Our 2nd Christmas card video.
Sunday 19 December 2021
Saturday 18 December 2021
Michaelann & Robert's Christmas Card 2011 2021 deck the halls
Had a very busy day as we just got back from a long shopping trip to Bellingham, via bus. It snowed here last night, but unfortunately it's pretty much all gone, except for a bit of a slushy mess, which will probably become ice tonight.
This is my 1st Christmas card video, for this year. Enjoy!
Wednesday 1 December 2021
December 01, 2021
I was in Abbotsford yesterday & saw some lovely cotton t-shirts at the Dollar tree on Marshall rd., near the WalMart. A fair selection of sizes & colours.
Some photos of Willbrand Park, in better days. (It's currently flooded)
Wednesday 17 November 2021
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
We had a big flood in Sumas Washington a couple of days ago. I made several videos which I combined using a cool freeware program called All Free Video Joiner, which can be downloaded here: https://www.allfreevideoconverter.com/index.html They have lots of excellent freeware audio & video editing prgrams.
Monday 18 October 2021
October is breast cancer awareness month.
I realized that even though I have a Facebook album on this subject, I've never addressed this subject in my blog. I'm posting some articles here on breast health.
Why do women wear bras? https://www.007b.com/why_wear_bras.php?fbclid=IwAR3q-uGM5N2u5BZCVL1wnBSiM8_IAvPOzyY8HbS2931uEAkry3oqIN8DTis
Many women wear bras on the mistaken belief that they prevent or reduce sagging. Study says no! https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/259073#1
Here's an interesting article on yoga poses for more beautiful breasts: https://relieved.co/effective-yoga-poses-for-beautiful-breasts/?utm_source=kuddly&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=healthy_choices&fbclid=IwAR20C4NCMsyjoiU9PZvOq0RSeX93mlFkUy1dMAiD5QTm5hKerCNCwL1Qi90
An interesting article that discusses the link between bras & fibromyalgia pain: https://healthiculture.com/fibromyalgia/newsletter/bra/bra-1.php
A British study on bra wearing & breast pain: https://www.007b.com/bras_bare_facts.php
Saturday 17 July 2021
Wednesday 30 June 2021
I recently bought a meat/veggie slicer, after accidentally cutting myself (again!).
Here's my video review:
If you are interested &/or curious, you can find it here: https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/Wweixi-Stainless-Steel-Fruit-Vegetable-Meat-Cutter-Slicing-Tool-Onion-Holder-Slicer/4NRR34KX5K8ITuesday 29 June 2021
Tuesday, June 29, 2021
Moving forward, what is the future going to look like? What have we learned from the clusterfuck that was 2020?
One of the things that I came to realize, is that we were doing a damn poor job of keeping things clean. Numerous studies have shown that colds & flus were way down this past winter. Partly because more people were getting flu shots, but also because businesses instituted "enhanced cleaning measures" & people washing their hands more & using sanitizer. We need to keep this up, as part of the "new normal". It will be better for everyone.
I suspect that many people have discovered to their surprise that working from home is actually better in some situations. Less time commuting, saving gas money & parking. I don't know if this is true everywhere, but in BC Canada, driving less can also result in insurance savings! Also, certain home office expenses (including a portion of utilities) can be deducted at tax time. At least I know this was true years ago. Ask your accountant.
More grocery stores are offering delivery again for the 1st time in decades & you can even order online in some places & have them brought out to your car.
Like most of us, I need to get out & exercise more. And now that the weather is getting better, I'll want to get out & take more pictures. My photography has certainly suffered this past year & a half. I'm even attempting to take up painting. I'll let you know how that goes. And now that the Leisure center has re-opened, I am planning on taking up swimming again.
Now that things are opening up more, give your loved ones a hug. Appreciate the things that are truly important. Check out that amazing full moon coming up behind Mount Baker.
Saturday 15 May 2021
Saturday, May 15, 2021
Free online educational & entertainment sites, to help while the world is dealing with the pandemic. Also perhaps helpful in creating a new normal.
EDIT: Also some deals, as well as freebies.
Here's a list of some awesome educational TV shows: https://www.tvguide.com/news/best-educational-kids-shows-to-watch-netflix-amazon-hulu-pbs-youtube/?fbclid=IwAR1iYjyYi6pjriGsVDlHhJBKEVrVWWZXLdo3vnVthCoV0OYcAOdLiyyEwMI
Here's some online resources for teaching your kids at home: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Sgk9Pq5eCRJFvnjM9PNdei21z5-AQ6l0-bJqFE7n25o/preview?fbclid=IwAR13--WQKfLrL9Ytfe_jYjV6HBqKmhzsCk6RpfG76eHD0dDW3M1y1-RtPkE&slide=id.p
Here's a list of education companies offering free subscriptions due to school closings: https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/135609/list-of-education-companies-offering-free-subscriptions/?fbclid=IwAR1yTAOCahlOsQWFmKcuCQVmyOr3uhsUBOCEYwc7QMpK7UUo9JIqD3-mBT0
Free homeschooling resources for isolating families: https://sci-why.blogspot.com/2020/03/free-homeschooling-resources-for.html?spref=fb&fbclid=IwAR1ac2iEUi-1481qXHq2IBQ7vKq9xpGvFyxCqHo-nlUAKgwatEgNhawCSo0
Multiplication Games: https://www.multiplicationgames.com/?fbclid=IwAR36Io81Wx8KKf4yKHSPE1iMhAMJZujI6YTsaINaBGNoz7eL9TcxC4L13bE
Now here's something cool I found online recently, a YouTube page where you can listen to actors reading stories for your kids! https://www.youtube.com/user/StorylineOnline/videos
Here's a cool page, free audiobook short stories: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDDvUcNa5_hDQJ1-jWSJF4Q
LibriVox has free public domain audio books, to listen to or download: https://librivox.org/
Both free & paid classes on learning American sign language: http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/index.htm
Here's some awesome online educational sites:
https://www.abcya.com/ (Has free & premium options)
https://www.nature.com/scitable/ A collaborative learning space for science.
https://www.duolingo.com/ Learn a language for free, forever.
Feeling cooped up, you can now make a virtual online visit to a National Park: https://www.nationalparks.org/connect/blog/take-virtual-visit-national-park?fbclid=IwAR24XLhIOrqBsRbPOFyUVbjNXvU4OPVjXaG9jZQwLNjhnS_Wke245OplY3E#.XqN0_FwPXj4.facebook
And here's some more: https://www.treehugger.com/national-parks-virtual-tours-4865288?utm_campaign=treehugger&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cn_nl&utm_content=21200952&utm_term=
Here's a list of free entrance days @ US National Parks: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/fee-free-parks.htm
I suppose you've heard of drag queen story time at libraries? Well, they've gone online, so nobody misses out while the libraries are closed. Check it out! They also have a Facebook page! Here's a list of their Livestream events: https://www.facebook.com/dragqueenstoryhour/events/
Here's a list of 12 museums you can tour from home: https://www.southernliving.com/syndication/museums-with-virtual-tours?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=southernliving_southernliving&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=1878E92E-6542-11EA-AAAC-CF782FEB5590&fbclid=IwAR0H36g5rNvTiIB7dolReissJS4C0POynt_mzpXEovVTJfm5Z6nngtrZey0&fbclid=IwAR35ZA7zX7tj1lUYMe2_dxs4VHwhE0zpeUGnnNlMeCg-If_g-urPgjTdrrg
You can virtually tour some of the world's greatest landmarks: https://www.readersdigest.ca/culture/greatest-landmarks-virtual-tour/?fbclid=IwAR0Cny9kSmuidp4JYQaVb5aM38rp6igpVUaUlSp-WF6EKYyvGmPuNQUIexk
Google has a massive collection of art galleries & museums you can view online: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner?hl=en
14 workout routines to do at home: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/fitness/a31478709/home-workout/?source=nl&utm_source=nl_ghk&utm_medium=email&date=032320&utm_campaign=nl19774997&fbclid=IwAR1_SQ31eyxmHFTLnLxxSINFx0UieWnmhKpwFwEyibRJXpQWEcI664LAbpQ
Open Culture has 1,700 free online courses from top universities: https://www.openculture.com/freeonlinecourses
They also have hundreds of free e-books for i-pad, kindle or other devices: https://www.openculture.com/free_ebooks
190 universities just launched 600 free online courses. Here's the full list: https://www.classcentral.com/report/new-courses-october-2018/?news_banner=1&fbclid=IwAR33RMAFv1P0UTdE7a7S99EPW8b2r5nWAbe-2Jwt5Mn2QZPYsYS2AjWoXO0
90 Harvard University Online Classes, free: https://online-learning.harvard.edu/catalog/FRee
MIT publishes virtually all of its course materials online for free. You can take hundreds of college courses completely free: https://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm?fbclid=IwAR2H1xCfa6OJwJX4QR6Nn5Y16SBM1xfpFWO9peyac6nS18AU-NIVUV24Iyw
May 11, 2023 - Minnesota may soon have free tuition for public colleges for state residents whose families make less than $80,000 year (Actually, it's gone through the House & is now before the Senate): https://scrippsnews.com/stories/minnesota-lawmakers-approve-free-tuition-for-public-colleges
100 legal sites to download free literature: https://iheartintelligence.com/free-books-100-legal-sites-download-literature/
Would you like to learn how to type (or improve your touch-typing skills?) The free "typing tutor" at this site offers 30 typing lessons that progressively teach the keyboard. Here, you'll also find fun, interactive, touch-typing games and tests. No downloads, installations, or registration is required to use this site. https://www.freetypinggame.net/Default.asp
I couldn't help noticing that 1 of my favourite free ebook sites, wasn't listed. I've gotten many hours of excellent reading pleasure via the site prolific works, you can find out more here: https://www.facebook.com/instafreebie/
Stuck at home? These 12 famous museums offer virtual tours you can take from your couch: https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours?fbclid=IwAR2h0PwdfIhaGtyy3vUa-UnZ0ExZ2dK-JEofiLw_BvVOFYikmTuOlhi41-s
UPDATE: December 17, 2022 - Ontario Universities are offering several free online courses: https://www.narcity.com/toronto/ontario-universities-are-offering-so-many-free-courses-this-winter-here-are-7-you-can-try
Speaking of saving money, have you ever considered giving up cable? I did & it ain't that bad. If you are in Canada, CBC, CTV, Global & CITV all have shows online that you can watch for free the day after they come out on TV. Links are here:
CTV also has a list of older shows available free online, as well as movies:
For CBC, go here: https://gem.cbc.ca/ & create a login account. They will of course, try to sell you a premium membership, you can just ignore it. You'll need to do some digging after that, but they have some interesting shows, including Coroner & Endlings.
In the US, CBS, & NBC also do this. ABC has something similar, but you have to wait a week after the broadcast date. Fox gives you a free hour, I think. Netflix is still under $10 a month I think, & in the US, Hulu is $7.99 a month & it also has a free trial & optional add-ons for HBO, Showtime & Cinemax (at an extra cost, of course). You can also watch Crackle online, but it is no longer available in Canada, sorry.
I just found another one: https://pluto.tv/
Another interesting free site, lots of nature shows & documentaries: www.waterbear.com
Both PlutoTV & Tubi are wonderful. But alas, the selection of shows is much more limited on Tubi in Canada, just like Netflix is.
The NFB (the Canadian National Film Board) has over 4,000 free films online, here: https://www.nfb.ca/films/
Plus there's a lot of interesting content available on YouTube. I even have a channel there: https://www.youtube.com/user/MichaelannDahlman/videos
I am planning on doing a lot more videos there, including book reviews & other vlogs.
I just found this article & wanted to share it: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2020/10/3-easy-ways-help-kids-unlearn-gender-identity-sexual-orientation-bias-pandemic/?utm_content=buffer1359d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer&fbclid=IwAR1XCewCJQ8j8YOsB2_OnD0SPvmCNplxQcMv1N07QHDNC2fa-fIc31VedEE
And here's a helpful article, lots of streaming services are offering steep discounts &/or free trials: https://www.tvguide.com/news/streaming-services-for-free-discounts-coronavirus/?fbclid=IwAR0fEld_iePx8_6gJwleVySUWWHZDhgHio8wGnaswM0bngSBb0GbJrEecqA
(This article is over 1 year old, some links may no longer work& some offers may be expired).
Saturday 13 February 2021
it's Snowing
Good morning, everyone! I saw that it was snowing this morning when I got up & I just wanted to share it with everyone. This is also available on my YouTube channel.
Friday 29 January 2021
Friday, January 29,2021
Well January is almost over, I am starting to look & plan at how this year may unfold. I just turned 60 & now have an annual bus pass, so my mobility will be less limited. I have been feeling restless & oddly out of sorts in recent months, so I am working on that. Discovered that I might be affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), so I have been keeping my blinds open more, which has helped. I was going to install better lights in my living room, but that has unfortunately been put on hold, due to some technical issues. I am trying to work on my meditation & yoga, as they seem to help.
There's a lot of free resources out there, which we should all take advantage of, while we are looking for the thing that will work for us. I'll list a few here:
One of my old favorites is Yoga Guardian. The site is gone now I think, but you can still find their videos here: https://www.youtube.com/user/yogaguardianposes/videos
I found this video pretty inspiring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9FSZJu448&t=56s
You can get 2 free albums to try out Subliminal Guru: https://subliminalguru.com/
Yoga U Online is pretty amazing, they have a ton of interesting articles & videos, & if you sign up for their emails, you can get free MP3 downloads. https://www.yogauonline.com/
I am out of ideas for the moment, I will add more to this later.
Here's some photos of my meditation area.
Thursday 21 January 2021
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
I just saw the coolest new thing on the bus today, when I went out shopping. We just got some new buses & several of the front seats (side-facing) were up, to encourage social distancing. They have USB ports for people to charge their phones or MP3 players, while they ride the bus. How cool is that?!
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