Updates from the Stress Pool

 Hello to all of you, winter-weary and ready for fun in the sun! The actual pool was opened this week, and is filtering out all the ick left from fall and winter - hoping to be able to jump in around Memorial Day. The Stress Pool, however, never closes, and is always ripe with all-things-life!

Updates: the heart monitor showed I have something called Ventricle Trigeminy, which means that sometimes there are a few extra beats in there. My doctor told me we'll talk about it when I come in for my next visit - he's not worried. Therefore, I shall not worry! But, talk we will.

Cataract surgery is scheduled for the beginning of June on the left eye - which will be quite the experience, I'm sure! I've been wearing glasses since the age of six, so being able to see things in the distance will be a treat, indeed. The second eye will be done at the beginning of July. I'm already planning my trip to the Dollar Store to pick up readers: a pair for school, a pair for the studio, a pair for the purse...and maybe one extra just because. It's a lot cheaper than prescription eye glasses! And yes, I know, I shouldn't plan on this - things can go wrong, We're just hoping and praying everything goes right!

Little Man is graduating from pre-school soon - can you believe how fast time flies? Mouse is working on walking (sort of - she much prefers to have DiDi carry her everywhere!) Big Brother said that they've entered the living room to find her standing up, but when she sees them, sits down and puts up her arms. She's no dummy, that's for sure! She also often looks at Little Man with an expression of 'someday I will get mom all to myself, you just wait'!

Then, there is the little wonder of Morticia and The Doctor. She's a wide-eyed wonder, truly. On track for all things developmental, also clings to her mother! Morticia came to see us and have dinner every Thursday this past semester, as The Doctor was teaching all day and we were a diversion. I would walk in from work, Sweetie Pie would take one look at me and burst into tears! (I think I have that same effect on some students, and I'll never know why!) This past Thursday, after weeks of this, I took her from Morticia as she packed up to go home, and not one tear. Not one! Yay, a small amount of success - and I'll take it! 

Everyone else here at the Pool is just fine and dandy - in just a few more weeks I'll be home for the summer, ready for a bit of relaxation, reading, painting, cleaning-up...my, the lists never end, do they? As always, if you're in the area, stop by for a dip in the actual pool, and we'll have some tea, or another sort of beverage, and you can renew your membership in the Stress Pool!

Monitoring the Heart

On February 2nd, Punxsutawney Phil promised an early spring, and we here at the Stress Pool were hopeful that he would be proven right - and by golly, we have been enjoying an early spring! Of course, on February 2nd, the hearts of those who live here were grieving, as BFFB left this earthly plane for the afterlife just several days before. To say it has been difficult would be an understatement, as she left behind a son, a brother, and a lot of friends who loved her dearly, as well as two cats, and a house with a lot of stuff that needed to be gone through. Fortunately, there were a lot of us who were willing and able to pitch in. Without anyone asking him, DH has been going to the house every week to put out trash that others have put together, then goes back the next day to pull the cans into the garage. He and others would go several times a week to help take care of the kitties, until about a week ago, when a loving soul took them into her care. 

BFFB, also known as Barb Riley, was my personal cheerleader. At the end of the week she would send a text congratulating me on making it through another week. While that sounds ridiculous, sometimes you just need someone in your corner, rooting for you, patting you on the back, making you feel like you matter. I miss that. I miss her.

It's been an interesting birthday week for me. We had the whole crew to the house on Sunday for a birthday celebration. Normally, I wouldn't have asked for that, but losing Barb kind of put life into perspective. You never know when your time will come, and celebrating life with the people you love means more to me now than ever. My heart was full that day, and still is - I loved seeing three generations of family all together in one place.

Morticia made a comment about wishing she had a camera to use when hiking with the baby, so I dug out my first digital camera for her. In checking an old SD card, I found pictures from when Moink made his first Communion, Big Brother's high school graduation, and a vacation to Virginia with Mima, Barb, and the rest of the gang. There were pictures of all five kids - one was exceptionally nice, that I would like to print. It did my heart a lot of good to look through and see more memories - a Stanley Cup trip to Detroit with Barb; one with her, her father Jack, and her brother Tom while we watched the final game of that series at their house. The Pens won that year. 

As far as the heart goes, I was "thrilled" to get a heart monitor this morning! What a way to celebrate another year on earth, right? For 3 days, or more specifically, 72 hours, it will be a part of me, monitoring the beats of my heart. I'm supposed to push a button if my heart speeds up, or I'm out of breath, things like that. (CT scans of my head and neck come at the end of the month. So much to look forward to!)

However, while the beat (of my heart) goes on, and the monitor will record them, I'm certain it won't record the love I feel for family and good friends, or the pain of loss. We tend to protect our hearts, yet it is in leaving the heart open we live life to the fullest. The monitor isn't going to record that, but my mind will. 

Stop by the Stress Pool any time, where we can share and make memories. After all, that's what life is all about, right? 

Resolutions Smesolutions

 Greetings, fellow swimmers, and welcome back to a new year of fun in the Stress Pool! Hard to believe how quickly time marches on, but there you have it - a full week into 2024. I don't make resolutions anymore. Not sure if it is due to age, or the fact that by February they've been swept under the rug! Do you still make them and, more importantly, are you able to keep them? While I don't actually do the "I want to.." thing, there are certain things I strive for:

Moving my body...I mean, I know what I have to do. Keeping the arthritis at bay is a struggle. Planet Fitness tells me I have until Friday to decide to get in on a great deal - until the next one, of course! It's just the whole idea of going, especially in the cold and dark of winter! 

Studio time...now, that is something I have been doing this week! My Mentor (aka Donna) and I are going to check in weekly to share what we've been doing in our prospective studios, and I was actually able to do that this week! Looking forward to the days where I'm not 'carving out' time to paint.

Family time...scheduled weekly! Someday it will be easier to devote more time, but for now, knowing there are certain days I will see my cherished darlings is gold.

Reading...goes without saying. Just finished our book club pick, "The Measure." Thought provoking: what would you do if offered the chance to know how much longer you have to live? Would you want to know? What would you do with your time? Good read! (For the record, my answer is no, I would not want to know. Take one day at a time!) Then, I read "When I Was You" by Minka Kent. Wow! Couldn't put it down. I would say we're off to a good start!

Writing in the blog...Yes. The best laid plans of mice and men...Here's hoping I'll get at least one post a month!

Here at the Stress Pool, everyone is well and smoothly gliding into 2024. We wish all of you a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year. May your days be anxiety free, filled with a laugh or two, with some kindness to and from all sprinkled in. And, if you want to chill out with us by the pool (or the fire, inside of course!) you know where we are!  

 

Snakes on a Trampoline

 Greetings, fellow swimmers, and welcome back to the Stress Pool! You may be wondering about the title of this latest segment, and I'm happy to say there is no better sound in the world than "Nana, watch! Watch!"

It has been a fast, yet full, summer. June was a little rainy and cool, so there wasn't much actual time in the pool - but we did find that July dawned hot, and humid, and rainy! However, there has been a lot going on here, so let me catch you up to speed. 

Little Man spent an afternoon here one day - I wish it could have been more, but they had a busy summer, too. Suffice it to say, he is a VERY BUSY 4 YEAR OLD! Recently, we were over at their house, and Little Man was slinging his stuffed (very long) snakes over the top of the trampoline, each time yelling, "Nana, watch!" It's just lovely sitting back and 'just watching'! Someday, I will retire, and will do a lot of 'watching'.

Speaking of just watching...Morticia and the Doctor gave birth to their first child- what a little peanut! She is, of course, just as adorable as anything. I had the pleasure (I'm sure this is where some of you will go 'ew' over your shoulder - I did not feel that way!) of being present for the birth. I've never seen it from this side of the world (I didn't wear my glasses during any of the deliveries of our five!), and what an experience! She arrived just on the other side of midnight in mid-July, and what a change there has been in just a month.

DiDi and the kids were visiting her family out of state, and what a change in Mouse! Seven months old, and she has quite the personality. Of course, I could go on gushing about the grandchildren for days...as, I'm sure, can many of you!

DH and I got away for a night to Lancaster - we went to the Sight and Sound Theater to see 'Moses'. It was good - we enjoyed 'David' more, but still had an enjoyable time. The weather was wonderful, and are hoping to go back next year to see 'Daniel'. We also found out some info on the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, and considered for a brief moment about going this year, but will wait until next fall. It looks like a really nice venue, and who doesn't like hobnobbing with knights and royalty?

There was a little more artwork, and a little swimming, and some weeding of the front garden - which also brought with it a nice case of either poison ivy, or poison oak. Whichever it is, it's been since August  4th when I saw the first two dots (I thought they were bug bites!) It became full-blown, and I mean full-blown, to where I am finishing a prescription for prednisone and look like I have some horrible skin disease! Standing in the cool pool water actually feels pretty good! Sadly, pool days are beginning to dwindle...while it warmed up considerably yesterday and today, we also started in-service today. So, yeah.

Now, for the Summer Reading Round-up! 14 books this summer - a record! They are, as follows:

1. Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah

2. Fly Away - Kristin Hannah.  These two go together, and were a fine read. I started watching the Netflix show, and got through about five minutes before I said, "Nope." I truly dislike when directors and producers completely change a story! Save that for the really awful books that might have a semblance of a good idea, but aren't well written!

3. Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult; looking from both sides of a school shooting, and makes you really think about bullying and how it affects the everyone involved. I just love her writing - the research Ms. Picoult does for each book is phenomenal.

4. My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult; would you be able to have a child in order to keep another child alive? Hmm...

5. Heartburn - Nora Ephron.  Funny book - we had just finished watching "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel", and I imagined Miriam Maisel's voice as I read the book, which was helpful. I hear the movie is funny, as well, and hope to watch that sometime soon.

6. No Exit - Taylor Adams. Suspenseful thriller - read it. Don't watch the movie - it sucked.

7. Stillhouse Lake - Rachel Cline, and 8. Killman Creek, also by Rachel Cline. They are the first two books in a series of six books, but DH and I both agreed the actual story wraps up nicely after book two. However, if you look into these, and you move on to book 3, let me know what you think.

9. The Clutter Corpse - Simon Brett: a fun, quirky read that is very UK. The writer has won numerous awards, and easy to see why.

10. Dead Sexy - Cameo MacPherson. Another fun read - very light hearted with a lot of witty comments, with zombies and nymphs galore.

11. The Summer Girls - Mary Alice Monroe. A paperback I've had sitting around for a long time, and decided it was time to read it. It would have made a great beach book. If you want it for next year, let me know.

12. There's No Coming Back From This - Ann Garvin. Her latest, it just came out on August 1st. An interesting look at what goes on behind the scenes of making movies, and the people who make it all happen, and how a little positive attitude can help.

13. The Killer in the Choir - Simon Brett. Love books set in the UK, and with this one being a murder involving a choir - well, it just sang to me! 

14. The Maidens - Alex Michaelides. He's the author of "The Silent Patient"- The Maidens is his second book. Wow. Loved it - read it in a day and a half. I hadn't intended to do that, but there you have it.

One I didn't mention was "Hello, Beautiful", which was one of our book club reads for the summer, but it was my suggestion, and I had read it before summer actually started, so didn't count it. There are a few on my list of hoping to reads this winter, like Wolf Hall, and The Water Dancer, and My Dear Mrs. Hamilton. A book, an afghan, and a low fire in the living room, maybe a steaming cup of coffee...Without the pumpkin spice though, okay?!

So until those days, I hope you find a moment to stop by the Pool and tell me about your latest reads, trips, and family escapades. And, if the weather doesn't cooperate, doesn't a sit on the screened-in porch sound delightful? Maybe roast some marshmallows in the fire pit...you're always welcome here at the Stress Pool.

The Lazy, Not-so Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

 Summer...at last!

It's hard for me to believe I've been home from school for three weeks - and, it has been truly wonderful! Sleeping in...taking naps...sipping iced-tea in the afternoons...reading...what more could a girl want?

I mean, really?

And yes, there has been studio time. I took some time to research a little (I use a site called Unsplash, which has photos of just about anything you might be looking for, which don't have a copyright. You should just give a shout-out to the photographer if you use it)

As a treat, I pulled out the charcoal and chalk pastels. What fun that's been! And no, I don't know what I'm going to do with these sketches yet - it's just been enough spending time making them. 

The last picture was based on one I had taken at Cecil Park - BFFB and I had taken a ride over Spring break, and I snapped a few pictures. I liked the reflection of the building on the creek. So, fun days for me! Truly, there is nothing more fun than getting my hands filthy with charcoal and pastels, and didn't remember how much I really, really love it. 

As for the clan, Morticia and the Doctor are expecting a bundle of joy any day. Baby has gotten herself turned head-down, but so far is not engaged. If she's anything like her mother, she'll take her good old sweet time in making her entrance! 

Big Brother and DiDi have their hands full these days with Little Man and Little Sister. Little Man spent the afternoon one day last week - we painted, read books, and played with the old Playmobil Fort (it belonged to Eggbert, so it's at least 30 years old!), but he's more interested in the animals than all the cowboys and Native Amercan figures it came with.

"Look Nana, the horses and donkeys are going outside of the fort. They have to poop. Do you see the poop?"

Four-year-olds. Gotta love them and their sweet imaginations! 

Did I mention the vultures? There are three vultures - only one has both legs. They occasionally go home with him. Then, when we go to visit, I scoop them up and bring them back. It's a back-and-forth thing. We used to do this with horses from the Playskool farm. "Nana. I'm taking your horses. They want to go home with me." Seriously, someone needs to buy this kid a pony!

The days have been a little cold for swimming, but we've made it in a few times. I'm sure July will hit good and hot at some point. For certain it will be really steamy on August 21st - first day of inservice! Look out - I'll be rushing home to jump in as soon as I get home!

Reading...it's finally happened. First time I ever put down a book and said, "Nope. Not finishing it." It isn't that it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. This author has scads of books, and this was the first in the series. A Victorian-era mystery, "Murder at the Mayfair Hotel". I like a period novel, but it just wasn't keeping my interest. So, what else have I been reading?

I just finished "Firefly Lane" by Kristin Hannah, the first of two books. The other is "Fly Away", which I've already read, but didn't realize the other was first, so I finished that yesterday, and am now re-reading "Fly Away". Our book club read "Lessons in Chemistry" - wow, what a fantastic read! We're also reading "Hello Beautiful", a Napolitano novel, and it was enjoyable. I also recently finished "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult. It's also an older book, but it's been sitting on my bookshelf and decided it was time to read some of these books that are more than decoration for my family room. Wow. A very powerful book about bullying and school shootings.

There you have it - nothing earth-shattering going on at the Stress Pool -waiting for baby to come, reading, and sketching. Oh, and Zumba. I need to move around more, and signed up for a class. So far I haven't tripped over my feet or fallen flat on my face! So if you're in the neighborhood, stop by and shoot the breeze, dip your foot in the pool (float around if you're brave enough!), do a few Salsa moves, and spend some time with us at the Stress Pool! We're always happy to have some company.

If a Tree Falls in a Forest

 Goodness, how time flies! I didn't realize it has been almost six months since the last post. Suffice it to say, things around the Stress Pool have been pretty busy. Just to catch everyone up to date - Big Brother and DiDi had another baby! Little Sister was born in the middle of January, and is now smiling, laughing, and talking up a storm. Of course, none of us is fluent in baby babble, but if you make the appropriate facial expressions, she's happy to continue her story. At some point she's going to realize we don't have a clue as to what she's saying, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. 

Morticia and the Doctor are expecting their first baby this summer - he's hoping for 4th of July; I'm hoping she's at least on time, and not the one to two weeks late she and her siblings were. Those children knew they had it good, and for the most part, had to be coaxed out. Ms. Business was the only one who came on her own, ready to start running from day one!

Of course, the house - which we still love - has kept us busy. New roof in the fall; new microwave, new dishwasher, new stove to come (they just can't find parts in order to fix these things!) Plus, all the things that need to be done around the house. There is a LIST - Kellys always make a list, but this is THE LIST of what needs to be done, some of which we are in agreement, and some where there is a little disagreement in the priority order. Last night, the air conditioner was leaking - through the ceiling fan in our bedroom - onto the bed! Priority list....

Back to the title of the post. I arrived home from our High School Art Show - wow, what a powerful show! - and sat on the back porch to tell Darling Hubby about what I saw. Several of the students had openly shared their struggles with depression and anxiety through their artwork, and isn't that what the arts really are about? We communicate ideas, feelings, emotions, whether it's through the visual arts, music, dance, creative writing, or theater. Struggles and conflict, as well as beauty are things we share through our art. What courage it takes, though, to put it out there for people to see. Baring your soul is hard, but that's what separates the artist from the dabbler.

So, as we sat on the porch talking, one of the large trees growing in a neighbor's yard suddenly crashed to the ground. It had been leaning. It was covered in ivy, and while it was absolutely full of new leaves, it seemed to just give up. Other than the leaning, one would never have suspected it was going to fall. It made me think about the students whose artwork I had viewed, the struggles they've faced, and how they've learned to cope and express their feelings through their artwork. 

If we look at all the children we as teachers supervise and instruct, we need to actively remember they are dealing with so much more than what we see. Some of them are tall with full foliage; some have full foliage but lean a little. Our job, besides teaching them to read, write, and add numbers, is to make sure they don't fall. To be there; to show them healthy ways to cope. To let them see that when the tree falls in the forest, it does make a sound, whether or not someone is there to hear it. To let them know that we do hear them, we see them leaning, and want to do what we can to keep them from falling. This is where the arts come in. I'm grateful to work in a school district that is supportive of all the arts, that recognizes the importance the arts play in taking a child into adulthood through a well-rounded education.

As we come to the close of another school year, for those of you who grumble about teachers getting off for the summer, know that this is a time of healing for us. Our days are physically and emotionally draining, as there is no possible way to live your day with groups of students and stay emotionally removed. No, we do this because this is what we chose to do. Most of us still love it, and we pour our hearts and souls into it. 

In the meantime, we'll finish out our days, pack away the books and supplies, and take home the things we'll work on for next year, putting hopes and dreams into new lesson plans. I'll be doing that in the afternoon, pool-side, or while I'm sitting by the firepit, watching sparks fly to the stars. Healing time for me will also be in the studio, or playing with my grandchildren, or sharing a quiet moment or two with DH. Maybe, just maybe, I'll find a little time to write in the blog. Plus, I'll have to make my summer reading list - a book a week, maybe even a couple more this year! Who knows?

Thanks for stopping by, and as always, we have towels and lemonade a plenty, or bring a beverage of your own choice! We'll talk about the times we were leaning, and who helped us to not fall, or who gave us a hand to stand again. We're happy to see you here at the Stress Pool!

You Can't Have Just One

 Greetings, fellow swimmers! The water is a little cool these days - thanks, Mother Nature! Ahh, almost two weeks off. I know some of my colleagues went away for some fun in the sun during this time, but we chose to stay at home and enjoy family, friends, and a little down time. 

You may have been intrigued by the title of this post, and it was carefully chosen for more than one reason. First, and very importantly, there will be two new grandchildren in 2023! Yes, Didi and Big Brother will be welcoming their second child sometime in January, but many of you knew that. We were delighted to hear that Morticia and The Doctor will also be having a baby, sometime this summer! We're so happy for all of them. Looking forward to that new baby smell...Come on, you know what I mean.

Then, of course, there is that other side of me, that creative side that constantly needs attention. A couple years ago, I bought one of those journals that is made up of dots - a bullet journal, I believe it's called. I had decided it would be my Creative Journey Journal. One of the aspects of a bullet journal is to come up with a word for the year. I think that's pretty much the trend anymore, anyway. It's hard for me to come up with one word to focus on for the year - so, I thought I'd go for a word a month, along with a quote about creativity. After all, it was to be my Creative Journey.

Here is page one - what fun I had creating that page! And, if you notice, the right side of the page is cut out so that when you open it, you come to a calendar for the year.

                                             As you can see, there was a lot of work that went into making the journal! There were even spaces for every day of the week, with lots of room to write. Coloring was also a fun part of the experience. I love to color - bullet journal pages, coloring books - it sure relieves a lot of stress! I also love to write, which some of you know. This would give me that chance. 

Yup. There was a lot of writing that went on...for about two whole months! Ah, the best of New Year Resolutions and intentions! Then, I was recording something a few days a week, then maybe one day a week, and well, you can probably guess where it went.

Yeah, it got to this point! Of course, that was 'The Year of Three Addresses', two moves...with a surgery in-between! Was it any wonder there were blank days? (Well, those were the excuses I chose to believe!)

So, excuses notwithstanding, the next year didn't go much better. For 2022, I thought it would be better to just make a page for the name of the month, and a word that I would focus on. I decided to come up with a 'word for the year', but it was more than one. It was 'The Year of Endless Possibilities'. Sparing you pictures of details, it followed the same direction as the previous year, but without wasting so many pages! Still looking for those possibilities...

So, In thinking about what to do this year - because, I really did like the idea of journaling what I had experimented with, and what was accomplished - I thought that this year I would be focusing on making more time for creative endeavors. But, could I find one word that encompassed my goal? Not really. There were all sorts of words, but they mostly had to do with hurrying, rushing - you know, making better time. I found a couple -'Dedicate' was one, 'Incorporate' another. Still, not the best descriptors. I would need at least two words, maybe more, and 'Make the Effort' was the best I could come up with.

Step One: Clean the studio. Once again, as so much of my life is, clutter was becoming an issue. So, I made the effort at the beginning of the week to straighten up.

My studio is divided into sections. This view is of my main work table, drafting table in the corner (with tubes of acrylic paint on the wall), and a drying rack. Painting is my main focus, mostly watercolor, which is laying out on the table, along with an unfinished picture of Little Man that I've been working on for several months. Okay, I worked on it, then let it sit for several months. There is also one somewhere of Simon, also unfinished. The Amazon cards are there because you can actually use cards, or straight edged objects for painting! (BTW, they've been used!) The studio is now ready for use. The bullet journal is going to simply be a journal - not spending my time making fancy pages - where I will still record notes on works in progress. However, I now must focus on a completely different problem...

Step 2: How to work around Art Cat! Simon seems to think I can't possibly make any art unless he's a part of it. Literally - he leaves his fur in my paintings, and water? Well, paint water must taste really good! (I'm certainly not going to try it!) I tried to remove him from the water container one day. What a disaster that was! He's a pretty laid-back sort of cat, but not that day. He's never fought me so obstinately!

So, more than just one word to describe something, more than just one grandchild to look forward to the arrival, more than just one Christmas cookie, more than just one Lay's potato chip...more than just one hug to all my friends and family.

As you roll into 2023, I wish for all of you a year filled with happiness, good health, and time to explore your passions. Stop by the Stress Pool anytime - but you may have to bring your own refreshment - I don't trust the cat!