Elmo Bed

Yesterday was a nice day.

Starting with the thrifted lamp and my morning view. 

Cozy and peaceful.

I stopped for a coffee a bit out of town to donate men's shoes. Ethiopian owner -- incredible person. Love this place, but, sadly, rarely stop by because I have so many great choices in my town. He takes worn sneakers to be recycled into playground mats and others get donated directly to people in need. 

Texted my eldest and we met for a lunch -- political chat and how to get involved. 

Came home and made my grandson a bed for his Elmo doll out of craft scraps I had around. I'll make the blanket today. He's into imagination play right now -- so adorable. 

(It's sloppy, but it's just for a little playtime fun.)

Today is another mostly open day because I postponed the trip to Asheville. My cancel friend (who almost got a new moniker) canceled coffee today late last night. I'm sure it has to do with her grandchildren -- she says "too many moving parts" today. The coffee plans were initiated by her -- day and time too.

I'm trying (and a little failing) to let this roll-off, but it feels disrespectful to MY time to have a late cancel. I didn't opt for a lunch with someone today to hold this time. I could've said "something else came up" but I didn't. And, I know she's busy before she leaves to visit family this weekend -- so I "should" be more understanding. It's a pattern with her though. I don't believe she can't fit an hour in for a coffee so I expect this is a last minute babysitting ask from her daughter. 

I was starting to trust her ability to hold plans again, and this feels like a slide backwards. Her daughter ends maternity leave in February and my friend will be helping with 3 kids because they don't have a full-time sitter. Writing is on the wall. 

Anyway -- I have a social/political meeting tonight. The local organizers of No Kings is holding a social gathering to be with people who are standing up. We'll talk about what's happening, next steps, recruiting others, and share some time together. One of the head organizers in our area is a friend's daughter. The next No Kings Protest is March 28 -- my calendar is marked, signs are made. 

Hope you have a good day. Country is a shit-show, FBI entered Atlanta for voter records ... but we MUST find the good in our days too. Find the helpers. Be the helpers. Later gators.

Books and TV

Good morning. 

I just finished morning calls to my representatives. 

Urging you to do as well.

Important votes this week.

I got the court report written yesterday. Final read-through and edit today. I pushed ahead so I didn't get any of my little treats in, but it was worth it. Coherent and concise -- maybe, I'll find out today. There's so much redundancy in the sections so I need space before the final edit. 

Today is a relatively free day and you bet I'm having some fun today. I put out 2 last minute invitations for lunch and both were a no-go. Looks like it's me-myself-and-I AND a book. That makes me equally happy (if not a bit happier). 

Speaking of books, I finished this one from the author day. I liked it -- probably liked it more because of my time listening to the author. It's more interesting when you know extra details. Her writing process, her research, her background, her intentions, the editing, the cover design, etc. 

(Of course, that didn't help AT ALL with my hairdresser's book.)

Started this one. Rosamunde Pilcher is a comfort read for me. Not a palette cleanser, fast, engaging (like a suspense book) ... but a slow, quiet, lovely read. It's a chonker and I read it slowly, but it's exactly what I need right now. A quiet escape to help fill my tank a teeny tiny bit. I absolutely LOVE the way she writes -- her stories are a slow burn, but the writing engages you all the way. 

Speaking of comfort ... I'm rewatching Rizzoli and Isles. Not sure I'll watch the entire show again, but it's nice for now. I know, it's murder, but it's cozy murder. And the relationships on the show -- family and friends feels comforting to watch. It has a lot of funny one-liners. 

I'm super slowly reading this book. It's NOT a tank filler, but feels important to read. I probably won't finish the entire book (skim parts), but I want to get a sense of the messaging. 

The question is which book today? Comfort or important?? Maybe I'll bring both along and decide. I need to go to a coffee shop to drop a donation AND I want to go to lunch. One book for each? Actually, Abundance might win out because I want to get it finished and it's not a good book to read before bed. Hmmm.

I made an appointment next week with my acupuncturist because my foot isn't completely healing. Hopefully, this can get it to the finish line. I miss hiking and running. 

That'll push my Asheville trip yet another day. Of course, weather is still iffy with a potential storm over the weekend so who knows when I'll get there. 

That's winter for you --- and I'll take it. Worth the inconvenience. 

Have a good day. Later gators. 

Give Me a Sign

Made signs yesterday morning. 

Took the longest ...
letters take me forever,
and involve MATH.

Saw this on IG.
This was quick.

Hubby and I grabbed lunch, ran a few errands, and I made one more sign. 

A bit snarky.

A bit sloppy (I was losing steam rapidly ...)

But, I like it.

(Copied from a picture I saw on IG)

I watched a webinar on ICE last night. Informative.

Shared the link with friends -- getting others involved is part of taking action.

One of the errands was a Marketplace pickup at a favorite antique market. There was a set of vintage lamps, but one was damaged. Nice lighting makes a difference and I'm slowly replacing cheap lamps. 

Good lamp shades are hard to find too. Cheap white ones everywhere. It's really complicated to find a replacement shade -- size in both directions, shape, attachment (you can buy adaptors). I've gotten it wrong so many times. How the shade attaches makes a difference in the overall fit and the combination of both make it complicated. I guess I need to learn to cover the plain ones. When I look for lamps, I only buy ones with shades and shades are something different than plain white. 

It's really heavy and pretty.
Wish it were a tad bigger.

Today is mostly court report writing. Good lord, it takes a long time and this is another tricky one. Hours and hours trying to get the wording and the reporting tone right.

I'll also figure out a little fun today. Maybe a rock painting minute. Maybe a coffee house with a book. We'll see. It's bitter cold again this morning. Not complaining at all. We need a deep freeze to kill surface eggs or our summer is extra bug infested. 

It's time for the grow room. It was on the schedule for Sunday, but no power ended that idea. Way too dark in the basement. I also need to figure out WHERE. I planned to do it in the storage area, but realized it might be too cold. Maybe it'll be warmer soon and I have a heating pad. 

Decisions. I don't want to go to all the trouble only to get no yield. But it takes up a lot of room and is an eye sore and messy. Moved this to the weekend schedule. I need to do some thinking. 

That's all for this morning. Hope you're having a good week. 

I'll update on books and TV shows tomorrow (if I get my act together). 

I also have an update on my aches and pains -- with a possible cause. Riveting, right?!?

Later gators. 

Back to Business

Well, I spoke too soon yesterday. 

Power went out about an hour after I posted -- 8 hours. 

We could hear transformers blowing over and over.

It was a LONG day hah.

Looks like it's all good for today. Roads are dry. 

I was planning to go to Asheville tomorrow, but I moved it to next week. Asheville is sheet of ice and temps are staying low. 

So what's on the agenda today?

First up (already) -- and every day ... calling my representatives. It matters and I urge you to do the same. In a sea of "what can I do" ... this is easy and fast and important. You can call at anytime -- remember to leave your address or it doesn't count. 

When I called yesterday, I burst into tears. It was hard to get the words out. I'm so sad for MN and so proud of them too. 

I invited the hiking group to make signs for local protests, but it got canceled because of something the weather. I want to have signs ready to go because that's what's stopping me from joining the local protests -- don't have a sign, don't even have supplies. Many small protests are last minute.

Bought all the stuff (and extra for everyone else), changed the date to today at the request of a couple of the ladies. Someone suggested last Thursday that we postpone it and they fell like a deck of cards. I understand -- no one should come out in ice (but the roads are clear this morning) and Thursday was a bit premature to make that call. 

I said nope -- I'm still making signs. Glad to join the group if they decide another date (but I'm not hosting or bringing all the supplies). That was my offer -- and the offer expired. This group cancels on a dime and I'm not trying again. They have no skin in the game so it was no big deal for everyone to cancel. If I thought another date change would hold, I would've changed it. I KNOW it'll be the same next time too -- just some other excuse.

As it turns out, the roads are dry and we could've done this as a group. Of course, it could've been too icy, but why not wait to make the call until after the storm. If it was too icy, it's not like anyone would've made other plans. I said it nicely, but not people-pleasing this group anymore. I bet everyone drives somewhere today.

And, I'll enjoy making signs by myself. Some music, some tea -- creative project with a purpose. 

I painted a rock yesterday while there was enough window light. I messed up the umbrella and had to "fix" it -- not the look I was planning, but it's okay. Maybe I'll try this one again at some point.

A workout.

More court report writing.

That's my day. 

It's Monday and I feel relief in the proverbial reset of a new week. 

Last week was a lot, the weekend (and MN) was so much. I'm "off" again. Looking to set myself back on track today. The week looks different, a little quieter since I was planning to be out of town. I'll take it. 

I need to remember to use the quiet for good though. This isn't a "pull-the-covers-over-my-head, cheese, and sugar" week hah. Sounds good, but feels crappy. 

I have the luxury of finding space to fill up my tanks again. Last week took it out of me. Showing up for myself and my community in other ways this week.

Have a good Monday. Later gators.

Heavy Heart

Power is still on. We got about 1/4" of ice overnight. Looks like shiny rain, but when you step on it you know it's ice. It'll stay freezing rain until about noon, then over to just rain.

Asheville's power is on too, but our cameras show more ice and it's still coming down.

But, this feels extra unimportant. 

The execution in MN yesterday is overwhelming. 

My god. 

What is happening?

What can WE do?

Where is sanity?

Where is our humanity?

Where the f*^K is our government?

Also -- call your Senators and Representatives. There's an app if you need help. 5 Calls. 

I don't have anything else to say today.

I hope you stay safe and warm. My heart and prayers and unbelievable admiration to the people of MN. They are showing us the way. 

9 - 5

9-5 yesterday -- meetings and volunteering.

(And, yes, the song is on repeat in my head.)

From one thing to the next.

Long day. All worthy efforts.

I need to be careful to not get sucked into EVERYTHING though. I want to hold the priorities that feel right for me to focus. It's hard to say no, but I'll end up feeling like it's too much and detach too far. There is SO MUCH to do. If everyone does a part and does the part(s) that speaks to them, we can start to fill in gaps and make progress. All the services are worthy, but we need ALL of us in action. 

(I'll stop here, because I feel a rant starting!)

Of course, we're all bracing for the whopper of a storm coming overnight. 

Power outages are the concern for us (we don't need to be on the roads fortunately).

No power can mean frozen pipes, etc. 

Hats off to the line workers -- dangerous, exhausting work ahead.

Calm before the storm. 

(It's moments like this that I'm especially glad I'm retired. Mandated to the hospital, treacherous driving, short staffed. Good to have that behind me. Hearts to those still doing it.)

Our back porch construction starts today. We should've postponed (and I hope the contractor changes his mind). No way he'll finish today and that feels like the last thing we need ahead of what could be a real mess. The decision was made between two men -- shocking, right? Nice to not be involved with this, but ... then I get what I get.

I have to work on a report for my volunteer position today -- the one that takes hours and hours to write. It's due next week, but I'd like to get a chunk finished today. If we have power, I'll finish it up tomorrow. And, as almost every time, my supervisor is away and "sorry I won't be available to answer questions." The report can only be written so far in advance so it's not like I can adjust my timeframe more than a few days. I wish I had a different supervisor. Frankly, she's the dud of the group. 

Next week is totally up-in-the-air with the storm. The icing will end around mid-day tomorrow. Fingers crossed for everyone. Many people are bracing for a long road ahead. 

If I don't check in, we lost power. I'll be back when all is well.

Stay safe and warm. Later gators.

Different Ways of Good

Having fun is, well, FUN!

It feels good. 

My week has been anything but fun.

And, it feels GOOD.

I need both kinds of good.

Keeping promises to myself. Leaning into who I want to be. Hooking up Future Me. Helping people. Making the extra effort.

Gardening class was fantastic. I was reminded of a lot AND learned a lot -- always worth it.

Went to the women's meeting. Long and very informative -- well worth going.

Lots of things in-between. Targeted donations to specific people, errands for future gatherings, getting ready for a grow-room (and sharing plants).

More not-so-fun to come on Friday and a bit next week too. 

First soup set and ready for the freezer (second one today). Veggie, quinoa, chickpea. Warm and flavorful and filling. It's a go-to soup with no recipe. Just whatever I have and add warm spices. 

A little time to paint a rock ...

As much as I'm grumbling about "no fun," today is FUN. My HS friend is coming over to see the house and we're going to lunch. 

I'm giving her letters from 1988 that she wrote to me. One letter announces the "new boyfriend" who she's been married to for 33 years -- the way she describes him is adorable. The second letter says she thinks it's going so well and this has legs -- "it's wonderful." So sweet! No one from HS even remembers writing letters, let alone saving them. I'm happy I did and even happier that I can give them back 37+ years later. Who would know we'd still be friends?

Chores this morning. Trying to get things finished ahead of potential power outages on Sunday. We have overhead lines at this house -- doesn't bode well. 

Have a good day -- whatever kind of good. Later gators.