Tag: Noon and Wilder

  • Mail Bag Monday – Postcrossing Update!

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    Happy 2025, Dear Reader!

    I wanted to share a little about what I\’ve been doing penpal-wise. It\’s a hobby that brings me great joy and I am excited to get back to it, and be a part of bringing good into the world.

    I was thinking about it the other day, and wanted to share what I wrote on my Postcrossing bio with you here. I think there\’s cause for hope, even in dark times, and I hope my words bring  you some small measure of it:

    As 2025 begins, I am filled with hope and concern. Hope, because many people with whom I talk see the same challenges I do and are committed to making the world a better place. Concern because World War III is still going in Ukraine and the risk of it spreading terrifies me. My heart breaks for the people affected. My own country is engaged in a battle for the hearts and minds of our people against the forces of fascism, a fight both of my grandfathers fought in World War II more than eight-five years ago. I am glad they aren’t alive to see what we have done to ourselves and yet, I wish they were here to guide me and to tell me it will be okay. Each generation has to fight for democracy, and this is our fight. I pray that we are up to the challenge.
     

    This I know: community is what will get us through this, as will mindfulness and creativity. Community is what reminds us we have more in common than not, and that we can come together in common respect and admiration when we remember the person on the “other side” is a person just like us, with a family and community for whom they care deeply. We have more collective power than we think we do. May we remember our power and exercise it for the good of all, and remind the greedy and the power-hungry that the world is not theirs for the taking. Slava Ukraini.
     

    My husband and I live on a small homestead outside the town of Duvall, WA, in the Pacific Northwest. We are a couple hours south of the Canadian border. My day job is in the insurance industry and by night, I write novels. I joined Postcrossing because it’s important to me to put good out into the world. In a time of great uncertainty and global unrest, not to mention environmental cataclysm, putting good into the world, however small, means something.
     

    I am an avid textile artist and love to weave, knit, and make things. Our puppy Freya is now four and her brother Loki is three. Two of our cats, Boria and Nadya, died within a couple weeks of each other at the end of 2023, just as I got a total left knee replacement and my job blew up. 2024 presented many opportunities for growth. I have a new job now, thank the powers, and two kittens joined us in January of 2024: Yulia and Yelena. Our oldest cat, Kolya, is going strong.
     

    In May, our first granddaughter Julia was born. We don’t see her as often as we’d like, they live in Florida, 5,000 kilometres (about 3,000 miles) from us. She’s teething now and keeps my son on his toes. She is, of course, the most beautiful baby anywhere in the world. (Don’t all grandparents say that?)
     

    If you’re not sure what to write, try:

    • What is a typical day like in your life?
    • What is your favorite thing to do?
    • If I were a tourist in your town, what would you recommend I see first?
    • What do you want to be when you grow up?
    • What do you do to relax and unwind?
    • What does “nesting” mean to you, in terms of one’s home?
    • What’s the worst advice you were ever given?

    Are you part of Postcrossing? If not, check them out. It\’s a lot of fun to connect with people from all over the world, and to know that there are real people out there with lives and mailboxes.

    • I joined in June of 2020, right at the height of the pandemic, because I was really struggling with depression and isolation. 19 postcards sent, 12 received.
    • 2021: 64 sent, 70 received.
    • 2022: 22 sent, 23 received.
    • 2023: 67 sent, 60 received.
    • 2024: 28 sent, 35 received.
    • 2025: 6 sent, 5 received; however, I have 13 out \”traveling\” as we speak so this will change as the year goes on.

    Write on!

  • Friday Fun Stuff – Chicken Math!

    Friday Fun Stuff – Chicken Math!

    I have had several discussions lately about \”chicken math,\” and folx haven\’t known what I mean. Here, then, is Chicken Math, Explained.

     

  • Gone Visiting – at Delilah Devlin\’s Place!

    Gone Visiting – at Delilah Devlin\’s Place!

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    I\’m visiting Delilah Devlin\’s blog today! Click on the image above to check it out and tell me, do you have a mindfulness practice?

  • J Is For… Just Write It! (aka Following One\’s Own Advice)

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    So. It\’s the 12th. Of April.

    Yeah, I noticed that too. It was the 6th of April like five minutes ago. Oof.

    Here\’s what I tell others when they say to me during a challenge, \”But I\’m so beehiiinnnd!!!\” I say, \”So start with where you are!\”

    What does that mean for me today?

    Well, for a start, it means posting on the blog. I checked my Postcrossing stats, just to see where I was on sending out cards – my goal is to have all cards out at all times, and last time I checked I still had four out – and it turns out I\’m behind there, too:

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    This is what it looks like once you sign up for an account on Postcrossing. (If you\’re interested, you can click the image and I have it set up to take you straight there). When you start out, you only get a few cards to send, but as you send more and others note they\’ve received them, then your send count goes up.

    I\’ll grab my postcard stash and request an address, and then work through the list one at a time. I once selected six at the same time and then got busy, and couldn\’t write them in a timely fashion; I don\’t do that now. I pull the address when I am sitting in front of my postcards so I can send them right away.

    How many of you are already in Postcrossing?

    If you\’re not into it yet, would you like to know more about it?

    Let me know in the comments!

    Write on!

  • B Is For… Blogging!

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    If you\’re visiting from the A to Z Challenge, then chances are you know a lot about blogging. Today, I wanted to talk about one blog in particular: the Postcrossing blog. You can visit it, here. Their tagline is, \”Stories about the Postcrossing community and the postal world.\”

    Postcrossing is an international community of penpal afficionados. It\’s an interesting concept: members send postcards to members around the world. The blog discusses news from within the community, and also postal mail in general. One recent article highlighted the Malta Postal Museum.

    The thing I love about Postcrossing is that it\’s not a big investment. Writing a postcard is a tiny bit of text, and a small amount of postage. You can decide whether to mail members just in your country, or whether you\’re willing to write to folx in other countries.

    Each month, they send you a list of your \”stats\” – to which countries you sent cards; from which countries you received cards; etc. I use it as a way to keep the pump primed, as Julia Cameron would say.  In the process, I\’ve even made some friends along the way. Not every person in Postcrossing is interested in a more extended correspondence, but I\’ve met a few. It\’s the best of both worlds: a quick note to someone new, and a few longer, more crunchy letters.

    What about you, Dear Reader? Have you tried Postcrossing?

  • Gone Visiting – Join Me!

    I\’ve been visiting around the web again, which feels terrific. On my mind right now is the upcoming Lettermo, or Month of Letters, and that\’s what I\’ve been talking about.

    First, I visited bestselling author Delilah Devlin\’s blog to talk about Lettermo and why it helps to slow down time. Check it out, won\’t you? And drop a comment to let Delilah know you visited.

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    Next, I\’m over at the Lettermo main site today, talking about \”Why Write Letters?\” If it\’s not obvious to you, I hope the post will answer your questions and maybe even tempt you into joining me for the month of February – after all, February IS the Month of Letters!

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    That\’s all for now, Dear Reader. Remember: life is short; write more letters!

    Write on!

  • Lettermo Is Almost Here!

    \"\"I love writing and receiving snail mail, I always have. When I was little, I would send all sorts of things through the mail – doilies from under coffee cups that I colored, travel brochures, beer coasters… Anything that was flat and would fit in an envelope. The habit stayed with me to adulthood and now I send thank you letters to colleagues and business partners (never underestimate the power of a heart-felt thank you note or even just a \”wow, I\’m sorry I didn\’t do that as well as I could have, and I promise to learn better next time\”); greeting cards to friends (Valentine\’s Day is coming up on Feb 14th, remember!); birthday and anniversary cards; and even just a certificate you can create congratulating a friend on a personal milestone.

    What is Lettermo?

    It turns out, there\’s a vibrant online community for correspondents! Who knew? The internet can support our offline lives in creative ways. One of these communities is called \”Month of Letters,\” or \”Lettermo\” for short. Every year in February, participants challenge themselves to mail something to someone every day during the month – it could be to another participant, to a friend, to a public figure, heck – even Santa Claus! We also agree to write back to everyone who writes to us.

    How Do You Join Lettermo?

    Technically, you don\’t have to do anything to \”join\” Lettermo; you can just participate in your own way and in your own time. BUT, if you\’d like to meet other letter writers, you can join the site – it\’s free, and share your address. This way, your information isn\’t just out on a public website (though it\’s prudent to shield yourself by using a post office box rather than your home address). The site allows you to write up a profile of yourself that can include what you like to do, hobbies, and what kinds of things you\’d like to write in your letters.

    If this sounds fun to you, point your mouse over to lettermo.com and get started. Your mailbox will thank you!

  • Self-Care September – Everyday Bodycare

    \"\"Sundays are a good day for pampering, and if you\’re in the States and have the luxury of tomorrow off for American Labor Day, all the better!

    Here\’s what you\’ll need:

    • Cornmeal
    • Honey
    • A warm shower
    • A half hour to an hour

     

    Optional:

    • Music (something calm or spa-like would be perfect)
    • Candles
    • Essential oils or a room spray that you like
    • A warm, fluffy robe
    • Slippers or warm socks

     

    Start your shower and let the warm steam fill the bathroom. Start your music and candles, and spritz your room spray. If you have essential oils, you can drop 5 or 10 drops in the back of the shower to create an aromatherapy shower for yourself.

    Set the cornmeal on the edge of the tub or somewhere outside the shower where you can get at it. Also get the honey and set it close by.

    Instructions:

    • Put about a teaspoon\’s worth of cornmeal in your hand and add enough honey to make a paste.
    • Start at your feet and rub in a circular motion. Pay particular attention to your heels.
    • Then, moving up the calves, continuing in a circular motion, massage the skin.
    • When you\’re done with your thighs, rinse your skin.
    • Then starting with your hands, move up your arms toward your shoulders. Pay attention to your elbows.
    • Rub circular motions along your stomach – in a counter-clockwise direction around to the left.
    • Get what you can reach of your back – or, have a friend help. 🙂
    • If you have long hair like I do, the thick goop will make a mess in your hair so you may want to put your hair up for this or just keep it out of the way as you\’re working.
    • When you\’re done, wash your body and make sure you get all the cornmeal off.
    • When you get out, use a light moisturizer and then wrap up in a warm robe with slippers and rest.

     

    If you try it, I\’d love to know how it goes for you! Please share with me in the comments.

     

  • Self-Care September – Saturday Socials: Craft in the Time of Coronavirus

    \"\"September Dates:

    • Saturday, 09/12/2020
    • Saturday, 09/19/2020
    • Saturday, 09/26/2020

    If you are interested in attending, drop me an email and I\’ll get you the log-in info. Email noony AT acatherinenoon DOT com.

  • Self-Care September – Foody Friday! (Yes, I Know, It\’s Sunday…) – Menu Plans!

    Sorry for falling out of flow with my schedule, but Friday turned out much busier than planned. I\’m back to share some ideas about menu planning with you.

    It\’s very easy to get into a rut with our weekly shopping and making meals. Instead of letting that determine our reality, it\’s helpful to get intentional about our daily round. What we eat daily is what becomes our body. We know that, but putting it into practice can be challenging.

    What works for me is to use my favorite cookbooks and pick meals from them that I\’m familiar with. I use those as a generic palette to choose my weekly meals around, and then plug in other things like vegetables and pre-biotic foods.

    If you need a good starting point, I hope you find this useful: Menu Plan. It\’s a word document that uses tables, and I print it out weekly and put it up on the fridge.

    Here\’s how I make it work for me, though: I don\’t just plan the week, I make notes about what worked and what didn\’t. This is how, for example, I figure out when particular meals take too long to prep on nights when I have other commitments. For those nights, we\’ll put in, say, tuna salad instead of roast pork.

    We also plan large meals once a week for Sundays, typically, depending on our hiking schedule. That lets us drag out all the old favorites: roast chicken, pork loin, mashed potatoes, and all sorts of goodies. Don\’t forget desert – with a little planning ahead, pies and fruit crumbles aren\’t difficult to make.

    What\’s your secret for your daily round? What works for you?

  • Self-Care September – Social Media Trackers!

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    To What Do You Pay Your Attention?

    It has been said that attention will be the next most sought after commodity. In the modern world, we have FAR too many distractions. From doctors and psychologists to technologists all warn of the dangers of too much social media consumption. Problems ranging from confirmation bias to truncated attention spans and an inability to concentrate are all blamed on our addition to scrolling.

    It helps to recognize the word \”pay\” in that question.

    Attention is a limited commodity. We only have so much of it before we become fatigued, get bored, need to rest or eat, or have other responsibilities intrude on our time. When we\’re thinking about what we do all day vs. what we want to be doing, it\’s a useful mental tool to recognize that attention, like money, is something we pay – and that once it\’s gone, it\’s gone. Unlike money, where we can theoretically make more of it, attention is something that can\’t be gotten back.

    I challenge us to track our social media consumption.

    Again, there\’s an important word in that statement, this time, \”consumption.\” Just like a steady diet of junk food and soda makes us sick, a steady diet of junk media clogs up our brains and makes us sick. So what if we were to take the bull by the horns and really work to curtail that scrolling? Is there a way to help technology help us?

    Indeed there is, and it\’s called a social media tracker or monitor.

    Available on both Android and iPhone, many are free. The one I use is called QualityTime. It gives me daily reports on what apps consume the most of my time and is directly responsible for me removing Facebook from my phone altogether. I just don\’t need the negativity in my life, and I don\’t want to waste the amount of time I was spending on the platform. I\’d rather be making something and writing books.

    Here are some other suggestions:

    1. Moment, available on iPhone.
    2. Forest, available on Android and iPhone.
    3. AppDetox, available on Android.
    4. Offtime, available on Android and iPhone.
    5. ShutApp, available on iPhone.
    6. SPACE, available on iPhone.

     

    It\’s worth noting that there are multiple apps that help us to accomplish the goal of scrolling around less, which should tell us that many people are – rightly! – concerned about it. Social media addiction is of growing concern to mental health practitioners. Even the venerable Mayo Clinic has sounded the alarm, stating that 25% of youth are addicted to phones.  The mental health impacts aren\’t just on our attention, either: it\’s been linked to increased rates of depression. anxiety, stress, and poor sleep. In fact, they state that it\’s even more concerning than substance abuse.

    Your Challenge, Should You Choose To Accept It:

    Download one of the tracking apps and use it this week. Use it without judgment, just with openness and curiosity. What is your most-used app? How much time do you spend on apps? What would you like to be doing more of?

    And I think you\’ll find, as I did, that there are many benefits to becoming more intentional about our social media consumption.

    Tomorrow, join me for Foody Friday and see what I\’ve got up my sleeve for you!

  • Gone Visiting!

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    I\’m back at author Delilah Devlin\’s blog today, and I have a question for you:

    Why Weave?