Monday

Mondays seem to be the “just right-est” days of the week, somehow. Like last week, there was just enough work to do to fill the day without feeling pressured or rushed. I give this day a 3.75/5. That’s pretty good for a workday!

I thought I was going to get outside for a little bit in the afternoon as it had been sunny later in the day, but literally as soon as I finished work the sky turned black and rain started pelting the windows. So I put my nightgown back on…and the sun came out. Ha. I got a couple pictures out on the patio. The pansies were happy for the rain. A black crow landed on the table while I stood looking out the door before I went out. I have some apples that are getting soft. I should cut them up and put them out for the little creatures.

Tuesday

Tough morning. Spent a little time after work just sitting on the sofa, quietly. No tv, no book, just…silence. Janey was all over that.

Wednesday

I went out for a short drive after work. I discovered where the local high school kids are hanging out. The little local beach parking lot was full of cars backed into circles and kids were leaning on their rear bumpers or sitting up in the back of their SUV. So they were distant…but still social.

I came across this picture recently. I was probably 14-15 and visiting my best friend Suzy after she had moved to Ohio. I didn’t think to appreciate it at the time, but my parents were pretty good about flying me off to visit friends and family across the country. Anyway, this was the first time I’d ever really ridden unsupervised. I’d been taking lessons for several years, but one hour-long riding lesson a week just isn’t the same as figuring things out on your own. Like, how the HECK did I get up there?! Ha.

I put my pizza stone in the oven at 500 degrees for an hour. It’s supposed to bake everything off, and has, in fact, worked for me before. This time it just filled the apartment with smoke. Mr. Landlord texted me to see if I was burning the house down. I thought it was kind of pretty. Like a spiritual greeting card. PS pizza stone still not clean. I probably shouldn’t have reheated KFC on it. Every night for a week.

Thursday

Remember in the beginning of quarantine and I’d share pictures of my healthy breakfasts? Fresh squeezed juice, avocado toast, etc. Now it’s yogurt + jello + cool whip, ha ha. Some berries in it would have been a nice touch, but…there’s none of those here. It looks like marbelized paper kinda, right?

Went to the office this afternoon. Worked. Did laundry. Dropped some returns off at the post office. Came home and finished tomorrow’s blog post. Made a pot of pasta shells with butter.

My life could not BE any more exciting.

Friday

Today was a beautiful day. I had a webinar to watch at noon and I took my lunch and cell phone out on the patio for it. The air was warm and the patio is shady. It was delightful.

Saturday

After 17 months of zero social life, today I had conflicting invitations from friends/family. Ha. When it rains it pours. But I was able to make it work. So between the two, I sat outside in the sun in a sleeveless dress for several hours and got SO SUNBURNED! Sunscreen hadn’t even occurred to me – I am no longer wise in the ways of the outside world.

And apparently I’ve forgotten how to drive. I’ve only gone to work, the market, post office and Dairy Barn for the past two months. I forgot I need the GPS to get to unfamiliar places and I just set off driving and eventually being like wait, here am I? AND also that little rule about stopping BEFORE you run into the car ahead of you at a red light. I came really close to creaming tapping other cars at lights.

I totally forgot to take pictures at the two scenic spots I went to (#masterblogger). I only got this lighthouse pic when I got turned around after leaving the first place.

I will say there were people everywhere. Some masked, some not. Some respecting safe distancing, some not. I’m telling you, the minute indoor places open they are going to be swamped. People seem to think that because they’re tired of being cooped up, the virus is gone. I’m already seeing increased in new cases in NY just over the past few days of nice weather and hitting the May 15 closure date. Even though the date has been moved to May 28…I think people are just done. 

Once I got home I went straight to the sofa to read the last of my book. So Good (you’ll see below).

Sunday

This was the first night in many, many that I slept straight thru the night…well, til 5am…and then I just put on podcasts and alternately listened and dozed til 9:30. I’m not usually a “put sound on to sleep” person, but I’m finding that trying to pay attention to the podcasts keeps my mind from racing with my own thoughts and getting me agitated…and I fall asleep.

On the way home yesterday I stopped for a much-recommended “pizza crumb.” It’s a personal pizza-sized crumb coffee cake…without the cake. I mean, there’s a very thin layer of cakey crust, but with an equal ratio of crumb topping. And turns out there’s a nice almond element, which I always love. And I had the last little bit of Dairy Barn coffee from…Thursday?

I found my French press yesterday when I was looking for the food processor. And rolling pin. And glass baking dish. But the only coffee I have is espresso which is too fine a grind for a press. Mwrrh. So I went to Amazon to order the right coffee and discovered over $16,000 (yes, THOUSAND) worth of graduation certificate picture frames in my Amazon shopping cart. WHAAAATTT?!? I texted Katie right away (she uses my account for ordering stuff), but can’t really imagine it was hers…and changed my password. That was a little frightening. The only good news is I don’t have $16,000 even between ALL my credit cards so the transaction never could have gone through anyway, but. As soon as I hear definitively from Katie that it was not her, I’ll email Amazon to say WTF!?!

With my still-painful sunburn I didn’t want to be out and about today even though it’s another pretty day…so I spent the afternoon straightening up the mess I’d made while looking for the food processor, rolling pin, etc.

AH-HA! They were Katie’s frames in my Amazon cart! She needed to see if she could order enough for something at work and what the price would be…and then forgot to delete them when she was done. Phew!

What I’m Reading

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. Another “great” book that I could just barely get through. Ha. I was sure I’d read this before but…tried to read it again…only to realize I’ve never read it, nor even seen the movie. How has that happened? It was yet another “too written” book. Like the writer thought he needed to show that he could write, so there was lots of description and dramatic language. Not my jam. I skimmed a lot of pages when it just looked all…irrelevant and annoying. Ha. I know there are people who found it amazing. I’m not one of them and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone I know. 3.25/5

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane. LOVED. A good, unique story. Complex characters that were both dislikable/lovable. I cheered for even the most unlovable characters. I cheered for everyone. I wanted everyone to win in the end. It’s a 2-family story that spans like 40 years (which if I’d known that going in I would have thought UGH, but in reality, I barely noticed the passing of time, it was that smoothly done). Tragedy, love, successes and failures. Bam. Two thumbs up. 4.65/5

What’s Coming Up This Week

Monday: Week in Review

Wednesday: Outfit Post

Thursday: MAYBE “Quarantine Snacks for When  You Run Out of Quarantine Snacks (and other weird food things)”

Friday: Part 2 of Building Your Wardrobe

Saturday: Work from Home Wardrobe

Have a good, safe week, y’all!