Thankful Sunday, April 5, 2020

I am thankful for Wally.

Of course, I am thankful for all of my family, but today is Wally's birthday, so he gets a special shout out.

Wally is an adult now, but it in some ways, it seems like it was only yesterday when he joined our family. He was born in New Orleans after a complicated trip to the hospital and a confusing labor. He had a full head of dark hair and was the sweetest and calmest baby--for about 24 hours. Then our world changed. He slept little, ate voraciously, and cried most of the time inbetween. He still eats a lot and sleeps little. Thank goodness the crying finally died down.



As time progressed, he grew into a very active and curious boy who liked to see how things worked. One time, when he was three, Wally took apart Theo's crib when both of them were supposedly taking a nap. Luckily, no one was hurt as the bed collapsed around his brother. Another time, he took the bathroom door off it's hinges. He, also, loved to build things. Unfortunately, it never seemed to be anything he took apart.

Wally thinks about people and what makes them happy. When he was four, he asked us if poor people were happy. That was a hard one to explain to a four year old. As he grew older, he seemed to have a special appreciation for the senior population. Everyone on both sides of the family was especially thankful for the help he gave his grandparents while they were learning to use computers. He was patient, clear and never got frustrated. He showed these same abilities when he worked as a pharmacy tech when he was first out of school.

Growing up, Wally loved being outdoors and never met a stick or rock he didn't like. That was a perfect fit for Boy Scouts and he eventually became an Eagle Scout. As is his nature, he took his oath very seriously and tried to live up to it. Except when he didn't, because after all he is human. But I won't go into that right now.

Now as an adult, Wally is an independent, productive member of society who tells me not only is he happy, he is content. What more could a parent ask for? Nothing.

Happy Birthday, Wally!

This and that, Part 2

Yesterday, I started an update on what we've been doing for the last few weeks. I know that I like to hear what others are doing during this non-conventional time, so I'll fill you in on what it looks like at our house.

As you may have read, we are all working from home and that is keeping us busy. Boredom has not set in yet, but the need to be out and about is getting stronger, as the restrictions get tighter and tighter. However, we have found ways to help with that.

Like many other states, Maryland is on strict stay-at-home orders expect for necessary trips for food or medicine. But we've been going out anyway for drives. We don't get out of the car and are exploring places in the neighborhood that we haven't been to before. It is a very pleasant experience as everything is in bloom right now and Ward and I get a little calm, quiet time away from the constant barrage of news of the corona virus. Even when we turn off news and social media, there are frequent comments and discussions from work about it as our organizations are trying to work within the current constraints to offer good services.

Also as usually happens in the spring, neighbors are out in their yards or taking walks. We have been doing the same and are enjoying talking to others (with proper social distancing) as well as getting some fresh air. I have met one new family this way and Ward was able to help someone living alone fix their lawn mower. Our neighborhood is, also, doing the teddy bear in the window thing for kids to look for on walks. Really everyone is enjoying it although sometimes it is hard to see them depending on how the sun is shining on the window. The first bear I put up was too dark and couldn't be seen at all. Now we have a yellow horse/burro in the window. It's fun to listen to kids, as they see it, because we are the only ones who aren't using a teddy bear.

As far as getting out to the stores, we have been out occasionally when needed while practicing the recommended protocols. Earlier in the week, I ordered something from Lowes for pickup in the store. I thought it was going to be a curbside pickup, but it was a bit more complicated than that. Luckily, there was no close contact with anyone else and all was good. Also, we ordered a push mower from Home Depot. Ours bit the dust and we can't figure out how to fix it. Ward has disliked it for years, anyway, and wanted to get a new one. The mower just arrived, so I know what we'll be doing when Ward finishes work.

We have plenty of food and I am enjoying trying to use what we have interesting ways. Last week I learned a new kitchen tip that totally fascinated me. After cooking some chicken breasts in the Instant Pot for pulled chicken sandwiches, the recipe said to use a hand mixer to shred it. It worked like a charm and was much easier than other methods I have used. That was fun!

This is long enough for now. Next up, will be an outdoor update.

Be well and stay safe. Until next time...

This and that

?source?

Just a check-in to let everyone know that we are alive and well here. I wanted to do a post without mentioning the C word, but can't. It invades my thoughts too much. And if I posted without mentioning it, everyone would wonder about the elephant in the room.

So what's been going on at my house? We've been officially staying at home for about three weeks now, but had limited activities before that. We aren't bored as we are all working or doing school from home.  Also, Theo goes out to work for Costco. Luckily, he is not in a retail store, but is in a place with a lot of other people. However, Costco is going out of it's way to keep things as safe as they can. As you can imagine there has been a huge surge in online orders, so his location has hired a lot of new people. And according to Theo, half of them seem to have the job of yelling at everyone to practice safe, clean, and social distancing behavior. He is glad about that because he has been very contentious since the beginning, but not everyone was onboard as quickly as he was.

Cherry blossoms from10 years ago on this day,
when Ward and I were visiting the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. 

And speaking of working at home, Ward is a pro at it because of the nighttime and weekend work he has done for years at home. However, it's all a new experience for me and not one I really like. I've been at it for two weeks and still trying to find a happy medium. I've gone from being very intense and exhausting myself making sure that I made every minute count to being restless and nonproductive much like today. I think more organization and planning on my part will help me find a happy medium between my two extremes at this point. Also, I don't like it because there is too much sitting. When I am in the library, there is a lot more moving around, not to mention people interaction. And what all of this means for blogging is that by the time I finish my teleworking, I'm too tired to think or sit at the computer any more. Thus the blogging has been sliding.

As I am writing this, I just heard the daily helicopters fly over. We live on the flight path from the White House to Camp David and see military helicopters flying people there then and again. I wasn't sure who was going there because Camp David is not Trump's style, plus he has a lot of other places to go. But here's Miss Landers' theory. She has been timing them and has observed that they usually flyover soon after Trump finishes his daily press conference and fly back about an hour later. She thinks that Melania and Barron are isolating there and Trump goes there every day to visit his family. Who knows, but makes sense. That's one way I've been entertaining myself when I'm not working--discussing the flight patterns of the military helicopters that fly over my house.

Now I'm off to make some kind of concoction with some old strawberries, blueberries, and bread crumbs we found during our freezer inventory. I think I hear a crisp calling.

I will be back soon with what we've been doing besides working while we spend more time at home.

Be safe and Be well.
Until next time.....



https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157423357328520&set=a.101744063519&type=3&eid=ARCG-3trQUQgGrvqaBbsvguztNcQLyebdEHW5h8bDfc9MxmBwvycpBeQGA4NfWBBDNQbCEwvcEh_O5Fw

Thankful Sunday, March 22, 2020

I have found my thoughts drifting more negatively these days, so I  decided that I needed a reset. What better way to do that than to remember what I have to be thankful for. I didn't make this complicated or try to overthink it (something I do way too much of). I thought of 10 things I was thankful for and wrote them down just as fast as they popped into my head. I went back and added a few explanations after my initial brain dump. I am happy to report that this simple exercise has helped. :)

Here they are in no particular order.

1. I am thankful for blue skies.
Yesterday,  as I was watching the world go by at my kitchen window, I was taken with how beautiful the blooming pear tree was against the clear blue sky. And for the cherry on top, a red cardinal flew onto the one of the branches. Absolutely beautiful.

Didn't get a picture while the cardinal was there.

2. I am thankful for my clever husband.
Ward is a very handy and clever person and uses these skills around the house among other places. For example, we have a ceiling fan in our bedroom that had a blade break off while spinning. He traded the broken blade with a blade from a fan in another room that we didn't use. However, then the fan was unbalanced and noisy. So instead of buying an expensive rebalancing kit, he took the blades off and used a scale, pennies, and tape to balance all of the blades. Now it's a smooth, quiet spinning fan. It's the simple things like that I really appreciate.

3. I am thankful that my son likes to cook.
Last thing he cooked was a spicy (but not too spicy) chicken dish over rice. Not only was it tasty, it used up several things that were close to becoming food waste.

4. I am thankful for my cats and the endless entertainment and comfort they bring.
  



5. I am thankful for digging in the dirt.
We have several dead spots in our yard from the porch construction and other things. We have been planting grass seed to try to remediate these spots. I have been enjoying the soil prep and the digging involved with it.  During this exercise, I have been finding endless rocks, grubs, worms, and interesting weeds. If my back didn't remind me that it's time to do something else, I could spend all day playing in the dirt.

6. I am thankful that I was able to remove an embedded tick without complications. I think this needs no further explanation.

7. I am thankful for my new porch. The porch is not quite done as their have been some painting complications. However, it is very usable and we had our first supper out there this week- actually the spicy chicken dish Theo cooked.  I'm looking forward to many more.




8. I am thankful for peanut butter.
I've been on a peanut butter kick recently and am thankful for this easy to use, tasty food.

9. I am thankful for my parents.
As I have mentioned, I'm going through some of the pictures on my computer and deleting extras. This exercise has taken me down memory lane many times. As I see pictures of my parents, I think about many of the things I never noticed when I was a kid like how they were always helping others. I am blessed for the good examples they set for me in this and many other ways.

When they were just beginning their adventure as parents.

10.  I am thankful for Marylynn, who encouraged me to start a blog.
Nine years ago, I was talking with Marylynn, who was starting a blog. I didn't even know quite what a blog was at the time, but she encouraged me to give it a try. Little did I know what an important thing it would become in my life.

Until next time...

It's Here!

Spring is officially here and 

it is showing up all over my yard.

Crocus

Blooming moss

Ornamental pear tree

Daffodil

Forsythia

Crocus

Nibbled daylilies.

Flowering quince

Ornamental plum

Groundcover.

Mocking bird singing on weather vane.

Crocus

New bluebird nest