Pottery Idea

Terry and I recently had lunch in our favorite Indian restaurant.

We were seated near a shelf of spices and interesting ornaments. I really liked the elephant on the right... but what was it?!

A candle holder? An aromatic spice holder?

Was it - and this peacock or chicken - made of pottery... or carved of wood?

Whatever they are, they look like interesting pottery projects to make...

(Though it would be helpful to know what they are!)

Interesting Information about ... Mirrors!

My daughter is taking an introductory optics class - and is learning about more than glasses! Take mirrors, for example!

How big a mirror do you need to see your whole body? she quizzed me after one class... (Hmmm, that's actually something I've wondered when shopping for mirrors in the past!)

How big?! I asked...

Half your height - but you have to place it so that the top is mid-forehead.

(I think this door mirror is placed too low!)

And have you ever wondered why objects are closer than they appear in rear view car mirrors? she asked.

I have...

The mirror is curved so that it captures a wider view. But the objects in the mirror are smaller - to fit in. 

Our brains register "smaller" as "farther away."


So logical!  Why was I never aware of these things?!

Camino Books: Aids to Walking

In my ongoing attempt to control my high blood sugar readings, I have two goals: One is to take a brisk 40-minute walk every day. The other is to make sure my plate is half full of veggies both for lunch and supper.

I don't know which is easier! Both go against the grain... (which is probably why I have high blood sugar issues in the first place)!

A while back, one of my retiring colleagues mentioned her plans to walk the Camino de Santiago once she had finished working. That was the first I had ever heard of this pilgrimage in Spain that draws thousands of pilgrims annually. They walk for several hundred miles... I was intrigued!

After reading two personal accounts of people who have walked it...

... a Canadian writer who marked her 50th birthday by walking the Camino...

... and my latest Camino adventure, written by a German actor and comedian...

I have concluded that I will probably never undertake this strenuous month-long trek through the Pyrenees.

But reading about the daily trek motivates me to walk a little more every day!

In other words, reading about walking... makes me want to walk! (In much the same way that watching Bugs Bunny cartoons used to motivate one of my sons to eat carrots! I can still see him, as a four-year-old, sitting on the floor, munching on a carrot, happily watching his favorite cartoon rabbit!)

Photographing the Sky

I've always enjoyed photographing the sky.

Sunrise, sunset...

Interesting cloud formations.

Nowadays I do it a lot.

A dramatic sky can perk up an otherwise boring painting!

(Artists had to work a lot faster before the invention of digital photography!)

Emptying the Rideau Canal... in Fall

One of the seasonal changes indicating that winter is just around the corner... is the annual draining of the   water in the Rideau Canal.

Driving past the canal and Dow's Lake recently, I noticed that the water was really low. In some places it was even bare!

I wonder if more water has to be added when both are flooded for skating!

Are We Stuck With Community Mailboxes?!!

I'm not a fan of community mailboxes.

I don't relish the idea of walking a block and a half on icy roads to pick up my mail, especially since our roads are icy for 5 months out of 12 - a detail ignored by the thoughtless member of Parliament who smugly commented that exercise is good for seniors...

(Will money saved in postal carrier costs be lost in hospital bills?!)

For some, the problem has disappeared - for now, anyway.

The new government promised that they would continue door-to-door delivery of mail. In fact, last Monday, Canada Post announced that the transition to community mailboxes would be stopped... for those whose delivery service hadn't been changed yet.

Our problem??

Last Monday we got our first delivery of community mailbox mail! So I wonder... Are we included in the change??!!

Time to write to my new MP!!

Change One Thing!

I was having a spa day, getting my nails done - a rare luxury. (A mother's day gift from my son.)

Sitting there, I noticed a magazine I've never seen before (More)

The title of an article featured on the cover caught my eye: "Change One Small Habit, Change Your Life"... I leaned over to reach for the magazine - but by then my fingernail polish was wet... Was it worth ruining a manicure for?! Probably not!

So I sat there, thinking about the title - wondering if changing any habit of mine would change my life...


What about never eating dessert?! That might lower my blood sugar levels... and remove a vast array of health issues!

Maybe I should give it a try...

When I got home, I looked up the magazine article online. The author had been challenged to get up early to write rather than simply ease into his day. The idea to change his habit had came from a book I have also been reading: Better than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives.

(I haven't managed to finish the book yet!)

Well, I managed to resist desserts for two days! It was hard, but I did it!

I wonder how long the author managed to get up at 5:30!

(The problem with changing habits is: We like them! That's why they're so ingrained!)