Be FEARLESS - it'll all work out!

Oh dear - Murphy's bone is rawhide! We've never had issues with her, but I've heard horror stories of other things getting stuck in a dog's gut. Hmm -- what are my options - she only seems to like to chew rawhide. Antlers - suitable for a quick chew, but not lasting. She doesn't like them. 

I don't know what her problem is these days, but she is worse than Velcro. You can't sit down without her there, trying to coerce you to pet her. And one hand is NOT enough - it has to be both! Oh, Murphy - we love you, but there's a limit! So I give her a good cuddle, with petting, and then there has to be a limit - Mom needs to work! 

I occasionally see this at the gym. People grab their stuff from the locker and leave the door open. After chatting with the others at the retreat last week, it appears that people do it in their houses - probably in the kitchen. How can you walk away with a door open? Are people so distracted, in a hurry, or unaware that this is normal behavior? How do they get behind the wheel of a car? 

A locker door was left open

So Mary was back at spin class and took the bike she had refused to sit on on Monday. The other two ladies were not there. What is her problem? She's one of those people who would do something like that to make a point. But you don't know why the other person can only arrive at 6 AM. Well, I took my phone with me to snap a picture (without Mary - I'd likely have my head chewed off if I did that!) of the spin class. That's "my" bike - Number 15. It's in the front row, so I can see the screen easily. 

My spin bike

The screen is just a diversion, with videos of past Olympics, motivational videos, or whatever. It's a good distraction, and I often pedal away without thinking about what I'm doing. I also do a lot of planning. Someone once said that if you can focus on planning or watching TV, you're not working hard enough. But I work hard enough to make a difference - I can crank the equivalent of 28 - 30 km in an hour. That's nothing to sneeze at! 

But I laughed as I stretched after the class and discovered that my shirt was inside out—AGAIN! That's what happens when you get dressed in the dark! 

My shirt is inside out! 

These girls are just the craziest pair. They stand at the door when one is out and the other is in. Then the outside dog comes in, and the other one goes out! I swear Lexi goes out alone and then stands at the door to make Murphy jealous. Murphy goes out when I open the door, and Lexi comes in, so now she's alone in the house. Oh - those girls! They can be pretty challenging sometimes. 

One dog out, one dog in

Murphy thought it was great fun to start barking at the top of her lungs at 4:35 AM because a raccoon was climbing down a tree in the forest. Thankfully, I was already awake! 

But there she is with the bone. I'm not sure where it is at the moment, but hiding seems to be less of an issue. Maybe she has finally realized that Lexi doesn't care about that bone. 

Mom - I need to keep this safe! 

This was the quote from my tea. I think that's how we have to live life. If you know yourself well, you'll come through under pressure! Don't be afraid to do things! Embrace the fear because it'll take over your life if you don't! 

Be fearless!!!

I walked to the mall to get some things at the bulk food store. Just a few days before Valentine's Day, I knew Valentine's candy was out, but Easter eggs? Yep, the Easter eggs were in a bin. 

Easter eggs, anyone? 

As I left the house, I chatted with DH about his books at the library and ensured I had his library card. So, imagine my dismay when I arrived at the bulk food store cash with my purchases and realized I left my credit card at home. I was distracted by his talk of his library card. 

It was Senior's Day, and I had a $5 coupon, so I needed what I bought. After picking up the books, I walked home and returned with the car. I didn't have time to walk back, but I saved $10!!! That's the first time in years that I drove to the mall. 

Our sweet Lexi isn't so sweet. It was her turn to stand guard in the backyard. 

Mom - I'm guarding the house from a predator

She is slow and steady, and I think she had an eye on the poor opossum. There was no way I could go out and grab or entice her into the house, so the possum was on its own. At one point, I saw Lexi charge, and Murphy was going out of her mind because she wanted to be out. I saw no animal when I went out, so I hope it all ended well. 

I presented my Facebook Live at 3 PM. I don't know why those events are slightly more stressful than the Zooms. The audience is much larger, and you look at a camera - not people's pictures. The start is a bit shakey, and I need a facelift! It's all good. If you want to watch - here's the link. 

I need to rejig my setup to use my laptop camera instead of the video camera, and things will be more natural! I must figure out how to make that happen. But here's my setup. 

Facebook Live setup

The minute that was done, I had to move everything back to how I prefer it for Zoom because I had a presentation one hour after I finished the Facebook Live. There's only one other instance where the timing is tight like that. 

I am amazed that I have figured out how to connect all that technology - multiple cameras, microphones, switch boxes, and my phone- so it all shows up on the live stream. But there are two things I'd like to change, and I must note them now and try to find someone to help me. 

While I have loads of work to do, especially for the weekend, I needed a mental break in the afternoon, so I returned to the puzzle. And it looked like this when I left it to do my Facebook Live. 

Good progress on the jigsaw puzzle

However, on my way to bed, I took a detour, and despite the poor lighting, it now looks like this. It is funny how some puzzles go together so randomly, and this one is very linear in that bottom section. And yes - you can see how I scooch all those pieces to bring as close to me as possible. 

The progress of the puzzle before bed

I was up early and started working on the homework assignments for the weekend. I made significant progress, and I'll do what I can, but it's all good. While I had some downtime waiting for the Zoom call to start, I played with the machine embroidery software, and now I have some stitching to do later today! I've got two Zooms again today, but the first one is easy as it's a repeat of last night. The one tonight will require a bit of juggling with the cameras so people can see what I'm doing on the embroidery machine! But - it's all going to work! I'm FEARLESS, and when it doesn't work, you devise Plan B! 

I didn't do anything in the decluttering world, but that's OK. Studio B looks even worse, if that's possible, but it won't get better until some of the samples and supplies get put away. At the moment, I can't do that. So I live with the situation, knowing it's temporary, and I'll put the stuff away as soon as possible. Since it all has a home, I can quickly put it away. 

On that note, it's time to get moving! There is always so much to do and never enough time. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!