I had a few hectic moments earlier this week and, at one point, found myself looking for the phantom ring on my right hand that I’ve occasionally imagined there. I have no idea why or how that image got into my mind; it began almost a decade ago. Just some odd stress reaction. It seems harmless, though, and I’ve been reminding myself that I can manage stressful moments well enough.

Word-art that says, "A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well."

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

March 12, 2026 · Write a comment · Categories: Musings · Tags:

At the end of the fall rowing season, my husband and I ordered new single sculls from Fluidesign, to be built over the winter. We had hoped they’d be ready by February, but the delivery (and trade-in of our old boats) was today. Our river was frozen solid in February anyway, and the Sarasota course was windy enough that there weren’t many good days for rowing singles, so we didn’t miss much.

This morning, my husband drove north to pick up the boats somewhere around Toledo or Detroit. Because I stayed at home doing my usual work and then went to do the grocery shopping, I’m not sure where the exact meeting place was. He likes pop-culture references, and just before noon, he sent me a text message that said, “The package is being delivered.”

We’re hoping for good weather to row the singles next week. For now, they are still in their bags, on the back wall of the garage where we keep boats during the winter.

Photo of two new single sculls in boat bags in the garage.

The rack above them is where the double goes, but we usually take the double back to the boathouse before we start rowing singles. We haven’t gone out in the double yet, though. If the weather is warm enough and not too windy next week, we’ll likely row the singles first instead because they are the new toys.

I put on a pink blouse with sparkly sequins when I woke up to a dark, rainy morning. The sun never came out. My house had some Internet issues, and something weird has been going on with my laptop’s connection to a secondary monitor. Also, there was a power outage in the afternoon. But it was all okay; the generator switched on and ran just fine, and there was nothing to disrupt my focus too much.

Overall, I think it’s fair to say that I had a good sparkly Thursday.

Word-art that says, "Stay focused and extra sparkly."

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

I’m back from vacation in Sarasota, where Sunday’s rowing races were fun, though windy. Here in Ohio, it’s a calm, quiet day with light showers and springlike temperatures. Winter is definitely over. My art display now has a photo of a damp spring day in Wales, which is easy to imagine today.

While my husband and I were rowing up to the start line for our mixed double race, there were gulls perched all along the buoys marking the lanes for the sprint course, as if we had an audience. They looked so funny, I wished we could take pictures. Afterward, it occurred to me that an AI-generated cartoon would be cute; so, here is Copilot’s rendering of gulls on buoys.

Image of gulls perched on white buoys of a rowing sprint course.

The course actually has 10 lanes and is in a busy public park, but I decided this AI image was close enough!

My husband and I have both been spending some time during our workdays mentoring coworkers who want to improve their knowledge. It’s good to see them becoming more confident as they learn from gentle suggestions. In addition to getting work done more efficiently, developing more skills helps people to feel better about themselves in general, which can carry over into many areas of life.

Word-art that says, "Don't ever underestimate the mark you can leave on the world with gentle footprints."

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

When I am traveling, I often bring a yoga mat and do online sessions with my Hydrow app. Yoga is included in the subscription for the rowing machine. I don’t bring the machine itself because our Concept2 erg is easier to transport. Still, I’m grateful that I can stay connected to the online Hydrow community.

Several people regularly post comments on yoga sessions, with emojis of seated yoga poses, lotus flowers, surf (for yoga flow), and hearts. It’s a lot of fun to see middle-aged women playing with emojis like kids. Those comments always make me smile.

Word-art with a lotus image that says, "Grateful."

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

I’m finished with my work and almost ready to set out on the road south. My husband is still on a work call because, unfortunately, something blew up in the code. But the sun is shining outside my window, the weather forecast for Sarasota looks good for the next two weeks, and I’ve changed the art display to the requisite tropical beach image, so all is well.

Tropical beach image with coconut trees.

(Image credit: Gidelina)

I’ll also be taking a break from blogging, with the next two Nurturing Thursday posts scheduled in advance. See you in March!

Although my husband was very busy with work today, he got the car mostly packed for the road trip south, and I’ve washed (but not yet put into suitcases) all the clothes we’re taking. We still have some work to do Friday morning, but we plan to leave in the early afternoon, if all goes well. Great adventures await!

Word-art that says, "Life was meant for great adventures."

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

February 11, 2026 · Write a comment · Categories: Musings · Tags:

Earlier this week, there was plenty of snow on the ground after weeks of below-freezing temperatures. I was still putting winter images on my art display because that was what matched the real-life scenery.

Photo of a snowy path down a hill with a wooden railing.

(Photo credit: Jeremy T. Hetzel)

By Tuesday afternoon, warmer air had blown in, just in time to for the scheduled loading of the Greater Columbus boat trailer with boats from Dayton and Hamilton for our combined trip to this year’s Sarasota rowing regatta. Stepping outside, it felt like a new and strange thing. “Warm air, what’s that?”

Loading the trailer went quickly and easily in the springlike temperatures, and although we had to wear boots and wade through lots of melting slush, nobody minded. Spring was definitely in the air. Today wasn’t quite as warm, but it was mostly sunny, and more of the snow has melted.

My husband occasionally uses military terms in conversation because he once worked for a defense contractor. Today, I was thinking of the phrase, “lead time away,” which refers to the time remaining before an item ordered in the procurement process is delivered. Although we can’t place an order for warm and sunny weather (I wish!), spring break fun in the South is lead time away.

More snow is on the way tomorrow morning in my area, and the past two weeks have been unusually cold. The winter is getting closer to its end, though, and however much it may snow in the morning, it won’t be long before it all melts. Beaches and other good things are not far away!

Word-art that says, "Believe in good things and the good around you."

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”