Good Things Happen to Those Who Look for Them

If you read this blog you already know I keep a list of the joys I find each day, and if you are new here__well now you know too!
My aim is to re-read these on New Year's Eve and reflect on all the joys the year has brought. And even though 2020 has been a Typhoid Mary type of  year, there are still joys each and every day. I am not saying they are always easy to find, but they are around,. Every.  Single.  Day.  You just have to look for them. These are the joys, large and (mostly) small for the 34th week of 2020.

This song is one of my favorites. I have told Son3 that I think this would make a wonderful song for a funeral after a long and well lived life. So, if I live a long and well lived life, he is to make sure this is sung.

Wednesday:  I decided I will complete two projects each week. I might change my mind  later and do three each week but, for right now, I am aiming for two. Wednesday I painted a lamp I had brought from Mom's house. It was an off white floor lamp that is now hammered bronze. It looks pretty nice in my living room, but now I have found several more projects for the room.  How can adding a single lamp cause an avalanche of "to-dos"? I need to totally revamp the  entire room. I think I will begin with moving the artwork. That is the easiest project I can do and, this week,  I am all about easy.

Thursday: Although I do not love bad weather, we had a massive thunderstorm with winds so high it blew the umbrellas in the pool and blew all the pool toys out of the pool. It did not last but about 45 minutes but the earth was good and soaked and the pool got about 2 inches of water.  I stood at the window and watched nature's fury. I have a great sky view out the den window and loved watching the lightning. (Until it was right on top of us and then I didn't love it so much)

Friday:  Son2 and Dil2 joined us for drinks, dinner, and laughs. It is so nice to see both sons and their wives  having a good time. The downside is TheHub and I realize how tragically unhip we are. So many of the cultural references they were talking and laughing about flew right over our heads.  Another harsh reality check (realizing we are old) was that none of them knew who Roy Orbison was until we said he sang "Pretty Woman".

Saturday: Sat on the screened porch with TheHub and Son3 for morning coffee  and conversation before the day heated up. Later in the morning DIL3 got her proofs from her photo shoot and they were drop dead gorgeous. I don't know if it was more joyful to see the photos or see her reaction to them.

Sunday: I guess my biggest joy was Son3 and DIL3 arriving at their midway destination safely. They were a little over halfway home and it was much easier than driving straight through. Safe travels are always a cause for joy! Laundry and vacuuming residual cat hair? Not so joyful!

Monday: The day was so quiet when I woke at 5:30. WTH! I know there is inherent joy when you wake every morning, but I am just not a fan of butt early o'clock! I much prefer to ease into the morning. By 1 in the afternoon I felt like it was time to start thinking about dinner. I suppose there was joy in doing 4 loads of towels before 9 a.m.  I also found joy by cleaning out the fridge before 8 a.m. I like finding joy in the mornings, but I don't need so much joy so early.
A second joy is technology. I love movies, but hate to invest the time sitting and watching them while doing nothing else. Thanks to modern technology I can enjoy them several ways. I can pull them up on my iPad and take them from room to room as I do chores. Most of the movies I watch I can mainly listen to anyway. I can  also pull them up on my laptop then run the sound through echo (which we have set to run through 3 different areas of the house), turn it up loud and listen, just glancing at it now and then.  I "watched" 3 movies this way on Monday. When you wake so dang early you have lots of time for "watching".

Tuesday: I woke this morning listening to the birds, then got out of bed for steaming hot coffee and cinnamon rolls DIL3 had made and frozen.  Hers are a Swedish version, not as sweet and with no icing. They are perfect for a quick breakfast or an afternoon snack along with black coffee. All I had to do was zap it for 30 seconds and use the keuring for a super quick and delicious breakfast. I usually do not eat breakfast, but the cinnamon rolls were screaming at me from the freezer. I tried to get them to be quiet, but they were relentless!
Mid -morning I had a call from Pip. She is hard at work becoming a writer so we decided to c0-write stories. She decided who and what the characters would be. (2 unicorns named Rainbow and Star and a very tiny dragon named Puddle Hider) and what their special talents would be. She also decided the unicorns hated having their hair brushed. (Transference perhaps?)
I wrote an opening to the tale and emailed it to my son so she can read it and add the next bit to it. Then she will send it back and we can see what develops from there. I am not sure if I will write a conclusion or the story will continue. I guess it is just up to her.
After work TheHub and I went to vote in our local elections, but only one of us got to vote. The other forgot to bring her drivers license. I am very glad this was just an election for one seat, since every other position was unopposed. I don't feel much guilt, but for the next 4 years I can't gripe about anything this councilman does (even though I was going to vote for him anyway) Afterward we ran by a Mexican restaurant and picked up dinner. Joy!


This weeks projects:
1. Painted a floor lamp
2. Repositioned  artwork in the foyer, living room, and den.
3. Found some black spray paint made for plastic and sprayed a white plastic table I found at Mom's. It works well as a small side table for the deck.