2024 Happy Blog Challenge Continues

Here are some happy things from today: Before work I noticed that I had some mail on the table.  My passport arrived!  Now I just need to save money again.  I could have gone to an event in Canada this weekend but I didn't expect the passport so soon.  Now I have other plans and need money since I just drained my account on a car.  June is when I am planning on going to Canada with friends.    Occasionally at work there are jobs that need to be done that involve a lot of waiting.  Last night I did quite a lot of pacing at work, just waiting for packages to arrive.  It takes me about 60 steps to walk the length of the aisle I worked in.  What part of this makes me happy?  The part where my brain kept working enough that I didn't fall asleep!  🤣  Seriously though, eventually I did think of quick things I could do to be productive while I waited. At home, the purple rhododendron is blooming.  The pink one blooms later f...

Happy things for today: Most of the weekend I spent painting and cleaning in the apartment bedroom.  This takes me outside in the back of the house.  Leaving today and being in the front of the house, I noticed more tulips are blooming.   Keziah and I took a ride to a used car dealership and I put a down-payment on a 2010 Kia Optima.  I will pick it up on Wednesday.  I also test drove a 2012 Suzuki Crossover with a manual transmission.  It was a fun drive, but didn't quite meet my needs. ☮ Started listening to: Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan , by Ursula K. Le Guin. Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe. 

It took me some time to get going today, so I didn't spend as much time getting the apartment ready.  Here are some happy things: Before going to the apartment to paint the bedroom more, I remembered to stretch.  That, and less time on the floor, means that I am feeling better tonight than I did last night. I'm sure more could be done, but I'm calling the wall where my bed will go and the one in the east side of the house done.  There is a stonewall and random, probably imaginary, flowers.  I like it, and since it is where I will be sleeping, that is what matters. The ceiling fan had seen better days.  The other day I painted it white.  Well, I think it was supposed to be white. Today I added color. All but one blade painted on Friday.  Yes, I did try to wash it first. Color! The bedroom windows are now as clean as I could get them.  Some of them tilted in to wash the outside better than others.  Once I'm in there, I will have a morning sun c...

Happy things from today: On Monday we went to Ikea.  The van has served as the storage unit for our purchases until this morning.  After emptying the van we went to DIY Craft and Thrift for some paints.  Having a daughter who owns a crafting thrift store has benefits.  Today that benefit was taking home a lot of paint (before the store officially opened) and I'll be able to return what isn't used so she can sell it.   While at the store, one of the artists was in the building with their dog, Jazzy.  Jazzy was extremely happy to see me.  She followed us around the store and kept politely asking me for pets.   Photo courtesy Keziah Keziah and I ran some errands and then we started painting.  The stairway is now the only area that still needs another coat of white.  I didn't look at the clock much, but it was after eight in the evening when I stopped for the night.  I think the painting is roughly ⅔ of the way done.  Kez...

Happy Friday!  Some happy things from today include:      My friend, Amy, came over this afternoon to help me get the bedroom painted in the apartment.  We re-covered almost the entire wall with white.  The old color was still seeping through. It looks so much better now.  The stairway and the section over the closet are still left to do.  I learned that it is a small enough area that there were some occasional tightness with two people and a ladder. After, we went for a walk on the Northern Rail Trail.  I have been on a very small amount of this trail before a few years ago.  The area is very pretty.  Part of the trail isn't complete and still has rails.  We walked over a railroad bridge with wood that was rotted which made for a careful walk.  I was pleased with myself for not chickening out on that bridge. Some of the rotting planks are visible in this picture. There is water down there. We weren't far from the trails a...

Happy Thursday things: There were  Voluntary Time Off opportunities that I missed for not working today.  Work went fine, I was just tired and have a lot to do in the apartment.   I ended up leaving 20 minutes early.  This gave me the time (and money) I needed to stop and get an extender for the paint roller.  The time off would have been nice, but I'm glad I stayed.   When I got home, I took a nap.  It was a deep, restful sleep.  I wish it was longer. In the apartment I painted more.  It seems that the former color is hard to cover.  Tomorrow I will buy more paint and things.  I have a friend coming over to help.  🙂  My goal is to finish enough of the painting tomorrow that I can start moving in on Saturday.  🤞 Looking out the window I noticed the beginnings of leaves opening.  One of the rhododendron plants is starting to show some color as well.  I love the changes that happen in spring. 🐧☮🐧...

Here are some things that made me smile on this Wednesday: When I left for work the moon was full and shining down through a very thin layer of clouds. On my drive to work, I believe I saw a fox safely cross the street. At home, the leaves on the lilacs are getting bigger and the tiniest signs of the flower buds have started. Coming downstairs to hear Gideon singing, really loud.  I wasn't able to work in the apartment today.  I did walk over to see how it looks and how far Keziah got yesterday.  There are some spots that we need to find the extender for the paint rollers in order to finish.  I think it all needs another coat to cover up the brown/orange that was there.  Soon it will be done. ☮ Currently listening to: The Life We Bury , by Allen Eskens. Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe. 

Here are some happy things for this lovely Tuesday: Work went well, I was in the Problem Solve area.  Someday I hope to work there and not need help to finish things up.  There were quite a few broken bottles last night, so lots of messes to clean up.  Even with the frustrations that come with that area, I enjoy it.   The tulip has opened!  Soon there will be more.   Keziah was busy painting my soon to be room while I was at work today.  Instead of helping her paint, I went and purchased more paint.  She might be able to get the entire room white today.  That will be the base for whatever I decide to do.   She was working hard today! ☮ Currently listening to: The Life We Bury , by Allen Eskens. Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe. 

Happy Earth Day! The momentum from yesterday and the cleaning I did, remained for a little while to organize this morning before my therapy appointment. It felt good.   Outside I noticed that it won't be long before the tulips start to bloom.  The daffodils are doing well. Tulip Daffodils  After therapy, Keziah, Gideon, and I traveled to Ikea.  On the way, we stopped at the bank so Keziah could make a business deposit.  My job as a passenger, was to count the money and prepare it for the teller.  Driving down the highway while I counted, Keziah called it, “Highspeed accounting.”  🤣 Ikea is doing some remodeling, so it was smaller than usual.  We were still there for hours.  Gideon ended up with a clearanced floor model mattress.  That was fun to get into the van!  I think I still have the straps for moving my mattress, that will help in the next few days as we start moving things. Some random pictures I took of nature on the d...

 Sunday happy things: The forsythia seems to be at peak bloom.  It is a lovely splash of color in the yard. Today I cleaned and spackled.  The bedroom in the apartment is basically empty of the previous occupant’s things.  I have removed nails and tacks from the walls and spackled the holes.  Most of the room has been dusted, cleaned or vacuumed.  There are a few more spots to dust and clean.  If the spackle is dry tomorrow I can sand the spots to prepare to paint.  The room is a brownish color that I am not fond of.  It might make a nice outside house color, or den, but not what I want for my bedroom.  In my current room, the walls are painted to be gray stones.  I'm hoping for something creative in the apartment, too. Zed prepared a delicious burrito dinner that we followed with some family time watching the Percy Jackson series.  ☮ Currently listening to: My Name is Barbra , by Barbra Streisand.  Thank you for being par...

Happy things from Saturday: Last night my friend, Tessa, decided to drive with me to the SCA event today.  It was really great to have someone to talk with for the 3 ish hour drive each way. This event has competitions in at least rattan fighting, archery, fencing, and thrown weapons.  I went specifically to watch the archers.  I think there were four teams that represented the Barony of Stonemarche, one of the teams was named Deirdre's Defenders.   Deirdre is my SCA name, so they were supposed to be “defending” me.  I got to see some archery and talk to some of the people I know, and that was nice. Visiting with different people throughout the day was a highlight.  The hugs were good too.  At the merchants, I bought a naalbinding needle to try to use to sew my hair up.  I also bought a used pair of hanging lanterns to put candles in.  I plan to leave the lanterns in Pennsylvania when I go to the Pennsic event this summer. While wanderin...

Happy Friday!! This morning I wanted to be productive.  I can't say that I wasn't, but more might have been nice.  The bathroom is now clean, laundry done, and I have measured a bunch more in the bedroom of the apartment.  There are two possible placements for the bed.  I'll either face north or south.   It had been a long week, and I hadn't been checking my email.  I checked it today and found that the IRS had rejected my tax return on Monday!  It took a little bit, but I got it sent AND the IRS accepted it this time.  There was a place that I could enter one thing or another, apparently it wanted both.  Phew!  I'm glad that it is done, again.  Last week I noticed a tree blooming and had Gideon take a picture.  Then I forgot about it. I drove by it today and took another picture.  I'm not sure what kind of tree it is, but it is pretty. Tonight I hosted a tech time for SCA people.  We worked on updating our East ...

Happy Thursday things: At the end of my work day today the person in charge of training people suggested I try for the position of Learning Ambassador again.  He couldn't make any promises that I would get the position, of course, but he did go out of his way to tell me.  Since I choose to keep my schedule at three days a week, no weekends, that limits my chances.  I think I'll try though.  It is good just to be considered.  At home the azalea bush has tiny pink buds.  This is one of two bushes that we should take down because they are close to the house.  I'm going to enjoy them while I can.  The picture seemed clearer when I took it. I tried to take an artsy picture of the rain on the windshield with the forsythia beyond.  I kind of like it. This picture seems clearer than when I took it.  🤣 ☮ Listening more to: My Name is Barbra , by Barbra Streisand.  Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday!  Here a are some things that I am happy and grateful for today: Yesterday at work doing Problem Solve the exercise I got was mostly brain work.  Last night the jobs I did were extra physical.  I picked things up and put them down or pushed large carts from one place to another all night.  Today I am happy that I made it through the night and didn't give up and come home early.  The last two hours I got to work outside.  It is a beautiful day, so that helped. After a much needed nap, I had a fruitful conversation with TF.  One of the things we discussed was adding more plant foods to our diets.  Variety being important.  It was a good conversation that reminded me of a book I should read.   The flower that many people dread has bloomed in the yard.  A very important spring plant that provides pollen for bees and food or dyes for humans.  I don't expect to harvest any myself this year, but I have in the past...

Here are my happy things from today: At work, I was assigned to the Problem Solve area, which I like.  It got a bit busy and I had to have help in the last half of the day, but I'm glad I was able to be there. After a short rest at home, I was able to be productive in the kitchen.   In an attempt at finding some new growth, I stepped outside into the sunny afternoon.  Spring did not disappoint me.  There are periwinkle flowers blooming.  I even saw some bees collecting pollen.   ☮ Listening more to: My Name is Barbra , by Barbra Streisand.  Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Here are some happy things for tax day: When I wandered downstairs this morning I noticed a foggy world outside the windows.  A few minutes later, I was outside, in my bathrobe, to take a picture.  The air was fresh and I was wishing that I was more prepared to take a walk. Instead, I went back up to my room and spun the chore wheel.  Fifteen minutes or so later I had six pairs of matched socks from my basket of mismatched socks.  A few other things are put where they belong, and I am reminded that I have some cute earrings on my closet shelf. Before The part I worked on, after. Around a month ago I got my taxes almost done.  I'm cheap and don't like paying for tax preparation when I can do it myself.  That is not to say that I can do anyone's taxes, but currently, I can do my own.  I also like that taxes can be filed online instead of paper.  Anyhow, I couldn't figure out how to add the bank interest on the first program I used.  The second ...