Author: Karen

I am an RN, Author, Coach, and Speaker. I write novels about relationships to help people find insight into their own. I guide people to create comfort, clarity, and connection in their lives. By combining metaphysical tools with over twenty-five years of nursing experience, I infuse the 'art of nursing' into my practice by providing partnership and resources help people compassionately honor their health.

naming chickens

by Karen, posted in family, raising chickens
our new baby chicks

naming your chickens may start out innocently enough…you notice they have their own unique personalities, and you warm to them. for example, the first year we raised chickens, i had one hen that loved to dine in my herb garden, which was conveniently placed next to the coop. she quickly earned the name “Basil”, followed by “Rosemary” (for obvious reasons).  “Chiclet” was next, and so on. all was well for a while.

the problem with the naming of the hens may not be immediately evident, but some of you who are chicken farmers know where i’m headed with this: chickens lives are (often) not long, and not without peril. in other words, sometimes bad things happen to good chickens: illnesses. accidents. sometimes their misery needs mercy, and it is so much harder to bestow that mercy on Chiclet, versus on ‘that yellowish older chicken over there’, who is one of many faces in the crowd.

here’s a link with some helpful information about raising chickens: http://www.backyardchickens.com/

reasons to keep a (possible) rooster

by Karen, posted in raising chickens
the rescued runt!

recently my husband was at the feed store getting (you guessed it!) feed and supplies for the chickens. in the chick brooder outside, there were baby chicks and while he was waiting, he stopped to take a peep (:)) at them. Longhorn is a good source for baby chickens if you are looking for just a few chicks (rather than the lot of 25 that many online hatcheries require you to order). now, my husband is sort of a chicken snob, ordering from texas, iowa, specialty breeders to get unique egg colors from our flock, since most of our hens are chosen for egg color, size, and quality. this day, one chick in particular caught his eye, and when he was finished with his feed transaction, he asked ‘what’s the odd-looking chick?” the clerk replied, “it’s an oddball mixed breed from an incubator project”. “i think it’s a rooster,” he added. now as i’ve mentioned in the past, you generally can’t give roosters away, and labeling it thus would typically have been the kiss of death, but it was this little guy’s lucky day, because when the clerk said, “you can have ‘im if you want ‘im,”  instead of averting his eyes and politely declining, my husband said, “okay!” and rescued him. he traveled to his new home in a spot-light bulb box. sigh. This chick has personality; it’s what made him stand out and, in the end, what saved him.

So, reasons to keep a possible rooster:

  1. it has a unique feature; this guy has a fluffy gray crest on his head and some perky tail feathers
  2. (s)he has a pretty trilling peep
  3. (s)he is petite; well, to call a spade a spade…is the runt of the litter, calling out to be saved.

Next issue: to name or not to name it? what would you do?

the 80/20 rule

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, health, italian

who invented this? well, one source credits an italian with is inception. being of italian descent myself, i am of course predisposed to be enamoured with this idea.  ( see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle fmi). i have always heard of this rule in regard to food and dieting: follow your diet plan 80% of the time and then eat what you want (within reason) 20% of the time and you won’t gain weight. i had an epiphany today when  it occurred to me that this rule may likely apply to exercise too! as in, exercise (do SOMETHING) 80% of the time, then be the lump on the couch (fondly known far and wide as the “couch potato”) if you want for the other 20%. i was very surprised to learn that the rule is actually was originally referencing land ownership in italy. well, since food comes from the land (well, some of it anyway), i guess it is not too far a reach to apply the pareto concept to eating habits.

does the 80/20 rule work for any of you in regard to eating and/or exercise and weight management? if not, what DOES work?

this is what worked (and is still working) for me: http://www.weightwatchers.com/Index.aspx

yoga workshop with Doug Keller

by Karen, posted in education, fitness, health, no fear, yoga

Doug Keller came to give a series of workshops at Newburyport Yoga Center ; i attended one last night.  the schedule includes 4 workshops friday4/30  through sunday 5/2.  as i headed there with a friend, i realized that i didn’t even know what the title of the workshop was; i had chosen it because it was the only one of the four that my scheduled allowed me to attend! in the end, it really didn’t matter; i was going to meet him and find out why my yogi friends speak so highly of him and to see if i agreed with their assessment. i DO.

reasons to take a yoga workshop with Doug Keller

  1. it will pull you out of your comfort zone.
  2. the price is really reasonable
  3. he is not threatened by questions from the class
  4. Doug is a very mellow, calm, kind teacher
  5. do the thing you (think you) cannot do

here’s Doug’s website: http://www.doyoga.com/

if you are interested in attending a workshop, there may still be some space: contact Newburyport Yoga Center fmi:  http://www.newburyportyoga.com/index.php

the gym

by Karen, posted in books, fitness, health

when i go to the gym, i bring a book (for distraction from stairmaster), am if it’s a day i have to go immediately to work, a clothing change. oh, and car keys (except for once, but that’s another story).  goal: get in, work out, then get out as fast as i can. it’s interesting to me that others do not. i am constantly amazed at what i see when i get there. what are some of their agendas?

  1. the sitter: today there was a man at the gym; there is one like him every time i go. he arrives. he chooses a weight machine. he sits. he waits. he stretches. what is he doing? he rests his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. perhaps he is thinking, “how did i get here?”.  i, on the other hand, am thinking: “please get up sometime today because i need to use that machine!”  doesn’t he have chairs at home?
  2. the baggage carrier: sitting (!) on a weight machine bench. has a gallon of water. a notebook. an ipod. sunblock. gym bag. “hello? are you unaware of the locker room directly to your left?”  perhaps he has no peripheral vision?
  3. the poser: this may be a man or a woman. they are decked out in their finest gym-wear. they have their hair done. they choose weight machines that are near the mirrored wall. then, for a moment, you think they may actually be going to, you know, exercise…but no. they drape themselves over the machine and strike a pose, then look in the mirror. they adjust the pose, then look in the mirror again. “hello? you aren’t alone here; we can all see you!” this begs the question: don’t they have mirrors at home?
  4. the laundress: there was actually a woman in the ladies’ locker room doing her ironing. standing there in her underwear doing her ironing. okay, so you know where i’m going with this, right? don’t you have an iron at home? actually, come to think of it, i don’t. hey, maybe i could make this work for me! i could bring my ironing and do it at the gym, instead of working out! is that worth $10 per month plus the $29 annual fee?

what do you take with you to the gym? how long do you stay?

new(ish) old port restaurant

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, restaurants

in an effort to support food security as well as to give gifts of consumables (or books!), i took my friend to lunch as part of her going away (from old job to new one) present. she’d been wanting to get a lobster roll for weeks at linda bean’s in the old port. http://www.lindabeansperfectmaine.com/

here’s the menu: http://www.lindabeansperfectmaine.com/menus/Maine-Portland/Menu-Maine-Portland-Old_Port.html

her choice? lobster roll on whole wheat bun. i’m not even a big lobster fan but this lobster roll was a thing of beauty; coworkers stopped at our lunch table to oooh and aaah over it. for dessert there was a last minute impulse buy of  mini whoopie pies (maple filled oatmeal? lemon filled gingerbread? raspberry filled chocolate? they demanded to be bought!). the chocolate raspberry filled one was good, but was really more of a brownie than a whoopie. the maple oatmeal? i have no idea; she squirreled it away for surreptitious eating later in the day. okay, so that’s what i did too. 🙂

there are not many non-fish offerings on the menu. i played it safe with a hot dog; red relish and mustard, with sea salt potato chips (i had to eat them. they were mandatory). both sandwiches came with a very simple cabbage only slaw that was surprising good; very little mayonnaise on it, which is my preference but which i rarely find.

overall, it was good food (if a little pricey) and fast service.

where do you go for the best lobster rolls in maine?

potholes

by Karen, posted in family

after the last big bout of rain we had (reference post: oh, the rain!), my neighbors and i were the lucky recipients of a deep hole in our street that stretched halfway across one lane. the (city?) truck kindly came out to place an orange cone on the spot and left. said orange cone became an object of target practice by many of the passing (too fast!) vehicles in the days hence.

for weeks, several times per week, the truck containing a worker or two came out to look at the hole. they stood. they looked. they got back in their truck and left. what were they doing? one might ask. “ayuh; hole’s still thay-ah.”

so i wished for them to fix it, and finally one day when they came out, they did do some work. they dug up the culvert and replaced it. then they filled it all in with dirt. then they left. there was now a wider band of unpaved road that stretched across both lanes of traffic. this band of dirt very quickly became riddled with (you guessed it!) holes, some of which were deep. worse, we didn’t even have our orange cone to warn the (too-fast!) drivers of what they were about to encounter. also, they closed the street to do this, and the school bus couldn’t return our children to us (this entailed LOTS of drama and urgent cell phone calling of parents).

lesson 1: be careful what you wish for.

lesson 2: drive slowly down windy side streets in maine in the spring. you never know what you may find…

summer camps, part two

by Karen, posted in education, family, fitness, tweens

or…what to do with the tweens in the summer.

there are lots of fun camps in southern maine for the kids to attend. whether your main focus is their enjoyment or your child care needs, there are plenty of options. here are a few:

1. for your aspiring actors: ogunquit playhouse runs a summer theater camp for kids ages 5 through 18.  this will be my daughter’s 3rd year attending and she has loved it every year. http://www.ogunquitplayhouse.org/childrens-theatre/comingsoon

2. for some variety: York County Community College in Wells runs a College for Kids program for kids 7-14. they have pared the offerings down in the past few years (alas, no more magic camp), but my daughter as well as some of her friends have attended (adventure camp) and enjoyed them in the past.  http://www.yccc.edu/cebs/college_for_kids.htm

3. for your horseback riding kids: Lyman Hill Farm runs a horse riding camp for kids age 4-14 for all skill levels. This is a fun camp with caring counselors that runs rain or shine (the riding area is enclosed). they still have some spots left in most weeks as of today’s posting.  http://lymanhillfarm.com/

4. if you have a child that learns differently, you may consider a summer school program through your child’s school. if your child has an IEP, ask about ESY; this would be the time to bring this up if you are interested in this option. here’s a website with more information about this topic: http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/esy.index.htm

5. Wells Parks and Recreation for kids entering K-grade 6. i have no first hand experience with the summer camps but i do with many of their school year programs, which are excellent. most communities have a parks department that you may want to investigate. hint: i’ve been told that the summer camps fill up fast…http://www.wellstown.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B9BC8EF4A-0E1C-491C-B0B3-D9F15EE2BCBA%7D

any other good ideas for camps in southern maine?

any of you brave enough to send your tween to overnight (gasp!) summer camp?

summer day camps, part one

by Karen, posted in family, fitness, tweens

5 reasons to send your tween to summer camp

1.they will not be calling you at work every 10 minutes with the latest update on their loose tooth

2. they won’t be fighting with their brothers/sisters/peers  (within your earshot, anyway)

3. you will be forced to be very efficient with the decisions about “what’s for lunch?” ; that will be dealt with the night before (as in: bag lunch). (added bonus: there will be no occasions of  “can we go to dairy queen/maine diner/east/duffy’s/seacoast pizza for lunch?”)

4. they (probably) don’t have jobs, and you (probably) do…maybe even one that you’d like to keep…so, what else are they going to do? unless, of course, your children are blessed with loving, involved, local grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.

5. you can only play so many rounds of uno/war/operation before your patience starts to wear thin…

do any of you have some other reasons to add to this list?

here’s a link with some more information about summer camps for your kids: http://www.summercamp.org/index.html

parting is such…(insert oxymoronic phrase)

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, baking, books, good grief, recipes

my best work friend is moving on to greener pastures in the workforce…happy for her, sad for me.  of course,we plan to stay in touch and have even gone so far as to devise ways to accomplish this (we don’t live near each other), but it is still happy/sad. In The Happiness Project (http://www.happiness-project.com/), author Gretchen Rubin talks about this feeling (she calls it ‘happy/unhappy’ in her book), when the thing that makes you happy also makes you unhappy…one of her examples is eating more than one cupcake…i can relate to that.

how to officially say goodbye? usually at my company we offer up a cake of some sort (although more often than not, my departing friend is the cake baker/procurer) and a gift certificate to a local business.

her favorite cake is chocolate cake with chocolate frosting; guess i’d better get a-bakin’~http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Deep-Dark-Chocolate-Cake/Detail.aspx seems like as good a place to start as any.

how do you say goodbye to (favorite) work colleagues?

what are some favorite goodbye gifts that you have given (or received) under similar circumstances?

here is a link to some goodbye poems (may also be useful  in case any of you are cardmakers or scrapbookers ): http://www.poem-poetry.com/goodbye-poems.html