Embarrassment, productivity and a touching surprise

When you first move into a new place, you just want to get the boxes unpacked.

Some items you put away carefully.  Others you put into a closet or in the garage with an “I will get to it mentality”. 

You open and close the cabinets.  Ignoring the clutter.

Then one day, Jenn says “let’s clean out the kitchen cabinets this weekend.”

Saturday, we decided was the day.

Jenn empties each cabinet into bins and puts them in front of me.

The piles are pitch, keep, Goodwill or maybe.

Some items had been put away during the “I just want to get the boxes unpacked phase when I moved in here four years ago.”

The embarrassment and phase one of productivity:

Yes, four years some shelves have been left untouched or worse yet added to.

In the plastic container closet, I kept things in which to store left overs, sauce when I make it, a place to keep my lunch fresh (when I used to go to the office) and for any other reason that might come up.

There were containers from Chic-Fil-A (perfect for a serving of yogurt), KFC containers, plates with lids from Cracker Barrel, assorted grated cheese containers and the always handy Won Ton soup container.

Actually, the Won Ton soup container is a perfect size to store home made sauce.  Two containers hold the two quarts of sauce my recipe makes.

On one of the FB pages, I am a member of a group that is about being Italian.

On that page they refer to the treasure trove of plastics as “Italian Tupperware” which is pretty much the truth.  Is it only Italians that save them?

This is a sampling of what I tackled.

By the time I was done with all the closets, I had gotten rid of 12 coffee mugs.  I mean really, why did I need 18 coffee mugs? More than two trash bags full of plastic containers and lids.  I did save some of  the containers that were in good condition and had a matching lid. I gave Goodwill the coffee mugs, six juice glasses, six medium size glasses and six tall glasses. I kept six regular size glasses and six coffee mugs for myself. Why would I need more?

After that task was done, it was a quick trip to the landfill and Goodwill.

More productivity:

Once home, I cooked a bunch of fresh vegetables.  Mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini, red onion and a vidalia onion with sea salt, white pepper and olive oil left a great smell in the kitchen.

All set for my lunch for the week.

A touching surprise:

Let me give you a little background. I had a good friend who had a wry sense of humor.  One year, I gave him his birthday card a day late and since I forget and missed the actual date he held it on his home desk in the mail slot with the yellow envelope sticking out so all could see it.  It sat there for 364 days until his next birthday when it was finally opened. No one said much about it during the year, maybe just a passing remark.  Kathy and I knew he left it there in view just to taunt me.  It was kind of funny.

Back to the cabinets, when I came in the kitchen Jenn said to me “Mom have you ever seen this before?” It was a platter with a red truck and a Christmas tree on it (I am obsessed with those darn red trucks and Christmas trees). I told her I had never seen it before.  I asked where had she found it? Jenn said it was on a top shelf in a kitchen cabinet.  A shelf on which Jenn and I would never store anything we might need as it was too high and a chair or step stool would be needed to get to it.

Then I saw the post it note attached to it.

On the post it was written. This is a .....fresh cut Christmas Tree.

Kathy and Dan always had a real tree.  I did a few times but like the look and symmetry of an artificial tree.

The embarrassing part is that tray has been up on that shelf for over three years. I know that because Dan passed away almost three years ago.

Jenn  and I had no idea.

If he left it there as a test of my housekeeping skills, boy did I fail.

After all these years, Dan could still have the last laugh on us.

See you next week.

 

Mother’s Day, The Anniversary and Me

Mother’s Day:

She made corsages for my birthday. 

She made me sleep in hard curlers.

She took me shopping for prom dresses and a wedding gown.

She was one of the Mom’s that helped watch the students in the cafeteria when I was in second grade and as a grandmother she was the person who sat at the front table and greeted guests at the school her grandchildren has once attended.

She would set unreasonable punishments.  In fact, I think I am still grounded from the groundings I was given in my youth.

She taught a second grade classes to dance the Hula.

She made Jenn a lion tamer’s cape for her kindergarten graduation. (It is packed away in a box).

She was at every assembly, play and concert in which her children participated.

She was the Girl Scout cookie Mom. Yes, I volunteered her without asking her first.

She taught me how to be a Mom.

She had the ability to make all of her grandchildren feel as if they were her favorite.

She taught me how to appreciate the small things in life.

She could make a dollar stretch with the best of them.

She was my teacher, cheerleader, mentor and although I didn’t always think it, my best friend.

Not a day goes by that I don’t miss her or think of her.

She was the definition of the word Mom.

The Anniversary:

My Dad used to joke (or maybe not) about getting married around Mother’s Day was not the brightest idea due to the increased cost of flowers.

George and Irene, for 31 years they were quite a couple.

Dad was in charge and Mom’s world revolved around him.

I never once doubted my parents loved each other.

They would get through the “hungry years” when they had so little except us kids.

When their lives should have been getting much easier and their kids were pretty much grown, Dad got sick.

No surprise Mom was by his side and then became the strength to him that he had always been to her.

Too soon he was gone and my Mom had to learn to live in a world where she did not have dad to guide her.

I wish I had known in my marriage, the love they shared in theirs.

Me:

The me part of this entry.

Another week of good things.

My summer buildings have been put out on display.

Jenn gave me a great new wreath for the front door.

I saved 50% on a great sale on some”work” clothes online. Who can beat a $10 pair of shorts.

We cleaned out the freezer yesterday and made a list of what is in it.  Let’s just say we have no worries about running out of cauliflower rice or frozen veggies. (I think there may be a pot of soup in my future.)

I have tortured Jenn enough that she has finally given in to watching Mad Men and Downton Abbey with me.  Well considering she introduced me to ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter is Dead” and “Never Been Kissed”, I think it is fair she watch some of my suggestions.

At least watching there TV shows together (note I am not calling the programs as the man on the Progressive Insurance has ad advised...omg that man is a hoot), isn’t as dangerous as asking her to go see Barry Manilow with me and then getting the payback of having to go see NKOTB (yes, it did end up being a good concert).

I am learning more at my job each day and my new team is getting to know me better.

When I wake early each morning, I find time to pray for my family, friends, my aches and pains, my hopes, my dreams, the future, the craziness of our world  and all I have to be thankful for.

My prayer always begins with, “thank you Lord for giving me this day, I want to thank you for all of my yesterdays and the hope for many more tomorrows” and I go on from there with requests and wishes for others but I always say THANK YOU first.

And that’s the way it is on Sunday, May 9th, 2021.

See you next week.

I am going to be honest

 The last year plus has been a challenge for all of us.

I have started to think of my home as a cocoon. I am safe inside of it.  I have everything I need. I get paid to work in my kitchen. I have a nice view from my kitchen window. In the afternoon, when I get tired of working at my kitchen table, I move to the living room and work in my recliner.  Although this move from the kitchen means I do not have two monitors to work with it is still a nice way to break up the day.

The comfort of my home has its good and its bad.

The good is listed above and here comes the bad.

Being home for so long has made my cocoon almost too safe.

I have had a hard time going out except the once a week trip to get groceries.

I cannot continue to live in this bubble.

Add to venturing out after over a year at home, my fear of falling and there you have it.

Me, stressing about heading back out into the world.

Yes, there have been a few ventures to get a pedicure or new eyeglasses or to get my annual flu shot or BOTH of my vaccine shots but nothing social.

Well, yesterday was the day !!!!

I received a phone call from friend visiting SC that she and her husband would like to meet Jenn and I for lunch.

It would be outside and socially distanced.

I said yes right away.

Then spent the next 48 hours trying to think how to get out of it.

I was going to be sick, something came up or had to work.  All sounded like great excuses. 

I woke up Saturday morning with a bad case of nerves.  Adding to my stress was a 45 minute trip to Bluffton for a SAMS run to get Locatelli (16 oz for $12.00 vs Publix 8 oz. for $9.00)  i am so practical I will drive miles to save $3.00 and get double the amount.  LOL

Our purchase:

Anyway, from SAMS it was on to lunch.

I was shaking like a leaf inside.

When we got there, there were some tables outside spaced far apart. 

I will admit I held Jenn’s arm to steady myself and also due to the arthritis in my knees really kicking in.

There was a bench border around the outside dining area.  I chose to sit there and we pulled the table closer to us and a little further from the few other people eating outside.

The weather was in the 70’s, perfect  

Our friends arrived just as we sat down.

How did it go?

We were there for two hours.

We ate, I had a drink (which I haven’t done in over 6 months), we laughed and for a little while I took in fresh air.

Two years ago, I would not be writing a blog to celebrate a lunch out.

But for me yesterday was a major victory.

Even if only for a few hours, I took my life back.

Yes, I needed encouragement and some help (physically).

I felt good, like me and happy to be out.

I even told Jenn once the weather is consistently in the 80’s we should go to the pool just minutes from my house again.

Last year, it was closed for a long time and then when it reopened you had to sign up for two hour time slots (anyone who knows me knows that might be an issue since I habitually run late). Which means we never went to the pool last year

Well soon this will be my view again at least a few times a week.

By the time we got home yesterday, I was exhausted after the days events.

I am going to try and take my life back. Slowly.  Carefully. And still wearing a mask when warranted.  I had my second vaccine and had no side effects other than an itchy arm at the injection site. Whew!!

Will I be running out and about all the time now?  Good Lord no! 

I am taking baby steps.  And yesterday was step one.

I have learned it’s OK to ask for help when walking someplace unsteady, it is OK to admit to others your fears and its OK to be honest with others and myself.

I told a friend this week, never again will I go to a movie theatre or a crowded arena or any of those places that I would feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed. And that works for me. 

That might make my world a little smaller but there will still be options.

I will be alright thou just different.

I now look out the window with excitement and hope and maybe just a little less fear.

I call that a win.

See you next week.

Random Good Things or Call Me Pollyanna (at least for the week)

No one has ever mistaken me for “Pollyanna”.  If you have never seen the movie by the same name, it might be worth the watch.  Yes, it is sugary and sappy but it also shows how to find the good in things.  

Focusing on the the positive in my life makes things bright.  I can at times dwell on the negative in the world around us. I am trying to voice my opinion in a honest manner without being confrontational.

Here are some of my “Pollyanna” good things from the past week.

1. I had my annual soft shell crab meal yesterday. It was great. I wanted to make sure I had one before the season had passed.

2. It stormed all day yesterday. Rain, thunder and lightening storms all day. I love watching rain pour off the roof.

3. Thanks to the storms my car (at least for the moment) does not have a lovely shade of green pollen all over it.

4.  I am learning many new things each day at my job.  The best part is I am actually remembering at least a few of them.

5.  Each weekend we are exploring more of the places and spaces that make the area where I live special. 

6.  I am getting my second vaccine shot this week.

7. The tree service came and trimmed our trees this week.  One tree I thought was dead is not, it is a hickory tree which just blooms late.

8.  I have not gotten negative feedback to some of my more vocal FB posts.  Which either means people agree with me or all of my left wing friends have unfollowed or unfriended me. 

9.  I have been planning my meals for the week, breakfast, lunch and dinner.  It makes shopping and preparation easier and healthier.

10. One of the attached units near me sold for almost double what I paid for mine 4 years ago.  No big difference in the units except they have wood floors in the living room and dining room.  I love wood floors but that sure down’t make up for double the price.  Helps the value of my place.

11.  My house has been cleaned, scrubbed and dusted.  I love the smell of Clorox, not seeing dust on the furniture and a stove top that shines.

12.  The days seem to fly.  I sign on to work early and all of a sudden it is noon.  I blink my eyes and it’s the end of the day. 

13. 8 months from today is Christmas.

I hope the coming week has as many “good” things about it.

Well, hope in itself is a good thing. 

See you next week.

Guess what I did this week

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think,” Christopher Robin from Winnie the Pooh fame.

The road back to normalcy can be very slow for some people.

I read an article this morning about how for many like me, reopening can be a unhurried process.

It made me feel good and normal to read something that validates my feelings.

Some people are able to go out gangbusters and act as if they never missed a beat.

For me, it is more like watching a flower open very slowly.

I did hit a milestone.

I left the house four times in the last seven days.

Two of those times, I actually got out of the car too.

The first time was to walk into Publix and get the first of my two shots for COVID. I was nervous because as crazy as it sounds, I haven’t been in a super market in over a year thanks to Instacart.

Just four more weeks until my second Moderna injection.

The second time I ventured out was to get a pedicure. This was a little intimidating because although the place was empty when we arrived by the time we left it was pretty crowded.

Yes, everyone was wearing a mask but I did feel there were more people present than social distancing allows.

I was very happy finish up and move on.

The other two trips out of the house were curbside pick up of things. 

No reason for a celebration except that up until now one trip a week out of my house was a biggie.

My home is my cocoon and I am the caterpillar.

Time to break out of it and become a butterfly? LOL 

Probably not a beautiful butterfly but I can start to fly again.

Baby steps.

Life returning to a new normal for me so carefully.

Now on to the silliness of me.

When I get tired, I get punchy and giddy.  

Suddenly, everything can be funny to me.

Last night, I hit one of those times while dying eggs.

We bought the “deluxe” box of PAAS egg dying kit. We spent $1.79 for this special purchase.

What does a “deluxe” box include?

Plastic wrappers for 6 eggs, I never use those because it causes more work to boil water and then put the colored eggs in to boiling water with the wrappers around it.  Out they went.

A page of stickers.  Stickers of lambs, chicks, pigs (?) and flowers.  Tiny stickers, not worth the effort. Out they went too.

Next is the big bonus, two wire egg dippers vs the one that is normally provided. Yes, two, one for each of us.  Did we use them? No. We used plastic spoons.  We now have 4 wire egg dippers in the silverware drawer, in case there is ever a need for them

The infamous wax crayon to write something creative on the egg.  Did we use this? No.  We were afraid in our current world we would end up writing something that would offend someone. Into the silverware drawer next to the egg dippers.

Eggs rings were available to be assembled.  I put together eight.  But the box said there were 12.  I tore the box apart.  Where were the other four rings.  Finally, I figured it out, I had to cut the box apart to get the other 4 rings to rest the eggs in.  Nope, not happening.  Eight egg rings pitched.

Now here came to me the funniest part.....

In the movie “Father of the Bride”, Steve Martin freaks out in a supermarket because hot dog rolls come in packages of 10 while hot dogs come in packages of eight....why???

Easter egg coloring kits come with nine colors. Why?  Who colors nine eggs? Eggs are colored either by the dozen or 18 or 24. Not 9. Either come up with three more colors or just make six colors.

You will see shortly how we decided to proceed.

Anyway the numbers just made me laugh and I couldn’t stop,

Nine colors, eight rings (unless you do extra work), 30 stickers, six egg wraps and a dozen eggs.

It just seemed like the “new math’ of egg coloring.

It doesn’t sound quite as funny as I write this but last night this was darn hilarious in my very tired state.

Here are the dyed nine eggs.

The other three?  I decided were part of the “cancel culture” and refused to be colored and remained “snowflake” white. 

Uh oh, I might have just lost some readers with that last line.

Oh people get over it, get a grip and find your DAMN sense of humor about it!! 

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT COLORING AND/OR DYING EGGS !!

Here they are in all of their splendor.

Happy Easter!

Happy to slowly getting on with the “new normal”.

See you next week.

Finding something to write about.....

 I was told more than once when I have nothing to write about WRITE and see what happens.

So here I sit with not one thing in my head to make the topic for this week.

I have the Lady Gamecock game on in the background.  Listening to the squeaking of their shoes on the wood floor.

From my kitchen window, I can see the azaleas blooming.

Yesterday as I ran errands, I could see leaves starting to sprout on the trees.

Spring.

The renewal of life that is part of the yearly and life cycle.

After being home for the last year, I have really missed making choices.

Do I go out? Do I head to the pool? Do we invite people for a visit? Do I? Do I? Do I?

The answer for the last year has been NO.

Now, it feels like we might be turning the corner.

I read one of my FB memories from last year that I was happy because I found a London Broil at the supermarket.

Maybe the last twelve months was a lesson. A lesson about freedom, choices and learning to appreciate life as we lived it....before.

In some ways,  it reminds me of life after 9/11.  Our lives never went totally back to the way they were prior to that date.

I don’t think life will ever be as easy as pre-COVID.

Yes, toilet paper is back on the shelves and cleaning supplies are easier to find.

People have the choice to schedule the vaccine. I will be getting my first dose this week, after trying for weeks to get it scheduled.

As life starts to open up what will have changed?

I don’t think I would go to a movie theatre again. Or if I was in New York, to a Broadway show (I am not willing to be so close to people in tight quarters).

Dining in a restaurant, probably not.

Traveling through airports, no, but then again I have panic attacks in crowds. Meaning an airport would be at the bottom of my list of places to travel through even if the last year hadn’t happened.

I see many people I know going out maskless in crowds as if the last year didn’t happen.  Their choice, their freedom just not for me.

Knowing I will never return to the office I left last year, my friend and I were saying the office must look like something out of the Twilight Zone. Year old calendars with pages left unturned, pens and papers left askew on the desks we assumed we would return to the next Monday.

I have spent a lot more time on the phone staying connected with people.

I miss my family. I miss my friends. I miss people. I miss hugs (yes, I do LOL).

I now appreciate the new normalcies of life such as driving to pick up the Instacart groceries.

I want to be able to just sit outdoors and wave to my neighbors but the pollen count is high and by the time that time of year has moved on the heat will start to kick in,

Yesterday, I saw pictures of my brother coloring Easter eggs with his grandchildren.  Meanwhile, one of my cousins across the country was enjoying some last ski runs for the year.

The cycle of the year and of life.

I do believe we are close to turning the corner on the year that was.

Those who lost their lives in there last year will leave holes in the makeup of many families.

We will talk about the last year, what we gained and what we lost and what has changed for a long time. 

It reminds me of hearing my Dad talk about what it was like to live through the Depression or a World War.

My quote this week comes from Grey’s Anatomy.

“We owe it to the people we lost to live the lives they can’t.” Dr. Maggie Pierce

I am going to try and do my best to do exactly that and see how it goes.

Meanwhile, my dog, Jeter, continues to show his stress levels each day:

Oh and in case you are wondering, the Lady Gamecocks just won and are moving on to the Elite Eight !

See you next week.

366 days and what I have learned

Another good Winnie the Pooh quote, “It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine.”

 Like most of you, I cannot believe I have not stepped in my “real”  office in over a year.

366 days to be exact.

Initially, I thought I would be home for two weeks, then a month, then six months and now here I am a year later.

Through all the seasons and holidays, I have been home.

365 days of sleeping in my own bed vs a few nights a week at a good friends house.

I have learned how to separate my off hours from my work hours even at home.

Not once in the last year have I worked in my pj’s.

I have “work” clothes.  

I have a routine, out of bed and into the shower, brush my teeth and hair, take my med’s and get dressed for “the office.”

Jeter and I walk to the kitchen/office, where my monitors and laptop sit waiting. 

I flip on the light and the office is up and running.

The days are longer at my kitchen table but the commute and hours in the car are none existent.

Shortly after my day starts, the barista arrives and provides me with my morning cup of Joe.

I keep music or news on in the background as white noise.

I can see my neighbors walking by or riding their bikes by or see a passing golf cart.

There have been many days when it is dark when I start working and it dark once again when I close the office for the day.

When I want a change in scene, I grab my laptop and work in the living room from my recliner.

In the last 366 days, so much has changed.

Remote work is no longer unusual.

Masks are no longer unusual.

I miss people more than I thought I would.

I miss maybe one day a week in the office for socialization.

I love instacart, curbside pickup, virtual appointments, online shopping and on alternating days the UPS man or the FedEx man.

I have saved money on gas and wear and tear on my car but my grocery bill has gone up.

The world now allows for drive up blood work and vaccinations (when you can get them).

I went out two days in a row this week which was a big event.  It did feel good but a little intimidating.

Going for a long overdue eye exam became an event as you observe all the rules.

Running out of virtual dr visits and finally having to schedule a real appointment was something to deal with.  

I was able to get a new job during this crazy time. Phone interviews and a job offer, it was a huge God Wink.

I have traveled this year, virtually. I have been to the Smithsonian, Buckingham Palace, MOMA and Italy.

While the world is slowly starting to open up, I am moving even slower.

My comfort level is very, very wary and cautious. 

Plus I have still not been able to get the vaccine.

I am not sure I will ever be the Donna I was on March 12, 2020.

As my world got smaller, I accepted it.  It was easier to shut down than to open up.

For me to celebrate going out two days in a row shows how much I have changed.

Leaving the house without a mask? No way.

Gatherings with no social distancing? Nope.

And we are 10 weeks to Memorial Day which for me means the year is over.  

The months that follow just fly.

Look how fast the last 12 months went.

In case I don’t get to see you and chances are I won’t, Happy Easter, Happy Mother’s Day, Happy Memorial Day, Happy Father’s Day, Happy July 4th, Happy Labor Day, Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas.

There now I can say I covered it all.

See you next week.