Sunday, Sunday

You know you lead a quiet life when the day of the week that you are not  scheduled for one of your regular medicines, the six days a week, never on Sunday, one, feels like a day off!

But art is always there, and some lovely things are happening to support Ukraine.

Never doubt that art helps. It feeds the spirits, and that can make all the difference to a people under siege. And to their supporters.

Dave Flitcroft, who painted the sunflowers, plans to sell his current series to benefit refugees from Ukraine.

Meanwhile, chop wood, carry water.

Yesterday's broth, involving vegetable trimmings and chicken bones, soup makings waiting in the background

ended up in this butternut squash, cashew, carrot, macaroni soup

One bowl is a full meal, so filling. The curry leaf sprig does more than decorate. As soon as it touches the hot soup, it gives off a wonderful scent and flavor to it. No need to cook it in. Same with the Thai basil. Same sprig now resting on the next bowl, for today.

General rejoicing outside, too, when the squash seeds were spotted this morning by Butternut Boy and his squirrel friends.

Meanwhile, the spiral socks being near the toe shaping, which needs counting, I knew I couldn't work on them while chatting at the knitting group.  So meanwhile I cast on another pair, different pattern, Sock Ministry Pair Four, to do at the group.

Here's the start, different color way, change of pace.

And as of this morning, couldn't stop striping yesterday, here we are

This design has a different heel, more review needed. I've knitted them before, ages ago, see old photos

The bottom ones went to a friend, and the others I wore till they couldn't be mended further, then cut them back for fingerless gloves which I still wear.

I guess I can figure out the confusing instructions again. Sometimes patterns don't make sense till you're in the midst, then you get it. Anyway that's today's plan.

And about trying to stay calm and centered, in tragic times, I found a great piece of advice: 

imagine a pond, and your feelings are fish. Try to be the pond, not the fish.

I'm definitely taking this on board.

Simple food and meditation

Such a relief to eat simple food after the Tgiving extravaganza.  Here's today's Alaskan fillets, with egg and panko breading, plenty of spices in the panko, especially turmeric, together with broccoli from the farm.  Also it's fast food, took about 15 minutes fridge to plate!

And here's day two of the Great Natal Caper:  a little thing to do for yourself, particularly if you have never managed to get okay with meditation.  It's very good indeed for your health, calmness, bp, all that, but the monkey mind tends to interfere with it.

So here's a new one I sort of hacked from a series of other attempts, and it works nicely for me.  I found that it reduced the pain in my arm significantly, probably because the related muscles and tendons calmed down, and only the actual hurt part hurts, much better to deal with.

Anyway, it's ten minutes twice a day if you can remember.  Usual getting very comfortable, lying, sitting, whatever works.  And start to count your breaths, one count for in and out, while you visualize scenes or items that please you, and are not related to your work or your worries.  

I find that the counting gives a structure that keeps my mind on the job and not galloping about on hobbyhorses, and if I lose track of the number, I just estimate where to start again, and resume the counting and visualizing.  If you make art you will have a bonus: great new ideas will swim up, but don't act on them right away, get through the session first.

I find that by about breath 80, I've reached the 10 minute mark, nice chiming bell timer on my Ipod tells me.  You may have fewer breaths to the minute, if your lungs are not permanently degraded by scars as mine are, misspent sick youth (!). 

But anyway, it's not hard to fit in, and it really helps with mood and ability to cope.  So here's a present from me to you-- just give it a shot and see if it's working for you, too.  I'd feel honored if you were to do that.