Mindo Ecuador –
This is a test – only a test – to see if the video (below) makes you smile! That’s my friend Cynthia in the center, and she participates in a drumming circle each Saturday night in Mindo.
Cynthia radiates happiness as she interacts with the locals, no matter if she’s on the coast or the highlands or in the cloudforest. I think that the music is the icing on her happiness cake – what do you think?!
If it’s possible, leave Cynthia and her friends a note on YouTube – or share the link via your social-media options!
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
Yes I smiled !
Yes the ice toping was so good and sweet.
Thanks Cynthia, thanks Lisa
with love
Helene! It’s always great to see you via the comments, and your words always bring a smile to my heart! I’m glad you enjoyed the video! Love, Lisa
Elemental joy!
Thanks, Tish, for the feedback, which makes me think of a polar-opposite musician – serious yet brilliant Ludovico’s “Elements” which I have recently enjoyed via YouTube. Here’s a summary trailer:
z
Thanks, Lisa. Must follow this up 🙂
😀 😀 😀
I chuckled when I saw your comment! Thanks so much – for the comment and for the smile! The smiles are infectious!
Count me among those who smiled. Delightful!!
So glad to see your comment and to know that the video does indeed trigger smiles!
😎
Thanks! May the smiles keep circulating!
As they should in a chain of LOVE …. 😎
I still remember my first drum. It was a Quaker oatmeal box that I beat with a spoon. It was wonderful fun — and it seems clear Cynthia’s having the same sort of fun.
Oh my – does Quaker still sell oats in that type of box? I’d forgotten all about that, and yes, what a wonderful ‘first’ drum!!! You’re such a talented wordsmith, and it will be fun to one day read a story inspired by the Quaker box!
They are still using that box. I have two in my pantry — one full, one half-full. I make a nice baked oatmeal that’s really quite good, so I go through it more than I would if I were only making cookies.
is dried stevia available there, and if so, is it affordable? each morning I ‘brew’ a big pot of guayusa leaves (dried) with dried stevia, and with lemon added ‘glass by glass’ thru the day, it’s a great tea substitute.. i wonder how stevia would work with oatmeal, if one started with ‘stevia sweetened water?’
my only prob with the guayusa is it ups my metabolism, and i continue to lose weight as well.. i’m hungry a lot nd can eat all i want, and there’s no weight prob.. in fact i’m a little bit too lean, and my research confirms that guayusa is also used for weight loss! go figure! the baked oatmeal sounds great… do you just mix the ingredients and bake it, or is there a trick?
I’ll email you the recipe for the baked oatmeal. It’s great, because you make it the night before and let it sit overnight. It’s basically oatmeal, milk, eggs, and maple syrup, with fruit and nuts added. I don’t see why a different syrup wouldn’t work, or honey. I love getting up, throwing it in the oven, and having the house smell so good. Sometimes I like it with added fruit on top, too — and it really can substitute for a dessert.
I have a friend who uses stevia all the time. I tend not to use sugar in tea or coffee, but I keep packets of it around for her: “Stevia in the Raw.” I just checked — it’s about $15 for 200 packets.
we are so lucky that the stevia and guayusa is grown here. the guayusa is an ilex that grows in the amazon… using the dried stevia leaves vs the powdered stevia makes a huge difference to me w/flavor.. with fresh lemon it’s a good sugar substitute for much healthier lemonades.. i also use the stevia/guayusa as a base for blended papaya/guayusa smoothies, which i drink for the chikungunya side effects that still linger as arthritis stiffness…
we can also buy a ‘juan valdez light’ sugar which is a mix of stevia with white or brown sugar. i buy the brown option and use it with cooking sweets and also with the citrus drinks or even hot chocolate.. we’re lucky that it’s very affordable here…
Oh so pleased I caught this in my reader this afternoon 🙂 Give Cynthia a big hug.. and give one to yourself.. I smiled ALL the way through it to the end.. Excellent.. 🙂 ❤ Sue
And so pleased to see your lovely comment and will pass your feedback on to Cynthia. Yes, the video makes me smile as well – what a gift to know that a simple act makes others smile, especially with the problems of today’s world! Thanks!
It was a lovely share thank you xxx
Thanks for sharing, indeed she was enjoying herself.
Buenos dias, Joan! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback! It will make all three of them smile!
That’s cute, Lisa….
Let’s see what they think. 🙂 Thanks for posting it. I know Danny and Javier will be thrilled if it gets a lot of views. >
Thanks, Cynthia! It makes me smile every time I watch it!
oh yes , big smiles 🙂 🙂 😉
and i had a big smile when i read the post about your ‘blanket drive’.. how great!
Dang! I was happily cleaning my house to the drumming with a smile on my face when my internet went out. How long did it take you to upload the video? It was a very successful test! Loved it. 😍
it was a video that cynthia produced with bridgid, and bridgid uploaded it. she has some very interesting videos on her channel.
i totally understgand the frustration of the internet… but i can picture you smiling and enjoying the rhythm as you find your way back to good health. Are there any mosquito-vectored viruses left to infect you and Ron? Probably another (dangerious) variant of dengue? Be careful!
Yep. The other more dangerous form of Dengue and Malaria are the only two mosquito viruses left to infect us. On the good side, we are now immune to Chickungunya and Zika. On the bad side, we don’t want to get the hermoragging type of Dengue. But, on the good side, we have excellent health coverage if we need to go to the hospital. 😀
After getting it the first time, aren’t ‘repeat’ dengue sufferers always susceptible to the hemmoragging form? The body recognizes the virus and goes on high alert, and the plasma leaks.. most likely i tip-toed through four or five days of very critical time this last infection, and the danger is you think you’re hydrated b/c you are drinking lots of fluids, yet your body is leaking internally…
i’m still wondering whey 100% energy will return. I have very good days, but travel especially seems to pull me down. I listen to my body and ‘stay put’ and do little until i feel strong again.
how’s concepcion doing? being on best manners, i hope…
Our beautiful Concepcion is sleeping peacefully. We don’t have our energy fully back, either. We keep thinking it is because we are getting old. 🙂 I worry about the other types of dengue and we are probably more susceptible. But, I can’t live in a bubble here. That’s one of the reasons we want to do more traveling to places where the tropical viruses don’t live.
Si, it’s been comforting to know that the few mosquitoes here in the cloud forest will not be the vector for another virus..
L’alma latina no tiene edad, ni color! Your friend is beautiful!!
Ha! That is so funny! I think we’re going to meet for lunch (soon) and I’ll pass along your feedback! Thank you!
Yup. It worked! What a great way to begin my weekend. Thank you.
My pleasure! I hope that you’ve had a great day! It’s been drizzling here most all day, but wow, the day brought interesting people to my trail… heading offline now and will be back monday or tuesday or wed or thursday!
😊