Some days you just gotta hang out in the bottom of your tower with the toys.
Archive for October, 2021
Communing With Toys
Posted by terrepruitt on October 29, 2021
Posted in Friday Photo | Tagged: cat tower, cat toys, Friday Photo, Nessa, silly cat | Leave a Comment »
Promoting Black Cat Adoption
Posted by terrepruitt on October 27, 2021
From what I understand today (October 27th) is National Black Cat Day. Some places say National Black Cat “Appreciation” Day as the day was created to help promote black cats. They historically have a low adoption rate from shelters because some people believe black cats to be bad luck. I personally don’t believe that, but if someone does that is their prerogative. But what I try to do is counter that belief by educating people that don’t have a fear of black cats, to get one when they can.
When I went searching for a cat I wanted A cat. I found one and was told she was bonded with her sister and that we needed to take two. I really didn’t want to. The person in charge said that she would let us just take the one but her sister was black and would have a hard time being adopted. First of all she had to tell me her sister was black because I had never seen her, she hid the whole time, second of all I didn’t want two.
Eventually we decided to take them both and of course we are so glad we did. They are hilarious together and both so sweet. The black one talks so much and it very entertaining.
Anyway . . . National Black Cat Day. When you go to adopt a cat, if you can, if black cats hold no negative meaning for you, check out the black ones.
I wrote a post about luck and black cats a couple of years ago, and, no, Teagan is not magically hanging on to her tower, the photo is flipped because the place I have it stored has changed stuff. I may or may not get around to fixing it . . . but it is really the eyes.
Today she was complaining about me to me because I was following her around trying to get a picture of her. She doesn’t like the mama-razzi/paparazzi. So here she is scratching out her annoyance. “Get the camera out of my face, mom.”
What do you think about black cats?
Posted in Cats, Teagan and Nessa | Tagged: bad luck cats, black cat, Black Cat Appreciation, cat adoption, good luck cats, National Black Cat Day, October 27th, talking black cats, Teagan | 7 Comments »
YAY! More Indoor Sunshine!
Posted by terrepruitt on October 22, 2021
I bought two bunches of sunflowers in September. I just love how they brighten up the house. This was the bunch that I felt had the perfect amount of bend. I know ANOTHER sunflower picture for a Friday Photo.
Posted in Friday Photo | Tagged: Friday Photo, indoor sunshine, Sunflower, sunshine flower, yellow flower | Leave a Comment »
Cat Entertainment
Posted by terrepruitt on October 20, 2021
Both entertainment for the cat and entertained by the cat. I know my cat is not the only cat – or pet, for that matter – that watches TV, but it makes me laugh every time. Especially since she has a yard with actual critters in it, but she is still fascinated by the ones on a video. She always tries to see where they go. When the device is flat on the ground (as in an iPad or iPhone) she puts her paw underneath it to try to see where it went. It makes me laugh that she is so entertained by watching a video and I can watch her for long periods of time. Then it dawns on me that I am so entertained watching her watch videos.
Does your pet like to watch TV and/or videos? What is their favorite type?
Posted in Cats, Teagan and Nessa | Tagged: cat entertainment, Nessa, pets watch TV, TV birds, videos for cats | 4 Comments »
Exciting Times
Posted by terrepruitt on October 18, 2021
We recently got a new set of pots and pans. Crazy thing to post about, huh? But I like ’em and wanted to share, plus I wanted to see if anyone else had them and how they are holding up. I understand that non-stick pans may allow things to leech into your food, but I was led to believe that the newer coatings might be more safe. But . . . who knows . . . years from now they will claim they are bad. You know how things are. I am not good at cooking in pots and pans that are not coated. I have a very nice, very expensive set of pans that have no coating, but I rarely use them because it is difficult for me to cook in them. What had finally happen to the set we just replaced was ALL of the coating was coming off. I am pretty sure THAT was not good.
I, of course, was looking for BLUE pots and pans and I found a few sets. But the manufacturers of pots and pans are horrific in the sets they put together. As with anything, one gets used to cooking with certain sized pans so I was tasked with getting the exact sizes that we had. We had THREE pots – THREE, not two and for some reason most sets only came with two sizes. They had things I didn’t want like strainers and other sized pans but not the three sized pots we had.
But I kept searching and I found a set that had the three sized pots we wanted to have. It had more pans than we needed, but . . . it had the pots. Oh, another thing the set had to have was a good return policy. I was shopping online and need to be able to return it if we didn’t like it.
We ended up with a set that includes – 8” skillet, 10” fry pan, 12.5” fry pan, 1.5-quart sauce pan with lid, 2.5-quart sauce pan with lid, 3-quart chef’s pan with lid, 3-quart sauté pan with lid, 6-quart stock pot with lid. It was the 2.5 quart sauce pan (pot) that most sets were missing. And since I call sauce pans pots I wasn’t sure I was getting what I wanted. And none of my current pots had information on them as to what size they were. So I wasn’t exactly sure we were getting the EXACT same sizes (as I was tasked to do).
Anyway . . . so far so good. The bottom of one pan is already scratched up . . . but that is ok. They are not hanging out. It is the inside I am more concerned with. They are flat and sit on the stove . . . that was something I was missing as all of our pans were warped. These ones are light enough to pick up with something in them, but not so light they spin on the stove. So far so good. They are also truly non-stick. I have cooked without fat in them, although I do prefer the flavor and crispiness that one gets from cooking with fat or oil . . . but I can do without it sometimes.
So . . . does anyone else have these Granitestone Pro Pots and Pans with Ultra Nonstick Diamond & Mineral Coating? If so, how are they holding up? If not, what kind of pots and pans do you have?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: ceramic coating, cook sets, cookware, Granitestone, non-stick coating, pots and pans | 8 Comments »
Always Amazed
Posted by terrepruitt on October 15, 2021
I thought I had posted a lot more shots of the sky from this window as a Friday Photo, but maybe I used it as a random post. When I looked, I only saw one. That just doesn’t seem right. Maybe I posted the pictures on Facebook or Twitter and not on my blog. Well, yay! Then I don’t feel like I am repeating too much by posted another pretty pink sky from my office window. I am always amazed at how pretty it is.
Posted in Friday Photo | Tagged: Facebook, Friday Photo, pink sky, pretty pink, pretty sky, through screen shot, Twitter | Leave a Comment »
Fall Scent
Posted by terrepruitt on October 13, 2021
So what are your Fall traditions? I recently saw a friend post about one of her Fall traditions – Cinnamon Brooms – and I had to look it up. She said that it was the first but not the last of the season. I looked it up and found that Trader Joe’s has a decorative little broom that is scented with cinnamon. Pumpkin spice and cinnamon seem to be a “Fall-type” of scent. Something that might make a space feel more cozy.
And later look what arrived in the mail. Isn’t it cute? A little Cinnamon whisk. It is still in the package because I am following the tradition of my friend. It is very fragrant in the package so I’ll leave it in there until I can’t smell it any more then take it out and VOILA it is like it is renewed when in fact the removal of the plastic just lets the scent be free.
Have you heard of the Cinnamon Broom? What are some of your Fall traditions?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: autumn, cinnamon broom, cinnamon whisk, Fall, seasonal traditions, Trader Joe's | 2 Comments »
Weighing On My Mind
Posted by terrepruitt on October 11, 2021
Because we are doing a Core and Light Weights class I wanted to share a few things. First of all keep in mind that there are a lot of different ways to do things and a lot of different exercises, I am just mentioning a few things regarding some specific exercises, instruction that can be applied to these classes.
Second of all I want to remind people that things change. As more is learned about how the body actually functions things can be adapted to allow for different results. Different tests are developed from measuring muscle activation to how the body processes chemicals . . . all of this can affect how we exercise. Also sometimes our language has to change. As I mentioned in a previous post a long time ago the phrase used to be “suck in your stomach”. Well we are not actually sucking in the stomach or the belly it is actually a bracing of the core – including the abdominals. We brace our core (as if someone is going to collide with our abdomen) throughout the class. In our classes part of the core work is maintaining that activation.
When working with weights, even the light ones we are using, we are maintaining a neutral wrist position. We don’t bend the wrists. Sometimes when moving the weight up to the shoulder in a biceps curl one might bend the wrist so it seems like the weight actually made it to the shoulder. It is important to keep a neutral wrist and squeeze the biceps at the top (of the move, when the weight is up).
Also when doing a biceps curls the shoulder joint is quiet, meaning the humerus (the upper arm bone) does not move. The only joint moving is the elbow joint. Sometimes the tendency is to swing the weight by moving that shoulder joint and bringing the weight up to the shoulder, but that is NOT going to target the biceps which is what we are doing with biceps curls. It might help to use the opposite hand to HOLD the humerus still until one has learned to keep that joint “quiet”.
When doing triceps kickbacks the shoulder joint doesn’t move. What happens in the setup is the arm moves back, but then the upper arm does not move while the elbow joint is active and the forearm moves. One also needs to remember that wrists remain neutral and do not move, they might want to get into the action and make it more of a swing. So far we have done these with our palms facing in/each other.
There are exercise where one swings a weight, but that is usually reserved for heavy weights. We are using light weights and doing high (a lot) of reps (repetitions).
The wrists 
remain neutral no matter which way the palm is facing. With curls (exercise for the biceps), for example, the palm could be facing up (biceps curls) or inward (hammer curls), but the wrist does not move . . . same with triceps kickbacks or triceps extensions.
When we move our humerus we are exercising the muscles of the shoulders and keeping the rest of the arm is quiet.
Again, there are different exercises that allow for different movements, but we are using light weights with high reps and are doing mostly biceps and triceps work. We are getting in a little shoulders, but not much at this point.
Quick list to refer to:
—Core engaged
—Neutral wrists
—Quiet shoulders (unless doing a shoulder exercise)
—Movement only in the elbow joint (biceps exercises, triceps exercises)
As we progress we are adding different movements and exercises, but these instructions are pretty standard.
Do these sound familiar?
Posted in Exercise and Working Out | Tagged: biceps curls, core & light weights, core engagement, exercise rules, keeping joints safe, light weights, neutral wrists, targeting muscle, triceps extensions, triceps kickbacks | 2 Comments »
My Latest Favorite
Posted by terrepruitt on October 4, 2021
Lately I am loving this stretch. Looks yummy, huh? I have been stretching everyday for about nine months now and this is one I love. It gets a lot of the body. As you are more-than-likely aware the more often you stretch the more chance there is that your body becomes more flexible. There are always going to be days where the body is more tight than others, but if you have a daily or even a three-times-a-week stretching practice you will notice a difference.
There are all kinds of stretches, but I think a lot of people will agree that lying down stretches are nice. It gives you the air of resting while also doing something to help with flexibility. This stretch might be touted as a side stretch or a lower back stretch . . . but it really depends on where you need it because it has the potential of being a lot of muscles/area stretch. And with a modification the areas that can be stretch can increase.
So, let me explain what is going on. Keep in mind that I may not be perfectly posed as it is a hilarious feat to press the button then get down on the ground . . . once I get down I always manage to forget something (foot angle, arm straight, smile, etc.) in the short time of the timer then as soon as it clicks I think, “Oh . . . ”
First of all make sure there is enough empty space around you so you don’t hit or kick anything when you are fully lengthened.
—Then lie on your back. I will explain one side then just do the opposite to stretch the other side.
—Turn to lie on your right side, putting your knees together. Knees are slightly bent and thighs are at about a 45° angle.
—Straighten out the left (top) leg.
—Keeping your knees together, roll onto your shoulders creating a twist in your torso.
—Straighten your left (top) arm. The idea is to create a line from your left fingers to your left toes, like a slash or half of an X. Your right arm can be however it is most comfortable for you.
I gently lift my shoulders off the ground so I can reach my right shoulder more to the left and try to get both my shoulders and left arm on the ground.
For me, I feel the stretch in my left arm, my left side, my lower back, and my left hamstring.
In order to increase the intensity to sense “more of a stretch” I like to bring my left (top) foot/leg up closer to my right hand and hold it and really reach further away with my left hand. This moves the stretch a bit and I feel as if it gets more of the side I am stretching.
I often suggest to my students, to move their top arm around to see which stretch is best for them. As I said some days we are more tight than others and sometimes the areas of tightness change so it is sometimes necessary to tweak the stretches so we get the best out of our time.
So? What do you think? Is this yummy? I think it is.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: arm and leg stretch, reclined twist, side twist, yummy stretch | Leave a Comment »
Another Dose Of Sunshine
Posted by terrepruitt on October 1, 2021
This is a new batch of sunflowers. I enjoyed them so much last time I decided to get more. The last batch their pedals had been crushed. This batch had most of their pedal sticking out just fine. And they were a perfect combination of bent and straight. Four were curved so they could face out and then one was a bit more straight and it could remain in the middle. The centers were also not as dark as the last bunch. They served to brighten the house and hopefully it will brighten your day a bit even though I used sunflowers as a recent Friday Photo.
Posted in Friday Photo | Tagged: bright flowers, Friday Photo, Sunflower | 2 Comments »
Terre Pruitt's Blog 