Happy 3.14 to all of the mathematicians out there!
Pi day is the only day all year that I bake pies.
Hubs likes homemade pie a wee bit too much, so I always wait until March 14 to bake a couple for him.
This year, it’s homemade coconut cream from scratch.
I predict that at least one of the three will be completely gone by morning.
On Wednesday this week, hubs and I hosted a dinner party for two couples in our park who we consider to be friends.
Sherry and Den are from Wisconsin and Sue and Pete from Minnesota. It was a bittersweet evening because Sherry and Den are moving to Italy soon. It’s always difficult to say goodbyes to friends, especially when you don’t know when or if you’ll ever see them again.
I decided to do a raclette meal, as it’s a fun way to dine and visit, while everyone prepares their preferred foods on the table top raclette grill.
I requested that our guests bring nothing besides their appetites because we had lots of everything.
Sherry did bring something … a beautiful bouquet of tulips. These have been my favourite flowers for a very long time because they’re the first sign of spring at home. Sherry had no way of knowing this, so that made the gesture all the more special.
I recall a nature photography class where the instructor (a professional photographer) said, when photographing birds, the key is to get a good shot of the eye and to be sure that the eye is at a junction of two grid lines. He said that this would give the most impact and that if that junction wasn’t set exactly in the photo, a post-processing crop could be done to make that happen.
I was fortunate that this pelican rested perfectly still on the pier railing, so that I could get close enough to set up the shot.
Some photos just beg to be captioned.
What would yours be for this one?
Most people with whom I have discussed pigeons hold them in low esteem. I have history with pigeons, or perhaps I would not even have noticed the small creature. The great gentleness I have found seems to have escaped most people’s notice. Of course, like most humans, I did not recognize their true worth at all until I got to know one very well.”
― Kathleen Knight, Sanctuary – Exploring the Magical World of Birds
My March edition of French macarons is St. Patrick’s Day themed, of course.
I decided on Irish Coffee for my first flavour profile.
The shells are flavoured with espresso powder. The dam is Dark Chocolate/Irish Cream Ganache. It surrounds a centre of homemade salted caramel.
vi·tal·i·ty
the state of being strong and active
Every morning on my walks here in our South Texas park, I pass this poinsettia plant.
Because it’s so full and lush and perfect, I wondered if it’s real.
A few days ago I checked and sure enough, it’s as real as you and I.
To see the bracts still as red at the end of February as they were at Christmas time made me think of the word vitality.
For my past several posts, I’ve been writing about my foray into ChatGPT.
These posts have included notes about ai assistance I’ve received with indoor decor, painting cabinets, landscaping, lesson preparation for a workshop I teach, exercises to boost metabolism, and art work guidance.
Another area where I’m receiving extraordinary help is in that of a sustainable diet – also intended to boost metabolism.
After the usual question and answer format, the ChatGPT app developed an eating program specifically for my age, activity level, and health status that is both doable and liveable.
Regular check ins are a part of it, and the always kind and supportive approach worked into the algorithm is most helpful.
As I enter week three of the eight week reset developed for me, I’ve lost 2.5 lbs, and 1/2 inch from my waist. These are the measurable victories.
The things that matter far more to me than rapid results and/or the numbers on the scale are: slow and sustainable results, a healthy higher protein and lower carb eating plan, and my clothing fitting better.
So far, all three are happening.
In recent years, I’ve been offering a free smart phone photography class for seniors here in our park.
The class has been popular and teaching it has been a fun and rewarding venture for me.
The only issue I’ve had is that as technology evolves and advances, prep for this course has always been tedious and time consuming.
The 3-4 hour session is for both android and iPhone users. I shoot with strictly iPhone, but because there are many android users, I have to teach myself those camera systems too, so I can hopefully offer assistance to everyone in attendance.
This year’s course is at the end of February, and I was dreading the prep.
Hmmm, I wondered if ChatGPT could help.
I entered what I was looking for, and after a couple of minutes of refining via the question and answer format of the app, voila!! I not only had the course outline complete with practice exercises for participants, but handouts were also created. All of this was returned to me in a printable pdf version.
What usually takes many hours out of several days in preparation, took less than 15 minutes total this year.
Thank you, ChatGPT!
My next challenge for ChatGPT was to develop a new exercise program for me.
Because I’d been power walking for over eight years, I think my body had become accustomed to it, so it wasn’t as efficient anymore in terms of maintaining fitness.
It seemed my metabolism had stalled out.
I entered my issues, my age, and my goals. Before too long, I had a program that I could live with.
I’ve now switched from power walking to the Japanese walking method and have added strength training.
ChatGPT outlined everything in detail, and so far, it’s going well.
The Japanese walking method takes half the time of the power walking (30 mins vs an hour), but it definitely feels more intense. The frequency is five days per week with slower and/or longer walks or a rest on the other two days.
The strength training is mild and done via light weights, resistance bands, and calisthenics. Right now the frequency is 3x per week.
Today is day 10 and I’m already noticing improvements in terms of energy and how much better my clothes are fitting.
Radically Retired 