Memorial Day

At some point over the weekend Z and then K started to not feel well.  We canceled our plans for the day because we weren't sure if it is a stomach bug or something one of them ate.  The good news is that they seemed to be feeling a little better as the day progressed.  Since Gideon and I don't seem to have any symptoms yet, we hopefully missed it or it was food related.

During my walk tonight I heard someone yell out the car window as they went by, presumable to me, "I can't see you!"  I think that means the bright yellow/green shirt I was wearing was doing its job.  😉  That is my sleeve with Mr. Winant behind me.

Sunset 

My happy for today is that Gideon came in my room this morning and wanted to snuggle.  It has been quite a while since he has done that.  

☮

Down Day

Occasionally today I felt like I should have gone back up to the event I was at yesterday.  Instead I did very little and had a down day.  My big accomplishments for today include laundry, a nap and a four mile walk.  I had meant to take my walk in the morning, but ended up falling back to sleep for almost three hours.  When I woke up the temperature outside was around 86 degrees, so the walk waited until around 6:30 when the sun was no longer beating down.  When I sat down after my walk I had 9,999 steps.  I got a drink of water and made my step count.  😉

It is odd as I think back on my day, I don't think I spoke one word today, unless it was to myself.  I'm not sure that has happened in quite some time, except when I had laryngitis, and I still tried to speak.  I did have contact with people through internet chats and such, but not through speech.  Huh.

My friend's cat, Chloe, had to be put down today.  😞  She did not come to me for attention very often. She didn't come to anyone, that I know of, very often for attention.  I'll still miss her.  

Chloe, from March 20, 2019.

My happy for today is that walk.  I took my time and stopped occasionally to take a picture.  The lilacs seem to be at peak and soon I will miss that sweet smell as I walk.  There are many other things blooming or preparing to though as we get closer to summer.

 ☮

Panteria

There was an event this weekend that I decided to just go to today.  I suppose I could go back tomorrow, but I am hoping to either relax, or get stuff done.  Either or both is fine.  Today I spent relaxing SCA style.  I watched a friend's apprenticing.  His Laurel had three gifts; the green belt and sign of an apprentice (made by his Laurel), a tool (made by his Laurel's wife) and a working apron made of leather (made by his wife).  Someday maybe I will start using names, but not today. 

I spent a good part of my day talking with friends that I haven't seen in a while and making plans for next weekend (I hope).  It sounds like the shower that is getting made for Pennsic is coming along nicely.  I strolled around to see some of the different things that were happening.  There were horses, archery, merchants and classes to name a few of the things going on. 

After court, my newly apprenticed friend and I went geocaching.  I know, nothing medieval about that.  There was a cache nearby that he had been wanting to find for a few years now when at this event but hadn't had the time.  After court and before feast seemed as good a time as any.  After walking about a half mile or so we left the road and traipsed through some woodsy area until he found it.  It was a micro-cache, so fairly small and was in a dead log.  We signed the tiny piece of paper and then put the cache back in the hole.

My happy things for today are getting to talk with friends I haven'e seen for a while and geocaching. 

Archery! 

There were some Canada Geese were near the the cache. 

 

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Vulnerability

There was a party after work today that I chose not to go to because, if I am going to be completely honest, I am not all that comfortable with group parties like that.  There would only be a few people that I know.  When I originally got the invite I had been planning to go away for the weekend, leaving this afternoon.  That plan changed for me, but the rest of the family still left this afternoon.  I knew my daughter would appreciate the help getting ready and right after deciding not to go to the party I called her and she was very happy that I was going to be going home, rather than somewhere else after work.  She wanted some help.

When I had pretty much finished helping her pack I sat down to do the sewing that I wanted to have done tonight.  After they left I put on a Ted Talk video with Brené Brown to listen to while I sewed.  It happened to be about vulnerability.  Sometimes the things that pop up for me to watch seem very well timed, this was one of those times.  As I push through my vulnerability and share things in my blog, I realize how I wasn't able to go to the party today, because, vulnerability.  

Being able to be home to help my daughter get ready for the weekend is my happy for today.  Tomorrow I will join them for a little while and it will be good.

☮

 

Almost

It is almost 10 PM and most likely my over 10,000 steps a day streak has ended.  It lasted nine days.  It is possible that I will finish writing this and get up for a mile or so walk, but I doubt it.  Maybe...

My happy for today is fighter practice.  K, Gideon and I went together.  Gideon watched for a bit and then started reading his book. 

Practice

(and the sky outside practice) 

It is now 10:40 and those first few sentences are all I needed to get up and push myself out the door.  Day 10 of making my step count goal is complete!  Had I not taken this walk, I wouldn't have seen the storm start to roll in and I wouldn't have shot this bumpy video while I walked down the street.  Happy for the walk and that I wore my rain coat. 

🌧☮🌩☮🌧☮🗲

Cemetery Day

Every year, the week or two before Memorial Day, some of my family get together to plant flowers on departed family graves.  This year I had to work and Gideon had school so some of the family started without us.  We usually visit six cemeteries but I only got to five and K, Z and Gideon to two of them.  There were nine of us this year that joined up to plant.  We do our best to make a joyful day out of this by eating out, getting ice cream and sharing some family stories.  I tried to multi-task as well by opening up the 'Find a Grave' app on my phone and looking around the areas we were for other's graves.  The amount of joy I find in doing this sometimes seems wrong.  Planting flowers and spending time with family is my happy for today.

This looks old but the person passed away in 2015. 

We left my car at my aunt's house and I rode with her...

Until she went to talk to someone else visiting and I was walking around.

K came by and picked me up.

Too funny! 

Gideon seems to have decided that looking at gravestones

is a great way to find new names for the stories he writes. 

Time for Hodgies! 

They had a new salted caramel flavor today.  Yum!

Pretty Sky.  

This cemetery has the best views behind it.

There was a beaver lodge that I though I took pictures of here. 

💮☮💮

Holes

When I sit and draw a blank about what to write I tend to end up on Facebook or falling down a YouTube hole.  So far, I am being pretty good about not falling too far.  I did find this Winnie the Pooh song, but I decided on that on today's walk.  It was a windy day that seemed almost fall-like instead of spring.  Not sure why but I think because the weather was so warm yesterday and much cooler today.  Anyhow, here are some happy things for today:

• Getting to go outside during school hours and feel the sun on my face.
• Walks with friends.
• Flowers (small hole).
• Good food.
• Sewing.
• Heather the cat.

I saw these pretty flowers and asked the question:

What makes a pretty and edible ground cover?

So now I have ideas. 

I worked on this tunic for a friend.

It needs an iron before I can work on it again.

Hopefully I will finish it Friday. 

☮