2022 Project 365 – Week Forty-six

A VERY momentous thing happened this week, and basically that’s all I’ll be talking about. Well, other things also happened, but this one was the best.
Sunday, November 13^th             
You would think that Dr. M’s birthday would be the momentous thing. And it was pretty excellent given that I got a fancy brownie (or three) out of the deal. I gave him a little sheep painting that I found at the Pride Festival. But no, that’s not it.
 

Also a big deal – the girls being brought in for the winter. Ms. Pinky & Ms. Rita think they’re the most important, but they’re not it either.
 

Monday, November 14^th   
This cute dog has been stopping by Dr. M’s dad’s house.

Tuesday, November 15^th         
Here is the big deal! I finished weaving in the ends on the monster blanket! Huzzah!
 

Wednesday, November 16^th                   
I took the blanket to work to try to get a photo of it. Two coworkers hung it off the balcony, but it was actually too long to be able to see the whole thing (some of it was hidden behind the lobby furniture).
 

Thursday, November 17^th            
I continue to put my socks on the wrong feet.
 

Friday, November 18^th           
I was half asleep during lunch playing a game on my phone when I realized that my hair seemed to be staying put when I took my hand off of my head. Made me laugh.
 

Saturday, November 19^th       
I took the blanket to my cousin’s house so she could play around with “staging” it on her king sized bed. We tried folding it in various ways to see how that changed the look. It’s still pretty darned big, but not TOO outrageous on that bed. I think my other cousin (the one who commissioned it) will be happy with the end result. I know I’m happy that it’s finished, but also pretty darned proud of it too.
 

Dr. M has spent two days at his dad’s house replacing the hot water heater, so even though I’ve been out & about both days I’ve felt like a single lady. I don’t like it. I’m used to him being around when I’m at home. It’s like we’re an old married couple or something – ha! How about you – do you crave more alone time, or are you happy with your people around you?

2022 Project 365 – Week Forty-five

Today is Dr. M’s birthday! We masked up & went to the local Honey’s IGA & got lunch and a cookies & cream brownie situation & now I’m in a sort of sugar coma so we shall see how coherent I can be. I will say that we were still COVIDing in our household, so things were pretty quiet this week.
Sunday, November 6^th             
No photo.
 
Monday, November 7^th   
Somebody came by for a treat!

Tuesday, November 8^th         

Dr. M was still feeling pretty crappy, but he put on a mask & did his civic duty. NC was, as expected, a disappointment, but my goodness was this election a nice surprise!
 

The moon!
 

Wednesday, November 9^th                   
The back deck cosmos still looking lovely.
 

Thursday, November 10^th            
I feel like my cough drop wrapper was being a little aggressive with its affirmations.
 

We were still feeling congested & yucky, so Dr. M made his world-famous chicken soup with quinoa (ok, maybe it’s just Bug Household famous). It was so good!
 

Friday, November 11^th           
I stayed home from work, hoping that a long weekend would help me feel better. I spent the day crocheting and playing on my iPad, and not taking pictures.
 
Saturday, November 12^th       
Went to my dad’s today where chaos reigned! I’m sure we’ll whip this puzzle into shape in no time. And then after I got home I FINISHED THE FREAKING GINORMOUS BLANKET!!! Well, I still have a jillion ends to weave in, but the crocheting is done. Can’t wait to get it totally finished & do a photoshoot. And give it to the recipient. And forget it exists. (Just kidding – I’m pretty stoked about this project.)
 

Today, finally, I actually feel like I’m on the mend. Minimal coughing, no sneezing, no congestion, my energy level is more normal. I’m ready to get back to a more normal schedule, with a bit of exercise, clear-headed work, and visiting with family. Hopefully Dr. M will soon be feeling 100% too! How about you? You feeling ok these days?

2022 Project 365 – Week Forty-four

It’s just all COVID all the time here in the Bug household – it made for an exciting week of photos! <= Insert sarcasm font here.
Sunday, October 30^th             
Just making official what I already suspected (although for real I thought I was just having an allergic reaction to dust).
 

Dr. M masked up & went on a supply run. His travelling companion had an over-inflated view of himself.
 

Monday, October 31^st  
Not feeling great, but also not a napper.
 

Tuesday, November 1^st        
I guess this was inevitable, especially since I was contagious for a few days before I even had symptoms.
 

Wednesday, November 2^nd                  
I put my socks on the wrong feet. Some sort of commentary on my life?
 

Thursday, November 3^rd            
My CDC mandated 5 days of quarantine were over (and I had been fever free for 24 hours). I was still pretty congested, but happy to be out of the house doing something different than sitting on my butt. Also, my coworkers were happy to see me. Ha!
 

Meanwhile, Dr. M was having a weird day. “Covid-19 does strange things: “delivered” Amazon packages vanish before your very eyes, sheep frolic about nude in the light of day, you feel like you’re being watched, perfectly functional documents from your laptop refuse to function when loaded to Google Drive. Mostly, you just get sick and tired of being sick and tired…” (Note, the packages showed up on Saturday – I guess the neighbor who got them by accident didn’t have time to mess with them before that.)
 

Friday, November 4^th           
Who wore it better?
 

Saturday, November 5^th       
What a weird week, capped off by this lovely bloom from the deck planter.
 

We both are fever free, but still full of phlegm and fatigue. Meanwhile, the time has changed (ugh – I’m one of the “hate it gets dark so early” people), and tomorrow it’s supposed to get up to 80 degrees. What the heck – my toes are not ready for public consumption, but my feet are hot just thinking about wearing shoes with socks. Life is so weird. How are you doing in your neck of the woods? 

2022 Project 365 – Week Forty-three

For reasons you will hear all about a little further down, my brain does not want to brain. So let’s just get started, shall we?
Sunday, October 23^rd            
Temperature blanket through August – we’re getting there! Close-up of Samuel Spaniel and Carolina Cow being yarn bombed.   
 

Monday, October 24^th
I had brought a half an avocado to eat with my lunch, forgetting that we were going to have pizza at work. I’ve got to say, this was really tasty!

Tuesday, October 25^th       
The Roy came to visit Dr. M! He got plenty of scritches and a treat (or three).
 

Wednesday, October 26^th                 
Autumn scenes from around the neighborhood.
 

Thursday, October 27^th           
A moody bowl of McIntosh apples… (They are so good!)
 

Friday, October 28^th           
Even though I came home early from work (because I thought I was catching a cold), I still spent some time getting ready for some dinosaur shenanigans!
 

Saturday, October 29^th       
Our church had trunk or treat today. I was still feeling bad (had a low grade fever in the morning), but I decided to go ahead & go because that dinosaur costume is its own hazmat suit – the “windows” kept fogging up because it got so steamy in there. I stayed away from people when it was unzipped (see the photo of me on my phone – ha!). The kids really love the dinosaur and it’s a lot of fun to see how excited they are. I’m going to try to upload a couple of videos too.
 

Well reader, I finally got got by Covid. I started feeling bad on Friday, and then today I tested positive. So far it’s been mainly a snot event – charming! So I’m going to be hanging out at home for the next several days. Dr. M hasn’t tested yet, but he’s pretty sure he has it too. Here’s hoping our symptoms remain mild!

2022 Project 365 – Week Forty-two

Hoo boy – we had QUITE the week here in Bugland! Buckle up – it’s a lot!
Sunday, October 16^th             
After church I went to Dad & Sue’s for lunch & we had a special visitor. He’s just the most adorable (not biased at all here). Speaking of “biased” – that’s the correct usage, right? I’ve seen a surge of people saying, “I’m bias, but…” Wouldn’t that mean they’re calling themselves diagonal? Or am I crazy?
 

Monday, October 17^th
I did that thing where I crocheted during lunch and got 1500 steps. Woot!

Tuesday, October 18^th       
It’s been a minute since I wore this shrug because it just feels so extra. But it was cold, and I was bored with my other options.
 

Dr. M has been concerned about getting his dad’s gas fireplace serviced so that the pilot light would work. The guy who usually does it has been very sick, so Dr. M went to Google Trade School and figured it out himself. I’m pretty proud of him!
 

Wednesday, October 19^th                 
My status from FB: This is not going to turn into a fashion account, but for the second day in a row I’m wearing something weird that I made. And I’m sharing it here so I can tell you that when I went to go to bed last night I straight up walked right into the bedroom door and sloshed water all over me and my phone and laughed like a loon. I was innocently scrolling Instagram and carrying a glass of water & forgot that the door was shut (because I like to live in Hawaii and sleep in Siberia). I thought it was SO FUNNY. I don’t know why. Dr. M just shook his head at me.
 

Dr. M found a great deal on a 2017 Ford Escape! And he’s letting making me drive it at least through the winter (it’s 4WD!). Oh my goodness – I feel like I’ve dropped into the lap of luxury. This is a huge leap forward from Daisy (2012). I think the features I’m most excited about are the dual temperature controls (marriage saver!) and heated seats. (Also, I am very short.)

Thursday, October 20^th           
The only picture I took was of the magnet Dr. M snuck and put on the back of the new car. I had brought it home to put on Daisy & kept forgetting.
 

Friday, October 21^st           
My nephew’s wife threw a surprise birthday party for him. It was a lot of fun. I especially liked the double-decker cookie cake. Yum!
 

Saturday, October 22^nd       
Hart Square Village is a little over a mile from our house, and yet for some reason we had never attended the living history day that they have each year. Well, I had hip surgery, and then Dr. M had back surgery. Anyway we decided that this was the year. They have 103 structures, built between roughly 1760 and 1893, and artisans and docents spread over a pretty large area. We were pretty proud of how well we did walking up and down the trails over some rough terrain. We had a good day and both of us took a lot of pictures. I’m just going to share a “few” (ha!) here.
 

Of course I had to go into the little Episcopal church. The guy in there was actually playing the organ!
 

Dr. M had to have his photo taken at the Rhyne barn. Not sure exactly when it was built, but the name associated with it is George Pinkney Rhyne (1821-1948). He was Dr. M’s 1st cousin, 4x removed on his mom’s side, but he is also kin to Dr. M on his father’s side (Dr. M’s family tree goes straight up). George’s father, William Lawson Rhyne, was Dr. M’s 3rd great-granduncle.  William Lawson Rhyne's father, Jonas, is both Dr. M’s 4th great-granduncle (on the Rhyne side) and his 4th great-grandfather (on the Friday side)! Confused? So are we!
 

I’m sorry Nance – I did pull for Cleveland but to no avail. In fact, it sort of feels like me pulling for someone sounds the death knell on their season. Because I’m all powerful that way. What successes or lack thereof did you have this week?

2022 Project 365 – Week Forty-one

Well, baseball is over for us since the Braves were eliminated yesterday. Now I’m trying to decide who to pull for – Cleveland? Houston (because we love Dusty Baker)? San Diego? It’s kind of nice to only sort of care. Although obviously it would be nicer if our team had won.
Sunday, October 9^th             
As I mentioned last week, Dr. M & I took a little ramble and got lunch at a place by Lake Hickory. I got the black bean burger. We were both too hungry to photograph the food, but I took a photo of the menu especially for Nance. Check out that description – ha!
 

Monday, October 10^th
I made myself a tuna melt for dinner. I took a picture of the open cabinet door & texted Dr. M asking him why I had left it open. It’s not something I usually do & I was perplexed.

Tuesday, October 11^th       
The Bugly’s last ride. It started overheating on Monday & Dr. M limped it to his dad’s house today so that he could borrow the truck (Floyd the Ford). He took pictures of all the places he had to stop to let it cool down before he could continue. We could probably get it fixed, but it’s 18 years old and has over 200,000 miles on it & I think it would be like a game of whack a mole if we started putting money into it. We were (and still are) VERY SAD about this. The Bugly was Professor Rhyne’s car at school, and it was our road trip car. It’s going to be hard to let go.
 

Last week I had spent some time around someone who had COVID, so I tested myself for the first time ever.
 

Wednesday, October 12^th                 
Dr. M moved Sheepie to Floyd and we were all sad again.
 

Got my hair cut again. Look at all that gray!
 

Thursday, October 13^th           
Today was a momentous occasion! I finally reached the point in the blanket where I stopped increasing & started decreasing! According to my calculations it’s going to be 9 feet by 14 feet – definitely out-monstering the previous monster (my 2016 temperature blanket).
 

Friday, October 14^th          
I had the day off from work and spent it with my cousin attending the virtual Evolving Faith conference. It was SO GOOD! Man. But it lasted from 9:30 to after 6:00 and I was WIPED OUT. I could barely form coherent sentences when I got home. Sorry, Dr. M!
 

Saturday, October 15^th      
I went back over to my cousin’s house for the morning session. When I was getting back in the car, Audrey jumped in – twice! She apparently wanted to go home with me. So adorable.
 

Dr. M got this nifty BBQ set from his aunt’s house. It’s pretty substantial – we think it might be useful in the Zombie Apocalypse too. Now we just need to get a grill.
 

Seattle fans started wearing shoes on their heads for some reason (rally shoes!) and somewhere around the 15^th inning I decided to try it. However, they ended up losing in 18. (Note: I did not wear the shoe the whole time. No doubt that’s why they lost.)

Well, the time of baseball is nearly at an end, and the time of hockey has begun. The Carolina Hurricanes have won their first two games of the season. Maybe someday I’ll actually watch a game (their next four games start after 9:00). No worry – the season lasts about four years so I’ll have plenty of chances to watch. I know that all four of my readers are just fascinated – ha! What’s keeping you going this fall? Candy corn? Pumpkin (pie) spice? Guy Fawkes night? Do tell!