2023 Project 365 – Week Forty-three

Last Sunday and yesterday (Saturday) were big days in the Bug household. I’m going to try to not share ALL the photos, but there are a few more than usual on those days. To make up for it there are two days without pictures. Woo hoo!
Sunday, October 22^nd         
Dr. M & I took a little road trip up into the mountains and it was glorious!
 

I had tomato basil pie and pecan pie. It was a banner day.
 

Also, I wanted Dr. M to take some photos of my new shawl.
 

Monday, October 23^rd                 
It’s pretty ugly around here – you can see why we needed to escape to the mountains.
 

Tuesday, October 24^th                       
No photo.
 
Wednesday, October 25^th                              
My cousin found a pillow pattern with an interesting construction. I wanted to try it in miniature first. It’s interesting – I might do the crochet part and have her do the sewing. Ha!
 

Thursday, October 26^th                           
No photo.
 
 Friday, October 27^th                         
One of us might have gotten carried away with the oatmeal toppings. Can you guess which is whose?
 

Saturday, October 28^th                     
Trunk or Treat at church! I went as a tacky tourist – mostly so I could wear shorts (it was 84 degrees!) and no makeup.
 

We had a lot of cute customers. And one of our chaplains dressed as the Holy Ghost which was hilarious (and very appropriate). Not pictured: a pirate themed trunk where the kids had to walk the plank to get their candy, an Operation game where kids used tweezers and tongs to get their candy, and a fishing set up where the candy was on the ends of fishing poles. It was a fun day!
 

There’s a moon (and Jupiter!) in the sky! It’s been a while since Dr. M had the energy or the sky was clear enough to get a good moon shot. Last night was perfect.

 

This was another heavy week. I feel helpless, guilty, and afraid of what all this taking sides will do in our election (and then guilty again because why do I worry about that when children are dying). And then I feel confused because there are wars and dying children all over the world so why does this one get to us so much? Oof. So in true Enneagram 9 fashion I’m going to shift my focus to what I’m going to wear on Halloween for our office contest. How are you handling all the heaviness in the world?

2023 Project 365 – Week Forty-two

This is what I wrote last week: This week has been full of horror, clown politics, incomplete medical procedures, and the loveliness of fall. I’m trying (and failing) to hold it all. Except for the medical procedure part, still true.

Sunday, October 15^th         
On my way from church to Dad & Sue’s for lunch where I ate a dill pickle with a potato chip on top (and a sub).
 

Monday, October 16^th                
No photo. Mondays - whatcha gonna do?
 
Tuesday, October 17^th                       
Yes, we still have daylilies.
 

We had our employee appreciation event this week (food trucks!) & I took full advantage. I was helping out at the HR table today, but that didn’t keep me from eating a Carolina Dog (with sauerkraut instead of slaw) and some sort of giant cookie monster concoction. It was a little chilly, but gorgeous! We were at our local minor league ballpark.
 

Wednesday, October 18^th                              
Got some new stickers for my water bottle today. I think I have space for one more little one.
 

Thursday, October 19^th                           
Food truck day two – I got plantain sandwiches with steak. So good! I took Dr. M my leftovers & he made a whole new creation.
 

Friday, October 20^th                         
Dr. M took his dad to get bloodwork for his physical.
 

Saturday, October 21^st                    
It’s fall in Lincoln County North Carolina. Lovely!
 

I finished my shawl, and this is what I had to say on the socials: This morning I ate eggy toast (over easy on laughing cow smeared toast). I played my NY Times games. I read blogs & caught up on my email. And then I blocked this gorgeous thing. And underneath all these homely tasks was a drumbeat of despair. People are starving. People are homeless. People are dying. It’s not ok. They’re not ok. I’m not ok.

 

I was super productive at work this week because we’re having more training on the new system next week. Three days of not being able to get very much “real” work done. Humph. But you know what? I have a job, and I enjoy it and my coworkers, so I should just zip it with the complaining. How do you like your “coworkers” (or daily catpanions if you’re not working)?

2023 Project 365 – Week Forty-one

Another week, another bunch of photos. Sorry!
Sunday, October 8^th         
Random photos of the Squishmallow and his adorable brother. I got to hold him for quite a while (insert heart eyes emoji here).
 

I told Dr. M to go check the daylilies because they were drunk (as I recall we had a second blooming last year too).
 

Monday, October 9^th                
Ready for the Braves game! They won in dramatic fashion, but they ended up losing later in the week. It was SUCH a good season & I’m really sad they didn’t go further into the postseason. Ah well – next year!
 

Tuesday, October 10^th                       
Dr. M’s “last brunch” before his colonoscopy.
 

Wednesday, October 11^th                              
Dr. M & his dad were accidental twins!
 

Thursday, October 12^th                           
Isn’t he adorable? His colonoscopy had mixed results – they found 8 (probably benign) polyps, but there was a section that they couldn’t see because it was filmy. They think it might be due to one of the things they had him take during the prep. This means he’ll have to go back within the year so they can check that section.
 

Me, tonight, watching a show about UFOS: "What a load of poppycock!"
 
Me, this morning at 1:30 a.m. after being awakened by voices in the bedroom & discovering that the audiobook on my phone just "happened" to be playing: "Are there ghosts in this house, and do they know my iPhone password?"
 
But seriously - what in the world??!!
 

Friday, October 13^th                         
Ms. Rita got a new pot (and had a couple of “tenants” evicted in the process). Plus, bonus Pinky content.
 

Saturday, October 14^th                   
Dr. M posted this lovely photo on the socials & one of our friends called it Christina’s World – it really is!
 

Meanwhile, lookit Ellen – I did (a tiny little smidge of) yard work!
 

I ended up having to order yarn for my cardigan, so I started a new project (because of course why would I work on any of the umpteen WIPs I have in little bags around the house?).
 

This week has been full of horror of war, clown politics, incomplete medical procedures, and the loveliness of fall. I’m trying (and failing) to hold it all. How are you doing?
 

2023 Project 365 – Week Forty

If last week was a short story, this week is a novel. Lots of photos, lots of things to talk about. Get a cup of coffee (eww!) and settle in.
Sunday, October 1^st         
Except for a brief outing to the grocery store, I was the hermit that I told you I was. It was a lovely day, including one of the last Braves games of the regular season.
 

Monday, October 2^nd                 
As you’ll see later in the week, our neighborhood is getting into the holiday spirit. Here is our décor.
 

Tuesday, October 3^rd                      
Dr. M said: “My wife had these two items on her grocery list, along with a few things I needed. I would say that her meal plans don’t call for both items on the same plate, but…”
 

I added some plants to my office! I’m annoyed it took so long for me to get around to this. They make me smile.
 

Later that evening I was trying to show Sue the timer feature on my camera. These pictures are hilarious.
 

Wednesday, October 4^th                              
I was pouting because I don’t have a glasses topper to match this outfit.

Dr. M’s dinner from Wednesday looks so good – I wish I could have the same thing to eat tonight!

 

 
Thursday, October 5^th                           
The neighborhood is getting into the spirit of things. That one with the ghosts doing ring-around-the-rosie looks terrifying to me. I don’t know why, but I’m steering clear of that yard!
 

Lunch! I didn’t have any Cheetos so I added Pizzeria Combos to my egg salad sandwich. It was delicious!

 

I’m still working on my cardigan, but it’s coming along. I’m afraid I’ll have to order more yarn, which is making it one of my less successful stash busters. 

 

Friday, October 6^th                         
Remnants…
 

Saturday, October 7^th                   
Dr. M bringing the soybean fields to me… Makes me miss Ohio – but on the other hand these fields are within a few miles of my home here in NC, so what am I complaining about?
 

I spent this (Sunday) afternoon hanging out with a couple of special little boys (and their parents, etc.). Here’s a teaser for you.
 

Such a lovely surprise! Have you had any fun surprises lately?

The Braves! The Braves! All Glory in Them!

Yes, I know, that is a very dramatic title. It’s just baseball for heaven’s sake. But we are pretty darned excited around here, and I wanted to write down some of the great things about this amazing season. Non-baseball folks can feel free to ignore!
 

MLB Records

•  Tied 2019 Minnesota Twins MLB record with 307 homers.
  
• Team slugging percentage of .501 - highest in MLB history
  
• Ronald Acuna is the only player in history to get 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases.
  
• Ronald is also only the fourth player in MLB history to have a 335 average 40 or more homers, 215 hits or more, 80 extra base hits or more, 100 RBI or more, & 145 runs scored or more, with fewer than 90 strikeouts. The other three? Lou Gehrig (1937), Chuck Cline (1936), & Joe DiMaggio (1937).
  
• Matt Olson, Ronald Acuna, & Marcel Ozuna all had 40 or more homers – this is the 4th time in MLB history that 3 teammates hit 40 or more homers in a single season.

Braves Franchise Records

• Tied the Braves franchise high with 4 players with 100 or more RBI.
  
• Matt Olson set a new franchise record with his 54 homers.
  
• Matt also set a new franchise record with 139 RBI.
  
• Spencer Strider had a 20 win season & broke the franchise record (set by John Smoltz) with 281 strikeouts.
  

And if these aren’t enough stats, check out this article. The title is “Do Braves have the best first-inning offense ever?” The answer is YES, yes they do. The article has stats like this:
 
Most home runs, first inning, since 1961
1-T. 2023 Braves: 47
1-T. 2019 Reds: 46
 
Most extra-base hits, first inning, since 1961
1-T. 2023 Braves: 92
1-T. 2003 Cardinals: 92
3. 2001 Rangers: 89
 
Highest slugging percentage, first inning, since 1961
1. 2023 Braves: .600
2. 2019 Reds: .564
 
Highest OPS, first inning, since 1961
1. 2000 Cardinals: .988
2. 2023 Braves: .982
 
It goes on to say: “If there’s any takeaway from all of this, it’s that the first inning of any Braves game is must-see TV if you like action. And silencing Atlanta’s offense in the first will be both extremely difficult and vitally important for any opponent this month. You don’t want to let this offense gain the upper hand early on. However, the Braves’ lineup has often been called “relentless” this season, and for good reason. While keeping them quiet in the first inning is crucial, you still have to deal with them in innings two through nine as well. Good luck.”
 

The Braves first post-season game is on Saturday. They’ll be playing the Phillies, who are currently on fire. As I told a friend earlier today, I’m beside myself with joy and dread. Whew!

Note: photos from the Bally Sports South & Atlanta Braves Instagram feeds.