25 Weeks Have Passed?

We just finished the 25th week of the year and now it is official. . .

Every week this year I stop and recount the joys I find each day. To be honest it is getting harder and harder for me, because the days are all the same. I am still not going anywhere except for a quick grocery trip or to Mom's. I wear a mask when I go out and now that it is so damn hot I will limit my outings even more, because that mask wearing thing is just sweltering.
I have read a few bloggers who write that the isolation is not bothering them. Well it is driving me nuts! I love having folks over for dinner, I love going out to eat, I love having people visit for the weekend, I love going to the theater, I love going to movies, I love hearing live music, I love volunteering, and I love being around people. Some down time at home is fine, but this excessive gardening, yard work and sorting through Mom's possessions hanging out at home is sucking the life out of me.

Wednesday: One of the joys for the day was the gift of not having to go to Mom's for anything except to check the mail, and empty the dehumidifier. While I was there, a cousin called and asked if we had a couple of items she needed for a former neighbor of hers. It is time for him to go into assisted living and has no family left to make arrangements, so they are taking over the roll of his offspring.  He will be in a studio apartment and needs furniture that has a smaller profile than anything he owns,  Fortunately we are able to oblige, so a bed, a small recliner and a club chair are spoken for. I did tell her it was silly to move it twice, so it will stay where it is until next weekend when they physically move him in. They are such a great couple to do this for someone who needs help. I guess there is double joy. One is being able to help them with their mission and another is that a few pieces of furniture are headed out the door.

Thursday: When we were cleaning out Mom's kitchen we found some things we both remembered from our childhood, that Mom had hidden placed in the deepest recesses of a corner cabinet. We both went home with treasures, at least treasures to us. I got a set of vintage  pyrex mixing bowls (red, green, blue and yellow) and my sister got a partial set of vintage pyrex refrigerator containers (blue and red).  The memories they evoke are priceless and I am pretty sure I can still smell the butterbeans Mom would store in the blue fridge dish!

Friday: I have no idea what joys were out there. Friday came and went with little fanfare. I did work in the veggie beds a little and was excited that the potatoes were finally shooting through the soil. Also I shopped at Aldi and found everything I was looking for, but I needed very little. so it was not a great accomplishment.  I did find a cute little pair of knock about flats for 4.99. Oh and something that might not be a joy to most but thrilled the entire street?  My next door neighbor was having some issues and was placed in a facility quite a while back. Her house has been empty with her son, who lives in Chicago, having her POA. I know things are difficult for him to handle from afar, but her grass weeds were about 4 1/2 feet tall. I did not mind looking at them, but they were blowing seed all over my yard, and I was tired of pulling imported weeds. While I was out working in the yard, he arrived and met someone who chopped the weeds mowed the lawn. Thanks to the yard guy's huge booming voice I heard he was going to be mowing it every other week. Wonderful! It will at least keep the potential weed seed from forming.
Following that we had our new traditional Friday night, because all our norms have changed. We had a quick dinner then watched another episode of The Man in the High Castle.

Saturday: We worked in the yard here, then went to the lake. TheHub worked outside but I did not. My knee was killing me, so I stayed in the cabin and did some inside work. The lake was hopping so I got to watch a lot of boats go by, then we stayed late enough to see the beginnings of the rose colored water that happens at sunset. Since we left late and had not eaten we stopped at Full Moon and grabbed bbq to bring home.  Small joys but any day without cooking is pretty joyful.

Sunday:  We are getting spoiled by our streaming church service. Do you think when church starts back full force anyone will mind if I go in my pajamas? We have established a new Sunday morning tradition; coffee and cinnamon rolls with God, and it is going to be a hard habit to break. I would be more than happy to take enough to share with everyone sitting on the same pew we are sitting on.
After working in the yard most of the day, we cleaned up and had guests. Son2 and DIL2 stopped by for a Father's Day visit. We were hoping they would eat with us, but they decided to get on back to their house. Too bad they didn't, because they missed a delicious meal!

Monday: We worked in Mom's finished basement and it was yet another day of finding out she never got rid of anything. We also found out that Dad had totally neglected his downstairs office which was totally different than the main floor office where he kept all of their personal info. We did find a few interesting things there, among all the work documents he had kept beginning sometime in the 50's. We found two newspaper articles about our great grandfather that we had never seen before and a permanent train pass for our great uncle (the oldest of our grandfather's siblings) and his wife that a issued in 1937. In addition to that we found a grotesque wooden scale that Mom would never throw out because "Margie sent me an arrangement in it". I hope I am never sentimental about crap. (Unless it is crap my kids made in school when they were young)

Tuesday: I was lucky to talk with one of Mom's best friends. She had been out of town staying with her daughter through quarantine and just returned on Monday.  She was always so kind to Mom and would call her regularly or drop by for a short visit. I really enjoyed our telephone visit very much. Other than that the day was__crickets!

See I told you I am having trouble finding joy, but by crackie, I am still trying. Since this week is the last week in the first half of the year, I am going to be more intentional about looking for joy and if I can't find it, I am going to create it!