From May I  Created by Beth Richardson ©2022

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Saturday Morning Comic 

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It is the peculiarity of man

 that he can only live by looking to the future...

And this is his salvation

 in the most difficult moments of his existence. 

 - Viktor Frankl

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This is the message of Christmas: 

We are never alone. 

~ Taylor Caldwell

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From May I  Created by Beth Richardson ©2022

email: thechautauqua@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua  

to purchase decks:  https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/p/products-for-sale.html

December 20, 2024 Chautauqua

Beth's Ponderings

   In university I took a course on the history of family life through the centuries.  What I found interesting was that many of our most “cherished” North American traditions originated during Queen Victoria’s reign, or the decades after her passing.  In historic terms that makes them fairly new.

   Santa Claus as a jolly old man dressed in red is newer, and the result of marketing more than “tradition.”  Whereas St. Nicholas, or versions thereof, have a rich history that’s been around for centuries. 

  Not knowing the story behind traditions can make people disregard them, or else cling too tightly to them.

   “The Greek word for Christ is Christós, and the first letter of Christós is Chi. In Greek, the word for “Christ” is Χριστός. Written in the Greek alphabet, Chi is essentially the same as the English letter Χ, according to YourDictionary.com. X became an abbreviation for Christ, and Christmas became Xmas.” A tradition that has been around for centuries.  May you all have a very Merry Xmas Season!

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/162IFWvqnNhIhH_Dn0fQ6531ou6LLvm2P/view?usp=drive_link

 Whether you've enjoyed reading The Chautauqua from the first issue 23 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. 

Mail a cheque or money order (made out to Beth Richardson – Chautauqua) to Box 261 Mirror, AB T0B 3C0 

E-transfer/PayPal to thechautauqua@gmail.com 

   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!

Contact The Chautauqua via email: thechautauqua@gmail.com or via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua   

The only reason why we ask other people how their weekend was

is so we can tell them about our own weekend.

- Chuck Palahniuk

email: thechautauqua@gmail.com

 https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua

From May I  Created by Beth Richardson ©2022

email: thechautauqua@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua  

to purchase decks:  https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/p/products-for-sale.html

Saturday Morning Comic 

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 https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua

My Artist Voice #32 December 13, 2024

   Welcome to my 32nd Letter to you. To receive these letters directly in your email inbox, please contact thechautauqua@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list.  Please share this with friends who may also be interested.  Thank you so much for your support.

   The past month, I have been deep in the Christmas greeting insert for The Chautauqua's Christmas issue.  It's been a challenge and a half, as I almost had it together the end of November, and then the file quit working - I couldn't save, I couldn't make changes, I couldn't do anything!  I had to start it over from scratch.  Did that, and was going along fine until the 2nd file quit working like the first one!  They were the ONLY files on my entire computer that refused to work!  I freely admit, there was a LOT of screaming going on in this house.  I managed to not throw the computer across the room, or out the window.  I created a completely new template and started all over AGAIN from scratch and was able to make it work - thankfully!  That was more excitement and stress than I needed. By the time you read this, the Christmas issue will be at the press! 

   To help me recover from all of that, I made it to Alix on December 7th for my annual picture with Santa.  Nothing like time with the Jolly Old Fella to put life back into perspective. My first stop was the Alix Christmas market, where I bought some baking and stocking stuffers.  Then to the Fire Hall to see Santa.  My sister and niece were ahead of me, and my niece suggested the two of us get a picture together too!  

Celebrations: 

- The end of October I helped my niece put together a short yoga routine that she could teach her class for an assignment.  She taught it in November and got a great mark!

- I was surprised to see that my Christmas cactus was blooming on November 19th!

- I had a Live Blood Analysis appointment on November 22nd.  My blood is sooooooooooo close to perfect!  The reason I still feel tired and sick all the time is that I have some ugly parasites. 😛 The gal was shocked to the point of almost falling out of her chair - and had to show my main blood guy - because I have dumped a MASSIVE amount of toxins out of my body since August!!  Off the charts improvement doesn’t even come close to describing it!!!!!

- on Dec. 3rd, I made my 1,700th DAILY post in Inner Circle!  WOW!  I have never shared so much of myself, so publicly, for such a consistent period of time before.  For me, the posting is less about accountability so I can create, as I would be creating something no matter what, but about really stretching out of my comfort zone and sharing more than just what I've finished.  Part of the reason why I was finally able to start sharing these letters with you each month is because of all the daily dates I posted in Inner Circle.

- Dec. 9th I put my Christmas lights up in the solarium and outside along the base of the solarium.  I also put my wooden Santa and Rudolph figures in the yard.  Seems like a pathetic display, but it's better than nothing, and the lights are bright and cheerful looking.

- I published two more comic strips in the paper and posted them online.

Recently Completed:

Since the last newsletter, I've completed...

- 4 watercolour play faces on 9x12 mixed media paper.  From left: east/sunrise…south/noon…west/sunset…north/midnight 

Then I completed 4 more of the moon phases.  From left: full...last quarter...new...first quarter 

I kept the group of 4 theme going, and finished another set...from left: maiden...lover...mother...sage/crone 

- More playing with the Walmart set of watercolours (and gel pens) on the pad of 4x6 watercolour paper.  

- I completed more mini collages on 4.5x6 mixed media paper.  

In Beth's Kitchen:

On November 17th, I made 15 cups of mountain ash berry juice.  This is a total experiment, so fingers crossed.

   On November 30th, I sautéed grapes (with orange, basil & thyme) as an experiment.  Oh my Yum!

- I got a pint of dried beet greens once I crushed them, and a pint of dried carrot tops. 

Jigsaw Puzzles:

Since my last letter, I completed a 1,000 piece puzzle.

UFO (UnFinished Object) Update: 

- More craft items were taken to my sister.  What she didn't keep, went into the ongoing yard sale here at the house.  The last trip ended up being another adventure as it was right after the large dump of snow the last weekend in November.  I made it over to her house without getting stuck in the snow, and I carried the 4 large heavy boxes into her house okay.  When I was leaving, I discovered I had somehow managed to lock my keys in the car!  And, I was parked in such a way that my brother-in-law couldn't even get his vehicle out to drive me home.  It was a VERY cold 20 mins walk home to get my other set of keys and then back to get my car!  Thankfully it happened in town, and was an easy problem to fix.

- I recently watched a short class by Minette Riordan on Zentangle - while I like the look of tangling, it's not something that interests me as a practice - and closed another tab on my ipad.  I had some other really short freebie classes that I watched - closed the tabs.  I also decided that there were a lot of freebie classes that I had signed up for through the years that I am NEVER going to do so closed those tabs.

- I have had the first 3 (?) novels in the Outlander series for awhile (Mom read them, so it HAS been a while!) and have been going to read, but haven’t.  I started the first one at the beginning of the year, and then life happened.  I started it again recently and finally finished it the first week of December.  Onto book 2!

Courses and Challenges (free and paid):

- When I purchased Miriam Schulman's book "Artpreneur," it came with a bonus online class.  I started the class in November, which involves creating a journal page for each of the 12 chapter titles as affirmations.  So far, I have 8 of them completed.  I’m using Inktense pencils and Posca paint pens in a journal I made.

- I took Kiala Givehand’s chapbook course back in October 2020, and it came with her 7 Books in 7 Days course, which I recently started.  When the 7 Books course first came out in 2018, I did her free mini version of it, so I didn’t think I needed to make new versions of the books as I still have most of the original prototypes from the freebie class.  I’m watching the videos for book 4 now, and I think I will end up making new versions of the books - we’ll see.

- Amanda Sophia's free mini Divine Woman Awakening course on the Celtic Wheel of the Year - Samhain (pronounced saa-wn), which began Oct. 31/Nov. 1, is a time of releasing.  A couple of years ago, I had moved mom's lift chair (recliner) into my bedroom to have a comfy chair to curl up in when I'm reading - truthfully, I personally don't find that chair to be comfortable in the slightest! Not like Mom did! I am super thankful we had it as mom really did need it, and it made life much easier, but I haven't liked it as a chair, and I always feel sick and sore after I've sat in it for any length of time. I finally decided to get it out of the bedroom on Nov. 12th.  After figuring out how to take it apart (yippee!) I managed, with MUCH struggle, to get it out to the hallway by myself.  My plan was to put it back in the living room, but after walking by it most of the day, I admitted that I didn't want it at all, let alone in the living room, but what to do?  I also wanted to move the armchair from the living room to the bedroom for a comfy chair, but there was still too much clutter and chaos between the two rooms for me to do that myself.  Thankfully, a friend showed up later that day and we put the lift chair in the basement (till I can come up with a plan for it - anyone need a lift chair???  It’s for sale), and we moved the armchair to the bedroom!  That left a lovely open space in the living room - my plan was to shift things around so they weren't so scrunched, but I needed to move all of my mini collage pieces off of the dining room table so I could spread out as I worked on the Chautauqua Christmas greetings.  Instead, I set up a temporary (it WILL BE temporary!) mini "collage corner" in that open space, and that should make it easier to complete more mini collages because I can actually see and access what I have.  During one of our Inner Circle Persist days, I took a stack of pictures I'd saved years ago and glued them onto the cards for the backgrounds.

- Amanda Sophia’s free Geomancy & Land Healing course - I learnt about dowsing.  Maybe I'll be able to dowse the house and find the still missing teapot???  I completed this course on November 24th.

- To get moving on my drum playing, I pulled out a 5 Day Drumming challenge from an old email series.  I watched the videos for Days 2 - 5.  Then I started watching a free introductory course on drum playing.

- Shiloh Sophia's Wild Card Oracle class - not sure if I will make more cards or not.

- Recipes, Remedies, and Rituals Ayurveda course practices: eating only my personal portion size for each meal and doing abdominal rubbing throughout the day to help with digestion/elimination and overall relaxation of the body.

Works in progress:

Currently, I'm working on...

- a 9x12 page of watercolour play

- playing on the 4x6 watercolour paper pad with my "fancier" watercolour paints 

- I pulled out the nylon and started covering wire coathangers again. The nylon is no longer available, but I was able to get some from a gal who bought a bunch at an estate sale a few years ago.  I have loads of "sturdy" wire hangers, so should be able to make quite a few in the days and weeks ahead. This is a nice activity for the hands, and the hangers make great gifts.

- seated forward bends!  Still a challenge and I'm only doing my seated forward bend in the tub when I have my evening bath.  Rather than focus on how far my nose is from my knees, I'm focusing on how far my nose has moved from when I started.

Top: Day 1 - Feb. 19

Middle: 26 weeks (1/2 year!) - Aug. 19

Bottom: 33 weeks - Oct. 7

- "Mystery activity” I have done a little bit on it EVERY day for just over 15 weeks!  That’s over 100 days!!

Featured Art for Sale:

I have inspirational card decks, chapbooks, musical CD's and more for sale that would make great stocking stuffers or Christmas gifts.  Please reach out to purchase.  Items are also available for sale at Amy’s Bakery on Main Street in Delburne.

"Magical Moments in my Day Journal: for the extra special moments all around me" 6x9 lined journal $15 purchased from me or you can purchase from Amazon  https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CJLKZ3KB

Please contact me at thechautauqua@gmail.com or phone 403-352-3837 to make a purchase.

Upcoming Projects: 

- I offer Pay-What-You-Can Distance Reiki/Energy Healing sessions.  Energy healing works great from any distance and I've sent Reiki healing as far away as Queensland, Australia.  Please, contact me to set up your healing session.

"I have been suffering with Long COVID for over a year and have tried every healing modality in the book to get my energy back. Beth has been gifting me with healing Reiki energy for quite some time now and I have, for the first time in over a year, started to feel like myself again.  Much of my weakness has dissipated, and the dark cloud that I have been stewing under has lifted. Thank you Beth. ♥️" - Carla, Esthetician, Nova Scotia 

Thanks for reading, and as always, feel free to share with anyone you think might enjoy it.

Beth 

~~~~~~~~

As a life-long creative, and now artist, I weave my varied interests and wisdom together in an enlightening and entertaining manner, to make people think, but above all else, bring a smile to their faces and hearts, as my style is childlike in its simplicity and playfulness.  While bedridden for much of 2017, I developed 5 – 10 minute practices which allowed me to commit to them daily. I’ve been called the “Queen of Small Steps” because my simple practices – though they seem small individually – have added up to quite a body of work in a few short years. 

~~~~~~~~

Thank you so much for your support, to receive this newsletter directly via email please email: thechautauqua@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list.  Thank you!

Back issues of this newsletter are found here: https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/  under the category "Artist Newsletter"

To support my artistic journey, please consider purchasing my artwork, items available in person at 4910-47 St, Mirror, AB

or make a donation via

Mail a cheque or money order (made out to Beth Richardson – Chautauqua) to Box 261 Mirror, AB T0B 3C0 

E-transfer/PayPal to thechautauqua@gmail.com 

   Your support and kindness are always greatly appreciated, and I look forward to bringing you joy and inspiration! Thank you so much and have a marvellous day!

It’s time to turn down the volume on your doubting mind

 and turn up the volume on your knowing soul. 

 - Jamie Kern Lima

email: thechautauqua@gmail.com

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From May I  Created by Beth Richardson ©2022

email: thechautauqua@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua  

to purchase decks:  https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/p/products-for-sale.html

December 6, 2024 Chautauqua

Beth's Ponderings

   It’s been a while since I’ve given you an update on my health situation.

   I went for my Live Blood Analysis appointment on November 22nd.  I crossed my fingers for good news, but wasn’t sure I’d get it.

   First thing we discovered is that I have big ugly parasites in me!  That would certainly explain why I’m so tired all the time, and life is a real struggle.  I have copper to get rid of those. 

   The gal almost fell off her chair in shock, and told me I have dumped a LOT of toxins from my body since August.  Off-the-charts improvement doesn’t begin to describe it!!

   She also said that my blood is  soooooooooooooooo close to being almost perfect!!!!!!!!!!

   Not only can I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, I can even see the end of the tunnel!

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PUyyw2y_g9bfgBPFMO_L1s9V4kv2zWKI/view?usp=sharing

 Whether you've enjoyed reading The Chautauqua from the first issue 22+ 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. 

Mail a cheque or money order (made out to Beth Richardson – Chautauqua) to Box 261 Mirror, AB T0B 3C0 

E-transfer/PayPal to thechautauqua@gmail.com 

   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!

Contact The Chautauqua via email: thechautauqua@gmail.com or via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua   

Hope is putting faith to work 

when doubting would be easier.

  - E.C. McKenzie

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From May I  Created by Beth Richardson ©2022

email: thechautauqua@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua  

to purchase decks:  https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/p/products-for-sale.html

You can’t change anything by fighting or resisting it. 

You change something by making it obsolete 

through superior methods. 

- Buckminster Fuller

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It is the greatest of all mistakes, 

to do nothing because you can only do little.

  - Sydney Smith

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From May I  Created by Beth Richardson ©2022

email: thechautauqua@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua  

to purchase decks:  https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/p/products-for-sale.html

Saturday Morning Comic 

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Your meandering has purpose.

 - Cheryl Richardson

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The trees are about to show us 

how lovely it is to let things go. 

 - Unknown

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From May I  Created by Beth Richardson ©2022

email: thechautauqua@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua  

to purchase decks:  https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/p/products-for-sale.html

November 15, 2024 Chautauqua

Beth's Ponderings

   I have a new pet peeve that is getting more and more peevish as the weeks go by.

   My peeve is the increasing incorrect usage of the word “loose,” when they should be using the word “lose.”

   At first I was able to let it slide as a “once in a blue moon” misspelling, but now it is EVERYWHERE!

   I’m not sure if this is because people are using artificial intelligence more (ie Voice to Text features or ChatGTP apps) or if folks have completely forgotten their vocabulary!  More likely, it’s a case of not proof reading their writing.

   In simple terms, LOOSE means not tight.  For example: The bolt was loose.

   LOOSE does NOT mean to cease or no longer have. For example: I want to lose weight.

  If the continued misuse of the word LOOSE doesn’t stop, I may just LOSE my mind!

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hMXEDjwNhFSjLSPpNNFPK7EIuD_no477/view?usp=sharing

 Whether you've enjoyed reading The Chautauqua from the first issue 22+ 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. 

Mail a cheque or money order (made out to Beth Richardson – Chautauqua) to Box 261 Mirror, AB T0B 3C0 

E-transfer/PayPal to thechautauqua@gmail.com 

   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!

Contact The Chautauqua via email: thechautauqua@gmail.com or via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua   

Both professionals and masters have to learn and practice their art,

 polish their skills and technique, but to become a true master, 

you need to learn to let go and trust yourself enough to create in the flow.  

- Kristina Mand-Lakhiani

email: thechautauqua@gmail.com

 https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua

From May I  Created by Beth Richardson ©2022

email: thechautauqua@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua  

to purchase decks:  https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/p/products-for-sale.html

Saturday Morning Comic 

email: thechautauqua@gmail.com

 https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua

My Artist Voice #31 November 8, 2024

   Welcome to my 31st Letter to you. To receive these letters directly in your email inbox, please contact thechautauqua@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list.  Please share this with friends who may also be interested.  Thank you so much for your support.

   I attended the dinner concert that kicked off the Stettler Variety Showcase 2024-2025 season on November 3rd, with my friend, Sheila. The meal was delicious (I freely admit I ate more than my personal portion and thoroughly enjoyed every single bite!).  The performer was Trevor Panczak (www.trevortown.com).  He mentioned that the last time he performed in Stettler was in 2002, which means he was the first SVS concert I attended!  During the concert, Trevor mentioned he was the opening act during Don Williams’ final Canadian tour (I saw Don in person in Calgary during his 2nd last tour of Canada - the only time even though he was always my all-time fav singer) and has a Don Williams tribute album coming out in 2025.  It was a great evening and I'm so glad I went as I missed the dinner concert the last two years due to extreme snowfall and sickness.

   The next day, I attended the Bashaw Community Theatre's production of "Beauty and the Beast Jr." The cast did a great job, and it was neat to see so many tiny Belles in the audience.

Celebrations: 

- I completed my 1,900th iPad sky drawing on October 6th!

- I published two more comic strips in the paper and posted them online.

Recently Completed:

Since the last newsletter, I've completed...

- 4 watercolour play faces on 9x12 mixed media paper.  From left: Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. 

- More playing with the Walmart set of watercolours (and gel pens) on the pad of 4x6 watercolour paper.  Except for the red, these are not colours I normally use so it's been neat creating fall foliage to try them out.

- From Sketchbook Revival, I signed up for Jessica Swift's free Art for Self-Care class which provided 5 different prompts for creating.  I decided to make 3 different versions of each prompt in different mediums: (L-R) 1st - ipad, 2nd - tombow markers (4.5x6), 3rd Inktense coloured pencils (4.5x6) 

- I completed my 33rd cartoon comic booklet and you can view it here: https://www.facebook.com/beth.richardson.10/videos/1798579700935462

In Beth's Kitchen: 

- On October 11th, I finished making the grape juice and ended up with 11 (and a bit) cups.

- On October 29th - same day as our first snowfall - I made a baked oatmeal.  Nice warm dish on a wintry day.

Our next snow day was November 5th and I decided that I could no longer put off dealing with some of the food stuffs in the fridge and pantry so made a couple of veggie casseroles, and I froze one.

Jigsaw Puzzles:

Since my last letter, I completed a 1,000 piece puzzle.

UFO (UnFinished Object) Update: 

- From Oct 11 - Oct 31, in Inner Circle, we spent the 21 days working on a project that we wanted to complete.  Rather than pick just one project (you should know by now that's not how I roll), I decided to deal with UFO's and other little tasks that needed done around the house.  While I didn't spend every one of those days sorting, I did spend a few, and Optimistic Beth may have thought she was going to finish ALL of the crafts that Mom and Gramma had started and didn't finish, however Realistic Beth knew she wouldn't (and that quite truthfully, she didn't "really" want to!) - I boxed up MANY unfinished craft projects, MULTIPLE craft kits, and LOTS of craft supplies, and my sister took them.  I assume she plans to complete them as she has completed a few already.  I'd love to say that dealt with everything in the house, but there is still much more to go through.

- I watched 2022 and 2021 Woman Unleashed Summer and Winter Solstice sessions that I somehow never found time for when they were presented.  That closed more open tabs on my computer.

- I recently watched a short class by Minette Riordan on colours and emotions in art.  That closed another tab.

Courses and Challenges (free and paid):

- I watched a free class from Sketchbook Revival artist, Galia Alena from Australia, called Gentle Creative Invitations - some of her practices I already do, but I was intrigued by a guest artist she had in the class who paints on cardboard, mainly because I have a nice stack of cardboard pieces in the basement that I was just going to recycle.  I think I’ll paint on them instead! 

- Amanda Sophia's free mini Divine Woman Awakening course on the Celtic Wheel of the Year - we're now in Samhain (pronounced saa-wn), which began Oct. 31/Nov. 1.  This is a time when the veils are thin and the focus is on ancestors and ancestral healing.  As well as letting go of what no longer serves us. I will continue to sort items in the house - as time allows - thanking my mom and gramma for what they taught me, and letting go (ie crafts) what no longer fits the person I am now, and I acknowledge that it is more than okay for me to have my own interests that are completely different from theirs.  

   I also pulled out Demi Fox's Morgan Le Fay course that I did 2 (?) years ago and am going through the unit that corresponds with Samhain again.

- Amanda Sophia's free mini course on Feng Shui - finished this on October 11th.  Great info, and my biggest takeaway was that I really need to get mom's belongings all dealt with so I can create a home that nurtures ME and MY dreams!

- Amanda Sophia’s free Geomancy & Land Healing course - I finally started this on October 11th.  I only watched the video on the history of Geomancy so far, and will have to watch again as it had a LOT of info in it.  What really stood out for me was that a meandering river is called that because it has a "meander" in it!  And a meander is where the river does a U-turn (because of impenetrable rock) and flows back toward itself.  This usually occurs with underground rivers and people can find where it happens as there is usually an ancient labyrinth on top - with the centre of the labyrinth right over the meander as that's where the most intense pressure and energy is.  That puts a whole different spin on my theme for the year of "meandering!" Does that mean I'm supposed to U-turn somewhere in my life???

- Hillary Faye's (paid) Eternal Beauty course - I finished this course Oct. 27th.  There are a couple of the guided meditation audios I really liked that I will continue to listen to in the days ahead as they are really good reminders (especially on days when I feel sick) of how incredibly awesome my body really is.

- To get moving on my drum playing, I pulled out a 5 Day Drumming challenge from an old email series.  I still haven't gotten to Day 2 yet, though I do play the drum daily.

- Shiloh Sophia's Wild Card Oracle class - not sure if I will make more cards or not.

- Recipes, Remedies, and Rituals Ayurveda course practices: eating only my personal portion size for each meal and doing abdominal rubbing throughout the day to help with digestion/elimination and overall relaxation of the body.

Works in progress:

Currently, I'm working on...

- a 9x12 page of watercolour play

- playing on the 4x6 watercolour paper pad with my "fancier" watercolour paints 

- I recently got 2 small inexpensive paint palettes so I'll soon be able to start playing with the watercolour technique I mentioned in my last letter re mixing watercolours.

- seated forward bends!  Still a challenge and I'm only doing my seated forward bend in the tub when I have my evening bath.  Rather than focus on how far my nose is from my knees, I'm focusing on how far my nose has moved from when I started.

Top: Day 1 - Feb. 19

Middle: 26 weeks (1/2 year!) - Aug. 19

Bottom: 33 weeks - Oct. 7

- "Mystery activity” I have done a little bit on it EVERY day for just over 10 weeks!  Health-wise the past couple of weeks have made it quite the challenge, but I persevered! 

Featured Art for Sale:

Lady of Desire (acrylic/mixed media) on 16x20 stretched canvas $450 I painted this from an online class.  As I didn't have all of the materials and supplies required, I had to be a bit more innovative with what I did have.  The first layer was created with orange napkins collaged onto the canvas - you can see a bit of the texture that created around her head.  Her hair was created with pieces of lace.  For the collar of her dress, I used small folded paper doilies.  After painting with acrylic paints, I embellished her with a fabric flower in her hair and her jewellery was created with old buttons (that my mom had saved after taking the back stem with the hole off).  Please contact me to purchase "Lady of Desire." 

"Magical Moments in my Day Journal: for the extra special moments all around me" 6x9 lined journal $15 purchased from me or you can purchase from Amazon  https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CJLKZ3KB

Please contact me at thechautauqua@gmail.com or phone 403-352-3837 to make a purchase.

Upcoming Projects: 

- I offer Pay-What-You-Can Distance Reiki/Energy Healing sessions.  Energy healing works great from any distance and I've sent Reiki healing as far away as Queensland, Australia.  Please, contact me to set up your healing session.

"I have been suffering with Long COVID for over a year and have tried every healing modality in the book to get my energy back. Beth has been gifting me with healing Reiki energy for quite some time now and I have, for the first time in over a year, started to feel like myself again.  Much of my weakness has dissipated, and the dark cloud that I have been stewing under has lifted. Thank you Beth. ♥️" - Carla, Esthetician, Nova Scotia 

Thanks for reading, and as always, feel free to share with anyone you think might enjoy it.

Beth 

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As a life-long creative, and now artist, I weave my varied interests and wisdom together in an enlightening and entertaining manner, to make people think, but above all else, bring a smile to their faces and hearts, as my style is childlike in its simplicity and playfulness.  While bedridden for much of 2017, I developed 5 – 10 minute practices which allowed me to commit to them daily. I’ve been called the “Queen of Small Steps” because my simple practices – though they seem small individually – have added up to quite a body of work in a few short years. 

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Thank you so much for your support, to receive this newsletter directly via email please email: thechautauqua@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list.  Thank you!

Back issues of this newsletter are found here: https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/  under the category "Artist Newsletter"

To support my artistic journey, please consider purchasing my artwork, items available in person at 4910-47 St, Mirror, AB

or make a donation via

Mail a cheque or money order (made out to Beth Richardson – Chautauqua) to Box 261 Mirror, AB T0B 3C0 

E-transfer/PayPal to thechautauqua@gmail.com 

   Your support and kindness are always greatly appreciated, and I look forward to bringing you joy and inspiration! Thank you so much and have a marvellous day!