2022 Happy To Be Here

There has been a lot of frustration and confusion concerning the prerequisite course I am trying to take and learn Java. I’m having a difficult time learning this on my own and I don’t want to overburden my friends with questions that should be basic. I went out for a nice walk to clear my head, but when I delved back into the Java classwork I had brief success followed by becoming frustrated and confused again. Thank you for reading over my little bit of venting. Here are some happy highlights from today: Before deciding that I needed a walk I went outside and used Gideon’s round saucer hammock. The breeze rocked and twirled me gently as I looked up at the leaves, branches, and sky. With the wind whooshing as I walked along the trail up to the fire tower the leaves would dance and swirl on the ground before me. At the top I had a nice conversation with a young man that was also there to enjoy the view. Even with the cloud cover and incoming rain we could still see a few towns ove...

It has been a long day. There are many things I should have done more of, like classwork and dishes. It was a rather relaxing day though. At least I got plenty of sleep. Other happy things for today: It is soon to be voting time and the political signs are dotting the roadways. It is also soon to be Halloween and there are some signs for that too. And so I have to chuckle when passing one section where the signs are political, political, SCARY, political, political. They all fit together so well. 😉 There were three things I needed at the grocery store: milk, vanilla ice cream (maybe need was a strong word?), and dinner. At least the dinner was fairly healthy? My friend Amy and I met for a walk today. We used to meet on Mondays but lately I have had ceramics. It was a lovely walk at Livingston Park with ducks on the pond and still some foliage to reflect on the water. I watched too much Netflix and finished watching the Merlin series. Now that will not be what distracts m...

Thursday is the last day of my work week (usually). I am so happy that my weekend is here. Thursday also seems to be a day I have a hard time getting to sleep. I’m hoping for better today. Here are some other little things I am happy for: I noticed that my folding camp chair was left out in the rain, folded. I’m happy I noticed this so that it can be dry before I want to use it this weekend. Some friends shared this video . This guy is always so happy and really seems to love what he is doing. More foliage! It is still autumn afterall. ☮ 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 , by Maggie Stiefvater. Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Keziah, Zed, and Gideon have arrived safely to Keziah's father's house in Texas.  For the technology that got them there safely and that which carried the message to me of their arrival I am thankful.  I'm sure they will have a fabulous time.  Other happy things from today: There are some trees outside of work that are bright with color.  I should look at them closer someday to see what kind they are. We had been trying to watch Rings of Power as a family.  We weren't able to complete it together before the rest of the family left for Texas.  I finished it after work today.  I really enjoyed the series and I look forward to where it goes from here.  I must say that I haven't read The Silmarillion which the series is loosely based on. ☮ 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 y...

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...

Yesterday I forgot a very important thing that I was happy about. Two of my champions showed up just to represent during court. I was thrilled. My exhaustion from the day left me with a poor memory. Some happy things from today: There is a line from Simon & Garfunkel’s song "The Dangling Conversation", “And we note our place with book markers/That measure what we've lost”. As I came closer to finishing two different works of fiction these lines kept crossing my mind. There are points in storytelling that have an anticipatory excitement. It could be a "Whodunnit?" type anticipation or something else, but with good writing, it is there. As books reveal that information, excitement can dwindle and the book soon ends. I'm not sure if that is what Paul Simon meant by those lyrics, maybe he meant time, but I’m looking at it as the loss of that anticipatory excitement. I finished reading The Three Miss Margarets by Louise Shaffer today. It was a ...

When I walked into work and saw that they placed me where I tend to have the most aches, I signed up to get voluntary time off. 25 minutes later I was out of there and heading home to do class work. After that, I tried to nap but couldn't. Instead I did dishes and cleaned the kitchen a little. Here are some other happy things from today: I left home just before the sun rose so I brought a flashlight. It wasn't dark, but the flashlight made me feel better.  Walking to the studio this morning in the brisk morning air I realized that these walks will be ending once the snow falls. There will not be enough room to safely walk some of the streets to get there. Plus the possibility of ice makes it just a bad idea. A nice talk with our studio friend and I am told which sidewalks are best to walk on near the studio come winter.  Walking over the Merrimack River there are definitely trees that are more empty than colorful. The beauty still lingers as it reflects on the water...

Thankful Wednesday! Today I am thankful to be living in a part of the world where there are so many different types of trees that bring so many colors in the fall. There is more to life than foliage. I'm also thankful for the generosity of people. Recently someone offered us another car. I'm fairly certain we won't be getting it, but it is a wonderful offer. Then there is the class I am trying to work on to learn Java. If I can complete it and do well on the exam in January, I might get accepted into the next class, through work. This could open up some more opportunities. I'm thankful for this. ☮ 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 and thankful things. Stay safe.

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...

Enough sleep was achieved for me to work the night, but they didn't need as many people as came in, so I went home. I thought about going to the studio to work on my class, but I stayed home instead. Doing schoolwork was short lived though because I fell asleep again for a nice nap. Later Zed tried to help with one of the assignments but neither of us can figure out what I'm doing wrong. I'm grateful for his help. Other happy things for today: Since I wasn't working, I went to archery practice. My highest score for the day was 49 points! This is not my highest ever (close), but certainly the highest in a long time.  Practice helps. After archery, some friends and I went on a nice hike. The trails were new to us and were also used by ATVs. Thankfully not so many were out today that it was too loud or busy. I'm not sure what this plant is. In the evening my protege and I met up with friends at a bookstore/cafe to celebrate a birthday and listen to some blues....

Remembering things has never been my strong point. I remind myself of this often as I age. Some things I remember vividly… like forgetting to do my homework one time in like fourth grade. I have certain things that I do to help me not forget. One of those is setting my alarm clock. It is on- always for my regular schedule. However, when mandatory extra time got issued, I forgot to set my alarm clock for the two extra work days. I woke up when it was time to leave this morning. I put in for an hour personal time so they'd know I wouldn't be there and got ready to go. The end result is that I didn't volunteer to go home early. Tomorrow is another day. I'm happy I woke up when I did and made it through today.  My other happy thing for today is my ten year old grandson, Gideon.  Today he quite happily posed for me so I could have a picture for my blog.  He is dressed to match the foliage.  It is a blessing to be able to live with my daughter and her family. ☮ C...

Predicting the future is not my superpower. I'm scheduled to work five days for 50 hours this week and slightly less next week. So expect my blogs to be short on those days. Having ten of those hours behind me is good. Other happy things for today: There are purple asters still blooming in the back property. These are larger versions than what I'm used to seeing. I like the splashes of purple that pop up from them amid the yellows, reds, greens, and oranges of autumn. Having to work less next week required me asking to have next Saturday off. I'm happy I got it off with no problems. There is an event that day, in Barony, that I need to be at and awake. Until the leaves have fallen, the bright autumn colors will continue to bring me happiness. ☮ 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 bein...

It seems that walking to or from the ceramics class on Mondays is the easiest way for me to get my step count. I don't have to walk all the way, just most of it. Keziah picked me up on her way there so we could be on time. I was able to get one cylinder thrown and one piece trimmed in class. I only have a partial picture of the one I trimmed.  It was already on the shelf when I thought of taking a picture. It is now drying and waiting to go into the kiln for the first time.  Some other happy things:  The reflection of the trees on the Merrimack River as I walked this morning was captivating. The river was fairly calm and the trees were colorful. Lately, Gideon, my grandson, has been asking for hugs more often. This is a happy occurrence for me. Kids go through stages; I'm liking this one. With the dog, Aesop, no longer living with us, the cats are all over the place. They love that there is more time for us to play with them. I miss Aesop, but from what I've hear...

The day didn’t go as expected. This prompted me to read an article about introversion versus shyness. After reading it, I can’t say that I am not an introvert. I will say that according to that article I exhibit more shy traits than introverted ones. Having a day filled with being shy when I needed the opposite (finding out what the opposite of shy is, if not extroverted, will be a different rabbit hole) didn't go well. I feel like I let down Keziah by not wanting to spend time at the event today. We went, she made it to the class she wanted to go to, and I used the gentle rain that was falling as an excuse to stay in the car. Ten minutes is generous for how much time I spent at the event today. Some happy bits: There is a discount department store in Maine, Marden's, that sells fabric. Keziah and I went and she found some fabrics that she liked and bought them. We also got some of those orange thin poles that stick into the ground to help guide plows when the snow f...