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Why Do I Keep Stepping on Scorpions?

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I got up in the middle of the night and felt something under my foot. Since I have stepped on scorpions in the house before, I had my suspisions. I turned on the light. I was correct in the assumption. EEEEEEK!!!!

This is maybe the third time I have stepped on a scorpion. Most times, these things seem to (luckily) be dead (or maybe just playing dead). This one, however, was not. It did not move for a very long time, which was a good thing, as I needed to round-up someone at midnight to help me get rid of it.

My husband was the first person I went to, however, he was sound asleep and not to be waken. Drat! On to my son, who was still awake. My son seems to be the one who winds up helping me in catching animals/insects in the house. Remember when the lizard got inside? (Check-out my post…https://anotherdaywithjulie.home.blog/2020/05/04/friday-was-not-just-another-day-with-julie/) In any case, we were at it again. This time, I dug into the recycle bin for a yogurt container. My son got the yogurt container over the scorpion and then slid a piece of cardstock underneath. I taped the cardstock to the container with a little artist’s tape. My son flipped it over and took it outside.

Needless to say, I did not sleep very well directly after all this excitement. I checked under the sheets before getting in as an added bit of precaution. My foot felt wierd even though I did not get stung. Today, I checked out the internet on scorpions and their stingers. Should not have done that as they can give you all sorts of symptoms and it is more information than I really want to know. I will just be glad it didn’t sting me and that we caught it.

As always, Be Careful Where You Step in the Dark!

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Street Skating Competitions – Tokyo Summer Olympics 2021

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Well, did you catch the street skating competitions at the Tokyo Olympics? I have come to the conclusion that I will never qualify for the olympics. There are several reasons for this.

Of course the biggest reason I will never skate in the olympics is that I was a late starter to the sport. Having said that, I already feel like I won my gold medal when I learned to cruise on my board. A huge accomplishment for me. The next reason I will never skate in the olympics is that I can not do tricks (nor do I want to, to be quite honest).

The street skating at the olympics was amazing. The tricks, in my opinion, seemed a bit dangerous. Every time a skater’s board hit the rail I was like, ‘Does their mother know they’re doing this!?!’. And then there were the falls. Yes, even qualifying olympic skaters fall. When I saw them go down and summersault, I think I held my breath until they got up. One skater was limping afterward, but most just went on like nothing happened. I guess they are used to taking a fall. My goal is not to fall at all, as I don’t want to break anything.

Of course, I was cheering on Team USA. However, I also caught a glimpse of the finals and was wowed by Kelvin Hoefler from Brazil. He did a trick where the nose of his board hit the rail and then he twisted so the other end of the board hit the rail all in the same trick. I was like “Wow! That is amazing!” (There is a name for that trick, probably a fakie something or other.) So Kelvin had a fan from the US as well.

Maybe I should be a skating talent scout. As Kelvin took the Silver in the men’s division, I must have a nose for talent. Way to go Kelvin Hoefler! Team USA’s Jagger Eaton, who also impressed my with his fakie nose grinds, took home the Bronze. Way to go Team USA! Of course, Japan’s Yuto Horigome cleaned up with the Gold medal.

For the women’s skate, Japan also took the Gold Medal as well as the Bronze Medal. Thirteen year old (yes you read that correctly- thirteen year old) Momiji Nishiya took home the Gold. Japan’s Funa Nakayama the Bronze. Brazil’s Rayssa Leal took home the Silver. Team USA’s Alexis Sablone came in 4th place.

If you missed the competition, youtube is bound to have some videos for you to catch-up with. The park skating is still to come. We shall see if Japan and Brazil do as well in the park competition.

As always, Happy Skating!

Summer Olympics 2021 – Skateboarding

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It’s finally here! Skateboarding competitions at the Tokyo Summer 2021 Olympics. As a newbie/oldie skateboarder myself, I am interested in watching this new competition.

First off, there will be two types of skateboarding competitions to watch. One is street, the other is park. The park skateboarders will have 45 seconds to impress the judges performing their tricks, skating in the deep concrete bowls. They will have three attempts at their best score. The street skateboarders will be skating on an “urban” course made up of stairs, benches, planters, rails, etc. that will simulate the terrain of the average street skater. They have to skate the course two different ways, are timed just like the park skaters, and have tricks as well. Oh boy!

At last, there is no competition for newbie/oldies, such as myself, who are just proud to be doing kick turns and cruising around. So, I will continue to enjoy my laid-back skating and cheer on the competitors. I am especially interested in my fellow street skaters’ competitions. Go Team U.S.A.!

The Men’s Street competition is on July 25th, the women’s street on July 26th. Women’s park will be on August 4th and Men’s park on August 5th.

The U.S. Olympic Team competing in park are: Jordyn Barratt, Cory Juneau, Heimana Reynolds, Bryce Wettstein, Zion Wright and Brighton Zeuner. The U.S. Olympic Team competing in street are: Mariah Duran, Jagger Eaton, Jake Ilardi, Nyjah Huston, Alexis Sablone and Alana Smith. Good-luck everyone!

As always, Happy Skating!

Still Skateboarding at My Age!

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It was brought to my attention that I needed to do a follow-up post on my original post: https://wordpress.com/post/anotherdaywithjulie.home.blog/3456 ‘Learning to Skateboard at My Age? Why Not!’. I see that my original post was May 27, 2020, almost a year ago. Well lo and behold, yes, I am still at it.

So, from my starting point, almost a year ago, I have come a long way. Starting with driveway guidance by holding my son’s arm to being able to stand on the board myself seemed a big accomplishment back then. I thought myself a real wiz when I could go down the driveway and make a turn to come back. I even learned kick turns. Then I was on the actual road, heading down to the culdesac and back. My son and I even took an outing down a few streets where I learned how to slow down on hills and stop the board without letting it fly into the bushes.

My biggest feat of all so far and my goal really, was accomplished a couple of days ago on Mother’s Day. My son drove us down to the beach and we rode our boards around the bay. Beautiful day for it – nice breeze, gorgeous blue skies, sailboats on the bay, lots to take in. But safety first, not only did I embrace my wrist pads and helmet, I also donned a face mask. I may be brave enough to skateboard at my age, but I’m not brave enough to go maskless.

Now, a couple of days later, the old bones are saying perhaps I went a little too far. I thought I was in good shape, after all I do yoga every morning, but skateboarding does use a lot of muscles, especially if you’re not going downhill. So, my new goal will be to get on the board a little more often and a little further each time. Got to build up my endurance if I hope to be in the Olympics some day.

Skateboarding at my age, proving you’re never to old to try something new. As always, Enjoy the Ride!

Making a Wish

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Our birthday celebrations have changed a bit since Covid-19. It used to be the norm to poke candles into the birthday cake and let the birthday person blow all over the cake. Now, thinking about it, that is a bit gross.

The whole birthday cake now has the birthday persons germs all over every single piece of it. Unless one is willing to wipe off the top layer of frosting (WHAT!), they are now taking in those germs. Of course, over the years, most people do not get sick from this endevor. Perhaps that is because most people are not sick on their birthday or maybe it is just luck.

Regardless of our past ways, my family is taking on a new way of wish making. We admire the cake and then cut it into pieces, putting a candle or candles onto the birthday persons slice. The birthday person then can blow to their hearts content all over their own slice while the other pieces are safe from the breeze. Not that we are worried about anything in our own household, but one never knows, and it does seem to be a more sanitary way of doing things.

So, if after things are back to a somewhat normal way of life, and I am invited to a birthday party where the guest of honor blows all over the whole cake, I think I will politely pass. If I’m really feeling the urge for a piece, I can always go home and make a cupcake after the party. I’m not wiping the frosting off.

As always, Stay Safe!

Another Day with Yoga

Book Reviews, life

While I had tried yoga in the past, even taking a class, it never became a routine for me until recently. Sometime late last year, I decided to give yoga a try again. This time, I decided to do yoga every day, not just once a week or whenever the urge took hold of me. Daily yoga soon became a habit I looked forward to. In fact, I had to do my yoga. I was hooked.

What was different this time? Why was I able to stick to yoga? Well for one thing, doing something daily, especially at the same time daily, becomes a habit. Another big thing is that I felt the differences that yoga had made on my body as well as my mood. Yoga is great at reducing stress. Yoga got rid of my aches and pains. No more getting out of bed and feeling stiff. The elbow and hip soon felt better. The shoulder, that seemed out of place, took a bit longer to mend. But with daily yoga, even the shoulder is now perfectly fine. After actually feeling the difference, there is no doubt in my mind that yoga is a wonderful way to start each day. I guess I am now a yogi.

Yoga does not have to be intense or take very long. A simple twenty minute routine is all that is needed. I like to do yoga along to videos. Many can be found on Youtube. After becoming familiar with yoga, building one’s own yoga program is easy to do. A good book of reference for this is Yoga Zone Introduction to Yoga A Beginner’s Guide to Health, Fitness, and Relaxation by Alan Finger and Al Bingham.

As always, Happy Yoga Practice!

These are a Few of My Favorite Posts this Year ( in Pictures )

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This is a brief recap of my favorite posts of the year 2020. Please check them out …

My very favorite post of the year is… Adding a Smile to My Day. (feature photo)

Other favorites are….

My Take on: Knives Out

(a great who-done-it)

Fun Little Paper Mache Craft

(makes me smile every time)

Lavender Makes a Comeback

(bravo for the underdog)

Making Croissants

(yummy)

Learning to Skateboard at My Age? Why Not!

(or the post my kids tease me about the most)

Looking at the Neighborhood Through a Lens

(learning to be more mindful and present)

Yaquina Head – Newport, Oregon

(first and last vacation of the year)

Thank you to all who have stopped by my blog this year. I hope spending Another Day With Julie has given you a little bit of happiness. I can not wait to see what I shall find to write about in the New Year. Happy 2021 to all!

Sunshine Blogger Award Nomination

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I want to give my BIGGEST thanks to Julia and Katherine at Nourish for nominating me for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Nourish posts wonderful, healthy recipes and talks openly about eating disorders. I love this mother/daughter team site and I hope everyone will check them out. I can attest that their gingerbread recipe is wonderful. Thanks again ladies!

The Sunshine Blogger Award is given to bloggers by fellow bloggers who are creative, positive, and inspiring. After receiving the nomination, the blogger has the honor of writing a post that thanks the nominator, answers some fun questions, and nominates more bloggers for the award.

Here’s what the nominees have to do:

  1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and include a link to their blog.
  2. Answer the 11 questions asked of you.
  3. Nominate other bloggers for the award and ask them 11 questions.
  4. Notify the nominees in the comments of one of their posts.
  5. Include the request and logo of the Sunshine Blogger Award in your post.

Questions from Julie and Katherine at Nourish:

  1. What is one positive thing that happened in 2020? From the beginning of the whole Covid situation, I decided to make the best of things. After all, why make yourself more miserable by having a negative outlook? The best thing that happened in 2020 was that my family and I got to spend a lot of quality time together. There were more game nights, walks in the neighborhood, movie nights, and conversation. We enjoyed each other and appreciated what we have.
  2. What are you looking forward to in the New Year? I am hoping that the New Year will at some point be more normal. I am also anxious to start in on my New Year’s resolutions. Oh yes, I’m a list maker. So resolutions are my cup of tea.
  3. How will you be celebrating New Year’s Eve? I will ring in the New Year with my husband, daughter, and son at home. We will play board games and drink egg nog and eat a wonderful dessert, of which I have yet to decide upon.
  4. Follow up to #3: are you planning on staying up until midnight on NYE? Yes! I will not be a party pooper.
  5. Best recipe you tried in 2020? Making homemade croissants. It felt like I was in France. Oh yum!
  6. Best book you read in 2020? I’m a bookworm by nature so it is hard for me to pick just one book. Lets see… I will say it was The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals by Wendy Jones. I bought the sequel to the book before I was finished with the first. I guess that says something.
  7. Favorite blog post you’ve ever done? (Feel free to link it!) That would have to be Learning to Skateboard at my age? Why Not! After a less than ideal skateboarding attempt as a kid, I finally got the nerve to try it again as an adult. Read my post for the whole story!
  8. If you could travel anywhere (when it’s safe to, of course), where would you go? I want to go to Greece! I am a big fan of the movie Mamma Mia and I think it looks beautiful and peaceful there. It is on my bucket list.
  9. What is something you do take care of yourself? I try to eat a balanced diet and get to bed at a decent hour. This year I have also taken up doing Yoga daily. It has helped to heal some aches and pains, so I am a big fan of it.
  10. What do you hope readers get out of your blog? I hope that it offers a little something for everyone. It is an accumulation of all the things that make me me. I strive to be positive and honest and hopefully helpful.
  11. What is your favorite thing about blogging? I love having a blogging community where I can communicate with like minds. I enjoy being inspired by others and building blogging friendships.

Enough about me… Now for my Blogger Nominations. And the winners are…

  1. Creatology Blog
  2. Zeichenschatten
  3. Dave Bakes
  4. Bead Yarn Spatula
  5. Two Trails One Road
  6. Maison Bentley Style
  7. Maybe It’s Just Me
  8. Teti’s Flakes
  9. Silly Old Sod
  10. Frugal Haus Frau
  11. House Crazy Sarah

Here are your questions:

  1. What is your favorite movie of all time?
  2. What do you enjoy about blogging?
  3. How many languages do you speak and what are they?
  4. Where is your favorite place that you have travelled to?
  5. If you could invite 2 famous people to dinner (dead or alive) who would they be?
  6. Do you make New Year’s Resolutions?
  7. What is your favorite blog post?
  8. What book are you currently reading?
  9. What is your favorite recipe?
  10. Do you prefer cats or dogs?
  11. Any words of wisdom for the New Year?

As always, Happy Blogging!

A Quaint Thanksgiving

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With covid on the rise, we decided to be model citizens and have a quaint Thanksgiving. Just the three of us. Does that mean we had to skimp on the meal? Don’t be silly!

I discussed with my guys what they wanted for Thanksgiving dinner. I, for one, did not really want to make a turkey. A turkey would be way too much bird for us. And I’m not that fond of preparing it or of having leftover turkey. I suggested game hens. The guys gave the ok to that. Not real big turkey fans either. For the sides, my son still wanted dressing and mashed potatoes with gravy. Ok. I was on board with that. Rice was also on the list as were green beans. Rolls were a must for me. All the side dishes would be made in quantities for three. And of course pie was an absolute must.

This year, instead of having the Thanksgiving meal at lunch time, as my family has always done, I decided to have it at dinner time. This gave me more time to prepare without feeling rushed. And since we usually have our larger meal at dinner it just made more sense.

I put the table cloth on the table and got out the good china. Fabulous! We each took our turn to say what we were thankful for this year. Maybe this year, with things such as they are, we could count our blessings even more. We have our health and food on the table. That is what seems to be important right now. I saved my wish bone from my game hen. The guys could not locate their wish bones. So tomorrow when the wish bone dries out a bit, we can break it and make a good wish. I already know what I will wish for if I get the big end. It is really a no brainer for me this year.

After enjoying our Thanksgiving dinner, we skyped with our daughter, who is away at college. Then we took a walk in the neighborhood. No one was out, just us taking a walk in the moon light. We came home and played a board game. A quaint but lovely Thanksgiving. It is, after all, what one makes of it.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Is This the Year of the Snake?

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I have already shared my encounter with a snake while gardening this year. Was that not enough for one year? Well I guess not, for I had my second encounter recently. This one was a little too close for comfort. Not that comfort would ever be a word I would use when talking about snakes.

So this time, I had just come home from a shopping trip and parked my car in the garage. I got out and opened up the back hatch and took out my bags. As I was starting to shut the hatch, I looked down and AT MY FEET was a SNAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Need I say that the hatch did not get shut. I ran around to the back of the house with all sorts of thoughts running through my head. I peared in the window and found my husband sitting down to lunch. He let me in the back and then went out to check on the snake. Brave man! I did not want the snake in the car with the hatch left open or in our garage.

The snake was still there and not moving. Did I run it over? Was it dead? No, it was not flat or anything, just very still. This part I was told by my husband. I was not about to go out to see for myself.

So my husband checked out what type of snake it was that he was about to confront. It was a gopher snake. Since it was not poisonous, he moved it slightly with a stick to encourage it to go elsewhere. Apparently, it stuck its tongue out before heading down the driveway. EEKK!

I, as one might imagine, did not leave the house for the rest of the day. But afterwards, I had to wonder, was the snake there all along and I almost stepped on it or did it creep up on me? Yikes!

(Picture from: https://www.desertusa.com/reptiles/gopher-snake.html)