Daylight Savings and Other False Springs

 

March 1:  It's not spring by any means but this morning when we went outdoors the birds were fairly screeching their heads off in busy homemaking joy.  It made me smile to hear them.  I'd watched an especially eager bird begin the nest last week in the Faith tree.  He even caught Isaac's attention.  "What is that bird doing?"  

I looked at the weather app once we'd settled in the car.  Sure enough, the day and nighttime temperatures are far more in keeping with spring than with the last three weeks of winter.

Along with the warming weather, comes my impatience with the last of winter.  I want to plant flowers, and dress in lighter things and see a flush of green.  I'm completely unreasonable, because if I don't dress in layers I'll either burn up or freeze.  About the only flowers I'm going to see are the bouquets I'll buy.

We had a lovely first day.  Absolutely nothing special, just our usual sorts of things.  Church, the grocery store, the long ride home, a good Sunday dinner, a nap...But all through the day I could feel my heart humming happily and contentedly along.  Not a thing special but it was just a lovely day full of all the normal homely sorts of things.

March 2:  This morning, despite a rather rough night, I jumped out of bed and started my day.  I sailed right through it, wrote a post during a break from working, did some more work and here I am writing another post while I'm between tasks.  It's been a most excellent day thus far.  Not the least because I have been planning seasonal changes in my household while I've been busy.  Changes in menus, changes in decor, changes in my wardrobe, changes in my play/fun time activities... 

Can you tell I'm ready for changes?

I was out cleaning off the back porch this morning, making an attempt to make it look nice.  I noted that BJ's Wholesale had ferns out already and they were about what I've always paid for them, not high like last year.  I'll be picking one up this month and pop it into the big old wash pot on the back porch.  

I've tentatively planned meals for the week, and then promptly changed my mind and decided to make other things entirely.  After I get my flowers arranged, I'm going to go play in the closet and start to remove the heavy sweaters, access how they look.  I know I have one or two that definitely need to be placed in the winter house clothes.  They just won't do for public wearing another year, as much as I like them, but they do look nice enough for wearing here at home.  I wouldn't be ashamed to open the door to company in them, well-worn though they may be.  

I'll pull up Pinterest and see what I've saved there and try to put a few pieces of clothing together, ready to go through the week ahead.  We're combining a car maintenance with a lunch date, tomorrow.  I desperately want a haircut and thought I might take my Artist's Date at the same time.  And then we've Church and an appointment over these seven days ahead so I'd like to be prepared.

At some point today, I hope to start flipping through my cookbooks and finding lighter, more Spring-like recipes to replace some of the heavier, slow cooking cold weather favorites.  And while I'm doing all of that, I'm thinking of how I might update my home decor and make it look a little fresher, too.  

I definitely have Spring Fever!

March 4:  Yesterday we left home to run errands.  I'd cleared my closet the afternoon before of all the heavy sweaters and packed them away.  John had laughingly said, "Spring Fever has hit you!" when he saw the pile of clothes on the bed.

Well, fickle silly season that it is, we rose to 78F Monday afternoon and never got over 56F yesterday.  Fortunately, I had a sweater out in the car that hadn't been packed away, and I wore it quite happily all day long!  I should have known better that to think all the winter things could be packed away. 

It was a nice day out, despite drizzly rain and clouds and the overall coolness.  We took care of several errands, and I got a haircut, long overdue.  I don't know about any other woman, but when my hair refuses to look decent no matter how carefully styled, then I am miserably unhappy.   I went into the salon today armed with photos and showed them to the stylist.  "But which one?  They all look different!"  Well to my eye they didn't.  True they did vary a little in length but overall they had the same sort of wispy layers and while I knew full well I needed to grow out the hair over my ears, surely we could work toward something that was better looking than what I had...I appealed to her years of experience, and we worked out an idea that will allow me to look decent in the meantime, while working toward something that at least resembled one of the cuts I'd shown her.

Then I walked over to the grocery and picked up still more grocery items, things I'd realized I should have bought on Sunday: instant decaf coffee, half and half and cheese.  Then I gave in a little too heartily to John's request for something sweet and picked up not only a bar cake but four packages of cookies as well.  To be fair, three of those packages of cookies were store knock-offs of Girl Scout cookies, which we'd missed purchasing this year.  And what I paid for four packages (with about the same amount of cookies in them as the Girl Scouts) came up to a pittance compared to one box of the sponsored cookies.

John and I went out to eat at the Mexican restaurant we like so well.   We went in hungry and we came out vaguely dissatisfied.  The entree I'd ordered was nothing like what my homemade version (made via a supposedly authentic recipe).  And John, who seldom complains of a lack of flavor said, "It just seemed to lack something.  Even the salsa wasn't quite good."

When we got home, I unloaded groceries, had a cup of coffee and a slice of cake with John and then I jumped back in my car and went up to Sam's to supervise a delivery he was expecting.  Only Sam was home, having had a job interview earlier and then a phone call saying the delivery was coming in earlier than expected.

By the way, if you would all please pray in agreement with us that Sam gets a job in our county school system, I'd so appreciate it and so would he.  Truth is he's been told there are no openings and no foreseeable openings in math at either the high school or junior high school levels.  He's looking as far as 60 miles from home at school systems that are hiring.  But he's no plans to move, no plans to move his kids to new school systems.  His home and land are fully paid for.  The kids are well suited to the schools they are attending.  He's been unemployed now for over two years and wants very much to go back to work.  The commute however will eat up time he might be at home with his kids.  

It's my belief that someone might well experience a need to retire, or find themselves facing an unexpected move, or any number of non-fatal sorts of things that would leave an opening that he might fulfill.  That's my prayer anyway.

Today, I've been bitten by the Spring bug all over again.  And by the way, the weather has flipped on a dime again and today we're at 78F. Silly March weather!  I decided I simply couldn't live with the lamp between our chairs a moment longer with its scratched-up paint job.  I have looked for a replacement, contemplated painting it, etc.  This morning while I was working about the house, it occurred to me I could decoupage the lamp with a pretty set of paper napkins I bought this past Fall.  

It's a work in progress, but this is what I have thus far:

I've been looking at porcelain lamps very similar to this online but wouldn't pay the price wanted for any of them.  I'm really pleased I had this inspiration.  Mine will be a 'textured' finish, because I simply couldn't fit paper pieces over the curvy base so they were exactly flat, but I think it will be all right.  And it allows me to keep the lamp a bit longer.  It's sentimental to me since John and I bought this lamp when we first set up housekeeping together.  We went into a local furnishings store and chose it together and bore it proudly home to become the symbol of our newly combined households.  It's had a lot of incarnations over the years now, just as we have ourselves.  Because of that, I'm quite happy to keep it.

Now I am off.  I've gotten a reprieve from childcare today and I've promised John a cup of coffee and some of those cookies I bought yesterday.  I've started a new book by Sarah Maas, A Court of Thorn and Roses and it's grabbed my attention hard.

March 10:  I'm rolling my eyes over here on the other side of the screen.  From March 4 to March 10...Where was I?  I'll tell you where I was.  I got LOST in the book I mentioned above, A Court of Thorn and Roses.   I read it cover to cover in about three days, taking breaks every few hours and finished it on Friday.  I was so ill and out of sorts when the book was done.  Not because it had a poor ending, it didn't.  It was just a very intense and fascinating read and when I finished, I felt like I'd been submerged under water for two days.  I had the worst head fog!  I can only describe it as 'book drunk', in the same way that heavy sleep will leave you befuddled and feeling as though you were drugged when all you'd done was sleep hard.  

Language in this book was mild, the 'romance' not graphic, leaving it to your imagination, which I appreciated.  I do look forward to reading more but wow oh wow.  Even now I am still stunned at how deeply I got immersed in that book.

I have the whole series of these books, courtesy of Katie lending them to me, but I will not be starting the next one for a few days or possibly weeks because I literally lost track of time...and that was the smallest book in the series.  Gracious, I can only imagine how long I shall be missing when I pick up the next one.

It was lovely to be lost in a book.  I highly recommend it, if you've time to spare. 

I took two hours Friday afternoon to write and study and clear my head by submersing myself in music and quiet in my workspace.  I felt much livelier when I came out again.  

Saturday, I took the kids to the library, as I'd promised I would.  I'd worked periodically on genealogy over the past week with absolutely no luck at all with any of the research I'd been doing.  So, imagine how I felt at the library on Saturday to pick up a book and immediately found information on another family line (a paternal line for my two oldest kids).  I spent the entire hour copying off the pages by hand.  It was fun to see Isaac's eyes light up when I showed him his three times great-grandfather's name which is the same as his own.  

I find it amazing how often family names turn up within a family even when no one is aware of the family history. I wonder sometimes if we don't have a genetic memory that brings those names forward.

After the library, I took the kids to the local grocery to get frozen pizza, soda, chips and ice cream.  Y'all...Let me just pause here to say I had very real SHOCK at how those costs added up.  Our local grocery costs easily twice what we pay in the larger town where we shop.  So that one meal set me back a pretty penny, let me tell you.  I decided then and there that in future I can afford take-out over running into that grocery. In future, I'll plan ahead a bit better than I did this time, go out of town and have it here already.  And lest you think it was Gramma spoiling the kids and letting them have whatever they'd like, it wasn't.  I actually had planned out what we'd purchase before we'd gone to the library.  I just failed to plan on what the local store costs!

Anyway, we had a grand time despite my burning one of the pizza's bottoms.  

Sunday, we had a meeting after church.  Knowing this I'd made a rather heavy breakfast for us before we left home.  Originally, the plan was we'd all meet at a coffee shop, and I'd thought we'd get a snack there, but that fell through, so we met in a side room in the student building.  

We went by Katie's afterwards and found she'd made lunch for us which was lovely because I was quite hungry by the time we arrived.  We'd planned to stop for fast food on the way over but the lines at every one on our side of the highway had lines going around the building.  So yes, it was a nice surprise to find she had cooked for us. 

We came home and I took a long hard nap.  Losing that hour of sleep cost me!  But it was rather nice to see the sunset nearer 8pm.  

Monday, I picked up a new book, second in a series by Jeff High.  This one titled, Each Shining Hour is the sequel to his first More Things in Heaven and Earth.  I needed the book because John had an appointment at the dermatologist's office and since I'm along for moral support, I needed something to fill my time.  24 hours later.... I have finished it.  His books are quite good.  High's premise is a young doctor who agrees to spend 3 years in a small-town practice.  In turn, he not only earns a salary, but the town/county will pay off his student loans, provide him with a place to live and a housekeeper.   The author is actually a traveling RN.  Again, the language is mild, and the personal intimate relationships are not even mentioned beyond kisses although the author makes it clear that the main character is not jumping into an intimate relationship

But I didn't just spend the past 24 hours reading.  No, indeed.  While we were at the doctor's office yesterday, Katie called.  She needed emotional support people (nothing wrong.  She was dealing with a mental health issue, and she had delivered Henry to a daycare for the first time.  Those two things combined with a workday was a bit overwhelming to her.  She asked if we'd come watch the kids from 4-6pm.  Which was delightful!  Henry came in happy as could be, with a good report for his very first day away from Mama and home.  Caleb and Bella came in like the 5- and 6- year-old siblings they are, with plenty of pent-up feelings and upsets.  Everyone got a snack and then the two older ones took Grampa outdoors.  Katie and I listened in as he refereed many little spats and quarrels, in between our own conversation.  Henry lounged in the playpen watching Bluey and drinking his milk, totally relaxed and at ease after his big day.

After an hour, I went out and offered to spell John as referee which he quickly took me up on.  The kids played just fine while I was out there.  I guess they'd gotten all the contrary out and were just happy to be home by that point.  We had a great time, and the last hour passed rapidly.

Katie had offered to make us supper, but I told her we had leftovers here at home that we'd reheat in the air fryer.   And that's what we did.  

And finally, here we are at today.  I had determined that today was my day to do a big grocery shop.  Restocking canned goods, produce, meats, staples that we'd used up during the two-month Pantry and Freezer Challenge.  I had an amount in mind that I'd spend and I did it.   I also did really well!  I brought home one splurge item that wasn't on my list.  It cost a whole $1.99:  a giant Tootsie Roll for John.  He absolutely loves Tootsie Rolls!  I like Tootsie Pops but not Tootsie Rolls.  I was in a specialty market getting sausage and bacon and they had the Tootsie Rolls at the counter.  Easy sale.

I went first today to the discount grocery.  Please do not think this is like the Sharp Shopper or Grocery Outlet sort of discount grocery we see and hear about on vlogs.  Not at all! It pays to know prices when shopping in this store.  The deal is that the groceries are supposed to be 'at cost' and they charge 10% more at the register.  You can easily pay more than you'd pay in a premium store when adding the 10% to an item and it pays to keep that in mind.  But what they do have that is a big draw is a reduced produce shelf.  Today it was FULL.  And the line waiting to get to that rack was LONG.  There were four people ahead of me, and people who came in behind me to join the line.

Today I purchased Tomatillos, tomatoes, a box of Spring salad mix, bananas, bell peppers, green onions, squash.  I took advantage of a sale on good quality chicken, buying several packages of bone-in thighs and several whole chickens.

The total there was more than I expected it to be, but it was fine.  I adjusted my plans accordingly.  Then I went to Kroger.   I filled my buggy up.  I didn't buy meats there.  I have found that the meat prices at Kroger have gone through the roof.  I did get produce, canned goods, pantry items, and dairy.  

I spent exactly what I'd thought I might there.  Then on to the specialty store where I bought a really good quality sausage and bacon.  Here's the splurge part of my day.  The meat isn't cheap.  It's fresh.  Really fresh.  They smoke their own meats, too.  I usually plan to buy enough bacon and sausage to last us two months when I go in.  And my last purchase there is always a pair of nice thick pork chops.

I didn't spend my entire monthly budget today.  I spent about 3/5 of it.  It looked like I'd spent a lot more.  I had many bags worth of food to put away.   I couldn't help but contrast what I bought with the children on Saturday with what I purchased today.  I spent about 1/10 of my budget for this month on Saturday.  Two bags are all I came out with then.  Today I emptied bag after bag after bag.

The only thing I didn't see today was corned beef.  I'm hoping they were just holding it back and mean to put it out tomorrow when the next sales ads come out.  I would like to get 3 at least, one for St. Patick's day and two for the freezer.  We'll see.

This afternoon, once I'd unloaded groceries, I sat down in my chair and drank the unsweetened iced tea I'd purchased for myself.  I went to sleep, too.  I was truly tired, but a good tired.  I finished the Jeff High book this evening.  

Tomorrow...Gracious tomorrow, this woman is hoping to stay home, at least until time to go meet Isaac and Millie off the bus.  I'll be dividing up meats to put in the freezer.  And peeling bananas to go into the freezer for smoothies and banana muffins, and roasting tomatillos for green sauce.  I have not made a meal plan for this week.  I don't even have a clue what I might make.  Tonight we had Pork Chops with Broccoli and Cheddar twice baked potatoes.   I find the chops cook quickly usually in under 20 minutes.

I think that has us all caught up for now.  I promise I shall not go missing in a book again anytime soon!

March 12:  I thought, since I have now picked up book two in the Sarah Maas series, I'd better check in with you all one more time before I go too deep!  

I've just finished writing a difficult post, one that will come out on the other blog towards the end of this month.  I don't plan posts.  I pretty much write out my heart when I'm in the midst of it.  That's why I am sometimes far ahead with my posts.    

But my point is, this last post I've just finished was difficult.  And it's left me feeling drained.  Cathartic, but draining.  And having done this cathartic post, I decided that I was ready to lose myself in a book once more.  Hence, you all get an update before I get lost.

I was so weary yesterday.  I did housework but I put a lot of my energy into writing first thing.  I took the afternoon to divide and repackage the thighs, bacon, and sausage I'd bought.  I made a Chopped Sub Salad for lunch and supper was Steamed Dumplings, Spring Rolls, and Chicken strips.  Not gourmet, but I felt I wanted an easier meal for supper.

This morning, I was awakened early by thunder and lightning.  A cool front moved in.  Yesterday afternoon it was 84F.  Today it's only just 60F.  The rain moved out with the help of a healthy wind to push it along.  

Last night we went looking for a new mystery series to watch.  John came up with "Prime Suspects" which stars Helen Mirren.  We watched the first season, which is two episodes.  It was good, a little more graphic than Midsommer or Brokenwood mysteries but it was compelling to watch.   There are a lot of strong emotions in this series: anger, grief.  Hard to watch, however interesting the episodes have been thus far.

Tonight's Supper: Chicken Tandoori, Curried Rice (accidental.  I'd meant to make plain rice and dumped my chicken seasoning in the rice pan) and Kachumber Salad.  I was going to make Naan, but I passed.  I'll be making bread tomorrow.  

 

I told John we'd run our local errands tomorrow, too, getting bills mailed and doing our monthly banking.  Perhaps that will result in a long drive home.  I have no plans for Saturday this week.  I'll likely work on genealogy again.

 

I've done nothing with my monthly junk journal for March because I haven't had any inspiration at all.  I Perhaps I'll try to work on that and see if I can't come up with a page or two to cover the first two weeks.   

In other words, I'm looking forward to a quiet Sabbath Saturday at home.

On Sunday, we're doing Gramma's Fried Chicken for Taylor.  She finally has a Sunday free of volley ball, so we're glad to get to go see her.  Her team has done well with her as a captain.  They've gone to state championships and won.  But yeah, we miss seeing her.

Oh, I wanted to say, that earlier in this post, I ask for your prayers for Sam's job.  He accepted the position in the county that is an hour away.  He'd gotten nervous because no one has called for an interview at any of the other positions open closer by.  And he's been assured again that there are no openings here in our county.  He hasn't worked in over two years now...

I said nothing to him, but I'm still praying for an opening here in the county to come open.  Perhaps we'll go through a season of his working out of county, which means that Bess, John and I will be picking up whatever needs to be done for the kids while he's working there.  Since each county is an entity unto itself, there's no guarantee they'll have the same vacation/holiday schedules.  I can tell you honestly that right now, my grandchildren are in school in four different counties and sometimes two counties will overlap in some way but all four never do at the same time.  

He's made it clear he will not be moving away since his home and land are paid for and he's put a lot of work into the land in the past two years.  

I am still asking for prayer for Sam.  This will all be a big change for him, his family, possibly for us.  I want the best for him, for obvious reasons, and while I think I know what is best, I'm much more prone to trust God for HIS best which is always, always superior to mine.

March 14:  I don't know if I'm still drained from the week of work in The Artist's Way, from the poor sleep I've had these last two weeks (complete with pretty rotten nightmares), from the pollen that is floating through the air, or whatever it is.  My head aches ever so slightly, my brain is foggy and befuddled and even the book I'd hoped I might be happily locked inside of, while fascinating to keep me returning, is not keeping me enclosed as I'd hoped.

Somehow time is warped for me too.  I cannot believe that this day is more than half done (it's 3:30 pm as I write this).  Or that we're still only on the 14th of the month.  I keep thinking we're nearing the end of the month already and I'm shocked every time I realize that we're only halfway through.

I'm going to try to work on junk journals here in a minute.  I've had no desire.  None.  No inspiration at all, but I thought perhaps just handling them and the materials I've gathered I might end up with a glimmer of something to inspire me.  

I do so despise feeling blah!

March 17:  I'd meant to have this post sent off by now, yet here I am only just now winding it up.  I did not get lost in a book.  That is not my excuse.  To be honest, I can't recall just why I'm so delayed.

There's little to report of the weekend beyond what I've already written.  Sunday was a hurried affair.  We had a meeting prior to church service, the service itself, then a rushed visit to the grocery store to pick up cabbage, corned beef and more importantly, Gramma's Fried Chicken.  We rushed to Katie's house to have lunch with Taylor and the family, then rushed away again a mere hour or so later when Katie had to leave to take Taylor back to her dad.  I don't recall what we did once home, beyond take impromptu naps.  We were both out of sorts and little was said between us.

Caleb and Isaac both succumbed to some minor virus or other.  Caleb was sick on Sunday, Isaac on Monday.  John and I both kept a headache all day on Monday and suspicion we had a touch of whatever they had going on.

But the out of sorts attitudes kept up all day Monday.   John went back to bed mid-morning.  I went off to my workroom, shut the door and worked away.  Obviously NOT on this post...But work I did until well into the afternoon.  

The weather here was not quite as erratic as in other places.  We'd had some rain and humidity on Sunday, then woke Monday to gloomy skies and rain followed by heavy winds and dropping temperatures.  I had to go out last night and cover a couple of plants due to freezing temperatures.  We've one more night of freezing weather, then one night of just plain cold before we start to creep back up to the spring-like temperatures we'd been experiencing.   It looks like the next two weeks following that will be steady...Can it last until our last frost date of April 15?  I do hope so!

I have a corned beef and cabbage cooking today.  It's partly a nod to my Irish heritage and partly due to the fact that this is the only time of year I can afford Corned Beef!  I bought two more to put in the freezer and we'll cook them sometime in Mid-Summer then later in the fall.  The one mid-summer is almost always sliced thin and used for sandwich meats.  In autumn, it's just a lovely hot dinner much as we'll have tonight.  

Do you know what I miss?  The fuss of holidays.  When the kids were home, I always tried to make things special.  We'd have little construction paper shamrocks on the table, and I'd tell the kids about our Irish heritage.  Though truth be told it's more American heritage than Irish!

Anyway, I miss making days like St. Patrick's feel a little special.  I tell myself it's silly to decorate for just John and I, but I may well start doing it for myself because I miss it.  I think sometimes that the lack of celebrations big or small is one of the things that make life dull.

I shall end here and send this on its way.  I hope you all have had a lovely beginning to March.

The Rest of February Going by Fast

 

February 17:  All that smoke that hung in the air on Friday afternoon and Saturday, was washed away on Sunday with heavy rains.  No complaints from us.  The smoky smell was still in our house ductwork and every time the heat came on it smelled like woodsmoke.  John was experiencing some dizziness, so we stayed home from church.  Later, I turned my head to speak to him and felt the world spin.  I think now it might have been allergies, but we thought we'd picked up a virus.

Not that I complained over staying home.  As I said, the rain was heavy and it was nice to be home out of the weather, but it did rather spoil my plans for the week ahead, because I'd meant to go grocery shopping after church.

I'd promised the children across the way that we'd go to Massee Lane on Monday...  A wilder crew of children, more anxious to whoop, holler, and screech there never was.  They took off running when we got to the garden.  Their volume buttons are naturally stuck on loud, but this day they were extra loud!  They ran, but I found it necessary to go much slower.  The brick paths had heaved a bit with the freezing weather which came on the heels of rain earlier in the month.  Every time I took my eyes off the path, the toe of my shoe would catch a lifted edge of brick and I'd stumble.  

I wanted to admire all the pretty camellias.  The morning warmed quickly.  Geese honked their way northward, flying in deep vees overhead.  Bees buzzed and buried their heads in the midst of the stamens of the camellias.  The flowers are in their peak season just now.  It was worth going more slowly than the children had.  They got to the garden more quickly, but I got more out of the journey

In the Japanese Garden, I happily sat on the bench and gently fussed at the kids who clambered over the rocks and dipped their hands, and sometimes their shoes, in the pond and ran around the little path that meanders around one section of the walled garden.  It's a lovely peaceful spot, even with wild children loose in it.  Somehow the sound of the water dribbling down between rocks into the pond, the slow lazy movement of the koi fish in the pond just bring a great sense of quiet.  And the children did quiet down.  They just weren't still.

Two other moms showed up with kids in tow who also clambered on rocks, slipped on the moss-covered millstones that cross the pond, dropped blossoms into the water, tried to climb the frail trees.  I felt better about my wild lot.  I also noted that all of the children seemed to love the Japanese Garden.

One little girl had dark short hair like Millie's, which she'd styled quite prettily with braids in the long bangs.  I pointed that out to Millie, whose hair has chronically fallen in her face since she was about 2.  Millie was unimpressed.   The little girl proved to be a super friendly sort and talked to me a good deal while her siblings and friends clambered around.  

I'd told Josh repeatedly to stop jumping from a big rock over to a millstone, fearing that Isaac or Millie would attempt to do the same.  He would wait a bit and then he just had to do it all over again.  I'd fuss, he'd say he was sorry and then there he was jumping off a big rock across the smaller pond to the mossy millstones in the middle.  My heart would pause as I watched his arms flail as he attempted to regain his balance after his slippery landing.  And he always did.  The anticipated splash into the pond never came, though I was sure it would.

Josh also had insistently kept hanging from things.  Not from the Camellias but upright supports, beams, and now and then from a sturdy branch.  By the time we'd left the garden I'd been fully tested, and I'll show you just how much so...

When we left the Japanese garden, I chose to walk slowly back.  I could hear my grandkids shouting and screeching, so I knew about where they were.  However, I couldn't quite hear Josh.  I saw a figure in the midst of the Camellias.  I peered closely through the trees and noted that the jacket was the color of Josh's and the pants the color of Josh's and the height the same as Josh and the hair about his length.  So, I rounded the corner fussing.  I said loudly and bossily, "Get OUT of the trees!  They are not meant for you to traipse around in!  Come on out of there, right now!"

And then I found myself facing a petite Asian woman photographer...

I was sooooo embarrassed and apologized profusely.  I explained that I had my grandchildren with me and pointed out, "You can hear them yelling over there right now..." and she nodded.  She just went on about her photography, as well she ought.  My goodness!  I could feel my face burning hot.

I took the kids to Burger King, and we went out to the play space to eat our meal.  Remember Sunday's heavy rain?  Add that to a playground with an overload of mulch and you've got one marshy springy feeling ground to walk on that is uneven and unstable.  I was half across it with my food when the bag ripped in half and all the fries poured out on the ground.  I went in to the cashier and explained the bag had torn and he charged me for four more orders of fries.  When the girl filling my order heard that I'd dropped them when the bag ripped open, she made him give me my money back.  

I got outside, set the food out, and the kids immediately ran off to play, because there's nothing better than cold fries and cheeseburgers apparently.  Josh's fries promptly blew off the table in the stiff breeze, and we were down another serving of fries.  Millie and I gathered up those and threw them away and then I pieced out enough for Josh from everyone else's container.

I admit that I particularly dislike the location of this Burger King because it is at a place called Five Points where there are four lanes each at a five-point stoplight section and the traffic noise and diesel aroma is pretty bad.  Add to that the noise of souped up vehicles, air brakes, children screaming (not just my own lot), and the aroma of 'skunk' which is not skunk at all but some mixture of drugs that too many folks apparently smoke these days, etc.  I soon started to feel very stressed and anything but relaxed.  I stuck it out until 1:30, then told the kids it was time to go home.

I dropped them off at home and pulled into my own yard at 2pm on the nose.  I'd told John I'd be home then and to be ready, because I really needed to grocery shop.  John had promised me and Katie a box of Valentine's chocolates and I was worried if we didn't go ahead and get them there would be none left anywhere.  He's messed around before and not gotten any.   I had Caleb coming to spend the night with me and all day Tuesday.  So, I had to restock on eggs and cheese, milk, mandarins and berries.

We went to a Publix store that I typically don't shop at.  It's a perfectly nice, well lit, well placed, smaller store in a town with less traffic than the area we typically shop.  I picked up the items on my list, and we hunted and hunted for marked down chocolates.  Finally, we stumbled on two shopping carts full to overflowing hidden in an unused cashier's aisle at the back of the store.  Obviously not put out for sale.  We asked around and were told that they were to be marked down but hadn't been done yet.  Now mind you this is two days beyond Valentine's Day...But no, not yet marked down.  

I told John we'd take a chance and ask at the customer service desk if they could mark them down.  That involved wending our way around the whole back of the store because the front of the store was packed and every register clogged with people.  After we'd gotten to the other side of the store and the cashier's desk, I explained to the clerk at the desk that we wanted to buy the chocolates and asked if they would mark them down.  "No.  I don't mark things down.  That is the grocery department and until they get to it, they won't be marked down!"

I do not think I have ever in my life had a clerk at Publix be so brusque and unhelpful...Could she not have called someone from grocery for us?   John said, "Just leave them," and I did.  We checked out and went to the car.  

Now silly as it sounds, I was terribly disappointed.  I knew we wouldn't be going out again this week.  I was admittedly tired and stressed, knowing I had to hurry home to greet the family coming over in about an hour, putting away groceries and making dinner and all such.  John took one look at my face when he got in the car and I guess he could see the attempt to mask my feelings and be more grown-up about the situation, because he drove uptown to the drugstore, which was totally out of our way and said, "Just wait here."  He went in and bought the last two boxes of candy left on their shelves.  It made me ridiculously happy, honestly it did.  The odds that we were going to find any candy at all was slim and for him to get the last two boxes...Well.  It pleased me and him both!

Cody brought Caleb over about 5pm. Cody left around 6pm and we settled in for the evening with Caleb.  We had a late supper.  Caleb ate well and went back for seconds.  Then he got ready for bed.  He didn't have Monkey George or his blanket with him and that proved to be a testing ground for Caleb.  "I think I need my Mama..." he came to tell me, after I'd heard him moving restlessly around and whimpering a little bit.   I called Katie on Messenger.  She video chatted with Caleb for a few minutes.  He went back to bed and tried to settle and got up twice more.  The fourth time he got up, I hugged him and rubbed his back, and I could see his eyes drooping.  I said, "Why don't you try to sleep now?"  He didn't make another peep after that.

Today he was up early, before 7am.  He sneaked into our room, woke John up and asked for French Toast.  John got up and made it for him.  When I finally got up, I made breakfast for John and I and just as he used to do, Caleb ate again.  Then he needed a snack, lol.  This child is really a Hobbit.

Caleb pretty much spent all day outdoors.  

I happened to be looking out the window when he discovered the squirrel.  He didn't touch it, but he looked it over very well.  When I stepped went to the door, Caleb said, "I think it's dead..."  'It looks like it is.'  "Why?" I explained that it must have been caught by the cat.  "Or Rufus..." he told me. I think he mislaid the credit.  I don't think old Rufus could move anywhere near fast enough to catch a squirrel, lol.  John showed Caleb how to dispose of it.

Then Caleb found Sassy around back with a mole...So, he had his first country boy experiences with dead critters. Since Grampa had shown him what to do with the squirrel, Caleb got the little shovel and disposed of the mole by himself. 

I skipped making Caleb have a 'quiet time' today.  I know that he doesn't have a required quiet time at school, but I also noted he came indoors and played quietly in 'his room' aka my workroom for a good hour.  He crafted a bit, helping himself to glue, scissors and construction paper.  He cleaned up his messes very nicely, too.  Honestly, I was so surprised at how grown-up he is these days.

But for all his grown-up-ness, he's still a little boy who missed his Mama and he asked me several times if she'd be coming to get him this afternoon.  I assured him she'd come as soon as she got off work. 

Henry came this evening, too, and ran free, which he loved.  He was so happy.  He'd grin at me and then come running across the room to give me a big hug and then run off again.  At one point, Caleb came to get a hug and Henry ran up and threw his arms around Caleb.  I put my arms around both of the boys and Henry laughed and laughed.  He liked that I was hugging both of them at once.

As usual, once they went home, the house seemed abnormally quiet.  But we were more tired than we'd thought and by 8:30 we were pretty quiet ourselves!

February 22:  Where did the week go?  Between tutoring Isaac, catching up on housework after last weekend, then prepping to go into this weekend, housework and writing...It went and it went fast!

Yesterday John and I went to Homeless Outreach.  Someone took a picture of John giving his guitar lesson at the end of the day.  Again, my heart swells.  He and Grace both are so focused in on what they are doing it's not at all like they are in a room with 98 other people! 

On our way home, we had heavy rain to drive through.  We stopped to pick up pizza, and I got well soaked going in and out...I think they ought to make pizza places with drive-thru windows!  I got chilled to the bone on the way home.  I'm glad I had a dry jacket to put on over my soaking shirt.

Once home, we had a hot meal and then I sat in my chair, snuggled under a light blanket, and picked up my book to read.  Not one word got read.  I think I went right to sleep!  I woke about half an hour later.  

I am reading The Month of Borrowed Dreams by Felicity Hayes-McCoy.  I bought the book at the Dollar Tree of all places, and I chose it because the title appealed to me first and then the description on the back sounded good.  I'll be looking for more of Hayes-McCoy's books.  

This is technically my first book of 2026.  I never finished the book I started in January.  I've since completed An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott which I started last month.

I'm going to start to log what I read.  I read a lot of books from the library last year, many of them new to me authors and there were books that absolutely wowed me and made me want to read more of those authors works...but I can only recall two or three now. I'm going to rate the books somehow so that I know which authors to look for in the future.  

Today we had a long day out as well.  We went to church (fairly blown in by the heavy wind!).  Then I went into Kroger and picked up eggs, lemons, half and half.  I found a couple of really good deals that I took time to stock up on like Progresso Soups (I bought a variety) and sugar free gelatins and puddings.  I got a couple of things Katie requested I bring her. I found things I had on my list that I hadn't planned to necessarily buy today but I got them anyway.  I added a couple of produce items, too.  I didn't buy splurge-y sorts of things except for a new orchid.  I'd been lamenting that I didn't have a pink orchid (notions I get sometimes...I have four orchids, and don't need another but none of mine are pink) so I found a small one that looked very healthy and got it.  That was my big splurge today.  I walked all over that store and then John parked at the backside of the parking lot.  It is quite unlike him to park anywhere near the front, even if there are spaces available.  So, I got a good long walk in today!

Then we went over to Katie's.  Henry was standing in his playpen staring hard at the door. I came in smiling and went right to him.  He immediately shifted himself to see around me to look for Grampa.  When I blocked his view, he moved again to look around me on the other side.  Gramma is dispensable when Grampa is about...

We visited with the 'other family', Cody's best friend and former brother-in-law, his wife and Liam, whom I've mentioned before that is cousin to Bella.  Katie and Tina are close friends, too.  We three were chatting and suddenly Katie said, "Do you want to go to BJ's?"  "Oh no, I've just come from Kroger, and I don't want to spend more money."  We talked a bit more and then Katie said, "I want to go to BJ's...come go with Tina and me!"  So, I went with them to BJ's and minded myself quite well.  I did pick up toilet paper and maple syrup and cream cheese.  I can sincerely say what I picked up was on my restock list and very well priced, too.

I didn't even get a chance to pay for any of it because Katie ran from her register over to mine as I was fishing out my debit card and scanned her own!  What a sweet girl she is.  

I enjoyed that little outing, but my legs ached.  Between walking from the backside of the parking lot into church and back this morning, then a long trek about Kroger and finally walking all over BJ's Wholesale...I was pooped.

Bless Henry's little heart, he came running to me, absolutely delighted to see me when we returned.  He'd had his fill of Grampa, lol, so now I was the favored one.  We played and talked a little and then he took his cup of milk and snuggled in my lap.

We didn't get home tonight until 6pm.  It's been another long day and we've an early start and another long day tomorrow.  I expect that come Tuesday we're going to be quite happy to be at home!

February 23:   Another early day to start and plenty to do in it.  We had a distant appointment today to attend to but made it fun.  On the way home we stopped in the area where we used to live and went to the hole in the wall diner that everyone who goes through the area stops at.  It's busy, but they are super-efficient.  They open for breakfast and serve through lunch and then close for the day.

I first ate there when I was about 24 years old and here, I am at 67 still stopping by when we're in town.  You can get three items: hamburgers (slider sized and most everyone always gets at least two), fried chicken (choose white or dark pieces) and hot dogs.  Well, that's the lunch menu.  I know they have fries and slaw, but I don't know what they serve for breakfast.  If we ever stopped for breakfast, we ordered burgers and fries.

Anyway, we stopped today and I laughed when John got in the car.  I told him, "I swear the onions they use have smelled the same way for the past 40 odd years."  It's a good smell, a fresh cut onion on hot meat sort of smell.  We thoroughly enjoyed our treat.  We haven't had one of their burgers in nearly 2 years.  We took Lily and Emma there when they came to visit in June of 2023.

Once home, I made bread and pie dough and put together a beef pot pie for supper.  Then I felt sort of all gone and ended up lying down for half an hour.  Then I got up and went to keep the kids next door and coax them through homework and chores.

This morning, I meant to sleep late.  I woke about 7 which is getting to be routine, at least until that first full weekend next month when time changes and 'springs' ahead for us.  I may be sleeping late once more when that happens, but who knows.  Maybe I might be getting up at 6am instead!

I haven't done much today.  You all will say I've done plenty, as you so sweetly always do, but I've purposely been very slow and leisurely with all that I've done today.  I'm tired from the long busy weekend and I decided I would not bust myself if I didn't get too many things done.  I've found I'm quite short tempered if things haven't gone the way I thought they might...and you know they haven't gone my way at all!  Nothing major, just minor technological frustrations and attempts to clean up a mess that ends being a bigger mess, that sort of thing.  But my attitude speaks more of my tiredness than what I've left undone.

I divided the piece of ham I cooked last Friday for supper.  I wanted to be sure to get it into the freezer before it sat too long in the fridge.  I purposed packets of meat.  I set aside a certain amount of various dices or slices and marked them as enough for this or that recipe that I planned I'd make as I cut it up.  So, I know that I have Spoonbread Ham Supper meat and meat for sandwiches, and meat for an omelet, or twice baked potatoes.  That sort of thing.

I also cut a whole boneless pork loin into boneless chops and two smaller roasts for future uses.  

And then I stopped right there and came back after lunch to prep our supper for tonight.  That will be Barbecue Cheddar Meatballs.  I'll serve them for supper tonight with rice and Brussels Sprouts.  I'll have extra meatballs and sauce to go into the freezer for future meals.  When I made that beef pot pie yesterday, I put pastry and a container of pot pie filling in the freezer for future meals as well. And this is how I keep my freezer full!  I take out food to make one thing and then I put meals back into the freezer which somehow more than fills the spaces I've emptied.

I try not to get too many ready prepared meals ahead because I am fickle.  I'll let them sit in the freezer for months and then I'll have to make myself take them out to heat and eat because they are getting to be old.  I'll have determined that it's not what I want again.  But those meals have come in

Isaac came over this afternoon for help with homework.  We sailed through math and slogged through English.  Today were prepositions and prepositional objects.  What I don't know is epic.  Apparently, I need to go to third grade and start over!  

February 28:  Here we are at the end of this month.  I think we've experienced every sort of weather there is to experience.  That's perfectly normal.   Daffodils, muscari and forsythia have bloomed, as well as hen bit. 

I've journaled the month in my Junk Journal and am ready to begin a new month.

I've worked my way through the pantry and freezer for the past two months and now I'm ready to restock afresh.  I'm assured I've used the older items that kept being pushed back.  

I paid off one credit card and am well on my way to paying off the second.  

I've spent time with my family in various ways.  We've celebrated birthdays and gone places together and had grandchildren come to the house.

I've written and read and worked and rested.

It's been a lovely month, from start to finish.   I've enjoyed it all.