April 2020 – BlissFullU

What Are You Doing for Cinco de Mayo? With a Shout-Out to Jose Cuervo, but Not for the Usual Reason

April 30, 2020

I’m only going shopping once a week now–6:00 AM Thursday mornings for special senior hours at Harris Teeter, where EVERYONE wears a mask, customer or staff. Therefore, last night I was making my grocery list. Realizing that Cinco de Mayo was next week, I was trying to decide what special Mexican dish I would make … More What Are You Doing for Cinco de Mayo? With a Shout-Out to Jose Cuervo, but Not for the Usual Reason

National Poetry Month Ends with a Live Virtual Poetry Reading Thursday, April 30

April 29, 2020

With everything that is going on these days, I haven’t focused as much as I usually do on National Poetry Month, an annual event sponsored by the Academy Of American Poets to bring more attention to poetry in our everyday lives. Typically, the organization spends the month of April celebrating poetry through poetry gatherings across … More National Poetry Month Ends with a Live Virtual Poetry Reading Thursday, April 30

Stay At Home Happy Hour

April 28, 2020

After such a healthy Meatless Monday, perhaps Tuesday is a day will a little more indulgence. One of the things that people have been doing to keep their “spirits” up is to organize virtual Happy Hours over Zoom where they drink cocktails together. The Internet was all abuzz when Stanley Tucci fixed this wonderful Negroni … More Stay At Home Happy Hour

Meatless Monday: Early Spring Green Meal

April 27, 2020

Although our Farmers Market opens in April (with proper social distancing precautions), and North Carolina April weather is quite springy, during the early weeks a lot of crops haven’t started producing so we are still mostly getting the winter greens. Today’s recipes are based on two green items I can count on getting at the … More Meatless Monday: Early Spring Green Meal

Broadway Blessings #5: Sondheim!

April 26, 2020

Last week, we had Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber as a Broadway Blessing. This week, we had Lin-Manuel Miranda and Hamilton. There is only person I can think of who might outrank those two as the ultimate Broadway Blessing and that is Stephen Sondheim, the American composer and lyricist of some of the best musicals in … More Broadway Blessings #5: Sondheim!

What Common Household Item Might Improve the Effectiveness of Homemade Face Masks By Up to 50%?

April 25, 2020

I thought my pantyhose-wearing days were over, but guess what…THEY’RE BACK! Except now I’m not wearing them around my pelvis, but around my face, because researchers from Northeastern University found that adding pantyhose over homemade cloth masks can boost the performance of the masks by up to 50%! Two researchers–Dr. Amy Mueller and Dr. Loretta … More What Common Household Item Might Improve the Effectiveness of Homemade Face Masks By Up to 50%?

Broadway Blessings #4: Homeschool with Hamilton

April 24, 2020

Back in 2016, the first year that Hamilton: An American Musical appeared on Broadway but before it had gained widespread fame, I played a few video clips of the show for my high school literature class. They knew nothing about the musical, but they were spell-bound. The very idea of an ethnically-diverse cast telling the … More Broadway Blessings #4: Homeschool with Hamilton

Learn About Trees This Arbor Day (April 24)

April 23, 2020

Following on the heels of Earth Day, April 24 is Arbor Day (at least in the US). On Arbor Days, citizens are encouraged to plant a tree in recognition of the many gifts trees bestow upon us. Even if you don’t plant a tree (which might be more difficult in these days of social distancing), … More Learn About Trees This Arbor Day (April 24)

Celebrating Earth Day with a Digital Despacho

April 22, 2020

It’s still only halfway through, but my Earth Day experience is including techniques old and new. How about yours? I started this morning at 7:00 AM by participating in a Global Coherence Meditation Session sponsored by HearthMath through their Global Coherence App on my iPhone. Next I took a good old-fashioned meditation walk (it is … More Celebrating Earth Day with a Digital Despacho

Tomorrow is Earth Day

April 21, 2020

Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 22, 2020 is Earth Day. Not just any Earth Day–the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day. The Earth Day organization had big plans for activities across the globe (including a Teach-in at the Cary Downtown Farmers Market on “Reducing Your Carbon Foodprint” organized in part by yours truly), but, alas, they … More Tomorrow is Earth Day