Weekend Coffee Share, on Relaxation

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. While it is quite warm, we have some clouds rolling in this morning. Bixby and I are just sitting around as I sip my chai latte and rub his ears now and then.

So, you and I are having a virtual coffee visit in my virtual cafe replete with roaming lap dog. I ask how your week has been. You likely are a blogger, or at least someone who likes to ‘somewhat’ read and possibly, write. What have you been reading? I’ve recently finished “Life is So Good” (on Audible) by a 102 year old African American man, in honor of Black History Month and in rebellion for the fact it was banned in some schools…for it’s honest depiction of how black men were treated in the past.

This last week has been very active and rush rush, at times a challenge with rambunctious middle -schoolers. Add to that the fact that a fellow teacher and friend quit teaching and his last day was Friday, we had an hour long meeting planning changes to teaching methods, and my usual club and personal activities continued (News Club, trivia with friends on Tuesday night, and coordinating yearbook).

I continued my journey into stress and pain relief with a Zen acupuncture appointment Wednesday after work. I didn’t fully know what to expect; the chiropractor had told me that it involves small needles placed in strategic places in order to promote energy flow and relaxation. The one needle in the top of my head was for energy, he told me. I wasn’t expecting that one, but it wasn’t too distracting.

The other needles went in quickly and we’re fairly shallow. One of my eyebrow kind of stung a little, but that’s subsided. There was very relaxing music in the room and a large screen showing several beautiful places in our world, such as fishing villages, oceans, and mountains. That started relaxing me before the needles even went in.

Yeah, I had to see what this looked like!

While this didn’t address my dominant pain areas, it did promote relaxation as I had been told it would do. It was a great experience and I plan to do it again. I sat there for 20 minutes with those needles in, laying back in that comfy chair, and taking in the sights and sounds that seems like a dream. I still think this was a good introduction to acupuncture for a squeamish gal such as I. Like I said, I will do this again, and in time I plan to try the dry needling to address areas like upper back, neck, and bicep pain.

Wow, I feel like such a brave adventurer! Later today, I am going in for a massage. Something about springtime, the pollen, and my allergic reactions kind of ramped up pains and headaches this week, so I believe there is no way I could do too much for my relaxation right now.

The rest of this weekend will bring brunch with some girlfriends tomorrow, and later, some time to plan activities for this coming week for my students that will keep them busy and engaged.

Ah, it has started raining. It’s a great day for massage and self-care! I hope you had a good week. Enjoy your Saturday!

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Weekend Coffee Share, Sloth-like Saturday: Smiles and Sleep

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. Today’s morning beverage is green Tazo tea served warm with a hint of honey. The morning weather is in the high 40s now. The sun is shining, which suits my lazy-late-sleeper attitude today!

Don’t be jealous, though. I certainly don’t usually sleep late enough! The warmth of my bed and my dog, Bixby at my feet helped the cozy atmosphere. I woke once to put the electric heating pad on my bum shoulder; it gets more uncomfortable with cool/ cold weather.

This past week on Thursday afternoon, I had my appointment with my new chiropractor, which is closer to work for me and also offers acupuncture. The office is airy and friendly, and there is lovely music in the reception area which is manned by a long-haired male receptionist. The chiropractor, who also does acupuncture, spoke with me about my needs, goals, and experience with chiropractic medicine. His adjustments are hands-on. There’s a window up high in the consultation room, again, nice and airy

I must say, the thought of someone ‘cracking my back’ was unnerving at first, but I feel the results are positive. The chiropractor seems pretty holistic in his beliefs, which I think is quite a good thing. The office is closer for me , too. He said I should wait and see how my body reacts to the adjustment. I have set another appointment for the acupuncture and will certainly share my experience!

When I got home, I was greeted by a newly shorn Bixby. He is cute as ever! His eyes are kind of squinted here in this morning’s photo because he has his eyes on a treat in my hand!

Friday was a non work day for me, a weather day. I got up and met some of my teacher friends for breakfast. I had a scrumptious egg platter with spinach and goat cheese on it, as well as real coffee! It was nice to catch up and share some gossip!

Last night I was able to catch up with my son a little bit. He wanted to watch Family Guy, then he was in bed early to prepare for a workday. At this point, we have have to be glad for the little moments we get. He likes the absurd humor of that show. It’s not my first choice. 🙂

Here’s to a great weekend with good food, friends, and loved ones!

A Day in My Life, Day 3. #RRBC #challenge #ADayinMyLife @PamSCanepa1

Day 3, #ADayinMyLife Jan. 4th

Heading into work this morning, our first day back with students, I felt excitement and dread. My favorite things are planning lessons and looking for strategies to engage students. My least favorite, includes state testing. Well, that happens next week. It’s not the official test, but it’s kind of a practice test to see where they are and how we need to get them ready for the official test in the spring. I try not to worry on it too much.

One of my favorite things that arose from discussions on planning day yesterday, is that I’m going to plan a lesson where we compare and contrast the nonfiction book by Malala to that of Anne Frank, as we are supposed to teach students to compare and contrast two works of literature from different time periods. There are a lot of universal themes we can explore with those two texts in different ways. I’ll be challenged to come up with some good questioning to make them think. Pretty lofty for 6th grade, right? It’s a challenge, but we’ll do our best!

I think goal setting is important. I have a little bit freedom to decide how we’ll start our class, so, this morning, I thought about giving them an online assignment asking about one of their future goals and what they could do today to help them reach it. On the drive to work, I still hadn’t decided whether to do that goal setting or a warm up with academic vocabulary. Wouldn’t it be great if we could know what would happen either way? I chose the goal setting. 🙂

All in all, I’d say my teaching day went alright. Students were super chatty from not seeing each other for 2 weeks. I had to overcome that. We went through our lesson and then did an online game together, which they love doing. It was noisy, but they were engaged, they were involved, and they were talking about and defending their answers. It seems to help them remember the content.

After school, I had a meeting with my News and Podcast Club kids, which I co-sponsor along with a retired STEM teacher. We started it in Spring of 2021. Once the club had been established for a year, he suggested we also do podcasting of our news stories. I’ll tell you, the kids love it, and I am still learning it. He has also introduced the metaverse, which is really cool but we are just at the beginning stages. I myself am learning so much from this experience!

Photo from last month with two club leaders. How do you like our news backdrop?

That’s my day. When I got home, my dog was so happy to see me as it had been raining, and he hates that. I’m once again tired, but at least today is a rest day from exercise. I think I’ll catch up on some reading. I’ll share more on that tomorrow!

Weekend Coffee Share , in Metaphors

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. I’m moving like a conversation with a true Southern grandma on a hot porch. So I guess this calls for tea. 🙂 Have whatever you like.

Part of this long conversation on the porch would include long pauses, allowing one to take in the scenery, which is beautiful. It’s not the Mexican Riviera, but it is beautiful nonetheless. If you decide to love your life, it must be an unconditional embrace of the ups and downs and quiet moments of greenery, sunshine, or moonlight. In my humble opinion. 🙂

Chai tea the way I like it on the porch.

Yes, my first week of school went smoothly with the students, but I had a setback with the shoulder that involved more inflammation in my shoulder, arm, and hand. I have to use a computer at work but do so sparingly. I’m asking others for help with carrying heavy things and writing on the board. So, this is still a mystery. I will say that I seem to benefit from the energy of my 6th grade students and younger colleagues, so I’m grateful for that! Humor is an elixir that helps me survive each day.

An appointment in 10 days should give me some answers on the shoulder situation. I was quite teed at my primary doc’s office for never answering the phone this week and headed to a Care spot instead for help with the inflammation.

I feel like the man in the movie who only had 100 words left to speak for the rest of his entire life. He had to make them count. So, that’s my excuse for keeping this short. Honestly, I just woke up and started this on my phone. Half of it is through text to speech. LOL. I guess one benefit of text to speech is that it forces a person to really speak clearly or there will be a lot of ” typos.”

Oh well, I was able to sleep in late today and wake with my dog, my canine sympatico, at the foot of the bed. So I thought I’d keep this short, but it doesn’t seem that short. Such are the best laid plans of mice and men.

How was your week?

Weekend Coffee Share, January Exiting

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. It is not quite 40 degrees yet here, with last night in the 30s and a wind chill in the 20s. We’ve had unusually cold weather here in Northeast Florida lately. Since I had hot coffee yesterday, I’m drinking green tea with ginger today.

If you follow my blog, you know that I don’t drink coffee everyday, and I’m a believer in health benefits of green tea. Today’s tea is Tazo green tea and does have a caffeine content, something I prefer in the morning. 🙂 What is your morning drink of choice?

With this recent cold weather, I’ve felt like being in semi-hibernation mode. Rarely is it this cold for so long in my area. My sinuses have been a pain, but I never have a fever. Being an allergy sufferer, I chalk it up to that and just add Mucinex to my routine.

My dog Bixby is in need of a haircut or trim, but I’m letting him keep his fluff through this cold weather. He is a cutie and a great companion during the cold spells. I just have to let him out to the backyard and try to walk him at least once a day.

Every morning with my dog is a little bit like Christmas. Once he’s ready to get up, I’ll say “Wanna go outside?” He responds by jumping off the bed and trotting to the back door. I let him out with the door slightly closed with a sliver of air; once done, he comes barreling through and trots back in. He always seems to leave the door open. He’s so fun to watch! He’s overdue for a dog park visit….as soon as it warms up again, hopefully in February!

January is over soon, and I’m fine with that. February is short, and then March brings Spring Break for me and milder weather at some point. Work keeps me really busy, as always, so it’ll pass quickly, I’m sure.

In January, I read two books: one was The Curse of Lochness, obviously about the Loch Ness monster, imbued with all sorts of local lore and myth. Quite interesting, but chilling. I found the book through an Amazon search of books about Bigfoot, which cross-referenced with other books of folklore and monsters, a subject of interest. The other was a novella introduction to a series called The One Chosen: the Diadodz Short Story, which I’d found in a Christmas online event for the Rave Reviews Book Club, of which I am a member.

I’ve also been re-reading Wuthering Heights since December. It’s a classic that always stuck with me for the characterization of Heathcliff and Catherine. There is so much exposition, that I cannot read too much of it at once, so it’ll take a while, but I’ll continue. In the meantime, I’ve started an espionage story that hopefully is fast-paced. I’ll tell you more later!

My Netflix habit is quite active, what with the semi-hibernation mode I seem to be in. My son and I enjoy watching Blacklist; James Spader is a dynamic actor! Mom and I like to watch Grey’s Anatomy, and Seinfield is a lifelong love of mine that will keep perpetuating itself! I am almost done with the whole series that I started shortly after it became available on Netflix.

That’s my life for now. I hope you all are well, and please keep warm! I’m pleased to see we do have some sunshine today, at least. We haven’t had much of that for about a week. Good day!

Morning Bliss. #poetry

Photo by WARREN BLAKE on Pexels.com

Poem by Pamela Schloesser Canepa, (c) 2021

~~~

The dog comes back in, pep in his step

dirt stuck to his back, paws gray.

I laugh at his small blissful rebellion

As he will be bathed today.

I hope he got the best from that moment!

~~~~~

The sun peaks in gently, not fierce

Where I’ve left the door open a crack…

I hear the birds as I breathe in the fresh air;

and though soon, oppressive summer will be back,

Today, it is still Spring.

~

Sun salutation!

• Visit the origin of today’s word prompt challenge: https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2021/05/31/rdp-monday-bliss/

Weekend Coffee Share, Looking on the Brightside

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Allison at Eclectic Ali. I had a nice morning sitting outside with the dog with my coffee, then a little exercise to follow.  I am reflecting on my health today, my personal improvement progress, and my writing journey.  Grab your favorite beverage of choice and pull up a chair!

You can see Bixby loves the fresh air and hearing the breeze and trees!

In book news, Malachi, Ruse Master, my latest book, got a 5 star review and seal from Reader’s Favorite. It is a sort of cross-genre, and while it certainly fits the Young Adult genre, it would be well-love by readers of any age from teen and up.  See reviews details at my earlier blog post:  https://pamelascanepa.wordpress.com/2020/05/07/malachi-ruse-master-earns-a-readers-favorite-5-star-review/

 

Limiting words and thoughts: Hmmm, like pain, stress, anxiety, tired. I am not a sufferer, but rather, victorious and resilient. I know I can do this even when I falter. I am still working on it, a work in progress , we could say.

On the topic of health, mental and physical, I have finished the Prednisone medication for my shoulder (rotator cuff impingement) and received an x-ray order. I will go in the next two weeks. At the start of this week, I was feeling so weary and pained, and the medication he gave me along with a higher dose NSAID made me feel loopy. Afternoon naps were necessary on Monday and Tuesday.   It was slightly better at the end of the weekm though.  I am still working on the mind/body connection when it comes to chronic pain and just finished reading a book on the subject.  It really involves looking inward at your stresses, pressures, or past negative emotions. It is called The Mind Body Prescription by Sarno.  I am sure to read more books on the subject.  It encouraged me to make a list on the things that bother me. I now have another book on the subject but can’t recall the title. I will share as I start reading.

All is well with my family, and I am still teaching online.  There are just short of three weeks left now.  A lot of students sent me kind messages in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, and I loved it.  I miss seeing them.  The computer is not the same, but we will all grow this this, and I hope they know I am still there.  

I do hope you all will enjoy Mother’s Day tomorrow!  Mom, my son, and I are planning on having a seafood meal and perhaps a walk in the park, not too close to any crowds.  Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week!

Weekend Coffee Share. Out of my Head, and onto the Page.

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Allison at eclecticali.wordpress.com

What a lovely weekend it is! Here in the southeast U.S., it will be close to 100 degrees today! I took Bixby to the dog park Saturday, and we could not even last an hour.
There were plenty of dogs, and he loved that, but they all where panting heavily in no time in that heat. At least he drank a lot of water! The dog park is always a treat for me as well; I love to watch dogs play.

I am approaching my birthday this coming week. It makes me look back and ponder my life and choices while appreciating all that has been given me. I have been blessed in so many ways.

This throwback photo is of me in April, 1996, either a week before or the day before I gave birth to my son. All of this talk of women’s reproductive rights gets me thinking. My son was certainly planned and wanted. For those who had a child that was not planned, I honor you as well. No two experiences with motherhood are the same. How different could the pregnancy experience be for someone who is raped or does not have access to birth control? We do not need to move backward with women’s rights, or the rights of any other sort of person! I suppose I’ll be accused of being political. Posting certain things on my Facebook can lead to arguments from some of my staunchly GOP friends. I have some in my family, too. I love them no matter what and try to disagree amicably.

All of this reflection has led to me setting up a separate Facebook to share some poems and past journal entries about my experiences as a woman. Oddly, if I try to boost any of those posts or the page, FB wants an extra authentication process, meaning I will likely be put on a list somewhere. I feel so important now! I am tired of holding my tongue just because I am a girl, and I have never picketed for women’s rights. I am a firm believer that the pen is mightier than the sword.

As part of this whole process, I have considered writing some books under a pen name, and do not always feel comfortable sharing certain things under my own name that involve subverting the paradigm or opening eyes to my point of view, so I’m trying it out to see how it goes.

My most recent post was a poem entitled “Sorry,” which is all about the way many of us have been raised to be sorry for so many things, when we just needed to express our emotions or we didn’t want a hug from Dad’s scary old man friend. You know, taught to be sorry when we didn’t live up to others’ expectations of how we should behave as a girl.

I do think this may lead into a book someday, but I have no other details. I am still working on my WIP, Malachi, and I am considering a summer trip to the place which is the setting of this book. Of course, this means I need to get to planning, and I am so behind on that. I can do this!

Why was she always so sorry? (Image via Pixabay).

Thank you for stopping by for my Weekend Coffee Share! I know I have mostly been sharing about what’s going on in my head, but hey, I am doing something about it, because my thoughts don’t eat me up anymore. Have a great week!

Ambivert/Dog-Lover Achieves Rest and Relaxation. #Weekend Coffee Share.

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Allison at Eclectic Ali. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas or happy holiday, whichever holiday it is that you celebrate.

I’m listening to The Driving Song by Widespread Panic. Their music just flows for me. I listen to one of their albums in my car a lot, and one song seems to flow into the other, yet each one telling its own individual story. Some of the songs are very visual, and I can just picture stories based on them. I find their music relaxing especially when I’m driving, because driving can be kind of stressful for me and traffic gives me anxiety. But their songs make me feel like I’m on the open road, on a clear, sunny day, traveling aimlessly. Right now is a good time for me to listen, since I won’t be able to travel anywhere for a few months.  Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XleAMV-W5C4

It being Winter Break for me, I have been getting a good amount of relaxation. I’ve caught up on my Netflix shows, even watched the choose- your-adventure Netflix episode / movie (Bandersnatch) yesterday. Wow, what a mind-bender. Quite intriguing. As a creator of fiction, it really appealed to me. I also finished season 3 of Travelers and have gotten some reading in. Heck, I even made it to yoga twice this week. Yeah, I’m a little sore due to that, but only because I am not used to it.  We’ll see how next week goes. 🙂

Since I’m saving money after the Christmas bills I just paid, today is sort of a hang- around-the- house day. I left for an hour for a church rehearsal of a skit we’ll be doing tomorrow, then I came back home.  My canine companion is glad to hang out with me me and loves having the company at home. We did give him a Merry Christmas present by taking him to the dog park on Christmas Day, and let me tell you, there were lots of interesting dogs and dog owners there on that day. I love the park we go to, and the people who go there are always so nice. I can’t say much for my dog’s behavior, though. Not as polite as I’d like. He’s only on week 2 of dog obedience class, so I guess we’ll give it time.

Doesn’t this face look innocent to you?  I love that little ruffian.

On the writing scene, I have re-edited my sci-fi book, Seeing Through Samson’s Eyes and have put it on a site to distribute to Barnes & Noble, apple, and Kobo. It is still available on Amazon as well. I actually enjoy going through to re-edit and polish it, because it is a story I enjoyed writing, and I like to revisiting those characters. Check it out at https://www.books2read.com/u/b5rd51  or you can get Amazon information on any of my books at https://www.amazon.com/Pamela-Schloesser-Canepa/e/B01E0KV716

I’ve come up with a few more ideas for Malachi, a character from my book Undercurrents in Time and I wrote a few of them down. I bought a little notebook to get organized as far as my chapter concepts. But I feel like I have not written very much for it. I have crossed the 20,000 word threshold though. I just plan to give myself time on this one and meanwhile ideas are coming to me for other books. Maybe that’s what right now is about, because my arm and shoulder have been sore lately, and I know sometimes I just need to take a break. I use ice now and then, but it’s hard to type at that point. So I will just plan and let the ideas speak to me. Maybe right now I’ll just give myself time to listen.

As far as writing, I don’t think I have been as attentive to my blog as of late. However, I did join in a blogger’s challenge that I discovered on Beaton’s blog, Becoming the Muse. It was called The Best of 2018. I wrote about some of my better experiences of this year. I would love it if you gave one of my posts a visit.  You can find one of them here:  Best of the Year 12/12-17 or here: Best of the Year, 12/18-12/24

 Rhode Island definitely featured a prominent place in my Best of the Year!

I have had a wonderful holiday with my family, and this has been a peaceful, prosperous year in which I have met a few of my goals.  I wish you all the happiest New Year possible.  Thank you for dropping by and sharing a cup of cheer with me!

From Lost to Loved, now a permafree download on Amazon.com & Smashwords! (Paperback, $5).#doglover

If your adopted shelter dog could tell his story, what wonders or secrets might you learn? If you’ve ever wondered why your dog reacts with fear when the kitchen timer goes off or gets defensive when he meets a tall man, consider the origin story of Bixby. Read this tale of survival, hardship, hope, and kindness in unexpected places as Pamela imagines the long journey of his life before they found each other and he became part of her family.  (Partial blurb)…

Call it a labor of love, but I wanted to publish something with a clear lesson for younger readers. However, the fact is, readers of all ages can enjoy this story.  It is a free read in e-book form, 25 pages long, written from the point of view of my beloved dog, Bixby.  It all came to mind as I was waiting on editors and beta-readers to proof my latest sci-fi manuscript.

Download “From Lost to Loved”  for free on Amazon Kindle in the U.S. at From Lost to Loved, Kindle e-book. (If not in U.S., it is priced equal to .99.  Use this link:  https://bookgoodies.com/a/B073XTV2JF. Or you can find it on Smashwords free for your Nook or all other e-reader formats that could be useful on your laptop,etc.  Smashwords download link:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/722693

It is also, as of December 2017, available in paperback for $5 on Amazon: From Lost to Loved, paperback and makes a great gift to a dog-lover or young reader.

“Heart-warming and moving, well-written!” -Smashwords reviewer

“We recommend it to dog-lovers everywhere!” -Amazon reviewer

Friends and fellow bloggers, I ask that you download this one for free and share a review on Amazon or Smashwords to show readers it is worth their time.  You can also give feedback here.   My goal was to teach kindness to young readers and to warm the hearts of  all other readers.  Thanks for giving it a read!

**If you navigated here by accident and want to view my overall blog, please click https://pamelascanepa.wordpress.com

 

 

 

Left:  Before coming home. Notice his facial expression: anxious, a little nervous, and unsure.  Right:  Comfortable at home, after being part of our family for several months.  The lighting is also brighter on the left than it is at home.