Week 24 Joys

As I have done since the end of the first week of January, I am  keeping a list of the everyday joys I find. My aim is to reread them on New Year's Eve, because we do not do NYE parties anymore. We have gotten into the comfortable "Let's put on something soft, watch a good movie, have a glass of wine and welcome the new year gently" phase of life.
 I am reminded of Mom and Dad's celebrations however. When we were kids they spent NYE at home with us. All of the neighbors had kids about our ages and everyone stayed home with their children. Since we live in the south and the weather is kind,  the neighbors would congregate outside near midnight. There would be a few fireworks, horns, and "Happy New Year"yelled at the top of our kid voices. Dad had a big bell and he would ring in the New Year which became a neighborhood tradition.
We moved to a different neighborhood when I was about 12 and life changed. We had friends and we wanted to do things with them, so Mom and Dad stayed home just in case we needed them (rescue mission maybe) but time does not stand still. We hit college age and suddenly Mom and Dad were free to do whatever they wanted to do. Birmingham has a private dinner club on the side of Red Mountain with a spectacular view of the city. It also had a multicolor dance floor that is lit from underneath. It sort of resembles the old electronic game "Simon Says" where they spent 30 plus years of NYE's dancing the night away followed by a conga line right after the countdown to the new year.
Then like everyone, they opted for an easier night. Don't get me wrong, they still went dancing at TheClub, just not as part of the New Year's craziness. So until the year before he died, Dad would go outside on their deck, he and Mom would count down to midnight and Dad would use the same bell and ring in the new year. I am not sure who has the bell now, either Son2 or my sister, but I hope whoever has it rings it with gusto January 1 and 12:00.10 a.m.

Wednesday: My sister and I spent a good bit of time at Mom's sifting though baskets in her sewing room. At first glance it seems to be basket after basket after basket of fabric, which is in addition to drawers and drawers full, not to be confused with the shelves of fabric in the sewing room closet. We were just getting ready to stack the baskets side by side on the floor when a small little tchotchke fell out. Closer examination was demanded! We found pictures, papers, seasonal decorations (for the minor holidays) untold sewing items, a Bedazzler, (Which we howled about! Mom was not a bedazzled woman ever, so no idea why she bought it. Maybe it was a gift she never wanted, which would be why it was stashed away) but what we really laughed about was a composition about apples I had written in the third grade. Evidently the sum total of my wisdom and knowledge of apples was summed in the single sentence "If you have a loose tooth, eat an apple."
Trader Joe's here is taking the number of people in their store at one time quite seriously. One person leaves, another enters and the line often extends 40 people deep. It is on the way home from TheHubs office so a few times a week he drives through the parking lot to see how long the line is. Wednesday he drove by and the line was only 3 people deep. By the time he parked and got in line he was number 5 so he felt like a true winner.  The only problem with him going is he can't find anything in the store, so I have to be on the phone with him walking him through the store for each item. He did manage to get each and every thing I asked him to get, even the relatively new item which he had to ask for help to find. (Gasp!!! And, contrary to his thinking, after requesting assistance, the world did not implode)

Thursday: . One of my joys for the day? Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch. (brand new to me) I rarely
eat breakfast, but I was hungry so I chipped a bit of ham and about half cup of cauliflower and a teaspoon of ghee in a non-stick pan and cooked it until the cauliflower was done. Then I stirred in a teaspoon of the chili onion crunch. It was so good. This may become my go to condiment.
And my huge joy for the day was bookclub. We had it at my friend C's patio so we could distance. The night was perfect, with a light breeze,  low humidity and conversation with friends. Perfection!

Friday: First, we bought a new reel mower for the backyard and I used it for the first time. The fenced portion of the back yard has very little grass  and a lot of hardscape. The grass there does best if it is mowed about every 5 days, and this new mower makes it very simple. Additionally there is no motor so I can cut it early in the morning coolness without disturbing my neighbors.
Later in the morning Son2 came by Mom's and helped my sister and me move a few things, plus he took my grandmother's rocking chair home with him. It has been in the family forever. My 94 year old uncle has no childhood memory of it not being at my grandmother's house, so I am calling it at least 85 years old. After we finished at Mom's, Son2 came up to my house for a late lunch.
The third joy of the day?  Pizza! Last week we were having a distanced visit with our neighbors when she told us about the seasonal offerings at a local pizza restaurant. I decided it was well worth a day off  keto to try it before it goes off the menu. Delicious!

Saturday: After doing some chores at home we headed to the lake to do more chores. Instead of going straight to the lake house we drove a little farther down I-65 and hit a produce stand. We bought gorgeous tomatoes, peaches, okra, and peaches and cream corn. Makes me happy because other than some tiny squash my garden is really not producing yet and we wanted some summer veggies.
At least one gardener is  having some success because TheHub left his office for lunch on Friday  and when he came back he found a basket filled with squash and zucchini on his desk. Veggie dumping has begun!

Sunday: We woke very early to begin work in the backyard, then came inside to watch our church service online. We had just enough time to do a couple of chores and then it was time for our Webex Sunday school class. Afterwards there was more work outside, an unintentional nap on the porch, more work outside, a quick shower to knock off the grimy outside work, followed by dinner and another episode of The Man in the High Castle. It was a really good day and though I loathe yard work the backyard is looking so much better. One true upside? Lugging 40 pound bags of soil around they yard does make sleeping through the night much easier.

Monday: I talked with my sister early and we decided to wait until Tuesday to sort though Mom's house. I spent all weekend doing outside chores and my house definitely needed some inside attention. Delaying just one day was a terrific joy. Cleaning the house___ not so joyful, but necessary.

Tuesday: We worked at Mom's all day again. This is the new normal right now, but each day we find some hidden treasure, We found programs from my first piano recital, picture of Dad that my sister had drawn on the back of a brown grocery sack, every newspaper article or program my kids had ever been involved in, and a dress that had been my great grandmothers prior to my grandmother's birth. (who was born in 1898).
Later there was more yard work and we had our first garden harvest; a single zucchini and 4 radishes, but judging by the looks of things there is  promise of many veggies  in the very near future.
I also talked with Son3. He, DIl3 and my grandkitties are coming for a visit to escape the confines of the city. They will be here in a couple of weeks and I am looking forward to seeing them.

I hope all of you have a nice week and can find joy every day! Look for it__I promise it is there somewhere!