All About That Joy, Bout That Joy No Trouble

As some of you know, each week I recount the joy or joys that happen each day. My aim is to sit down on NYE with some soft background music (and possibly an adult beverage) and re-read the daily joys for the past year. Each day has at least one, even if I have to look a little hard to find it. I hope this helps me to recognize how joy rises, even on the most horrific days, and to admit that even in 2020 there are so many things that require gratitude.

. 

Wednesday : Houston, we have functional internet at the lake! After years of hit or miss connectivity and a security system tied into an analog phone, we now have a new cellular security system and real internet. No more DSL which I am pretty sure stands for Damned Slow Linking. For the first time ever at the lake place we can have more than one device connected to wi-fi at the same time.
We did cancel our TV service there because we were paying for something we rarely used, but now we can stream via the Firestick. We rarely watch anything but Netflix or Amazon Prime anyway.
Losing the land line and TV covers the cost of Netflix for a year in just one and a half months, even accounting for the increase in the price of the internet service and additional security system cost.
Doing the happy dance!

Thursday: My Beloved Sister took me to pick up my car, but on the way we stopped and grabbed a couple of pastries from a fairly new Mexican bakery. They opened right before Covid caused the lockdown and are just getting their business back up and running well. I will definitely be one of their supporters! They have goodies galore, many unknown to me, but they also have lovely young women who work there who are incredibly helpful. After I  picked up my car we came back to my house to sample the treats.
I also got to text with one of Mom's former sitters.. She was pregnant when Mom died and I had been keeping in touch with her for the past four months, just checking in to see how she was doing.  She had a beautiful baby boy Wednesday night and sent me pictures of him on Thursday. I am so happy for her that he is here, and so happy to welcome him into the world.  I can't wait to meet him in person!

Friday: I found a new to me Podcast, The Strange South.  I like listening to music or podcasts and this one was fun. Plus, they speak "Southern" so I understand everything they say! 

Anything different from being at home is also joyful. We rode to a different burb to pick up our take out dinner and passed a couple of parks on the way. It was lovely to see kids playing. And dinner that I didn't have to cook? To paraphrase George Orwell "Double Plus Joyful".

Saturday: Friday afternoon my neighbor with  2 sets of twins asked if she could use the pool for her younger twins birthday celebration. One of their daughters is immunocompromised and they have been in strict isolation since early March. They used the pool several times over the summer and we make sure every thing is as clean and Covid free as possible before they come. We were lucky to have somewhere  we can share for them to swim and play safely  for a while.
Nothing is more joyful than hearing kids giggles and laughs (and they are really cute kids).

Sunday: We began the morning streaming our church service followed by a Webex Sunday school class. Our class traditionally takes a sabbatical during July and August. We are a small group and most people have secondary homes that see a lot of action during the summer. Instead of fighting it, we just go with the flow. Next weekend we can join from the lake place. (See Wednesday's joy) Woo hoo!
Son2 and DIL2 came over for a small celebration lunch and they brought Shelby, the dog. She obviously felt quite comfortable here since she walked in the front door through the dining room and kitchen into the den, surveyed her "spot", then went straightto the back door  to be let outside where she promptly pooped in her other"spot".

Monday:  Monday was a day like most Mondays are when I tend to organize the week, or in this case organize Mom's 2019 taxes. I did get a lot done and have a bit more to finish then scoot it to the accountants. The downside? One file with pertinent info is AWOL. I am going to have to search through her house to see if we can find it, and if not, recreate it.

Tuesday: Tuesday was my actual birthday, but we do not do huge celebrations anymore. We quit giving gifts and share experiences. TheHub and I have birthdays less than a month apart and our anniversary is just a couple of weeks past his birthday, so this year we are headed to the beach for a few days in October.
Usually we go to one of our favorite restaurants, but neither of them are open right now. Instead we piled in the car and drove to Captain D's for take out. Not thrilling but a perfectly fine meal.
I also made a non-traditional birthday cake for myself. Earlier I brought home Mom's old tin recipe box filled with hand written recipes. (most that she never made because she was not a really good cook)  I found her old (from my childhood) recipe for German Chocolate pound cake so I baked it
Funny though, we were so full after eating Capn. D's that we ate none of it. Tomorrow maybe!

I hope you had a great joy filled week. Look for them because they are always there! Peace!