The Wordsmith's Forge

Here is a gatherum of my recent posts about rock painting.

Rock Painting
I collated some instructions on how to paint rocks, with an emphasis on spring flowers.  We did wind up painting some flowers on our rocks, along with other things too.

Painting Rocks
This is my original note about the project.

Painted Rocks from Ostara
Here are group and individual pictures of some rocks we decorated for our Ostara ritual this year.

Supplies for Painting Rocks
This post includes photos of the supplies we bought, a discussion of their performance, and some rocks decorated with them. 

Lake Charleston
This is the first place I went to hide a couple of my painted rocks.

These are the instructions I pulled together for our Ostara rock painting activity. Be aware that many of the links have cookies, pop-ups, or other problems that I usually route around -- I ignored those this time because I was mainly interested in printing out the instructions and images, and didn't have enough choices to avoid the virtual fleas.

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Two different ways of illustrating hurricane paths can be interpreted differently by viewers. Each has its pros and cons.

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A friend tipped me to this excellent discussion about gossip in Judaism, when it is or is not permissible and why.  While gentiles are not bound by Jewish law as Jews are, it remains a very useful set of guidelines, and following them -- even if you cherrypick your favorites -- would prevent a lot of headaches.

This article mentions some coping methods for people who wear binders. People have used Tumblr and other social media to remind wearers to check their breathing once an hour. If you wear binders but don't use those venues, you can substitute any other reminder service or app that you like, to remind you to check your breathing or do a breath meditation at your preferred frequency. (Yes, binders have risks like asphyxiation, overheating, and rib injuries. O_O) Practice safe binding and take care of the body you have.

Setting Up Instagram Reminders Via Buffer

Set Reminders on Facebook

10 Best Reminder Apps for iPhone, Android, and Windows

You may need to hunt around to find a level of body awareness and breath work that feels comfortable for you, which is often a challenge with body dysphoria, so I included some abstract instructions that don't point to your body. Other folks need the guidance to check in that they are safe, because it is hard for them to connect with their body.

30-second Calm Breathe Bubble

1-minute Triangle Breathing

1-minute Basic Breath Meditation

3-minute Breathing Space

EDIT 2/7/19: eseme recommends The Breathing App.

When you take your binder off, it helps to focus on your breathing for a longer time if you can.

10-minute Triangle Breathing

10 Minute Awareness of Breath Mindfulness Meditation

It also helps to do some gentle stretches to open your chest after compression. Choose from Yoga, Tai Chi, and various other styles. Do what works for you.

6-minute Side Body Stretches for Deeper Breath

7-minute Upper Back and Chest Stretches

8-minute Tai Chi Breathing Exercises

18-minute Coordinate Movement + Breathing Tai Chi

30-minute Breathe & Flow Yoga

For that matter, if you wear a bra, corset, necktie, button collar, choker, or anything else that can restrict your breathing then these precautions may prove useful. Binders are just one of the most notorious garments for causing problems, not the only risk.

A friend tipped me to this fascinating article about fruit walls, which can be bare or assisted with glass.  It is an excellent way of growing food in places with cold or windy weather.

I made this tonight as my January new recipe. It occurred to me that I could use the George Foreman grill to cook fruits or vegetables, not just meats. :D Success!

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Here's a brilliant article about why so many modern buildings are hideous and why that's a serious problem we need to fix. 

Our environment affects our mood.  Beautiful surroundings make people happier.  Ugly surroundings make people unhappy.  While many factors influence mood, it is easier to be happy in a beautiful place than in an ugly place.  Here are some ways to improve your mood by beautifying your home.

Identifying animal tracks is fun.  I still have the habit, despite not being a hunter in this life.  I always step around them, not on them.  Over the last week or so I have observed the following tracks in our yard:

* cottontail rabbit
* fox squirrel (tracks are similar to these gray squirrel tracks)
* birds (likely including mourning dove, sparrow, dark-eyed junco, and cardinal)
* cat
* canine (dog, fox, or coyote; probably coyote from the size) 
* human