Speed Blogging, This and That, and Exercise Update

 I've set my timer, so let's see where my random thoughts check in goes. :)

I've been spending a fair amount of time on the computer recently, reformatting and editing my Storyworth stories. You may remember I worked intensely on it a couple of years ago when I answered questions about my childhood and life. Storyworth (a gift from my SIL) then binds them into a book. While the book was nicely bound, I didn't like the quality of the pictures or the lack of formatting that was allowed. For example, you couldn't use italics or bold anything. Not to mention my typos.

Anyway, one of my retirement goals is to redo the book and print it myself. It is a very tedious job and frustrating at times. I have completed the initial transfer and am now looking for whatever new mistakes I may have introduced. I ended up with 138 pages, including pictures. So, it's long enough that I am really tired of it now. But I will persist because I really want to cross this off my list.

We recently heard the NIH orchestra play Rite of Spring by Stravinsky.

Encouraged by Mandy at Read, Write, Mom, I have installed the Merlin app (bird ID from Cornell) and have become a little obsessed with it. I sit on the porch or yard while it records birds and identifies them. It's really fun to see the variety of birds close by. I see a few of the birds, but many of them are hidden in the trees and bushes, singing away. 

Theo came over for another bulk cooking day, and we made 6 lbs of meat loaf, 2 lbs of green bean almondine, and 5 lbs of mashed potatoes.

There goes my timer (12 minutes this time*), so it's time to stop. But not before I do my weekly exercise update. :)

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  Since retirement, I have focused on getting more exercise. I post weekly updates here to hold myself accountable and see my progress.

I'm getting into a routine of sorts with my exercise activities. There are still many things to explore at the gym and other places, but I have found classes that are a fit for me at this time. 

Thursday, May 15, 2025

Line Dancing: This is a beginning class, and the instructor is good. I stayed for a bit and watched the advanced class afterwards, and they were doing a very complicated dance. That's what I aspire to. In the meantime, I got a decent workout in my beginning class.

Friday, May 16, 2025

Strong and Balanced: This class has two different instructors, and both have been out. Today, we were back to one of our regulars, who brings a fun atmosphere to the class. It wasn't too strenuous, but I got an all-body workout using weights.

Ballroom Dance: We had a practice party for our class tonight. We brought snacks and spent two hours dancing and chatting. It was much more relaxed than the class and was fun. I didn't dance the whole two hours, but I certainly got some good aerobic work in.

Saturday, May 17, 2025

Line Dance: We attended a line dance fundraising event for St. Jude. We were supposed to meet friends there, but the event sold out before they got there. However, the music was so loud that we wouldn't have been able to talk anyway. The local radio station was hosting, and they brought big speakers that they felt compelled to use to full capacity. I got in some good dancing for a decent aerobic workout.

Sunday, May 18, 2025

Free Day: We went to a festival during the afternoon and walked about a mile. Most of it was gentle, except at the end when we were walking back to our car. Then I worked up a good sweat, especially on the hills. Back home, I spent time in the yard doing various chores and getting more exercise. 

Monday, May 19, 2025

Strong and Balanced:  This was a standard class that focused on strength training. I went up on weights today, so it was also a little more aerobic than it has been. 

Ballroom Dance: Tonight we did the Quickstep, ChaCha, and Samba. We worked on some complicated routines that the whole class was struggling with. Those are all fast dances, and I definitely had my heart rate up during class, not to mention sweating like a pig. :)

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Line Dancing: This was our standard class, and I did well on most of the dances. However, there was one new one that I just couldn't concentrate on, but I kept moving, even if it wasn't always the right way. As always, the class joked with each other, which made it fun. It was a good hour of aerobic work, but I wasn't as tired at the end as I was the last two times. Afterwards, we did errands and I got a fair amount of walking in as we visited several big box stores.

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Sculpt Express: This was a 30-minute version of Power Sculpt that focused on strengthening legs, arms, back, and abdomen. I thought I needed more ab work than I was getting in my Strong and Balanced class, so I tried this one. It was only 30 minutes, so I thought it was a good place to start. Well, that was an intense 30 minutes, and I got a good workout. I was definitely sore after this class.

Well, that's it for now. After several days of rain, today is supposed to be a dry day, so it's time to do some yard work.

Until next time...

* For full disclosure, I spent another 12 minutes adding links and pictures. I try to update my exercise daily, so that was just a cut and paste.

Iron Festival

There is a rich history of iron making in this part of Maryland because all of the key ingredients were available here--iron-rich rocks for ore, limestone for flux, abundant trees for charcoal, and water for energy.

The Catoctin Furnace Historical Society sponsors an annual iron festival to celebrate this heritage. The festival centers around the furnace and the surrounding village, and is adjacent to Cunningham Falls State Park. The Catoctin Iron Furnace was completed in 1775 and was active until 1903. The early furnace made cannon balls for the Revolutionary War. 

We only learned about the festival this year from Wally, so Sunday afternoon, we decided to see what it was about.

We took the Iron Trail from the State Park parking lot to get to the festival's central area.

There was a nice path through the woods that followed Hunter's Creek,

And sometimes crossed over it. Along the way, interpretive signs talked about different aspects of the iron-making business at Catoctin.

At the end of the trail were the remains of Iron Master's Mansion, built around 1785. This was the beginning of the Catoctin Iron Workers Village.

We got a tour of Harriet Chapel. It was built in 1828 as a non-denominational church meeting house for the iron workers. In 1833, it became an Episcopal church and is still active today.

This was the collier's house. (A collier made charcoal for the furnace.) Other houses have been restored for historical purposes, and some people live in others. A major highway passes through the village. For the festival, the highway was closed to traffic.

This furnace was built in 1857 and is called the Isabella stack.

We explored more buildings and a museum, and had an interesting talk with the head of the historic association. She is an archaeologist and quite passionate about the project. One thing that was made very clear throughout the area was the amount of enslaved labor used here. There is an African American Cemetery that the organization is planning to buy and give to the state so it can be preserved.

The weather was beautiful for our outing, and it was just the kind of outing we like. We got to hike through some beautiful woods and learn a little history. We almost didn't go, but we were glad we did.

Until next time...

Exercise and Blooming Update, May 15, 2025

  Since retirement, I have focused on getting more exercise. I post weekly updates here to hold myself accountable and see my progress.

Among the descriptions of what I did this week on the exercise front, you'll see some of what's blooming in my yard.

Japanese iris

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Line Dance: This was the second week of the beginner's line dance that started at the gym. We went over a couple of dances from last week and some new ones, including "Boots on the Ground". Apparently, this dance is everywhere, but I had never heard of it. It is done with a clap fan, which was also new to me. It was fun, but I still need a little work with my fan. The class was not too strenuous, but it gave me a decent aerobic workout.

Rhododendron

Friday, May 9, 2025

Strong and Balanced: We had a no-nonsense sub today, and not one second of the 45-minute class was wasted. I got a good all-body workout, especially my shoulders.

Dianthus

Saturday, May 10, 2025

Free Day: It rained all day, so I puttered around the house and did a little dance practice. Nothing too earth-shattering as far as exercise goes.

Portulaca

Sunday, May 11, 2025

Free Day: The weather cleared, so my puttering included some yard work with some planting and weeding. Again, I didn't push myself physically.

Kolanchoe

Monday, May 12, 2025

Strong and Balanced: We had the same sub as on Friday, and she gave us another good workout with bands and weights. The sub was a good instructor, but not as fun as the regular teachers.

Ballroom: We worked on a new routine for the Quickstep that confused everyone, including me. During the second half of the class, when we worked on the Samba, the instructor worked with me personally, but I didn't like the special attention. However, my heart rate was up, and I got a decent aerobic workout.

Yellow allium

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Line Dance: I was recovering from a migraine, so I was a little slow in class today. However, the class continued to be light-hearted and fun. Dancing continuously for an hour here definitely gave me a good aerobic workout.

Coral bells

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Free Day: We got in 30 minutes of ballroom practice while trying to figure out what we were taught on Monday. It was not too strenuous, but it did elevate my heart rate a bit.

Bearded iris

Vinca

Rhododendron

Until next time...

Speed Blogging This and That

 Hi everyone, it's time for a check-in with a bit of speed blogging. In other words, get ready for some stream-of-consciousness. 

Early morning spider web.

My mind is full of dancing right now. Last night we went to our ballroom dance class. The instructor, Olive, took a special interest in me and worked with me personally much of the time. Or just let me say, too much of the time. While Olive was with me, Ward practiced with Stephanie, whose partner stopped coming weeks ago. Stephanie is a natural, so it was good for him to learn from her. In the meantime, Olive was trying to get me to lean into my partner instead of dancing by myself, as she described it. I understood what she was saying, but shouldn't she make sure I have the steps right first? Anyway, my brain shut down, and I just wanted it to be over.

Meanwhile, while I was getting all the attention, other couples wanted Olive's help. We leave class every week frustrated one way or another with Olive, so this may be our last session for a while after we finish this one. We wouldn't have stayed this long, but we've made friends in the class. And to be fair, Olive is a likeable person, but she and the class are just not the right fit for us.

Last night's episode reminded me of when Wally was little, playing baseball. He had just graduated from T-ball to coach pitch. At the first practice, the coach was pitching to each of the kids until they got a hit. Well, Wally didn't get a hit for a very long time. I was dying on the side, embarrassed for him as he took longer than any of the other kids, wondering why the coach didn't stop and say he could try again later. I thought that if Wally wanted to quit, it would be okay, even though we tried to get our kids to stick things out. 

When we got in the car after practice, I asked Wally what he thought about practice. He said, "It was fun, but I think I need a little more practice." And that was it. He stuck out the whole season and did improve, although he was never a standout. And I kept quiet, trying to follow his lead of a positive attitude.

This morning, we went to our regular line dance class. I woke up with a migraine, but I took medicine, so by the time I got to class, my head was better, but my brain was in a fog. I call it a migraine hangover. I wasn't really learning the new dances, but I was following them okay. We are not learning formal dancing in here, like we are with the ballroom, so mistakes are called variations. A much lighter atmosphere.

I took down all of my seed-starting things today. And let me just say, the whole exercise was a failure. Some of it was because I used old seeds, and many didn't sprout. Some of the ones that sprouted promptly died, and the ones that lived didn't thrive, not getting much taller than 1/2 inch. I'm not sure why things were so bad. I think some of it had to do with watering, too much or too little, but I'm not sure that is the whole answer. There was good soil, temperatures, and light. I will try again next year. It's got to be better. 

Mother's Day was low-key and just right. Ward made me French toast for breakfast, and then Wally and Theo came over later when Theo got off work. They brought pizza, an ice cream cake, and a hanging basket. The weather was perfect, and we just sat outside on the porch and chatted about nothing important. A good time was had by all.

Ward and Theo searching recipes.

For Ward's birthday, Theo said he would teach him how to cook any dish he wanted. Ward has a few things he can cook, but not many. They chose a chicken pasta dish. Together they searched for recipes, did the shopping, and prepared the dish. It turned out well. I especially liked the tomato sauce. Ward said he was a little overwhelmed because Theo had so much knowledge to impart, but was happy with the results. Tomorrow, Theo is coming over for the batch cooking we've been doing together. We plan to make meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans.  

They added chicken, spinach, and penne pasta to the tomato sauce.

Well, the timer is going off, so that's it for now.

Until next time...

Mother's Day

 Happy Mother's Day

 to everyone who has had a mother!

Growing up in West Virginia, I learned early that Mother's Day was started there by Anna Jarvis to honor her mother, Ann Jarvis.

Before I go any further, let me clarify the names because, if you're like me, you might get them confused. The mother, Ann Maria (Reeves) Jarvis, named her daughter Anna Maria Jarvis. So, Ann is the mother and Anna is the daughter, and I will refer to them as Ann R. (mother) and Anna (daughter).

We visited the house where Ann R. lived a few years ago.

Anna was born and grew up in Taylor County, West Virginia, where her mother was a social activist and deeply involved in her church. Ann R. advocated for mothers and formed Mother's Day Work Clubs to help women learn about sanitation and health care for their children. Ann R. also taught Sunday school, and during a prayer in one of her classes, she prayed that someone would create a day to commemorate mothers. That was in 1876 when Anna was 12 years old. 

Ann R. died in 1905, and at her gravesite, her daughter vowed to honor her mother by making Mother's Day happen. Anna started an extensive campaign during which she wrote letters to everyone she could think of across the country and met with anyone who would give her an audience. 

Anna Jarvis, circa 1909. (Library of Congress)

The first Mother's Day service was held in 1908 at Ann R.'s home church, St. Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church, in Grafton, WV. Anna did not attend but sent 500 carnations, her mother's favorite flower, to all who attended. Later, Anna attended a service in Philadelphia, where she was living.

Anna continued to campaign tirelessly to make Mother's Day a national holiday, and Congress passed a law making it so in 1914. It is held on the second Sunday in May, the Sunday closest to Ann R.'s death.

But the story does not stop there. Businesses started cashing in on Mother's Day, and Anna spent the rest of her life fighting against this commercialization that she detested.

Even though the commercialization continues, I'd like to think that Anna would be happy that the day she fought so hard for is still being observed over 100 years later.

Happy Mother's Day!

Sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2024/05/11/anna-jarvis-mothers-day-founder/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Jarvis