The Iron Diva: Prince and the "Round Tuit": The Weekly Digest

Looking out the window....

The shrub roses in the church's flower beds are blooming.

The bunnies and squirrels are scurrying about the apartment complex.

A cool experience... Earlier this month I enjoyed two rather cool things. First, the city of Lakewood's Heritage Lakewood offered a free "Rockin' Block Party" at the amphitheater. Along with food trucks and a beer garden (whatever that is), the festivities included a Prince cover/tribute band called Paizley Park. Oh, my! I never had the opportunity to attend a Prince concert in my youth, but this was the next best thing. They were excellent. I found out that they are based here in Colorado and do both "civilian" and corporate gigs. If I were ever to have a big blow-out party, I'd book them in a heartbeat. I didn't get to stay for the whole event (I turn into a pumpkin after sundown), but it was so much fun.

The second cool event was something I briefly mentioned here. I visited the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum just up the street in Golden, CO. Note: Out of respect to the artists, I'm only sharing a snippet of the artwork. The exhibits this season are art quilts from the Montana/Idaho region of the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) and the Colorado Japanese American Women's Quilt Project. These works of art are for display and admiration rather than for utilitarian purposes. The theme of the SAQA projects was "Abundant Palette." The quilts from the Colorado Japanese American Women's Quilt Project represent stories from several families about their experience in America including those who suffered in the internment camps during World War
II. These quilts have inspired me to add making an art quilt to my list of crafts to try in the future.

Favorite quote(s) of the week...

...studies show that the absence of feeling bad isn't enough to make you happy; you must strive to find sources of feeling good. - Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project, Chapter 5.

How are you 18 and look divorced already? You've got a real 37 year old vibe to you. - Gabriel Rutledge, comedian.

He who slings mud will surely lose ground. - Jesse Duplantis

If the recipient is not going to value your effort, they are just not quilt worthy. And there are many others out there that are [quilt worthy]. - Karen Brown, Just Get It Done Quilts YouTube channel.

I'm thinking about...

Summer. Years ago I wrote a blog post about adopting the proper mindset for summer. I know that technically summer doesn't start until June 20th. However, I'm loosely basing my seasons on the academic calendar (and of course, Colorado's crazy weather). The school children are out for the summer, my apartment complex has opened the swimming pool, and I put my snow scraper away and pulled out the sunshade for my car. So, summer it is.

One of the things that's helping me plan the enjoyment of this season is a recent episode of Happier. The hosts talked about establishing "A summer of..." The Gatekeepers group at work did something like this last year. They called it "Summer Dreams." We listed some of the things we planned to do for the summer and the things that we dream of doing. The only thing was, we never revisited it in the fall. It would have been fun to hear about all the adventures of the team. Oh well.

I have a few themes for the summer:

Summer of "Virtuous" Literature: Last year, I read through Karen Swallow Prior's On Reading Well (Dr. Prior spoke on campus and gave the attendees free copies of her book). The premise of the book is that good literature can provide lessons in the cardinal, theological, and heavenly virtues. Each chapter discusses a literary work and how it is either a good or bad example of a particular virtue. I found the book very interesting, but I didn't read the featured works along with Dr. Prior's commentary. This summer I'd like to get through as many of the works as I can.
Image from Google
Gym Rat '25: Each year, the City of Lakewood's Recreation Department offers an unlimited summer pass to the city's rec centers for a very reasonable fee. With Colorado's dry heat, working out indoors is a better option for me during the summer. My goal is to get in the gym at least three times a week for the duration of the pass (it runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day).
Getting Around To It: I have several UFOs/Ps (unfinished objects/projects) that I've been putting off for way too long. I need to put their steps to completion on my calendar--in essence giving myself a "round tuit."

What I since my last digest...

The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling by Henry Fielding ✮✮✮1/2
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald ✮✮✮ (Category: School Daze Needed Rereads)
Pauses for Pentecost by Trevor Hudson ✮✮✮
Encouragement for the Depressed by Charles Spurgeon ✮
How Should I Live as a Single? by Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley ✮✮
Aesop's Fables by Aesop ✮

I'm currently reading...

A World of Charity by Jonathan Edwards
The Dieter's Prayer Book by Heather Harpham Kopp
Mansions of the Heart by R. Thomas Ashbrook
Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Faith's Checkbook by Charles Spurgeon
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster
On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior
Now, Discover Your Strengths by Gallup
The New American Standard Bible

Recent Blog Posts...

First Line Friday #34: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is here.
My previous digest: Comic Relief is here.

I am thankful for...

I say this every year, but I'm thankful for a public library that allows adults to participate in their summer reading program.
My therapist. We are doing some good work together.
The end of snow season.
Teas that need no sugar or honey to taste good.
All the sweet birthday gifts I received.
The living water promised by Christ in John 4 and John 7.

From the Workshop...