SYBAL’S FRONT DOOR 2021 WEEK 8

Year of the Ox: Health Habit #1

News flash: I tape my mouth shut every night. It’s the last thing I do before lights out. I don’t talk in my sleep: I do breathe with my mouth open.

These housebound days, I’ve been devouring books and articles about health, particularly those relating to the elder population. From personal observation, many physicians tend fob off the elders with with a scribble on a prescription pad whether it is appropriate or not for the patient’s general health. From my observation, many physicians operate from a mind set that ncreased years equals decreased health, and it is a waste of time to spend time teasing out an effective solution.

“Breath” by James Nestor is my current read. Its eye-opening information about breath and breathing has propelled up this book up best-seller lists. The first thing that I learned (but not the last) were the positive health benefits of breathing only through my nose. So now I tape my mouth shut at night.

After ten nights of this, I no longer wake with a dry mouth and dry eyes.The morning nasal congestion will soon be a thing of the past.  Who knew that “the schonze” plays a key role in our general health?

Well, I don’t use duct tape, or scotch tape or band-aides to keep my mouth closed. Several companies have made special tape available just for this purpose.  I found one that works like a charm. It comes in a nice X shape that crosses the front of my lips, keeping the corners free should I need to cough. The adhesive is miraculous. It holds firmly through the night, yet pulls off painlessly without leaving any marks or puckering on the skin.

Graphic with cartoon face with tape strips across mouth.
My Lips are Sealed
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FRONT DOOR Week 44: 2020

Only a Mother Would Hang This

demonstrates the use of Illustrator Shaper Tool
Only a Mother Would Hang This

I love it when I wake up laughing out loud, as I did this morning. Last night I created a picture using Adobe Illustrator’s shaper tool; a tool for the artistically challenged, such as myself.

It was so much fun building this picture. Between you, me and the gatepost I was pleased to discover what could be done using only circles, squares, and lines. I am absurdly happy with the outcome.

Nevertheless it is a picture that only a mother would exhibit. What made me laugh this morning was the idea of opening a gallery called ONLY A MOTHER WOULD HANG IT, dedicated to the exhibition of paintings, drawings, and sculptures created by the artistic klutzes of the world whose skills are limited to stick figures, and clay snakes. When I win the lottery, I am going to open that gallery and have oceans of fun with it.

One another note, I am passionate about Turner. Owning one of his paintings is at the top of my bucket list. If you are thinking about a birthday present for me next year keep it in mind. This year the starting price for a small Turner is probably about fifty million. But next year with Brexit, and the royal family expenses, the Tate may be holding a fire sale.

You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it.

A. Einstein (I think)