It's OK to be bored!

Yesterday was such a different day from the past month. I puttered all afternoon, but I also got some sewing done. OK, I mostly sewed and didn't putter much. I'm good as long as no one can see the mess on the screen. The camera faces a wall, so there is plenty of room in front of it to stash the mess! 

With everything going on, I haven't been reading much lately. However, I recently received notifications about two ebooks that I had let lapse without finishing. I accepted both—more on that in a minute. I also got a notification about an audiobook I'd waited eons for and accepted it. It has one week left. 

So, while I sewed, I listened to the audiobook. I'm not sure who recommended the book, but it's probably not one I would have chosen. Now that I'm into it, it's good. It keeps me entertained while I work. Oh my - did I just say that? I've got a story about that. 

Then, in the evening, I returned to one of the ebooks. I think I found this one in the Globe and Mail book review. I just checked my list, and YES, that's where I got it. Her reviews are usually right up my alley, but she raved about this one, and it's a challenge to read, so I let it lapse before. It has sci-fi elements, and while I'm OK with that, this one is way off base. I will NOT be recommending this one to anyone. 

It also lacks the thriller aspect I like—it's just hi-tech silliness! But I'm almost done—thank goodness for that! If I had to pinpoint exactly why I don't like it - it has a plot, but it seems all over the place. There doesn't seem to be any meat in the book, and the author just rambles on about random things and then goes back to the plot. There is very little character development, so they may as well be cardboard figures. I have less than 50 pages to go, and the ending (according to another review I read) is good, so I will get to the end. This Canadian author will NOT go on my "to read" list. The book is called Glass Houses by Madeline Ashby. 

And now about the other story. I primarily work alone in the house and don't need anything to entertain me. I don't need music when I walk; I don't need white noise in the house. I'm pretty good at entertaining myself with my thoughts. I also love the solitude! There was a story on the Editorial page of The Globe and Mail yesterday entitled: "Just (don't) do it: The power of being bored." 

Here's a quote: "But these things never really "cure" boredom. Too often, they merely fill empty hours with the empty calories of dopamine-igniting distractions." And it goes on to say that we NEED to be bored. I couldn't agree more. We seem consumed with filling our time with entertainment. Do we need to read 1000 books a year, be entertained 100% of the time, attempt to do everything, and then wonder why our society is so stressed? Why are young people (and older people as well) suffering from more mental health issues? 

Have we ever thought that maybe our brains are overstimulated? Our brains never have a chance to shut down and do nothing. In essence - be bored! The author also mentions that fear of boredom may also be building loneliness. They refer to how social media is taking over our lives; without interaction, we are lonely. 

I may be alone frequently, but I will NEVER be lonely. I have too much going on in my brain that I don't have time to be lonely. So the next time you don't know what to do with yourself, why not sit down and look out the window. Watch the traffic, birds, and people, AND be BORED. You will be uncomfortable and want it to end, but this is quiet time. Your brain needs that! Encourage your kids and grandchildren to get bored! It's good for them!

That's why I love my gazebo in the summer. I could sit out without devices or books and just listen and watch. And then I'd nap! We need more daydreaming! 

But napping in the gazebo is not allowed today. We have been experiencing a cold snap for two days, and it's pretty chilly outside. 

As you saw yesterday, the cutting table for Spice Market was a huge mess. There are many little blocks to make, and I am cutting as I need the pieces. 

I also laid all the blocks on the design wall. 

The blocks so far for Spice Market

Then I cut the first pieces and went to sew. OH - something is missing here. 

What's missing?

There was no foot pedal, although I usually embroider with the foot pedal attached in case I need it. Alas, I had not done that. So, I went to find the foot pedal. Because I am trying to put things back where they belonged, the foot pedal was sitting right where it was supposed to be. 

I cut and sewed, cut and sewed (and pressed) throughout the afternoon. Wait—I got some critical paperwork out of the house in the morning. That needed to be a priority, but I have more to do today. I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for that, but as soon as I finish something, more is due. 

Cutting the pieces

At the end of the day, I put up the blocks that I had completed, the three columns on the left. While it doesn't seem like a lot to accomplish in a day, I only sewed for a couple of hours in the afternoon. I'm happy with my progress, and I have 30 more small blocks like those on the extreme left to finish, and I really want to finish them today. 

My blocks for Spice Market

I'm still behind, but I've made good progress, and that's all I care about! It's definitely a puzzle quilt. I'm not worried about where those blocks will fit into the final quilt colorwise—if the colors go together, the blocks will go together. I'm using the colors equally, so they will be spread throughout the quilt equally. 

I also entered my FitBit data into the tracker—that's good! Now, I realize I'm slightly ahead of schedule on my walk around the US. 

Progress on my walk around the US

So that is good news. Now I need to enter the date regularly, and everything will be good. 

I have two Zooms this morning, one where I'm an observer and one where I'm the facilitator. I have a few more pictures to load into the presentation, and everything will be good. I also hope to get a quilt quilted today, so it will be busy. But do I need any mental stimulation to do that? I don't, but I want to finish this audiobook, and it'll be the first one I've listened to in a LONG time, so I'm allowed a little bit of leeway! 

Another aspect of boredom that we are losing is patience. If you are willing to be bored, you have learned the art of patience. If you need constant entertainment, your patience level is reduced. You want everything, and you want it now. There is something to be said for being bored. 

So, I'm trying to incorporate those squats into my daily routine. I know - instead of being bored while I wait for my lunch to heat up, I'm doing squats in the kitchen! Poor Murphy - she does NOT like when I try to do anything like that. She's moaning and groaning and trying to get in the way. I don't know what it is about her. But I can easily manage the squats in groups of ten without the aid of the counter. The first couple, my knees were crunchy, but as I continued, they loosened up and I was golden! 

Plus, it's increasing my mobility on the stairs (always being cautious), but that is fantastic news. I refuse to get old before my time! 

You now have two jobs: doing squats (or standing up/sitting down) or tidying your house. Responsible adults need to be aware of these responsibilities. 

And here's a quote that says it all. 

I forgot to continue posting the 50 Ways to Keep a Quilter Happy While on Vacation series. So here's another link. These are numbers 41, 40, 39, and 38. 

Well, I'm off to freeze my buns (but I might wear my wind pants), and then I've got a chock-a-block day. But don't worry - I have loads of downtime between what needs to be done! Boredom? Bring it on!!!!! And I let myself be bored! I don't find fillers like games or social media!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Keep your strength!

OMG -- did you see the exercise Elle recommended for strengthening the legs? Squats! I hate squats. Well, I hate them because my legs are so weak. But she's right! In the short time that I've become more aware of my situation and doing something about it, I feel much stronger. Not using hands to get out of a chair or using hands to sit down. Let the legs do the work - they are quite capable! People -- we do not want to walk with canes or walkers or, god forbid, we'll need someone to help us get out of bed. That will come later, but we're too young for that! 

Just say NO!! You alone have the power to stop this from happening to you! Move that ironing board into another room. Having it beside you is convenient, but think of muscle atrophy! So get up and walk around. I'm willing to bet that many of the knee issues we're experiencing (I've included myself in that group) are self-inflicted! 

I'm happy to report that despite the "torture" that Brooke put me through yesterday, my quads and core feel just fine today. So that means I still have a good base from years ago, but it's starting to weaken, and I must NOT let that happen. 

There are too many exciting adventures in the world to participate in, and there's the fact that I do NOT want to walk with a cane until necessary. 

Now -- I totally get that people have arthritis (it's likely going to happen to me), but if I can keep those muscles stronger to take more pressure off the joints, then I'll do that! And I MUST keep my hydration level up! 

In the afternoon, I finished my last presentation for February. While I had planned to continue working, I did not. Instead, I shut the embroidery machines down and read a book. I just needed to escape Studio B, which is in quite the disarray. I'll get down there later today and start tidying up, but I also need to finish some work. 

There's one piece of URGENT paperwork that has to go out the door today. I had a lengthy work-related Zoom, which killed the morning. 

I fired up both embroidery machines, which helped the work go faster, but I didn't quite accomplish all I wanted. 

Machine number one

Machine number two

This was the state of affairs once I was done yesterday. When I finish a Zoom, I turn everything off and walk away. Most of the time, I leave all the samples on the floor. Too tired to pick them up and put them on the table. 

Goodbye, Zoom area for the day!

Murphy has been pretty good about leaving me alone when I'm on Zoom. But yesterday, as I was waiting to get on the work-related call, she was bugging me. "Mom, I need to be petted, and I need it NOW!" I had my back turned to the camera as I looked for something while waiting to be let in. Oops - I scolded her, and I was in the meeting! 

Then, in the afternoon, when I was in the middle of the Zoom presentation, she insisted on being there! "Mom, I need to talk to you RIGHT NOW!" When I ignored her, which was hard since she is big and very insistent, she just lay down on my samples. Sigh...................

MOM - I NEED YOU!!!!

We usually go out on Friday night, but I wanted to finish my book. So I told DH to give me 15 minutes. Well, I'm not that fast of a reader, so it took longer than 15 minutes. We ended up ordering in! 

I was so excited about my day off that I had trouble sleeping. I did not have so much trouble sleeping, but I woke up several times. Luckily, I was able to drift right off again. But I've been up, looked at Studio B already, and wondered where I should start. 

Can you believe this is the first day since January 25 that I haven't been at a retreat (in front of people) or on Zoom? And I get ONE-day reprieve before it all starts for another month. But I enjoy it, so I'm not complaining. It's just hard to stay caught up on other things!

So, what did I pick to work on today? I need to get my Spcie Market quilt up-to-date. I'm so far behind. I've got bits and pieces of the blocks sewn together, the fabrics are a mess, and I need to make some semblance of order with this one. 

These are all the "finished" or partially finished bits. 

Parts of blocks for Spice Market

And this is my cutting for the next group to be sewn. 

Cutting bits for the Spice Market quilt

After I finish my writing this morning, I'll head down and try to clean up this as much as possible. I will also have some free time tomorrow afternoon, so hopefully, between the two days, I can make a huge push to get it up to date. 

We all laughed on yesterday's call, as the shop owner does custom embroidery for people. Can you believe what type of garment she was given to embroider? Yep—a pair of leopard-print thong underwear! Now that's a challenge! Good luck, Barb—I know you'll do a good job! 

If you're a Louise Penny fan, you will have received your newsletter in your inbox this morning. Her assistant has compiled some of the advice people sent her in January. My piece of advice was included in the book! However, they added in an extra word, but it still makes sense. If you want to read the book of advice, here's the link. There are some great pieces of advice in there. 

Can you believe it's been 20 years since she released her first book - Still Life. She was unknown; no one cared when she promoted her book at local bookstores. Now, she needs a huge convention center to release a book! She deserves it - she's a Canadian treasure! I got the opportunity to see her in 2013. A lovely lady, so gracious, so kind and thoughtful. If all the world were like her! 

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that it's M's birthday today. Oh my -- she's 29. I swear she plans to be on vacation for her birthday. And where's Little Bear? At the dog sitters! At least he's not with his other grandma! But if we were closer - he could be with us! Happy Birthday, M - we love you and send you best wishes for the day!! Feliz cumpleaños

And on that note, I'm out of here! I've got loads to do today and no one to answer to! I can't wait to get the day started!!!

Have a super day! --- Stand up and sit down (no hands—keep your back somewhat straight—imagine you are being pulled up by your head like a puppet). Don't forget the squats!!!!! You can't go deep -- don't worry - do what you can. Every little bit will help. 

Ciao!!!