The Chautauqua

Friday 19 April 2024

April 19, 2024 Chautauqua

Beth's Ponderings

It must be spring fever because I am sitting here and have no idea what to write about!

At the time of this writing, I “should” be outside working in the yard or garden. On the one hand, it’s still a little early, yet on the other hand, the weather is so nice.

I did go out one day and started putting the second layer of gravel on my labyrinth path - the task I didn’t get done last year.

I “should” also be spring cleaning the house, but housework never goes away so I always figure if it has to wait a day or two (or weeks) it won’t hurt anything.

I “should” pull out my bike and get some more exercise after the limited activity of winter - we didn’t even really have a lot of snow to shovel. After two great summers of biking, my bike didn’t even see the light of day last year, so fingers crossed I feel well enough to try again this year.

I “should” be sorting my seeds for the garden and making of list of what I need to buy and what seedlings I should get. Though, I prefer to do that just before I need to put them in the ground as there is no point having everything in place too early.

I “should” be doing my income tax. Thankfully, when I do get to it, it will be fairly quick and straightforward.

I “could” be having an afternoon nap - and I’d probably feel better if I did, but I haven't been able to nap during the day since I was a preschooler.

I “could” be working on any of my umpteen unfinished projects around the house.

There is LOTS I “should” or “could” be doing - besides getting this Ponderings written for you to read - but truthfully, the only thing I feel like doing is curling up in the chair by the sunny window and listening to the birds sing, so that’s just what I’ll do.

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o5N_CidIfyepWbSrqu-1keGQS04qxj9E/view?usp=sharing

Whether you've enjoyed reading The Chautauqua from the first issue 22 years ago, are a brand new reader, or somewhere in between, I sincerely hope that The Chautauqua has enriched your life, as much as it has enriched mine publishing it. If you would like to help ensure it continues to enrich others like yourself, I ask you to please consider making a donation to The Chautauqua. There are three methods available:

Mail a cheque or money order (made out to Beth Richardson – Chautauqua) to Box 261 Mirror, AB T0B 3C0

E-transfer to thechautauqua@gmail.com

PayPal at https://paypal.me/thechautauqua (note: you will need to sign into PayPal first, and then specify the amount)

Your support and kindness is always greatly appreciated, and I look forward to continuing to bring joy and inspiration to you with each issue. Thank you so much and have a marvellous day!

And, if you are looking for a unique gift idea, please visit: https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/p/products-for-sale.html

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Wednesday 17 April 2024

We’re fools whether we dance or not,

so we might as well dance.

- Japanese proverb

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Monday 15 April 2024

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Saturday 13 April 2024

Saturday Morning Comic

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Friday 12 April 2024

My Artist Voice #24 April 12 2024

Welcome to my 24th Artist Letter. Thank you so much to everyone who has subscribed to date. If you would like to receive this letter directly in your email inbox, please contact thechautauqua@gmail.com and ask to be added to the mailing list. Please share this with friends who may also be interested. Thank you so much for your support.

On Tuesday, April 9th, I went out and (finally!) started putting the second layer of gravel on my labyrinth path. I had hoped to do that last year, but my health didn't cooperate. I started at the heart (metal sunflower in the centre) and after an hour, I almost made it all the way around the horseshoe that circles the heart - the darker patch on the right is where I got to. Unfortunately, that seemed too much effort for my body as I was quite sick after, so fingers crossed I can finish the task this year, and that I have enough gravel in my pile to cover the whole path!

Celebrations:

- My Easter header went live on the Wondercafe2 site on March 9th. I have three more new headers that will be used this year, and I received my commission payment the end of March.

- I published two more comic strips in the paper and posted them online.

- My niece was here on March 27th and we had lots of fun. We made a dozen carrot patties. I had a recipe for carrot bacon so we tried that too (not worth a repeat). We also made a coconut pie. Then we got lunch from Mae's Kitchen as my niece said there was no "edible" food in my house! (Say what?!) We watched "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" with Johnny Depp on TV as I hadn't seen that version and wanted to. We sorted jackets and jewellery. And more items went to my sister - including more UFO's!

- I participated in, and completed, Kyle Gray's 11-day (Kundalini Yoga) Prosperity Challenge the end of March/beginning of April. As part of the challenge, we were given 2.5 weeks free access to his membership site, and it was fun exploring the different yoga kriyas and mantras - most I was familiar with from my yoga teacher training. I am doing the challenge kriya on my own, and instead of the prosperity manta I have been doing (almost 100%) daily since the fall of 2022, as this new one is a wee bit more fun.

Recently Completed:

Since the last newsletter, I've completed...

(top L-R) Watercolour play (on 9x12 mixed media paper), second BODY painting (watercolour pencils, acrylics, Inktense pencils, Posca paint pens on 9x12 mixed media paper) inspired by a process by Whitney Freya

(bottom L-R) FLOW painting (watercolour pencils, acrylics, Inktense pencils, Posca paint pens on 9x12 mixed media paper) inspired by a process by Whitney Freya, Watercolour play (on 9x12 mixed media paper, experimented with a dip pen)

- I completed my 28th cartoon comic booklet https://www.facebook.com/beth.richardson.10/videos/350846447946051

- on March 19th I pulled a recipe from the internet and attempted to make dumplings for the first time as an adult. I love dumplings, but mom made them very rarely. This recipe - though it was an easy dumpling recipe - was more like a biscuit than a dumpling, so hopefully I will be able to get to mom's recipes soon so I can use hers (left). On March 26th, I tried a recipe (again from online) for warm berries and dumplings - I used raspberries as that's what I had on hand - again the dumplings were more of a biscuit than a cloud, and I ended up overcooking the dish (middle). On March 31st, I made a batch of almond flour chocolate chip cookies (right)

Jigsaw Puzzles:

In case I haven't mentioned it yet, I love to do jigsaw puzzles - actual physical puzzles. Both of my parents were avid jigsaw puzzlers and passed their love onto my sister and I. Dad usually received a puzzle for Christmas and Christmas afternoon was spent starting it. Then, depending on the complexity of the puzzles, and the number we had on hand. we'd work on puzzles till spring. That said, some puzzles didn't last long as Dad would stay up all night if he was close to completing one!

In 2017, I decided to complete a 4,000 piece puzzle that had been given to Dad, and he unfortunately never did because we didn't have a table surface large enough - I did it on the living room floor!

After that, I decided that because I loved doing puzzles so much, there was no point just doing puzzles during the winter, and now I always have a puzzle on the go. So far this year, I've completed 4 puzzles (I think they were all 1,000 pieces except for the Santa).

UFO (UnFinished Object) Update:

- I made it halfway through that large white binder I shared last time, and need to find some other resources before I can continue with it as I think I have duplicates, but am not totally sure. I went through a large binder of recipes - seems I had duplicates and even triplicates of the same recipes (!) so it was easy to get rid of the surplus ones to the recycling, as well as recipes that I know I'll never make.

- decided to eliminate more UFOs and am using the (everyday type) supplies from them for other uses.

- I have been getting emails from a particular email list since 2010, and I saved every one as they would work for filler for the paper (I did get permission from the author to use them as such), but I think I've only used 4 or 5 of the hundreds (if not thousands!) of emails so I decided that I could delete them all as I will keep getting the emails (I do enjoy reading them) and I have ample items to use for filler if needed. That was a HUGE relief.

Courses and Challenges (free and paid):

- Este MacLeod's free Four Seasons art class - I wanted to do this online class as Este has a very neat way of layering her watercolours when she paints. Also, she uses a dip pen with her watercolours (not the first I've heard to do that) so you can see my explorations with that above. I will have to do more practicing to achieve anything remotely close to her effect.

- Minette Riordan Mythical Makeovers - I just started this free course which looks at the characters of the Wizard of Oz as archetypes in our lives. I've only watched the intro videos. Next step will be creating a journal before I go further in the course.

- Amanda Sophia's free mini Divine Woman Awakening course on the Celtic Wheel of the Year - this has been an incredible course and I'm learning a LOT! Right now, we're still in the energy of the Spring Equinox which is a time for......spring cleaning!

- Whitney Freya's free Life Artist Masterclass - this is a class I've had for years and finally decided to just do!...it explores different symbols and shapes as themes for our lives.

- Laura Rose's Honey Pot (embodiment) practices - erotic dance (I've come to the realization that I am more of a playfully sexy gal than a seductive sexy gal), breath work, self-massage techniques, and sex magic manifesting.

- I'm practicing my drum playing daily, and haven't moved onto the next lesson yet.

- Shiloh Sophia's Wild Card Oracle class - still not sure if I will make more cards or not.

- Recipes, Remedies, and Rituals Ayurveda course practices: eating only my personal portion size during each meal and doing abdominal rubbing throughout the day to help with digestion/elimination and overall relaxation of the body.

Works in progress:

Currently, I'm working on...

- a 9x12 page of watercolour play

- inspired by Whitney Freya classes, I'm working on another word painting

- an 8x10 acrylic painting (definitely a UFO)

- a 16x20 acrylic painting - I'm almost ready to move forward on this.

- In Inner Circle, we were challenged to pick a (daily) practice that would stretch ourselves on various levels. After Amber led us through a guided meditation, what popped into my mind for a practice was seated forward bends! Not sure why or where that came from, but I'm going with it. Despite doing yoga for years, and graduating last year from my yoga teacher training, seated forward bends have not been a pose that I could do, so this will be a stretch (pun intended).

Top (L-R): Pink shirt - Day 1 - Feb. 19, Feb. 26, Mar. 4

Middle (L-R): Mar. 11, Mar. 18, Mar. 25

Bottom (L-R): Apr. 1, Apr. 8

Featured Items for Sale:

Books:

"The View from My Window" by (Peeping) Thomasina (2020) $10

"Exploring My Artist Voice: a journey without a map" (2022) $15

Planners and Journals:

"Creative Daily Planner: for the unconventional, non-conformists, creatives, rebels, and other out of the box personalities" (2022) $30 or from Amazon https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BMJM1SD3

"Magical Moments in my Day Journal: for the extra special moments all around me" 6x9 lined journal (2022/2023) $15 or from Amazon https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CJLKZ3KB

Music Albums:

"Just Show Up" (fall 2022) https://linktr.ee/beth.richardson CDs $15

Please contact me at thechautauqua@gmail.com or phone 403-352-3837 to make an addition to your collection.

Upcoming Projects:

- I offer Pay-What-You-Can Distance Reiki/Energy Healing sessions. Energy healing works great from any distance and I've sent Reiki healing as far away as Queensland, Australia. Please, contact me to set up your healing session.

"I have been suffering with Long COVID for over a year and have tried every healing modality in the book to get my energy back. Beth has been gifting me with healing Reiki energy for quite some time now and I have, for the first time in over a year, started to feel like myself again. Much of my weakness has dissipated, and the dark cloud that I have been stewing under has lifted. Thank you Beth. ♥️" - Carla, Esthetician, Nova Scotia

Thanks for reading, and as always, feel free to share with anyone you think might enjoy it.

Beth

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As a life-long creative, and recently self-taught artist, I endeavour to weave my varied interests and wisdom together in an enlightening and entertaining manner, to make people think, but above all else, bring a smile to their faces and hearts, as my style is almost childlike in its simplicity and playfulness. While bedridden for much of 2017, I developed 5 – 10 minute practices which allowed me to commit to them daily. I’ve been called the “Queen of Small Steps” because my simple practices – though they may seem small individually – have added up to quite a body of work in a relatively short time period.

~~~~~~~~

Thank you so much for your support, and again, if you would like to receive this newsletter directly via email please email: thechautauqua@gmail.com and ask to be added to the mailing list. Thank you!

Back issues of this newsletter can be found here: https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/ under the category "Artist Newsletter"

If you would like to support my artistic journey, please consider purchasing my artwork, items available in person at 4910-47 St, Mirror, AB

or by making a donation via

Mail a cheque or money order (made out to Beth Richardson – Chautauqua) to Box 261 Mirror, AB T0B 3C0

E-transfer to thechautauqua@gmail.com

PayPal at https://paypal.me/thechautauqua (note: you will need to sign into PayPal first, and then specify the amount)

Your support and kindness are always greatly appreciated, and I look forward to continuing to bring joy and inspiration! Thank you so much and have a marvellous day!

Wednesday 10 April 2024

In a forest of a hundred thousand trees,

no two leaves are alike.

And no two journeys along the same path are alike.

- Paulo Coelho

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Monday 8 April 2024

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Friday 5 April 2024

April 5, 2024 Chautauqua

Beth's Ponderings

I recently finished reading “You-turn” by Ashley Stahl. Last year I had heard an interview with the author and was intrigued enough to want to read her book.

A You-turn is when you face a moment when you have no choice but to go a different direction in your life, and often that new direction brings you closer to the path you would have been on if you’d listened to your heart in the first place.

One of the author’s theme that I really liked was that she highlighted that we should not do what we love (she considers that very poor career advice), and instead do what we ARE (our core values and natural talents/skills).

For instance, while we may love such activities as cooking, flower arranging, eating pizza, or playing hockey, that doesn’t mean that we should make a career out of those activities and become a professional chef, open a flower shop or pizzeria, or try to get into the NHL.

On the other hand, if your core values and natural talents align with those activities, then that may be a good career fit for you. It is more about following your natural strengths, not just what you enjoy.

It seems that as life gets more hectic and fast-paced, many people have given up on hobbies - those activities that we do just for the sheer joy of doing them. Maybe it’s time to revisit some of those activities you love - not to monetize them - just to bring more joy into your life?

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pwF1Pg_FkldbL3PTNAYWwDvEpTdsQX3S/view?usp=sharing

Mail a cheque or money order (made out to Beth Richardson – Chautauqua) to Box 261 Mirror, AB T0B 3C0

E-transfer to thechautauqua@gmail.com

PayPal at https://paypal.me/thechautauqua (note: you will need to sign into PayPal first, and then specify the amount)

Your support and kindness is always greatly appreciated, and I look forward to continuing to bring joy and inspiration to you with each issue. Thank you so much and have a marvellous day!

And, if you are looking for a unique gift idea, please visit: https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/p/products-for-sale.html