Terre Pruitt's Blog

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Archive for July, 2016

The Girls – An Update

Posted by terrepruitt on July 27, 2016

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitOk, so it is not really an “update” because there isn’t really anything to update you all about.  They are fine.  And I know that my blog is not really a cat blog.  But . . . I just think they are so cute and so beautiful.  I also think that many animal parents feel the same way so they can relate.  With that in mind, I also think that I will be forgiven for posting pictures of my beautiful girls.

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They are very good girls.  They are constantly entertained by what is going on in the yard.  I think that is awesome.  Since it is so hot here have all the sliders open and the girls spend the evenings running from one door to another to another.  They are entertained.  They get exercise.  Plus it entertains us.  It is funny to look up and see a flat cat slinking across the room to a window.  Most of the time it is cause for a double take; “Did I just see?  Yup.  A flat cat.”

The place where we got them, The Dancing Cat, has adopted out 73 cats so far.  That is really great.  Some, like ours, come in pairs.  I am confident that they will reach 100.  I am hoping they will PASS 100.  Even though it is being called a cat adoption lounge, it is really a cool place to just go and hang out with cats.  You don’t even have to be interested in adopting a cat.  I am planning on going with a friend this week.  I am not in the market for another cat.  I just like meeting the cats and supporting the place.  I hope that, if you are at all interested in cats and you are in the area, you will visit.  I believe the plan is to be open into November (2016).  It is a fun place to hang out . . . if you like cats.

Do you like cats?  Would you like to hang out with them for an hour?  Purrhaps play get the string?

 

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Posted in Cats, Teagan and Nessa | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Muffin Tin Eggs

Posted by terrepruitt on July 25, 2016

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitI am sure you have seen these eggs baked in muffin tins on the internet, too, just like the Caprese Bites.  And just like that yummy appetizer I thought I could do this without looking at a recipe.  I mean, it seems so easy.  It is.  I am sure you can do it, too.  But sometimes it is nice to have tips and advise.  Experience from those who have come before.  I thought I would need an egg per muffin cup, but I did not.  I ended up making eight mini muffins and four regular sized muffins with 6 eggs.  So this really isn’t a recipe with actual amounts of things because that is up to you.  But it is an idea of things and some tips.

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Muffin Tin Eggs

6 eggs
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salt
pepper
other seasonings
cheese  (1/2 cup-ish, grated)
broccoli  (1 cup-ish)

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Clean the broccoli and rough cut it into bite sized pieces. Grate some cheese.

Crack your eggs into a bowl big enough for you to mix them and add a little milk.  Mix up the eggs and milk.  Add the salt and pepper to taste.  Any seasonings you would like.  I used garlic powder (of course).

If you are using metal muffin tins then you probably want to spray them with some cooking spray or put some oil or butter on them.  Whatever you would normally for muffins.  I used the silicon kind and they don’t need spray.

Place a few pieces of broccoli into each muffin cup.  Then add the grated cheese into the tin.  Then pour the eggs on top.  Only fill it about half way.

Place the muffin “tin” in the oven and let it cook for about 12 minutes.  Check the eggs.  Cook them to your liking.  Some people like “wet” eggs and others like them dry.  So you get to decide.

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As I said I made two different sized muffin tin eggs.  I imagine this would make at least eight regular sized muffins or twelve to sixteen mini ones.

These are like scrambled eggs except you don’t have to do all the work every morning.  You can make them on Sunday evening and then have a quick breakfast everyday all week.  They are also like scrambled eggs in that you can put whatever you want in them.  Whatever you would eat in a scramble put it in the tin.  Somethings you might want to or need to cook before putting them in the tin.  Meat would need to be cooked prior to putting in the tin for baking with the eggs.  And we all like our veggies done differently so you might even want to cook some before putting it in the tin to bake.

I want to use mushrooms next time.  I would cook them before putting them in the muffins.  What would you put in yours?

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Caprese Bites

Posted by terrepruitt on July 20, 2016

You’ve probably seen these before.  I know I have.  I don’t know where, but I know that when I saw them I wanted to make them.  I was having company over last weekend and I didn’t know what to make because I didn’t know who was eating what and we usually end up with so much food.  I decided I would do these as an appetizer and supply the dessert and the company could bring the rest.  Worked out great!  🙂  As I said I had remembered seeing these before, but didn’t bother to look them up because I thought I could figure them out.  I did, but as I sat down to write this I thought I would give it a quick look-see.  I should have looked before I made them because, of course, there are much better ways to present them shown on the internet.  Mine were ok, and I will probably do it again, but I do like the swishy drizzle.  Not that I could ever accomplish that.  I tried to drizzle and the new thing from Costco that is on the balsamic vinegar, just dripped it all over the plate.  I gave up and used a spoon.  Anyway . . . here is a quick and yummy appetizer.  Caprese salad or as I am calling these Caprese Bites.

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A tub of mozzarella balls
two tubs of grape tomatoes
a bunch of basil
balsamic vinegar
salt

Drain the mozzarella and let it dry out a little bit.  Wash your basil if you desire, then let it dry a bit.  Wash the tomatoes and let them dry.  Then cut the mozzarella balls in half.  Sprinkle the cheese with salt.  Then decide the order.  I had cheese-tomato-basil.  Then stick a tooth pick through the cheese, then the tomato, then a basil leaf.  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with a little salt.

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So, I made these last weekend.  I didn’t take a picture.  I had leftover cheese, so I made them again for this post.  I salted the cheese the second time I made these.  Then I salted the entire “bite” after I drizzled on the balsamic vinegar.  I barely used an salt and half of it rolls off.  But I really think the salt helps bring out the flavor in everything.  Salt is a flavor enhancer.  YUM.

Also the second time, I tried to stick the tomato on one side . . . in other words NOT IN THE MIDDLE.  I tried to pierce it closer to one side of the tomato so it would rest better on the plate.  I did also try doing it with the tomato on the bottom and the toothpick up in the air, I didn’t like that.  It probably would have worked better with the cheese on the bottom.  Or if the tomatoes are cut.

Either way . . . such an easier appetizer.  And so yummy.  I actually assembled it the night before.  But I put the vinegar and salt on right before I served it.  Both kind of make the cheese “melty”.  So it got a little messy.  But it was still good.

I was actually surprised how much I liked them.  I made a lot and I think I ate most of them.  My hubby and I even had a few in the days that followed.

Now we have more.  Yay!  Yum!

Have you made these before?  How do you assemble them?

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Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

Flow Yoga? Vinyasa Yoga? Vinyasa Flow Yoga?

Posted by terrepruitt on July 18, 2016

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitYoga has been around for thousands of years.  There are so many translations of the documents that talk about yoga that there doesn’t seem to be a definitive way to do things.  The poses all seem to have different names, and when you hear a name you’ve heard before it can be done entirely different from what you were taught.  Pronunciation is all over the board.  There just doesn’t seem to be any way to know what you are getting . . . exactly.

I have been taking a few different classes to check things out.  And this is what I have come across.  There is “Flow Yoga”.  That is where the class is done in a flowing manner.  The participants move from pose to pose using the breath.  There might be poses where we stop and stay in it for a few breaths, but basically we are flowing from pose to pose.  Then there is the Vinyasa style.  Now Vinyasa is a flowing class.  It might not be called “Vinyasa Flow”, but that is usually what it is.  With a Vinyasa class participants flow from pose to pose and they are done on the breath.  There might be some stopping and holding, then flow to the next pose . . . but there is also “a Vinyasa”.  You can look it up and you’ll see vinyasa is defined as “arranging something in a special way.”  That can be applied to the class as already mentioned, but it can also be applied to a small sequence of poses.

In a Vinayasa class, in addition to flowing from one pose to the next, you “take a” or you “do a” vinyasa which is a specific set of poses.  It is generally the same, but it might be modified for the level of the class, but “a vinyasa” is typically plank pose, to knees-chest-chin or chaturanga dandasana, to cobra pose or upward facing dog pose, to downward facing dog pose.  The less intense vinyasa would be the one with the knees-chest-chin and cobra pose, whereas the more intense version would include the chaturanga dandasana and upward facing dog pose.  You could also do a combination and do knees-chest-chin with the upward facing dog or the chaturanga dandasana with the cobra pose.

What you also might experience in a class is something that really can’t be defined.  At some venues where they do yoga . . . like at an actual yoga studio . . . they might have classes that are separated into levels.  So a level one flow class will be different, probably less intense than a level two or three.  But at some places every class is expect to be an “all level” class . . . and that is where you will probably experience something that can’t be defined.

In order to allow “all levels” to participate the instructor will modify and change what she can in order to make certain that everyone can participate.  This, to me, is where a lot of the changes in yoga has come from.  So the need to alter it so it is accessible to the general public in combination with the fact that the translations are so varied has resulted in no definitive way of things being done or described.

So, my conclusion and definitions say:  Vinyasa yoga is flow yoga, but flow yoga is not vinyasa flow.  In Vinyasa yoga you do vinyasas.

The BEST way to know what you are getting is to talk to the instructor and/or take a class.  It helps to see for yourself.  You can always tell the teacher that you are taking the class to see if it a fit for you, then do the best you can.  If you like the class return to take it again.  If you don’t like it, you can always let the instructor know it was not what you were looking for.

When attending a class for the first time it is good to keep in mind that you might get a little different than you expected, but hopefully you will be able to enjoy the class for what it is.

What kind of yoga classes do you like?

Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Easy To Clean, Perhaps Not So Easy To Drink From

Posted by terrepruitt on July 11, 2016

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When I got it I filled it and put it outside. The birds didn’t touch it. They used the other feeder. I even put the new one in the spot where the old one was – 1) I didn’t trust that it wouldn’t leak (so I put it over the dirt) 2) I thought that would encourage them to use it.

When I saw a bird at the new feed what I saw was the little hummingbird sitting on it and then having to REACH his neck up really tall in order to get his beak into the “bee guard” flower. The flowers on the new feeders have a little tube that are supposed to keep bees out. But our birds are so tiny they really have to reach to get at the right angle.

I thought I could use the OLD flowers in the new feeder, but of course not. They are not interchangeable. Since I thought the little tube was the problem, I cut them off all of the flowers. But still, the birds were not using it as much as the old feeder.

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The past two nights the old feeder has been empty so we have seen increased activity by the new feeder, but they still don’t seem to be using it as much. Or they try and they can’t get at the water . . . I am not sure. I am not filling the feeders as much, but there seems to be the same amount of birds and activity in the yard. To me if the birds are there in full force the feeders should be empting faster.

We will see. It is REALLY nice to have the feeders come apart. When they are apart I can ensure that I get it clean. There are no nooks and crannies for the slime to hide in. I really like that part. I just want to make sure that the birds can drink out of them.

I am about to fill all three again . . . . we will see how it goes. Perhaps it was just a matter of the birds getting used to using the new one. They might have to use the new feeders differently because they are configured little differently inside.

Posted in Birds, Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Wrist Relief

Posted by terrepruitt on July 6, 2016

So this past Monday was a Holiday, it was Fourth of July, on holidays often gyms, yoga studios, and fitness places have different schedules.  Such was the case with the YMCA on Monday.  Some Y’s were closed.  The ones that were open had shortened open hours and adjusted group exercise schedules.  I saw that one of the YMCAs in my area had an adjusted schedule on the Holiday.  It had classes that it normally does not have on Monday.  And not only did they have a class I wanted to take, but it was at the perfect time!  So, I schlepped myself over there to try it out.  I was hoping it was the same teacher that I had taken a class from before and I could ask her if I could post about a technique she had shared in that class.  It was, I did, and she granted me permission.  So this post is about a pain relieving technique for the wrists.

When I took a class with her before I was trying out a new-to-me type of yoga and in that class she did a technique to help relived some discomfort in our wrists because we had done a few poses on them.  She did it again in this class, although a little differently, but we had not been on our wrists as long as we had been in the other class.

She, Cindy Piccoli – a yoga instructor at the YMCA, said that her chiropractor taught her this technique.  She said she had carpal tunnel and did this movement to relieve it.  She said she did this frequently for two years and she no longer suffers from carpal tunnel.*

Since having done it in her class that one day, I do it to relieve aching wrists after doing poses that make my wrists hurt.  I also have had my students do it after we do poses that affect the wrist in class.

It is amazingly simple, perhaps it can help you after those “wrist” poses.

  • Somewhat straighten out one arm palm up.  The elbow can be relaxed.  Then form a “U” with your index finger and thumb of the OTHER hand.

  • Grasp the wrist of the straight arm, right where the palm and the arm meet, and squeeze.  While you are squeezing bring each finger in one at a time on the hand of your straight arm.  I recommend keeping the fingers that are forming the “U” straight as that allows for a strong squeeze.  (My model allowed his fingers to close around the wrist . . . )

  • Start with the pinky, them move onto the ring finger, moving all fingers until you end up with a “closed palm”.  Do that a couple of times.

  • Then draw your fingers toward you allowing your hand to move toward you.  Straighten the fingers out, flexing the hand, then bend the wrist pointing the fingers toward you.  Do that a couple of times.

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https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7409/28143970835_f910de2fde_b.jpg

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If your other wrist is bothering you, don’t forget to do this on the other one.

Give it a try after you have had your weight on your wrists and see what you think.

Do you have any techniques or remedies for sore wrists?

*Keep in mind this site/post makes no claims as to this technique or any others mentioned on this site healing or curing any ailment, affliction, illness.  This post is sharing an a persons individual experience.

Oh, and thank you to my wonderful hand model.  😉

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Happy Home Anniversary

Posted by terrepruitt on July 4, 2016

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitMost of you probably know that we have cats.  Right?  I mean, I have posted a least once a month about them.  They are so sweet.  Cats really are.  Cats, just like so many people, get a bad rep from the few that are not nice.  But most cats are very sweet.  They might not respond like dogs and come when you call them, but they are very affectionate.  My last post about the cats (Our Tube Has A Tail) had videos, the one (Happy Cat Guardians) before that a bunch of photos.  This brings me to the point of this post, it has been a year since we brought the cats home.  Last year on Friday, July 3, 2015 we decided to adopt them.  We brought them home on the Fourth of July.

Some of you may know the story . . . we had a cat that died in 2014.  She was phenomenal in the sense that she was a very easy cat.  She didn’t get into things, she had impeccable litter box manners . . . she was so many things the opposite of the reputation of cats.  So when my hubby and I started thinking about getting a kitten, I was so torn.  I mean, I totally wanted a kitten.  The little mews of a kitten are enough to make anyone want one.  And the antics . . . so fun.  But I didn’t want to end up with one of “those” cats.  The ones that give cats a bad reputation.  It didn’t really occur to me to get an older cat.  But once it did I thought, “How do you pick one?”  So I had been looking on websites and “deciding” by looks, which is one of the worst ways, to me, to decide on an animal.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitTurns out my husband’s boss had a friend who opened a cat “cafe” or cat lounge where you can go visit with cats.  I love that idea and decide to volunteer there.  In that same time frame they happened to get a cat that LOOKED so cute that both my hubby and I wanted her.  But after a few visits, I kinda set my sights on another cat.  I just needed to let my husband meet both the cat we originally saw and wanted, and this other one.  I was confident that the moment he met Esmeralda and she exposed her belly for gettin’ he would be convinced she was for us.  The issue was that she was considered part of a bonded pair and that means they want to adopt them out together.  I really didn’t want two cats.  One is enough.  Two is too much.  Plus I hadn’t even seen this other one.  She was holed up in one of the cat spaces and wouldn’t come out.

But when another cat moved into her spot and forced her out and we finally got to see her, we decided we could deal with two cats.  If you are not opposed to adopting a black cat and you ever have to choose between a black on and a not black one . . . please really consider taking the black one.  Because of certain beliefs, black cats are hard to adopt out.  There are some superstitions around black cats so they don’t get adopted as much.

So, it has been a year.  And it was rough in the beginning — no one’s fault.  We had to keep them quarantined and medicate them for the first 30 days and we felt so bad.  Many of you know giving your pet medication is not easy and it is really sad when you bring a new pet home and have to put them through that.  We knew that it would be over one day and the cats would be fine, but it is tough when you are going through it.

But here we are . . . a year later.  And pretty much every day one of us (me to my hubby or he to me) says how much we love having our girls.  They are such great cats.  Very loving.  Very sweet.  Very entertaining.

Happy Fourth of July to you all.  And Happy Home Anniversary to our girls.

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Posted in Cats, Teagan and Nessa | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Kids And Dance

Posted by terrepruitt on July 1, 2016

I teach classes at a city community center.  We are fortunate enough to have a dance studio at the community center.  Even though Nia is non- to very low impact, it is important to dance on dance appropriate flooring.  If you are going to a, let’s say a festival and planning on dancing on the pavement for a few hours one afternoon, that is fine, but if you are planning on going to an exercise class one to three times a week, the floor needs to be appropriate.  We have a nice floor at the community center.  It is in the dance studio which is right off of the front desk.  A lot seems to happen in the rooms past the studio.  I think the preschool or small children’s’ area is past the dance studio.  The dance studio has two doors.  It is so cute the number of small children that walk by and stop to look in at us.  Some stop to watch.  I think children are drawn to dance.

A couple of weeks ago, I looked up to see a small girl looking in at us.  Then I saw a hand reach out to grab hers, and she pulled away because she wanted to stay and watch.  She was mesmerized.  Her eyes were big and she was just standing there completely still watching.  Some kids start to move while they watch.  All of them get wide-eyed when any of us make eye contact with them, but as soon as we say, “Hi!” or wave, the face breaks into a smile.  So many want to join us.

I always want to stop the class to ask them what intrigues them.  Is it just dancing in general?  Is it that we are usually laughing and having fun?  Is that the was are making noises?  Could be they are attracted to the whooping or growling?  Could be my wild tie-dyed shirts?  Or the energy in the room?  I don’t know.  I often wish I could ask.  Especially to that little one who was mesmerized and really did not want to be dragged away.

Sometimes it is really fun because there will be a line of them . . . like a whole class walking by so we get to wave a lot and we get a lot of waves back.  Also, last week, we think a group was in line for the water fountain which is right outside the door.  That was funny.  Because we went, “WHOOO!” then we heard “WHOOO!” from the hall.  So then we went, “WHOOWHOO!” and we got a “WHOOWHOO!” back.  We were able to include them in our class via vocals for a couple of minutes.  It was super funny.

Kids are so drawn to dance.  You know, you’ve seen those videos of the little ones just dancing away to a song they hear in the store or in the car.  They have not yet learned to be self-conscious of their movement or care what other people are thinking.  They just hear the music and they move.  It is so wonderful to witness.  I wish we would never lose that.

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