Author Archives: explorenewness

Miscellaneous Monday…NEW stuff i gotta share

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Happy Monday!

Boy, do I have some very random miscellaneous tidbits to share today! First off, I’ve got to say how much I love the iPad app Procreate. It’s probably the best bang for my buck related to apps. Lately, my favorite thing to do to relax is color. Since I’m a tightwad, I don’t buy fancy adult coloring books or fancy markers. I find a coloring page on Pinterest that I like, take a screenshot, import it into Procreate and color with my iPad’s pencil! I usually duplicate the original so I can color it again with different colors (like I did with the woman with the flower-hair below). At the end of a long hard day, you can often find me listening to an audiobook and coloring at the same time. Yes, multitasking can (sometimes) be a thing.

Per Google’s Bard, here are 10 benefits of adult coloring:

  1. Reduces stress and anxiety. Coloring is a great way to relax and de-stress. It can help to calm the mind and body, and reduce feelings of anxiety.
  2. Improves focus and concentration. Coloring requires us to focus on the present moment and to pay attention to detail. This can help to improve our focus and concentration skills.
  3. Boosts creativity. Coloring can help us to express our creativity and to tap into our imagination. It can also help us to come up with new ideas and solutions to problems.
  4. Improves fine motor skills. Coloring requires us to use our fine motor skills, such as hand-eye coordination and dexterity. This can help to improve these skills, which can be beneficial for people of all ages.
  5. Relieve boredom. Coloring can be a fun and stimulating activity that can help to relieve boredom. It can also be a great way to pass the time when we are waiting for something, such as a doctor’s appointment or a bus.
  6. Promotes mindfulness. Coloring can be a mindful activity that can help us to focus on the present moment and to let go of worries and stressors. This can be beneficial for our mental health and well-being.
  7. Can be a social activity. Coloring can be a fun and relaxing activity that can be enjoyed with friends or family. This can help to strengthen our relationships and to create new connections.
  8. Can be a therapeutic activity. Coloring can be used as a form of therapy for people with a variety of mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. It can also be used to help people with physical conditions, such as arthritis and tremors.
  9. Can be a creative outlet. Coloring can be a great way to express our creativity and to tap into our imagination. It can also be a way to relieve stress and anxiety.
  10. Is a fun and relaxing activity. Coloring is simply a fun and relaxing activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It is a great way to de-stress and to spend some time for ourselves.

Miscellaneous item #2:

I recently saw this post claiming this woman was the “first proven person in recorded history to have lived in 3 different centuries”. My question: How does someone “prove” that? What organization keeps track of such information? I know of one of my great-great…(maybe a few more greats)…aunts that lived in three different centuries too. I wonder if she’s on the list of whichever organization keeps track of such things!

Here’s my 3rd Great-Aunt. She lived from 1796-1902! Plus she had a few sisters that also lived to be over 100, including my 3rd great-grandmother. I hope I inherited her longevity gene!

AND!…here’s the newspaper article telling how she learned to ride a bike at age 100!

Miscellany #3

I did the 5 Tibetan Rites yoga exercises this week. When we get back from our Europe trip, I’m going to incorporate them into a 30-day challenge. (If I tell the blogging universe, I’m committed to really do it, right?!?)

I’ve noticed some variations of what the 5 rites are supposed to be. I did the poses per this illustration, but another list had jumping jacks instead of the upward dog stretch. Either way, I’m sure it will be good for my body after a long day at work staring at a computer screen!

Here are some of the benefits of doing the Five Tibetan Rites:

  • Improved circulation: The Five Tibetan Rites can help to improve circulation by stimulating the lymphatic system and the major blood vessels. This can help to reduce inflammation, improve blood flow, and deliver oxygen and nutrients to the cells.
  • Increased energy: The Five Tibetan Rites can help to increase energy levels by stimulating the endocrine system and the production of hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone. This can help to improve mood, reduce fatigue, and boost athletic performance.
  • Reduced stress: The Five Tibetan Rites can help to reduce stress by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system and promoting relaxation. This can help to improve sleep, reduce anxiety, and improve cognitive function.
  • Better sleep: The Five Tibetan Rites can help to improve sleep by promoting relaxation and reducing stress. They can also help to improve the quality of sleep by increasing circulation and reducing inflammation.
  • Improved flexibility: The Five Tibetan Rites can help to improve flexibility by stretching the muscles and joints. This can help to reduce pain and improve range of motion.
  • Weight loss: The Five Tibetan Rites can help with weight loss by increasing metabolism and burning calories. They can also help to reduce appetite and cravings.

So, that’s about it for the miscellaneous stuff I’m into this week. I hope you have a great day and do or learn something NEW!

more NEW photo challenge entries

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Happy Sunday!

When I read the theme of this week’s Lens-Artist Photo Challenge the above photo immediately came to mind. I do believe it fits the theme (in more ways than one). The theme is Framing.

I also want to enter the Sunday Sills Color Challenge and the Cee’s FOTD challenge with these bright and cheery yellow captures:

Have a great day! I hope you do or learn something NEW. Now I think I’ll go out and shoot my camera some more and get more NEW captures.

a NEW photo challenge entry

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Happy Saturday!

Here’s my entry for the Lens-Artist Challenge #261 – Work In Progress. I’m always very impressed by artists like this woman. I know it probably takes both natural talent and hard work to be able to create amazing art. In a few years, when I retire and have some extra time, I’d like to take some painting classes.

And a special thanks to Cee’s entry of her “Work In Progress” photo since it reminded me that I had something similar I could use as my entry. Actually, I kind of wondered if we photographed the same woman! Same hair length. Same body build. I took this photo on our trip to the Tetons in June (my stash from that trip keeps on giving!) I’ll have to pop over to Cee’s site and ask her if she happens to know her model, haha!

Have a great day! I hope you learn or do something NEW today!

a NEW Friday funny foto

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Happy Friday!

This foto might only be funny to me, because of my initial reaction. I was walking past a building on the university campus where I work, and out of the corner of my eye I see this. I don’t remember what I thought it was, but I definitely did not think it was only a lab coat and a green Kermit hat hanging on a coat rack!

Sorry for the reflection, I took this from outside. Have you ever had something strike your funny bone before you realized what it really was…an every day item?

Have a great day! Do or learn…or experience something NEW!

another NEW photo of Jenny Lake and a Sunday message

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Happy Sunday!

I realized I didn’t include this peaceful shot of Jenny Lake when I posted most of my other photos from our trip to the Tetons. Isn’t this lake beautiful?

Also, I listened to an old audiobook from author/speaker Jim Rohn recently and appreciated the message below. I hope you like it too:

The Gardener and God

There’s a story about a man who took a rock pile and in two years, turned it into a fabulous garden. And people came from everywhere to see it.

One day, a man came by and saw the garden and thought it was fabulous, but he wanted to make sure the gardener did not take all the credit. He had this deep feeling inside that a lot of people leave God out.

So the man toured the garden to have the chance to meet the gardener. He eventually found the gardener, shook his hand and said, “Mr Gardener, you and the good Lord together have made this beautiful garden.” 

The gardener immediately understood his message and his point. So he replied, “I think that’s true. If it’s not for the sunshine and the rain, and the miracle of the seeds and the soil and the seasons, there would be no garden at all.”

And he continued, “But you know, you should have seen this place a couple of years ago when God had it all by himself.”

Have a peaceful Sunday and I hope you do or learn something NEW!

a NEW way to puzzle

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Happy Wednesday!

Have you ever put together a jigsaw puzzle without having a picture of what it’s supposed to look like? It’s a bit tough! While traveling in May to Colorado to see the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, we stopped at a small touristy gift shop. The sales lady was good! She talked me into trying this NEW (to me) way of jigsaw-puzzling; so I bought a Bepuzzled Mystery Puzzle. The idea is, you read a short mystery story, then put the puzzle together to discover the cryptic clues hidden within the puzzle. I read Sherlock Holmes and the Speckled Band. After finishing the puzzle, I had to finish reading the story with a mirror because the ending is printed backward. If I would have thought to Google it, there are photos that pop up that I could have referenced, but I didn’t, haha!

This year I started snapping pics with my phone when I finish a puzzle. Here are all the puzzles I’ve finished since January:

All of them are 1000-piece puzzles except the succulent puzzle. That one we borrowed from the game room at an RV park where we were staying because it was raining all of that weekend and our outdoor plans were postponed.

Did you know that jigsaw puzzles help improve short-term memory, problem-solving skills and combat cognitive decline? That’s my reasoning for spending my precious time on this somewhat puzzling obsession haha! Plus, I’m usually listening to an audiobook at the same time. That’s gotta be good brain-health exercise, right?!?

Have a great day! I hope you do or learn something NEW!

a few NEW photos of the Flaming Gorge area

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Happy Monday! We recently visited the Flaming Gorge Recreation Area. It’s a huge reservoir in southern Wyoming and northern Utah. We stayed in a little town called Manila, Utah. It was fun to visit somewhere NEW. Certain areas were crowded, but it’s such a large reservoir that many places, especially up in the mountains (from where I took the above photo), were relatively quiet.

Maybe we’ll go again sometime and play in the water. There wasn’t a very big beach area, so those places were the most crowded. Although I’m not too sure we’ll return, because there are SO many other NEW places to explore!

Have a great day. I hope you learn or do something NEW today!

NEW photographic inspiration

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Hola amigos! Happy Tuesday!

So, I’ve been disappointed lately that I haven’t been out shooting more. Life is busy. But today I decided to just go in my backyard and try something NEW! I was very inspired by the impressionistic look from a recent post at melinda anderson photography using the camera shake method. I thought her “Wildflower Impressions” photo was so beautiful. So I tried it. It’s rather FUN! What do you think?

Here is a “normal” shot of the daisies. AND, we finally got rid of the ugly plastic edging and put pavers on the sides of our garden path. So that is another NEW thing!

Lesson learned. Even when I’m busy…getting prepared for a son’s wedding, working long hours at the day job, preparing for our upcoming Europe trip, yardwork etc., I need to take the time and have fun with my camera. This only took a few minutes, and now I have an impressionist photo to enjoy. Thank you to Melinda Anderson for the inspiration!

Have a wonderful day! I hope you do or learn something NEW today!