even did it a couple of times. We shared a good chuckle over that.

Reclaimed Fire Ring

We built this simple fire pit this summer. It’s almost completely built from salvaged materials, right down to the stones. It has a salvaged grate so it doubles as a barbecue grill. It’s enjoy sitting around it in the evenings. Meditating on flame patterns is very relaxing. S’mores and toasted marshmallows (the real deal) aren’t so bad either. :) 

The birds song you hear isn’t augmented in any way. We enjoy it during the warmer months. The songs dependably change from hour to hour during the course of the day. It’s a stark contrast to the winter months when it’s so still and silent. 

Nobody But Us Pillows On This Bed!

Fionn (pronounced Finn) is allowed on the bottom of the bed on a special throw blanket just for him. On this particular morning he “hid” himself in amongst the pillows. I swear he thought he wouldn’t be seen.

He’s such a clown and keeps us laughing every single day!

Wild Flowers with a History

 

When my sister got married, over 21 years ago, wedding guests all got a packet of flower seeds to plant in honor of the bride and groom. We live in planting zone 3-4 so I wasn’t sure that those flowers would even last a single summer.

I planted them where I could watch and nurture them. In the end the only flowers that survived that first winter were daisies. In the ensuing years the forest has encroached but those daisies come up, without fail every spring. Each year when I see them I’m reminded of Shani and John and the love that they share.

Daisies represent new beginnings and true love. Isn’t that just the best? Love you little sister!