Good morning my friends! Happy November 🙂 I was planning to treat myself to a 90 minute massage and salt scrub for my birthday Nov. 19th, but due to Covid-19 situation in RI I rescheduled to Dec. Hopefully things will be better by then. Until then I will do some self care. Here are some ways to do that I copied this and thought I would share it with you.

“Self-care” could be a contender for the word of the year, as the pandemic and other stressors linger. Self-care is sometimes associated with salons, spas and retreats. But to truly care for yourself does not require an appointment, a fee or special equipment.

Really, all you need to do to practice self-care is to decide to do something nurturing, refreshing and loving for yourself. Enter self-massage. In a very short period of time—as little as 30 seconds to two minutes—you can signal your mind and body to relax and release tension and pain. Because it’s such a small investment of time, you can easily practice self-massage a few times a day to reinforce its benefits.

Start with these three techniques to soothe places in your body where stress tends to settle.

1) Belly Rub

Lie down comfortably on the floor and take a few slow, deep breaths. With your palm or fingertips, begin to rub your belly in a clockwise circle, starting at your lower-right pelvic bone, moving up over your belly button, and then back down and around. Move slowly and steadily, pressing more or less deeply as your body allows. This technique can encourage smooth digestion and encourage the “knots” that form in your stomach to release.

2) ​Neck Soother

Necks have a very important job—they’re tasked with holding up our heads, and the precious brains therein. No wonder tension often creeps into the muscles around our necks and into the occipitals, a set of tiny muscles that connect the top of the spine to the skull. The Cleveland Clinic recommends a little exploratory work to find out where your tension is bunched up, anywhere from the very bottom of your hairline on either side of your spine, to the muscles that flow away from your neck toward your shoulders. Use your fingertips or a tennis ball to find and press the tight area, applying even pressure for a few minutes. Repeat three times a day.

3) Foot Freedom

Your feet carry you through the day. Thank them with a soothing rub by sitting comfortably on a chair and resting one foot on the opposite knee. Grasp each toe and gently rotate it clockwise and then counter-clockwise. Before moving on to the next toe, give your toe a gentle tug to align and release it. Finish by firmly grasping each side of your foot with your hands and rubbing from side to side.

Good evening everyone. In my email was a message from one of you lovely people. It doesn’t give the name. But I do not see this persons post on here. So I copied it. Here it is.
I wanted to respond.
“I thought I would join the plant conversation. Two or 3 years ago I rescued some tiny bamboo plants on their last legs (roots?) near the check-out counter. I removed the dead bits, looked up their care, put them together in a pot with a bunch of rocks and a bit of water. They are now 2 feet tall. My biggest challenge is not to overwater, as it is hard to tell how much there is below the rocks. I have a 3rd generation peace lily, a sprig replanted from a giant plant that there wasn’t room for when I moved to a much smaller place. She is doing pretty well. I rescued 3 tiny succulents at the Target check-out a year or so ago. They are probably outgrowing their tiny pots, but doing well. And I got as a gift 2-3 years ago 6 air plants in 2 small terrariums; 3 plants still living. I mostly don’t know what I am doing lol. When I moved here I left behind wonderful outdoor gardens, so I was more used to dirt plantings than rocks. But these are fun to look after and learn from, and fit on very small spaces in my kitchen. A little extra life in my home. I’ve enjoyed reading what you have shared here, Annie and Mica!”

That is so wonderful you rescued those plants!!! I have a peace lily too. I am hoping it blooms again. If whoever wrote this sees my response…please tell me how to care for my peace lily. It looks healthy but has not bloomed for over a year. A long time ago I had an air fern…I never see them at stores these days. Well hope to hear from you …blessings

Hello everyone! I went shop ping at Trader Joe’s (an awesome market). When I entered the store I saw all these cute little trees. Me being a plant lover…I just had to buy one. Well you know I am visually impaired so I didn’t know what kind of tree it was until I got home and read about it under my CCTV. Way cool ! It is called a spooky tree, and it came with tiny lights to put around it. Simple things in life that make me happy . Here is a picture of my little spooky tree. Oh no for some reason they won’t display my photo. Oh well it is really cute.

Hi Pilgrim, ahh now I know who wrote that post. It bothered me that I couldn’t find your post. I wanted to reply. Didn’t want you to think I was ignoring you. My apartment is not very sunny. It’s a one bedroom. Only light comes in through my sliding glass door. I get late afternoon sun I didn’t know I cold cut a leaf and root it. That’s good to know. My lily is on my dining room table. I will move her closer to the door and only water her when her leaves start to drop. Thanks so much.

Thanks Mica, I may sound weird but I talk to my plants. And wonder what plants and trees experience when someone picks a leaf…does it hurt ??? Call me strange…maybe over sensitive , whatever. I am me.

Last weekend we had a baby shower for my daughter-in-law at my daughters house. As my daughter and I were arranging flowers in vases for the tables we had one extra flower. She threw it in the trash. If I wasn’t so busy I would have rescued it and brought it home. By now you probably think I an certifiable. Oh well….