Category: Learned List

It feels as if I already told you what I learned in all those listicles. These are just occurrences in my strange little world, not things I learned.

1. My 12th blogiversary came and went without fanfare. I have published 2,816 times since April 15, 2008. Bless you for being here!
2. I forgot a close friend’s 60th birthday; she has forgiven me.
3. A quote to rework my website made my head spin; unsure of how to proceed. 
4. I miss the bulk bins at Winco almost as much as the library (although they were not a weekly visitation site for me like the library).
5. A friend called #Hastag Hostess has encouraged me to post on Instagram 5 days a week. I am trying, but it ain’t natural-like. If you are into that particular thing, I am #janabotkinart.
6. I have a pile of things to donate to the Goodwill but it isn’t open. Neither is the local thrift shop, but there is a leave-and-take bookshelf out front.
7. Our cats are starting to rebel at their curfew, mostly Jackson.

How about a list of books I read:

1. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
2. Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher
3. Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
4. Get Your Life Back by John Eldredge
5. Storybrand by Donald Miller
6. Don’t Make Me Think (still reading this one)
7. Words that Work by Frank Luntz (ditto)
8. Hearing God by Dallas Willard (ditto)

What did you read? 

What do you miss?

What is taking place in your strange little world?

1. Life is full of unexpected events, changes, and unknowns, making it important to stay flexible and continue to adjust. (We probably all knew this but are getting many new opportunities to put that flexibility into effect.)
2. Mooney Grove is full of unexpected things, including random fruit trees. (I saw a newly planted apple tree, but didn’t photograph it because it wasn’t photogenic.)
3. Painting on a north-facing wall is full of advantages, mostly the ability to paint at any time of day without having to dodge the direct sun.
4. People are full of weird ideas when faced with a pandemic; the things they choose to hoard don’t seem to be in alignment with the situation.
5. Pandemics are full of new phrases: “shelter in place”, “self isolate”, “social distance”. (Why not just “stay home”, “stay away”, and “stand apart”?)
6. The Skimm is full of news summaries in a handy daily email form. I think it is fairly neutral in terms of its political leanings, but am not completely sure yet. This is where you subscribe: The Skimm
7. The country is full of flexible, generous, and versatile businesses. Distilleries are now making hand sanitizer, auto factories are making ventilators, and all sorts of folks are sewing masks instead of preemie baby clothes or sewing as a hobby. Way to go, People!!
8. This monthend’s Learned post is almost all related to The Thing or to Mooney Grove. 

I found the drawing of the Boy Scout cabin that I did back in 1999. That was last century. I didn’t know how to paint or that Mooney Grove does not have an apostrophe S; my studio was in Exeter, I still had my first best cat, my 1988 Accord, my dad, grandma, and all my brothers-in-law. (But I didn’t have 6 new nieces and nephews or the internet.)

1. A Life Less Throwaway by Tara Button is a good book which encourages the reader to own less with lots of how-to tips. The main idea is that if we own high quality lasting goods, we go through less items, waste less, and have simpler lives. (The author probably cares more about the planet than our individual improvement, but it is good anyway.) I’ve thought this way for years, which is why I am still carrying the Coach purse that I bought in the mid 1990s. Tara Button wasn’t born yet. 
2. Oval pre-stretched canvas is available, but I cannot show you the project until April because of the top secret nature of the job. Just another odd job, full of its own special challenges.
3. It takes 6 weeks of exercising to actually build muscle; if an exercise gets easier before the 6 weeks, it is simply muscle memory. I learned this from Vance Physical Therapy, a place in Exeter with a terrific physical therapist named Josh Vance. 
4. Did you know that old fire hoses make durable and beautiful purses and tote bags? I learned this in the book I read and was so curious that I looked them up. Elvis and Kresse Reclaimed fire hose (I’m not in the market – my purse from the last century is still just fine, thanks.)
5.  Second date update podcast – Listening to this podcast is similar to wanting to gawk at wrecks along the road. It is horrifying and fascinating and will make you both shudder and laugh. Most of the troubles could be avoided by simply not drinking. . . are these people stupid? The rest of the troubles could be avoided by telling the truth. 
6. Coffee beans cost less at Trader Joe’s than at Winco. TJ’s is .37/ounce; Winco is .43/oz. Too bad there are no TJ’s in Tulare County. No amount of petitioning can convince them that we are a good location.
7. Acorn woodpeckers are what we have around here. I didn’t know their specific name until I painted one in the mural completed in February at St. Anthony’s Retreat in Three Rivers.

As January flew by, I compiled another list of new-to-me facts, information, and experiences to share with you. Treasures, perhaps?

1. People with barking dogs don’t care that their dogs disrupt the peace of any outdoor activity for the neighbors. They just don’t care.
2. Eleven sets of variety pack notecards produced by me since the late 1980s? That was a lot of notes getting written to people. Maybe being in the Esses means one reminisces more about bygone days. (Two more posts about this to come next week.)
3. I took a three mile walk along the length of Main St. in Visalia, beginning in the somewhat industrial east end, awed by the variety of downtown (Did you know there is a little store that sells nothing but succulents?? Neither did I.), admiring the old homes that are now lawyer and dentist offices, reminiscing a tiny bit as I passed my high school, on to the Courthouse area, through the office compounds, and past many beautiful Valley Oak trees. Walking is such a great way to really appreciate a town.
4. Picking Up: On the Streets and Behind the Trucks with the Sanitation Workers of New York City by Robin Nagle was a weirdly intriguing book. Two main facts stuck with me: 1. Sanitation work is the most dangerous job in New York and 2. New York doesn’t use trash cans –instead, people toss bags of garbage on the sidewalks!
5. In a few more generations, the terms “clockwise” and “counterclockwise” won’t mean anything. That’s even worse than not understanding what it means to “dial” a phone or “roll up” a window in a car.
6. Word By Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper is another weirdly intriguing book (not finished yet) with a disturbing fact: dictionaries are descriptive rather than prescriptive. What this means is that they follow the trends of language rather than establishing it, so if a word is used enough in the wrong way, it becomes part of the dictionary. (I’m afraid to look up “irregardless” in case it has become a real word).
7. Our national parks need employees.  The parks are more popular than ever, but some are so short-staffed in the HR departments that they can’t process applications to fill vacancies. What is causing this??
8. Death Valley is weirdly wonderful. I wouldn’t go there if it wasn’t for a dear friend who is a terrific hostess and personal tour guide. Here are a few fun facts about DEVA: over 1000 miles of roads with only about 25% paved, maybe as many as 100 abandoned cabins, water all over the place in hidden canyons, and there are so many old mines that I couldn’t find the number. They were for boron, gold, lead, silver, zinc, clays, talc-soapstone, copper, tungsten, fluorine, pumice, zeolites, iron, manganese, uranium, thorium, antimony, sand and gravel. Probably more things too. But who could stand to be there in a place where temperatures can hit 130°??

And thus we conclude another month and another list of random items of interest to this Central California artist. I hope you also find this collection of odd facts fun and intriguing.

December was a month of random life lessons and thoughts.

1. Open studio events aren’t for me. Although I enjoyed visiting with each person who came, and the sales were decent, my studio is just too small, and I’d rather be doing other things than sitting inside, listening for cars so I can go help people find their way up the steps to my little shed. 
2. Christmas decorating no longer interests me; in pondering my indifference and reluctance to participate, a pattern emerged. It isn’t just Christmas; I am satisfied with how our house looks and would rather put my energy into other things than fitting in some seasonal tchotchkes. Good to know it isn’t just Scroogism.
3. It is very important to pay attention to all notes and messages from a customer before gleefully announcing that something is finished. Maybe I can call this the Remember Hockett Rule. (This post tells all.)
4. I rarely go to Starbucks – neither Three Rivers nor Exeter have them, and when I am in Visalia, my list is too long and my time too short. But these are interesting: (clickable link that will open in a new tab): Starbucks hacks that can save you money
5. Eyelashes are a big deal; 2 different friends told me about getting fake eyelashes, and suddenly I began noticing them everywhere. Someone even invited a “lash technician” to BNI, my business networking group – that’s a real job title? (Hint: mascara is easier and costs way less.)

   

6. Note to self: ALWAYS check the dates carefully before scheduling a post. Note to subscribers: When I first scheduled this post, I used 2019 instead of 2020 – ugh, confusing to the subscribers. I’m sorry.
7. Christmas can be as hasslesome or as simple as you want it to be. Very little is truly mandatory, and “No, thank you” is a complete sentence. Once all those shows and events were finished, my holidays became simple, with time to crack walnuts, paint a mural, help friends, read a stack of books, write letters (yep, I often write personal letters in response to some of those Christmas newsletters), visit with neighbors, and just enjoy what passes for winter in Central California.
8. Adulthood feels stronger in the S’s. There is a new confidence when dealing with difficulties and customer “service”. Recently, I’ve encountered big mistakes both with the DMV and our phone company. Instead of accepting the default first answers (summarized as “Too bad, Chump, just deal with it”), I calmly pushed through the layers and levels until the bureaucrats did the right thing. Yippee-skippee for adulthood!

September was so full that I forgot to tell you what I learned! Better late than never, so here is the list of recent nuggets I’ve gleaned from life.

1. Painting with Marty Weekly – I learned so much about plein air painting by observing Marty.
2. Kinesthetic Sand – this is a cool toy of gritty squishiness, fun and fairly useless (but is fun supposed to be useful??)
3. Travertine is a new word to me: “white or light-colored calcareous rock deposited from mineral springs, used in building”. I doubt if I could use it intelligently in a sentence; it was used to describe the grass in the front yard of our cabin (hunh?) and I learned of Travertine Hot Springs on the East Side of the Sierra (but haven’t been there.)
4. Shopping in stores does not suit me – I’ve known this most of my life, but it was recently reinforced. It is not a recreational activity to me where I want to examine all the possibilities but more of a hunting expedition. The music is annoying, loud, and makes me want to leave immediately upon arriving; there are too many choices and too much stuff, which makes it hard to find what I am seeking. Further, I don’t even dress right to be in those settings (nope, leggings are NOT pants and I will outlast this fad).
5. Cities are fun! I enjoyed living in San Diego in my late teens and early 20s, but didn’t really belong and got homesick. Tulare County is a mess, but it is our mess and it is home. However, it is crazy fun to visit a city, especially with people who also enjoy being there.
6. There is a book called “Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart: Thirty True Things You Need to Know Now” by Gordon Livingston, and it is summarized on this website: https://sivers.org/book/30TrueThings  of Derek Stivers. Wow, great information from a long time psychiatrist, gleaned from listening to patients for many years.

1. Estate sales are difficult for many reasons. They involve so many decisions that are hard enough to make without experience, and those decisions are layered over with emotions. It requires enormous organizational skills, and lots of patience and energy. I helped with an estate sale recently and was astounded by the amount of work.
2. There is a new frozen yogurt shop in Three Rivers, appropriately named “Three Rivers Yogurt” and it is very well put together with a great product and service. (It is next door to Sierra Subs and Salads.)
3. A very high-end motel complex is in the planning stages for Three Rivers. The developer came to a town meeting and described it, then opened himself up to many questions from the audience. I went with a completely open mind, and left convinced that this will be very good for our community. This will be a class act and I believe”a rising tide lifts all boats”.
4. Mountain lions chirp, almost like a shrill bird. A cabin friend heard it while sitting around his outdoor fire ring in Silver City (4 miles below Mineral King), looked it up online and learned that yes indeed, that is the mountain lion’s sound at times.
5. People, we are getting slammed and bombarded on three fronts: email, real mail, and the telephone. Most of our incoming calls these days are from unidentified sources who do not leave messages. Most of our mail is solicitations for money. It takes me a pair of minutes or more to delete the unwanted emails several times every day. Does anyone actually respond positively to these solicitations? There must be some sort of success rate, because otherwise these highly annoying interruptions to life would cease.
6. If you have a spot on your shirt and spray it with OxyClean, don’t let it sit there and dry for a week; it will make a hole. (Bummer! I loved that dress for about 20 years!)
7. Dentists are artists, sculptors, and kind care givers. My dental experiences are limited, and I was kind of shocked by how unpleasant such a common experience actually is. My dentist, Dr. Darren Rich in Three Rivers, is OUTSTANDING! (and so is his staff)
8. If you wait long enough, maybe your pomegranate tree will produce fruit. Twelve years is a long wait, but this year it is producing about a dozen pomegranates, very small, but very real.

Did anyone notice that I didn’t learn anything in June? Actually, I did, but had so many other things to post about that I didn’t make my usual list, which means this month’s list is twice as long as usual.

1. For the very first time in my life, I gave away a cat. Two, actually. I learned that it is a beautiful thing to share kitties with people who might love them even more than I do.
2. Arizona’s speed limit for trucks is the same as that for cars, and it makes for much smoother traffic on freeways. Only Delaware and California require trucks to go 55 mph.
3. I was wrong last year when I said that Manx is not a breed of cat but the accident of birth through malnourishment in the womb. (Did I get that info on the internet?? or in a book??) The veterinarian who made sure Scout doesn’t have another litter set me straight. Scout has a weird stump of a tail and received superior nutrition while growing her 5 babies, resulting in 2 with tails and 3 without.
4. No matter how often I try to understand, the meaning of “meta” eludes me. Do the people using this word just pretend that they know what they are saying, and do the people listening just pretend too?
5. You can buy hard-boiled eggs at Costco. I don’t belong to Costco, but thought it a curious fact when I overheard it this summer.
6. Getting cats “fixed”: we had Scout fixed and she disappeared 3 weeks later. I was wondering if we shouldn’t get Georgia “fixed” so she could make us more kittens, but now she is also gone. This is why I want to have lots of cats. We have a controversial approach to pets, but it is right for us.
7. Not all my friends are readers. (Why does this surprise me?) I was quite amazed to learn that 3 of the 7 friends who reunited at Shaver Lake don’t read much!
8. Shaver Lake is wonderful. I had never been there before although it is only 2-1/2 hours away from Three Rivers.
9. I was the only one of the Shaver Seven who doesn’t color her hair. (Why is this interesting to me? Who knows.) Maybe it is because I’d rather be reading.
10. You can accidentally grow pumpkins. I thought I was accidentally growing zucchini, because the blossoms look the same. Only one is becoming a pumpkin, but wow, the plants are going nuts. (Because they are accidental, they aren’t planted in gopher-proof cages, so I fear for them.)
11. Airdrop is a thing that can send pictures from an iPhone to another nearby Apple device. It makes a funny noise when the photos are sent. (I am learning how to use the dreaded cell phone bit by bit, in spite of zero reception at home.)
12. Branches on a tree make knots on firewood and look strange if you ever have the opportunity to view the inside of a hollow tree.
13. Many flowers have the unfortunate-sounding syllable “wort” in their names. Why? It comes from Old English “wyrt”, meaning root, herb, and plant.