2022 Happy To Be Here

 Once again I am awake longer than I should be.  At least I am not working tonight.  That is something to be happy about.  Other happy things from today: Sleep was hard last night.  I kept waking up only to find that it was way too early and to go back to sleep.  When my first alarm went off, I fell back to sleep until alarm number two.  Even though I overslept, I made it to work on time. I wished a Happy New Year to a fellow employee on my way out of work and ended up with being told stories from their life.  It was interesting. The sky after the sun had set and there was still some color was quite beautiful.  I'm glad I happened to see it on my way up the stairs. ☮ 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. Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Working strange hours meant I did not get enough sleep last night. I woke up somewhere around three in the morning and couldn't fall back to sleep. The good news is that I should fall asleep easily once I've finished writing this. Other happy things from today: Keziah took me out for a mother-daughter breakfast for my birthday today. We ate and did some errands. It was nice to spend time with her.  In the afternoon my friend, Amy, and I went for a nice walk in the cold. The morning was sunny, but the winds picked up and flurries fell on our walk. It was a nice visit and the cold air was refreshing.  Bel called me to wish me a happy birthday and we got to talk for a little bit. So nice to hear from my youngest. They are in Maryland now and I don’t know when I’ll be able to see them again. Hopefully not too long.  The new laptop that Zed ordered for me arrived today! I have no time today to set it up, hopefully tomorrow after work. ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful ...

A weird thing happened at work today.  I was doing station reset which involves placing large bags onto shelves. While placing one on a top shelf I could see a shadow through the plastic-ish fabric that didn't belong there. Closer inspection revealed a package that someone had zipped between the layers of material of the bag. The package was from August! It has been hiding all this time! Weird, huh? Other happy things from today: One of the first things I do when I get home from work is take my steel toed work shoes off and put on the Adidas slides that TF got me. My back is aching today and this brought back a memory. My dad was a brick mason and wore heavy work boots. When I was little he paid me ten cents to take those boots off when he got home because his back hurt and he didn't want to bend over to do it himself. So, like my dad, my back hurts and changing shoes after work is a good thing. It is a happy memory.  I wonder how much Gideon would charge to take ...

All I want to do is sleep. I worked, came home, ate, did some dishes, and wove a little. All I really wanted most of this time was sleep.  Weaving was my happy place today. Also: Some gift certificates I ordered came in the mail today. My grandson, Gideon, comes to me when Keziah, his mom, isn’t home for things. Today that was an itchy ear. The other day he had a sore thumb. Sometimes it is a joke, but usually his dad gets the jokes. Sleep time for me. ☮ 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 King , by Maggie Stiefvater. Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe

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....

It is Thankful Wednesday. Things I am thankful for today include: Sleep. The amount of sleep I got yesterday seemed adequate. I felt a huge amount better last night than the previous one. Work seemed to go well. Now if I can get enough tonight too… When we moved to this house about two and a half years ago the back property had been logged and parts of it were barren. I'm thankful that is no longer the case. It has grown in so much that the trails are all but gone and if I want them, I'll need to tend to them next year. I'm thankful for a negative covid test. ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture Your Spirit Every Day of the Year , Joan Borysenko. Currently listening to: Annie’s Autumn Escape , by Debbie Viggiano. Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

For some odd reason I woke up in a good mood and pretty much stayed that way until I got home. When I got home my mood was tired. I forced myself back out though and voted. When I got back I ate and that refreshed me enough to get ahead on my weaving. If I have the energy, this band should get finished tomorrow. Those are my happy things for today. I've stayed up too long now and need sleep. ☮ 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.

Somehow,  I had a hard time staying asleep last night.  Hopefully that won't be a problem tonight.  My work week is over so I can sleep in tomorrow.   Other happy things from today include: --I had a nice talk with TF this afternoon.   Her daughter is getting married next month so there are plans and happy things going on in her life now.    --When I was staying gluten-free there were so many things that I had to stay away from.  Most of these things are obvious.  To make it easy on myself, I found three or four flavors of gluten-free canned soup that I could have.  One that I couldn't have,  and missed, was Butternut Squash Bisque soup.  I had some for dinner tonight and it was yummy.  --When I started my current job the first thing I was trained in is called stowing.  I enjoyed certain parts of the work like making the boxes fit into the big bags. Later I learned what is called picking, and then I learned ...

It is that midweek (I'm so tired) post where I find things to be thankful for.   -- I'm thankful that I was able to take two weeks off from work and get paid for it.  I used up my vacation and personal time to do so, but so be it.  It was great to look at my bank account and see more money than expected because I forgot it was payday. -- Yesterday I got much needed sleep. This meant my work day went better. --During vacation, I remembered to practice Spanish on DuoLingo.   Even with the battery on my phone dieing now and then, it got done.  ☮️ Thank you for being part of my happy things.  Stay safe.

We were gone for a little over two weeks.  My sleep patterns adjusted and I was unable to get to sleep last night for a long time.  FitBit has me sleeping less than three hours.  I still went to work, and stayed almost until the end.  I chose to leave a little early because I was exhausted.  I'm happy I made it as long as I did.  Other happy things: -- One of the managers asked how my vacation was.  In a place where I try to be invisible, it can be good to know I am not. --The peaches ripened while we were gone.  We might not get any,  but other wildlife are enjoying them.   --We were gifted some bagels and cream cheese before leaving Pennsic.   It is yet another thing that makes me happy that I am eating gluten again.  ☮️ Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe. 

It has been a long day and I am very tired.  Other than being cold last night, I slept really long.  It was broken, because of being cold, but long.  It is late and time to sleep again so this will be shorter than the day deserves.  Here are some happy things from today: -Most of the day was mellow and time spent hanging with different friends. -In the afternoon Keziah and I went to an activity called the Deed.  Fighters competed in challenges and the people watching chose the winner.  It was a lot of fun.  Part of it was the fun was that the fighters were encouraged to entertain the crowd. -Prior to the Deed a local knight took on the responsibility of making a fellow fighter into his squire.  It was an honor to witness this happening. ☮️ Still reading the daily meditation book, but that is all. Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe. 

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 Mirac...

 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. ☮ Currentl...

May is almost over and I feel like I should have done more or something. The month seems to have flown by. Every day I look for things to be happy about. Today that included pushing myself to make phone calls that I didn't want to make. This was a small step that I need to follow-up with later, but the first step is behind me and that is good. My other happy things for today are more normal: I took a nap. I don't tend to sleep much on Thursdays and it means I'm tired on Fridays. I need to work on this by napping more on Thursdays, but the nap was good. I mowed some of the lawn. We have six or seven areas to mow and it is harder for me to keep up with it lately, even with Gideon's help. Whenever parts feel done, it is a good thing. Earlier this week I wrote about getting a Bluetooth speaker that I can wear on my wrist. It worked perfectly while mowing. I could hear the music over the sound of the mower and groove to a beat while I pushed. There is a plant ...

Rather than falling asleep while I type this, I'm writing while I pace so I stay awake. This needs to be short so I can get some sleep. It was a long day, but I didn't do much after work. There are some clean dishes now though. Other happy things: -Gideon snuggles are always a wonderful thing. It is more special when this ten year old of mine asks me for a hug and not the other way around. -Keziah heard from Bel today. The exciting news is that Folke has been accepted into grad school. Most of the classes will be online, but they will need to spend some time here in New Hampshire for some of them. I'm happy for them.   ☮️ 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 being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

After work I took a short power nap. I thought it did me good but I am still really tired. Hopefully that means I'll fall asleep once I finish this up.  I feel like I have been tired for days.  Some happy things from today: Gideon found a book about plants that are edible and decided to look for some in the yard. We ended up identifying what we think is thyme-leaved Speedwell. That variety of Speedwell wasn't in the book he had, but we have a new plant identified. We are trying to press it and I hope that he will find a way to preserve what he is learning. Gideon and I also did some mowing and weed whacking a little of the yard. ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture Your Spirit Every Day of the Year , Joan Borysenko. And Tracking & The Art of Seeing: How to Read Animal Tracks and Sign , by Paul Rezendes. Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Happy Cinco de Mayo.  At work there was a small table with tortilla chips, salsa, cheese, and things to celebrate this Mexican holiday.  I didn't partake because buffets and the pandemic still kind of freak me out. I'm happy that they did something for this day. Other happy things for today: After work today I took a nap. I’m not working tonight so I didn’t need a long sleep. I didn’t set an alarm and didn’t sleep for very long. It must have been enough though because I went out after and mowed the lawn up by the garden. In the garden  the cherry tree and peach tree have blossoms. The rhubarb that I transplanted last year has come up. Unless it suddenly becomes more abundant, I will most likely leave it alone until next year. I’m happy that it is still alive. ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture Your Spirit Every Day of the Year , Joan Borysenko. And The Middle Ages: A Graphic History , by Eleanor Janega and N...

 When I got home from work I decided to watch a little more Gilmore Girls .  A few hours later I had completed all there was to watch and was in tears from the show.  I am happy that I have finished this series.  It was good to have something to sit down and watch, but I think I have been less productive because of it.  Other happy things from today: I have slept.  Probably not quite enough still, but I napped and then fell asleep on the couch after dinner while Gideon and Zed watched things. Keziah is away this weekend being an assistant to a friend at a convention.  They arrived safely to their destination after driving all day. I'm really enjoying coming home to the tulips and other flowering plants that I put into the ground at the triangle in the driveway.   ☮ Currently reading: Pocketful of Miracles: Prayer, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture Your Spirit Every Day of the Year , Joan Borysenko. And The Middle Ages: A Graphic Histo...

 Talking with a fellow employee this morning he couldn't understand why anyone would want to volunteer to go home after getting to work.  "You go to all that trouble to get ready, why turn around and go home?" he said.  My response after deciding to leave early, "I have things to do at home."  So I left work early, went home, packed up some stuff, and headed for the studio.  Other things I am happy about today: At the studio I sewed, embroidered, and did some rug braiding.  Day 39 A&S challenge done! At the studio I took a nap. At the studio I watched the sun rise. I keep a flannel shirt and pair of slippers at the studio.  It kind of feels a little like Mr. Rogers when I get there and change.  I do something similar at home, somehow it feels more Mr. Rogers-esque at the studio.  "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood." At home I ate, relaxed, and made dinner for the family.  It was a good day.  Cats sleep in some weird ways!...

 Zed and Gideon both got drones for Christmas this year.  I know very little about them in general, but Zed's is supposed to be really great.  What I love about this is not the drone.  When Zed talks about this or shows me what it can do he just lights up.  Sometimes, the happy things are seeing how happy other people are and listening to them as they talk about their happiness.  Other happy things for me today: Aesop, our dog, was good and didn't get up on the couch while our cat, Winston, was there.  Aesop stood at the couch, his nose to a bone, and started to fall asleep. Eventually I picked up Aesop, snuggled him, and he did take a little nap.   Yay!  Warm puppy snuggles. For my third day of the 100 day A&S Challenge I did a little tablet weaving.  It turned out to mostly be trying to fix a mess I made.  I couldn't remember what I had been trying to do so I tried to take out a few rows.  Thirty minutes later I had...