Small Joys are Still Joyful

Another week of 2022 has passed and now the middle of March is closing in on us. Today would have been Mom's 91st birthday and I have really been thinking of her all week. I wish we were able to have cake and sing Happy Birthday to her one more time, but it is not possible,  I will just continue to think about her and all the birthdays we were able to celebrate with her. I distinctly remember her 30th birthday. 

We were very young and did not understand that turning 30 was very difficult for her. Without thinking any thoughts except for thoughts children have, we decided it would be a good idea to pick daffodils and take  bouquets to all of our closest neighbors, being sure to tell them they were for celebrating Mom's 30th. She was not terribly happy with us!

The upside of thinking about her is I now find myself thinking of the times before dementia claimed her,. Her last two years saw a completely different person than the Mom I knew all my life. Now when I remember her I think of when her slightly irreverent sense of humor would end with her boisterous laugh. I love her and miss her.

 Saturday: In the wee hours of the morning I got a text from Son3 telling me DIL3 had been hit by a car while they were walking home from a friends birthday party.  She was taken by ambulance to the hospital, and after several hours they released her with just some  road rash and a badly sprained ankle. A couple of weeks hobbling around is a wonderful outcome.

The day was a drop dead gorgeous spring day. After working in the yard a bit, TheHub and I watched Alabama basketball lose to LSU. 

We had invited Son2 and DIL2 to join us for dinner at a restaurant in their area of town. They have a really cute large open air plaza with tables, benches, a Jumbotron and  has restaurants around the perimeter. It would have been perfect but there were a couple of hundred people sitting outside (Crowded beyond my current comfort zone), so we wound up inside the brew pub. It was still fun and we had a great visit with them.

Sunday: We woke to another beautiful day, got a few big jobs done around the house, then we sat outside on the porch reading until almost dark. While we read we talked off and on, and watched a lot of bird activity in the back yard.

Monday: The morning was incredibly beautiful and spring like. I piddled around the house (drank coffee, read and did a little laundry) until about 11, when I decided it was time to go to ThePig for the Monday free item. En route I called Sluggy who always makes me laugh, arrived, and sat in the parking lot talking and laughing. When I finished the conversation and went into the store everything changed. I had just walked in,  picked up  astromelia to add to vase of greenery left from the Valentine's Day roses when I heard pounding coming from the ceiling. I glanced out the window and found the predicted rain had arrived___ in the form of a gully washer. Obviously there was no need to hurry with my shopping, so I decided I would just explore the entire store while I was waiting for the rain to slack off.  30 minutes and some unanticipated impulse buys later the rain was gone for the day. Unfortunately it took the spring temperatures with it. It is pretty typical for March to have gorgeous days, then one little intrusive week where winter tries to make a comeback. 

Tuesday: The day was colder and overcast with intermittent showers. Even so looking out the windows in my kitchen still made me smile. The redbud trees
in the back yard were at their prime blooming state so I got to see the beautiful lilac colored blooms every time I glanced out back.

Also in the back yard on Tuesday, I got to see two new to me cats. I am not a cat guy at all, but welcome them to hop the fence and prowl around looking for chipmunk type critters. The yard must have been new to them also because they were exploring the entire place. The orange tabby even came up the stairs to the deck and peeked in the windows. She/he was enjoying nosing around until he/she caught on that I was watching her/him. Then it made a hasty departure.  He/she was a cute little thing__for a cat!

I was glad I did not have to go anywhere on the gloomy day and could concentrate on important things like talking to my sister, doing light (very light) housework and reading. 

Wednesday: The  cooler temperatures decided to stick around, and the morning was overcast and gloomy. My Beloved Sister called and asked if I was going to be around. It was great to have someone to eat and talk with for a change. When we were cleaning out Mom's house she found her old Barbie case. The case was ruined when her basement flooded this past summer, but she did salvage several old Barbie outfits from when we were kids. She brought them with her and the verdict is that most of them need a bit of "love" but some are already on the Barbies I bought for Pip and my rehab project when they visit. She stayed about 3 hours and it was wonderful.

When TheHub called to see if I needed anything from the store (dead giveaway that he was in need of some recreational shopping) I asked him to stop at Aldi near his office. He passes it every day on his way home and gas is now 4+ bucks a gallon. It makes economic sense that he will be the Aldi shopper unless I am doing a big grocery haul. However, even after he stopped and picked up the items I needed, he still wound up stopping at his beloved Publix for something he "forgot" to look for when he was in Aldi.

He passes Trader Joe's on his way home, so it is also now his shopping chore. Fortunately I rarely need anything from them because it is a dangerous place for recreational shopping.

Thursday: The day was gorgeous, but on the cooler side. I did get a few home projects out of the way, and now only have a ton of projects remaining! I had been playing phone tag with my cousin S all week and we finally caught each other at a time we could both talk. It is always good catching up with her.

TheHub stopped at Costco to gas his car on the way home. Since it was only 3.89 a gallon (about 30 cents cheaper than all the stations near us) when he got home, we took my car and topped off the tank. Gas prices seem to be going up daily and I wanted to get some before the price increased the next day. Since we were out, we decided to pick up something for supper. Alabama was playing Vandy in the SEC tournament and we wanted to be able to eat quickly before the game came on. Sometimes teams play very well together and sometimes they don't. This year is a don't year.  Oh well, there's always next year__and women's softball!

Friday: The day was not coolish, in fact it was about 70 and slightly overcast___until it wasn't.  I had a few business things My Beloved Sister and I had to take care of. Nothing much we could do except to jump in a get it done. 

The temperatures stayed springlike and the day dry until about 8:30 when the winds picked up and the hard rains started. TheHub and I ran to The Pig between downpours to pick up a couple of things we wanted for the weekend that we can only find at The Pig. Instead of waiting until Saturday and getting cold, we just got wet, 

We got back home when the rain had slacked and socked in to watch Mrs. Maisel while we listened to the wind howl and the rain pelting the porch roof.  By the time I went to sleep, the temps had dropped over 40 degrees and the rain had changed to snow.  What? This is Alabama and that is not supposed to happen!

Look or your joys this week no matter how small.  They are always out there.

May all your weed be wildflowers,

Anne