Advice

I'm totally fascinated by all things sociological and there is plenty of that going around at this moment in time. Only bad news sells and there's definitely plenty of that going around. And there's plenty of advice to be had everywhere. While those three statements are somewhat random, they are definitely connected.

Like almost everything, there are fixes for the symptoms of the issues that do nothing to address the root cause or that make things seem worse than they really are. I think we're too much about short term thinking - get rid of the symptoms, but they'll only come back if you don't treat the root cause.

The other day, I received an e-mail from the founder of our gym and I thought it provided the BEST advice ever about this current situation. The e-mail outlined three things that members could do to help themselves (practice good hygiene and stay informed were two things on the list). Here's the third item:  (Again this was copied from an e-mail sent to the LifeTime members by the founder, Bahram Akradi.

Boost your immune system. Now more than ever, it's essential to prioritize our health and well-being and do all you can to boost your immune system so you're as healthy as possible, in the event you encounter this virus. Research shows that sustaining healthy habits supports immunity and can help prepare our bodies to better fight and recover from illnesses, including coronavirus. These include:

• Stick to a nutrient-dense, toxin-free diet, including known immune-supportive foods like garlic and ginger. Avoid foods that tend to weaken the immune system, such as sugar, refined grains, industrial vegetable oils, and processed and refined foods, as much as you can.
• Get plenty of sleep, ideally seven to eight hours a night. This is your body's time to perform preventive maintenance, which bolsters the immune system. Research shows that repeatedly short-changing sleep by even an hour or two can negatively affect immunity.
• Get plenty of sunshine and supplemental vitamin D + K2. High levels of vitamin D have long been linked to lower rates of illness.
• Consider taking additional vitamins, micronutrients, and supplements to support immunity, such as a high-quality multivitamin, magnesium, omega-3 fish oils, vitamin C, elderberry, and digestive enzymes. Probiotics and powdered greens have also been shown to support immune and gut health.
• Get at least 20 minutes of low- to moderate-intensity exercise a day to prime the immune system. This movement results in the production of more white blood cells, which combat bacteria and viruses, and promotes improved circulation.

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I don't know about you but doesn't this make a lot of sense? I mean if your immune system is working, there is much less chance that you'll get sick whether from this current situation or any future situation.

I think it all boils down to common sense (which we seem to be lacking as a society). I feel pretty healthy and try as best as possible to follow the guidelines above - way before I got an e-mail about them. Being healthy is NOT just about how much you weigh or how you look!

Speaking of that, I took my computer in to the Geek Squad yesterday so they could fix it. It seems the hard disk might be toast? Wasn't it the hard disk that went last time? I'd better check the blog to see the story. Anyway, I started to wander around the store just to have a look and I came upon this.

Nutrition DNA test

Seriously???  Yep - it was a DNA test (there were lots of others as well) that you buy and with the test results, you can see what foods work best for you and well - I don't know all the details. This cost over $100. Seriously??  That's all I'm going to say for fear of being labeled something I prefer not to be called. The company is called Orig3n.  Is this the same company that does the other DNA tests? I do NOT follow the news and haven't for years so I'm out of the loop and you know what? I'm perfectly OK with that. Perhaps we need a test for our immune system. I'm sure one exists.

And now to the quilting.

I inherited a ruler and it has these sticky dots on the back. On a ruler that measures 6" by 14", there were EIGHT of those sticky things. ACK!!!  I pried most of them off. I HATE those things as they work. Oh yes - they work, just a little too well for my liking. While I don't like the ruler to slide, I do like it to slide - it's way easier to work with for precise positioning which is important when cutting. One just needs to learn how and where to apply pressure to prevent the ruler from slipping when you cut.

Sticky dots on the underside of a ruler

Like all days, I got stuff done. I just didn't get nearly as much done as I would have liked. However, it's all progress and that's all that counts. I don't think anything was cleared off the worktables, which isn't the best, but nothing got added which is really great! I did make headway with a few things on the table so I should be able to move some stuff off soon.

I did finish the homework and it got sent out for the Christmas Fig sew-along.  Another two blocks.

Two blocks from Christmas Fig

The Bear Paw block needed some applique. Well, traditionally, that block doesn't have applique, but the pattern in the book had applique. So I got the applique completed as well.

Applique on the Bear Paw block

I had thought about NOT doing the applique, but now that it's completed, I rather like the look. It breaks up that big expanse on the block.

We now have SIX blocks (out of 20) done.

My six blocks so far for Christmas Fig

I'm using fabrics from my stash and I had pulled out all the whites with silver in them to use for the backgrounds. Hmm - I'm already running short on two of the three that I pulled. Then I remembered that I had a basket of Fairy Frost fabric. I bet there is white in there. Well, yes there is - a matter of fact, I found THREE rather large pieces of white, but it's not the same white. The ones in the basket have a creamy cast to them while the one that I'm using is PURE white.

Fairy Frost fabric - not the same colorway

Shoot - I've been checking to find any white fabric with a silver-tone on it. OK - I've only been to ONE quilt store (once) this year so far! I guess I haven't been searching very hard. I might go this afternoon as I also need to get some thread for a project that I'd like to work on tomorrow.

Before I took the computer in, I was trying to find the mouse that I had purchased last year two years ago It's a wireless mouse and it stopped working. As a result, I tore a good part of the office apart (well a part of it) and I didn't yet find the mouse, but I found a lot of stuff that should be tossed. There was a half-filled box sitting there so I filled it with useless stuff (I think). My plan is to go through the box today. That will FINALLY be my one hour of tidying up in here and hopefully be a springboard to get me going. I did find a couple of other things that I had "lost". I know I need to deal with it and where or where is that mouse?   Hmmm - I just realized that I had packed up two boxes from the desktop - it might be in there. I guess I'm cracking open those boxes as well this afternoon.

Box of paperwork in the office to deal with

 One more quilting thing. Back to the community projects. Someone had given us this piece of fabric with panels on it. We thought it would be good for placemats so I put a Christmas print on the back and use a fleece batting and quilted it on the long arm. It's been sitting there for months waiting to be cut apart. Matter of fact, it was on the cutting table and I vow to get that table cleaned up today.

Quilted fabric

I got 6 placemats out of that piece, each measuring 12 by 16 inches. I was going to make them 13 by 16", but that looked a bit awkward. They've been added to the community projects pile in the storage room so we can make the binding on our next get together.

Six placemats

I'm not good with administration work. OH - I'm good with it, it's just not my preferred thing to do so I tend to put it off. However, I spent a long time on hold yesterday to try and get to the bottom of a billing issue with all my physio from last year. I still don't have the answer - but it seems like I'm on a wild goose chase. Which is probably why I didn't pursue the issue before. But I could no longer ignore the phone calls and the letters and the follow-up phone calls. At this point, it appears to NOt be my problem. But I have to make another call tomorrow.

Speaking of which, I got a call from my doctor's office yesterday. I didn't have a physical last year and they called to book me for one. Oh well. Better to go and make them happy, although for the few things they do in a physical, I don't know why we bother going. I guess I'd better get the blood work done - I'm definitely not good with that!  I need a Shelly who could do that for me. 

As for advice - I think we should all listen to the song called Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen) from years ago. It has the BEST advice that still applies today. I love that song. 

I promised you two things which I haven't posted yet - I'll do that tomorrow!!! 

On that happy note, I'm out of here. I have two things on my mind today - get rid of that box of paper and clean up the cutting table. If those get done, I'll have had a good day! 

Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!!