Peak

 During this peak season at work I have spread myself a little too thin.  There hasn't been enough sleep.  It is my hope that after I finish writing this I will get a fair amount of sleep before having to wake up for another eleven hour night on my feet.  I honestly thought I was going to fall asleep while standing at work.  I didn't.  In fact, at one point they pulled another person off the line which made what I had to do go from three aisles to five and I was able to rally and do a pretty good job at getting the work done.  That is my happy thing for today.

Sunset.

☮

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

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

Sleep

 It is not yet four o'clock in the afternoon and I am ready to go to sleep.  That means that I could get over six hours of sleep before going to work again tonight.  According to Fitbit, the last four nights I have not exceeded five hours.  The potential for sleep is high and I am calling that my happy for today.  I also had a nice talk with TF today.  I just really need sleep.  I had to do laundry or would have been ready for sleep earlier... Hey!  I did laundry, another thing to be happy for.  Thanks for being here.

☮

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.

Veteran's Day

 There is a list at work for people who want to volunteer to go home early.  I added my name and only worked about an hour and a half.  I wanted to be able to visit with my friends before they left today.  As I walked into the parking lot I saw my chance to take a photo of the trees that line it.  They are a lovely color that the camera didn't quite capture.

When I got home I was going to try to write, instead I got almost four more hours of sleep!  That sleep helped me be more refreshed during the day.  Other happy things for today:

• My aunt came up from Massachusetts for a short visit.  It was great to see her.  Unfortunately I couldn't remember the mental list of family questions I have, maybe next time.
• We got the tour of the RV before our friends, Kimberly and Dennis, left with their son and his partner.  Tomorrow they board a train and head south.  

Milling about...

• Keziah and I had a nice walk with Aesop just after dark.  I'm happy he behaved well.  The last few walks I've had treats to help out and forgot them tonight.

☮

Thank you Veterans.

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

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

Overslept

 Yesterday's goal was to get a nice long sleep.  I did sleep a lot, but it wasn't in one chunk.  I forgot to turn off the ringer on my phone so I slept until it rang, and then a little more for almost four hours.  After tossing and turning about two and half hours I slept for a little over three and a half more hours.  This would be great, right?  Except the one alarm that was set I dismissed and went back to sleep and actually woke up AFTER I should have been to work.  The good part in all of this is that I still have a job, they seemed relieved to have a person there, I wasn't a no-show.  The happy part is that after work I talked to HR and learned how to "call in" should anything like this happen again.  It is all through an app, not a phone call, and I just didn't dig deep enough and went to work.  Other happy things for today:

• They had me do a different thing at work, divert.  I push, pull, or leave in the middle the packages as they go by on the roller style conveyor.  So there I am, the packages going by, push, pull, push, pull and I realize that it is like swimming.  So I decided I should try to write a poem or something but whenever my mind got too far off the task, the task let me know that it was the important thing that I should be concentrating on.  So no poem.  I get home and I look at my Fitbit app and it tells me that it noticed that I went swimming and logged a 40 minute exercise session for me.  Hahaha!
• After work I pulled out some more energy and took the weedwacker to the back property.  Okay, not all the back property, but I made headway on wacking a path through to make it easier to see the hazards we are stepping on while walking back there.  

So much green!
I feel a little guilty wacking the green down,
Last year things were more brown than green.

The majority of white poofy things are from 
wild lettuce.

Yellow Toadflax.

• It is Minecraft Friday!

☮

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

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

Sleep

 Falling asleep is getting harder for me.  Instead of doing lots of things after work today, I have just done a few things and I'm going to try to sleep the afternoon away.  Happy things today include:

• TF did some looking back and we have been doing the weekly accountability thing with each other for about nine months!  Having support and someone to talk to about all the things to do has helped to keep me on track.
• I'm planning a hike on Saturday with a friend and I am excited about that.

☮

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


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.

Thursdays

 It seems that Thursdays have become my day to not sleep.  Next week, I will be working Friday too and I hope for better.  Because of this I am very tired and will attempt to make this short.  Happy things for today are:

• Gideon was talking about chunky peanut butter and I thought he said trunky (trunkie?).  We made up a definition for this new to us word.  This was fun, but the question out of Gideon was about whether or not other cultures had a similar way, like our adding a -y/-ie suffix to words, in their languages.  Ways that just quickly modify any word to change its form like we do in English.  I love my grandson and the way his mind thinks.
• I did try to sleep today.  Nanni curled up next to me and slept quite soundly.  She even let me pet her belly.

I believe this is the cutest
 picture I have of Nanni.

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

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

National Park Service Founders Day

 As stated occasionally in a previous post, I don't like coming up with titles.  However, in looking for an idea today I came across National Park Service Founders Day.  After reading this article about the holiday and the parks, I am reminded why visiting them all is not a goal, there are just too many.  Too many for me to visit time and money-wise.  I'd love if even more parks and protected areas existed.  This date is now added to my Google Calendar to repeat forever to remind me.  Other happy things for today:

• I remembered to water plants.  I have been very bad about this since getting a job.  I'm happy to write that the geraniums that are still in the cellar are still alive.  They seem to be doing better with the artificial light than the ones outside.  Still no flowers, maybe next year.

• The jewelweed is blooming and the bees are busy visiting it as well as the Japanese knotweed that is threatening to push out the jewelweed.  

Jewelweed flower close-up.

Bee on the Japanese knotweed.

• Yesterday I got a reasonable amount of sleep which made my time at work so much better!  Here is hoping I get to sleep today too.

☮

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

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

Sleep?

 My hope of getting at least five hours of sleep last night was squashed when an email from work came just as I was settling in.  Someone at work has Covid.  It is not someone that I worked with apparently because I was informed with the group notification and not privately.  I'm thankful that I am vaccinated (athough that there are variations now is kind of scary) and that the company insisted that we all wear masks during this uptick in cases.  The bright side is that it is highly unlikely that I have covid.  Other happy things for today:

• The friend that is staying here temporarily was in Roman garb when I got home.  She is making it for an event.  It was beautiful and she looked beautiful in it.  Sorry, no picture.
• Another sorry, no picture, is the moon this morning at work.  It is still mostly full and its round orb glowed through the clouds as if breaking through.  "Take that, Henri!" the moon seemed to say to the dissipating former hurricane.  We actually ended up with no major weather from the storm.  It rained, but the wind had calmed a bit before getting here.
• I'm trying to turn in early so I will be fresh and feeling well when I go to work in the morning.  

☮

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

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

Through the camera

 When I get home from work I am usually pretty tired.  Somedays I am able to push through to get other things accomplished.  This was not one of those days.  I fell asleep for a little while.  After that I was able to push through doing the dishes and taking a walk with Keziah, Gideon, and Aesop-the dog.  Other happy things for today include:

• Watching Gideon ride his scooter.  He is getting much better at it this summer, more confident.

• Our walk was along a bike trail that is alongside Interstate 89.  It seems like it should be a peaceful place but the cars are loud in some places.  Finding the entire trail is on my bucket list.  We've done this part before and it seems to have a definite beginning and ending.  Walking this today has reminded me that there are trails that stem from this one that could someday be explored.

Under the highway...

• Here are some pictures that highlight some happy things.

Keziah and Aesop.

Highway bridge.

Waterway.

I love how the black-eyed Susans are adorned by the oak leaves.

Trying to be artsy.

This vetch is a little different from what I have seen on our property.
Lens identifies this as crownvetch.  We have cow vetch.

Lens is split between this being white campion or night-flowering catchfly.
Had the flowers been open, it would be easier to tell the difference.

Family!!

☮

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


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

Heat is On

 Writing is hard.  Some days words flow from my fingers and others they do not.  With my new work schedule all my routines are strange.  So strange that it is 2:20 in the afternoon, I am writing before I go to sleep, and I feel like only half a day has gone by.  Things have happened though and I am happy to have these happy things to write about:

• Since I have not been able to completely close up the garden yet, I put a few of the plants into larger pots for now, rather than the ground.  They are also still inside the house, albeit the porch, so much closer to the elements.  I'm not sure when I will get to work on the fence again, things are rather busy right now.  Yay!  Some of the plants have more room to grow.  I also remembered to fertilize some of the plants.

Pumpkin.

• The area is under a heat advisory now.  Instead of meeting at a park, my friend, Amy, and I went to the mall to get in some solid stepping.  My step goal was reached, great conversation, and Amy reminded me of some very important SCA things that are coming up.
• With the heat advisory and sleep during the day, the portable AC is now in my room.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Thanks for reading.  Stay safe.

All About the Gideon

 Keziah and Zed are off celebrating their eleventh year anniversary this weekend.  Gideon is having an adventure weekend with different family members.  Today, with me, was adventure prep.  We went to the store and got the last few things he needs, like bug spray, for the weekend.  It was our own little shopping adventure.  Other happy things for today:

• Gideon was a super helper this morning when we worked on sewing up more of the garden fence to the deer netting.  
• Gideon was a super good sport when we tried to set up a Minecraft game by getting the two computers to talk to each other and we failed.  
• Gideon was also awesome and quiet while I slept this afternoon.  I hope I am ready to work nights starting Tuesday!
• In the late afternoon I went out and deadheaded the rose bushes and pulled some weeds.  I also found fresh blossoms.  

Butterfly Bush.

Butterfly Bush, close up.

Yellow daylily.

Orange daylily.

Roses.

A rose.

More roses.  Yes, everything smells like roses.

• Nanni watched me prune the roses through the porch window.

Nanni.

🌹 ☮ 🌹

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Thanks for reading!  Stay safe.

Dear Universe

 As I rest, trying to take a nap as part of my shifting sleep schedule to prepare to work nights, I question my sanity.  Are nights really going to work for me?  Why did I choose nights anyway?  I have worked nights in the past, I know I can.  I chose a three day work week.  I have wanted a three day work week for years.  A few years ago I wrote this and put it onto my LinkedIn account:

"Dear Universe,

I would like a change in jobs. I'd like to make at least $15 an hour plus benefits. 3 day full-time work week preferred with 12 hour days, no weekends required. Peaceful and happy with a moderate activity level, I like to be walking around. Within 45 minutes of my home and still in NH, although I am willing to travel. Independent work or friendly environment that will fit well with my life. Time off for Vacations, Holidays and Pennsic are a must. Willing to learn while still earning. Suggestions welcome.

PS-Something that might help me to learn or train more for hiking the AT might be nice too. :)"

The shifts are 10 hours long instead of twelve, but there are benefits and it is over $15 an hour.  No weekends, but that could change during busy/overtime periods.  I may have to work on holidays.  They could also decide to just change my hours.  I won't know the answers to some of my requests to the Universe until I have started working.  It seems like I am getting most of what I asked for.  Only time will tell if my request was poor.  All this means is that I am not losing my sanity (or it isn't there to be lost🤪).  Yay!  Other happy things for today:

• Wildflowers.

This is called Fox and Cubs.
I had a different name for it, but
research shows that I am wrong.
Either way, I like it.
Yes, like much on this property,
it is considered invasive.

Lens has told me this is meadow hawkweed.

I didn't need Lens to tell me this is a daisy.

• I climbed into the netting and picked SIX strawberries!  One of them was really tiny.  The netting seems to be helping to keep the animals away from them.  I added some more landscape staples to hold the net down better in a few places.

Photo courtesy of Keziah.

Big basket for a few lovely strawberrries.

• Last year the blueberries were eaten by birds before we had any.  This was followed by the drought and I thought we were going to lose the bush.  It seems to be coming back though.  There won't be too many blueberries, but it looks like we might get some.

Not the clearest picture...
They should be ripe some time in July.

• The roses that are by the shed are opening now too.

Roses.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Thank you for reading!  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.