2024 Happy Blog Challenge Continues

Here are some happy things from my birthday: Turning 60 meant starting my day with some ibuprofen.  🤣 At work I was assigned to the Problem Solve area.  I only mentioned to one person that it was my birthday.  It was a moment that it seemed okay to bring it up in conversation.  Other than that, people at work didn't know and I'm okay with that.  They brought in food for us from the Pressed Cafe.  I clocked out of work at 12:19 P zzassss on 12/19.   After work I went to Keziah’s store.  She wasn't there though.  Bel, Zed, and some friends were there so I got to be with people.  After some lunch, Bel and I walked along Main Street to the Capitol where there are some holiday displays.  One of them is controversial and has received some vandalism.  That makes me sad.  I am glad that I got to see what displays are there.   I bought Bel a pair of shoes for my birthday.  🤣  Seriously though, they needed...

Here are some happy things from my day back to work: All of last week they assigned me to the Problem Solve area for at least part of the day. Somehow, I ended up there today as well. I hope I remember how to do the other tasks when I am assigned there.  😉 That will probably be tomorrow. 😂 Gideon was in a good mood when he got home from school.  Before he went to do his homework we talked a little.  My grandson is such a good human.  His hugs are pretty sweet too. I stepped outside to enjoy the sunset twice.  There are pictures so you can maybe enjoy it too.   I blew the last photo up to make the star visible.  Actually, I'm fairly certain that it is the planet Venus. ☮ Continued listening to: Daindreth's Sorceress , by Elisabeth Wheatley. Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Here are some of my happy things from today: Last year work had me scheduled for five ten hour days a week during the few weeks leading up to Christmas.  This year they only scheduled me for four days.  Since I wasn't scheduled but could use the money, I took on two extra shifts today.  One from 8:50 AM to 11:50 AM.  The other from 6:20 PM to 12:50 AM.   They also offered up an additional $5 an hour for that second shift.  Somehow, I was assigned to Problem Solve both times.  It was a long day, even with a nap in between the two shifts.  I'm looking forward to sleep. The moon was rising before I left for work the second time.  It was a bright full moon. ☮ Continued listening to: Daindreth's Sorceress , by Elisabeth Wheatley. Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Happy things from today: For the fourth day in a row I was in the Problem Solve area at work. It has changed a lot this week. Because of snow and other random things the beginning of the week had an excessive amount of work. Thankfully, they started assigning more people to work there and we have been able to get all those packages processed, the area cleaned, and all but a few items that I didn't know how to dispose of in the hazardous waste area are cleaned up. Since I am not working a full shift tomorrow, I took a nap this afternoon. My dad used to take naps a lot in the afternoons when he wasn’t working. When I learned that was not something that most other father’s did, I thought it was weird. Over the years I have learned that naps are a wonderful thing. Today I was home to greet Gideon when he was home from school. Then I napped and got up in time to spend time with the rest of the family when they got home from their day jobs. The adults finally got to see the swea...

Here are a couple happy things from today: Almost every Thursday I send a message to the family reminding them that it is the day to take the trash bins to the curb for pick up. I tend to remember because Thursdays are normally the last day of my work week. Today I found it funny that I remind them all the time, yet forget to take out my trash to the bins. Maybe I’ll remember before next Thursday. For the third day in a row I ended up in Problem Solve for a little bit of time at work. I overheard management talking about needing help there after break because someone was leaving. I called over my shoulder to them, * “I volunteer as tribute!” I’m not sure if they heard me, but I was scheduled there after the break.   It was warm enough to melt much of the snow today. There were stars to see in the wee morning hours and some sunshine later in the day.  I love the big puffy clouds. Sunset! ☮ Started listening to: Daindreth's Sorceress , by Elisabeth Wheatley. Thank you...

Here are some happy things from this drizzly Wednesday: Somehow, I was assigned to the Problem Solve Area at work for the second day in a row.  Since there were things I felt I left undone from yesterday, this made me happy.  With some wonderful teammates, we were able to get through a lot of things.  That completion felt really good. Towards the end of the day, a few of us were brought to the swag closet to choose something.  It is hard for me to pick out things when there is so little I need that is swag.  One thing that I have been thinking would be nice is a sweatshirt that either zips or buttons up the front.  I hadn't seen one recently, but there was one there.  Just one, in a size 5X.  After looking around at all the options I chose the sweatshirt.  I thought that I might give it to Zed.  Then I put it on.  It is amazingly comfortable.  The sleeves are too long and it goes down to the middle of my thighs in length. ...

Here are some happy things from today: It is Tuesday so I am back to work. There was a fresh layer of snow on my car to be cleaned off before I could go to work. What little light there was turned the landscape into a glowing wonderland. Work went mostly well. The night went by fairly quickly and I was doing things I like. When I got home, the trees were still snow covered and picturesque. Bel installed a new dishwasher! ☮ Continued listening to: Daindreth's Traiter , by Elisabeth Wheatley. Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Here are some happy things from the day of the season's first shovel worthy snowfall: This was the first time I believe I have driven my car in the snow.  It isn't super, but I made it to work with no major incidents and cautious driving.  Yay, safety! Speaking of safety, we had a Safety Committee meeting at work.  The Senior Station Manager talked with us about some of our concerns.  He always seems to be willing to listen.  Many times he acts swiftly to our concerns.  Sometimes there is nothing to be done, of course.  One of our goals for this year was to cut the amount of injuries.  So far, we have reached that.  That is really good news. The snow had ended by the time I left work so the drive home was normal.  My car didn’t make it all the way into the unplowed driveway.  I got to try out my new Snow Joe shovel.  I think it is going to take some getting used to.  I was able to get some of the driveway shoveled and get ...

Today's happy things are mostly work related: When I got to work I was tired. I was told I was going to be coaching someone on unloading while I inducted packages. I was tired, but figured I could do that. They were late, so I was off the hook.  Sometimes it is what I don't have to do. During the last part of the day, I was assigned to Outside Problem Solve. That is something I hadn't done before. So the last three hours of the day I worked outside. The weather was lovely, but cold. I moved around enough that the jackets I was wearing almost became too much. It was a nice change that had me moving! The cold also served to wake me up. 😀  And sometimes it is the things I do have to do. There is snow coming. I took a picture of the sunset anyway. There is just the tiniest hint of pink. ☮ Continued listening to: Daindreth's Traiter , by Elisabeth Wheatley. Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Here are some happy Tuesday things: It was a busy time at work. I was assigned the Problem Solve area. There were a lot of problems to solve. The supervisors tried to keep the area staffed well. That helped and I was able to work on properly disposing of some hazardous wastes too. Until Christmas, I am scheduled to work four days instead of three. Usually it is five days in December. I’ll need to pick up more shifts if they don’t give them to me.  I was counting on some overtime. There was some apple crumble left from Thanksgiving that a friend made. They have been offering me a piece for the last couple of days and I had either just eaten or wanted real food first. Today I remembered it at a good time. It was good. I’m glad I am getting to experience some of the yummy leftovers. This weekend will be a gathering of my SCA household for a nice meal. I’m looking forward to it. Sunset! ☮ Continued listening to: Daindreth's Traiter , by Elisabeth Wheatley. Thank you for be...

Happy Friday things: The only purchase I made today was to fuel my car. 😊 Earlier this week a shift opportunity became available for today and I took it.  It was weird leaving for work in the daylight.  The sun had been up for a little while when I left for work, but there were some pretty pastels in the western sky. Things were already in full swing when I got to work.  Yesterday we worked to get the packages ready for delivery, but there was no delivery because of the holiday.  Today we only had to get things ready to put on the delivery trucks so they could be delivered.  I only worked from 8:30 to 12:30.  When everything was done, I was able to work in Hazardous Materials.  It is amazing how many things break during shipping.  I enjoy working to get those things sorted out. Since I am still coughing and sniffling I stayed home and rested much of the rest of my day.  I don’t have to work again until Tuesday.  I’m scheduled for 40 ho...

Here are some happy things from my day: Work was wild.  It was busier than I expected it to be.  They assigned me to be the QA for the AB line.  We started out low on people and without the aisles being prepped for us so there was a lot to do.  It stayed busy all night and then we worked late to get everything done.  I feel like I earned every bit of the holiday pay.   After a brief rest at home, I made a French apple pie with some help from Gideon.  Zed brought it to his family's Thanksgiving dinner.  I was invited, planned to go, but I seem to be fighting a cold so I stayed home.   An evening alone meant laundry, a movie, pizza, and ice cream.  It would have been nicer to go out to feast with family and friends, but getting rid of this cough that came on today is more important.  Keziah brought me home a piece of my pie!  It is delicious.   🍎 ☮ 🍕 Continued listening to: Daindreth's Outlaw , by Elisabeth ...

Happy Wednesday things: When I left for work my car was covered with a thick layer of frost or thin layer of ice or a combination. When I got to work I noticed all the patterns on my rooftop. Even though I was running later than I wanted to, I took some pictures because, pretty. Work was good. It was one of the few times that the building seemed cold. This was great when I was moving around a lot. Once they moved me to Problem Solve, I put on my fleece. Everyone was home when I got back from work. Keziah has been busy cooking for Thanksgiving. Zed works from home or the store. Gideon has the long weekend off from school. They were just finishing lunch. There was enough for me to have some too. I'm kind of amazed at how much I relaxed when there was food ready that I didn't have to prepare. Zed went to work from the store after lunch so he could be available to the helpers there.  The rest of us did more prep work for tomorrow.  I'm still not sure what I'll b...

Here are some happy things from today: Keziah's friend made a commercial for her!   At work I did a little bit of almost everything that I have been trained in.  At least it felt that way.  Plus I worked just shy of twelve hours.  It was so good to be home! The lighting this afternoon was the kind that made me look West, even though I was looking East.  The sunset was lovely. ☮ Finished listening to: Daindreth's Assassin , by Elisabeth Wheatley. Started listening to: Daindreth's Outlaw , by Elisabeth Wheatley. Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Here are some happy things from today: This morning I woke up earlier than I wanted to. I kept warm under the covers for a while. I kept getting automated messages from work about extra shifts. One of them was for 9:10 this morning. I had plenty of time to get ready, but I didn’t. I researched tents instead. Around 8 AM it was still available. I decided to take a shower and get ready to go, if it was still available after all that, maybe I would go in. It was, so I got an extra two hours and ten minutes or so of work. Usually I hesitate and the jobs are gone. This weekend, people aren’t snapping them up. I’m glad I went in. After work I did a little bit of grocery shopping. Friendly’s Ice Cream is on sale this week at Market Basket. Their seasonal flavor, peppermint stick, is available for the holidays. I bought two. Now that I am using the refrigerator in the apartment, I’m stocking up on a few things. There were two boxes in my room that I needed to go through. I have...

Thursday's mean sleep to me. Here are some happy things from Thursday: At work, I got in early and stayed a little late. It is something I get to do when I am training people. Today at work I finally had time to organize the web addresses I need to get various tasks done. Since every laptop I use is different, just saving bookmarks doesn't work. I have messaged them all to myself so they should be easy to find in the future. At home I ate, played a game on my phone, and slept. There was a little bit of watching the Mandalorian too. I even got a load of laundry done. The best part about laundry is that it can be happening while I take a nap! The Google Game for Thursday. Distractions happen. I should make that into a sticker. This is a brief sketch of a place my mind went today. I'm going to show it to Keziah tomorrow. It needs some embellishment and color, but I think the idea might work. Either way, it was fun to try to do.  What it doesn't need is an apo...

For what seems like the first time in a long time I didn’t reach my step goal while at work. I haven’t maintained a streak in quite some time, but at work, I would at least hit the 10,000 step goal for a day. Today, I helped with Day One Orientation of new hires at work. That involved lots of sitting and watching videos. My FitBit is also in my pocket instead of my wrist since the strap broke last night as I was getting ready for bed. It was a good day. Here are some happy things: Sometimes people from HR hand out snacks. Apparently that happened today during break, but I wasn’t there. However, while working with the new hires the person from HR came by after everyone else had a break, and handed me a packet of Dunkaroos. He tried to do it slyly, but failed. I found it very special that he remembered that I liked that particular sweet. When I was able to take my break, the Dunkaroos were very welcome. We use QR codes at work to denote different locations, like bags or end ca...

Here are some happy things from today: As is usual for my first day back to work, I didn't sleep well.  That said, work went pretty well.  It was busy enough that things went by fast.  Especially that last hour that I worked late.  🙃 After work I ate, napped without wanting to, and did some spinning.  I haven't worked on the spinning a lot, but it hasn't been forgotten in a corner yet.  It's only been a few days, there is still time. 😀 Sunset! ☮ Continued listening to: Daindreth's Assassin , by Elisabeth Wheatley. Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Here are some happy things from today:  At work I was assigned to do the QA position.  This is the first time I have been assigned there from the beginning of the shift.  It is a lot of work, frustrating at times, but I like it.  I need to make a list of things so I remember what to bring with me, look out for, and what files I need to have open on the laptop.  There were some things I forgot and it slowed me down in the beginning. One of the Process Assistants thinks that I could do their job someday. I'm not ready for that, we'll see if I even decide to pursue more. It is a nice compliment though. The food today was pretzel wrapped hotdogs.  It was okay.  I got to the food a little late.  They were still warm, but I think it would have been better from the source. After work and lunch I took a nap.  I set an alarm to go off before the sunset so I could get a picture of it.  The moon was rising too.  The sky can be beautiful. No...

Here are some happy things from today: They fed us at work today.  I looked at the work engagement calendar and it looks like we will get something on Thursday, too.  It was Chinese food today and I got some fried rice.   After work I had a message from Keziah about working on the boxes in the apartment.  I thought it sounded like a great idea, until I got home and was exhausted.  I think I fell asleep for a little bit, and she ended up running late, so I had a little bit of energy.  She has a friend that came and helped us too. We didn't have a lot of time and things were mostly just moved around.  Many things need to go to either DIY Craft & Thrift or the studio.  Most of the studio things are going to the storage unit for now.  We need to organize the studio again too.  I took some before and after pictures.  There is still a long way to go. Before After Before After Sunset!! ☮ Currently listening to: The Dawn of Everyth...