August has been a
ridiculously busy month, and looks like it will continue to be right to the end.
The month started
with the end of my art show in Donalda. It
was a great experience, and I’m so glad I said Yes to it. I especially enjoyed sharing my artist
journey and art process with the people who attended the Meet and Greet on July
23rd.
Of course, the
garden is producing. I didn’t get many
raspberries this year, as about half rotted before I could pick them as I ended
up sick in bed the last week of July (when we had the extreme heat and humidity). My poor crabapple tree - which honestly we
thought was dead a handful of years ago - produced a bumper crop this year (I’m
not sure how exactly!), but I had to pick the crabapples early as the tree is
rotting from the bottom so has to come down (actually it should be down by the
time you read this) - it’s bittersweet as that is the last of the trees that my
parents planted in the yard when we first moved to Mirror in 1979. Needless to say, I’ll be processing a LOT of
crabapples in the coming days. And I’ve
had two large pickings of rhubarb that I turned into juice. There is nothing more refreshing on a hot
summer day than a cold glass of rhubarb juice.
I also had enough tomatoes to make some tomato soup - I tried that last
year for the first time, and it worked so well, I had to make more this year.
Also this month, we are working on the edits for my 10 songs for my music album. Hard to believe that the 4 month program will be wrapping up the first week in September! I have trusted friends reviewing my songs and giving feedback, which has been very helpful. At this point, my album release is set for October, but there is a tiny possibility that it could be released sooner. Part of that timeline is dependent on whether or not I have my book - based on the artist journey structure I used for my art show in Donalda - ready to be printed/published in September.
Beth
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iqx6DVaqqZTi0ohU5XZtDNIiGeGitBKb/view?usp=sharing
Whether you've enjoyed reading The Chautauqua from the first issue 20 years ago, are a brand new reader, or somewhere in between, I sincerely hope that The Chautauqua has enriched your life, as much as it has enriched mine publishing it. If you would like to help ensure it continues to enrich others like yourself, I ask you to please consider making a donation to The Chautauqua. There are three methods available:
Mail a cheque or money order (made out to Beth Richardson – Chautauqua) to Box 261 Mirror, AB T0B 3C0
E-transfer to thechautauqua@gmail.com
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Your support and kindness is always greatly appreciated, and I look forward to continuing to bring joy and inspiration to you with each issue. Thank you so much and have a marvellous day!
And, if you are looking for a unique gift idea, please visit: https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/p/products-for-sale.html
Contact The Chautauqua via email: thechautauqua@gmail.com or via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua
E-transfer to thechautauqua@gmail.com
PayPal at https://paypal.me/thechautauqua (note: you will need to sign into PayPal first, and then specify the amount)
Your support and kindness are always greatly appreciated, and I look forward to continuing to bring joy and inspiration! Thank you so much and have a marvellous day!
Ever stop doing
something that you’ve always done, or at least done for years, and then after a
period of time not doing it, thought that there was no way you could get back
to it because you’d be starting right back at square one, and that feels like
just too much effort, so why bother?
I’m sure there are
countless different activities, or habits, that you can think of where this has
been the case. I know I have a few.
I recently heard
Caylee Grey, from the Get Messy podcast, mention this, but how she framed it,
changed my perspective.
When we return to a
task after a long absence, Caylee pointed out that we aren’t starting from
scratch, but we are “starting from experience.”
And, that is so
true. No matter how much time has passed
between when you stopped and when you start up again, you aren’t starting the
second time as a complete beginner. Even
if you need a refresher and have to relearn some steps, you’ll pick them up
considerably faster than you did the first time because you already know them.
Also, because you
already have experience, you know what your pitfalls are (ie what caused you to
stop in the first place) and how to make the process work for you so you can
keep going again.
When I first
started doing yoga, I was told that even if you stop doing yoga for years, when
you get back to it, your body will remember, and after some initial stiffness,
it will quickly get back to the level you were at before you stopped. Just like riding a bicycle - you never really
forget how to ride even if you are a bit rusty the first time out again.
While we tend to
think of summer as a time to ditch routines and just play and have fun (and it
certainly is that), summer is also a really good time to revisit some of the
tasks, skills, and practices we used to do, because we don’t have our usual
routines as an excuse to stop us, and the free time to spend revisiting the
activities.
And now that you know it will be easier to get back into the groove than you “thought” it would be, you have nothing to lose.
Beth
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rBBmsn8gETnjAI7h5cgfei8MhE8XFtHb/view?usp=sharing
Whether you've enjoyed reading The Chautauqua from the first issue 20 years ago, are a brand new reader, or somewhere in between, I sincerely hope that The Chautauqua has enriched your life, as much as it has enriched mine publishing it. If you would like to help ensure it continues to enrich others like yourself, I ask you to please consider making a donation to The Chautauqua. There are three methods available:
Mail a cheque or money order (made out to Beth Richardson – Chautauqua) to Box 261 Mirror, AB T0B 3C0
E-transfer to thechautauqua@gmail.com
PayPal at https://paypal.me/thechautauqua (note: you will need to sign into PayPal first, and then specify the amount)
Your support and kindness is always greatly appreciated, and I look forward to continuing to bring joy and inspiration to you with each issue. Thank you so much and have a marvellous day!
And, if you are looking for a unique gift idea, please visit: https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/p/products-for-sale.html
Contact The Chautauqua via email: thechautauqua@gmail.com or via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua
