The new way I shop these days

This is the aisle at my grocery story, showing corn — and beets.  My InstaCart shopper said they didn't have the exact thing I ordered and asked if any of these would do as a replacement.  I think I remember they didn't show the whole kernel corn I wanted, so I had ordered cream style.  Before I could get this enlarged enough to read labels, I told her to replace it with whole kernel corn, which is what I had wanted in the first place.

Shopping by computer is no fun.  If I'd been there, I'd have probably also gotten those beets on sale on the second shelf down on the right, but my shopper had already moved on by the time I enlarged this image and noticed the beets.  It's time to order again.  I wonder if beets are on sale this week.  I wonder when I'll be able to shop in person again, not having to worry about people refusing to wear masks or staying at least six feet from me.  I wonder how many of us will survive this awful year.

Declawing is torture for cats

Have I ever told you how Clawdia got her name?  Since her front paws had already been declawed, I named her Clawdia, spelled with a W.  I rescued a declawed cat and gave her that name so I could tell the story of her having been declawed.  It's the day after Friday, and very fitting I should write about Clawdia on a Caturday,

Wishing well coins

Bookworm

I just realized I haven't told you I have a new tee showing my spirit animal is a bookworm.  The shirt in this photo I found online looks black; my mine shows this bright green bookworm on a deep, dark green cloth.

Word of the Day

book·worm / ˈbo͝okˌwərm / noun = a person unusually devoted to reading and studying, someone who prefers reading to just about any other activity, a booklover.  Example:  I've been a bookworm all my life.  I just learned that the first known use of bookworm was in 1580, according to Merriam-Webster.

Spider in two windows

Last Thursday, I could not open Clawdia's favorite window because this spider was between the screen and the glass.  A little later on the same day, it was inside the OTHER window.  Wait!  How!

How did it go from one window to the other?  I don't know, since it must have crawled around the edge of the screen and across the upright between the windows, but it did.  I didn't see it on Friday in either window, so on Saturday, Clawdia finally got to sit in her open window again.  But she never noticed the spider because it was beyond the glass and above her head while she'd been begging me to PLEASE open the window for her.

Self-Care September

Click to enlarge the calendar

This Self-Care Calendar is from the Action for Happiness folks, who say:

"Self-care isn't selfish, it's essential.  No-one's perfect.  But so often we compare our insides to other people's outsides.  This month we're encouraging everyone to be kinder to themselves (as well as others), especially when things go wrong.  Self-care increases our resilience and helps us get more out of life.  It also helps us accept others as they are too."

September 1
~ Remember that self-care is not selfish.  It is essential.
September 2
~ Be willing to share how you feel, and ask for help when needed.
September 3
~ Free up time in your diary by cancelling any unnecessary plans.
September 4
~ Forgive yourself when things go wrong.  We all make mistakes.
September 5
~ Plan a fun or relaxing activity this weekend, and make time for it.
September 6
~ Focus on the basics:  eat well, exercise, and go to bed on time.
September 7
~ Remember it's okay to not be okay.  We all have difficult days.
September 8
~ Notice the things you do well today, however small.
September 9
~ Avoid saying "I ought to" or "I should" to yourself.
September 10
~ Give yourself permission to say "No" to requests from others.
September 11
~ Aim to be good enough, rather than perfect.
September 12
~ Let go of being busy.  Allow yourself to take some breaks today.
September 13
~ Make time today to do something you really enjoy.
September 14
~ Talk kindly to yourself like you would to someone you love.
September 15
~ Find a caring, calming phrase to say to yourself when feeling low.
September 16
~ Notice what you are feeling today, without any judgment.
September 17
~ Leave positive messages for yourself to see regularly.
September 18
~ Don't compare how you feel inside to how others appear outside.
September 19
~ Get active outside, and give your mind and body a natural boost.
September 20
~ No plans day — make time to slow down and be kind to yourself.
September 21
~ Remind yourself that you are loved and worthy of love.
September 22
~ Look at photos from a time with happy memories.
September 23
~ Let go of other people's expectations of you today.
September 24
~ Ask a trusted friend to tell you what they like about you.
September 25
~ Release yourself from inner demands and self-criticism.
September 26
~ Find a new way to use one of your strengths or talents today.
September 27
~ Take your time.  Make space to just breathe and be still.
September 28
~ Accept your mistakes as a way of helping you make progress.
September 29
~ Write down three things you appreciate about yourself today.
September 30
~ You matter.  Remember that you are enough, just as you are.

For the record, I didn't forget to post the calendar this month, but my computer died.  Today I got another computer and can get it posted.

Ginnie Sams on YouTube

My friend Ginnie Sams is a storyteller.  I've found several YouTubes of her telling stories that I want to post, partly so I'll be able to find them again.

• Women Groundbreakers ~ August 13, 2014  (She was the first woman computer programmer at the railroad in 1963.)
• Lessons from Granny Turner ~ September 11, 2012  (This is not true about her grandmother.)
• Ginnie Sams Tells a Travel Tale ~ June 9, 2014
• The Floor Is Yours ~ May 20, 2015
• Love and Fear for Caving ~ February 4, 2018
• Little Red Riding Hood at age 400 ~ February 4, 2018
• Ginnie Sams and the Undocs tell a story about Red Riding Hood ~ February 5, 2016
• Ginnie Sams and the Undocs ~ March 7, 2016

The last two, though posted at different times, seem to be the same video and the background "music" muffles Ginnie's words.

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UPDATE (10-23-2020)

Ginnie sent me a screen shot of the two YouTubes posted on February 4, 2018, with "Little Red Riding Hood at age 400" on the left and "Love and Fear for Caving" is on the right.  But now it's "lost" on my old flip-phone because I forgot to save it.  Ginnie sent me the following list today:

Really Happened

• Woman Groundbreakers
• Travel Tale
• Love and Fear for Caving

Imaginary Story

• Lessons from Granny Turner
• The Floor is Yours
• Red Riding Hood at age 400
• Undocs Red Riding Hood
• Undocs