Happy Birthday to Me

Here are some happy things from today:

• Happy gotcha day to our two cats.   We got them three years ago on my birthday.  It was much colder that day than it was today.  I was carrying Nanni in her crate to the car, I remember that her entire body language seemed to change when we exited the building.  Noises and cold air were probably a big shock.  

Nanni today.

Winston today.

• Keziah and I went out to lunch to celebrate my birthday today.  Zeke had to work and Gideon was at school.  I'll hopefully be asleep by dinnertime. 

I should really let her know I'm going to take her picture...

• I'm going to try to take pictures of holiday lights this week.  I hope I remember.  

☮

Finished listening to: How to Win Friends & Influence People, by Dale Carnegie.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Rain

Happy Monday things:

• When the roads are wet sounds from the cars passing by tend to have a slight echoing sound as the tires turn the water into splashes.  It seems to take just a little longer for the sound of the cars to fade away.  When I'm not trying to sleep, it can be a relaxing sound.  I don't think I'll miss it when I move to the apartment in the back of the house. 
• The weather today was windy and rainy.  We lost power for random amounts of time this morning.  There were sounds involved implying transformers blowing up.  I'm so happy that it was raining and not snowing.  The snow will come, and I am okay with waiting a little longer.
• Nanni (our brown tabby) decided that she wanted attention.  I was on my bed with the laptop on my lap and she decided to walk all over my legs.  The laptop was in the way so I finished what I was doing and put it aside just to give her attention.  She even stayed there after I used the flash to get a picture of her.

Without flash.

With flash.

☮

Currently listening to: How to Win Friends & Influence People, by Dale Carnegie.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Toy Cat

 Some happy things from today:

• Even with only working two days this week, I'm tired and ready for time off. Yay for time off!  
• As I write this, the room keeps getting dark, then light.  There is a bug crawling on my light!  This is funny, until I turn off the light for sleep and the bug will have nowhere to go.  Hahaha!
• After work I spent a little time at Keziah’s store, DIY Craft & Thrift.  They have moved things around some.  One change was to put a low table by the checkout to make it easier for someone who might be in a wheelchair to reach.  
• Keziah received an unfinished item that she thought might fit a toy cat she made a while ago.  I brought her the cat and it fits!  The toy cat was from a kit that my mom had and never finished.

• The store has acquired, on loan, a floor loom.  I'm hoping after the holidays a place will be found that it can be set up to use.  

☮

Again listening to: Ridgeline, by Michael Punke.  Hopefully I will be able to finish this before it is due again.

Also listening to: How to Win Friends & Influence People, by Dale Carnegie.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Communication

Happy Sunday things:

• Communication has changed over my lifetime and even more over that of my parent's. My mother was a switchboard operator (this is apparently still a job, but updated) for a while. She would direct calls by talking with a person and then plugging their line into the right outlet. I'm sure there was more to it than that. As a kid, one place where we lived had a party line. Somehow different numbers went to the same line and the phone rang differently for the different homes. The phone bills were based partly on the service area. A person was charged if the phone number wasn't local based on how long they talked. Today, many of us use cellular phones and we pay one fee and can talk with anyone in the same country as long as we want and pay the same price (usually high). It depends on a person's cellular company and plan. The point I am trying to make with this very wordy section, is that I was able to talk with TF in Texas for over two hours today and it won't change how much my bill is. It can make budgeting easier and conversations more relaxed. I remember watching the clock so my bill wouldn't be too high. TF and I were able to catch up since our last call, a week or two ago? 😄
• Today was mostly a day of rest for me. I snuggled in my warm bed and finished listening to my book and played games on my phone…and talked on it.
• While watching things this evening Winston, the orange tabby, curled up on the blanket on my lap. He let me pet him for close to an hour. This is odd for either of our cats. It has been almost three years and I think they are finally getting more cuddly. Perhaps it is because they are getting older?

☮

Finished listening to: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Short Post

 Happy things for today:

• There has been a cold going around.  I think I caught it.  (Not a happy thing)  Most of my day was spent listening to my book.  I finished it and started the next book in the series. (Happy thing)
• With Keziah and Zed gone, Winston, the orange tabby, has been wanting attention from me. This is unusual, but good.  He got on top of me while I was listening to my book.   

☮

Finished listening to: The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.

Currently listening to: Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Rosebud

Some happy things for today:

• I made it through the work week!  Having only a 30 hour workweek can be wonderful.  More importantly, my back made it through the week and heavy lifting, too.
• There is a new rosebud.  Temperatures were below freezing last night, I'm not sure if this bud will open or not.  It looks healthy though.  They are protected some by the house.

• Gideon snuggled with Nanni today.  They were so cute.  He asked me to take the picture.  Right after Nanni saw me taking the picture, she got up and walked away.  

☮

Currently reading: Year of the Griffin, by Diana Wynne Jones.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween happy things:

• Last night I went to work and made it through the entire shift.  Yay!  Last week was back pain and recovery.  So far this week is better.
• There is still some bright foliage in the parking lot at work.  One photo is with flash, and one without. 

• Winston, the orange tabby, somehow managed to climb onto the bookshelf.   🤣  For a little while I thought he might be stuck there.  He got himself out though.

• The Inktober prompt is Fire.

☮

Currently reading: Year of the Griffin, by Diana Wynne Jones.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Shallow

Some happy things from today:

• Yesterday, after writing my blog, I bent over to pick up a glove that had fallen.  My back decided to not agree with that motion and I was able to crumple onto my bed.  This afternoon I saw my doctor and I will be taking some medication to help me feel better tonight.  I'm happy for modern medicine.
• When the pain happened, I wanted to put an ice pack on but we didn't seem to have one (I don't like using vegetables).  Somewhere around 4 AM this morning I remembered that we have actual ice in the freezer and made an ice pack.  I think it is telling of my level of pain that I forgot the existence of an ice machine.  Ice helped SO MUCH.  I am thankful for man made ice, and that I can laugh at myself over the ice.
• Keziah purchased some new harnesses for the cats.  They are indoor cats that have been wanting to go outside.  Winston took to the idea of going outside.  Nanni was disgruntled, even insulted by the harness,  and wouldn't go outside.  Nanni is not easily bribed by treats, and Winston is.  Fun cat times!

Nanni

Winston

• Shallow is the Inktober prompt.

Some more pictures from today:

☮️

Currently reading: Year of the Griffin, by Diana Wynne Jones. 

Thank you for being part of my happy things gs.  Stay safe.

Peppers

Happy things for my nappy Thursday:

• Yesterday I wrote about an employee who was injured. They were at work again last night and I'm happy to say that they are feeling much better.
• Keziah got the cats a new play place. It is a doughnut shaped hut. It has an entrance hole and a cat head shaped peep hole. They had fun with it and we had fun watching and dangling toys for them.

Nanni peaking out.

Winston watching the toy.

Winston trying to attack the toy.

• The Inktober prompt for today is Spicey. Apparently, they spelled spicy incorrectly and I followed along. Anyhow, below is my attempt at some peppers. Peppers are what comes to my mind when I think of spicy food.

☮

Currently reading: She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb.

Currently listening to: Dark Lord of Derkholm, by Diana Wynne Jones.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Spider

Today my happy things are:

• It was my turn to drive the new car.  Keziah and I did some errands together so I had some guidance over some of the random buttons.  It is an enjoyable drive.  It has some beeping that I'll need to get used to.  An example would be getting closer to the drive-up than the car thought I should be.  It also let me know when the car in front of me advanced, and I didn't. 
• Outside leaves are turning from green to lovely shades of red, orange, and yellow.

• Keziah got some fabric today.  It has a name that isn't coming to me, but it has the sequins that look different depending on which way they are pet.  Keziah is going to make it into a petting board for the store.  It is something that will entertain young children.  The fabric was spread over the comfy sack and Nanni, our brown tabby, decided to check it out. After walking on it and sniffing a bit, she decided to find another place to relax.

• Spiders are not my favorite thing.  I can appreciate that they have a use, but I don't particularly like them.   Today the prompt for Inktober is spider.  Again, I didn't take a lot of time or use ink.  I did try to make something more humorous than scary.  

☮

Currently reading: She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb.

Currently listening to: Homage to Catalonia, by George Orwell.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

More Car

Some happy things from today:

• Zed gave me a ride to work and home again.  I got to hear about the test rides they took last night and this morning.  They are looking at new and slightly used cars.  I'm going to start looking for very used cars. 
• At work this week I got to do Driver Assist.  This is where we help the drivers by getting the bags and packages to and into their trucks for delivery.  I've dreaded doing this part of the job.  I'm still not looking forward to doing this when the weather is bad.  This week though,  I really enjoyed it.
• We are using a loaner car from the garage where the van is.  It is an older Chevy Malibu.  I enjoyed driving it today more than I expected.  I'm very thankful that the garage offers a loaner vehicle and that it was available. 
• Due to this year's weather, the autumn foliage isn't expected to be great.  I'm going to try to look for it where I can.  Today I spotted a pretty tree starting to turn.

• This cat!!  Nanni curled up by me on the couch and just wanted a little bit of pets.

☮

Currently reading: She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb.

Currently listening to: Homage to Catalonia, by George Orwell.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Cars

 Some happy things from today:

• This morning just after 8 AM I got a call from Keziah.  The Prius broke down, they were four houses down, come walk toward us.  So I did.  There were two police cars there.  A fire vehicle showed up just after me.  There was oil on the road and a small puddle.  Apparently there was also a bunch of blue smoke when it happened.  The car was in the shop last week getting inspected and some things fixed.  Yesterday, the van went into the shop for inspection.  We are without transportation.  The happy part in this?  AAA showed up very quickly and gave Keziah and Zed a ride to the store.  We have close friends that were able to get Keziah to an appointment this morning.  These are things to be thankful for.
• Again, our cat Winston, decided to friend me today.  He actually stayed on my lap for a few minutes before going to perch on the couch behind my head.

• When Gideon came home from school we snuggled for a bit and discussed car problems and other things.  We will be replacing the Prius.  He took it well.  

☮

Currently reading: She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb.

Currently listening to: Homage to Catalonia, by George Orwell.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Cat in My Lap

Here are some happy things from today:

• The orange tabby, Winston, jumped onto my lap today while I was on the computer. Winston doesn’t usually come to me.

• Zed's birthday is this month so his car needs an inspection. The check engine light has been on so I had the code for that read today. The people were very friendly and offered a cheap, possible fix. It seems to have something to do with dirty gas or a dirty gas valve. So the first step is to put in a fuel cleaner. I'm thankful for friendly service.
• Gideon had historical questions to ask me after school today. Sad circumstances that I am thankful he was comfortable to ask me.
• There is a second rose that bloomed while I wasn’t paying attention.

☮

Currently reading: She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb.

Finished listening to: Golda Meir: The Life and Legacy, by Charles River Editors.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Number One

Happy things for today:

• On Saturdays, DuoLingo adds an additional five points to the score during the first hour of practice.  For a short time I was number one in the Pearl League.
• The family got more cookies at Crumbl. I will never be able to give up gluten again if we keep getting yummy treats.
• Helping Keziah at the shop today. I mostly measured out fabric and built shelves. She opens her new shop in less than a week. There is still a bunch to do but it looks more and more like a craft store every day.

Now that is a lot of ribbon.

• Nanni thinks she's sunbathing.  🤣

☮

Currently reading: She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb.

Currently listening to: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Archery Day

Some happy things from today:

• Too often I let things distract me in the mornings. Thankfully this doesn't seem to be a problem on work days. Today it meant I was later for archery practice than I would have liked. It also meant driving through Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. While waiting in line I spent my time watching the occasional bumblebee looking for flowers on the shrubbery. It was a pleasant distraction from a line that was moving slowly.
• At archery there were more people this time. Two were fairly new and still learning. They did well. My score wasn't quite as good as it has been this summer, but still good for me.

• Keziah and Zed gave the cats some cat grass. They get so excited and love eating it.

• Art happened at Keziah’s shop today. A friend did some window painting, it looks really great.

• Keziah, Zed, Gideon, and I went to see the Barbie movie. It was enjoyable and had some laugh out loud scenes.
• Today is Bel's, my youngest's, birthday. They are 29 now. They live in Maryland and I miss them like crazy, especially today. I called them after we got home from the movie and we got to talk a little. It was very good to hear their voice.

☮

Currently reading: She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Home

Happy things from today:

• We saw from the highway the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. Keziah noted that it was a rather large building. I thought that it was funny for nanoscale to be in a large building.
• It was a long ride home today in a car without a working air conditioner. We kept going with music, conversation, and the scenery. One thing that Keziah commented on was how wonderful it is that states seem to be encouraging wild flower growth along the highways. She wondered aloud who thought of it. I suggested that Lady Bird Johnson may have been an inspiration. It was my understanding that she is why the Texas Bluebonnet is planted along the highways in Texas. Now that I am home I've done a little online research. It seems that Texas had the wildflowers growing along the highways in the 1930's. Anyway, the Highway Beautification Act of 1965 (under Lyndon B. Johnson) was a start for the rest of the country. It doesn't completely explain the recent blooming of flowers along the highways compared to when Keziah or I were growing up. It is still delightful to see.
• It used to surprise me that I would see leaves starting to turn on my ride home from Pennsic, now I look for them.  Autumn is coming.
• We traveled a ways on some back roads because of some traffic. The areas were pretty and there was more shade than the highway. There were also some parachutes that we saw coming down.
• We arrived home just after six this afternoon. It is so nice to be home. I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. The cats seem to have forgiven us. Nanni took a little bit to forgive me, but she seems fine now. Winston seldom comes to me, and didn't today. He was all over Keziah though.

Flowers

Blue sky ahead.

Orange foliage.

Big cloud

Parachute

Nanni

☮️

Currently reading: She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb.

Thank you for being part of my happy things.  Stay safe.

Milkweed

A couple of quick happy things:

• Work went well last night. I did jobs that I prefer, and that don't tend to hurt. These are very good things. Also, I started the night where I ended Saturday night and found my lost water bottle. Yay!
• Nanni is adorable sleeping by the window. My being there to take the picture woke her up. I don't think she minded though because she got scritches.

• The milkweed seeds have taken the place of where the flowers were.  I don't know why I love milkweed so much, but I do.

☮

Finished listening to: The Pilgrimage, by Paulo Coehlo.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay Safe.