Author: sssmahh303

A Gentleman In Moscow

by sssmahh303, posted in Uncategorized

Mary Ann

When you read a book, do you ever cast the movie as you meet each of the characters?  I do, all the time.  Often, I cast Kate Winslet as a strong, independent women in a period piece, or I see Jennifer Lawrence portraying a complex, troubled, young woman.  It makes the book come alive for me!  However, the movie comes out, and the casting directors have picked totally different people.  How dare they?  

This was very evident when I read one of my favorite books, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.  The book is a story of Count Alexander Rostov, a Russian aristocrat that loses everything during the Russian revolution.  He is exiled to live in a luxury hotel, the Metropol, for the rest of his life.  Imagine trying to make a life in a box after having the best of everything?  You join the Count as he makes a life, finds purpose and love, and befriends the people who are the lifeblood of the Metropol. The Count meets life challenges with humor and kindness – a lesson for us all. 

In 2024, Showtime and Paramount+ produced an eight-episode series of the book.  In my mind’s eye, I pictured Jude Law as the Count. However, when the series was made, Ewan McGregor was chosen.  McGregor doesn’t just play the Count; he is the Count!  The production absolutely makes the book come alive.  

I was so totally wrong on my choice. That is why I am not a casting director.  I will continue pretending I am, however.  It is fun!   

Both the book and the series are wonderful – favorites!!  You can’t put the book down, and now you can binge the entire series instead of waiting with bated breath for the next episode each week.

 Amor Towles is a gifted writer. You might enjoy reading The Lincoln Highway, another of his best-sellers that is a tale of a youthful adventure in the 1950s.    I currently am reading his Tablet for Two, a collection of short stories.    Rules of Civility is on the horizon for me – I am excited for a future read.  I look forward to continued Towles’ masterpieces!   

 

Africa

by sssmahh303, posted in Uncategorized

Mary Ann

When you travel to Africa, it gives you a gift.  It varies from person to person.  The gift reaches deep into your soul. Maybe it is our ancient DNA feeling the deep roots where humans began. 

Some people I know had the gift of elephants.  Another friend had an experience with rare black rhinos that brings her to tears when she speaks about it.  For me the gift was experiences with the great cats. It is funny that a fortune teller once told me that in another lifetime I was a keeper of cats in ancient Egypt. I never gave it much thought. However, cheetah has always been one of my favorite animals.  Did I care for them in another life? 

Leopards

When people go to Africa, they are told that they need to see the Big Five – Elephants, Cape Buffalos, Rhinos, Lions, and Leopards.  For the most part you will see four of the five.  The leopard is elusive.  It is a solitary animal, nocturnal, and shy. So, when we came across a mother leopard and a baby in the daytime and the father was there as well, it was indeed a gift, a rare gift. Our guides told us that we were extremely lucky.  

  The leopards were in a gully that had heavy brush and some trees.   The mother and cub were lying on a bare spot in front of the brush. It was probably her lair. We were perched in our vans along the gully ridge.  Suddenly, the male leopard hoisted an antelope up a tree that was right in front of us.  We were having a National Geographic moment.  He remained in the tree with his kill looking at us.  The mother went into the brush, and you could hear her crunching the bones of something.  It was a powerful and chilling sound. We watched them for a long time, until a barrage of vans showed up to view this exceptional experience.  There is a grapevine among the guides so news travels fast on the savannah.

Cheetahs

The second big cat experience was at Mount Kenya. We were staying at Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, a resort on the equator in the mountains of Kenya that was once owned by actor Bill Holden. It is beautiful.  Prince William proposed to Princess Kate there at a camp above the resort. 

 Mount Kenya Animal Conservancy is associated with the resort.  There is an animal orphanage there. As we toured the compound, there are animals and birds walking around.  There was also a cage of three young cheetah.  My travel group of 7 talked to the cheetah caregivers and asked questions.  The two young men told us to hang around once the park closed so we did, and we got the surprise of a lifetime.  

At the end of the day, the cheetahs are feed.  We were given permission to go in the small feed cage and pet the young cheetahs.  The cheetah could have cared less.  They were busy eating.  When I went in, I kneeled and touched the body of the young female.  I swear I felt an electric shock as I stroked her body.  It was like petting a short-haired dog. I was overwhelmed with emotions.  If the cheetah turned around and ripped off my face, I don’t think I would have minded.  It was just the most incredible experience.  Maybe my cat keeper was coming out!  

Lions

The last experience was at the Masai Mara National Game Reserve near Narok, Kenya.  It blends into the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The Great Migration flows thorough these parks. 

As we did game drives, we came across a very big pride of lions of varying ages.  They were lolling around on a small mound under some shade trees.  We were very close to the group.  They were habituated to the vans.  I think they think they are another kind of animal. I talked to the teenage lions, and they were quite relaxed. As you spoke to them, they would slowly close their eyes just like your pet cat does when you coo to them.  Eye blinking must be a trait of all felines.  It was again special to visit with them.  

I am so thankful to have had these great cat experiences.  Africa gave me unforgettable memories.  I hope that all of you will have a chance to go to Africa and see what gift you will receive.  It will be magical. 

George and Amal Clooney

by sssmahh303, posted in Friends and Family

Mary Ann

I bet you thought that I would be writing about meeting George and Amal Clooney at a market in Provence, France.  I wish.  However, this blog is about another George and Amal Clooney who live in my neighborhood – a pair of red foxes.

Last December we started seeing two beautiful red foxes in our backyards.  They were courting, and the male was wooing his pretty redheaded vixen.  Hopefully, a family would result from all this romancing.  We hoped too that they would set up housekeeping in a den nearby. During this time, everyone on my lane called each other when we had a fox sighting.  Everything stopped to watch them chase each other.  

We decided to call the pair George and Amal Clooney.  George was the voice of Mr. Fox in the animated film The Fantastic Mr. Fox.  The foxes were equally as handsome as the original Clooneys.  They were the stars of our neighborhood!  Then suddenly they disappeared.  We missed them so much.  They brough such joy to all our lives. 

Time passed, and George and Amal showed up on the other side of our townhouse complex.  They settled behind a set of townhouses in a lovely, wooded area with a little stream running through it – a wonderful place to raise their kits. George and Amal then had their babies and the other half of the complex got to see them grow up.  I did not. I was and am GREEN!!!  The neighbors still call one another with each fox sighting.  The Clooneys have enchanted everyone and united the whole neighborhood in a unique way. 

However, I had my National Geographic moment. I was driving past the pond on a rainy day, and I spotted Amal hunting along the edge of the water.  As a mother, she now had several mouths to feed, and as the kits grew so did their appetites.  Amal was intensely searching for a mouse. Then, she leaped into the air in an arc that is a common fox hunting technique. She missed the mouse. At that moment, I lowered my car window to take a picture, and it made an eeeeeeeeee sound which caught her attention.  She looked right at me. and our eyes locked. This went on for like 30 seconds. We were looking into each other’s souls. Then she started to walk towards me.  OMG, was she going to yell at me for the eeeeeeeee sound and ruining her mouse hunt?  Meanwhile, I am fumbling around trying to find my phone in my purse and turn it on to get a photo.  Amal was still moving towards me then she turned and went over the bridge running in front of the car into the woods.  I finally found the phone and did get a shot of Amal running by me before she ducked into the woods. I shall never forget this encounters, a truly priceless moment for me.

The foxes have united our community in such a fun way.  With a world full of turmoil and negativity, George and Amal have brightened so many lives, and now there is another generation to carry it on.  I am still GREEN! 

Note – If you notice, Amal’s tail has no fur on it.  She probably has mange.  I have been in touch with our local wildlife center to figure out how to help her. They suggested we could trap her in the fall after her babies are grown and treat her.  The kits need her now.  However, her kits and probably George will get mange from her.  His tail is very bushy.  Apparently, a healthy animal can recover from mange, but if you read about it online, there is not much hope and so much suffering for the animal.  The history of mange is heartbreaking and why wild animals have it.  You can research all of this on the Internet if interested. 

The Last Buzz

by sssmahh303, posted in Lifestyle

Mary Ann

Every once in a while, you have to drag out the soapbox, dust it off, step up, and shout!  That time is now. Three years ago, I put a butterfly garden in the front of my house – butterfly bushes, milkweed, coneflowers, lantana, salvia, lavender, etc.  It was a smorgasbord of yummies for butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.  It was a pleasure to sit on my front porch watching them dance among the flowers. There was a huge variety of insects, and I felt I like I was helping the planet.  That year there were 28 monarchs.  

The following year, there was only one monarch and not as many of the bigger butterflies. However, the skipper population was thriving.   I called the county extension agency to see what was going on with the butterflies.  I was told some years are like that.  We are now in the middle of year three, and so far, this summer I have only seen one, lone monarch.  I have milkweed blooming, and nothing is eating it. Even the skippers have diminished.  My nature-loving neighbors are all saying the same thing.  We get excited and call or text one another when we see a yellow swallowtail or a hummingbird.  Now, I do have friends elsewhere that do have many hummingbirds – thank heavens! 

I do believe this is a flashing red light warning us that there is something wrong. Regardless, what some people are saying, the climate is changing, and it is affecting our lives.  If all the humans suddenly disappeared from the planet, nothing would change.  Nature would heal, and the web of life would continue getting stronger with the passing years.  If all the pollinators disappeared, it would affect all the plants and then humans.  If all the ants or earthworms disappeared, the same thing would happen. 

For a time, many years ago, I lived in Monterey, CA.  On the Monterey Peninsula, there is a little town called Pacific Grove.  It is the butterfly capital of the world.  Each winter western monarchs came by the millions to winter in the moderate climate of the region.  You would look up in the trees and think you were seeing leaves, but they were butterflies soaking up the sun. The groves were just magical.  In the last few years, they have counted about 1200 monarch in some of the groves.  Monarchs are now endangered species. 

I have seen it happen in the east in these last three years.  The monarch life cycle is a miracle, and it is sad to think it may disappear.  I am not sure what to do about it.   I have planted milkweed, and I try not to use insecticides though our HOA does but not in my gardens. I guess pray!

When I sit in my patio garden, I may see one bee flitting around the flowers or see a pair of white cabbage butterflies dancing like ghosts among the plants.  Again, I have planted a host of flowering plants for pollinators to enjoy.  They are just not there.  I can enjoy the flowers, but I miss the insect activity.  I wonder if the beginning of the end is starting.  What can I do?  What can we all do?  I fear a day will come when I will hear the last buzz. 

Six Books

by sssmahh303, posted in Wellness

Mary Ann

The Week is a magazine that features a wide range of topics like other news magazine; however, The Weekpresents many points of views on any given subject. It is a very interesting publication, and you can easily stay abreast of current events in the country, the world, and popular culture.  Although it is a bit pricey, it will keep you well-informed.  

 In their book section, The Week will highlight a particular author and have him or her share 6 books that have influenced his or her life.  It is always fun to see if I have ever read any of the books. Of course, I have started my 6 most influential book list.  I need to be ready when I become famous.  Actually, there are only four books, so I have room to grow.

The first book that I treasure is Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning.  Frankl was a psychologist and Holocaust survivor.  He found while he was incarcerated in the death camps that humans had common principals that were fundamental to the human condition.  In a nutshell, Frankl said that people need purpose, people need love, and people will all have challenging times, and it how they decide to handle them that will determine their happiness.  I cannot tell you how many times I have seen this book quoted in other books and articles. It is all about attitude, and Frankl said it in just a few words.  

The second book is (The) 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey.   The habits include Be Proactive; Begin with the End in Mind; Put First Things First; Think Win/ Win; Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood; and Synergize.  The seventh habit is Sharpen the Saw that advocates leading a balance life of self-renewal.  Even though this is a 30-year-old book, it is relevant today.  These principles can determine the quality of your life.  I return to this book time and time again for guidance. Covey has also written a leadership book and a book for teens that incorporates his principals.   

To Kill A Mockingbird is my third book. This work of fiction is a favorite because it is a story about a man, lawyer Atticus Finch, who does the right thing despite his personal beliefs.  What a lesson for today!  I read this in 9th grade – Thank you, Mrs. Thomas – and I reread it as an adult. It was more meaningful when I was older.  Some of the language is inappropriate for today – I totally agree, but if you go deeper, there are lessons for us all.  

 

Anything by Anne Lamott is my fourth selection.  I just love what she says and how she says it.  She is a funny lady who coins phrases that sticks with you.  She has written many works of fiction and nonfiction about her life – she has had many challenges as most of us have had. Her collections of 7 small books of essays are my favorite. You can read one or two essays a day and let her words percolates through your soul.  Her latest book is Somehow with essays about love.  Dusk, Night, Dawn; Help, Thanks, and Wow; Almost Everything; Small Victories; Stitches; and Grace are the remaining six volumes.  I have read this series twice and plan to read them again next year.  I always garner some nuggets of wisdom with each reading.  Thank you, Anne Lamott. 

Now, I have read many, many great books both fiction and nonfiction. I think what sets these books apart from all the other books is that I reread them and refer to them frequently.  They are part of me.  However, I do look forward to finding the other two books to round out my six most influential books.  You never know when I will become famous! 

Lifelong Learning Online

by sssmahh303, posted in Reviews

Mary Ann

I am a lifelong learner. I love to take classes and learn new things.  Many a school and businesses have lifelong learning in their mission statement and want their students or employees to embrace it as a goal.  However, many people just do not like school or learning new things – no time, too much money, boring, and the like are the excuses.  Let me share with you some educational outlets that you may find interesting, easy, inexpensive, and fun!

I get excited when I open my mailbox and find a Smithsonian catalog full of ZOOM classes to take.  It is like attending a college lecture in my pajamas – I think a lot of college students do that anyway.  There are inexpensive classes in many areas of interests taught by the experts in those fields.  I took a class on dolphins with the author Susan Casey (Voices in the Ocean) conducting the class.  I had read her book, and Ms. Casey made the subject come alive.  You can ask questions, so the class is interactive.  Casey also taught another class on Great White Sharks based on her book The Devil’s Teeth– it was fascinating class about a fascinating animal.   I have also taken art, history, and other science lectures. Visit SmithsonianAssociattes.org. for more information.  

The Great Courses is another catalog full of gems.  You can download them or buy the DVDs.  I have done several of the photography classes that National Geographic presents with their top photographers like Joel Santori instructing.  These can be pricey, but they do run great sales with sets running as low as $35.00.  You can also subscript to a program called The Great Courses Plus.  All their classes are available for a fee – you can subscribe monthly, quarterly, and annually starting at $20.00 a month to $12.00 a month depending on the payment schedule you select.  This gives you unlimited use of their entire collection.  More info is provided at their website wwwthegreatcourses.com.  You can also get classes thorough your cable company.  Xfinity offers them for a subscription fee of $7.99 a month. It is a select collection of 200 or so classes, but it is a reasonable price for classes that you can watch on your own TV. 

Another online subscription is MasterClass (masterclass.com).  It is from $10.00 to $20.00 a month (you pay annually) for classes. There are 200 + choices across 11 categories with new classes added all the time.  Imagine taking a photography class taught by Annie Leibovitz or a filmmaking class from Ken Burns.  These are truly masters of their disciplines.  I have not personally taken one of these classes, but I have friends who have, and they have enjoyed them.

Colleges and universities also offer online classes.  Yale’s Happiness Class is one of the most famous – it is a free class!  Many of the classes are free.  Check these options at the various schools’ websites.  

As you can see, there is unlimited opportunities available to you. You just need to check them out.   Find you passion and seek out classes that can support your interests.  There is also a bonus in taking the classes.  It is great for your brain!  It keeps it agile. 

I just came across this term Cognitive Reserve.  It is a theory that refers to the representations stored within the brain of the knowledge, experiences, and life events that accumulate during a person’s lifetime.  In other words, it is everything you ever have leaned and is stored in the brain.  Active brains help to prevent dementia.  It is a good reason to keep learning!

Acupuncture

by sssmahh303, posted in Wellness

Mary Ann

In the fairytale, Sleeping Beauty, the princess Aurora pricks her finger on a spindle needle, and her entire life changes as she falls into a hundred-year, deep sleep.  I, too, have been pricked by needles, and my entire life changed as well.  For me, acupuncture is what has changed my life!

During the Covid epidemic, I developed a pain in my hip.   When we could go to doctors again, I went to an orthopedist. I was sure that I would have to have a hip replacement.  I was already for the diagnosis.  After x-rays, an MRI, and a physical exam, I was told I had just a little arthritis. Whew!  However, I still hurt.  The ortho doc sent me to physical therapy and to an acupuncturist.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Acupuncture involves the insertion of very thin needles through your skin at strategic points on your body. A key component of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is most used to treat pain. Increasingly, it is being used for overall wellness, including stress management.”  The Mayo Clinic website (mayoclinic.org) explains acupuncture in even greater detail.

Hmmm, acupuncture!  I have heard about it.  Was it voodoo medicine or was it now mainstream medicine?  I was going to give it a chance because I didn’t want to be in pain anymore.  The ortho group gave me a recommendation for a local practice. I called and made an appointment.  I was ready for this adventure into alternative medicine.

My acupuncturist, Eileen, was a very caring practitioner.  She spent a long time trying to learn about me and my medical concerns.  She patiently took me through each step of the process explaining what she was going to do.  To begin, I was on my stomach, face down on a massage table. Then Eileen began to insert the needles.   Some needles went in without any pain.  Other needles did prick for a moment as they were inserted, but the pain quickly dissipates.  Eileen constantly asked about my comfort and would adjust the needle if it were uncomfortable. I wore my own clothes, and my top or pants were adjusted to insert the needles – all very respectful.  Once the needles were in place, I was given a call button in case I need help.  Then I quietly rested for about 15 minutes or so in a darken room with New Age music playing in the background. Eileen returned and removed the needles. The needles did not hurt when removed.  I flipped over, and Eileen did another set of needles on the front of me. Again, I rested for 10 minutes or so doing the same procedures, and then the session ended.  Eileen said it sometimes takes a couple of sessions to see results.  

I was pleasantly surprised how the acupuncture helped my pain.  After a few sessions, the pain ceased.  I have continued working with Eileen for the last two years, and she has helped me with a variety of issues.  For example, if I have sinus issues or allergies, she had needle placement to treat those conditions. Eileen always takes time each session to review my current state of health.  I may look like a pin cushion, but I don’t care because I am not in pain and many other conditions have improved.    

 If you have a fear of needles, or you are not seeing improvement, acupuncture may not be for you.  However, it is worth a try.  Check with your primary doctor for his or her thoughts.  Acupuncture is better than giving people opioids for pain. Mainstream doctors are now recommending acupuncture.  Nevertheless, you want to make sure that your acupuncturist has been properly trained.  Eileen went to school for three years and frequently takes recertification classes.  She is certified by the state. The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine can give you additional information on acupuncture certification and finding qualified practitioners.   

Acupuncture is not covered by Medicare unless it is given by an MD for back pain. I would also check out your insurance before you begin treatment. The procedures run around $100 per session, at least, in my area.  The NCCAOM is lobbying to change insurance coverage.  With time and more research, I hope that this Eastern medicine will integrate with traditional Western medicine to help people. This has been my story, and I am very thankful for the needles that changed my life. 

You Have a Voice!

by sssmahh303, posted in Taking Care of Business

Mary Ann

Do you ever feel that you are powerless to change the world?  I did and often still do. However, there is a glimmer of hope out there that can empower you, and change is possible if only one person at a time.  This epiphany dawned on me when I retired. I realized I had a voice, and I needed to use it for good and stand up for my beliefs.

In Stephen R. Covey’s classic, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey ‘s first habit is Be Proactive.  He discusses your circle of influence and being proactive within that circle.  We all have the power to influence those close to us.  It may not be a huge difference, but it is still a difference.  You have more power than you think. 

I have had so much fun monitoring what my congressional representative and senators are doing in Washington.  Since I am retired, I have the time to follow how they vote, and I can let them know if I agree or disagree and that does make a difference. My little local paper documents our national and state representatives’ votes on various bills. If a vote is forthcoming, I will contact them to encourage them to vote a certain way.  If they vote for my position, I will write or call to say thank you for being brave for taking a stand, and I will also call if they vote against what I believe and tell them why I disagree.  I learned I could make my beliefs heard. I could express my opinion.  This is not hard to do.

Just put your congressman or congresswoman’s name or senator’s info in your search engine, and it will take you to his or her website.  On the website, contact info is provided.  You can send an email right on the site, though it is limited to the number of words you can write.  I have sent Part I and Part II to get my total view across.  You can get the address for their office should you want to write a letter, and phone numbers are also provided.  I email, but I also call.  Usually, you don’t get an answer at the senate offices, however you can leave a message.  The representative office is a different story. I usually get a young staffer (maybe a future leader), and I can tell someone directly what I think.  It makes me feel better, regardless the outcome.  Often you will get a letter or an email from the representative thanking you for your input and then telling you how they voted.  This has been my experience.

I haven’t written the president YET, but you can easily contact the White House either through text, an email, write a letter (using the famous address), and you can call.  All this info is on the website.  I need to give this a whirl!

You may ask, does any of this do any good?  Can I really make a difference?   Let me share a story with you that illustrates that you most definitely can.  I will not give specifics to avoid being political.  In my home state, one of our senators held a certain belief that was contrary to what most of his constituents believed.  A bill was coming up for a vote.  I wrote to him explaining my view that I agreed with his personal position, but in the bigger picture it was about rights for everyone which I believed. The senator changed his position truly representing his state, and the bill passed.  As much as I would like to take credit for the change, I know that I was just one of many, many letters, texts, and calls that made the difference.  

I have had fun contacting my representatives.  I am exercising my right as a citizen of the United States – Miss Bowman, my civics’ teacher,  would be proud!  I may not be making a big difference, but my voice is making a difference if only for me.  At least I feel better when I write my beliefs and share my convictions. You can do this too.  Don’t be frustrated.  Make a difference if only for yourself.  You can write your representative, you can work for a political campaign, you can financially support a candidate, and most importantly, you can vote!  You have a voice, so SPEAK UP! 

How to Be Old

by sssmahh303, posted in Reviews

Mary Ann

I bet you would have appreciated an owner’s manual when you were handed your newborn baby.  A ”How To” book on teenagers would have been helpful as well.  When you had to become an independent woman leaning to be on you own either thorough divorce, a breakup, or widowhood, information is needed to survive such challenges. There should have been some perfect advice to help you out.  Most of life you don’t have a clue what to do about a particular situation because that event is so uniquely yours. 
So, when I found the book, How To Be Old, it caught my attention.  I am old.  Is there a better way to be old?  Let’s find out!  My non-fiction book club partner, L, and I read it together then Cynthia also joined us.  I have included their remarks in this review.  
                               

                                        
How To Be Old is written by Lyn Slater. You would recognize Lyn from her many ads over the years.  She is the trim, petite, white-haired lady with the great haircut and big sunglasses.  Chic in every way!   Her blog, the Accidental Icon, chronicles her fashion adventures, and it eventually morphed into the book, How to Be Old.  It documents her life from years 60 to 70, and how she makes the very best of whatever she has, wrinkles and all. 

Most of us would not have the opportunities that were presented to her.  Her savvy fashion sense led to modeling contracts with international fashion houses, photo shoots around the world, attending fashion weeks, and on and on.  It is just fun to witness her many adventures. 

However, embedded in each chapter, Lyn shares a nugget of wisdom that are universal to all women.  She is a professor, a daughter, a mother, a grandmother, and a partner to an interesting man.  All while she juggles the world of fashion!  Lyn’s love of clothes is deep in her soul.  This is her passion. She tells us that we each have another chapter regardless of our age.  Each of us have a passion of our own.  We need to discover it and grow it.
This is my impression of How To Be Old.  Let’s see what Cynthia and L gained from the reading:

L found in How to Be Old, Lyn Slater has shown us that we can still be creative and continue to make choices for our older selves.  She also cautions that we need to not be so distracted by the lives we lead outside ourselves, that we forget to nourish our inner selves.

Cynthia enjoyed the fashion journey that Ms. Slater was taking in How to Be Old. Cynthia also the found nuggets of wisdom within the narrative, and she found a very personal message therein.  “I was moved by How to Be Old because I was becoming stuck.  I have been goal-oriented, self-starting, and determined most of my life. Yes, I caught myself looking into the mirror and thinking that older woman looking back at me had nothing left to give.  Lynn’s memoir of her 60s reminded me to look up and see all the mature women starting new initiatives, taking chances, and embracing age.  I thank her for this insight.”

How to Be Old is a fun, easy read. You can go as deep as you like because there are some excellent life lessons in the chapters. If you love fashion, it is the cherry on top of the book. Enjoy!  Cynthia, L, and I did!  
 

My Tinker Box

by sssmahh303, posted in Lifestyle

Mary Ann

Have you ever seen the magazine, Where Women Create? It is an exquisite collection of spaces where woman make beautiful arts and crafts, write books, and birth other creative endeavors.  The stories of these makers are told, and their homes and workspaces are shared.  As you leaf through the magazine, it is fun to daydream about having a creative space just for you.  

I have owned two homes and been lucky enough to have a creativity space in each one.  In my current home, I have a primary suite that has a room off the bedroom that is about 12’x12’.  I call it The Tinker Box.  It is where I lose myself, where I fully immerse myself in my various passions – I write, draw, make jewelry, do crafts, wrap gifts, work on my photography, and dream a lot.  It is my happy place, a place where time stands still. 

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (can you imagine learning how to spell that name in First Grade?) coined the term Flow which means to be fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity (thank you Wikipedia for the definition.)  In the zone is another way of saying it!  So having a space where you can experience what you love is a special gift that you give yourself.  

I spent a considerable amount of time designing this space.  The walls are painted white with a black fan.  There is a large window that I left plain so I can fully open it up to view the pond and wooded areas near my home.  

I painted a big kitchen table black and got a large piece of class cut to cover the top of the table.  This is my desk and workspace for projects.  I bought 4 tall, black bookcases each with 7 shelves from a cabinet company and that stores all my projects. Two bookcases are behind where I sit at the table, and they house my photography equipment, photography books, and many containers of photos.  There is a bookcase on each side of the table making a big a big T.  One is where I keep my general craft materials and the other has my writing materials.  I color coded them with containers from Big Lots and Dollar Tree – green for photography, orange for craft materials, and blue for writing. The color really stand out on the black shelves adding color to the room.  

Under the window there are low black bookcases from Wayfair. I use that to store all my ribbon and decorative items for gift wrapping.  I also store some of my teaching materials there.  On the opposite wall from the table and bookcases is a credenza where I store personal paperwork and travel info.  On top of credenza is a lamp, TV, and printer.  There is a little table next to it where I have a small refrigerator and an electric hot-water kettle. 

The walls are full of framed posters and inspirational signs.  There is a vision board reflecting my retirement aspirations.   A bulletin board is nestled between the two bookcases and above the table.  I also have a merry-go-round horse on the wall that once hung in my daughter’s nursery.  Everywhere I look is something that has meaning for me.  My puppets (that is for another blog) and knick-knacks – tchotchkes – are sprinkled around the shelves. 

I am writing this blog as I sit in my Tinker Box.  It is where I can make my dreams come true and let my creative spirit run wild.  It is where my imagination blooms, and my passions can take wing. It is where I have fun, and it is a safe place to take risks. It is where magic happens, and I  am so thankful to have this special space for creativity.