2022 Project 365 – Week Thirty

Thanks to everyone for your well wishes for my potential new job. As you may have seen in my replies to comments on the last post, the person I would have been replacing decided to come back. I am very happy with this turn of events! I had gotten more leery of some of the tasks I would have had to do the more I thought about it, and I’m perfectly happy in my current role. I felt pretty good about stepping out of my comfort zone to apply, and I’m feeling pretty good about settling back into my comfort zone. Ha!
Sunday, July 24^th          
Sometimes it feels like I spend half my life trying to “fix” things. I’m pretty sure I have arthritis in my thumb (not caused AT ALL by scrolling on my phone so just shut up). (Note: It’s probably exactly caused by scrolling on my phone.) I’m also taking iron supplements, so that maybe I can give blood again. My doctor keeps telling me I’ve done my part – that I’ve given plenty of blood – but I still feel guilty. There really is a crisis right now.
 

Monday, July 25^th
No photo. I had 8 new hires on Monday and I was a vegetable.
 
Tuesday, July 26^th      
Morning glory!
 

My morning & afternoon snacks. The second one is my new favorite: granola with banana, peanut butter, and dark chocolate chips. It’s so good! And I needed it because I had three more new hires this day.
 

Wednesday, July 27^th            
Dr. M put new flowers on his mother’s grave. I love that he tends to this detail – I know it makes his father happy. (Note: I had another new hire today)
 

Thursday, July 28^th         
Dr. M’s vegetable plate dinner – it was really yummy! (Note, I did NOT have any new hires today)
 

Friday, July 29^th         
The Carolina Hurricanes hockey team was the Hartford Whalers before it moved to Raleigh, and I have always loved their green uniforms. Dr. M found some t-shirts on sale. Woot!
 

A happy bumble! (Note, I had four new hires today)
 

Saturday, July 30^th          
Dr. M got a new camera & was playing around with it. I think we’re going to really like this one!
 

If you did the math, I had 16 new hires this week (plus one last Friday, so I’ve been adding it to the total). That’s a lot for us – and a lot of peopling for me. So I was mostly a hermit this weekend and it was lovely. I think I might be ready to face whatever this next week brings. How about you – are you ready for Monday?

2022 Project 365 – Week Twenty-nine

I’m not going to talk about the heat. We’ve been in the 90s, but (at least in my opinion) it hasn’t been as bad as other locations – especially those that aren’t used to such temps. So I’ll save my complaining for other areas of my life. If I can think of anything to complain about.
Sunday, July 17^th          
Dr. M roamed around the yard…
 

Monday, July 18^th
Dr. M watched a hummingbird sitting on the shepherd’s crook and then took this picture just as it took off. Very cool!
 

Tuesday, July 19^th      
Morning glories! It amuses us that this is the vine that does best even though it’s in the middle of a rock pile. Is there some sort of lesson there? If so, I shall choose to ignore it.
 

Wednesday, July 20^th            
I had an interview today for a promotion at work. I think it went well, but we'll see - they have a number of other interviews to do before they make a decision. Hilarious note: I had an egg salad sandwich for lunch before the interview, and later in the afternoon I scratched a bit of egg salad off of my face (which I swear you couldn’t see – I gave myself a good look in the mirror before the interview). Anyway, made me laugh that I had actual egg on my face while I was answering all their questions. Oops. Am I turning into some sort of slovenly old lady who will eventually stop combing my hair? Stay tuned!
 

On my way home I stopped by my dad’s house & saw that they’d started this craziness. It’s a very long, narrow 1000 piece puzzle that my nephew & his significant other gave my dad. It’s like he hates us or something. We’ll see how long this one takes!
 

Thursday, July 21^st        
I had some leftover chicken nuggets that I added to some leftover stir-fry & thought that adding BBQ sauce would be just the ticket. It was, in fact, not the ticket. At all. So, see, my creations aren’t always successful!
 

Friday, July 22^nd          
Here on the other hand, are some delicious things that Dr. M brought home!
 

Saturday, July 23^rd          
No photo. I sat around playing on my iPad, scrolling through Instagram, and crocheting. It was a lovely day!

This week I have about 13 new hires, spread throughout the week. Plus we have a big data entry project to do. And we’re still short a person. I’ve been trying to decide if it would be easier to learn a new job while teaching someone to do my old job, or to just keep my old job & let someone else do the new one. Regardless, if they offer me the position I’m going to take it. Are you the kind of person who reaches for new things, or who likes to stay with what you know how to do? I’m usually the latter, but sometimes I get a wild hair. It’s how I ended up in Africa! 

2022 Project 365 – Week Twenty-eight

Today I spent some quality time crocheting a very long ribbon, and then ripping it out several times before I was happy with it. It mostly looks like a jumbled mess. And now I get to crochet another one just like it! And THEN I get to assemble the two of them into a complicated design for an afghan square. Sometimes I wonder if I’m right in the head (the answer is that none of us are, but some of us are less right than others).
Sunday, July 10^th          
I tried very hard to capture the glory that is (are?) my new Feryl Designs earrings. They change in the light & I think they are magnificent.
 

Monday, July 11^th
In Sunday’s photos you can see a bit of my new polka dot dress. I wore it again to work on Monday & this is what it looks like. I love it.
 

It was Family Mexican night. I love spending time with Daddy, Sue, my brother, and his wife, but I also love having leftover Mexican food for lunch the next day.
 

Tuesday, July 12^th      
I was influenced by a couple of separate people on Instagram that raved about a carpet cleaning product. This whole rug really needs to be cleaned, but it also had a lot of random spots on it from the previous owner (I love the colors, and have always been too trifling to care about the stains because that would require work on my part). I think this cleaner did a pretty good job! I need to work on it a little more, and then do an allover clean. More later!
 

Wednesday, July 13^th            
No photo.
 
Thursday, July 14^th         
Random flowers from the yard, plus one bumblebee on the anise hyssop.
 

Friday, July 15^th         
Traffic jam on my way to work! One of my high school classmates says this happens all the time on this road, but it was the first time I’ve had to stop for pigs. Ha!
 

Saturday, July 16^th         
In the gloaming…
 

Yesterday I spent some more time working on the rug, which required squatting (for about two seconds before I gave up & just sat down). Oh my goodness – I’m so sore today! I really (really really) need to start moving my body more and working out with light weights. Stretching & walking and lifting must commence or I’m going to be that little old lady who has trouble getting out of her chair. Who am I kidding – I already have to hoist myself up and I really don’t weigh THAT much. Pathetic. How about you – do you have a regular workout regimen, or are you naturally fit? I know at least three of you spend your days doing things that keep you in shape.
 

2022 Project 365 – Week Twenty-seven

I used all my words at church this morning (I was lector) so you may talk amongst yourselves.
Sunday, July 3^rd          
Who wore it better? We didn’t have power Sunday morning so I couldn’t blow dry my hair. That’s my excuse anyway.
 

Dinner! Now you can’t say that THIS one is weird.
 

Monday, July 4^th
Dr. M brought home the last of the blueberries from his dad’s bush. It’s always such a treat! (Although I feel bad because MY dad also has blueberries – but I think that he & Sue are able to eat those).

 

I took a meander through the yard.
 

Then I worked on unclogging the vacuum (the label is a LIE). Yes, I tried using a knitting needle. No it didn’t work. Dr. M had to do some sort of voodoo with a phillips screwdriver and one of the metal pieces from our old porch swing.
 

Tuesday, July 5^th      
No photo
 
Wednesday, July 6^th            
Well. Firstly, as we were walking into the mall I realized that I had put my pants on backwards which I think caused me to fall rather spectacularly. Even though it seemed to happen in slow motion, my cousin didn’t get a video, but she did take this photo. We cut the walk short so I could come home & ice various body parts. Pro tip, people: pick up your feet while you walk!! (Note: this photo is kind of cute, but the first picture showed my actual 2 foot wide thighs & my cousin did what any friend would do & took a different picture. Thanks Kim!)
 

Thursday, July 7^th         
I was a little sore the day after The Fall (Friday was worse), but I only had this one bruise. Which is a mystery because I don’t think I landed on this arm. Did I hit the wall? I was trying to reach the wall, but I didn’t think I made it. The image of me careering toward the wall, perhaps windmilling my arms, just has me cackling. Also really glad I didn’t break anything!
 

Friday, July 8^th         
Stopped by my dad’s & we finished the puzzle my nephew & his girlfriend gave me for Christmas. Isn’t it fabulous? It’s Ruth and Malala and Rosa and Harriet and Amelia.
 

Saturday, July 9^th         
Dr. M took a turn around the yard before he headed to his dad’s. It’s still so pretty around here.
 

Friday was my coworker’s last day, so this coming week will be interesting and a challenge. We really turned to her every day to help with all kinds of issues and now we’ll have to think for ourselves. Also, I’ve applied for her job (interview on the 20^th!) so I might end up being the one answering questions. That seems perilous for all concerned. But maybe it’s time for me to step up and do what I know I can. We shall see!

Book Reviews – the June Edition

I got back into the swing of reading things in June, so buckle up!
 

Wolfsong (Green Creek #1) ★★★★, by T. J. Klune. Ox is “different.” He lives in a small town in the Pacific Northwest, has very few friends, and was abandoned by his father when he was 12. When he turned 16 he met a boy, Joe, who took him home to meet his family. I don’t think I’m giving much away when I say that the family members are all werewolves. There are trials and tribulations, and Ox becomes something he never thought he could. The relationship between him and Joe is “complicated” and toward the end of the book I was OMGBLUSHINGWHATTHEHECKAMIREADING!!! What I’m saying is if you’re not into steamy sex scenes maybe don’t read this book. But it was so good! I loved how Ox grew into his own person. Note: This is the same author as The House by the Cerulean Sea and while I might recommend that book for middle schoolers, I maybe wouldn’t this one.
 

Weather Girl ★★★★, by Rachel Lynn Solomon.  Ari Abrams is a meteorologist who has a dream job at a tv station with her childhood hero. However, the hero and her ex-husband (who also works at the station) are making life miserable for everyone around them. Ari and sports newscaster Russell cook up a scheme to make them like each other again. Shenanigans ensue. This book was a lot of fun, and also had some pretty steamy sex scenes (steamy for me – just call me Granny Bug).

State of Terror ★★★★, by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny. The Secretary of State of the brand new administration is working hard to instill confidence in the US after four years of a nightmare administration (sound familiar?). Then bus bombs start going off in random cities in Europe. This book is fast paced and kept me very interested – plus there were cameos by the characters from Louise Penny’s Gamache books which I thoroughly enjoyed. I love the humor she brings to her writing, even if the story is about terrorism.
 

Nightwork ★★★★, by Nora Roberts. This is one of Nora’s stand along novels and it was, as usual, excellent. In this one, Harry Booth starts doing “nightwork” (liberating rich people of treasure) as young boy as a way to help out his mother as she battled cancer. It turned out he was very good at it, and so he continued even as he grew up and went to college. He met the love of his life, but almost immediately he had to abandon her because the wrong person required his services. I thoroughly enjoyed Harry and his love interest, and the other characters that Nora likes to include in her books.
 

Bloodless (Aloysius Pendergast #20) ★★★★, by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston. This is the book I was listening to when I made the face in my last post. Two bodies have turned up in Savannah with every last drop of blood drained from them. What in the world could have happened? Rest assured, Pendergast and his cohort figure it out, but it’s pretty darned gross in the meantime. OK, it’s only gross a few times. Regardless, it’s another fine addition to the Pendergast saga. And there’s a special surprise at the end which makes me eager to read the next one!
 
I’ve finished two books already in July, and expect to finish another couple before the end of the month. What are you reading lately?
 

2022 Project 365 – Week Twenty-six

This past week has been really hard, nationally. I know that some folks think that the Supreme Court sending issues back to the states to handle is a good thing. But not every state legislature has the best interest of people at heart. With so much gerrymandering (I admit, it happens on both sides), I’m not even sure that the state legislatures are representative of their states. But I guess this means that we are all even more responsible for voting in all elections – not just Federal.

On another note, other than a couple of ridiculous pictures of me, this week is all flowers all the time. Which is how the end of June, beginning of July should be!

Sunday, June 26^th         
I roamed around the yard taking macro photos with my phone.
 

Monday, June 27^th
I possibly shouldn’t post this photo, but as you know #IHaveNoShame. I was listening to the latest Pendergast book and as usual something disgusting was happening. Later in the week I broke my rule about not eating while reading/listening to Pendergast books and I had Very Real Regrets. (But the book was excellent!)
 

Tuesday, June 28^th      
I’ve started putting my eye makeup on first (because I saw someone else do it – in case any of the eye makeup gets on her face), and I was on my way to work when I realized that I completely forgot to put on the rest of my makeup. Ha! I guess you can’t undo 40 years of doing something the same way that quickly.
 

I just LOVE these giant yellow daylilies!

 

Stopped by my dad’s house on the way home & took a photo of his gorgeous blue hydrangea. 

 

Wednesday, June 29^th            
It’s morning glory season. For some reason I just love the white center. I find it a bit mesmerizing.
 

Scenes from Dr. M’s dad’s house – with two different colors of hydrangea.
 

The Roy showed up & got what he came for – treats and lots of pats by Dr. M.
 

Thursday, June 30^th         
Well, see, I was just rather enthusiastically eating Cheetos at my desk at work, and somehow flang one into my cleavage. Sexy, no?
 

Friday, July 1^st        
No photo.  
 
Saturday, July 2^nd        
More macro photos from around the yard. It sure is pretty around here.
 

I sent this video to the person for whom I’m making this blanket. She’s pretty happy with it – I just hope she doesn’t mind that it’s taking forever to make. Each row takes about 40 minutes to crochet now.
 

Tomorrow is the 4^th of July and I am very glad to be off of work. And I’m happy to celebrate the grand experiment that is the United States – I just wish we could live up to our potential a little better. I plan to crochet and read and listen to loud bangs in the neighborhood. What are your plans?