Terre Pruitt's Blog

In the realm of health, wellness, fitness, and the like, or whatever inspires me.

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More About The Dancing Cat In San Jose

Posted by terrepruitt on October 8, 2015

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 TechniqueLast Friday after teaching my Nia Class I volunteered at The Dancing Cat in San Jose.  I hadn’t been back since we got our cats.  I tend to want to be home with my own kitties.  The plan for The Dancing Cat is to be open only until November 15, 2015.  They are open Thursdays through Sundays.  Presently they have ten cats that are ready for adoption.  The Dancing Cats has had 30 cats adopted from the lounge.  Two of them were ours.  It is really fun to go sit and be able to play with the cats.  I really love the idea of meeting a cat in a relaxed atmosphere before deciding to adopt.  I think it is really helpful if you have a cat or cats already and are thinking of getting another one.  Being able to see how a cat acts around other cats is a good thing.  Of course, all cats act different around different cats, but I think having all the cats together gives you a better idea of how they might get along with cats you already own.

 

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If you want to lounge with some cats in San Jose get it done before November 15th.  Keep in mind it is not a high-pressure-adopt-a-cat kind of environment.  I’ve had people I tell about the place say they don’t want a cat.  Well, that is fine.  No one is on commission there.  Ha, ha.  It is very relaxed.  The owner(s) are there to answer your questions, but they don’t hover.  They don’t even normally bring up “adoption,” they know you know the cats are available.  They let you play with the cats.  When I am there I like to talk to the guests about their cats.  Because, as I mentioned before when posting about this place, a lot of the people who come to visit have cats of their own.  I like to hear about people’s pets.  And often I am lucky enough to get to see a picture.  The last time I was there I even got to see a video of a guest’s cat.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

 

 

 

 

 

I am just putting the word out again.  They are open and have cats up for adoption.  This group of cats is very social, none of them hiding in the back.  They were all out in the main area lounging or playing.  Be sure to visit www.TheDancingCat.Org for more information and to make reservations.  They do allow for walk-ins if they have the space so if you decide you want to go at the last minute don’t think you can’t because you didn’t make reservations give them a call.  Go check out the cats.  If you don’t want to adopt perhaps you know someone who does.  Spread the word.  The lounge will only be open for a bit more.

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The Tuxedo Cat, is Clyde.  He is so sweet and playful.  I just loved looking at him.  He has a light pink nose.  He looks as if his coloring was put on just right.  He is so handsome.

I picked up the marmalade, Jasper, because someone was coming in while he was standing by the door.  He is just a big ol’ softy.  So sweet.  His tail has a ring patterns around it.  He seems really mellow.  Shame on me for not getting a picture of his magnificent tail.

Sarge is so regal.  One might be surprised at how sweet and playful he is because he is just a royal presence.

Florance is such a sweetie.  She is just lounging on the couch.

I didn’t take pictures of all the cats, so do go to the website to check them out.  I hope this type of lounge is something we will see more of.  Perhaps we will be lucky – after November – to see a new incarnation of The Dancing Cat.

 

 

 

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Sarge

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Sarge

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Sarge

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

Florance

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Posted in Cats | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

If You Qualify You Can Get An “Aid-In-Dying-Drug” in CA Now

Posted by terrepruitt on October 6, 2015

Yesterday, Monday, October 05, 2015, the Governor of California signed ABX2-15 the End of Life Option Act into law.  So California joins Oregon, Washington, and Vermont in having a law that makes taking your life under the letter of the law, not a crime.  It allows people who have been deemed mentally competent and terminally ill to get a prescription of an “Aid-in-dying drug”.  The law will expire in 10 years.  I am sure that ten years from now things will have changed and there will need to be revisions if not an entirely different law.  But for now we have the End of Life Option Act.

“This bill, until January 1, 2026, would enact the End of Life Option Act authorizing an adult who meets certain qualifications, and who has been determined by his or her attending physician to be suffering from a terminal disease, as defined, to make a request for a drug prescribed pursuant to these provisions for the purpose of ending his or her life. The bill would establish the procedures for making these requests. The bill would also establish specified forms to request an aid-in-dying drug, under specified circumstances, an interpreter declaration to be signed subject to penalty of perjury, thereby creating a crime and imposing a state-mandated local program, and a final attestation for an aid-in-dying drug. This bill would require specified information to be documented in the individual’s medical record, including, among other things, all oral and written requests for an aid-in-dying drug.”

An adult can qualify if “all of the following conditions are satisfied:

(1) The individual’s attending physician has diagnosed the individual with a terminal disease.
(2) The individual has voluntarily expressed the wish to receive a prescription for an aid-in-dying drug.
(3) The individual is a resident of California and is able to establish residency through any of the following means:
(A) Possession of a California driver license or other identification issued by the State of California.
(B) Registration to vote in California.
(C) Evidence that the person owns or leases property in California.
(D) Filing of a California tax return for the most recent tax year.
(4) The individual documents his or her request pursuant to the requirements set forth in Section 443.3.
(5) The individual has the physical and mental ability to self-administer the aid-in-dying drug.
(b) A person shall not be considered a “qualified individual” under the provisions of this part solely because of age or disability.
(c) A request for a prescription for an aid-in-dying drug under this part shall be made solely and directly by the individual diagnosed with the terminal disease and shall not be made on behalf of the patient, including, but not limited to, through a power of attorney, an advance health care directive, a conservator, health care agent, surrogate, or any other legally recognized health care decisionmaker.”

And “An individual seeking to obtain a prescription for an aid-in-dying drug pursuant to this part shall submit two oral requests, a minimum of 15 days apart, and a written request to his or her attending physician. The attending physician shall directly, and not through a designee, receive all three requests required pursuant to this section.”  And there is a list that the request must meet, including having two witnesses.

There is a list of things the doctors must do and are not allowed to do.  There are stipulations regarding insurance and insurance companies.  The act states that anyone involved will not be committing a crime (as long as they follow all the rules), but that the person must be administer the prescription themselves.

This still would have not helped my mom after being admitted to the hospital because the two requests that are required must be at least 15 days apart.  She probably couldn’t have swallowed pills.  Perhaps she could have crushed them  and put the in her feeding tube . . . if she had it . . . I don’t remember.  But, again, it is the timing, the 30 days.  But, I am sure this will help a lot of people die with dignity and not have to suffer through some of the medical procedures that sometimes take place at the end of someone’s life.

There is a website that has information on all states and the laws.  There might be more than one, but Death with Dignity is the one I am familiar with.  http://www.deathwithdignity.org/advocates/national

The information I have in this post was copied from the California Legislative Information website. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520162AB15

What do you think?  Are you a proponent?  Are you an opponent?  Do you have an opinion on it?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Duh, Blocking The Sun Really Keeps Things Cool

Posted by terrepruitt on October 3, 2015

As we all know, when we block the sun from coming in it helps reduce the heat.  I mean there are a lot of us that have those shades for our cars.  So, I know this is not new to anyone, but I really cannot believe how much this has helped keep our house cool.  You may have read here on my blog that we adopted two cats in July and they had ringworm.  In order to keep it from getting all over the house and to keep it contained, we kept the cats locked up for over 30 days in one room.  The room they were locked up in happens to be the hottest room in the house.  One, it is upstairs and upstairs is where the heat rises to.  And two, it is in a section of the house that gets the sun for most of the day from both sides.  AND the windows happen to be on both those sides.  So it was when the cats were in quarantine that we started putting up things in the window to help block the sun.  It really helps with reducing the heat.

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As I said, I know this is not new to anyone, but seriously, I am happily surprised at how well it worked in the rest of the house.  My office, the upstairs room, really gets hot no matter.  The pop up car shades really helped.  So does the cardboard.  We put the cardboard in between the blinds and the windows.

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Prior to this past week, we had been having a couple of weeks of really hot weather and I had been dreading it.  But when the days actually were here it didn’t seem as hot because of the shade.  I am amazed that we had not done that sooner.  It is really quite silly because the curtains in the kitchen window aren’t even really curtains they are just sheer things that only go up half the window.

Putting the cardboard up does keep me from seeing the hummingbirds during the day, but that is ok.  We take it down during the “wartime” when the hummingbirds are battling it out in the evening.

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I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you reading this are just going crazy thinking “why don’t you just get real curtains or blackout curtains”.  Well, since the extra blocking out of the sun helps keep the house so cool, we might look into getting some actual blackout window treatments.  I mean that would make more sense than putting up cardboard.  But then again it is only during the hot days that we need that additional heat blocking help . . . so we will see.

Do you have heavy curtains to block out the sun/heat?  Do you have blinds or curtains?  Have you ever just put something up in the window to help keep the heat out?

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Sound And Common Business Ideas

Posted by terrepruitt on October 1, 2015

Recently I attended a Business Training type of workshop.  It was specifically for women.  The trainer feels that women – for many reasons – could use business training specifically for woman.  She didn’t get into explanations regarding her reasons, but some that have been tossed about before are things like, some woman are challenged in business because they are mothers/wives . . . just like any working woman, time used for work is time taken away from the family so they may feel guilty.  Plus . . . business is a “man’s world”.  Often times women are not taken as seriously as a man.  Some women have a difficult time stating their worth.  Some women are inclined to help so they feel “bad” charging for their services.  Those are just some reasons I’ve heard before.  Perhaps one or some of them are why this workshop was strictly for women.  It was a nice workshop.  The woman who presented it was very fun and had a lot of good information.  But, if you have taken the Nia White Belt Intensive, most of the same information was in that.  If you have taken any type of certification and it was a good one, then they would have covered the same type of business information that was in this workshop.  But if you have never taken anything before then it was a great one.

The first thing all the business trainings I’ve taken say is to diversify.  So in the context of Nia, the idea is to not just teach Nia classes.  But to do Nia Workshops, Nia retreats, Nia personal training, Nia sessions, Nia talks/webinars, in other words the idea is you have this great gift to share – don’t hold back.  And for something like Nia there really is so much to it, it can’t be all shared in just the dance exercise classes.  This training had to do with yoga, so she was using examples pretty much the same.  You could do all the same things; classes, workshops, retreats, sessions, webinars . . . etc.

The one thing that was different about this workshop was that the steps she recommended that needed to be taken she aligned with Goddesses.  So with the first step she said to “claim your power and passion with the Goddess Durga”.  Which according to the first thing on the internet Durga “is the root cause of creation, preservation and annihilation”.  Since, I am not going to be using Goddess in my business or my life, I didn’t take many notes that had to do with the Goddess part.  But this step was also the part that was connected to finding your niche.  Again, in context, there are a lot of different types of yoga so find one that is your passion.  Or find something that can complement yoga and concentrate on that.  With your passion you will be able to connect to people.  So let’s say you love to crochet, you could have a yoga crochet class (and workshop, retreat, sessions, webinar, etc.).

The next step was to release fears and doubts (with another Goddess).  And during this one we did a really great exercise.  She had us speaking from a place of fears and doubts, then she had us speaking form a place of confidence.  We all could really tell the difference.  This was a great (and very important) reminder for me.

The next step was to create your offering (with another Goddess) and she shared ideas on that.  She shared actual testimonies or information from some of her clients.  Step four was marketing (with another Goddess).  As you probably know there are many places to market.  With social media the ways to do it are encouraging.  So much of it can be free.

She shared some mistakes that people make, like no marketing or not doing enough, or boring marketing.  Not diversifying, not having a plan, trying to reinvent the wheel, and trying to do it on your own and not ask for help.

Like I said, it was good.  It was great if you have never heard any of it before.  As you may have read before on my blog, Nia has awesome training and business is one of the 13 principles in the Nia White Belt so they cover these things.  These are typical business ideas, attaching Goddesses to them, was new to me.

This workshop was just a taste of a longer more in-depth workshop.  The weekend one sounded amazing and fun, but my abundance doesn’t come from Goddesses, so I wasn’t interested.

I do have other things I want to share, but this post is long enough.  In another post I’ll share some things that this workshop didn’t cover but I think are good things to think about if you want to teach classes (like yoga or Nia).

If you have a certification in something did the training cover any business training?  Are you familiar with any of these business ideas?

 

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Asana Flashcards

Posted by terrepruitt on September 29, 2015

I have many yoga books.  I bought them to study and also to use them as material for posts on my blog.  I haven’t quite gotten around to writing about the books.  But I will.  They are all different and they serve different needs.  So sometimes it is nice to know about a book before you buy it.  It does help that most sites have reviews on products now, so you somewhat know what you are getting.  Well, I just purchased yet another yoga product.  It is pretty cool.  They are called Asana Flashcards.  So basically they are flashcards that have yoga poses on them.  And by basically, I mean that is just the lowest most basic description there is about them.  Because they are a lot more than that.

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The other side of the card states the name of the pose in Sanskirt and English, the sanskrit pronunciation, and a breakdown of the components of the name.  For example Parivrtta Trikonasana – parivrtta:  revolved and trikona:  three or angle.  It gives a description of how to do the pose, the contra-indications, the modifications, and the benefits.  It also has a small round corner rectangle that is color coded to with the main action of the pose (seated, balancing, standing, etc) and the words inside state the target area or the area in which you will feel the asana the most.

The set comes in a very nice wooden box.  In addition to the asana flashcards there are flashcards with Sun and Moon Salutations, two types of yoga, a card about yoga and heart openers, and cards with information regarding your back, shoulders, knees, core, and hamstrings.  These cards have the names of the poses with the numbers indicating which poses are involved.  So the card with the Sun Salutation has pictures, names, and the numbers listed so you know which cards and poses to use.  The heart opener cards has a list with names and numbers of which poses are considered heart openers.

There are many website and books out there that share a lot of this information.  Some have some of these elements, some have others, some might even have all . . . I don’t know, I have a lot of books about yoga, but I don’t them all.  No books allow me to put the poses on the floor all lined up for a sequence.  None of them have a little harbinger clip so that I can clip my sequence together.

So . . . this an amazing yoga tool.  Plus it is really cool.  The versatility is awesome.  I think this is great for yoga teachers and yoga students.  I have heard that it has taken about two years to complete, and the love and care that went into it is obvious.

As usual, I am just sharing something that I like.  Something that I think some of you may like.  If you are interested in purchasing the product or getting more information about it, please visit:  http://guruqachu.com/

What do you think?  Pretty awesome, huh?

 

Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Turkey And Polenta Bake

Posted by terrepruitt on September 24, 2015

On one of the hottest days of the year, I decided to turn on the oven.  Not only that, but I had to turn on the stove first.  Sometimes whatever I am making requires one or the other, but this time, I needed both.  And it was soooo hot.  But this turned out to be pretty good.  I can see myself making it again.  I liked it.

__________________________________________

Turkey and Polenta BakeDance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique

1/4 onion
olive oil, about 1 tablespoon
1 lb ground turkey
1 package taco seasoning*
1 package polenta
large handful of cherry tomatoes
3 cups shredded cheese

Heat the oven to 350° F.

Heat the olive oil in a pan on the stove.  Then cook the onion. Then put the turkey in the pan.  Let the turkey cook a bit, then add the taco seasoning.  You can follow the directions on the package or just sprinkle it all around and cook the meat like that.  That is what I do.  I don’t add water and all that.  Remember that the meat is going to get some additional cooking time in the oven so you might want to under cook it just a tad.  But you do what makes you feel comfortable.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia TechniqueWhile the meat is cooking brush some olive oil in a baking dish.  Slice the polenta into rounds.  About 1/4 of an inch thick or so.  Line the bottom of your baking dish with the polenta rounds.  Put the pan in the oven to get the polenta cooking.  You can cook it about 10 or 15 minutes or just as long as it takes for the meat to cook.

Slice the tomatoes in half.

When the turkey is ready to your liking, spread it evenly over the polenta rounds in the baking dish.  Top the meat with the tomatoes.  Just spread them out a bit.  Then sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top.  Bake until the cheese bubbles, for between 20 and 30 minutes.

I used a really heavy pan when I did this so my cooking times were a bit different and all over the place, but next time I am going to use a less heavy pan and hopefully the polenta will get a little more cooked.

_________________________________

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia TechniqueThis is one of those recipes (well, I guess all recipes are, but this one especially) that you can play with.  You could use ground beef.  You could put in green or red peppers.  Maybe some corn or salsa?  Anything goes, I think.  I am going to add some bell peppers the next time I cook it.

This last picture is to somewhat show you the layer of sliced polenta.

So, I don’t really care for the ingredients in the package seasoning.  And the day after I made this (using a package) a fellow blogger posted a recipe for DYI Taco Seasoning.  I have not tried it yet, but can’t imagine why it would be good.  So, if you don’t want to use the package and you want to try making your own, perhaps give Crafty Coin’s recipes a try.  I was so excited to see a “homemade” taco seasoning I totally didn’t see the “spicy” part.  Of course, you know I will be leaving out the “spicy”.

What do you think?  Do you like polenta?  What do you usually make with it?

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Delicious Things In Small Packages

Posted by terrepruitt on September 22, 2015

So last Friday I received an organic produce box.  And I was actually a little surprised because I thought I had selected what I wanted in it, but that must have been the box before.  So I ended up with some things I don’t know that I would have kept in the box.  You might remember I first signed up to receive an organic box of produce as a way to get “stuck” with fruits and vegetables that I would pass by in the store or at a Farmer’s Market.  If I don’t know what it is, I am not likely to buy it and try to deal with it.  But when it is delivered to me then I am “forced” to learn about it . . . .well, at least learn a way to cook it and/or (just) eat it.  This past week we received Kiwi Berries.  I have never heard of Kiwi Berries before.

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These berries actually look like kiwis, but much smaller and not hairy.  And when you cut them open they look exactly like kiwis.  They are great.  So much better . . . to me . . . . than kiwis.  With kiwis you have to peel them and sometimes that hairy stuff gets on the kiwi and . . . . I just don’t like it.  My husband says he doesn’t mind it.  Well, that could be that most of the time when I give him a kiwi I have already peeled it and sliced it.  I like to make it easy for him to eat while he is at work.  So I am the one dealing with hairy skin.

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Since they were such an easy to eat fruit, I didn’t even look to see any recipes or anything.  Once I saw the pictures of them looking like kiwis I figured you can just eat them as it and we did.

Wiki says:

“Actinidia arguta (hardy kiwi) is a perennial vine native to Japan, Korea, Northern China, and Russian Siberia. It produces a small fruit resembling the kiwifruit.

The fruit are referred to as Hardy kiwifruit, kiwi berry, arctic kiwi, baby kiwi, dessert kiwi, grape kiwi, northern kiwi, or cocktail kiwi and are edible, berry or grape-sized fruit similar to kiwifruit in taste and appearance . . . . Often sweeter than the kiwifruit, hardy kiwifruit can be eaten whole and need not be peeled.”

I am seeing sites that say the kiwi berries are a good source of vitamin C, fiber potassium, vitamin E, and magnesium.

They are like bite sized dessert.  If you like them, I am sure you can use them like you would use any berry or fruit; in a salad, as a topping for a pie, cake, or dish of ice cream or yogurt.  They can be pack in a lunch or eaten as a snack.  I am happy that I received something new to me in my produce box.  That is one reason why I started getting it.  But now that they allow us to pick what we want, I am not always being adventurous.  Sometimes I forget to check my order.  I am glad I forgot to check this week!

Have you ever heard of Kiwi Berries?  Have you ever had Kiwi Berries?  Do you like kiwis?

Posted in Food, Fruit | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

Talking Body, On The Mat

Posted by terrepruitt on September 17, 2015

Do you practice yoga?  Do you have a yoga mat?  Do you have to reposition (either facing the front of the class or the side) yourself on your yoga mat in order to do certain poses?  Do you ever have a portion of your body not on the mat while doing some poses?  I have been thinking about a round yoga mat.  Have you seen them?  An average rectangular yoga mat is 6 feet long and 2 feet wide.  You can find longer ones and a little bit wider ones, but I don’t think the wider ones would accommodate some poses as well as a ROUND one.  The first ones I had seen were Mandala’s and they are six feet in diameter.  Six feet of circular mat.  Not having to turn your body in order for the majority of your body to be on the mat.  Not having to turn your mat so you are facing the correct direction in order to see the instructor.  Not having to have some part of you off the mat.  For me – I’m not tall – all poses could be done without me having to touch the ground on a round mat.  I am intrigued by this circular yoga mat.

If you only do yoga in a yoga studio then the cleanliness of the floor might never be an issue.  There is always going to be feet and sweat, but usually yoga studios have rules about shoes on the floor so that helps keep it a little more clean than some venues that use the floor for everything from daily meals to cycling.

I am not certain that the round mats would fit in a small room with a lot of yoga students.  But if everyone was using round mats it could work, since the mats are six feet in diameter and that alone would be enough room for most people.  So instead of having the normal space between the mats they could all just barely touch and that would be enough room for people to move freely through poses.  So, in other words the space that is normally between mats would just be covered with a mat, but people would have somewhat, the same space.  In theory.  Right?  Am I thinking correctly?  Wouldn’t work in really crowded classes.

Well, I just Googled it again (I started this post a while ago) and I found some that are 4 feet in diameter.  I don’t think that would be big enough.  It is actually labeled as an “Aerobics Mat” but the website says they can be used for yoga.  But I am taller than 4 feet so to me a 4 foot circular mat would be worse than a regular rectangular mat that is 6 feet long.  Oooo!  Perhaps they are getting more popular because when I originally typed up this post all I could find were 6 feet in diameter mats that were about $65.00, now I am finding smaller ones, 5 feet in diameter, on Amazon, that are $40.00.  (Or there are a few on Amazon, there is one for $25.00, but you can see how it is not long enough.)  But again is a round mat that is less than 6 feet better than a 6 foot rectangular mat?

Oh, I found a six foot one on sale for $49.95, but you have to buy at least two.

In looking at the reviews on Amazon in regards to the 5 foot one, it will not really work in a crowded yoga class, just as I thought (and you probably did, too!).  With everyone else having a rectangular mat it doesn’t work for there to be one round one.  But in some classes that are not crowded it would work.  It would be nice to have one for outside because that is another place you might not want to be off the mat.

A round mat would be great for Nia, too, since we often move more than the space of a regular yoga or exercise mat!

I am intrigued.  Any one have one?  What do you think?  Where did you get it?

Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Generosity And Compassion Burns Hotter Than Wildfires

Posted by terrepruitt on September 15, 2015

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia TechniqueSo you may have heard about the fires in California.  It is that time of year.  There are always fires in California.  There is a fire season, just like there is a tornado season and a hurricane season.  It happens.  The problem with this year is that we are in a bad drought.  The fact that we have no water to spare is what makes it so bad.  I did also hear that one of the fires – there are hundreds of fires burning right now, twelve of them are being called major fires – is the worse that we have had in a very long time.  I keep reading stories of people losing their homes and animals.  But I am also reading a lot of really nice stories.  Have you seen any of those?

There is one ranch who has offered to house people.  Of course, I can’t find the original post that I read, but there are others who are making offers.  Here is a picture of one of the others who are offering a place for people to stay.

There is an organization, Safer Sonoma Action For Equine Rescue, that is securing hay donations and a place to store it:

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique“UPDATE: We have a huge warehouse arranged by Brenna Sullivan at the Farm Burearu (no relation…we don’t think) The first semi is arriving mid-morning and will have a squeeze there to unload. We have dispensed over $1000 from the Lakeport stores to folks with multiple horses on their property, just today. We are aiming for long term support here so people are not having to make sad decisions down the road after all the hoop la is over. THANK YOU ONE AND ALL for your participation. Suppose to rain…..

UPDATE Tues 2pm: WE HAVE STAGING. In a few hours we will have the final ok on a main storage area for long term storage of hay donations; secure and in Kelseyville. Then let the trucks roll in!!

UPDATE Tues 15 am: SAFER would like to start a Page on our Website to help those Fire Victims that have lost precious horses, pets and other animals to post their pictures and stories of love and loss. Send your pics and stories to info@saferhorse.com. In this way we can all support, in this small way, our neighbors in the grief that is a part of loving all creatures great and small.

.  . . .

OUR PRAYERS GO OUT THE PEOPLE AND ANIMALS THAT ARE LOSING THEIR HOMES – AND THEIR LIVES in this horrible fire season.”

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia TechniqueThen there was a group of people who banded together with horse trailers and trucks offering to transport animals in need of relocation.  (The picture above with the trucks.)

One bridal store gifted a wedding dress to a woman whose house burned down.  In addition to a free wedding gown, they called wedding vendors and received donations for everything so she and her groom can proceed with getting married.  Now THAT is a bridal store takes care of their brides – Starlet Bridal and Prom!

There is so much devastation, it is so heartwarming to see so many people jump to the aide of others.

Australia is even sending over 71 Fire Fighters.  WOW!

Animals that have been separated from their families are being reunited.Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique

It is all so sad.  I am clinging to the good stuff people are doing as my heart goes out to all that have been affected.

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Clean, Fresh, De-Fungified, And Smelling Good

Posted by terrepruitt on September 10, 2015

So I bet you have seen multiple posts or articles about cleaning with vinegar.  It is a disinfectant, an anti-bacterial, and an anti-fungal.  Some articles say white vinegar is good enough some say you have to use unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar.  You may have also read about our recent situation in which we had an invader in the form of the fungus called ringworm.  Well, a quick summary, we got two one year old kitties who had ringworm.  Thankfully this was suspected the first week they were here so their contamination of the house was kept to a bare minimum.  But I still wanted to disinfect everything I could.  Since animals were involved I wanted to use non-toxic products.  I also employed the use of two other products.  I am going to keep all three of these products in my arsenal of cleaning supplies.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia TechniqueSo as I said, I used vinegar on many, many, many things.  I really don’t care for the smell, but it is safe for all types of surfaces and can be ingested by cats.

The second product is simply diluted bleach.  One part bleach for ten parts water.  While bleach isn’t something ingestible, it does a great job of cleaning.  I used it on every surface that could tolerate it.  So not as many as the vinegar.  I used the bleach more for things that were on my shelves so they were taken out of the room and the cats didn’t even have access to them.  I also very much like the smell of bleach.  It makes me feel as if things are clean.

In my search for things non-toxic I came across EarthScents.  The product description said:

The product description said:
–Use Terra Firma anti-fungal, natural all purpose cleaner to clean all hard surfaces. No harsh chemicals or synthetic fragrances.
–Aromatherapy scents
–100% natural, earth friendly, bio-degradable, septic safe, and safe for people, pets, and the planet.
–Ideal for those who are allergy prone, sensitive to chemical cleaners, or for those who are concerned about the variety and mixture of harsh chemicals used in their home and around their family.

Its ingredients are:  Purified water, tea tree oil, grapefruit seed extract, glycerin, and rosemary therapeutic essential oil.

It smells great.  I bought the Rosemary scent.  I didn’t use it as much as the vinegar because it says it can’t be used on wood, so I used the vinegar.  But this cleaner is GREAT on mirrors.  I am considering purchasing it just to clean windows and mirrors.  It is great.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia TechniqueOh and another mention that I discovered during our situation is Pure Citrus.  We had two cats locked in one room for almost 40 days.  During that period there were a couple of hot spells.  So lets just say that it got kind of smelly in there, so I wanted an air freshener that I wouldn’t be afraid of landing on things and being sprayed around the cats.  So I found this product on Amazon.  I really like it.  I purchased “Orange Air Freshener”.  It smells like oranges.  The ingredients listed say, “Pure Citrus contains 100% natural, delightfully fragrant oils found in fresh oranges.”  Since I liked the product so much I took a chance and bought a different scent, the Lavender Air Freshener.  WOW!  I really like it!  So, if you are ever in the market for an air freshener, I would recommend Pure Citrus, the Orange Air Freshener and the Lavender Air Freshener.  I don’t know about any of the other scents.

So, I believe that vinegar, the bleach dilute, and the Spray fresh helped me get our house fungus free.  At least I feel like these products cleaned it up!  And with the air freshener it smells really nice.

What do you use to clean your house?  What do you use to make it smell nice?

Posted in Helpful Hints, Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

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