In Da Club
I am thrilled at the response to my yoga post! Don’t you just love the thought that we are all in our own separate lives, but yet together? I like to imagine you all just adding touches of loving-kindness and asana throughout your day. I think we could have a monthly check-in, with perhaps a mantra or featured pose (asana to do in your kitchen while you wait for the oven to heat up!) or a very short video. In early days of the pandemic, I created a series of gentle yoga videos specifically for my students as a stop-gap measure as we all tried to figure out the zoom life; the quality is pretty bad, and it was never meant for a wider audience, but perhaps someone will find them useful. At the very least, you can see what parts of my Calgary house looked like. Full disclosure: I have not rewatched these as they are a bit triggering, as it were, remembering the circumstances that led me to making yoga videos in whatever space in my house was unoccupied for whatever time I could manage.
If You Get Caught Between The Moon and The Walking Path
The Okanagan valley where I live is famously overcast in winter; this helps keep the temperatures mild and windless, and to me, that is a pretty sweet tradeoff. It does get gloomy though, and often it’s too cloudy to see the astronomical wonders in the sky. Over the last week, though, the clouds have been lifting, right in time to view the Wolf Moon.
On my early morning walk with Rex, I felt like I was inhabiting a Mary Oliver poem as the Wolf Moon fell on my right and the sun rose on my left.
The sun sets close to 4:30 now, which is a solid half hour later than a month ago. I’ve been known to suddenly scream at everyone in the house to look outside, oh my god, look outside, so I am one step closer to my Life Goal of Becoming Judy.
And look at this sunrise! I truly AM living in a Mary Oliver poem. No joke, Canada geese have been flying around me on every walk. WILD GEESE. I cannot make this up.
Please Please Wait A Minute Mr Postman
When we went to Italy, Rex went on his own little vacation to the pet resort. It seems like it was a three week bender. He came back with an eye infection, an ear infection, lice, and an extra two and a half kilograms. His collar was partially shredded and his license tag was missing. Wasn’t that a party…look at the mess I’m in! We should all have such a good time.
It was great timing, though, because I had been meaning to get him a nicer collar, and so I ordered one from Etsy as a Christmas gift, not that he knows what Christmas is or, more accurately, every day is Christmas for him. The Etsy shop MAILED it, even though the postal strike was already on, and so it was stuck in the US lo these many weeks. It finally arrived this week and I think he looks pretty sharp.
December felt very strange with zero holiday cards in the mail; I was a little blue about it but my husband assured me that I would be very excited when the mail started moving again. He was right; who knew holiday cards in January would be exactly what I needed? The mail is exciting again!
Also exciting was my package from Allison, who was my Secret SANta (HI ALLISON)! Allison and I have been friends for about fifteen years, and boy, does she know what I like. Look at this box of treasures!
Every single thing was a complete delight! Fuzzy socks and lotion, chocolates and candies, a bookmark and a gnome!
A gnome cross-stitch card? Omg! Thanks Allison!
Weekly Reading
The Body. A few years ago my friend Leanne (HI LEANNE) introduced me to the Bill Bryson Theory of Diminishing Returns that states that the first Bill Bryson book that you read – any of his vast collection – will be completely and utterly fascinating, and will cause you to excitedly read more and more. The next book – no matter which book – will be slightly less fascinating, and subsequent books will decrease in delight as you go along. I found this to be very true, abandoning the author altogether after Notes From A Small Island. But I saw The Body displayed at my local library; it was the very first Bill Bryson book I read, in 2021, and I wondered if it would be subject to the law of diminishing returns or if it would be as fascinating as when I first read it. Friends, it was the latter. It’s an absolutely incredible study of the human body and its functions and foibles. Now, I will say if you are squeamish at all, or if you even slightly veer to hypochondria or germaphobia, then you should probably give it a pass. I fortunately remembered the horror that was the breast cancer section and the description of the first mastectomies, and so I quickly skipped over that section this time around. Sadly, I did NOT remember the lobotomy section and read it again, which led to the same nightmares I had the first time around. Still, an excellent read, even if I did re-learn that “vagina” comes from the Latin word for scabbard, which, really? Can we have NOTHING for ourselves? It’s bad enough that until very recently clinical trials excluded women on the basis of their pesky old Aunt Flo, which led to inefficacies and sometimes toxic overdoses of prescription drugs for the female body, it’s bad enough that women are constantly misdiagnosed for heart attacks as we present differently from men, it’s bad enough that menopause is only recently being studied and that for hundreds of years women died en masse during childbirth not because of the birthing itself but because of puerperal fever brought on by MALE doctors NOT WASHING THEIR GODDAMN HANDS. We can’t even have that most female of body parts named in a way that isn’t in reference to the man and his MIGHTY SWORD? God, I could flip over a table and scream into the void. TAKE BACK THE VAGINA, LADIES! But back to the book. Modern medicine and everything we know about the body can be attributed to a) dogged, tireless, and often personally hazardous work by scientists, researchers, virologists, and other medical professionals, b) wild accidents, and c) absolutely atrocious and inhumane experimentation on people by Germany and Japan during World War II. A fascinating, if sobering, read. Also? Wash your hands! It’s the single most powerful way to stop disease, not just childbed fever, but almost all disease, including those considered airborne. The description of how a cold virus ends up everywhere is pretty disgusting and I am NOT going to think about it for one minute longer. Pardon me while I go wash my hands.
Don’t Forget To Write. When I was mired in emotional instability brought on by the beautiful but haunting Moon Road, my friend Hannah (HI HANNAH) suggested this as an antidote. It’s just fun; a story about a young woman in 1960 who gets caught making out with the rabbi’s son and gets sent to live with her great-aunt for the summer. This great-aunt just happens to be a matchmaker, and capers ensue! Sassy comebacks abound! There was a surprise ending that really was a surprise – I usually can see these things coming but I did not. Is it believable? Absolutely not! But it’s a perfect diversion from life.
Home Stretch. The day before a wedding, in small town Ireland, there is a terrible accident that kills three people – including the bride and groom – and seriously injures another. Two others are able to walk away, one of them being the driver, whose life in this small town is now ruined. This book is a perfect example of how to write compelling character-driven prose. Secrets abound and while some can be guessed at, the reader is compelled to keep going; it’s an un-put-down-able book that spans 1987 to 2019, from Ireland to England to New York City and back again. It’s a great story of choices, secret lives, and redemption. Thanks to Lisa (HI LISA) for this recommendation!
I hope you all have a beautiful week filled with fun mail, pretty skies, and, of course, yoga moments! xo
OK, I did not know about the origin of the word vagina! Sheesh! We currently all have colds in our house since our children are traveling petri dishes. I’m just so glad I got through the surgery before I got the cold. But I really don’t need this on top of my other challenges!
I’m so glad that you liked Home Stretch! I wanna read more by that author. I just finished the covenant of water which has gotten mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it. Now I’m reading a light book called summer Fridays, which is set in New York City in the late 1990s/early 2000s. It’s been a good pallet cleanser for me. I’ve read more than typical recently since I’m trying to rest as much as possible so that’s been one upside I suppose to recovery. It’s also horrifically cold here. Our high today is -5 Fahrenheit! We’re definitely having those ‘why do we live here’ kind of feelings.
Oh gosh Lisa, I’m simultaneously sorry you have colds and so happy this didn’t happen last week to interfere with your surgery! But sheesh. Kids! They are such petri dishes for sure.
I put that book on my list as I’m reading a bit of a heavier one now. I feel like I need to alternate light and fluffy with heavy reads these days. I really liked Home Stretch, it was so good! I could not put it down!
I’m so happy to be in the yoga club, Nicole. Yes, it give me a little frisson of delight to know I’m part of your readership taking time for a zen yoga moment (sorry for mixing up my eastern cultures) during the day! Please share that other rockstar video from your old yoga studio too–that one makes me feel like you’re in a music video!
Isn’t that thing about the vagina wild? All the stuff on the inside–the G-spot, the fallopian tubes etc. are also named after male researchers–like they’re fucking colonizers of the female body, which in a sense they are, I suppose.
What great books recs overall and such AMAZING skyscapes and an adorable pic of Rex to boot!! I loved this post!
Well, that’s the sad truth, they really are colonizers. I just rolled my eyes when I got to the part about Fallopia.
I’m so happy that you are in the yoga club with me. I can repost that video if you like! I’m glad it was filmed because my back doesn’t bend that way anymore, it’s fun to see it really did happen.
I have a link to that video, you posted it in a previous reply when I bugged you about it earlier :). I was hoping you’d post it in a post so your vast readership could fangirl along with me!!!
Also, badnewsbears! I can’t access your blog from work! It gives me a scary warning… I didn’t realize how whimsical these things were–I loved being able to get to StephLove’s blog from Greece!
But the good news is that you used badnewsbears, which I shall be using at every opportunity from now on. Seriously though, that sucks! Why am I suddenly no bueno? I tried to post my blog to FB last Friday and it got removed as it went against bullying and harassment guidelines. What. I read it so many times, I have no idea how it was bullying or harassing! Was it the poop?
Trust YOU to find the good in everything, Nicole! lol
I heard from Grumpy Rumblings (https://nicoleandmaggie.wordpress.com/) that they couldn’t get to mine from work either, so maybe it’s just some over zealous shit. Badnewsbears!
I haven’t mentioned it on the blog yet (I will) but I’ve been doing your yoga challenge! Not only am I stretching more, but every time I stretch or do a pose I think of you, which is a very pleasant way to go through the day.
Rex looks very handsome in his new collar! Um, are you going to look around for another pet resort for him next time you go away? Sounds like he had a little TOO much fun last time.
I got your Christmas card!!!!!! Something will be heading your way soon : )
Yay for the yoga! I’m so glad to hear it! Yay Jenny!
For all of the mess, I actually really like that pet resort – it’s just like when you take the kids to preschool, it’s inevitable there’s going to be collateral damage. The dogs get a lot of playtime together, which makes me happy, I’d rather have him messy than not get socialization. Of course, I’m smarter now and have started him on preventative lice/ tick medication!
I’m smiling because we have a collection of songs that we sing to the dog, and In da club is on the playlist. Hey shorty, it’s your birthday….
It was such a treat to get your Christmas card! Christmas in January!
Come give me a hug! You’ll end up…wait. Maybe not. Lol!
I’m so glad you got my card!
Omg, LICE!! And also, yay, #yogaclub!!
This is our second go-round with lice, so I’m a grizzled veteran. Actually dog lice is pretty easy to deal with as it doesn’t transfer to other surfaces, so it’s just a doggie pill and all is fine.
Oh this is very good to know. I was imaging the kind people(kids) can get and it’s a nightmare. I didn’t know there was a difference and feel much better now!
Your secret SANta gift looks amazing! How fun to be getting gifts and cards in the mail right now – January is a month that needs a little boost! I’m getting a little January boost because tomorrow is my birthday! (Well, as long as we’re still here after today’s event.) I love your yoga videos so much! I’m so sorry to hear that they’re triggering for you because they’re delightful and so helpful for me.
The “Bill Bryson Theory” is so true! My first book by him was In a Sunburned Country, and I thought it was awesome! And every subsequent book was less enjoyable.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE!!!! I had no idea you had a January birthday and I’m marking this in the calendar! You’re an Aquarius!
Oh I am SO glad you are enjoying the yoga videos! I am going to put together a few little ones that just demo postures you can do anywhere. Maybe I’ll do a longer one too! I’m so happy you’re finding them helpful. xo
The Bill Bryson theory is just so apt. I loved At Home, and read a few, but by the time I got to the Notes on a Small Country I was DONE with him!
I’m glad your Christmas mail is arriving and that it’s fun to receive it. We got your card right after I’d cleared the mantle of Christmas cards but it seemed too sad to recycle it right away so I displayed it by itself for a couple days.
The sun goes down here at 5:15. It was never earlier than 4:45, so 4:30 seems early to me, but I guess it’s all relative. We are both seeing it go down later, by about the same amount.
I didn’t know Rex came back from the kennel is such bad shape. Two infections and lice! I would have been mad.
Oh that reminds me, yours arrived on Friday! What a lovely treat!
I wasn’t mad about the kennel – these things happen, it’s like when you take the kids to preschool. The great thing about this kennel is that the dogs get lots of exercise and playtime, so it’s bound to happen.
It’s funny, in Calgary the sunset in the winter was just shy of 4:30 and it felt so early, and now that the sun sets at 4:30 I’m celebrating. It’s all relative!
Those are some lovely gifts and what a beautiful sky. We have so much cloud cover that the sun is a rare sight. And it’s been snowing nonstop. I’m officially over winter.
Oh boo, I know you aren’t a fan of winter! I hope you get a break in the weather soon.
We’ve had cold, crisp days on the coast here, and we’ve had some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Nature really is wondrous!
Thank you so much for providing your yoga videos! These videos will allow me, and my husband who has back issues, to have a great “follow along with you” workout together.
(BTW I finished Moon Road last week. Harsh for sure, but I loved Kathleen’s friend, Julian – a small character who had the best lines – full of snark, but some very sage advice.)
YES that character was wonderful! Did you tear up when she was in Prince George? That part did me in. Actually the whole book did me in! But what an incredible work of art.
I’m so happy you are enjoying the videos! I did a lot of the chair ones with my husband in mind – he gets a stiff back and at the time was working at a desk a lot.
Nature IS wondrous!
I was most excited about the videos because it means I finally got to hear your voice!!!
I have been doing yoga daily and it has been SO freeing to not need a video. I have a flow set that I can do from memory that works wonders for my body and so I’m doing it before and after strength training. That said, I am 100% going to do each and every one of your yoga videos 🙂
What a fun package! I especially love the card. Too cute.
Speaking of cards, I have absolutely loved getting Christmas cards most days of January. It’s pretty great, actually. Just today I got two blogger Christmas cards and it gave me a little jolt of festive spirit and joy.
I love this so much, Elisabeth! It IS freeing to just do the postures that are going to benefit you, and knowing that there are videos out there when/ if you want them, it’s win-win!
I know, it’s not like I want to have a postal strike, but this is a definite upside to a postal strike!
I need to revisit your yoga videos. I’m trying to remember to add in some poses but like last night, I remembered I hadn’t done any. So I climbed out of bed and did a couple before climbing back into bed.
Yay Gigi! Great job! I’m so excited to hear this.
Look at me commenting for a second time. Who is this woman? I’ve been watching your videos-one a day and savoring them:) Imagine my surprise when I first looked up your videos and realized we have the same last name! My husband’s side of the family dropped the “a” somewhere along the line. Anyway, thank you for sharing the link to the videos. I still say there should be a yoga zoom class.
Jen! I love it! Maybe somewhere in deep history we were related, our ancestors wandering around the Highlands together.
Thank you so much for watching the videos! I’ll update some with brief “yoga breaks” soon, I hope! I definitely haven’t ruled out a zoom class!
I am so jealous/happy for you/jealous of the beauty of your daily walk. My daily walk with Lucy is fine but kind of dull unless I drive somewhere, which I don’t want to do every day because it’s, you know, a walk.
I’ve only read A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. The Body sounds really cool. I wash my hands almost too much – I have to slather them in polysporin every night in the winter or the cracks are terrible. I think I’ve read that doctors were really angry about being told to wash their hands, even after it should have been obvious, which makes it all even MORE infuriating.
What should we rename our vaginas?
If it makes you feel better, I do have to drive to get to our daily walk! It’s about 2km to the walking path from our house and I did it ONCE, never again. There are no sidewalks and managing Rex on the shoulder of a rural-ish road where people drive at 70-80 km/hr was an actual nightmare. Never again! But the drive is only five minutes so I’ve accepted it as a good tradeoff.
I washed my hands a lot more when I taught yoga – so many people touching everything – and I remember my hands snagged on my yoga pants, they were so dry.
The Bill Bryson Theory of Diminishing Returns!! It’s so true!! I LOVED A Walk in the Woods and have been mildly disappointed by every book I’ve read from him since. I guess once you figure out his schtick, it’s not nearly as entertaining after the first one.
I love that all the Canadians are getting holiday mail and packages still! It’s fun to extend the holiday season. We just took down our Christmas decorations today and I’m feeling sad about it. I am living vicariously through you!
Poor Rex, I’m guessing he does not want to go back to the Pet Hotel. Riley used to visit the vet at our Pet Hotel every second time he visited so we ended up taking him to a different kennel that we’d used for our previous dog. Not as convenient for the drop off but no unexpected vet bills were a bonus. Heis face in that photo is priceless, a bit like an exasperated teenager—what now mum!
I have been joining in the yoga too. A few poses a day is doable.
Melissa, he loves it at that pet resort! We pass it on one of our walking routes and he always gets so excited. Well, these things happen – so much playtime with lots of dogs, and three weeks is a long time. I have preventative lice/ tick medication now for our next visit, so hopefully all will be less…wild. Better that he gets a lot of exercise and playtime than just being bored I guess.
Rex basically had spring break. I love his new calendar. You’re the best for encouraging everyone to join your yoga club!
Hahaha I know, it was wild!
How did collar turn into calendar? I mean, I’m typing while watching TV, I guess that’s my problem.
I have never heard of the BBDLOR, but I completely agree! I think the first book I read was Life in a Sunburned Country and I loved it! I have subsequently read A Walk in the Woods (funny), Notes from a Small Island (it was okay) and the one about small town America where he kind of sarcastically talks smack about them, because he is from Des Moines, so he can do that (it was not that great). I actually may have read The Body after that, and liked it. I have also heard that One Summer is good (more factual, less wit?)
As for the vagina, I did not know that, but my Mom had a fit the other day when we were all sitting around playing cards and I think I said something about being kicked in the vagina, and she decided to give us a biology lesson about how you cannot technically be kicked in the vagina. It was funny and just the kind of conversation my family usually tends to have over dinner 🙂
Did your mom correct you and say kicked in the vulva? Lol, she sounds great.
Isn’t that so wild, the BBDLOR? I think it holds more than it doesn’t!
She said labia, but yes! Haha.
What gorgeous pics!! I cannot believe the condition Rex came home from his vacay! Isn’t there some kind of ummm- responsibility with the kennel? Sounds like he partied hard and had fun though.
I have started a lovely brief yoga habit with your challenge- we are in Mexico and every morning I go on the balcony and do 5 sun salutations. The sun may not be up (we face north) but the ocean is there so it’s beautiful. And a few more poses/stretches through the day. Thanks for inspiring us!
He did have fun, and also, I had to sign a waiver when I drop him off. It’s just standard. Things like this happen, they are pretty minor and I don’t mind – after all any of these things (other than the 2.5 kilo gain) can happen just from going to the dog park. Easily treatable.
I’m so happy for you and your sun salutations! Perfect way to start a day.
Your skies are stunning! I have to say, our January has been really sunny, and the skies have been just as beautiful. I haven’t caught many sunsets lately since it’s been too cold to go outside at that time of day, but I’ve enjoyed plenty of sunrises—thanks to soul homework.
Poor Rex really went through it while you were out of the country. One of our dogs had doggie lice when we first adopted them. I don’t think many people realize dogs can get lice (though it’s a different kind than humans get).
This is our second go-round with lice, so I’m a bit shruggy about it. Doggy lice is so easy to deal with, if only human lice was that way (not that I’ve had lice, knock wood, but so I hear!)
I am cracking up at your description of Rex’s “bender.” What were they DOING at his dog resort? I am picturing him lapping barkaritas in the pool, chatting up the cute poodle with the teeny weeny polka dot collar, howling along to beats by Diglo and Wagger Lazer.
Your Oliverarian lifestyle is so wonderful and I feel extreme second hand joy when you share photos of the beautiful landscape.
BARKARITAS. Maybe it was one of those foam parties?
I’ve seen Don’t Forget to Write for sale in B&N. It looks like a cute read, something to counterbalance the heaviness of January 2025. Thanks for the review.
It was super cute – nothing heavy, nothing even remotely realistic, just plain fun.
Rex, the Frat Dog. That kid was probably the most popular doggo at daycare haha. Can you imagine all of the stories the other dogs have about him?! HA. “Ain’t no party like a Rexie party!”
I loved The Body, too, and you’ll really enjoy It’s All In Her Head after reading The Body again. I have the other two books on my TBR!
I mean, you can see him with a Hawaiian shirt unbuttoned and a lampshade on his head, can’t you? Wooooo! Spring breeeeeeak! The kennel posts photos and videos of the dogs and Rex was constantly smiling and playing, it was super cute. Also they dress up all the dogs for Halloween so that was pretty amazing.
the body book sounds scary, I think i’ll pass it. hehee… I love all the pics of your walk and sunset, I love sunset and don’t get tired of it even they look the same from the same spot. I hope my new house in brasilia shows me a different sunset.
3 weeks in the pet resort sound hard for me. I’m so worried about our cat to travel 35 hrs on flight to get to brasilia, fortunately she won’t need to be quarantined this time.
Oh I bet you’ll have the most amazing sunsets in Brasilia!!
Leaving pets behind is the worst part of travelling. But also, I hope your kitty does okay on the travel – that’s a long time!
I don’t know that I want to see video footage of Rex’s Party time. GOODNESS. LICE? WTF. I didn’t know dogs could catch lice, so a new horror has been created.
Going to check out your old school videos. 🙂
Suz, it’s okay – lice in dogs is actually really manageable. It doesn’t spread to other surfaces/ people like other lice. It just stays on the dog and all they need to do is take a pill and it kills it all. This is our second go-round with Rex and lice, so I feel like I’m a Lice Expert now.
I am so, so thrilled that the Canada Post is finally moving things again and that both you and Allison got to exchange your Secret SANta gifts… 🙂 what a wonderful package she put together for you.
And I love your morning and evening views from your house.
I’m thrilled too! It was a rough go without the postal service!