Old Photos

 It is late.  In an attempt to both stay awake and make this short, I am using my standing desk.  For the next few weeks we have an additional person in our home pod.  Seven people seems like so many even though it is just one more than six.  In a few weeks Bel, Folke and this new person (I'll figure out a name for them when I am more awake) will leave and our pod here will be four people.  For now, I am happy to have so many people nearby.  Other things I am happy about:

• In the downsizing news I went through two boxes today!  They were mostly clothes and most of them are going to be finding a new home.
• Bel and Winston the cat were adorable this morning rubbing heads together.  Unfortunately I pulled the camera out too late.

• Soon after we got the cats a cardboard tower was made for them.  Parts of the tower started to fall today, with Winston inside.  Thankfully Keziah was quick and there was no harm to the cats or people.  The top bridge of the tower is now a floor toy and Keziah is planning out the next great cat playground.  The cardboard lasted longer than expected.

The tower bridge no longer bridges over a doorway.

• I re-found some old pictures today.  At some point I will look through my genealogy things to learn how some of the folks are related.  I know my great-grandparents are part of the group.  

The couple to the left, standing is John- sitting Nellie, 
are my great-grandparents
(unless I am off by a generation). 

The woman in the back in this picture 
is the same person as the one standing in the other.

☮

Today all I made time to read was a calendar that highlighted twelve saints and some works of art that represented them.

Stay safe.

Boxes, boxes

 In my effort to downsize I am going through one box a day.  Somedays the boxes contain things that are harder or more time consuming to go through.  This week has had its fair share of difficult boxes.  I realized that there will be fewer and fewer easy boxes.  At this point, if I haven't gone through it, it is most likely because it isn't easy.  There are many things that belonged to my parents.  My mom kept more paper than I have and it is hard to go through some of those things.  There is a part of me that wants to save things because she did.  Some days it is easier to squelch that part than others.  BUT, I am doing it.  I am doing the thing and saying goodbye to a bunch of stuff.  Keziah and I went to the apartment where my boxes are stacked today and found at least five boxes that we had gone through previously that were already slated to be donated.  They will be gone tomorrow.  We had done the sorting, just not the removing.  Someone else will enjoy these items and that is good.  Other things I am happy about:

• At one point during sorting I left the room; when I came back, Winston (orange cat) had found the one empty spot on my bed to take a nap.
• Sometimes I read my horoscope.  This morning's seemed to fit, at least a little, so I share it with you now.

• My mom used to make dolls and stuffed animals.  Sometimes she did this really well, other times not so much.  Today we said goodbye to the doll in the picture below.  The clothes the doll is wearing belonged to Keziah when she was a toddler.

The doll's sweatshirt says: Around here I'm the big cheese.

☮

Stay safe!

Windy Walk

 This morning Gideon had his first ski lesson.  He came home a little sore and ready to go back again next week for another lesson.  It sounds like he had a tough time with really heavy boots.  They were early for the lesson and he had tired himself out before the lesson by wearing the boots.  There are some exercises we are going to have him do help out.  Other things I am happy for today:

• While Gideon and Keziah were at the ski place, I went for a walk here at home.  I listened to my book and walked four miles along the sidewalk.  It is windy again.  I didn't notice the wind much until I turned and headed home.  It was right in my face.  When I got home, I got warm.
• Nanni, the brown/grey tabby, met her vet today for a well visit.  There were no surprises.  Yay!  
• The vet is a childhood friend of Keziah's.  It was nice to see her.  
• We did another surprise visit tonight at a friend's house who got an award.  So much fun to see people if only for a quick congratulations.  We should have thought of this in the beginning of the pandemic.

Just a quick picture I took from the passenger seat.

☮

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

Currently listening to Quiet, by Susan Cain.

Stay safe.

Simplify!

 Keeping to my current downsizing theme, March 3, 2021 is "Simplify Your Life Day!"  Apparently August is Simplify Your Life Month.  I have added that to my calendar for the month of August.  Ideally, most of the world will be in pandemic recovery mode by then, or close to it.  The box I went through today ended up being simple, most of the box had wires and electronics and I let Zed decide what should stay and what should go.  I held on to a Polaroid camera, an outlet expander, and a remote control to a DVD player.  Until I have gone through all my boxes and things I am holding onto remote controls.  Bel is randomly bringing me over a box a day so I won't know what to expect.  Other things that I am happy about today:

• The last day and a half or so we had some strong winds.  I went out back on the property and didn't notice any new tree falls.  A few branches, and no trees.  This is good.
• Soon it will be spring.  A year ago today there was no ice on the river and Gideon had just a sweatshirt over his clothes for warmth when we went for a walk.  A year ago today is when we first looked at the house we are living in now.  There is ice on the river today and much more snow still on the ground compared to last year.  
• There is enough snow that I used the snowshoes on my walk today.  There are some places where the grass is poking through and the ice on the brook is melting.  

• It looks like there are birds building nests in the big birdhouse as well as over the awning.  I also saw Robins today.  They are another sign of spring.
• The cats sat at the door watching all the bird activity and saw a chipmunk too.  Their heads sometimes moved in unison as they watched.  

Hope this video works.

☮

Currently listening to Quiet, by Susan Cain.

Stay safe.

Old Stuff

 On February 16th I ordered geranium seeds.  The expected arrival date was today.  I have been anxiously checking the doorway every few hours hoping to find them.  Maybe they will get here tomorrow.  Since the geraniums seeds weren't here, I planted marigolds and some herbs.  I also planted some zucchini and sunflowers.  Did I mention that we have more heat pads for the seed starters?  Now if only the seeds would start!  Most of the seeds I am using are from what we purchased last year. 

They are all seeded.

Other things I am happy for today:

• It was NOT my night to make dinner!  
• So far, I am doing a better job keeping track of the things I am recording with the GoPro.  Ideally there won't be a long edit session at the end of the week to put together the downsizing footage.  
• Since downsizing is big on my daily to-do list right now, I thought it was funny when today turned out to be "National Old Stuff Day."  I added to my donate pile with some old stuff.

There was frost on the inside of my window this morning!

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Currently listening to Quiet, by Susan Cain.

Wash your hands.

Happy March!

 As the temperatures drop into the negatives tonight I am reminding myself that later this month is the first day of spring.  Suddenly I feel very behind on planting seeds.  Today was my day to make dinner.  Between that and other things to do during a day there was little time left to do any gardening.  Dinner was a big hit though.  I found a recipe for black bean enchiladas that came out really well.  It took me about an hour or so longer than the recipe suggests.  I love that I only have to cook once a week; this will not help me get faster preparing food though.  Thankfully I know this and give myself extra time.

Other things I am happy for today:  

• We got the second week video of downsizing/organizing up onto YouTube today.  There were some mistakes, but it is done.
• We played Dungeons and Dragons and are being attacked by different types of tree blights!
• I got outside today long enough to take care of the compost and snap some pictures of the sunset.

• Keziah and I also went out briefly to get dessert at Dairy Queen.  I got a Snickerdoodle Blizzard with extra Snickerdoodle flavoring stuff.  It was sweet and delicious.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Stay safe!

EdIt DaY

 Happy Sunday!  One of the things about being unemployed for me is that parts of the days just run together and other parts are specific to the weekend because other people do have day jobs.  I was hoping, since it is the weekend to take a walk with someone from the household.  It didn't work out that way.  People slept in, had errands to do, or online meetings to attend.  That is fine, I went on a little walk myself and listened to the audiobook.  While walking I also played a little Pokemon Go.  One of the options is to take a picture of my "pet" Pokemon.  When I did this today my picture was photobombed by another Pokemon.  Thank you to the people who designed this feature, it put a smile on my face today.

I caught that Smeargle, too!

Other happy things for today:

• Keziah and I are the people who had online meetings today.  In one of them I got to see the little young children of two different friends.  One of these is old enough that I met them before the pandemic, the other not so much.  So cute!
• It turns out that Zed's parents had some things for gardening that belonged to Zed and he stored there before we moved.  There is now another heating pad, more seed starters and a grow table with an adjustable light that just needs a bulb (I hope).  I'm looking forward to seeing what else I can plant.
• The new thing to do on Sunday is to edit the footage for the YouTube channel and downsizing.  We really need to do more during the week.  We are having fun going through and listening to voices speeding by as well as bloopers.

☮

Currently reading: The Burgess Book of Nature Lore, by Thornton W. Burgess.
Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.
Currently listening to Quiet, by Susan Cain.

Stay safe.