Voluntary Time Off

First, some information… there is an event this weekend that I might go to.  There is also the possibility of a hurricane.  These two things (individually or together) may make the internet problematic and I may not be able to post.  

Yesterday I wrote about the person who wanted to wear the same style shirt as me today to make it three days in a row.  They didn't. They chickened out.  Honestly, I don't think anyone noticed the first two days.  Here are some happy things from today:

• Since I woke up early and became stressed about the event this coming weekend, I took the VTO offered at work.  I worked for about an hour before they let me go for the night.  I didn't expect it, we seemed busy.  Suddenly I had more time to get ready and felt better.
• The weaving that I was hoping to finish for this weekend will not be done.  However, it wasn't coming out right and I didn't like it.  It turns out I made a mistake when I warped it.  That is fixed and I have started the band again.  It looks better already.  I got about three fingers wide woven to use so far.

• After doing things around the house to get ready for the weekend, I went to DIY Craft & Thrift to help my daughter out.  I finally worked the register for a little while and learned more about that.  It has a touch screen that didn't like my touch.  She has been getting a lot of donations and was able to be productive on the floor while I tried to cover the register.

☮

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.

Weaving Wednesday

 Today my happy things are:

• Two years ago I spoke to two other employees at work briefly about my SCA hobby.  Neither of them work there anymore.  Today I told someone else.  I believe I keep it private as a way of keeping work separate from my real life. Also, it is weird telling someone who knows nothing about the SCA that I am a Baroness in the SCA.  They thought it sounded neat and I'm happy someone knows.
• They served breakfast at work again.  This time the pancakes and waffles had real maple syrup to go with them.  There was fruit and bacon too.  I skipped the bacon because it is seldom crisp enough for me.  The fruit was delicious.  Yes, I made the choice to have gluten today because of maple syrup goodness.
• When I got home from work I noticed a single rosebud on the rose bush by the door.  My apologies for the blurry picture.

• Today was my turn to pick Gideon up at school.  He told me that his second day was good and that there are two teachers that he really likes.  He is supposed to learn to play the ukulele this year and he is excited for that.
• For Weaving Wednesday I got about an inch woven before it became time to get ready for sleep.  Ideally this will be finished by September 15th.  There are three more that haven't been started yet and won't be done by then.  Those champions will get IOU's this year.  My friend, Amy, is working on two others.  Hopefully at least five of the eight needed will get done before the event. I did two last year.

☮

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

Finished listening to: Keep Moving, by Dick Van Dyke.

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

• There is a new movie out based on Golda Meir and I realized I know nothing about this piece of time in history.  I'm educating myself.

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

Back to School

 Some happy things from today:

• Once again my back has been bothering me.  I made it through the night at work.  
• Gideon had his first day back at school.  It sounds like he had a good day.  Spanish is one of his new classes this year.  Afterwards, he and Zed went out for doughnuts.  They offered to bring one home for me.  I politely declined.  It was a harder choice than it should have been.  It was the right choice.  I'm trying to decrease how much gluten I'm eating again.  Yay for good choices!
• In an attempt to not sit for too long in one place, I only wove for a short time today.  Progress was made and that is good.

☮

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

Currently listening to: Keep Moving, by Dick Van Dyke.

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

Arrows Woven

Happy things from the last day of my work week:

• While I slept yesterday, there was a blue moon. When I went to work this morning it was bright and beautiful.  The moon looks more like a huge star when viewed through my camera phone. The moon lit the house up quite nicely though.

• At work I kept getting moved around. Eventually Problem Solve needed help so I went there. It has been over a month since I worked in that area and things have changed. I felt a little bad for the person I was supposed to be helping because he had to train me in the new way to care for a particular type of package. It was good to learn something new. I think I caught on fast and did the work sooner than expected.
• At home I noticed that there is jewelweed growing out back. It is such a pretty little flower on a tall plant.

• The first design is finished on the band I am weaving. More progress!

☮

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

Currently listening to: Keep Moving, by Dick Van Dyke.

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

Weaving Wednesday?

 Some happy things for today:

• Work went well last night.  The equipment worked well, things went fairly smooth, and (bonus) they served food at the end of the day.
• At home, I got a call from TF.  Her job options are looking better.  She had two interviews last week and one of two offers so far.  I'm really happy for her.
• And then there is weaving.  I did a bunch, then realized a mistake and took most of that out.  So I worked quite a while on it, making little progress.  Any progress is good.  

☮

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

Currently listening to: Keep Moving, by Dick Van Dyke.  

–This is my second time listening to this book.

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

And the Weaving Begins

 Happy Tuesday things:

• By taking the extra time yesterday before bed to sew my hair up, I totally didn't think ahead to getting ready for work.  Suddenly I have more time to get ready.  Time that would normally be spent brushing and braiding my hair.  I may sleep until my second alarm tomorrow. 
• At work I got a compliment on my hair.  More importantly, management didn't have to talk to me about my hair being over my shoulders.  Yay.
• After work I did a lot of nothing much until I remembered that I have weaving to do.  I'm down a weaver so I may have to do more than I thought.  Hopefully I'll remember earlier tomorrow.  ☺️ I got about a finger and half width woven today. 

☮

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.

--This was due today so I am back on the waiting list and I will finish it someday.

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

Just One Happy Thing

After tossing and turning for four hours I looked at my work app and saw that voluntary time off was available and I took it. I still didn't fall asleep for a while and only got around three and a half hours of sleep. And so, dear reader, I felt miserable all day. In the end, my one happy thing for today is that I was able to do a little bit of weaving. Hopefully, I will sleep better today and make it to work tonight.

I wove about two fingers long.

But wait, there is one more thing.  My family is loving and supportive.  I appreciate them.

☮

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

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

Friday

Some happy things for today:

• A good part of my morning I let myself be distracted by phone games and reading. Oddly enough, I think it ended up being just the right amount of time to motivate me for the day.
• The rain was coming down heavily when I left the house this morning. My first stop was to see Keziah at the shop, just to see if the key to my post office box was in her car. It wasn’t. Thankfully, at the post office, the mail person was nice enough to get my mail and take my money to rent the box for another year.
• By the time I got back to the shop the rain had ended. It wasn’t time for me to help Keziah yet though, I needed lunch. A quick walk to Teatotaller and I had a delicious Avo Stack. Yay yummy food and energy to help Keziah!
• When I got back to the shop, my protege was there to help too. Three of us got a few of the bags and boxes of donations emptied and items put on the shelves. More donations came in while we were there. Things are coming together.

Back to front

Front to back

Outside, the sun was bright.

• Keziah got me a cool sticker.

• To make up for yesterday’s ice cream mistake, Zed got me a replacement sundae after dinner. I can’t believe I ate the entire thing in one sitting!

• I started weaving the band I will need by mid September.  I didn't get very far because of tension problems, but starting is good.  I think I fixed the problems with the tension too.

☮

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

Currently listening to: Witch Child, by Celia Rees.

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

Independence Day

Normally on the Fourth of July I watch the musical movie 1776. That didn’t happen, although I may put it on to fall asleep by. Here are some happy things for Independence Day:

• A little while after going to work tonight they offered voluntary time off. At first, I didn't take it. I had a nagging headache though so asked about it at break time. They let me go home and I got a little more sleep.
• In the afternoon I went to visit my friend, Amy. While sitting and talking I noticed a bird fly onto her porch and feed babies! I hadn't seen the nest that was close to the door when I came in. There were at least two babies. I didn’t get too close. It made me wonder what I did with my selfie stick. For me, the best reason for a selfie stick is to reach places, like bird nests, without getting too close.

• Another friend came to visit too and we all ended up doing weaving projects. We had a mini weaving circle. I got my loom warped and ready to weave the band for the next Champion that will be chosen in September.

• Back at home there was a house full of people (eight guests!) visiting Keziah and Zed. I was able to visit a little before heading to bed early so I can work tomorrow.

☮

Finished listening to: Becoming, by Michelle Obama.

Started listening to: Under the Whispering Door, by T. J. Klune.

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

Happy Random Acts of Kindness Day

Keziah, my adult daughter, has been sick with a cold and is having sciatica problems. Today she went to the doctor and now she is sleeping peacefully on some muscle relaxant that will hopefully help her pain go away. If my memory serves me, this same muscle relaxant put me to sleep for 24 hours when it was prescribed to me many, many years ago. I’m happy that she is taking care of this and is on the mend. Other happy things for today:

• The bands that I finished weaving recently I cut off the loom and hemmed today so they are now completely done and ready to be given to the people that earned them in September. One of them may get to their forever person tomorrow. I still need to figure out the other two.

• I checked on the seeds I planted and one of the marigold seeds has sprouted!

• TF, Gideon, and I played Minecraft. Perhaps this will become a routine again. We had fun exploring new places and finding resources to use in the game.

☮

Currently listening to: The Becoming, by Nora Roberts

Currently reading: Unenchanted, by Chanda Hahn

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

Downsized a Little

It has been a while since I have tried to go through boxes and downsize. Today I sort of went through two. Neither got emptied, but a small dent was made in them both before I felt too overwhelmed to continue. It was a small but good step. Other happy things from today:

• The weaving that I have been working on is done. I need to cut them off the loom and hem them. I'm so happy that this project is nearing the end. Now to work on them for next time so they are complete before the end of this summer.

• Keziah and Zed left yesterday to go to Rhode Island to get our friend's RV inspected. We have been RV-sitting for a little over a year now and the inspection was overdue. It needed a few things but has now passed the inspection and is ready to roll when our friends return from overseas in April.
• Keziah and Zed returned the RV to home, had dinner with Gideon and I, and have left again for a weekend to themselves. It was good to see them and be able to make dinner for the family.
• Gideon and I practiced with flashcards.  It was fun.  I timed him.  Ideally he will do them faster next time.  

☮

Currently listening to: The Becoming, by Nora Roberts

Currently reading: Fallen, by E Prybylski

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

Goals

For a little while today I considered giving up on my 10,000 step a day goal. I didn't. After a short nap I felt at least better enough to pace again. I've reached at least 10,000 steps every day since August 13, 2020. Other happy things from today:

• My grandson, Gideon, has been trying to fix his computer most of the afternoon. He's eleven. I'm so impressed. It is also fun when he does a happy dance when he figures things out.
• Speaking of dancing… while pacing Gideon and I came face to face at a doorway. He started doing some dance moves and I did my best to join him for a moment, laughing.
• The weaving I've been working on is almost done. I feel like I'm playing thread chicken with what is left of weft threads on the shuttle. I only have about two and a half inches left to weave and I think there will be enough.

Swords crossed.

☮

Currently listening to: The Becoming, by Nora Roberts

Currently reading: Fallen, by E Prybylski

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

Unproductive

It was supposed to be a productive day. It wasn't as productive as I had hoped for. Most of my happy things are what I got done:

• My accountability phone meeting with TF.
• Laundry, including my sheets.
• About three more inches are woven on the band.

• My step goal was reached by pacing.

My other happy thing for today:

• An upset stomach kept me moving slowly most of the afternoon. It was probably caused by the bag of popcorn I ate after lunch. Anyhow, the gingerbread ice cream I ate after dinner made me feel a lot better. I attribute that to the ginger being helpful at relieving upset stomachs.

☮

Currently listening to: The Becoming, by Nora Roberts

Currently reading: Fallen, by E Prybylski

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

Cold

At just before noon the unheated front enclosed porch was almost 70 degrees despite it being zero outside with a windchill making it feel like -22. The weather app on my phone has a picture of a sunflower. I fail to understand how a sunflower could thrive at this temperature, but it is a nice sign of things to come.  

Other happy things from today:

• It was a stay inside, lazy day.
• We have a propane fireplace in the living room that helped take away some of the chill in the house. I like being warm.
• After taking a break for the week I did a bunch of weaving again today. I'm getting closer to finishing it.

☮

Currently listening to: The Becoming, by Nora Roberts

Currently reading: Fallen, by E Prybylski

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

Birka Day One

There aren’t as many people at the event as in previous years, at least not yet. There are more people than I am used to though. So far I kept to myself a bunch and I am okay with that. I didn't even bother putting on my medieval garb.  Here are some happy things from today:

• The day didn’t go off as planned. I forgot some things at home-most important was my wallet. It all turned out alright though and that is what I can be happy for.
• At home, Winston tried to climb on my shoulder to get to my food.  Too funny!

• I got to see some people I haven’t seen for a while and I got some quick hugs.
• Keziah and I went to dinner with some other Baronages and got to know them better. It was a fun evening with them.
• About half of the last band is done. Depending on my morning I am sure to get at least another quarter of it done, not sure about the rest though. Progress is good.

☮

Currently listening to: The Awakening, by Nora Roberts


Currently reading: Fallen, by E Prybylski


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

Goals

It feels like all I did today was weave and walk. That covers most of it. I did laundry, dishes, helped clean out the cars, and ate too. Gideon was great. He helped with the cars, the dishes, and helped me with my laundry. Here are the happy highlights:

• The pain in my back seems to be lessening. Hopefully this trend will continue.  
• I took a break from it all and just rested for about 45 minutes.  Sometimes self-care is the most important thing.  
• Intervals of about fifteen minutes between weaving and walking or some other break seems to work fairly well. I got all my steps in and finished one of the bands. If things go well tomorrow, I’ll be able to weave a bunch. If not, there won’t be any chance of them being completed by Saturday afternoon.

☮

Currently listening to: The Awakening, by Nora Roberts

Currently reading: Fallen, by E Prybylski

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

Little Cat Tree

Before I pull out of the parking lot at work I check for messages on my phone. An email came in from work and I almost didn't check it. I'm so glad I did though, it was an opportunity for voluntary time off. I took it and so I'm not working tonight. I had been trying to decide whether to take the night off or not and that opportunity made the choice easy. Not only is the weather wet tonight, I will have more time to prepare for the weekend. Other happy things from today:

• Some weaving happened. I was tired so I didn't weave for long. After making a mistake I had to fix I knew I needed sleep instead of staying up to weave.  It was a good nap.
  
  
  

• Keziah got a new toy for the cats. They aren't sure what to make of it yet. The limbs with the balls on them bounce.

• Zeke made dinner tonight and I liked it. I'm a very picky eater so finding things that I like can be hard. Hawaiian chicken was really good though and I'm glad I was awake tonight to try it. Normally I'd be asleep preparing for work tonight.

☮

Currently listening to: The Awakening, by Nora Roberts

Currently reading: Fallen, by E Prybylski

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

Weaving Week

This month seems to have flown by. I'm not ready for our big event this weekend. I will be, but not yet. Keziah and I heard from His Majesty, King of the East today. He is also trying to prepare for this weekend. Other happy things for today:

• For some reason all my aches and pains are just a little different at work. I don’t know how to describe it, but it is a good thing.
• Every day I hope to get a little more weaving done. That wasn’t much today, but it was something and every bit is one step closer to done.

☮

Currently listening to: The Awakening, by Nora Roberts

Currently reading: Fallen, by E Prybylski

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

Snow, Snow, Snow!

Gideon has spent some time today wandering the house, looking out the windows, and saying, "There's so much snow!" He is not wrong. I'm not sure how much of the snow is from this storm and how much from the storm the other day, but there seems to be at least a foot. Gideon went outside and helped to shovel the snow. I am again, really happy for the plow guy.

 Other happy things from today:

• Keziah started a GoFundMe to raise money for air filtration for the event we are attending this weekend.  The filtration should help to alleviate the amount of germs floating in what could be very crowded rooms.  She needed to raise about $2000 and did so in a few hours.  So many generous people!
• The snow removal and car moving for the plow took some time.  The cars got stuck.  In the end, I didn’t get as much weaving done as I had hoped. It has started though and it will be a big part of this week.

• Nanni decided today was the day she would try to be a lap cat. She usually comes by for pets and then goes away to sleep. She wanted to sleep where the loom was. I did the best I could to keep her happy and weave.

The pink flowery bag has my loom.
I'm under the blanket that Nanni is on.

☮

Currently listening to: The Awakening, by Nora Roberts

Currently reading: Fallen, by E Prybylski


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

Happy for Friends

It was a very stressful day with my SCA life. I think it has mostly resolved itself better than the day started, though I would have preferred it hadn't happened at all. Yes, I'm vague-posting. This is my happy blog though, and I'm happy that much of today's strife is now behind me. Other happy things from today:

• I packed up my loom and went to visit my friend, Amy. Together we got the loom warped so that I can start weaving again to make the bands for the Champions–correct this time.

Warped!

• We also went for a nice walk. The snow from the other day was still quite pretty. If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t matter anymore because it is getting covered with a fresh blanket of snow.

• Our cat, Winston, apparently likes to drink from the faucet.

☮

Currently listening to: The Awakening, by Nora Roberts


Currently reading: Fallen, by E Prybylski


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