Saturday stuff

ZOOM

I haven't done nearly as much reading as I'd have expected, especially with nowhere much to go with our "stay at home" orders.  Mostly, I've read the news (not always good for anyone's mental health these days) and social media (some humorous, some inspiring, some depressing).  The best part, though, is talking to others.  I do that now through phone calls, texts, Facebook messages, emails, and even Zoom as of yesterday when Donna Rae Jones walked me through my first ever video conversation.  She was at her own home, and I was in my apartment.  She hopes to set up a way to complete the sessions of gentle chair yoga she was teaching here in Crown's fitness center before everything got cancelled.

INSPIRATION

Jewish and Muslim paramedics pause to pray together.  Click here to read CNN's Thursday report, and be inspired that good people can work together to make this a better world in the midst of the pandemic.

Two Chattanooga surgeons have created locally sourced medical gowns to help with the supply shortage.  Consider these two hospitals in Chattanooga:

"Erlanger goes through 500 medical gowns a day and Parkridge, 300."

The gown is one piece, and you don’t have to touch anything to put it on. You literally just open your hands up, and then you put it over your head.  One of the doctors said, "This is what America’s about ... people teaming up together to fix the problem."  Many thanks to Dr. Lisa Smith, a pediatric surgeon at Erlanger for her prototype.

SOCIAL DISTANCING 101

View from my window:  Two people walking on the other side of the street; he's on the sidewalk, she's in the street, the dog's on the grass between them.  Two people walking on our side of the street; he's in the middle of the sidewalk approaching the driveway to the apartments next door, she's coming toward him, he doesn't move over, so she curves ALL the way out into the street as they pass.

The doggie couple kept their distance all the way out of sight.  The man on our side continued his entitled way in the middle of the sidewalk all the way out of sight, while the young woman disappeared from my view as she neared the Crown Center.  Which of these people are you emulating?

WORD OF THE DAY

em·u·late /ˈemyəˌlāt/ ~ verb ~ match or surpass (a person or achievement), typically by imitation.

HUMOR

Take the title of a movie and replace one word with Toilet Paper.  Go!  Here are mine to get you started:

• Gone With the (Wind) Toilet Paper
• A Beautiful (Mind) Toilet Paper
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of (Doom) Toilet Paper
• You've Got (Mail) Toilet Paper
• On Golden (Pond) Toilet Paper

BOOKS

Full circle now to my first sentence above:  "I haven't done nearly as much reading as I'd have expected."  So I'd better get back to reading.  And rather than journaling along with my two books by Michelle Obama (Becoming: A Guided Journal) and Jacqueline Winspear (What Would Maisie Do?), I seem to have been "journaling" day by day on my blog.

Friday update ~ the state of things around here

1.  What am I grateful for today?

Neighborhood links — do you have one?  Years ago, I was on an email list sharing community news.  Now I'm on Nextdoor (a neighborhood email link).  One thread this morning:  "I'd be interested in knowing how it looks in the grocery stores, from those who've shopped in the last few days.  Is there fresh produce?  Are stores restocking?  Is 'senior hour' worth taking advantage of?"

**One comment (about MY store):  "Good morning — I was at the Ladue Schnucks on Wednesday morning at 6:45 a.m.   Store was not crowded and there was plenty on the shelves, in the produce area and the meet [meat?] area."

**Another comment:  "Also, if you'd like to avoid going to the store, you can down-load the instacart app and order from Schnucks for home delivery.  The prices are the same as in store and the delivery fee is $3.99.  If your order is more than $35, delivery is free."  (Donna and I use Instacart, which will now leave your order at your door to avoid contact.)

**A third comment:  "I was at Dollar Tree on Olive yesterday about 4:30pm.  Plenty of cleaning supplies available, and they had toilet paper, and vitamins, too.  Since the signs went up to stop hoard buying, I think it's really helped slow panic shopping."

**Another comment:  "I ran to CVS at Clayton and Brentwood to pick up prescriptions.  Only a few people there.  They had toilet paper for those without.  I heard from a neighbor that Schnucks on Ladue Rd was very crowded and USBank had lines.  Just FYI."

**A recent comment:  "Not too crowded at 11:00 at Schnucks at Spoede.  Out of tp and tissues."

2.  Who am I checking in on or connecting with today?

I'm connecting with YOU today, connecting virtually and sending a hug.  Let me know when you get it by leaving a comment.  See?  We're connecting.  While I was checking my blood pressure, Tiny called.  When I called back, she must have been talking to someone else.  Donna texted and emailed me, and I've been sharing with friends on Facebook.  Last night, I texted with Sharon.

3.  What expectations of "normal" am I letting go of today?

Normal is greeting people in the hallways and eating together in the Circle@Crown Café.  Normal is taking trips on the Crown Center bus and exercising in our Fitness Center.  To let go of exercising with friends, I can exercise with a video (see #5).

4.  How am I getting outside today?

I think I'll bundle up (it's 41° here, feels like 37°) and take a walk to the far end of my curving street and back.  Maybe I'll even go on around the block and back from the other direction.

5.  How am I moving my body today?

SilverSneakers plans to do another online exercise class on Monday.  In the meantime, I can repeat what's in yesterday's video and take a walk (see #4).

Daily dozen for seniors

Click to enlarge the image

I exercise with a group of friends in our Fitness Center on the ground floor on Friday afternoons, so I've been looking for examples of things seniors can do.  Toe raises and heel raises and shoulder shrugs can be done while sitting as well as standing.  Each person decides what's doable for herself, and our mantra is "Don't do anything that hurts."

Exercising ~ for bones and muscles

How to modify the tree pose

"Yoga for Strong Bones"

"You know that walking and strength training each hold keys to a strong skeleton.  But emerging research shows that yoga — yes, the mind-calming, tension-relieving, flexibility-defying practice — helps build strong bones too.  In fact, just 12 minutes of daily yoga helped improve bone mineral density in older adults with osteoporosis, according to a study ... And while you’re building your bones, you’re also strengthening the muscles that shore up your skeleton. "

How to modify the plank

This article shows how to do six yoga poses, including how to make each of them easier if you can't get down on the floor.  I looked for some pictures online to show the modifications, which I've used here today.

"The best yoga poses for bone strength include balance and strengthening moves, and any pose that encourages you to sit or stand tall, as opposed to flexing the spine and rounding forward ... Balance and strengthening poses help prevent falls."

How to modify downward-facing dog

I signed up for the Gentle Chair Yoga group again, meeting each week until March 4th.  In other words, counting last Wednesday, we'll have a total of seven sessions in our Fitness Center downstairs.  In the first session, we worked on breathing properly.  I wonder if we'll do any of these modified poses.