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Friday, January 22, 2021

Week 3 Joys

As has been my usual weekly habit since Jan.1 of the dreadful year we just exited, I have been keeping a list of my daily joys. This year I intend to re-read them on New Year's Eve and look back, hopefully with fewer tears than re-reading this years joys brought. It is not that joy was sparse, but the year was a difficult year for reflection. When I re-read the joys, I also had to revisit the sadness the year brought. First there was Mom's decreasing cognitive function, the quarantine,  Mom's hospitalization and the restrictions in place that did not allow us to see her, followed by her death. Remembering everything did not diminish the joys, but the joys did not  negate the sadness either. I am hopeful that this new beginning will bring with it more joy and fewer strifes.



Friday: Son3 manned the smoker most of the day. They like to smoke meats, freeze them and take them back to enjoy at their home. It was a pork butt, smoked wings, and smoked salmon kind of day. Even with the door closed and the interior room doors shut, the house smelled divine! There is a joy watching your adult kids be  competent and self sufficient. 

Saturday: We took a little side trip to the lake place. I had an old dress form on the hearth there, that was purely decorative and DIL3 loves to sew. It was a natural for her to take it back with them. Son3 had a few things there that he wanted from his old room there as well. On top of everything, the day was gorgeous and the lake was perfectly beautiful. On the way home we stopped and picked up some burgers (Thanks, Whattaburger!) to eat at the house. 
Later that night DIL3 and Son3 (but mostly DIL3) cooked a Swiss meal for us. Yum!

Sunday: TheHub and I watched our church services via streaming, then had a Webex Sunday school class. Afterward everyone did their own thing until the evening. 
Unbeknown to DIL3 we had arranged for Son2 and DIL2 to eat with us and to have a small surprise party for her birthday. She was shocked, but happy.

Monday: Son3 and DIL3 spent a good bit of the day getting all of their things together to pack for the trip back home. While they did that, I processed their smoked foods in FoodSaver bags and stuck them in the freezer so they would be hard frozen for the trip home. 
Later we had a nice last supper together with conversation and laughs.

Tuesday: Dil3 and Son3 slept a little later than planned but they were only driving to Roanoke VA. the first day. Lola and Ella, the cats, travel with them and do not do well on a long car ride. I think they have learned they had rather not drive 17 hours straight either! Instead of leaving at 10 like they planned, they pulled out at about 11:45. 
My beloved sister came by the tell them goodbye, but mainly to ride to the lake with me. I had to meet an inspector there and J is as tired of staying home as I am, so she was a fast yes when I asked if she wanted to ride with me. We spent about 4 hours talking and laughing, then laughing some more. Half Moon chocolate chip cookies and coffee added to the fun day.

Wednesday: To be honest I was a little bummed out when I woke. TheHub leaves for work most days a little after 6 and I generally do not wake until about 6:30. For the past month, I have been able to have coffee and morning conversation with Son3 and DIL3. This morning I was totally alone and kept thinking "What do I do?"
I should have done some projects or started getting the house back in order, but instead I read for most of the day. I finished former blogger Sonya Ann's book "Their Hellfire" then began a new one "Like, Follow, Kill". I am not far enough in to decide if I really like it or not, but I will finish it anyway. 

Thursday: I am sure you all know the sage advice about eating the frog. It is, if the worst thing you have to do all day is eat a frog, then eat the frog first, Thursday morning the frog was getting all the 1099's for Mom's sitters filed.  Fortunately it only took a couple of hours and then it was done and over. Now all I have to do is get all of the information together for the final tax return. It has been kind of hard to review everything because memories attached to specific dates and times come flooding back. 
I did finish reading "Like, Follow, Kill" and did enjoy it. It was a well written thriller with an ending I did not see coming. 
TheHub and I also finished watching the Netflix series, Lupin. If you are looking for something interesting to watch, and like a bit of intrigue, I recommend it highly.

I hope you find your daily joys! They are out there each and every single day if you just look for them!

27 comments:

  1. Love your joys - and getting that frog down reminded me that I need to approach that particular frog myself.
    Soon. Ish.

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    1. Sometimes those frogs are crafty critters that manage to evade me.

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  2. It must have been hard going from having a full house to suddenly being on your own again, so I'm glad you got out with your sister. And thanks for mentioning those two books. I didn't know Sonya Ann had written a book. I used to like her blog and was so sorry the way it ended. I hope she's ok. Anyway, I've downloaded samples of both books you mentioned onto my kindle to see if I like them (I'm sure I will so I will most likely end up buying them). Not that I need any more books staring at me waiting to be read but ....

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    1. My goal this winter is to clean out my reading list. I have so many books downloaded waiting on me to read.

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  3. I always love reading about your joys, it sounds like it was a great week! Ugh, the frog. I need to get on that soon too - I don't wanna! Have a fantastic weekend :)

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    1. That is the trouble with the frogs. They are never what we want to do

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  4. Love hearing about your joys, and also to read about how you & your adult kids get along & enjoy spending time together. That's the parental dream!

    Joy for this week: hope for the future!

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    1. We all get along very well. Obviously if we were together all the time there would be small issues, but as it is we manage to have a lot of laughs with each other.

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  5. Wow, you were busy but it sounds like a great visit!

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  6. I am glad you got to spend so much time with your kids - hard in these times.

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    1. It is hard, and I had rather not have to visit wearing masks, but you have to do what you have to do.

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  7. What a wonderful visit - great memories made. I'm sure you felt at loose ends when they left, though reading sounds like a good way to spend a day.

    Take care, stay well!

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    1. I really did enjoy the long reading day! But it was just one day and then I had to get things back to normal, whatever normal is these days!

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  8. It's lovely that you have such good times with your family.

    Love,
    Janie

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  9. It is hard to see good company go. I often think of you and you mom, and wondered how you would take looking back at the year. Hugs.

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    1. Looking back was hard and filled with so many regrets about her last week in the hospital all alone.

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  10. I hope your Son3 and DIL3 had a safe trip back. It's hard when they go back and you have to return to being without them, isn't it? I will still have my daughter with me for several more weeks, but, I'll miss her when she goes back. I must remember to have a couple of projects lined up to do when I am back to being by myself!

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    1. I will admit it is lonely right now, but I adjust pretty quickly!

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  11. I love your Tuesday! It has been a long time since I have seen my sister. We talk every day but, t is not the same. Laughing together, eating cookies with a cup of coffee sounds wonderful. I think we are both blessed with great sisters.

    On another note I am sure you will miss Son3 and DIL3. Wishing them a safe trip home. I remember staying in Roanoke, VA on one of my road trips from NYC to SC.

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  12. I do have a great sister and am so thankful for her. She knows me better than any person on earth and will laugh with me/at me plus she puts up with no b.s. from me.

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  13. You describe very well that sadness does not negate joy, and joy does not negate sadness. We just have to remember to look for the joy as you do every day.

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    1. I was doing OK until I started to re-read everything and then memories cam flooding back

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  14. I've never heard that about eating the frog. I'm a shocker, leaving it until there is nothing else to do but eat the darn thing.
    It sounds like you have had lots of lovely family time which is always good

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