Week 47 - Finished Christmas Shopping

So my dread over impending darkness and cold a few weeks ago was premature because things were going just fine and we even had another warm day so I took an afternoon off. I know winter is coming but so far, November isn't that bad.

After the news about my knee, I started a rotation on Monday in hopes that I could drop a few pounds before my December advent calendars start. I did fine on the 600 calorie days, which was encouraging. 

On Tuesday afternoon I had my last medical appointment of the season - the eye doctor. I took 5 pairs of glasses home and posted them on Facebook for my friends to help me choose. Well, everyone had a different opinion so I went with the ones that were most like what I've been wearing for the past 2 years. Bigger than my old ones but then all the frames seem huge these days. The 80's are back!

Thursday was warm so I took the afternoon off and started with lunch in the park with Lorri. Then I headed home for the main event - finishing clearing the shallow wall of my garage. I was out there for the rest of the afternoon and got it done. My friend's husband said he would be willing to build shelves for me after it got too cold for his deck building business so I emailed Amanda to have him call me. Yay!

I had made plans with Andrea for an Omaha run after work on Friday so when I woke up early after yet another bad night's sleep, I started work at 6:30. I worked through lunch so was free as a bird at 2:30. I was determined to finish my Christmas shopping but we were thwarted at Trader Joe's, which had a huge line to get in. Next stop was World Market, where I scored plenty of presents, and after a quick run through at Five Below (got a fabulous tinsel wreath for my front door), we hit Baker's for groceries. It was a very productive trip and I declared that I was done Christmas shopping. Yay!

I had realized early in the week that I couldn't possibly knit enough hats so had called my sister Dottie, who crochets for the homeless, and she immediately mailed 20 crocheted hats. That still left me needing more so I kept knitting all weekend. By the end of the weekend, I was up to 17 hats with 1 more half done. With the 2 I had on the needles that I planned to finish and a few I'd made earlier in the year, Dottie's would get me to 50. Lori dropped the 2 she made off on Sunday afternoon. All good.

My other goal for the weekend was to put together my new coffee table so it'd be ready for Anne on Thanksgiving. It took 2+ hours to put together and I had a big blister on my palm from the many, many screws but it was done. And perfect. Lori saw it when she dropped her hats and she agreed.

So, another good week. Done with Christmas shopping, saw 2 friends in person and was on track to finish the hats. Dottie's package hadn't arrived yet and she threw away the receipt with the tracking number so I'd just have to be patient. Not my strong suit but I have faith in the USPS. That said, I am planning to wrap and ship super early now that my shopping is done. Faith but why risk it?

Week 46 - Health and Hats

As quarantine weeks go, this was a busy one. I got lots done and had some fun, even starting thinking about Christmas. Early, I know, but it felt right this year.

I started Monday morning at the dentist. I'd scheduled it back in April when Covid was new so I'd asked for the first appointment of the week thinking that would be safer. It was a rude awakening to be up, dressed and out the door before 8:00. Then I ended the day with an appointment with my knee doc. Alas, I need a new knee. It didn't surprise me but I had held out hope that I could have a quick fix. Time to lose some weight and I'm thinking early March for surgery.

When I left Nebraska Ortho, I headed to Cindy's to pick up a plastic set of drawers she had for me and we chatted on her porch. It was cold but worth it. I zoom with her 5 days a week but in person is SO much better. From there, I headed to Baker's Chocolates in Greenwood to pick up some candy for Christmas. That got me thinking Christmas for sure.

We had snow on Tuesday, so I delayed my regular grab and go until Wednesday. We woke up to beautiful ice glazing on Wednesday but it melted quickly. I had lots of zooms at work and ended Friday with a blind side meeting that left me super pissed off. Good thing I had fun plans after work.

I drove to Lincoln and met Darla at Menard's to buy my Christmas trees. I had called to make sure they had them already and Darla and I had fun shopping outside in the cold. A super nice clerk helped us and I got 2 trees and a wreath. It was great to see Darla then I stopped at HyVee for a few groceries, which felt like a treat since I've done most of my grocery shopping at Aldi since March. I had planned to get their Chinese special for supper but the line was too long so I was starving as I headed home. Andrea had called to offer me some pasties so I stopped to pick them up on the way home. She gave me some fresh out of the oven along with a bottle of wine that she thought I needed after I'd vented to her after my horrible zoom. That's a good friend!

I started Saturday knitting hats. I had told Mary I'd knit some hats for her charity project and had hoped some of my knitting friends would help but I'd only gotten an offer of 2 and Mary needed 50 so I got busy. I knitted all morning and then on and off all weekend. I had 7 hats done and an 8th half done by the end of the day Sunday. I also set up my deck tree, which always makes me happy, did a bunch of laundry, neatized the back room and put the hassock at the curb with a free sign.

Good week, right? I was starting Christmas early this year but it just felt right somehow. And I got to see 2 friends IN PERSON, which is always a treat. Despite the dumpster fire that 2020 is, life is still good. 

Week 45 - Warmth and Friendship

The weather was going to be freakishly warm so I hopped in and scheduled 3 afternoons off. I would have taken all 5 but was teaching 2 days so 3 would have to do. I had big plans for getting things done.

I did manage to make a huge dent in my garage on Monday afternoon, after making cupcakes for my cousin's birthday. Now I'd missed it by a couple of weeks but it hadn't been warm enough to get together outside so I hadn't done anything. Banana cupcakes with cream cheese frosting were first on my to do list but I got them done right away and was tackling the garage just after lunch. My goal was to clear the entire wall on the shallow side of the garage so I can have shelves built. I cleared all the way back to some plastic shelves before I ran out of light and energy. It was a productive day and ended with the extra cupcakes at Monday Night Knitting. Nice.

So it was a good thing I got so much done on Monday because the lunch with my cousin turned into all afternoon. I picked up my usual grab and go x2 and we sat in the sun on my deck until almost 5:00. I don't spend enough time with Helen and this was wonderful. It was also a good distraction from the election from hell. I had a beer with dinner then switched to Skrewball but didn't watch any election coverage until just before bed. As I suspected, there was no clear winner so I went to bed, falling asleep pretty quickly after the whiskey.

I taught Wednesday and Thursday afternoons so those 2 days both flew by and I was able to grab a cup of tea on the deck during a post training break. I was watching the news but nothing else because the election was still up in the air but looking better for Biden with each passing day. I had Friday afternoon off too so the work week was over in a flash.

Earlier in the week, Rene had said we had a trifecta of nice weather, a recipe she wanted to try and my fire pit but when I told her I'd taken the afternoon off, it was moved up to lunch. Rene and Anne, who takes every Friday afternoon off since she's at the max in her vacation bank, came up for 12:30, which gave me just enough time to set the table and brush off the cushions. Rene brought a delicious cottage pie and I had even more cupcakes (Helen only took 2 home rather than the entire tray I'd perpared for her) so we enjoyed a delicious meal and good conversation all afternoon while knitting in the sun. Lovely!

The weather held over the weekend so I went straight outside and did the last of my pre-winter yard work. I had emptied one compost bin over lunch one day so started clearing my veg beds into that and dumped all my containers into my big wheel barrow and put all the pots and hoses away. I was thrilled to come in to the news that Biden had won. YAY!!! He will bring a return to civility in our government and hopefully that will trickle down to the country. I celebrated with yummy pasta with wine for dinner.

It was getting colder and windier on Sunday but I took advantage of that to wash the enormous load of my handknitted socks that had been piling up in my hamper. I also did the last must do pre-winter task and cut down the perennials in my parking (the strip between the sidewalk and street for those not from the Midwest) which act as a snow fence if I leave them up. I got that done and went inside to do a few chores to prepare for the coming week.

What a nice week. I had lots of social interactions, which may be the last for a LONG time since we're not supposed to have people in our houses, and got plenty done. I even posted some things from the garage clear out on Facebook Marketplace because gone is good. I'd call that week a win!

 

Week 44 - Snow before Halloween

It started snowing late Sunday and was still snowing Monday morning. A small part of me had been looking forward to the first snowy day when I didn't have to worry about shovelling my driveway and getting to work on time. Now this snow was only ~3" and had started melting by the end of the day Monday but still. You gotta enjoy what you can these days.

It was a nice week at work - busy but not stressfully so - so it flew by. I had some fun zooms too, with Van for tea one afternoon and later in the week with the old coffee group - Lana, Cindy and even Dawn from Virginia. It was lovely.

A warm front was coming through starting on the weekend and I desperately needed produce so wanted to go to Super Saver in Lincoln, which has the best produce department. You would think from how much I belabored when to go and what to do that I was making a major life decision. Sheesh! Luckily, Cindy mentioned that she was going to go to Sam's Club Saturday morning so I asked if she wanted to get Starbuck's and sit outside somewhere and chat. Yes! With that appointment to anchor my day, I headed south.

Cindy and I got our drinks (I tried the pumpkin foam cold brew - yum!) and found a park to sit in. It was still a bit chilly but we found a sheltered location in the sun and chatted until noon. It was perfect. I had to go to campus to check out a new location for one of the cat feeders and hadn't been there in months. Come to find out the weekend feeder had already moved it - nice! - so I headed to my office to check it out. The windows had been replaced but my cubie was still in pieces. As usual, it was creepy being in the dark, empty building. I hit the ladies, checked on my cats and then picked up my favorite salad at Panera. I stopped at my favorite Goodwill for finding yarn on the way to Anne's and we happily sat on her deck all afternoon, knitting and chatting. I left when we lost the sun and stopped at Super Saver for a huge stockup and was home by 7:00. It was Halloween but I was skipping it this year. Despite that, it was a banner day!

I have had a round topped steamer trunk in my basement for years, which I recently emptied with a plan to get rid of it. Well Andrea knew I wanted it gone and told me that her niece's one act play group was looking for trunks so we'd made plans for her to come help me get it out of the basement on Sunday. Well it was way deep in the basement, which meant I had to move some furniture and crap to get it out. I went down to see how much work it would be and ended up just moving it myself. It was awkward but not heavy and I even managed to get it up the stairs myself. I figured it would be easier to go right to Andea's sister so emailed her and she said she'd send her husband over with the truck. Done! Now I have an empty wall to put up a bookcase and get some craft stuff organized.

That was the start of my Sunday and after my weekly chat with my sister, my friend Lori came over and we chatted for a bit. She was in my house but wore a mask. Now that's a good friend.

Great weekend, right? I didn't get any cooking done but I have a freezer full of possibilities and my produce drawers were jam packed so I'd survive. I'll end this post with a pic of my happy geraniums, which I'll be enjoying all winter. Orange, of course.

Week 43 - Bringing in Plants

The highlight of the week, if you could call it that, was the hard freeze on Thursday night. It was the end of warm weather and meant I had some work to do. But first the week.

We were getting some much needed rain on Tuesday so I only went to Mocha C's for the weekly grab and go lunch I look forward to, skipping The Warehouse and D's Boutique. I had sorted stocking stuffers and was hoping I could find some for Carolyn, whose basket was a bit skimpy, at D's. Well, it's a good thing I didn't go in there because by the end of the week she was closed because she had Covid. Dodged a bullet there and it's not like Christmas is tomorrow so I'm not stressed. Yet.

Thursday was a good day. UNL's 2nd annual State of Diversity was that morning and was being done on Zoom. So no buffet breakfast like last year but it was a good program and they had zoom breakout sessions that worked perfectly. I even managed to get some knitting time in during the speakers.

The hard freeze was due that night so at the end of the day, I picked all the veg that was left outside - eggplants, peppers, tomatoes and a big bunch of chard. Then I brought in all the plants I wanted to overwinter. I just put them on a rug by the TV until I'd deal with them on the weekend.

The weekend was filled with friends. On Saturday I talked to 2 friends and my sister then pulled the plant stands out of the garage and washed them down in the tub and put them out in the sun on the driveway to dry before heading inside to start some chores. On Sunday I repotted a few of the plants and got them all situated on the plant stands in front of the slider (south window) and the dining room (west window) where they'll live all winter. I also talked to my cousin, my boss and Anne plus zoomed with Dawn in Virginia. How's that for being social while never leaving my house?

I enjoyed apple crisp almost every night after being inspired earlier in the week when faced with nothing for dessert. I made half a batch of apple crisp topping and then every night I prepped one apple and made a single serving of apple crisp in my toaster oven. Because apple crisp is never crisp if you reheat it so this way I got fresh apple crisp in the time it took me to peel one apple. I even used my wonderful 70's Pyrex gratin dishes. Perfect! I can see more of this in my future.

Between dealing with all my plants and talking with family and friends, I finished several knitting projects and managed to fit in just enough chores to be ready for the upcoming week. So another pandemic week was in the books and I survived just fine. I might have even thrived a bit. : )

Week 42 - End of Fun?

It was yet another week of working from home and staying safe. I had some socially distanced fun on the weekend, which is always good, but also had a mini meltdown.

The week started out well. I had my annual physcial and mammogram on Tuesday, which messed up my grab and go lunch but I just got it Thursday instead. I trained a few people on reporting on Wednesday afternoon and then had a wonderful zoom session with Paul of The Ripples Project fame. As usual, I was totally energized by Paul. I had some computer problems first thing Friday but after that was resolved, I ended the day crossing allocations off my to do list. Nice way to end the work week.

As the end of the week approached, I was looking forward to my spinning meeting at Nan's cabin on the river. The weather was supposed to be warm and sunny, which was a nice treat for mid October. The weather was perfect and we had a great time, after which I headed to the Dollar Tree. I was inspired by a podcast I'd been watching on YouTube - On a Dime, in case you're interested - and wanted to scope out some baskets and bins for organizing. I found a few and then went to Aldi to pick up some groceries. While I was in Aldi, it was like someone flipped a switch and the cold front came through. The sun was gone and the wind was from the north and raw. It came through exactly when it was forecast and it felt like a death nell for fun.

I'm not sure exactly what triggered it but earlier in the week I had started worrying about no longer being able to see people safely outside. I kind of went into panic mode and started obsessing about what it would be like when I would be alone in my house day after day without being able to see people. I was also worried about the cold, dark corner where my desk is and being stuck there working all winter. I vented to anyone who would listen and was a bit of a mess. Until I came up with a plan.

My desk is in the corner of my L shaped kitchen and back room, where the sun streams through my south facing sliding door all winter. I needed to find some way that I could work in the back room while still maintaining it as the TV room. After much thought, I headed to Amazon and found the perfect solution to my problem - this coffee table! It would allow me to work from my couch, which would be in the sun but wouldn't have the glare I get when sitting in my chair. And the pop up table top would be the perfect height for my laptop. I'd have to get rid of my oversized ottoman but that matched a chair I'd trashed years ago and was pretty grubby so it was time. I hit add to cart on the coffee table and immediately chilled out. Damn skippy! It was exactly what I needed to calm down.

And on another postive note, I used the baskets I had bought at Dollar Tree to completely organize my summer Birkenstocks in the bottom of my closet and sorted a pile of shoes to donate. One night during the week, I went through all of my gift socks, sorting them into zippies by size and pulling some for Christmas gifts. I am not spending as much time as I should organizing my house but I did do a bit and since I ended the week on a happy note with my meltdown solved by a coffee table, I'll call it a good week.