2022 Happy To Be Here

Things at work have slowed down so when voluntary time off was offered, I took it. I'm scheduled and still plan to work tonight. The part of me that likes a larger paycheck thinks I should have stayed at work. The part that finished Christmas shopping with Keziah this morning is very happy.  Other happy things from today: In the quiet before everyone else was awake I was able to weave.  I finished weaving on the award for fencing and I started the next one.   The weather outside is frightful. Winds are gusting such that the rain is sometimes horizontal. If this were snow, it would probably be a Blizzard. Gideon loves the rain and was very excited to just listen to it when he woke up this morning. Yesterday I finished watching The Santa Clause 3 . I don't think I had seen that one before. The Santa Clauses is new this year. It is a series and I watched the first two episodes today.   Keziah brought home my last two pieces of pottery.  They are finis...

The problem with getting new technology is the time it takes to set it up. I'm tired and I'm hoping that my new laptop will still be at the same spot when I try to finish setting it up tomorrow. The new laptop is pretty and a little bigger than my other one. It will never be this clean again. Other happy things from today: Bagels, cream cheese, and fruit salad were served at work today. This is the last week of mandatory extra time, I think. Maybe we'll get food every day this week. Keziah learned to throw pottery off the hump today. That is when a large chunk of clay is used to make many small pieces. It is a cool technique and I am happy for her. On Facebook I had a bunch of Happy Birthday messages from yesterday.  It is nice to see and makes me feel special. ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture Your Spirit Every Day of the Year , Joan Borysenko. Currently listening to: The House in the Cerulean Sea , by TJ Klune. ...

Happy Friday! These long work weeks for me have me forgetting what day of the week it is. Friday means I have one more night to work. I expect it to be busy. Here are some happy things from today: It was ugly Christmas sweater day at work. I wore an ugly Christmas sweatshirt. Most people didn't participate. Some did.  One person had a light up sweater, someone else had a Christmas Kraken sweater. It was nice to see people having fun with it.  We had a plowable amount of snow. I'm still having a hard time with winter this year, but the snow on the trees is pretty.  The picture doesn't show the pretty snow on the trees, just in the yard. Keziah introduced me to the show The Great Pottery Throw Down . It is a pottery competition show. I only watched the first episode and then started watching another Christmas movie. Maybe I'll get back to the pottery show after the holiday.   ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmatio...

My breakfast movie today (I get up early on Monday's) was finishing Father Christmas Is Back . I'm not in love with any of the movies I've been watching. They have happy endings though, and that is what counts.  Other happy things from today: Gideon and I walked together to the studio from a local restaurant. I thought the walk was only one mile, but it was two. We walked by the planetarium and some of the planets they have displayed on the solar system walk. Last time I did this walk I only found Pluto and Neptune. Today we found Uranus too! Gideon with Pluto. Gideon with Neptune. Uranus and a little of Gideon. We also walked near a pond that seemed to have a layer of ice on it. It was pretty. Someone has decorated a tree that hangs over the sidewalk near the studio.   At the studio, I came close to finishing the backing on my latch hook, maybe next time. Keziah and I also glazed some pottery. I didn't take any pictures but there isn't much to see once the ...

When I was young, a day spent in my pajamas watching movies was like being luxurious. Now it feels like I am being lazy. There has to be a balance in there somewhere. Today that balance included watching part of a movie on my phone while I did the dishes and curling up on the couch to finish it. Later another movie while I paced getting steps in. These were happy parts of my day.  A few other things included: It was a low key day. I spent some of it at the studio. I did a small amount of weaving.  Hopefully I'll be able to concentrate and get that pattern I started, done tomorrow. Some friends visited. One of the things I like about my friends is the way they sometimes describe themselves. My favorite quote from the day is, "I'm chaotic neutral, of course I'd do that." Using a term from Dungeon and Dragons to describe themself made me happy. Two more of my pottery pieces are complete.  I really like how they came out.  I have two others that have been bis...

There were many years that I didn't go to see a dentist. Now that I have insurance I try to go every six months as recommended. Today was my six month check-up and cleaning. I don't like going to the dentist. I do like how my teeth feel after they have been professionally cleaned. That is what I focus on as I sit in that chair, how nice they will feel when it is all over. Other happy things from today include: One more of my ceramic pieces is done. My bowl is ready for use. All the finished pieces. The three pieces I trimmed on Friday I decided to paint underglaze on. The piece that I put underglaze on previously has been bisque fired and I like how it looks. I have dipped that in a clear glaze and it is just waiting for another firing.  I forgot to take a picture of that one.   ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture Your Spirit Every Day of the Year , Joan Borysenko. Currently listening to: The Dream Thieves...

This morning my big errand was to take Keziah's van in to be inspected. It needs brakes real soon, but not so soon that it didn't pass inspection. Other happy things for today: Instead of waiting for the inspection I walked to the studio. The weather has been warmer than it probably should be for November. It was a nice walk, just about a mile from the shop that I got the van inspected at. I actually worked a little bit on my coursework. The cats were play-fighting. We have a tube for them that has the normal holes on either end and two along the sides to poke out of. Nanni was hiding inside of the tube, but her tail was wapping against the side of the tube or out one of the side holes. I found this funny and tried to get a picture of the tail. Last Friday I went to the studio and made some things on the pottery wheel. Today I went back and trimmed those things so that they may get ready to be bisque fired. I finally picked up my loom again and got a little over an inc...

A day later, I am feeling a bit better about the Java classwork. It wasn’t just sleeping on it that helped. Sometime during the early morning when I couldn’t sleep any more, I found video tutorials to help guide with the actual course I am doing. It is helping to fill in the blanks that seem to be missing from the actual lesson. This is a very happy thing for me. It gives me some hope that I might be able to learn this afterall. Other happy things from today: In ceramics class two more of my pieces were bisque fired. I glazed them today. Hopefully they will be fired again before next Monday. The two pieces that I glazed last week were fired and they look good. The piece to the front is mine, not the one in the back. I was able to trim the piece I made last Monday and I used an underglaze on that one. I still have the three pieces I made on Friday last week to trim. They weren’t dry enough today.   Winston, the orange tabby, finally misses Keziah enough to not just come...

Somehow I slept over nine hours last night. It was in two parts, but the first part was around eight hours. And yet, I have still been tired most of the afternoon. Then I stayed up way too late. Here are some happy things from today: One of the vehicles has been in the shop. I walked to pick it up. Crossing the small river along the way I noticed that the leaves are mostly gone. There is still a reflection of an evergreen on the water.   This is the last week to work in wet clay for the ceramics so I went and practiced a bit. I’ve decided that this medium may not be for me. I ended up with three more pieces and four or five that failed. I didn’t count the ones that didn’t make it. The clay can be reused.  The upper right one I made Monday.  The sycamore tree also has lost most of its leaves. The sun now shines on it making it beautifully bright. ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture Your Spirit Every ...

Happy Halloween! It is a beautiful day here and I hope that the trick or treat people are able to make the most of it. I plan to be sleeping. Some happy things from today: Since walking to ceramics was out of the question today (no ride home), I went for a short walk before class. It hadn't warmed up much yet, but the sun was showing the promise of the rising temperatures.  In ceramics class we learned glazing. I had a rundown of glazing a week or two ago when Kiaya and I stayed after. I actually put glaze on two of my pieces today. They don't look like much now, but that should improve once they are fired.   Outside of class there are some really tall yellow flowers that according to Lens is a sawtooth sunflower. I'm trying to enjoy all the bits of color I can. Sooner than I want, everything will be white and shades of gray. ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture Your Spirit Every Day of the Year , Joan Bory...

For the last few days Gideon has been so excited. They are going to Texas tomorrow and he is looking forward to the trip and seeing his grandfather. They haven't seen each other since before Covid hit. I've been to Texas three times and seen him since the last time they went. It is great to see my grandson so happy.  Not that he isn't a happy child, he is, but he has been over the top!  Other happy things for me today: I walked some of the way to ceramics class. Keziah picked me up so we would be on time. There is a small river I cross over that I stopped to take a picture of. The colors are pretty there. I like the textures that can be seen below the water. In ceramics class we learned how to trim the bowls we made last week. Mine was thick so I took a bunch off. It is less thick now, and I like the look of it. Upside-down bowl. Two of my pieces have been bisque fired so far. Next week we go over glazing techniques. The sycamore tree near the studio has lost mo...

Some happy things: First I must say that I am happy I made it through work last night. I couldn't get to sleep and was tired. At lunch break, I tried to nap for five minutes and that seemed to help. Another happy thing for today is that autumn colors seem to be lasting or at least cycling through nicely even with all the rain we have been getting. My daughter, Keziah, is so talented. She has made a clay piece that she carved a cat into.  Her hope is that she will make it into a small lamp.   ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture Your Spirit Every Day of the Year , Joan Borysenko. Currently listening to: The Raven Boys , by Maggie Stiefvater. Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Waking up early today didn't mean I was early for anything else, especially my bedtime. I did get some things accomplished and that was good. Here are some happy things from today: Before the end of the open enrollment period at work I remembered to look into my options. I'm still happy with my choice. In ceramics class I made a bowl!  More importantly, I was supposed to make a bowl.  This makes a total of four pieces so far. I trimmed two others today, one that I added a handle to. The first piece I made was bisque fired. It is so light weight and fragile feeling! Not the best cylinder.  Piece number three. A bowl, piece number four. A mug, I put the handle on and it is setting.  Piece number two. Piece number one after the first firing. It should be a cylinder. Almost every day that isn't a work day I consider letting my step goal streak go. Despite the streak, that is over two years, on non-work days I generally struggle to make the time to get in the steps...