I am delighted to be invited to fill in for our exercise guru when she has to be away. I’ve filled in here and there, generally doing one class every two months to satisfy our employers. I use the music she provides and recreate the exercises she’s done. I don’t add anything new to the sessions, I just keep us moving while our Guru is away.
For the very first time, our Guru has decided to take 10 days off just for herself. She arranged to take a yoga seminar with some friends in New Mexico, and then her husband flew in to spend the rest of the vacation with her. They wanted to see Sedona and other parts of the area. So, I am leading FIVE classes in a row!
Usually I do a set of exercises that I am familiar with, but for some off the wall reason, I decided to try to recreate her current session, which meant learning to call four new cardio songs. Things went surprisingly well on Monday. On Wednesday, I goofed in a place that was unexpected, but recovered. On Friday, we’re exercising along, and the music was still playing when I had called all the moves for that song……wait……WHAT SONG!?? I did the breathing exercises, and totally skipped the warmup. We were doing the first cardio to the wrong music! All I could do was laugh. Those around me who realized what was wrong were smiling. No one complained, when I lead them through that set of exercises a second time.
I figure that no one else wants the responsibility of charting the exercises, so they are willing to let me play with the class. I’m going to return to my earlier program for the last two sessions, and just have fun with the class.
Thanks, Guru! I hope you had a great vacation!
Daily Archives: July 14, 2012
Scraps on a Mission – First Half of 2012
Wow! I’m just blown away by the ladies of Scraps on a Mission! I met with them late in February, and asked if they wanted to continue this year, in honor of Mary Rinn, our founder, who passed away just before Christmas. There was a universal “Yes!” I had kits for quilt tops ready. and everyone took something home with them to finish before our March meeting.
We have lost one member, and gained another, so there are six of us sewing small quilts for the pediatric ward at the local hospital,and for a nursing home/rehab center. We hope to have the quilts blessed at church in late October or early November, and they will be given away before Thanksgiving.
So far, we have TWENTY SEVEN finished quilts! And I think there are easily ten more being worked on, and possibly more than that. Most of those 27 quilts have been made in just four months. I can’t believe how many we’ve gotten done. What a way to honor Mary, while we help those in need. I have three quilt tops left to sandwich and quilt. Two of them are larger than those we normally work on, so my output is going to slow down a bit, but the other ladies may pick up the slack for me.
I’m very blessed to have met these ladies, and to have the opportunity to work with them to help others!
Packing
I’m still working on it. Most of what I’ve been doing lately isn’t apparent. I’ve been working on closets, and filing in the office. I have seven rooms close to being finished. I may use the rest of today to put away things in those seven rooms, to see how close I am to being ready to show the house. Unfortunately, I still have two closets and the basement to clear out, and I think I will pack up part of the office and studio as well. Both rooms have things I don’t use on a daily basis, and by clearing off the shelving, I’ll have a cleaner, more organized look.
There’s still a lot of work to be done in the basement. At least it will be cool there. I need to create an area to pile up things to be thrown out, and one for things to be given away. The rest needs to be boxed up. I hope I can find the roll of tape for boxes that’s hiding down there. I turned my back on it one afternoon and it disappeared!
So, we’re still making progress, but it’s slow.
Something to Talk About
Do you find yourself talking about the weather these days? A lot!? It’s got to be in the top two things that I talk about the most lately. I know that blogging about the weather is a dull choice of subjects, but our weather is so astonishing I really feel the need to comment.
First, while everyone around us seems to have had a shower now and then, we have gone without rain for close to a month, possibly more. When my sisters came to help me with the gardens, my youngest sister saw to it that the sprinkler was set up and moved. That was two and a half weeks ago, and we were really dry at that point. I was astonished at the response of the gardens, and I realized that I was going to have to water some part of the gardens every day.
Earlier this week the weather forecasters said that we would have 30% chance of showers on Friday and Saturday. Yesterday in the early afternoon, a storm blew in and rained hit or miss over the northern and western suburbs. Usually 30% chance reads as “Don’t count on any rain today.” The Cubs deserted the field because the cell over the ballpark was violent.
Shortly after 1:00, we finally had a short gentle rain. It lasted about 20 minutes. I was away, having lunch with a friend, and when I returned the only way I could tell it had rained was a plate-sized puddle at the end of the driveway.
We decided to go out at 4:00 on an errand for the company. Dear Husband rode shotgun to keep me company. I’ve made this particular trip hundreds of times, and wasn’t worried about driving. On our way home we ran into a little rain, and then more rain, and finally into a LOT OF RAIN!! At one point I was relieved that the guy ahead of me had on his hazard lights so I could see him and maintain a safe distance. The rain came down even harder until I couldn’t see his lights! I thought about pulling over, but I was on a stretch where there were no turns or side roads. I moved to the inner lane to avoid creating rooster tails with the standing water. The sewer openings just couldn’t keep up with the downpour.
When we got home, there were a few tiny branches here and there, but there was no serious damage. I was glad to have the rain. We weathered it (pun intended), and my gardens perked up.
We have the possibility of more storms this afternoon and tomorrow. I don’t count on it, but it would be really nice to have more rain. Could I put my bid in for about six days of gentle rain?
Do you think our climate is changing permanently, or is this year a fluke? Do you think that industrialized nations have caused this change? Do you think that all the building we do in cities and suburbs, and the interstate roads, affect our weather? Personally, I think we need to be supporting much more study on these subjects. I bet I could surf and find 100 frivolous grants which would have been better spent assessing man’s impact on the weather.