The day is starting out a bit cooler this morning and quite cloudy.  Still it's forecast to get into the 70's today and I hope to continue working in the yard.

I did forget that yesterday I was hosting a quilt chat...remembered, though, in time to send out the zoom invitations and host it.  And I did learn a few things, not about quilting but gardening.  

For instance, the bushes next to the sidewalk are peonies.  There are three of them...and it was good that I did prune them.  I also discovered, thanks to the folks on the chat, that the two bushes next to the upstairs door steps are hydrangeas.  

I managed to clean out the back garden area.  I want to get rid of a few more weeds and then lay down the landscape fabric.  I also filled the two containers that are set up with branches and twigs picked up from the front and side yard.  Next I need to add the compost.  I ordered coconut core fill, one for each container to add to the top soil which I hope to pick up this coming weekend.  So things are coming along.

Today, besides adding the landscape fabric to the back garden area, I want to set up the remaining two containers which are still in the box they were shipped in.  That means removing the plastic film which is very time consuming.

I did manage to get a start on another card...

I'm still keeping up with both 100 day projects as you can see...more collages.  The two cards I am working on will be going to two blogger friends both of whom are experiencing some stressful situations.  

And what about you?  Are you experiencing stress in your life?  More than the normal amount?

There are some easy remedies for alleviating stress...you know, exercise (that dreaded word for some), getting enough sleep and a healthy diet.  Doesn't it seem like these three things are high on everyone's list to get better?  Probably because they really are important.  

And I don't know about you, but for me, the right amount of sleep is the most important.  That doesn't mean that everyone should get eight hours of sleep a day, it means that everyone should get amount of sleep each day that is right for them.  Some of us require lesser amounts and others more.  You need to find what right for you and make sure that you hit that mark as many nights as possible.

But besides those three solutions, there are other things you can do to relieve stress.  Meditation, for instance.  But the way I meditate is not what most people do...I like to define it as thinking calmly.  Letting your mind wonder and wander.  Looking at clouds and imagining what they remind you of.  Remembering happy memories and smiling.  Anticipating a future that is what you want it to be.  Taking time to just be and enjoy outdoors in nature hearing the birds sing, listening to the rain, feeling the breeze.  

The best meditation for you is the type the you enjoy and find peaceful.  It can be a more defined and guided one or one with less definition.  The important idea, though, is that you find what works for you and then use it because it really does nourish your soul and lessen stress.

That's it for now...

Talk with you tomorrow...