Month: August 2018

This never gets old…  Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Earlier this week my Facebook feed had a lot of posts about Rainbow Bridge day to commemorate pets that are no longer with us.  Apparently Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day is August 28th.  I didn’t even know what the Rainbow Bridge was until I had my beloved Alley put to sleep 5 years ago on August 13th.  When I got his ashes back, there was a card with poem about a Rainbow Bridge included.

The author of the poem is unknown according to Wikipedia, but the story is that a dying pet goes over a rainbow bridge to a sunny meadow where they are free of injury or ill health and there they are at peace and happy.  The pet enjoys this meadow but misses their owner on earth – so when the owner passes away, they also cross the rainbow bridge and are greeted by their pet.  Then side by side the owner and pet re-cross the bridge into Heaven where they are never separated again.

It’s a lovely story isn’t it? And as pets have gone from companions to being our “fur children” I suppose it’s natural that we find this story so very comforting when we lose a pet.  It’s also evolved into a website where people can post memorials to their pets and receive grief counseling.  Check out the Rainbow Bridge website here.

Want to read the full poem?  Here it is from Guideposts Magazine.

And my throwback for today?  A picture of my Alley – he was my first kitten that I picked out on my own.  Or rather he picked me.  I had him for nearly 16 years before he crossed the Rainbow Bridge.  He was a good boy.

 

Does our astrological sign impact our health?  I don’t really think so but the internet is full of fun info and today let’s see what it says about astrology and health topics shall we?

I found a bunch of articles – although to be honest, I’m pretty sure improvements in health boil down to eat less/move more no matter what your astrological sign is.  But for the fun of it, here are some links to articles and you can judge for yourself:

• The best ways to destress according to your astrological sign.
• The best workouts for your zodiac sign.
• The best diets by zodiac sign.
• What does your zodiac sign say about your health?

Full disclosure – I’m an Aries so according to these sources, I need to raise my body temperature, doing metric based cycling (whatever THAT means!), follow the Atkins diet and watch out for ailments with my head including headache, toothache and facial blemishes.  Nope.  I think I’ll stick with moderation in my diet, running/walking and kickboxing.  But it sure was fun looking up all this stuff today!

It’s been really hot and humid here the last few days –  and my towels are crunchy and smell a little musty.  I’m sure that’s never happened to any of you has it?  LOL!  But do you know how to get rid of that smell?  For To-Do (Try-It) Tuesday, I’ll give you my secret.

White vinegar.  That’s right.  Just throw your towels in the washer, add 1 cup of white vinegar and NO detergent or fabric softener.  Just the vinegar.  Then start the wash cycle using water as hot as your towels will stand.  When the cycle is done, put the towels in the dryer with either a dryer sheet or dryer balls.  They should come out as fresh as when you bought them!  No?  Run them through the wash cycle again – but this time instead of using white vinegar, put in a cup of baking soda (still no detergent or softener).  That should do the trick!

And if you haven’t tried dryer balls – I highly recommend them.  Here’s the set I have: Wool Dryer Balls.  $10 for six felted wool balls that not only soften your clothes/sheets/towels naturally, but also cut the amount of time you have to run your dryer.  On average since I started using these earlier this summer, I’ve been able to cut 5-10 minutes off the dry time for almost every load of laundry.  Over the long run, that’s going to add up to savings on my electric bill as well as my time!

I just heard the washer beep – my towels are ready to hit the dryer – gotta go!

 

It’s almost Labor Day so at my house that means it’s almost Christmas.  I knit or crochet a lot of Christmas gifts for my family so if I’m not started by Labor Day, it gets really stressful for me by November!

This year, the teenage types on my Christmas list are going to get slipper socks like these:

I made a test sock this weekend and I was happy with it so I’m in production now.  Shh!!!  Don’t tell the kids what they’re getting!

When do you start thinking about the holidays?  Tell me in the comments!

I want to do this!!!!  Happy Weekend!

 

I’m a little late posting today – but I stripped my bed and am in the process of washing everything down to the mattress pad.  I do this 4 or 5 times a year and I’m religious about washing my sheets every Thursday.  That’s a habit ingrained in me from childhood.  I read an article from a mattress manufacturer that said most people only wash their sheets once a month.  To that I say EWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m not going to get into another raging bed controversy – you know the one about how to fold a fitted sheet?  Suffice it to say, that’s another thing my mom taught me young so I don’t have an issue there.  But I would like to address the issue of hospital corners.

The last time I went home, I stayed with a cousin and helped him make up the bed in his guest room for my stay.  I started doing hospital corners and he seemed to be amazed.  I thought everyone did them!  Is it a throwback that I didn’t know about????

Since I’m apparently quite old fashioned, my throwback today is this how-to for doing hospital corners when you make your bed.  Enjoy!

I just read that there is already a flu breakout in Texas – and flu season is still months away!  Generally, the flu season runs from October to May so many doctors and clinics begin offering flu shots in September.  I had the flu a few years ago – and it is not an experience I want to repeat so I’ve been pretty good about getting the flu shot since then.

Yes, it’s true that the flu shot will not absolutely guarantee that you won’t get the flu but most years it will substantially reduce your risk of getting the flu.  And no, getting the flu shot will not give you the flu.  Check out this link to a Q&A from the CDC for flu shot facts: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/flushot.htm

Last year was a particularly nasty flu season with nearly 400 deaths attributed to it.  And last year’s flu didn’t hit the elderly as hard as it hit people aged 18-49 – an age group that has the lowest rate of receiving the flu shot.

This year the nasal flu vaccine will be back as well after a 2 year absence so if needles aren’t your thing, you can still get protection from the flu.  Ask your health care provider about the best way for you to receive protection from the flu – it’s coming!

For more info about flu, check out these resources:

• WebMD
• CDC – About Flu
• Weekly flu tracker

I’m officially declaring today Try it Tuesday instead of To Do Tuesday – although really they aren’t that different are they?  It’s a rainy, cool day so it might be a good day to bake.  I’m thinking about trying one of these – what do you think?

Snickerdoodle bread.  How can you go wrong with bread that’s based on a cookie?  I’m not sure about the chocolate chips though….  Link to recipe from The Cookin’ Chicks.

Or how about Amish Friendship bread?  I love this cinnamon flavored bread – but hate having the week to get the batter ready with the standard recipe.  And the standard recipe makes SOOOOO much bread!  Unless you are Amish and have a huge family to feed, nobody needs that much bread!  So I found this recipe for a single loaf – Eat Cake For Dinner Recipe.

Either way, I’m going to have to make a quick trip to the grocery – tell me about your favorite bread recipe in the comments!

 

 

107 years ago today, the first telegram sent commercially around the world was sent.  Seems quaint in the age of the internet to think of telegrams doesn’t it?

A New York Times operator wanted to see if it was possible and to see how long it would take for a telegram to go around the world – you have to applaud that kind of curiosity!  So at 7PM New York time, the operator sent “This message sent around the world” from his dispatch center.  Traveling more than 28,000 miles and relayed by 16 different operators, through San Francisco, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Saigon, Singapore, Bombay, Malta, Lisbon and the Azores–among other locations–the reply was received by the same operator 16.5 minutes later.  Not bad!  Not as fast as email, but telegrams helped lay the foundation for communication as we know it today.

Want to know more about telegrams?  Check out these resources:

• Wikipedia – Telegraphy
• History.com