Errands

Here are some happy things from this day:

• It was an errand day.  I picked up my mail at the post office (it has been well over a month) and did some shopping.  The shopping was a jump-start on the things I normally get on Mondays.  Yay for planning ahead!  This also meant being in the van for a long time to listen to my book.
• With some of the purchases, I was able to make Keziah a bowl full of different snacks to have while she is isolating with covid.

• Today I learned that January 2, 2024 is World Introvert day.  Seems like a good day to stay at home, too bad I am scheduled to work.  

☮

Currently listening to: Robin, by Dave Itzkoff.  

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

Beep, Beep

It is Keziah’s turn to have covid.  However, here are some happy Thursday things:

• Occasionally, under my breath, I made sound effects when I pushed a cart around picking up packages for problem solve at work.  Just a ‘zoom’ or ‘wee’ sound made the day much nicer.
• In the afternoon, I took a lovely nap.  This made it possible for me to stay awake watching movies far too late.  It turns out that I enjoy watching movies, so that is okay. 
• Somehow, I forgot to take a picture.  Instead, here is a Bitmoji.

☮

Currently listening to: Robin, by Dave Itzkoff.  

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

Christmas Day

Happy things from this Christmas day:

• This morning I stayed in bed too long because Nanni, the brown tabby cat, decided to snuggle up next to me on the bed.  
• The stockings were filled with sweetness.  Most of my candies were peppermint or vitamin C themed.  Among other things there were also earrings, stickers and a little puzzle.  Some other gifts included more earrings, safety lights for walking at night, and a book about hiking the 4000 footers in New Hampshire.  I really need to read more again.
• As for the others... Gideon was very happy with the game and t-shirt I got him.  Some things he got were books, clothes, and a galaxy moon lamp. I was worried about what I got for Zed… a toilet seat and bidet.  Our current ones are falling apart.  Anyhow, he seemed thrilled. He also got books and some fun toys.  Keziah got art supplies, books, and some jewelry. She also got some things for the store.  I think we were all happy with the things we received.  
• Zed's mom visited and breakfast was made.  It was good to have her here.  Last Christmas she was staying here and we got to see her all the time.
• In the afternoon I relaxed with a movie and a walk while the rest of the household went to visit Zed's family.  Down time is what I needed for a while. 
• My youngest and I had a lovely video call, too.  

Pictures from today:

Stocking stuffs.

All lit up for my walk.

☮

Currently listening to: Robin, by Dave Itzkoff.  

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

Christmas Eve

Happy Christmas Eve things:

• While preparing gifts for people Gideon said, “I'm filling secret stockings with secret things for Christmas time. Hehehehe”.  I love my grandson.

• TF and I had a nice Christmas Eve conversation.  She will be busy all day tomorrow with family.  
• We didn't put up a regular Christmas tree this year.  The time for that just didn't happen.  Instead, Zed made a wreath and we all added a little something to it.  It is perfect for our busy selves this year.  There is a little silver tabletop tree that also went up as a decoration.  

• The only tradition that I know was started by my ex-husband and myself is the giving of a holiday book on Christmas Eve.  I have nothing to do with it anymore, it is all Keziah, Zed, and Gideon.  My youngest, Bel, doesn't do this.  Whether that will change or not if they have children, only time will tell.  It is something fun to open Christmas Eve that also has the potential to relax a small or excited child before bed.  We all have fun opening our books and reading before bed.

Some gifts are wrapped in fabric this year. 

• The book I received this year was a children's book picked out by Gideon.  The book, The Twelve Hours of Christmas, is written to match up with the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas".  At Gideon's suggestion, we sang the book together as a family.  That was fun and may just be the highlight of my Christmas 2023.

Merry Christmas!!  Happiest of holidays!

☮

Read/sang: The Twelve Hours of Christmas, by Jenn Bailey

Currently listening to: Robin, by Dave Itzkoff.  

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

Solstice

Happy things from today:

• Today is the first full day of winter.  According to the internet, Solstice was official at 10:27 PM on Thursday, December 21st.  So yesterday was both autumn and winter.  The amount of daylight will continue to get longer now, until summer.  Anyhow, it was a cold, but sunny, first day of winter.  
• Bel and Folke decided to celebrate Solstice this year instead of Christmas.  They sent me a message asking if they could open their presents early.  I said yes.   It looks like they liked the presents.  🙂
• Tonight (Saturday) is the last night of mandatory extended time for me this holiday season.  I will be so happy when this is over.  The paychecks were nice, but so is sleep.
• On the way to work I remembered to get a picture of some Christmas lights.

• Sunset!

☮

Currently listening to: Robin, by Dave Itzkoff.  

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

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.

DIY

Happy things from today:

• The early part of the day I spent mostly at DIY Craft & Thrift.  Spending time with family and friends is always important.  Today I got to do that, and help at the store when they had other places to go.  
• Keziah has a new sign hanging in her shop that I think says a lot about the store.  She got it from one of the popup artists that are sharing the building she is in.

It says,  "We are a no kill shelter for craft supplies."

• Also at the store, the door was painted for the holiday season.  It came out well. 

Hard at work.

• At home in the evening we had dinner together and watched some Star Trek Voyager.   It is so nice be around a nice, fun family.

☮️

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

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

A Show

Yesterday I spoke too soon about my schedule.  I was told I would only be working four days, but it will be five days next week.  I still only work two days the week of Christmas, so, yay!  Here are some happy things from today:

• Today was day five at work this week.  Because I cut out a little early most days,  my total time for this week was 47 hours and 34 minutes.  That will be just over seven and half hours of overtime pay.  That said, I told someone at work today that when given the opportunity to go home or work lots of extra hours, I'll go home.   Sleep, my health, and my family are worth more than the extra hours and money at work.
• When I head to work it is the middle of the night.  This time of year when I look up and to the right out the door I see Orion.  When I walk toward the car, I see the big dipper.  The stars were bright last night with the moon already set.  The stars are the greatest light show.  Tonight, coming inside from being at a play, Orion was more or less right outside the door to the house.  What a difference a few hours makes.  
• After napping this afternoon Keziah, Zed, and I went to see Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at Hatbox Theater in Concord, NH.  Gideon is at a sleepover with a friend.  It was a marvelous performance.  This was my first time at this theater.  It is a small venue.  It was probably my last time at this location.  The mall it is in has found a new purpose that doesn't include this theater.  They are looking for somewhere else.  I hope they find something soon.  All the players were very good.   I hadn't thought of this before, but the actor who plays Scrooge and basically in every scene.  They have to hold the entire show.  

That is me behind the mask with Keziah and Zed.

The stage.

☮

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

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

Monday!!

Happy Monday things:

• The doctor believes that this is a new covid for me and not the one from a few weeks ago reemerging. Since my symptoms are fairly mild we are just using over-the-counter meds as needed to fight the symptoms. I haven’t used anything, because the symptoms are so mild. I am very thankful for that.
• Some of my time today was spent holiday shopping online. I was able to find a few things for some of the family. Bel and Folke should be getting their gifts delivered to them in Maryland. This was really the beginning of my shopping, so I have to put my thinking cap on for ideas.
• Zed did some shopping tonight and picked up a bunch of food for me.  I had him get simple things to prepare like frozen dinners and cans of soup.  I'm very thankful that he was willing to do that for me.
• The other day I reached an 1800 day streak on DuoLingo. Today was 1802. I forgot to post on day 1800 and I like that screenshot better:

☮

Currently listening to: Ridgeline, by Michael Punke.

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

Change of Plans

Sunday's happy/good things:

• Yesterday, I had plans for today.  I had expected to write about seeing a Christmas performance and spending time with friends.  Instead, I decided to give myself a covid test.  What I thought were mild allergy symptoms turned out to be mild covid.  Or, maybe I caught it super early?  Whichever, I'm isolated in my room again.  The only good part is that I did the test and didn't spend the day with friends and didn't infect them.  
• Last week I wrote about my long phone call with TF.  Today, it was longer.  She let me vent my frustration over having this virus again and we found things to laugh about.  Laughing is a wonderful thing. 
• When I had covid last time (three weeks ago?) I was tired and felt miserable most of the time.  That is not the case so far.  I used holiday romance movies on Netflix to keep myself from climbing the walls.  I miss my family.  I've been working so much, and so have they, that we haven't seen much of each other.  It turns out, that is also a good thing.  Hopefully, this virus will stay contained with me.
• The world outside my bedroom window this afternoon:

☮

Currently listening to: Ridgeline, by Michael Punke.

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

It's December!!

Happy December!!

• Day Four of my work week and I made it until I had to leave for a previously scheduled appointment.  I actually went back after the appointment to see if it was worth it to work some more.  I was told they had it covered, so I went home.  
• The twenty minute drive home sometimes does me in.  Today I got home and parked the car.  I'm not sure how long after that I opened my eyes to see that Keziah was home (her van was not there when I backed in) and she had already gone in the house to look for something when I saw her.  So I never heard the van pull in.  I think I needed a cat nap.  😸😴
• Perhaps because of that nap I was able to get the energy to go to Keziah’s store for a short time to help her out.  Tonight is Midnight Merriment in Concord, NH.  Many of the stores along Main Street, including DIY Craft & Thrift, are open until midnight tonight, December 1st (The First Friday of the month).  I'll be sleeping.  There will be fun things to do along Main Street, but I have my job to keep and need to sleep.

Grab bags!

Art!

Zed!

Keziah!

A different view of the petting wall.

☮

Currently listening to: Ridgeline, by Michael Punke.

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

Small Business Saturday

Happy Saturday things:

• Despite staying in bed for hours after waking this morning, I couldn't get back to sleep.  I've decided that my sleep is enough of a problem that I am going to look for and apply for a different job.  I'm ready to have a daytime job again and, oddly, I'm a little excited for this possibility. 
• Today was Small Business Saturday.  Keziah's store was busy, but not as busy as she expected.  It is really good to see fabric selling so well at the sale price.  I helped put out a bunch of scrapbooking and other supplies today.  At the end of the day she decided to “pay” herself and brought home some lovely natural fiber fabrics.

Keziah sorting in the backroom.

Filling the shelves!

• Some friends were also at the store today and it was good to get to visit with them.
• When we got home from the store, Gideon brought my attention to the night sky.  There weren't a lot of stars visible, but the moon was shining and lighting up the thin clouds.  It was very pretty.

☮

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.

Thanksgiving

 Happy things from Thanksgiving Day:

Sunset

• Work had us scheduled for a full shift this morning (1:20 - 11:50 AM).  We were able to leave just before nine if we wanted.  Yay!  A coworker had plans to go to breakfast with her daughter at the Red Arrow Diner.  We started talking about the stuffed French toast there and I got really hungry.   😋
• When I got home, Zed was just finishing making bacon and eggs for breakfast.  It was perfect timing, and so good!
• After a nap, I went to Zed's Dad's house to share a meal with their family.  Zed's adorable four month old nephew was there.  While Keziah was holding him, he grabbed onto my hand and decided my fingers were his dinner.  Yay, baby!

That's my thumb he is sucking on!

☮

Currently listening to: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, by Suzanne Collins

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

Almost Thanksgiving

Some happy things from the day before Thanksgiving:

• Last night it snowed.  I knew it was supposed to snow.  Of course, I forgot that when I was getting ready for work.  I let myself rest a few minutes instead of leaving as early as I usually do.  Then I stepped outside into a winter wonderland.  I got the car cleaned off and drove about 10 miles per hour below the speed limit and still made it to work on time, safely.

• The Safety Committee had a meeting at the end of the work day.  I'm pleased to say that I spoke up about some things and didn't just sit and listen.  We are entering peak season when things will be very busy.  Discussing how to stay safe during this time is good.
• Keziah is getting ready for Black Friday sales at her shop.  I'm not sure if I will be able to help her or not because I am working at least part of the day.  I'm excited for her and all she is doing to make her store successful.  I stopped in just for a few minutes to drop Gideon off.  She is doing such a great job!
• Christmas trees are for sale!

☮

Currently listening to: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, by Suzanne Collins

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

Food

Happy things from today:

• My daughter, Keziah, is a wonderful human.  She has made sure that Zed and I are fed all day.  She leaves food outside my door.  
• Zed's mom made chicken soup with rice for us.  It was delicious.  

• Today I slept a lot, but not as much as yesterday, the first covid day.

☮

Currently listening to: Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins.

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

Ugh

This morning I tested positive for Covid.  Here are some happy things for today:

• My family is wonderful.  Keziah and Zed came home a few hours early from their weekend away, they picked up meds for me, and they brought me food.
• Keziah talked with a friend about the best ways to isolate so that is done too. I'm in my room until further notice. 

☮

Currently listening to: Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins.

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

Crown

Happy things from today:

• It was an SCA event day.  Keziah went to an Arts and Sciences event in Connecticut.  Gideon and I went to Massachusetts.  The three of us left very early and got to see a beautiful orange sky as the sun rose.  We drove together to Nashua, NH.  Then Keziah went with a friend to Connecticut, and Gideon and I picked up a friend to go to Massachusetts. 

• Gideon, our friend, and I went to breakfast next.  I decided to be good and ordered an omelet instead of French toast.  A good breakfast was the right way to start off our day.
• The event we went to was Crown Tourney.  Last month the new King and Queen stepped up.  This month their successors were chosen by winning the day's fights. In this case a man fought for a man so we have two Princes.  It was a good day with good friends.
• I met someone today who is a metal craftsmen.  He gave a buckle he made to me and one to my friend.  He also showed us a spur that was made in the 1350's or thereabouts (I think).  He had this spur in a box with the things he made.  It seemed like it should be in a museum, but we all got to hold and look at it.  Pretty cool.  I should have taken a picture of it.  Here is the buckle he made:

• Gideon came to the event with me so he could be there when some of his friends got Tiger's Cub awards.  It was a long day for all of us, but he was especially ready to leave when the event was over.
• After dinner we dropped off our friend in Nashua and picked Keziah up.  On the drive home we all got to share stories from our event experiences. 

More pictures from the day:

☮

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

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