Final Friday Roundup: March '25

A lesson from cow tipping, a soothing mantra, and the joy of quilting

This fellow greets visitors at the Tillamook Creamery in Oregon.

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I’m shaking my head as I walk away from the computer after my fourth attempt to begin writing my second Final Friday Roundup.

Okay, my girl, what's up?

In true form, she shares many answers and a few tears.

I wish I could begin my post reporting that I am feeling much more positive about our world one month after my first Final Friday Roundup. I'm not. I wish I could report that I have found the answer to tuning out, even amidst the chaos. I haven't. I wish I knew how much to ignore in the news, allowing me to still function and enjoy my life. I don't know how much that is. Being a quilter, I want to create a patchwork quilt, metaphorically speaking, that comforts and calms me. And sadly JoAnn’s where I find most of my fabric is closing.

Here's what I’ve got that made its way to the page: a mix of sugar and spice, otherwise known as dreaming and venting.

After weeks of searching for calm, I find myself drawn back to joy and kindness as the path to healing. I'll admit, I'm far from joy until I pause to watch the tiny birds in the flowering cherry tree, flitting from one branch to the next, oblivious to human concerns. I can't help but envy their simple surrender to nature's wisdom, and then I remember that I, too, am one of Mother Nature's creations.

As far as I can see, the fields out my window offer green in every direction. The oaks stand yet undressed, with the fading sun shining just enough to highlight their stark beauty. The peach tree's blossoms promise fruit. A jogger on the horse trail passes by our window. All of this soothes my spirit. And then…

While I concur that our system is broken and needs a complete overhaul, many of the tactics being employed in the last few months are frightening and frankly, I fear we are simply swapping poisons. The fabric of our great nation lies in tatters on the floor of JoAnn's.

I began my first Final Friday Roundup last month by talking about cows. I'm still thinking about cows. This month, the phrase cow-tipping seems to echo on repeat.

Cow tipping is the purported activity of sneaking up on any unsuspecting or sleeping upright cow and pushing it over for entertainment.

Just because you can, with no regard for the animal.

While cow-tipping is an urban legend, the reality is that more people than we might care to admit have likely tried to upend an innocent animal, hoping to watch them struggle to recover in the belief that certain animals cannot rise if pushed over.

It’s a misconception. They can.

Vogel suggests that someone applying force at the requisite height to topple a cow might generate a maximum push of no more than 300 newtons. By this calculation, at least 10 people would be needed to tip over a non-reacting cow. However, this combined force requirement, he says, might not be the greatest impediment to such a prank. Standing cows are not asleep and, like other animals, have ever-vigilant reflexes. "If the cow does no more than modestly widen its stance without an overall shift of its center of gravity", he says, "about 4,000 newtons or 14 pushers would be needed—quite a challenge to deploy without angering the cow.¹

It’s against good judgement to anger the cows.

I hope you have found activities that soothe your soul. We have had a lot of rain, so I’ve been limited to indoor hobbies. I have been quilting A LOT! I’m working on my grandchild’s first quilt and purchased a few pink ranunculus to cheer up the room— well, more likely to cheer me up. These moments are peaceful and healing. Hobbies can be very therapeutic.

It looks like Spring inside and out.

I finished the baby’s quilt top but will refrain from posting a photo until I can give my daughter the quilt. But in the meantime, I also found a very old quilted square. This relic from my early days of quilting was in a sorry state. The stitching was rough, and the little bear and star were only ironed on, not stitched down. But I saw potential in it. I gave myself a project to salvage the early attempt and create a quilt for the baby’s visits to Nanny’s. (We’ll have to talk about grandparent names soon. I’ll be soliciting suggestions.)

I added stitching around the bear and the star, red hearts, a yellow star button eye for the bear, and two extra borders. Once I find a fabric that matches, I will add two more border strips, a good excuse for one last trip to JoAnn’s before their doors finally close. As the quilt top has shaped up, I’ve grown fond of this little bear. He reminds me of my ability to transform and overcome.

While quilting, I've been binge-watching Doc Martin, currently on Acorn. Oh my goodness, I'm laughing out loud at least once in every episode. It's such great therapy. 

And I also watched The Twister: Caught in the Storm on Netflix, which is quite a story. On a funny/not funny note, the show has plenty of stories about the tornado's victims that can bring a tear to the eye. Still, the only time I actually found myself crying was listening to President Obama speak to the high school graduating class of the devastated town. His eloquent voice, filled with compassion and warmth, brought instant tears. I felt terrible that I was crying for my loss instead of the victims of the tornado. Like I said, funny/not funny, but true.

This past month, the message that has repeatedly reached me is that goodness coupled with joy is our way forward. This unmatchable combination is not just powerful, it's resilient. It cannot be defeated, and it empowers us to face any challenge. 

Sarah Wilson

’s quote, which I shared last month, continues to resonate: To “live as fully and beautifully as we can” is not just an act of defiance, it's a source of inspiration. It gives power to goodness prevailing and motivates us to live our lives to the fullest. 

This last week, I read

Jane Ratcliffe

’s interview with Martha Beck. It is such a wonderful interview, wherein Martha speaks of joy, stillness, connection, and love being what will heal us in the end. Martha’s words serve as a powerful reminder that joy, our strongest ally, has the potential to heal and bring hope in the most challenging times.

And this week I enjoyed

Ramona Grigg

’s uplifting post I choose Decency. I choose Dignity. I choose Joy. Ramona speaks what’s in my heart.

I was delighted to receive

Paulette Bodeman

’s monthly meditation a few weeks back. I took a few of her prompts and added a few of my own, and have been offering them to my yoga classes. As I recite them to my students, I find myself breathing deeper.

Breathe in… openness.
Breathe out… hesitation.

Breathe in… acceptance.
Breathe out… fear.

Breathe in… joy.
Breathe out… sorrow.

Breathe into the uncertainty.
Exhale, knowing you don’t need all the answers right now.

Please accept my gratitude for allowing me to visit your inbox every week. From your kind remarks to your paid subscriptions, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I often remind myself that this would be no fun without my readers.

Namaste my friends,

1. Vogel, Steven (2009). Glimpses of Creatures in Their Physical Worlds. Princeton University Press. p. 238. ISBN 978-0-691-13806-0. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2016.