We have just completed the 39th week of the year. I don't know about you but I can't believe it. This year has flown! I am going to blink and it will be New Years Eve and I will be reading these posts. I am sure I will think it seemed like yesterday that each joy happened. Time, slow down!
Friday: TheHub and I had decided to actually go out to a real restaurant and dine in, but of course it had to be virtually unoccupied. (I have no idea why we thought we would find that on a Friday night. We are idiots I guess.) Instead we went to Aldi (recreational shopping for TheHub) to pick up a few things, brought them home, unloaded, then headed out to Purple Onion for some food. Once again our " traditional Friday restaurant meal" has turned into take out.
I have noticed every new restaurant in our area of town that has opened post covid, has a much larger outdoor dining space than those pre covid places have. Smart!
Saturday: TheHub and I started our Saturday morning off with our new normal plan. We had a cup of coffee, threw on some clothes and ran errands. The produce stand we go to every week is changing over to late summer/early fall produce. They had beautiful muscadines, scuppernongs, and gorgeous bunches of collards, along with the tail end of the summer veggies.
We made a couple of other stops, then came home for a quick lunch before getting ready for some football.
The Hub and Son2 went to the Alabama game and my wonderful DIL2 came over to watch the game visit with me. I love having her here! We mainly talked, and cooked out while the game was on. The steak was good, and Bama won. RTR!
Sunday: I tried to stream our church service, but there was an issue with the audio so I missed it. The joy for the day was reading! I read most of the day, and it was bliss.
Monday: I had a lot of banking to do, both for Mom's estate and also some personal stuff. Once I got there I could have kicked myself, because they were having a diaper drive and I forgot to go buy diapers. I asked the bank manager how much longer they would be collecting when he told me the organization also accepts cash donations. Evidently occasionally they are offered a huge container of diapers for free as long as the non-profit pays the shipping. They gave me all the info, so I could make a donation directly to the organization to add to their shipping cost fund.
Additional joys, and the most wonderful, were texting with one blogger (Kim), then having a phone conversation with another (Sluggy, plus Kim's sister, Kay) Woo hoo! It made my day!
Tuesday: I am not sure how much joy one can get from cleaning, but I attacked one of the upstairs bedrooms and it is ready for houseguests this weekend. One down, two to go. After phone conversations with Son1, Son3, and my cousin I was especially joyful for the speaker phone option. I could clean while I talked. Is this the new whistle while you work?
Wednesday: I woke to a gorgeous day, had a leisurely cup of coffee then decided to hit some intense housework.Though I worked upstairs I did not get nearly enough done. Did I mention how much I dislike working in the room where the grand cats came with Son3 and DIL3. My eyes were puffy and red, and I was sneezing my head off in spite of taking allergy medicine. I guess my joy was being able to open the windows while I vacuumed to get fresh cat free air in the rooms.
Later that night I got a phone call from a devastated Pip. Doug died, though he had lived about 2 years, which is a pretty decent hamster life. She told me we would FaceTimeThursday after school for his funeral.
Thursday: My biggest joy was that no one was harmed or injured (or lost their life) when I vacuumed the upstairs for the third time in three days. Cat fur__the gift that keeps giving, she said while trying to keep her hands away from her itchy, swollen, puffy eyes. (Something only those allergic to cats understand)
Like having no one in the forest to hear a tree fall, there was no reason to utter the profanity my brain was busy crafting.
There was one very nice joy for the day. I had ordered a set of buffalo check pj's that arrived 2 days after the order was placed. I thought that kind of service was unheard of during covid!
I did not get a FaceTime call for Doug's funeral. I imagine Pip decided she had rather play with her friends than hold a service for Doug. Smart kid!
Now go find YOUR joy each day. It is out there if you just look for it!
As always, love this. Hope Pip has recovered from the loss of Doug.
ReplyDeleteHere's my list:
-We got to have a midweek dinner out with no guilt, thanks to a gift card we received. Sometimes it really is the small stuff
-I took today off, to recover after a really long & intense stretch at work
-Work seems to be settling down a bit
-I got in 34 workouts in September. My calories were higher than I'd like, but I've been consistent with my workouts, so at least one positive in there.
-I've been loving fall. The weather is cool in the evenings & mornings, but still lovely & sunny.
-I've been reading a lot on my Kindle, and appreciate all of the library books available
Sounds like a great joyous week for you. More often than not, it is the little things that bring the most joy.
DeleteThank you for posting Luke Bryan singing FAST. I loved it and cried. Now that I am healed, I am trying to tackle some housework. With four dogs living here now, the hair is wild. I ordered a new Shark battery vacuum to try to keep up between housekeeper visits.
ReplyDeleteThe song is great, isn't it?
DeleteMy housekeeper is a live in. Her name is Anne and I think she should be fired.
Add sneezing and coughing to cat-induced symptoms for me.
ReplyDeleteI do sneeze but not cough.
DeleteSneezing is new. I also have runny, itchy eyes and sinus congestion!
DeleteWhen you talk about a "diaper drive" do you mean anything to do with your mom? At the end of her life my mom wore adult diapers and was in a care home. When she died my sister had tons of adult diapers that were sent to her (free pf charge by the National Health Service) which TEHCNICALLY she was not allowed to give away and the home was not allowed to accept. BUT the lady who ran the home took them all gratefully. Can you imagine the waste if my sister had not been allowed to pass on the adult diapers that were sent for my mom!!! It's wicked. Other than that, I occasionally have to use google to decipher your blog. I had no idea what scuppermongs were - but now I know!
ReplyDeleteThey are nothing but wild grapes!
DeleteThe diaper drive here is an organization that collects and distributes diapers to folks who cannot afford them for their babies. It is kind of like a food pantry for "processed "food.
I think it is absolutely wonderful you have such great DIL's and enjoy your time with them. Giving money for drives is usually a great help to cover those incidentals.
ReplyDeleteI do love my DIL's.
DeleteEvidently, even when they have to pay shipping the diaper costs to the organization are still under 3 cents per diaper, which is great.
I understand about the cat hair, I have two of my own and I never vacuum without picking up a small kitten or two. The plan is to remove the carpet and put in a hard surface flooring. Then I'll have cat hair tumbleweeds to deal with.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that Pip's hamster died. I'm sure it was traumatic for her but suspect you're correct in assuming she was busy playing with her friends. Kids are pretty resilient.
Take care, stay well.
I think having the first death experience being a hamster is probably a blessing. Though she loved Doug, hamsters are not really very interactive pets, unlike Matzo, her dog.
DeleteSounds like mostly? a good week!
ReplyDeleteHope you are able to enjoy a restaurant meal out soon.
So sorry about the allergies. Sounds like you have been miserable. We have cats, and the resulting cat tumbleweeds as Maebeme says. :)
Cats just kill me!
DeleteWeeks are all good and I appreciate even the less than stellar ones.
I am so sorry but Pip and the hamster made me smile. A tragedy to the young.
ReplyDeleteLiterally a small tragedy!
DeletePoor Pip.
ReplyDeleteI feel for you on the allergy front. Of the ten most common allergens the only ones I am not allergic to are cat and dog hair. As a dedicated cat lover I am very grateful for that. I had a course of desensitising injections for the others. It was a very far from pleasant procedure but has made my life MUCH better.
I really do think the loss of a hamster was a wonderful introduction to the finality of life
DeleteI am sorry to hear that Pip's pet hamster died. But, sounds like she was able to accept it and move on.
ReplyDeleteKeep finding those daily joys, Anne. It inspires me to read about them, every week. :)
I think she moved on easily. Apparently the hamster memorial turned quickly to play with her friends
DeleteMy condolences on the loss of Doug, who was no doubt a fine hamster member of the family. I know he will be missed.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Doug was a lovely fellow as far as rodents go, and was fun to watch, as far as watching a rodent goes
DeleteAnne,
ReplyDeleteYou are just not old enough yet for the years to whip around like they do for me!
I am probably older than you think
DeleteMuscadine are so good, we had some just last week. I think we can get joy from cleaning sometimes. I am shocked at all the dirt I can see now after my eye surgery. I’ve been cleaning like crazy. Lol that is my joy for this week. :)
ReplyDeleteMuscadines are good. I have some that grow wild in the power easement property that abuts my side yard
DeleteI feel your pain! Although my husband and I have have ventured into a few indoor restaurants, we're much more interested in outdoor seating. Fortunately, it's still warm enough here to make that work. On the plus side, though, there are so many more options for take out and some of them are pretty spectacular. I hope that doesn't go away.
ReplyDeleteI think normal has changed forever, and I think restaurants that discontinue take out will find out they need to reinstate it.
Deletevery sad
ReplyDelete