We went shopping on Friday. We try to go grocery shopping once every two weeks to minimize the back and forth in the boat, so we buy quite a bit of food. It’s a multistage process to get the food to the house – load the truck at the store, drive to the marina, move
With the high humidity and copious winter rain we experience here, dealing with the various non-animal life that grows on man-made structures is a way of life. The things we’ve noticed growing are: When we moved in, we saw that it had been quite some time since any serious measures to battle the encroaching temperate
Last July (2023) we adopted a French Bulldog – Maya. You’ll see she has her own blog (because she is a hoot!), but I wanted to take a moment to share our special “work buddy” relationship and the little cartoons that pop into my head as a result of our interactions. This is the first
Water is a fact of life here on the lake. We’re surrounded by it, and we can’t get home without crossing it. We were fearful about that when we first got Maya because she’s a stout little thing, and is quite muscular. Muscle doesn’t float very well and we weren’t sure how she’d do in
Mindfulness is one of the 4 skill domains in Dialectical and Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and it is foundational for the other domains (interpersonal relationship skill, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance). Mindfulness has been described by Jon Kabat-Zinn as a form of non-judgmental, purposeful attention in the present moments (i.e., WHAT is done in mindfulness). Shawna
Yesterday while working outside I heard the distinctive call of an Osprey. Looking up, I saw a pair circling overhead. They’ve been gone for the winter (they migrate south, sometimes all the way to South America, sometimes closer like California or Florida) and yesterday is the first I’ve noticed them back. In the past two
CHAIR YOGA FOR STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY Chair yoga is not just for those unable to ambulate or have balance problems. Actually, chair yoga can be quite versatile (e.g., for injuries and recovery, for stability with more challenging postures, balance issues). The chair is used for seated poses and movements as well as for stability with
When we finally moved into our lake villa in March 2022, it was a chaotic time. Due to unforeseen complications with our prospective lender, when we left our previous home, we did not own the Oregon property. We had sold our home in Arizona, and stalled leaving that home as long as possible (even paying
We all have ‘PARTS’ within our psyche that have distinct personalities, needs, and wants that are separate from our ‘True Self’ or what Internal Family Systems framework refers to as ‘Self-energy’ (e.g., calm, courageous, creative, clear, curious, compassionate, connected, and confident). The Internal Family Systems model has brought needed awareness to this multiplicity and encourages
Maya is a fascinating combination of complete relaxation and hypervigilance / overreacting. Here she is having a snooze apparently without a care in the world (she was maybe 3 months old here): And here’s what we call her froggy pose: Sometimes, however, she pops up and starts barking for no discernible reason, and if there
