Martha Stewart
The NY Times
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It’s a beautiful day here in Chiang Mai. The ‘feels like’ high is already more than is comfortable for me, so I have the a/c on and two fans blowing. I’m ready for the ‘cool season’ (November – February) where the ‘feels like’ temperature is more in the 80’s than the mid 90’s as it is now. (I’ve admitted that my personal comfort zone has narrowed ridiculously as I get older. The 57 degree low during the ‘cool season’ without central heat, electric blanket, or space heater is difficult for me, as well.)
Part of this may be due to my weight loss. I feel so much better that it’s hard to complain about being a bit uncomfortable. I just weighed and measured for the month. I’ve reached my weight loss goal now of 100 pounds off (205 lbs before vs 105 lbs now) and there are 96.2 inches less of me than there used to be. I will concentrate on maintenance now, plus exercising.
Women’s Health
SHOUT-OUT to Sheila, who suggested that I stand on one foot, holding it as long as possible (standing near something I can grab, if needed – then switching to the other side – to improve my balance. Her sweet husband, Richard, is also doing this one – so shout-out to HIM, too. (so far my balance on my left side is pathetic. I will do this several times a day. This really shows I NEED to do this!) Thank you, Sheila!
Women’s Health
SHOUT-OUT to ML, my sister-in-law, who sent me a video with explanation on an exercise called, “Tandem Stance Balance Exercise – Heel-to-Toe Standing Balance for Older Adults” from MoreLifeHealth.com (I do several exercises from Mike at this source already, so have now tapped into the section on balance, thanks to ML. Thank you, ML!
Between these two exercises suggested by Sheila and ML, hopefully I will see improvement in my balance more quickly.
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The cats are beginning to come out to play a bit in my jigsaw puzzle. Some eyes, some ears….
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The Creativity Project
I showed you my latest finished sketches yesterday. Today I start Sketchbook 5. I’m also bringing some blank cards because I found at least two people I would like to give a Halloween card to, and would like to have a couple extra just in case. I’m also getting low on “Thank You” cards, so I’ll do some sketches there, too, before I start the new sketchbook.
Almost every day lately ‘someone’ has been sitting in MY spot at the cafe. 😞 Usually, it’s the owner of the cafe, having meeting with staff, making plans for improvements to the cafe and their hotel, and interviewing people for positions. Many times, though, it has NOT been the owner. I’m very thankful that there is a good spot along the side of the cafe where I can get comfortable and there is enough light for me to see what I’m doing. I just LOVE getting settled, ordering my iced latte with less sugar, and sitting there working, dreaming, catching up with people on my phone, finding more images that I find appealing to try to emulate, and more. A real pleasure I look forward to every day.
I’m going to start reviewing my finished sketchbooks to see if I can see any improvement from when I first started trying to teach myself to draw. I know I am trying to draw things now that I never would have attempted a year ago. I still have real trouble with perspective, particularly in buildings, and trying to draw portraits may be something that remains beyond me, though I would love to be able to do that. I would also love to be able to sketch (on the go) like many artists I admire.
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Annie – Lovethispic.com