Yoga ~ gently

My chair yoga class met this afternoon.  This is a photo taken before class of Shannon and me with Lucy, who leads us in our exercises.

Hosted by Joy's Book Blog

Today, we added lower body movements to the upper body work we did last week.  Lucy began by reminding us of ahimsa, "do no harm."  We are supposed to pay attention to our feelings.  We sit up straight while we move our arms and legs, if possible; Lucy modifies what we do, according to our abilities and whether we can move certain joints.  This week, only 12 came.

Beginning ~ with a single day

"This book was written in a single day.  A single 24-hour period, with no advance notice."

Those words were written by Po Bronson, a member of the writers' group who put this book together.  The beginning of the actual "content" of the book, however, begins with something even stranger:

"What can happen in a second"  (No, there's no period at the end of that fragment.)

I'm a writer, and books like this intrigue me.  Here's the book information so you can begin to make sense of what I'm saying.

642 Things To Write About ~ by the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, 2011

This collection of 642 outrageous and witty writing prompts will get the creative juices flowing in no time.  From crafting your own obituary to penning an ode to an onion, each page of this playful journal invites inspiration and provides plenty of space to write.  Brimming with entertaining exercises from the literary minds of the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, this is the ultimate gift for scribes of every stripe.

Here's one of the 642 prompts.  I'll even write about the subject, inviting you to leave something similar in the comments.

"Five things you see out the nearest window."

I can think of two ways to respond.  Here are some of the activities I notice:

1.  I see a mother skipping down the sidewalk with her young child.
2.  I see a rabbit hop across the driveway of the preschool across the street.
3.  I see a bird resting on a telephone wire watching the same scene I'm watching.
4.  I see someone trying to parallel park on the street, leaving the car with one wheel on the grass.
5.  I see a man coming from the other direction, walking his frisky little dog.

Another response is to describe the scenery:

1.  I see other apartment buildings, but none as tall as my 10-story building.
2.  I see my car in the parking lot below my sixth floor window.
3.  I see a preschool, with its parking lot in front and its playground behind a tall fence out back.
4.  I see Walgreens on the corner, with its parking lot half full of cars.
5.  I see trees beginning to bud too early because it's supposed to snow tomorrow.

I could write a story, which is the whole point of this exercise, I presume.  I could have the mother and child encounter the man with his little dog.  Or have the person parking stumble upon leaving the car, maybe dropping an armful of papers (nope, that's isn't what I saw).  I could imagine the child noticing the bird or the bunny rabbit.  Or I could develop a whole plot, with people coming and going from the apartments I see, interacting with each other.

What do you see out a window?

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays.  Click here for today's Mister Linky.

International Women's Day 2017

March 8th is International Women's Day each year.

The theme for 2017 is

Be Bold For Change

Also wishing a very
 Happy Birthday
to my new friend Miriam.

Chair Yoga ~ new exercise class

Today was the start of our new Gentle Chair Yoga class, meeting every Tuesday from now until April 25th.  Our instructor (Lucy) said the first and most important rule for us is to "do no harm," citing ahimsa, the Jain principle of nonviolence toward all living things.  Today we did mostly upper body work, as the 16 of us in the group learned what our elderly bodies can and can't do.  Maybe next week I can share a photo of the class.  It was good to see Eunice, who was in a health class with me a year or so ago.  And I think I've made a new friend.

Hosted by Joy's Book Blog

Megan's half-hour class wasn't working for me, because she plays any kind of music and then does exercises "against" the music.  Having started piano lessons at five years old ... and having played glockenspiel in the marching band ... and having played bassoon in junior high and high school concert band and orchestra and the Chattanooga Youth Symphony, I do things in TIME with the music, not against it.  In Megan's class, I had to close my ears (hard to do!) and try to follow her closely ... or else cut loose and go as fast as the music, rather than following our leader.  It's too much mental work.

So today, I'm back to yoga with another teacher.  I enjoyed the "real" yoga class I joined decades ago when I could still get down on the floor easily, and this one is off to a good start.

Sunday Salon ~ The Rep

My life in books

Secret Sister ~ by Emelle Gamble, 2013, fiction, 9/10

I couldn't stop reading this until I knew what happened, and the story kept getting better and better.  I've already talked a couple of people into getting their own copies.

Summary:

To their friends, Nick and Cathy Chance have the perfect marriage.  High school sweethearts who’ve been together for ten years, they’ve weathered challenges and are as committed as they were when they first fell in love.  Cathy trusts Nick, Nick’s world revolves around his wife, and the future looks golden.  To everyone who knows them, Cathy Chance and Roxanne Ruiz have a perfect friendship.  They connected in grade school and since then have been each others' confidant and trusted advisor.  Cathy loves the gorgeous Roxanne like a sister, Roxanne has fun-loving Cathy’s back in every situation, though lately there’s been tension between these two best friends.  And then, on a sunny summer morning, the unthinkable occurs, throwing into doubt the truth of what these people really know about themselves and one another, when one extraordinary twist of fate turns their lives upside down.

My life outside books

To Kill a Mockingbird

We filled the van today when we went to see "To Kill a Mockingbird" onstage at The Rep (Repertory Theatre) here in St. Louis.  See a video about the three local children who play the parts of Scout, Jem, and Dill; they talk about acting and what it's like for them.  The singing was excellent, and I loved how the actors moved props around to set the stage as they were reciting their lines.  They were so good and I was so focused on the actions that I later wondered, "How'd she get up that tree without my even noticing?"  Or how'd she get down, even after I was determined to notice what was going on?

The fence-prop in this photo was used as part of the "outdoor" scenery, as the "witness box" in court, and who knows how many other scenes as they moved things around.  I loved it!  And when Tom Robinson's wife screamed when he was convicted, I was in tears, even though I know the story (read the book, saw the movie).  It was a delightful performance.  Since we couldn't take pictures, I found these two and the video online.

Thanks to Helen @ Helen's Book Blog for the "my life in books" and "my life outside books" pattern I adopted today.  She's been doing her Sunday Salon posts that way, and I like it.  What do you think?

Bloggers gather in the Sunday Salon — at separate computers in different time zones — to talk about our lives and our reading.

Beginning ~ half a century ago

Metaphors Be With You: An A-to-Z Dictionary of History's Greatest Metaphorical Quotations ~ by Mardy Grothe, 2016

More than fifty years ago, my life was turned around by one of history's most famous metaphorical passages:

If a man does not keep pace with his companions,

perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.

Let him step to the music which he hears,

however measured or far away.

― Henry David Thoreau

I was in the middle of what is now called an identity crisis, and Thoreau's words were a lifeline.  I didn't even know what a metaphor was at the time, but one of the best things about metaphors is that you don't have to know what they are to be moved by them.

That's from the Introduction (p. xi).  When I got home from the library, I flipped this book open to roughly in the middle of its 479 pages and found this:

That money talks

I'll not deny.

I heard it once,

it said goodbye.

― Richard Armour (p. 278)

And one last teaser, my favorite metaphor from this book so far.  Yes, we readers love libraries.

A library doesn't need windows.  A library is a window.

―Stewart Brand (p. 236)

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays.  Click here for today's Mister Linky.

Snowball fight

Half an hour ago, I got this text message from my friend Beth with this photo of her:

"Do you want to have a snowball fight?"

My daughter Barbara immediately replied:

"Umm, I believe you'd win since we'd be without ammunition!"

But I wrote back:

"I'd love to.  Where are you?  I'll be right there."

Hey, Beth and I are still young at heart!  Maybe our children aren't old enough yet to see the logic of a virtual snowball fight.

Update          

I later sent this photo and text:  "I threw this, but I think I missed you completely.  Wherever you are, keep having fun."

My friend and neighbor Barbara (not my daughter) has joined the fray!  "I'm in for a snow ball fight too.  Where and when?"  I wrote back:  "The fight is on!  Yee-haw!"  I've already thrown virtual snowballs at Beth and Barbara.  Do any of you readers want to join in?  Send a photo, if you have one (or can find one), and I'll add it to our gallery in the post.  My email address is on the sidebar, and I'm serious.

Oh, now the fight is picking up!  Helen left a comment:  "I love that!  Someone will probably create a game soon where you can heave snowballs at each other for real ... virtually of course, but I like your method better."  I threw this snowball at Helen.

And Barbara added a photo when she sent this message to some of our mutual friends:  "Bonnie started this.  Throw her a snowball!"

WHOP!!!  Ooooo, that one got me!

Good shot, and the best thing about virtual snowball fights is that it doesn't hurt a bit.  I'm not even feeling cold.

The one with good aim was Helen.  She sent that one flying, saying, "I am not very good at making snowballs since I live in southern California, but I hope I hit someone."  You did.  Me!  Was it beginner's luck?

And one more!  This snowball fight of ours has garnered attention in the Friday Festival of the RevGalBlogPals blog.  No one from there has thrown a snowball, but they got our invitation.  I guess that makes us famous.  Or something.

"Bonnie takes time out for a virtual snowball fight, and invites you into the fray, at Bonnie’s Books."