Happy Halloween!!

Trick or Treat.   There were some great costumes at school today.  The adult best, in my opinion, belongs to a group of teachers who worked together to be Shaggy, Scooby, Daphne, and Velma.  I didn't see the other teacher on that team but my guess is that he was Fred.

Z and I watched Coco while we ate dinner tonight.  He hadn't seen it before.   I apparantly hadn't seen it in its entirely before.  Last year I watched it at school and there must have been some distractions because there we🍄re new parts this time.  My eyes are sore from being tired and crying. 

Today's happy things include laughter with Z (in person), and K & Gideon (through various media); making dinner and what people thought I was for Halloween.   My thought was Tree Dryad.  I got, "what?" and "Huh?" When I said that.  So... Tree Dryad, Tree or Leaf Spirit or Nymph, Fall, Mother Nature, Tree, or Bush were some of the suggestions.  And my favorite answer, after telling them what I was, is that "I could even be a pile of leaves, just don't jump on me!"

My costume...

 Moving in the breeze.

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Walking

Again,  I made the mistake of sitting down when I got home from work.   There are some things I probably should have done.  Thankfully,  I did get up again and went for a walk.  It turned into a 4 mile walk where I wondered through various stores in town with no real goal in mind.  Eventually I found some autumn leaves at the dollar store and picked them up for tomorrow's costume. 

Had I not sat down when I got home, I still would have walked,  but it would have been in the woods before dark.  Darkness would have expedited the adventure and I would have gotten home much earlier to do other things.   I also wouldn't have the leaves for my costume.

To end this rambling I will write a happy thing for today.   At the end of school today a student told me they were happy.   They didn't give a reason,  just a smile and of they went.   This reminds me that I need to smile more.

Another happy, or at least curious thing, were the birds.  During my walk I came upon a tree that had many birds in it.  I took video that I will post.  Video doesn't always come through on this well so I apologize if it isn't viewable.

The tree.

The video is only about 21 seconds long. 

 

 Birds.

Colors.

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Not Sorry

Somehow I have managed to be out of the house more than in it lately.   Today that meant visiting people that I seldom see, outside of events, at their home.  They even fed me some delicious chicken parmesan for dinner.  They gave me the grand tour of their home-special edition because I'll be house sitting for them in a few weeks.  I look forward to browsing through their book shelves while I watch their house and keep it from running away.  😜  Seriously though,  laughter and conversation with friends is one of the best things and is my happy for today. 

Tired of friendship being my most common happy thing?  Sorry, not sorry.  Because smiles should be shared, here is a picture of my legs for Crazy Sock Day at school today.  🤣 

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Fall brown

Mondays and Fridays tend to be the hardest days of the week at work.  The  kids don't want to be there any day, but coming off a weekend or heading into one, even less.  It is pretty much the same with adults, but most adults are, you know, adult about it.  😜

This evening I went to help sort largess again.  This is somehow fun for me.  Something about sorting and discovering what things are I think.   A bag of rings,  some pouches,  pottery, necklaces, hoods, candles and so much more!!  Of course, it could be the company that is fun, too!  Helping a friend sort stuff is my happy for
today.

There is still color in the leaves, mostly shades of brown, but I love how many different shades there are.  

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Crafts

There are a few people at work that occasionally get together to craft and I managed to become part of that group.  Today we got together with someone I hadn't met before.  Some of the things that they chose to do were mixing herbs together for teas, aromatherapy, drawing, painting and crocheting.  I brought my loom and drafted a new design.  It took a few times but I got the design done and I am mostly pleased with how it came out.  I'm debating making the top just a little wider and shortening it all just by a row or two.  Either way getting this done, the pattern and the weaving, is my happy for today.

It's a musical instrument, like a harp or lyre.

Fall Foliage through the rain.

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Spontaneity

Sleeping in on a Saturday morning is a wonderful thing.   It seems like it has been a long time since I have been able to do so.  My day was going to be a relaxing day at home.  Or a chore filled and productive day at home.  It was neither.   

After waking up around 9:30 I remembered that there was an archery practice happening about 35 minutes away from 10-1.  I puttered, but eventually got ready and arrived at practice around 12:30; when everyone else was done.   On the way there I made an alternate plan for if the archery hosts weren't available after 1 and knew I would be okay if I didn't get to shoot.

No archery for me though.   Instead we talked about the costume we've been thinking about making for Birka in January.  This lead to a road trip to a fabric place about 2.5 miles from home in Maine.

Z had asked if I wanted to help him help a friend with moving.  This was also in Maine.   All these things and all the driving and I want sleep and it is around 4:30 AM.  Happy things for today are getting to spend time with Z and my other friend and finding fabric.

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Friday!!

It was a good ending to a not so good week.  I worked tonight at a dance for the middle school and a bonfire for the high school.  It went better than I expected.  Everything was Halloween themed so costumes, a spooky stroll and a carved pumpkin walk were some of the things the kids got to do.  It made for a late night for me, but I might do it again sometime. 

After the regular work day and before the activity night I had a few hours to burn so I ran an errand and went to the beach.  It was 55 degrees outside and the water temperature was about the same.  I walked barefoot on the beach, allowing the cool sand between my toes.  I should do that more often.

My list of happy things in no particular order:

• So many smiles on so many kids faces.
• Fire can be beautiful. 
• Shells-there structure and layers.
• Waves-the thunderous noise as they break upon the earth.
• Islands-in the distance.
• Sand-soft yet gritty; formable.
• Not sure if my computer will be ever get better, but it looks like we can access and SAVE all the files and pictures.
• Turning off my alarm clock for morning.
• Between a day a work, a walk on the beach, an evening at work walking around the school and pacing to get the last 600 steps-I totaled over 20,000 steps today. 

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Raging

Thanks to a conversation with a friend of mine, I have learned that there is such a thing as a Rage Room.  Some days this seems like a good idea.  We briefly discussed the possibilities of opening a business like that.  Briefly, in the end I don't think I would want to expose myself to so much anger, even if it really is just a for fun type business.  

From there I looked at a few other business ideas that were part of the same website.  Almost all of them were risk taking adventures.  And I mean that the product held a risk of injury to the target audience.  I expect that opening a business would be risky for the owners; I'd like to think that the business itself wasn't prone to hurting the customers though.  I think if I decided to start a business, I would want it to be relatively safe.  Unless it was something I was really passionate about, that might make a difference.  If only I had a business idea worth doing.

My happy for today is getting to spend time with friends.  Some in person, some on the phone.  And WOW, the talent in the East Kingdom is so awesome.  Things that I helped sort tonight of the largess for the Kingdom were lovely.  

Pretty sky.

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Patience

"You are the world's most patient person."  I was told this today.  More than once today people independently commented on my patience.   They didn't see the tears that I held back from spilling in order to keep that patience.  They didn't see the insecurity I have been feeling or the anxiety I have been biting back.  Should I even write about all this here?  It turns out that the original meaning of patience (see link) closely describes how I felt.  With the modern definitions, patience seems to be used more as what is perceived rather than what is experienced.  Only the second definition, here, seems to touch on the experience.  The way words change over time is an interesting study. 

Somehow, after the stresses of the day, my blood pressure was only 100/68 at my yearly appointment right after work.  The music in the car ride must have relaxed me a bit.  I went from having patience to being the patient and survived!

Before eating dinner tonight Z and I had to buy something to eat.  Walking to the local grocery store was the most healthy option and so we did.  We planned meals, had serious conversations and laughed at silly things along the way.  This walk is one I needed and is my happy for today.

And wow, that blue light!

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Numbers-short

K and Gideon arrived safely to Texas.

I worked all day and helped my local exchequer to balance the reports all afternoon and evening.  I can't say how many little things we made right that didn't change the bottom line at all.  There was one number that we kept looking at and coming back to.   Finally I realized that it was wrong and why, we changed it and boom, balanced financial report!  Balanced reports and safe travels are my happy things for today. 

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Lost

Tomorrow K and Gideon are flying away to visit K's father, C, E and other friends in Texas.  I will miss them.  This afternoon was a big scramble looking for K's wallet, which has been lost, and then getting a temporary license that should help get her onto the plane.  We had hoped that the wallet would appear once the replacement was obtained,  but no such luck.   

I was also hoping that wallet finding would be my happy for today.  Instead I am going to vague post and say that I was told I did a good thing at work today and leave it at that.  

Oh, and here are some pictures from the passenger seat.

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Making Strides

The rain is falling outside now but this morning the sun shone down.  The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk was chilly, but mostly sunny and made for a nice walk with good company.  This year a friend of mine joined the team I am on of my cousin's. 

I went to visit my cousin after and visit with her, my aunt, and some of the other walkers.  They recently went to Prince Edward Island and had stories to tell.  These times with friends and family are my happy things for today.   There was a sun halo that can be seen in some of the pictures from today's walk.

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