Currently & the Happiness Challenge

I'm feeling relaxed and ready for Monday after having a 3-day birthday weekend. We didn't do anything super exciting on Friday, my actual birthday. We'd wanted to go to the big flea market in Rodgers, OH, but between my bum leg and the temperatures reaching the low 90's...we decided to skip it. Instead we spent the day together, doing this and that, having lunch with my mom (who has the same birthday) and stepdad, swimming with the grandchildren, and going out for dinner with our daughter's family.

Tim worked both Saturday and Sunday so it was no big deal that I went grocery shopping for the blind man I take care of and prepped a few meals for him on Saturday morning. It took a while as I really have to put some thought into it these days. He was already on a low salt, low sugar diet due to heart problems and diabetes. This past week he was diagnosed with throat cancer and for now has to be on a diet of soft and chopped foods.

Saturday afternoon I watched our grandchildren and took them swimming. Our son-in-law's grandmother passed away that morning and the kids were close to her so they needed to get away from the sadness and do something fun. It gave the rest of the family a break, too.

Today I picked up a grocery order at Walmart, did some laundry, watched TV, and my daughter and I spent the afternoon making things for this coming Saturday's craft show. I also signed us up for another in October and one in November.

Anyway, on to Currently!

The weather... is a humid 74 degrees.

I'm reading... I just finished Wrapped Up in Christmas Hope and haven't decided what to read next.

I'm watching... I've been binging Warehouse 13. I'm nearly done. Only a few more episodes to go.

I'm listening... to a lot more country music again.

I'm thinking... about what to teach this Wednesday at work and about getting everything ready for Saturday's craft show (actually, we'll be selling our stuff at the opening day of the midget football season).

I'm celebrating... now that my birthday is over, nothing for a while.

I'm grateful... that everything went smoothly with that troublesome client I have to be a one-on-one with when my co-worker goes away. That's encouraging since he's going away for another whole week in September.

I'm happy today because my leg hasn't been too bad and life is just good. I'm blessed and I know it.

I'm giggling... 

Where Did July Go?

The last weekend of July is just about over. Man, where has the time gone? It seems like I waited and waited for July to get here and to go on my first vacation since 2019 and then....blink....it's over and gone. 

The weekend began with our daughter's 33rd birthday on Friday. I had to care for my blind client after work so we did not celebrate then. She had a nice evening with her family and some friends, so it was all good. 

On Saturday my mom asked me to go to a used book sale with her. I didn't really want to, but I hadn't done anything with her for a while so I agreed. The sale was buy one bag of books for $5 and get a second bag free. I so did not need that many more books right now, but brought them home, anyway. At least a good portion of them are children's books chosen for our grandchildren. They also sell vintage jewelry at the book sale and I bought 3 pairs of earrings for $2. We stopped for lunch at Cracker Barrel on the way home.

Saturday evening we took our daughter and her family out for dinner to celebrate her birthday. They took us to a restaurant we had never been to before, Moreland's at Waterworks. It was such a lovely setting and a very happening place to be. The food was very yummy, too. Tim and I had the steak and lobster pot, our daughter had barbecue ribs and chicken, our son-in-law had stuffed flounder, and the kids had spaghetti and chicken tenders. Oh, and we ordered our daughter a piece of strawberry pretzel salad cheesecake with a candle so we could sing to her. None of us was hungry, but we all had a taste (it was a HUGE slice) and oh my, was it good!

Today Tim worked on pouring the layers of epoxy on the shower floor (we covered the old crumbling one with little pebbles and are pouring the epoxy over it). I picked up a grocery order very early at Walmart and got that unloaded and put away. The grands spent the afternoon with us so our daughter and s-i-l could spend some time alone. They played and we watched several episodes of The Librarians. I also managed to get several loads of laundry done and fill three bags with clothes to donate to Goodwill. It wasn't all I'd hoped to get done today, but we never say no to time with the grandchildren!

It's back to work tomorrow. Most of the week is going to be crazy hot and humid. My leg is a little better, but the muscles (tendons?) around the knee are still a problem. We'll see how it feels after I'm back to work again. 

Tuesday is our granddaughter's birthday. No huge party this year, just the families getting together for cake and ice cream.

Stay cool if you can and have a wonderful week!

Great News!

At least I hope it is.

I saw my PCP today and it didn't take him long at all to diagnose bursitis in my hip. He said I could continue to use ice, heat, ibuprofen, and any creams that work or he could give me a shot. Since none of the other stuff has helped at all, I chose the shot. He said it could take a couple of days to work, but I can notice some difference already. Yay! He also gave me a prescription for Meloxicam. 

If things are feeling better in a week or so I have to go back, but he seemed pretty confident that this would help my leg including my knee. 

Fingers crossed and prayers going up.

A Quick Update

Thank you for the prayers and good thoughts. I thought I'd give you a quick update. 

Tim saw the doctor this morning. He didn't tell me what he has, just that it isn't pneumonia and that they prescribed an antibiotic and a pill for his cough. He doesn't have them yet since he went to work right afterward and got home after the pharmacy closed. It will be tomorrow night before he ever gets any in him. Of course these days he's been falling asleep before he even gets his bedtime meds in. Anyway, if the prescribed meds don't help then they will jump to steroids.

As for my client at work...he did pretty much whatever he wanted all day, but no one (including me) got hit so I'm calling it a win!

Now I am off to bed.

Looking Back & Looking Forward

I've been meaning to share a little about our holidays and a few photos, but circumstances have kept me from it. Now that we're hibernating due to cold weather, I've got plenty of time.

The season really got started for us when I took my mom and granddaughter to see The Nutcracker Ballet. I've always wanted to do that, but our daughter never wanted to (still didn't) and we don't get to see our oldest granddaughter. I'm so glad I decided to go this year. Our granddaughter was so excited and loved it all.

The big party at work for the consumers was a hit as always. I can't share too many photos due to privacy issues, but here are a few.

This is me and one of the consumers I'm closest to. She is only a few years younger than me and she's a real party girl!

Santa and Mrs. Claus are played by a member of the local Lion's Club and his wife. They are always great and this year Santa played along to play a joke on a consumer. This consumer had been joking, going on and on, to everyone that we'd been bad and wouldn't be getting anything but coal for Christmas. Then he said everyone should just stay home on party day because there wouldn't be presents...while also saying he'd open them all. I started telling him that HE was the one getting coal and all the staff and office staff got in on it. I found a little bag labeled "North Pole Coal" and put some candy coal in it. When it was his turn to go get his gift from Santa (they even made him the very last one) Santa told him he had a special gift for him and handed him the coal. He was sure surprised, but a good sport and laughed along with everyone.

Looking across the multipurpose room with everyone seated for dinner.

The Saturday before Christmas I ran into Santa and Mrs. Claus at the grocery store. They allowed me to take a picture and sent a message to our grandchildren to be good, because they were watching!

Christmas was less than ideal. Tim came home from work on the 23rd terribly sick. Looking back I'm sure he had Norovirus. It hit him hard and he completely missed out on Christmas. 

After opening gifts with Tim, I made dinner and took it over to our daughter's along with all the presents for everyone. I'm very thankful our son-in-law was able to come over and help me load it all up and then unload it at their home.

The kiddos had a wonderful Christmas and between home and all the grandparents got everything they asked for (and a few they didn't ask for as Colton let us know...spin toothbrushes did not excite him). We enjoyed our meal, playing games with the kids, and of course, watching the Steelers game.

Playing Guess Who with our granddaughter.

One of the few photos of our grandson that isn't a total blur. They are having some trouble adjusting his ADHD meds right now and he was especially hyper on Christmas.

At about 11:30 pm on Christmas Day the virus hit me. It wasn't fun, but it lasted less than 24 hours. My mom came down with it Thursday evening and had it for 3 days. Her husband came down with it Saturday and it hit him hardest of all. He is just now feeling back to normal.

Oliver took good care of me when I was sick.

He's been enjoying his Christmas present.

Tim is at that phase of a work project when he is working a ton of overtime to get everything done. He didn't even get home on New Year's Eve until 7:30 so we didn't do anything. He was asleep by 8:30 so Megan kept the kids at home and Mom and John were keeping to themselves because of the virus. New Year's Day we took down the tree and inside decorations and watched several movies.

I kicked this weekend off by getting my nails done after work. I got rid of the sparkly, red Christmas color and went with a pretty purple. I love the pampering of a manicure.

Tim took Saturday off as he had promised back at Christmas. It figured it was one of the coldest days we'd had so far. We went ahead and did some running around in spite of that.

We need a new storage shed in the worst way and have needed to go look for a long time. We finally did that (I think my nose has finally thawed out) and found one we can both agree on. Yay! 

We also looked at, found, and purchased a lift recliner. It's for me. I don't really need one, but every once in a while when the inflammation flares up at its worst, I need Tim to help me get up. I was worried it might happen some day when he isn't around. It also has heat and massage, which will be nice now. It's not due in until the end of February at this point.

We had a late lunch out and did our grocery shopping so we could stay home today. Tim still went out for a short while. He got more salt for the sidewalks, de-icing windshield washer fluid, and filled my gas tank. Other than that we've just relaxed and watched TV.

I've started a new Bible study. It's called Dear Food, I Love You, I Hate You, Don't Leave Me! It's by Julia Fikse. I bought it a while ago but never got started on it. It isn't a diet, but rather a program meant to help you put food in its proper place in your life...and put God first. I haven't gotten very far into it, but it seems good.

Lastly, I want to share my One Word for this year. It's Victorious. There are many places in scripture that speak of victory, but I'm holding to this one...

1 Corinthians 15:7 - But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I can not do this. I have proven it time and time again. However, if I turn to Christ first, not relying on myself, He is faithful and will lead me to victory.

And now I'd better call it a night and get ready to head to bed early. We are under a winter storm warning tonight and all day tomorrow. We are expecting 6-10 inches of snow. If the morning is as ugly as they predict I'm going to have to leave very early for work.

It's Nearly Here

 As I sit here in the glow of the Christmas tree lights, I'm forced to wonder if we will be celebrating Christmas at all.

I am on track and not feeling rushed. All but a few presents are wrapped. I kept the dinner plan simple and plan to make the side dishes today so that tomorrow can be a relaxing day with family.

Enter the "big nasty bug." Tim brought it home. This time it wasn't me. He is SICK. It's an intestinal thing and it's hitting him hard as these things usually do. He never gets a mild case of anything. I tend to blame it on his workaholism and failure to take care of himself. He just pushes himself until his body revolts.

So, that's why I'm sitting here wondering what kind of Christmas we'll be having. No one wants to catch it, obviously. Will he be over it by tomorrow? Will I have avoided it? I'm trying to be careful...keeping my distance, spraying Lysol on EVERYTHING, taking my vitamins, washing my hands constantly...but I do live with the man.

Also, he is an absolute grouch and miserable human being when he is sick. Plus, I have to worry about the fact that he can't take his meds while he can't keep anything down. Trying to get him to drink to avoid dehydration is not a job for the faint of heart.

I was really looking forward to tomorrow. I NEED a happy family holiday. Keep us in prayer for a quick recovery for Tim and that I don't catch the bug. Thank you.

In the meantime, I wish you and yours a wonderful, blessed Christmas filled with love, peace, and the joy of the season!

A Week of Thanks

It's finally beginning to look a bit like Christmas around here. Between Thanksgiving falling so late in November and my bout with whatever nasty bug is making the rounds, I hadn't had time to do anything about decorating until today. Now, at the end of the day, at least the tree is up and partially decorated and some other decorations have found their way to places around the house. With such a short time until Christmas I'm scaling back a bit on the decorating, so I'll be able to finish tomorrow with ease.

My conscience is clear tonight as Oliver and I sit here snuggled in the recliner watching Christmas movies. We've watched Christmas Vacation and now we've moved on to an older Hallmark movie. Ollie likes those. It's supposed to get warmer tomorrow, but tonight it's cold and very windy. It's a night I'm happy to be at home.

It's been a good week and there is a lot I'm thankful for.

My inflammation stayed gone all week and is only now beginning to make a bit of a comeback. That made it so much more enjoyable to do, well...EVERYTHING.

They hired a new person at work. She is supposed to work in both departments. She seems very nice so I hope she works out.

I planned a Christmas team trivia activity for the consumers this past Friday. I was worried because you just never know how something like that is going to go over with them. Thankfully, they loved it and we had a lot of fun!

There was a wild and wicked thunder snow Wednesday night. It sounded as if a train were going to run through the house. There was some snow and ice, but not what they were calling for and I was able to drive to work with no problems on Thursday.

Christmas cards are beginning to arrive. I haven't done mine yet, but I do enjoy receiving these beautiful holiday greetings. (Deb from A Day in the Life, your card arrived today.)

Mike and I had a nice evening Thursday when I took him to his Lion's Club Christmas dinner meeting. The bad weather that was forecast never materialized so that's another thing to be thankful for.

They were able to recover the body of the poor woman who fell into a sink hole not too far from here while she was looking for her cat. The hole didn't exist before. It just collapsed under her. I know it made the national news so maybe you heard about it. There was hope the first day or two of digging out the hole, but Wednesday they declared it was a recovery and no longer a rescue. I'm glad they were able to give her family that much closure.

My Christmas shopping is done with the exception of getting a few gift cards that people have asked for. There are still a few things that haven't been delivered, but that's winding down. I'm sure I wasn't my mailman's favorite person this week as he had lots of packages to deliver every day.

I squeezed in a nail appointment today and now my nails are a pretty, sparkly, red for Christmas. That's always a pick-me-up.

It's a very freeing feeling to be at a point in life where I can accept that everything does not have to be perfect for Christmas. I used to stress myself something awful trying to get everything done. These days I'm good with whatever I can get done without killing myself to do it. I'm glad I finally learned this...though I admit I wish I'd learned it earlier in life.

With Tim not as strong as he used to be, I am more thankful than ever to have our daughter and her family next door to us. She is a huge help to both of us and the grandchildren brighten Tim up like not much else does these days.

And those are some of the things I am thankful for.

Coming up this week...

Tuesday & Thursday: Companion time with Mike.

Thursday: Meeting with the financial planning guy from work.

Friday: Colton's birthday. He will be 8!

Saturday: The Nutcracker ballet with my mom and Leah followed by a family party for Colton.

It's Been a Week

So...Tim is home. He didn't get here until dinner time yesterday. If you are a friend on Facebook you've probably seen my post about what a rough day Monday was. Tim's heart catheterization went well and one stent was placed in the "widow maker," the artery on the back side of the heart. However, everything went downhill once he was back in his room. A headache began and rapidly increased until he was in very bad shape. His nurse "coded" him and medical staff poured into his room and Megan and I were taken to the waiting room.

After an hour or so someone came for us and took us back to the room. They'd run all manner of tests and did CT scans of his head and chest (he was having trouble breathing, too). All the tests came back clear. Everyone's best guess is that he had a bad reaction to the fentanyl they gave him during the procedure. Still, it resulted in him having to stay overnight because the headache lingered. They did finally get him some relief and he got some sleep and felt better on Tuesday. It took all day for him to be released because someone from every team that had dealt with him had to talk to him and sign off. He also had to see a neurologist about the headaches (just in case) and a nutritionist.

Tim felt great when he got home, but after a couple of hours the headache returned. It was a bad headache, but not as bad as the one on Monday. He decided around 8:00 that I should text his boss and tell him he was not going to work today. Good choice. No headache today and he allowed himself the day to just rest and nap on the sofa. He is going to work tomorrow barring anything unforeseen happening in the night.

On the way home from the hospital Tim got a call from the dermatologist about the biopsy they did on a spot on his nose a month ago. It's cancer. It goes all the way through the tissue to the inside of his nose. He goes Nov. 7 for a 4-hour operation to cut out all the cancer. They will, hopefully, do the skin graft at the same time.

Tim's sister, the one who was in the accident a month or so ago, has been doing well since the surgery to reconstruct her pelvis with plates and screws. We heard yesterday that her incision had split open and she'd been taken to the ER. They finally did surgery on her today. The doctor cleaned the wound...no infection that he could tell, but he did send it off to lab. He said there were a lot of blood clots, though. Anyway, they closed up the would and she has a wound vac. She feels a lot better the pressure and pain she'd complained of is gone.

 Our daughter found out our grandson's A1C number is high. The doctor moved his next appointment up to Friday. His bloodwork also said in the liver function session that there was high alkalinity. The report said the high end of normal is 104 and his number was 190. Our daughter, of course, Googled it and panicked. There are a LOT of not so great things that can cause that. The doctor told her that a lot of times when kids get blood work and they give you the normal range, they give the adult numbers. He said it might be as simple as that or that he's going through a growth spurt. 

Through it all I've had to be the voice of calm and reason, of sanity. I've had to be the strong one for everyone else. It's a good thing my strength and my peace do not come from anything or anyone on this earth. I give the Lord all the credit and all the prayers of all the people I had praying. I felt those prayers. Thank you.

But still... it's been a week. And it's only Wednesday.

Currently

Is it just me or are the days flying by? We're already a third of the way through July, just about halfway through the summer, and Walmart has the summer stock on sale and the back-to-school supplies are beginning to fill the shelves. Give it another two or three weeks and the Halloween decorations will be making an appearance. But more than anything, this summer seems to be driving home the fact that I'm now the older generation as I watch our daughter and the grandchildren run here and there with friends and other family. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was the young mom (even younger than our daughter) who was busy, busy, busy. 

As Kenny Chesney sang...

Okay, shedding my funk and moving on.

The weather... is a comfortable 72 degrees after reaching a high of 95 this afternoon. The remnants of Hurricane Beryl brought us overcast skies and a lot of wind that will be with us for at least part of the night. The rain stayed to the north. Not really a good thing. We need rain. A good, long, soaking rain. Tomorrow, at least, will be a bit of a break from the unusually hot weather before the mercury climbs right back up there on Friday.

Watching... the unfortunate **** show this election cycle has become. That these two are all we can come up with doesn't speak well for the future of this country. I'd stop watching, but I can't. I've always been interested in politics. I ran for campus offices in college and was working on a minor in political science.

Reading... fun and easy mysteries, one after the other, like potato chips.

Feeling... confident in my own skin and my abilities. Lately my attitude has been one of "I've got this." I'm still doing my best with the healthier diet and being more active, but less junk in my diet has meant I have less inflammation. That would be a good thing except that now I can feel the bone-on-bone arthritis that was hidden before.

Looking forward... to driving north to visit my biological father on Saturday. Just because of busy schedules it may be the only time I get up there this year before he heads back to Texas in November. We are going to go with him and his wife to Old Settlers Day in Townville, PA. It's just a small town event with music, food, games, tractor pulls, etc. They like to go and we can avoid eating my father's (not so great) cooking.

Also to our new mattress being delivered next Saturday. Yes, I finally got my long-complaining husband to go mattress shopping and he actually tried them out for once. We ended up buying a Sealy hybrid and an adjustable frame. Have you ever slept in a bed with a zero gravity setting? Oh my word, was that setting comfy. I can't wait!

Thinking... about all we have to do out in the yard since our daughter has invited everyone to a birthday party for our granddaughter that will be in our yard and my mom's yard at the end of the month. With busy jobs, super hot weather, and Tim's health issues yardwork has been minimal this summer.

Having fun... playing with the new AI image generator on Facebook. Check me out!

Giggling at...

Happy Fourth of July!

I've always loved the Fourth of July. Growing up the holiday was a really big deal for my family. Dad was an aficionado of parades and our town had a huge July 4th parade.  After that, our neighborhood always got together for a picnic, swimming, games, tons of food, and back then the trees were small enough we could sit in the yard when it got dark and see our town's fireworks without having to fight the crowds.

I still like the day, though it isn't like it used to be. I still like a good parade, but since Dad died, I've found that no one else does and I can't ever get anyone to go. We took our kids and grandkids a few years back and there was so much complaining..."It's hot. I'm thirsty. I'm hungry. How much longer? I'm bored." Our youngest grands have never been to the parade. I'd love to take them, but there is no way I can handle all that walking right now.

The neighbors have died, grown up, and moved away. They've been replaced by new people who are probably very nice, but it's not a "family" anymore and everyone is busy with their own thing.

This year is particularly challenging. Watching the news and the election shenanigans makes it hard to be proud of our country right now. It can sometimes seem like we've all gone off our rockers. Then my mom announced she and my stepdad would not be getting together to picnic as she scheduled a colonoscopy for July 4 and will be prepping for it on the 4th.

Today Tim stayed home from work saying he thought he had the flu. I asked our daughter to check in on him since I had to work. She called me later in the morning to say they were at the ER. I guess she really pushed him and got him to tell all he was feeling and she called his doctor. They told her to take him to the ER. She said he was not looking very good and they were thinking it was either a kidney infection or sepsis. Yikes! I got permission to leave work and headed to the hospital.

Three hours later, after all the tests came back negative and the sonogram and chest x-ray didn't show anything, they said they were going to give him an antibiotic and ibuprofen and send him home. Basically, they don't know what's wrong with him. They said he's "presenting" like he has an infection but nothing is showing up. They sent a culture to the lab to see if bacteria grows in it, but said it's also possible he has a viral infection and it has to run its course. He's mostly been sleeping since he came home.

Obviously, we aren't going to be doing any partying. Our daughter and her kids will be around (her husband has to work afternoon shift) so we'll throw some burgers and hotdogs on the grill, maybe swim in the pool (rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast), or I told the kids if the weather is bad we can go see a movie. Tim didn't want to see that anyway.

Friday it's back to work for both of us. Well, Tim says it is. He's insisting he has to go no matter how he feels, but that he can put his guys to work and stay in his office trailer.

Wherever you are and whatever you're doing tomorrow, I hope you have a safe and happy Fourth!

Thankful Thursday

Time to take a look at life's positives and give thanks for some of the blessings in my life this week.

I am thankful...

** I was able to be seen in person by a PA this morning. She was very nice, but she didn't really give me any answers as to what's been going on with me. It still comes down to "a virus." They can tell me what it isn't, but not what it is. 

The congestion does seem to be the slightest bit better today so it may mean I'm turning a corner. Even so, the PA said I'd been dealing with this long enough that it wouldn't hurt for me to take a Z-pack of antibiotics.

** My work has been so understanding through my illness. I don't have any vacation time left, but it is what it is. I let my boss know I plan to come back on Monday.

** Tim has been great through all of this, stopping at the store to get things I need, picking up take-out food for dinners...

** So many people have been praying for me. It means a lot and I do believe God answers those prayers...maybe not in the timing I'd like, but He does answer.

** Colton was good for me both Tuesday and Wednesday when he had to come stay here while his mom went to appointments. He is okay now, but was down with the flu so he stayed on his side of the living room and I stayed on mine. We watched TV and he played on his tablet.

** With so much time at home and off my feet, my leg doesn't hurt. I'm sure it will flare back up once I go back to work, but the respite is nice.

** I've watched a lot of good movies and documentaries that I probably wouldn't have had I not been stuck at home.

** I've enjoyed a few good books.

** My mom and Megan have been great, checking on me and running to pick-up prescriptions and such.

** The frigid weather gave way to a run of 50 degree (or more!) days. Nice for this time of year. The cold and snow will be back by the end of the weekend, I guess.

** Pinterest is such a great tool. I love having thousands of recipes at my fingertips. I have porkchops in the slow cooker today with a sauce made of cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, and ranch seasoning. I've made it before and it is so yummy.

I could go on, but will end for now. I hope you've enjoyed a beautiful day filled with blessings of your own. 

Another Update

Well, I was still at home today. Still coughing uncontrollably. I called my PCP's office to check in today just like he told me to do. Only to find out he wasn't even in the office today and no one seemed to have any idea what was going on with me. 

Not my finest moment, but I kind of threw a fit and asked just how they expected to know what's wrong with me or get me better if no one ever sees me in person?

Guess what? I have an in-person appointment tomorrow morning. It's with one of the PA's rather than my doctor, but at least a live person is going to look at me. I have been sick all of January at this point and have used up all but 2 of my vacation days for the year (my work's policy is that if you call off, even with a dr's excuse, you have to use your PTO time if you have it). Enough is enough.

I'll let you know how it goes.

A Day Book

Well, here we are already 2 days into a new year. 2024...wow. Growing up the year 2000 seemed so impossibly far away and the age I'd be (36) sounded so ancient. Now we are 24 years past that. So many things that were science fiction then have, not only come to pass, but they are part of our daily lives. The three biggies my teachers promised that are missing are colonies on the moon, cities under the ocean, and flying cars like the Jetsons had. Though, I have to admit, when I see how my fellow humans behave on the highways...it's probably not a bad thing that they aren't flying around in the sky.

As always, I have high hopes for this new year. I always go into a new year being sure it will be MY year. So far, this year is not starting well, but I'm not going to hold present circumstances against it. 

If you're wondering what I'm talking about, I woke up sick on New Year's Day. In the afternoon my daughter brought me a covid test and, sure enough, positive. So I am home and already using my newly restocked PTO days. The good news is that I don't feel too bad, all things considered. I rank it at about the same level as a bad cold or a mild case of the flu. I don't have a fever, just body aches and congestion. Good thing because I can't see a doctor because I have covid and the new doctor I'm trying to get established with won't phone in a prescription without seeing me. I ended up calling my old doctor's office to see if they will phone something in. They'll get back to me. Sigh.

Anyway...

Outside My Window... It's gray and cold (34 degrees) with a few remnants of yesterday's snow on the ground. I think it was only our second dusting of snow this winter. Winters sure aren't what they used to be. Oh, we still get a nasty storm now and then, but we don't seem to have a solid winter season. When I was growing up it seemed to last from late November until April.

My One Word... I'm having trouble narrowing it down to one. I'm down to two, but both are big words for me. Can a person have two One Words? The words are "Action" and "Healthy." Healthy is kind of obvious. I've had some health challenges this past year and I've regained the weight I had lost. I'm tired of being in pain and being limited by that pain. Action also feels obvious because I need to take action to be healthy, but also because I am a terrible procrastinator in all things.

Books Waiting to Be Read... The 12 Books of Christmas, The Last Chance Library, Friends Lovers & the Big Terrible Thing, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek...and so many more! I surpassed my Goodreads reading goal for 2023 so I set my 2024 goal at the number of books I read in 2023. I'll aim to pass that number.

Worth Watching... We watched some new (to us) shows and movies through the holidays. Some were better than others, but all were worth watching. Among them were Reacher, Jack Ryan, Shrinking, and The Family Plan. 

A Gift I'm Giving Myself... A dear friend from high school took up painting as a way to get through her battle with cancer. She is in remission now, but she continues to paint. Some of her art is rather unique (she paints on autumn leaves, tin cans and many other things) but some is traditional and her talent continues to grow. She posted her latest painting on Facebook this morning and while I know it isn't the most skillful painting ever, it reminds me very vividly of my grandmother with whom I was very close. So I contacted my friend and she agreed to sell it to me! I think it's beautiful.

In the Kitchen... There isn't much happening in the kitchen at the moment, because...covid. At least there are lots of leftovers from the New Year's Eve party we had. When I am back to cooking there are going to be some changes. Aiming at that goal of getting healthier I'm going to be giving Weight Watchers a try and rethinking how and what I cook.

The Closest I'm Coming to a Resolution... This all goes back to the health issues and the procrastination. I had begun to make inroads into the clutter around here, but that has all stopped and I hate it. Oh, the main rooms aren't too bad, but our bedroom and my office make me cringe...and the rest could definitely benefit from some "tweaking." I want to bring order to it all. The clutter in those rooms just gets under my skin and keeps me from enjoying them.

Things that Give Me Joy... At the top of the list is my relationship with the Lord. After that, other things are: a snowy day; a cozy room with lots of books; spending time with my family and friends; my grandchildren's laughter; getting a job done; words...I love wordplay and a well turned phrase; quiet, alone times in nature; surprises; a delicious meal; a great song that makes me want to dance; memories of those who have passed; my pets. I'm sure the list could go on and on.

A Thought...

I've found this to be so true. Whatever tough things come our way they never seem to end until we learn from them.

A Giggle...