2022 Happy To Be Here

Thursday should be a nap day, but I wasn't able to stay asleep today. Eventually I gave up and joined Keziah at the studio. She has been there most of this week working on award scrolls that are due this weekend. Time at the studio is almost always good. Here are some other happy things from today: The whorled tickseed are blooming in the front yard. These flowers are supposed to attract butterflies and be native to North America.   Small yellow daylilies are also blooming in the front. The exciting news of the day is that Keziah has made steps forward with her business venture. She is hoping to open a craft related store and today she stumbled on some stock for the store. She still has more steps before things are official, but it is looking very promising. ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture Your Spirit Every Day of the Year , Joan Borysenko. Currently listening to: The Will to Battle , by Ada Palmer Thank you for

Wednesday is my day to be thankful. Earlier this week there was a very minor problem with the car I drive the most. It was a sound that could have been anything but it turned out that just a new screw could fix it. Today I am thankful for a working vehicle that does what it needs to do. It is something that gets taken for granted until something happens and suddenly you're stuck. A few times a week my friend from Texas, TF, and I talk on the phone and go over our plans for the week with each other. These are our accountability meetings. When there are things we struggle with we try to talk through it and try to come at things from a different angle or perspective. I am thankful for the friendship and for trying to keep each other accountable. It turns out that I like zoning out with the television on when I eat after work. I haven't always, but lately it has been nice to turn on some media outlets and find things to watch. Currently that is the series Merlin on Netfl

They play music at work and sometimes they take requests. Out of the blue someone requested they play sea shanties, and they did! It only took about four songs before there was mutiny and the music switched back to rock and other more popular music. Other happy things from today: A small step was made to go through one of my many boxes. Last year I got better at getting rid of things, there is still so much more that I need to say goodbye to. When I realized that today wasn't the day to do so, I stopped. A small amount has been added to the burn pile though, so some minor progress was made. More geraniums have bloomed and there are a bunch of new buds. There are also seed pods growing so I may get to try again next year. Orange daylilies are also starting to bloom. I feel like I have much better luck with flowers than I have with fruits and vegetables. ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture Your Spirit Every Day of t

The car was making a funny noise so instead of sleeping, I had to get it looked at.  The result is that I am up much later than I hoped, but I found that the people who work at the local Aamco are friendly and seem to do good work.  If only i could figure out how to leave them a good review.  Here are some other happy things from today: --Somehow I managed to get motivated enough this morning to run errands in the morning rather than in the afternoon.   Yay for being motivated!  Of course this should have meant an earlier bedtime, but that was not in the stars. --While waiting for the car repair I got to look at the clouds. -- It rained off and on today so my friend and I walked the mall instead of outside.  My step count was achieved and we had a nice visit. ☮️ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture Your Spirit Every Day of the Year , Joan Borysenko. Currently listening to: The Will to Battle , by Ada Palmer 

With temperatures hovering around 90 degrees today I chose to spend most of my time inside.  I wish I could say that I was more productive,  but it is what it is.  I'm calling today a mostly self care day.  Here are some happy highlights from today: --The biggest reason for me to keep milkweed around is the monarch butterfly.   No monarchs for me but I did identify a butterfly called a great spangled fritillary.  This colorful creature was enjoying the milkweed. --I haven't seen any monarch activity but I am happy to report that Zed has.  He saw a caterpillar on the milkweed- the kind that become monarch butterflies. --The bees are really active on the milkweed flowers.                      ☮️ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture Your Spirit Every Day of the Year , Joan Borysenko. Currently listening to: The Will to Battle , by Ada Palmer. Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Somedays the good things are not part of the plan.  This morning Keziah and I weren't planning to go to the storage unit, but we did. We decided that it would make more sense to drive to return the thrones to the storage unit rather than unpack and repacking them for later.  We didn’t want to do it,  but it felt good to have it done.  Here are some other happy things from today: --This morning I weeded in the triangle part of the driiveway and identified a new plant. Hare's-foot  clover is a plant I have often seen but not identified.  I haven't decided if this is a plant I am going to keep in the garden or not. It has some good points, like being a nitrogen fixer.  If I don't let it completely take over the other plants it could work where it is. Still, I'm  happy to have identified this plant with a fun name! --Part of today's plan was to be Keziah's designated driver to Bardic circle tonight. For this to happen I had to take a nap. I know I've said th

This Friday was studio day and studio days are good. Before the studio, we visited Concord's Market Days for a short while. During Market Days part of Main Street and some of the side streets are closed off and the streets are lined with pop-up tents and merchant trailers with fair food, crafts, entertainment, and other things to peruse or purchase. It is a fun way to kick off the summer. Here are some other happy things from today: Keziah and I stopped at Joann's for some fabric. There was a woman there who was having trouble choosing fabric and asked for our help (we happened to be in the same aisle). This person had never been in a fabric store and seemed a little out of her element. She was trying to match her couch pillow fabric. She said she only needed to replace two of the pillows, so not the whole couch.  None of the fabric was a perfect match so she wasn't sure if it would look right. I gave her my opinion, that choosing a complimentary color that would also go w

Even with a nap, Thursdays seem extra long. My nap today was actually long enough to register as sleep on my FitBit. It doesn't always. It was a good sleep. Other happy things from today: Before work I noticed a blinking light on the floor that the cats were intrigued by. It was a firefly. I did my best to rescue it and let it back outside. I finally requested my vacation time off and it was approved. Yay! Keziah and I had a nice meeting with our chiefs of staff. We are working on plans for upcoming events. Last weekend was the first camping event this year for me. There are at least two more that I am planning on. We are trying to not overdue the events this year. I might get to use my tent this time and have more room. There is a vine climbing up the side of the house.  I knew it had to go, but after identifying it as bittersweet nightshade, it is more important to get it out before the pretty flowers turn to poisonous berries.   ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Praye

Thankful Wednesday (See post from last Wednesday to read about the change.) --This week I am thankful that my daughter, her husband, and my grandson are gracious and allow me to live with them. They are also patient with my weird hours and eating habits. I love them bunches and don't know (nor do I want to) where I would be without them in my life. --One of the few good things to come from the covid pandemic is the normalization of video appointments. Not every appointment should be done over the phone, but it is much more convenient for me to have those that can be done as a video or phone call to be that way. I save on gas and vehicle wear and tear. There is also the drive time which becomes my time again. It isn't for everyone, but I am thankful for them. --Since I saw one of these when I got home from work and I like posting pictures, I am thankful for garter snakes. They eat things that might eat the garden. It is the only snake that I am aware of that I don’t m

Happy Summer! Honestly, this month has been flying by so fast that I totally forgot that summer was about to start. Here it is, summer. Some happy things from the longest day of the year: When mowing some of the yard I got covered with pollen from the flowers on the privet bushes. The flowers are pretty and they smell nice too. At work I was given a pin to commemorate the one year anniversary of working there. It was a nice gesture.  The manager who gave me the pin is one of my favorites.  She often has a smile and is enthusiastic. I wasn't going to start reading more books until I finished other ones.  Over the weekend I started reading Live Your Bucket List .  It is on the Kindle app which made it an easier book to bring over weekend camping than a paper one.  I haven't read much yet, but I am liking where it is leading so far. ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture Your Spirit Every Day of the Year , Joan Borysenko.

On Mondays I plan to get up early so I can get to sleep early to work Tuesday. I start work at 1:20 AM so that is really early. Since the weekend was busy I let myself sleep in today and now I am hoping to be tired enough to sleep soon. I lead an odd schedule. Here are some happy things from today: Monday is my day to shop for food for the week. Since I went gluten-free there are some foods that I miss and try to replace with a different option. One of those foods is pretzels. I found a brand but it hasn't been in the stores for weeks. I found it today and snackage may occur again! Unfortunately, there was only one bag left, but hope for more is restored. I tackled the grass in the front yard today. I don't like the hill there, it is hard for me to have good control of the mower because of the steepness. Instead of mowing the hill, I just went up it using the weedwacker. It isn't as pretty, but it went much better and I am pleased with the results. Last year

Concerning the event, today was a pack up and leave day.  Friday, the weather was toasty, the rest of the weekend the temperature stayed below 60 degrees and the wind took down a few tents.  Thankfully, as far as I know, all the people who had a tent blow over are fine.  Other happy things from today: -It took quite a while, but eventually I warmed up.  There was a lot of fun over the weekend, but I was almost always at least a little chilled.  Once I warmed up, I fell asleep and had a short, warm, nap.  Next weekend will be a scorcher and the chill from these few days a distant memory.  -Zed had gone home last night because the CPAP battery didn't last.  Aesop went with him.  He had been having fun playing with other dogs and with people but when it got dark last night he started getting anxious.  Zed left Aesop home and came back to the event today, helped pack up, and did the majority of the unpacking while the rest of us started recuperating.   Zed was today's Rockstar!  -M

Even with the chill in the air and rain in the evening,  we had a mostly great day.  There were a few things we forgot though and started the morning by going home to get them.  Thankfully there was enough time.  Time that I can remain awake enough to write this is short however.   So here are a few other happy things from today: -We were able to see a little bit of almost everything.  I missed the merchants,  only saw the arts and sciences from a distance,  and missed the bardic after court.  We had newcomer business after court that kept us busy.  -The archery challenge was shooting plague rats.  They made the rats out of plastic grocery bags which was a perfect use for something destined to be shot with arrows. -The heavy list fighting became entertaining when Keziah thought of a different format for them to dual.  It came to be known as Black Knight Bingo.  Fighters got points for getting their opponent's head, right arm, left arm, right leg, or left leg.  The bout

It was after eight in the evening by the time we finally left for the event.   I say we, but Keziah made the trip twice. She left earlier in the day when it became apparent that all the things and all the people were not going to fit. We had two extra people and all their camping things, plus our stuff. Keziah went early with the two extra people, their stuff, and some of our stuff. She set the tent up, unloaded, and came back for more. We also had to get the thrones out of storage and they are not small. Zed and I got the thrones out of storage while Keziah made her first trip. Here are some other happy things from today: -Highway 93 has seeded wildflowers along the median.  A week ago they were mostly daisies.  Now they are mostly brown-eyed Susans.   I love that states do this and beautify the areas. - I'm at an SCA camping event.  I haven't attended one in over two years, I think.  It is good. -The sky is filled with stars here. ☮️ Currently reading,

 Thursdays are long, even with a nap in the middle of the day.  Although, I have to wonder if a person dreams about work, does it still count as being asleep?  I know I should sleep more, but there are always things to do. Here are some things from today that made me happy : This evening we watched Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , an episode titled "Trials and Tribble-ations".  This episode did a fantastic job of splicing together parts of it with that of the original Star Trek series.  It was a fun episode.   In the SCA there is an award system.  I actually thought of a person that I am planning to write in for an award.  An alarm has been set so that I can remember after the event. I did some sewing at the studio.  There are now more sashes for the event this weekend.  I also worked on the hem of my Viking dress.  It will not be done for this event.  Thank you to Keziah for taking a picture for me to share here. ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations,

This blog is about things that I am happy for.  What is unspoken (unwritten) is that I am thankful for everything that has brought me happiness each day.  After working ten hours it is sometimes hard for me to come up with things that made me happy and I generally look for things to include here.  The more tired I am, the harder it becomes.  I could have had a marvelous day but be too tired to remember the details.  All that said, I am going to change this up a bit on Wednesdays and concentrate on things that I am thankful for.  This may or may not last, but here goes. Today I am thankful that Aesop, our dog, is feeling better.  He has had some intestinal problems this week but he is doing better today.   Thankfully I have a job.  I may not be in love with my job, but I have one.  It has good benefits and it pays enough.  The job keeps me very physically active and it is one of the reasons I haven't looked elsewhere.   So, I have some odd likes.  One of these is that even though I

The other day I was wearing one of my many t-shirts and Gideon said that he really liked it. This shirt is something that had belonged to a cousin who passed away. I really like it, but downsizing is still something I need to do. When Gideon showed interest in the shirt, I decided that he could have if he wanted. I am happy to say that today he was wearing the shirt.  This is a double win for me.  I have one less thing and now I get to see the shirt.   Other things I am happy for: Stepping outside using the porch door it smells like roses. There are evening primrose and daylilies blooming out front. At the studio today I helped Keziah sew up some sashes for the event this weekend. While there, I rolled out my yoga mat and stretched out. Sometimes it is simple things that can bring the most joy. ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture Your Spirit Every Day of the Year , Joan Borysenko. Currently listening to: Seven Surrenders ,

Sometimes, by chance, a person stumbles along and finds something beautiful. Sometimes a person seeks for something beautiful. Today I did both. In my quest for 10,000 steps a day I randomly chose to walk some of the rail trail near Derry, NH. I've been on it before and so expected some flowers and maybe some wildlife. These things I found and are some of my happy things for today. What I didn't expect to find was a mural about the history of flight and the Space Race. It was wonderful to notice, though I couldn't take the time to look over the entire thing with as much attention as I would have liked.   The other thing I stumbled upon was a small section that has been painted with Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken". It included artwork that is still in process.  This was not where I had planned to walk today; it was a sudden decision that I am glad I made. The walk including some things that were naturally beautiful and some that were purposel

Often on weekend mornings, Aesop, our dog, will end up at the dog park.  Today this excursion left him muddy.  He got a quick rinse with the hose.  While trying to get him dry Keziah brought him into his fenced area where he got the zoomies.  That little dog is fast.  Keziah decided to let him run through the towel like he was a bull before catching him to towel dry.     Other happy things from today: Keziah, Gideon, and I played a game called Fluxx . I like to describe the game as Calvinball  but as a card game. Calvinball is a game from the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes where there are no rules and so any rules are made up randomly during the game. Fluxx has many different versions. We played the Chemistry version so many cards had elements on them. There is a goal to reach for to win while players change the rules, and goals, during the game. One of the cards had to do with Helium. If a player had a helium card they had to talk with a high pitched voice. We all had helium

Here’s to fairly relaxing days! It is weird being exposed to covid to the point that I feel I should have it by now. There have been passing exposures, but none like this where I spent hours in a car with someone who presented with the symptoms a few days later. With two of the four of us having tested positive at this point it seems like it should be inevitable, but who knows? Because of this, I toggled my day between work and relaxing. I started by playing a computer game this morning, that was fun. Other  happy  things from today: Part of the morning and part of the afternoon I spent mowing and doing some yard work. This will make me feel better, if I get sick, knowing that the yard isn't as much of a mess. I noticed baby grapes and baby raspberries while I was out.  I didn't mow them all down. In the evening I sat down with the puzzle that I haven’t worked on for months. I love that I can roll it up to store it. It was a relaxing way to finish the evening. ☮ Currently re

The day started well, I worked on mowing the lawn and pulling some weeds. It was a good new beginning for the yard care. Then I found out that one of the people we went to see the fabric store with last weekend has Covid. So the rest of us (who were still basically symptomless) tested. Keziah and I are negative, but the other person also tested positive. I've canceled my plans that involve being with people outside of the household for the weekend. But, here are some other happy things from today: Keziah and I went to the studio. We were the only ones in the building and she had some things to finish up and bring home. One of those things was to sew some things on the machine so she would have hand sewing to finish them up. She asked me to help by sewing them while she worked on something else. Unfortunately, the sewing machine didn't want to work properly. I decided to check and see if some thread or something was stuck inside. It turns out, what was stuck insid

Leaving for work I noticed something that I haven't seen since last year, a firefly. There was just one, in the grass by the lilacs. It seemed to just be sitting there, blinking off and on. Here are some other happy things from today: We made a stir fry with rice for dinner. Zed made a bowl by putting the rice in while Gideon served himself from the stir fry first. Comments were made about how rice is usually put on the bottom with the stir fry on top and that Gideon was doing it backwards, and that is okay. Gideon responded with, "It's like a treasure hunt for the stir fry!" The occasional work I have been doing for the roses seems to be paying off. Last year I tried to kill off some insect that was eating the leaves and I tried to prune them this spring. The rose bushes are looking nice this year. So many buds and blooms. Perhaps I did something right. My weekend is here! ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture

After putting down my lunch box and jacket, the first thing I do when I get home from work is go upstairs and take off my shoes. My work day is ten hours long in steel toed shoes. The only time I am not on my feet, other than breaks, is when I am doing things in the bottom container and then I am on my knees. Yes, sometimes being on my knees makes me happier than being on my feet. Other happy things from today: So I take off my steel toed shoes and usually put on the sandals TF got me a few months ago (Last year?). These are still doing wonders for my feet. The little nubbly things help my feet hurt less. Keziah, Gideon, and I watched the first episode of Ms Marvel . It seems to be a Marvel show for the teenage bunch. I look forward to seeing where the series goes. ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture Your Spirit Every Day of the Year , Joan Borysenko. Currently listening to: Seven Surrenders , by Ada Palmer Thank you for

 This year I haven't yet been as good of a steward to the property as last year.  The lawns aren't getting mowed as much, the garden is mostly nonexistent, and I haven't been walking the trails so there really are no trails.  This is me hoping that I will make the time to get outside more to make the yard a place to want to be again.  Here are some happy things from today: I made the trek through the long grass to the wildlife camera.  It had been long enough that I think the SD card was full.  The last clip was from May 20th.  There were only a few that actually had some animals in them and not just the wind blowing.  A few had deer and one a groundhog munching on the grass.  I only briefly went through the clips, it was neat watching as the landscape got more and more green. The multiflora is blooming.  I know that it is supposed to be invasive, but I still think it is pretty. The cow vetch is also blooming.  This nitrogen fixing plant can stay in the fields and keep the

The day started with me being lazy. Eventually I was able to put myself together and get out of the house to run errands and go for a walk with my friend, Amy. Here are some happy things from today: Talking with TF this morning I learned that Texas was supposed to have a high temperature of about 101 degrees. I sure am happy that I live in New England where today's high temperature was supposed to be around 79 degrees. Sorry TF, I hope your AC is working well. Along the trail Amy and I walked we saw some blue herons. Another thing that caught my eye was a lovely pink flower. Lens identifies them as sweet William, but I don’t remember the sweet WIlliams in the yard last year looking like these. My memory isn’t the greatest though. It also is a similar type of flower as the ones I saw in a neighbor's yard down the street, the dianthus. More research…if I can make the time… is required.  There were more than just pink colors too. In our yard some roses have bloomed and th