The Last Monday of 2021

 Another lazy day for me.  I did get my step count in and clear the snow off the car.  I also played on Gideon's Switch to do that exercise game.  That game might be designed for kids, but I am feeling it in my arms and having fun.  Other happy things for today include:

• I might have seen a junco.  Even if it wasn't, the thought that the birds are probably around for winter made me happy.  There were birds singing outside, behind the screen and branches, and as I tried to get closer it left my line of vision.  I think the birds in the picture are sparrows.

• The clouds had muted colors and looked like a soft fluffy blanket.

• That game of Gideon's on the Switch?  Gideon is really enjoying it too.  I'm happy that he is getting more, and different, types of movement.  He will be skiing soon and there are exercises that will help him prepare for the slopes.

☮

Currently reading: The Middle Ages: A Graphic History, by Eleanor Janega and Neil Max Emmanuel.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Doctor

For a few different reasons I haven't had a regular 'yearly' physical in about two years. Today I started getting back on track and can now check that off my list of things to do. Yay!  I also had my flu shot. Other happy things for today:

• Keziah was kind enough to drive since I had worked all night prior to the appointment and my doctor is about 40 minutes away.   It was also good to have that ride time to talk with my daughter.
• The cold air made the clouds look like a soft  blanket that the sun shone through.  

☮

Currently listening to: The Autobiography of Santa Claus, as told to Jeff Guinn.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Look to the Sky

 This morning Keziah and I took Aesop to a local dog park. ALL the dogs were much larger than Aesop. He would have fun, then seem a bit overwhelmed, have fun, overwhelmed. We brought him to the other side of the fence and he played with one of the big dogs through the fence. Eventually we took him for a walk on the trails near the park. They are brand new trails with big bridges near the river.  It is a beautiful area.

We let Aesop be on the long leash.

Deer prints!

Other happy things from today:

• Zed, Gideon and I got up before dawn to try to see the lunar eclipse.  The rain had stopped and the clouds thinned when we first went out.  We got occasional glimpses of the moon, mostly a dark orange color with a sliver of it bright and silvery.

As usual, the camera on my phone doesn't capture the moon well.
The batteries needed charging on the other camera.

• The moon had a magical look when thin layers of clouds would glide between us and the moon.
• The sky got clearer as the time passed.  We all saw at least one shooting star.  These were most likely part of the Leonid meteor shower that was at peak the previous night.
• The constellations were also big and shiney once the clouds went away.

Much of Orion.

• After Gideon went back to bed, Zed and I saw four different satellites.  I Googled where the International Space Station should be and it is unlikely that any of the satellites were it.
• While the sky was performing above, we performed a ritual below.  Zed decided to take an old shirt that he should have just gotten rid of and burn it.  So, I decided to burn something too.  There was a nightshirt of my mother's that I put into my rotation of night clothes after she died.  It was threadbare and tearing but still extremely comfortable.  I recently purchased some new nightshirts and was going to get rid of it then, but didn't.  It had a Halloween-ish theme, so maybe after that, nope.  Maybe it was more autumn and could wait until after Thanksgiving... I have a problem.  It is gone and before Thanksgiving because Zed wanted to burn his shirt.  These two items of clothing as well as some sticks and old mail are now ash.  Zed saved some of the ash, he has a plan.  The rest is for me and it will go to feed part of the garden.

Ash...

The nightshirt went up real fast.

Burn!!

• Another lovely sunset.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, by Ann Larkin Hansen.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Steps

 Monday's can be hard.  It is my day to try to reacclimate my body to working nights.  This morning I spent writing for NaNoWriMo.  I am pleased with my total word count as I have reached the halfway point and have slightly more than half the words needed to reach my goal.  My goal for the month is 11,000 words and I have written 5738.  It is possible that work will start having mandatory extra time as the holidays get closer.  Hopefully I'll be able to keep writing.  Other happy things for today:

• This morning the air was cold and there were clouds below us over the river.  I'm not sure how well it shows up in the picture behind the trees.

• Steps were made in planning for an SCA event in the spring.
• I stepped out of my shell for a moment and made small talk with a person in line at the store.  She reminded me of my ex husband's grandmother.  
• The afternoon clouds were absolutely fantastic today (except for the one that rained on me).  They were big and full of cold wetness.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, by Ann Larkin Hansen.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Frosty Morning

 Last night was the first frost of the season.  I'm not ready.  There are things I want to plant.  The cold also made it hard for me to sleep last night.  One of today's tasks became making sure all the radiators were cleaned off and now the heat is on.  Other happy things for today are:

• Being the person to take Aesop out first this morning gave me a chance to see the beauty of the tiny ice crystals clinging to the plants.

Frosted black-eyed Susan.

• After lunch, I met a friend at the Tower Hill Pond Trails and we caught up.  We walked the loop around the pond but there are many trails that spur off.  

• As the sun was setting I noticed part of a cloud formation.  To me that one part  looks like one wing, like that of an angel.

☮

Currently reading:  Mount Washington A Guide and Short History, by Peter E. Randall.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Sleep

 It has been a long three days of working with minimal sleep to carry me through.  I had a nap this afternoon and it helped me feel human this evening with the family.  Yay nap!  Other happy things for today:

• Fluffy clouds. 

Clouds and maybe a vulture?

• Over the weekend I made some ajustments to how the wildlife camera hung on the tree.  When I went to check on it I was met on the trail with many colors.  This is such a pretty time of year. 

• I took a few minutes to braid some of the wool that might someday become a rug.  I started this when I was a teenager and then it sat in a box for forty-ish years.  I only did a couple inches, but something is better than nothing.

☮

Currently reading:  Mount Washington A Guide and Short History, by Peter E. Randall.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Roof Time

 It is 2:30 in the afternoon and I am up on the roof. This particular roof has a soft slope making it fairly easy to walk on. Currently I am taking a break from paint scraping to write this and watch the clouds meander overhead.

In the back, thrown weapons practice is happening.  Even with the loud traffic passing by the house, the roof seems peaceful.  

It is late in the evening and time for me to reflect on other happy things from today:

• For a little while there was a friend to help me with the paint scraping.  He had more experience and taught me a little more about some of the finer details of scraping paint from a house and some of the reasons why things are done the way they are.  The scraping and wire brushing is done for today.  The replacement clapboards on this small upstairs section are up too.

• At some point I took a break from the roof to practice throwing knives.  I had trouble making them stick but one time, all four knives landed well.

• The full moon is a few days away.  Tonight it was bright and beautiful.

• Aesop, the dog.

I call this picture, "You don't see me."

☮

Currently reading:  Mount Washington A Guide and Short History, by Peter E. Randall.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Poison?

 My initial plan for this afternoon was to get to sleep as early as possible after work.  That didn't happen.  Well, I might have drifted off to sleep for a few minutes when I was stretching out my back after work, but that doesn't count.  Instead I mentioned that the Zed's car needs to get inspected and the next thing I know we are driving to drop it off.  Yay proactivity?!  Other happy things for today:

• While mowing this afternoon I saw a praying mantis in the area that used to be a garden and I hope will be again some day.
• The car has working headlights again.
• We stopped at Dairy Queen and they have pumpkin pie blizzards for the fall.  I had them add extra flavor.  It was yummy.  I have no idea if there is any real pumpkin in it or just flavor.
• According to Lens, I have belladonna or nightshade in the sheep manure compost pile.  I'm happy that I am able to identify it.

Black nightshade...

• 
  

  

  Storms comin'.

  
  

☮

Currently reading: Backpacking: A Hedonist’s Guide, by Rick Greenspan and Hal Kahn.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Oops

 For a few minutes today I thought I had finally figured out how to push boxes across the floor at work.  Then the boxes stopped and I didn't.  I bit back the tears, I picked myself up off the floor and finished the job I was working on.  Then I told someone what happened, they gave me ice packs and ibuprofen, and asked me lots of questions.  Although other people puch boxes along the floor they aren't supposed to be and I won't be trying to anymore.  I'm fairly certain that I just have a few bruises and everything will be okay, for that I am happy.  Other happy things for today are:

• Today was my last day of work until next Tuesday.  That leaves me plenyy of time to recuperate from the fall.
• On the way to work I drove through the remnants of hurricane Ida.  Because of all the rain forcasted I stayed inside during my first break and lunch.  The last break was bright and sunny and I went out to the car where I enjoyed fresh, recently cleaned air.

Clouds

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, by Ann Larkin Hansen.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

ALSO...I will be camping at an event this weekend and my internet will be low.  I may not be able to post for a few days.

On the Road

This weekend I am traveling with two friends. Today we drove to Pennsylvania and made it safely to our hotel. Other than traffic, we didn't have any big problems. Since my time to write is generally at bedtime and I don't want to keep my friends awake, this might be short. Happy things other than safely getting to our destination are:

• It wasn't until I got out of the car to meet my friends that I became really excited and believed that this trip was happening.  With the pandemic, anything could have changed our plans.  Yay!
• We are traveling in a truck belonging to one of the friends and she let me drive part of the time. It is a good sized Dodge Ram, I think. It drives beautifully. She and I have gone on long trips before and this is the first time I've been able to drive it.

• We had many laughs along the way.

• There were also some lovely views, I was even able to photograph a few.

Somewhere in Massachusetts.

Somewhere in New York, I think.

Pennsylvania at a rest stop.

☮

Currently reading: Backpacking: A Hedonist’s Guide, by Rick Greenspan and Hal Kahn.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Strawberry

 Day two of getting up super early was not a complete success.  I was out of bed before five in the morning, but my first alarm went off at four.  Today's nap time went better, a little over two hours compared to yesterday's 40 minutes.  All this is to start training my body for when I start work overnights.  I have received confirmation and I start work in the wee hours of the morning on June 22nd.  Other happy things for today:

• Some basil made it into the garden today.  Hopefully the heat wasn't too much for it.

Tomatoes will go in that area too.

• Last night, after watering the plants, I noticed a chipmunk that seemed to be trying to get into the netted strawberries.  This morning I put some more landscaping staples through the net into the ground to make it more secure.  Then I harvested the very first strawberry!  It is the only one close to ripe.  I brought it inside and shared it with the family. It was our celebratory snack.

I can't cut even.

• A garter snake crossed my path.  I think that means good luck.  
• The weather was still in the 90's today.  I met a friend and we took a short walk.  It was shaded and lovely.  Still too hot though to exert too much energy.  

Roots and Lake Massabesic.

Lake Massabesic.

• My friend got me a hat.  A few weeks ago we had a talk about hats and long hair.  I'm loving the hat and am very grateful for generous friends.

The sides go up cowboy hat style.

My braids can fit out the back.
So loving that hat!

• Someday, that hat will get introduced to rain, not on the first day out though.  The sky had grown thick with clouds throughout the day.  Storms went by.  Things cooled a bit.

The heavy cloud broke open and spilled onto the earth.

• Zed's father came by to help Zed with a few things.  Afterwards, he came inside and visited for a short while.  We watched a bunch of the videos from the wildlife camera.  I haven't made the time recently to post any on YouTube.  So many things are changing...I'll try to do so again soon though.  It was nice to share and get reactions and discussions.

☮

Currently reading: The Burgess Book of Nature Lore, by Thornton W. Burgess.

Thanks for being here, stay safe.

And Then the Rain Came

 Somehow, I slept in today.  Just after nine this morning I woke up hearing Gideon talking excitedly with his dad.  I was not awake enough to remember what caused the excitement, probably just morning.  When I finally got outside I worked first for a short time on the triangle part of the driveway.  I only weeded out a small area there today before I started to weed out the area where the strawberries are.  When I came in for lunch I started looking at some of the Google Map and Google Earth views of the house.  I was hoping to find some clues as to what the property looked like over the years.  There used to be a way to search the history, but that is only using the Google Earth Pro version, so I had no luck there.  All I found was a very unkempt property with the images from 2019.  Eventually, perhaps the images from Google will start to look a little better.  Getting outside and working on the yard is a happy thing for me today.  Why?  Well, all the little happy parts that include:

•   The feeling of accomplishment I am getting as things start to look neater and grow.  There are things that I planted-like the tulips in the front; and things that are just growing-like the bluets in the back; and things planted years ago-like the daffodils, roses, and fruit trees that will hopefully benefit with less competition for resources.

Varigated tupip.

Pink tulip.

Someday there will be a tulip.

• When I came in for lunch I learned that Keziah and Gideon were planning out a playground for the property near where the pool used to be.  The pool has been gone since before we moved here, but the deck for it is still there.  They have some fun ideas and I look forward to seeing them work on this over the summer.
• After lunch I put the SD card back into the wildlife camera.  I doubt I will get out to check it again for a few days.  I did notice that even more bluets seem to be popping up.  One set in particular though looked more blue than others nearby.  I wonder what causes that?  A nutrient, DNA, or maybe just the lighting?

So many bluets!

These looked bluer in person.

This patch was maybe one foot away from the patch above.
The blue is far less striking.

• Oddly enough, I feel like the blue on the bluejays is more vibrant this year too.  I also saw sparrows, robins, mockingbirds, and a goldfinch.
• While digging up weeds near the strawberries I found more rocks.  I vaguely remember coming across them briefly last year.  This year I decided to investigate closer.  

The rocks were under a layer of dirt and grass.
They seem to have been placed there...
I pulled them out.

Other things I found along with the rocks
include a hinge and perhaps a gate latch?
There is also some glass, brick pieces, and
maybe a piece of porcelain.

Digging the weeds up turned into a minor archaeology dig.  I like rocks and these will probably end up on top of the dirt when I am able to get back to this area.  And then it started to rain.

Dark cloud rolling in.

• There were also strawberry blossoms on two of the plants and some of the peas are starting to sprout.

Strawberry blossom.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Wash your hands.