I’m taking a trip downtown tomorrow to do a Flat Stanley project for the granddaughter of one of my cousins. I’ve been waiting for a pretty spring day – and if we believe the weather forecasters, tomorrow should be glorious.
Addie’s Flat Stanley – ready to go on an adventure!
I’ve already planned out where I’m going to take Stanley for photo ops so I can write the story of his trip to Chicago. We’re going to go to the Art Institute for pictures with the iconic lions, then to the Bean (also known as Cloud Gate). The flowers there are gorgeous and I’m really hoping the construction that was going on last fall is complete. Then a trip up Michigan Avenue to the Water Tower and maybe out to Navy Pier. I’m sure it will be a full day!
Have any of you done a Flat Stanley project? Here’s some info – maybe you know a child who would like to participate!
On this day in 1789, our first President was inaugurated for his first term in office. George Washington’s term as our first President actually began on March 4, 1789 as proscribed by the new constitution – but sadly logistical delays with ballot counting caused the inauguration to be delayed by nearly 2 months. Poor George didn’t even get official notification that he had been elected until April 14, 1789. He set out for New York City, which was serving as the nation’s capital two days later.
The inauguration was held at Federal Hall with Washington being sworn in by the Chancellor of New York, Robert Livingston rather than the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as is the norm today. Here are some more fun facts about that first inauguration:
Washington actually had to borrow cash to make the trip from Mount Vernon to New York City! He borrowed 600 pounds (dollars weren’t a thing yet) at 6% interest from merchant Richard Conway. Despite owning a plantation – and slaves – Washington was cash poor at the time of his election to the Presidency. In fact, he joked with family that part of the reason he accepted the job was for the salary.
There were no inaugural balls. But a week later there was a ball honoring Washington so maybe that counts?
By Congressional resolution, Washington and members of the inaugural party processed straight from the ceremony at Federal Hall to St. Paul’s Chapel for Divine Service.
Washington’s inaugural speech was only 1,419 words long – taking about 10 minutes to deliver. George apparently believed in brevity – his second inaugural address was only 135 words! (not a typo – really 135 words!)
Want to know more about George Washington? I can tell you he was a complex character – not at all like the one dimensional saint we learned about in school! I suggest these resources:
My throwback today is about learning more American History. So many of the things we learned in American History when we were in grade school or high school are REALLY abbreviated versions of the story. Lately, I’ve put aside reading fiction in favor of reading history books.
I’ve been fascinated by a book called “Duel” by Thomas Flemming about the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. I’m just about to the day of the duel – 294 pages in. The author does a really great job of setting the political scene of the day and diving into the relationship between Burr and Hamilton. It took years and years of friendship, political intrigue and rivalry to get to the dueling field in New Jersey. I cannot recommend this book highly enough – it’s available for Kindle so I’ve been reading it on my phone in spare moments and cannot wait to get to the aftermath of the duel!
I’m also reading a book called “Founding Brothers” by Joseph Ellis – a real live paperback book! This book takes closer looks at particular episodes in history involving George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. The author does an amazing job of diving into the personalities of these history book characters and giving you a better sense of the actual men. The episode I’m currently up to is regarding why Washington DC is our nation’s capital.
After I’m done with these two books, I’m going to dig into biographies of some of our founding fathers. I’ve read the Ron Chernow books on Hamilton and Grant so maybe his book on Washington would be a good next read. But I also want to read “Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin. I think she’s really interesting when I see her interviewed but I’ve never read her!
I’m loving the perspective reading deeper into history is giving me about the ways of the world today. It really is true that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.
I’d love your recommendations for books on history – please leave them in the comments!
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve had a problem with staying asleep. I go to sleep just fine but wake up about every two hours. For someone used to getting a solid night’s sleep it’s EXHAUSTING! I just don’t feel like I’m actually getting any rest. So curious me started digging into it.
Turns out there are a lot of reasons why a person can have no trouble falling asleep but still have sleep disruptions. Here are some of the top reasons:
Stress. Mental stress, worry, and anxiety can make it difficult to relax and fall asleep, as well as stay asleep throughout the night. Racing thoughts or concerns may keep your mind active, making it challenging to achieve restful sleep.
Environmental factors. Is the room too hot/cold? Did you consume caffeine? Is there too much light? Too much screen time? All of these kinds of things can cause sleep disruptions – hard to believe right?
Medical conditions. Things like sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, chronic pain, acid reflux, or hormonal imbalances can interfere with sleep continuity. You’ll probably need to consult with your primary care physician if you think one of these conditions is in play.
Here are some really great links about waking up at 3AM – which seems to be my favorite time to be awake. Maybe it’s my liver (check the first link)? Any way you look at it, 3AM seems to be a popular time to be awake in the middle of the night!
I’m going to the Plant Sale at the Morton Arboretum later this week – which is a sure sign of spring even though it’s a bit on the chilly side this week! I’m looking to replace some shrubs that were eaten to death by rabbits last summer. And we’ll see what else strikes me as good for my yard while I’m there.
I’m really sad that the shrubs got eaten to death. I sprayed them with repellent and put down crystals that were supposed to keep the rabbits away, but nothing seemed to stop them! Last summer I was particularly vigilant with my gardening since the bed was a new addition at the side of my new patio. The plan was for that bed was for flowering plants that would provide perfume to the patio all summer. The shrubs were flowering and I planted lavender around them. At least the lavender survived?
Job hunting is a little bit like my planting plan. I tended my job and it flowered – for me and my team. But my job was “eaten by bunnies” and now I’m looking for a replacement. That hopefully I’ll be able to tend and get to flower again for years to come.
I know – this is a TORTURED analogy. But I am a good gardener and I’m really looking forward to smelling the new flowers later this spring.
I have a new approach to my job search – and Monday is now officially networking day. So far so good – I have a new connection that has hooked me up with a hiring manager this morning! And I have another new connection that I hope will just be a good resource for information on healthcare marketing. We have a lot in common and I’m already enjoying the chat with her.
I’m not a natural networker – but my outplacement coach gave me some tips and pointed me at some training to help. I know it just means putting myself out there but since the layoffs, I have been plagued by my old issues with shyness. I’ve always said I am more outgoing at work than I am in my personal life but lately, my professional persona has also clammed up. Time to brush off the shyness!
On a related note, in January, I responded to a post on my neighborhood Facebook page asking if anyone was interested in starting a crochet group. In February, another woman and I arranged for an in-person meet up where 4 other people came and as of today, we have 36 members in our Crochet/Knitting Friends Facebook group! It’s been an amazing experience for me and I feel like I’ve already made 4 really good friends. We even had an outing to YarnCon in downtown Chicago over the weekend! This has been a real adventure for me – and also helping me with my tendencies toward shyness.
I also had a friend that sent me an email about joy this morning. The gist of the article attached to the email was that too many people forget to feel joy every day. I’ve been trying to be more mindful about gratitude – but joy is certainly related. So now in addition to ending my day thinking about all I have to be grateful for, I’m going to start listing things that brought me joy in the day as well. Postive thoughts cannot help but manifest positive things right?
This week Walgreens was hit by yet another round of layoffs. I was happy to hear that nobody on my old team was impacted – but it’s just another hit. It seems like the news is full of announcements of layoffs – I saw headlines for layoffs at Google and Tesla this week in addition to Walgreens. And locally Oberweiss Dairy declared bankruptcy and will be laying off workers. Maybe I’m just sensitive to the word “layoffs” but it sure seems like there are a lot of them these days.
To all the people impacted – I wish you the best. This is a test of your personal resilience, persistence and character. I’ve lived through it before and always come through with flying colors and while I have good and bad days during this “corporate hiatus,” I know we’ll all get through this as well. Somewhere out there will be a company that can appreciate our skills and experience; it’s just a matter of time until we find each other in the right open roles.
Nope – not talking about work/life balance. Today let’s talk about our actual balance. I saw a silly reel on Facebook this morning challenging people to put on shoes and socks without losing their balance. I can stand on my left leg for DAYS without losing my balance but my right ankle is still a bit wobbly from a severe sprain in my kickboxing class – so I didn’t get that sock and shoe on my left foot without almost falling over! But it got me to wondering about why people lose their balance as they age – and what we can all do to keep our balance as long as possible.
A study at UCLA showed that many people begin to see changes in their ability to balance around age 50. There are a LOT of contributing factors like blood pressure issues, obesity, circulation issues, inner ear problems, medication side effects, and so on. So there’s no easy answer to the question. But there are things you can do to help keep your balance for as long as possible like these:
Excercises that strengthen your lower body like walking or biking.
Body weight squats and lunges are also effective at keeping up the strength of your core and lower body.
Dance! Anything that sifts your weight from leg to leg will help keep you strong.
Yoga flows can be built to help with balance – find a class and give it a try!
Want to know more about age related balance loss and prevention strategies? Click on these links:
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