Sunday Happy

July. My least favorite month of the year. Why? Basically because it is hot. All the time. And I hate it. I am already dreading the week ahead for the mere fact that we are suppose to have another nasty heat wave. I can’t. I just really can’t. I already know I am going to be miserable and unproductive and physically sick. So I am planning on just spending most of my time in the basement. Hmpf, I am going to be such a crank ass next week. Preemptive sorry if you end up having to talk to me. Your best bet would just to wait until August. I’ll be better then.

The week was good. Lots of stuff all over. I worked in the studio a good bunch, went to dinner at moms, did a bike ride with barb and a couple of hikes with the mr. We had the little over for dinner and basically just talked about how cool I am. (the coolest!) And I looked on while the mr and Barb did their thing with spray paint, the side of our building, and a message to the world. I also weeded the garden in vain, picked up farm share, and ate 3 zucchini a day. That is one of the few redeeming things about July. All the food. But otherwise, I still hate it.

Today the mr and I are going on a little afternoon date. I saw a new outdoor sculpture park that I want to check out so we are packing lunch and heading there (hope no one else is!) After that we are going to do a little creative research on natural playgrounds and how to incroporate weather shelters so we going to scout out some playgrounds. Then we might even do the thing that we have been saying we are going to do for a few months now….buy new phones. Meh. But probably not because I really really just don’t want to deal with it. I can handle not being able to hear people talking or having random texts appearing days after they are sent. It is the mr. He kinda really needs a working phone. So maybe.

Internet links from the week.

-I have heard the joke a million times about corona babies but it sounds like it might actually be the other way around. Women Are Delaying Having Kids Because of the Pandemic

-Why Answering A Text Message Feels So Exhausting Right Now, According To Experts. Right now yes, but I think I have always had a hard time responding to well, anyone. My brain is not made to interact with others.

-VT plastic bag ban and composting law is now in effect!!! Need help understanding? Check this. Department of Environmental Conservation.

-I want to be as cool as Oumi Janta. I could watch her skate all day. And now I think I need to get me some roller-skates.

-The tragic legacy behind the famous ‘Into the Wild’ bus.

-These are pretty cool. LEGO’s New Art Kits Are Meant to Hang On Your Wall.

-How knitting became cool. Um, it has always been cool but if more people are doing it now, well heck yeah.

-I don’t think I blend my spices enough so this is great advice. Blend the Hell Out of Your Spices

-Kanye West Announces 2020 Presidential Run. Well why the fuck not?

-I just asked the mr this a couple weeks ago. I feel validated. It's Not Just You, There Actually Are A Lot More Chipmunks Out There

Pictures from the week

-C

Sunday Happy

My eyes itch like a mofo. Gunky and funky, I can barely see my computer screen. Allergies right now… I forget every year until they hit me. But I am ok and I deal with it (by bitching and itching). So I’m good. As long as I don’t think about anything else. Haha, but for real.

The week. Another one to cross off the old calendar. Not a whole heck of a lot different then the usual. Made dinner for my mom, Barb, and boys. Caught up with Ryan and his girls for a while. The mr and I looked at a piece of land that was so close but not right, and picked up my first summer farm share! But the overall theme of the week was to finish up assignments, collect and drop off all the littles stuff back to the school because, Hooray for us all!! School ended and now there is no more trying to make sure all the work is done and no more “I do not understand your 4th grade math homework so..” to deal with. Yes, very exiting for not just the littles this year, I think the parents and all the people dealing with home schooling are probably just as excited too. And not only is school out but there were two big endings this year. Alex graduated form 8th grade and is off to high school this fall. (We had a little dinner and ice cream cake party at my house for him.) But the one that really gets me is Anthony. Graduated high school and is off (if people can go off )to college in the fall. That kills me. The first of my nephews and nieces to graduate from high school. I am really proud of him but honestly it makes me want to barf because it makes me feel so old. And probably not as cool as I think I am. (meh, I still am the coolest! HA!)

Today there are a few things. The mr and I have to drop the car off so tomorrow it can get inspected and the oil changed. I need to go grocery shopping and to curb side pick up my library books. And then there is a family BBQ for Anthony, to celebrate his public school achievements. That will be fun and a little jarring. Just the family, but I think it is going to be the biggest gathering of people that I have attended in a long time. Gonna be interesting for us all to be together again….Just glad it’s not at my house. HAHA!

Links from the internet from my browser to yours.

-Microaggressions Are A Big Deal: How To Talk Them Out And When To Walk Away. Lets all (especially us prevailed folks) make sure that when people are speaking they are not being assholes and to educate on human decency.

- When we were told we needed to wear masks, I made a few, just kind of whatever ones because I didn’t think I would need them for too long. Now I have a bag full of masks, all well made, because I know it’s gonna be reality for a longer time then I think we all first thought. Our masked future.

-I didn't even know that this ever happened. The Last Person Hand Painting Movie Posters in Greece

-This Farmer’s Home Consists of a Tiny House, Small Trailer, and Gorgeous Garden. In my wheelhouse of dreams.

-You don’t need to toss away shower liners every time they get gross. How to Clean a Plastic Shower Curtain the Right Way

-Another thing in the bathroom. 10 Easy Pieces: Modern Metal Toilet Paper Holders. I really appreciate a nice toilet paper holder. No joke.

-Sometimes the back of the box just knows how to cook the contents of said box exactly how it should be cooked. (think pasta, rice, biquick, and toll house cookies) Just Cook From the Back of the Box 

-When I am stressed or bored, I spend a lot of time thinking of food and all the crazy things I could make, so I 100% get this. The Wild, Wondrous Cooking I Do in My Head

-So I need to get a new sleeping bag really bad. Thinking a double. Any suggestions?

Pictures from the week

Sunday Happy

Well spring didn't last all that long. Sure technically it is not summer yet but you wouldn’t know it by the weather. A bunch of 90 freaking stupid degree days. So gross. How do people like that? Seriously, how?

The week. Started off with a picnic and a little fishing for the mr and Judah. After that I took the littles for a bike ride to my moms for bbq. Sure I fell off my bike and ripped all the skin of my elbow, but other then that, it was a good ride. We hung out in the backyard, ate food, I gave Mark and Paul haircuts (I am now the family barber. Not sure how that happened. And no one pays me.), and let my mom clean out my bloody wounds and bandage me up. All and all, good good.

The rest of the week consisted of the usual, or what is now my usual life. Hanging with the little doing homework, cleaning rooms, feeding their faces. Lots of outdoor stuff. I worked in the garden and I busted my ass pretty hard falling down a steep hill on a hike ( huge ass bruise on my ass). Top it off with a my first few mosqutio bites and I am just sore all over. We had rain for the first time in like a month so that was terrific. And maybe the best part of the weeks was when my mailman found out I was vegan and asked if I wanted him to stop placing Burger King and Mcdonalds flyers in the mail box. And all junk mail for that matter. Isn’t that freaking fantastic? My mailman, he really is the best.

And the fridge. Still not functioning right. We replaced a part. It wasn’t the problem so we have to try and replace one more part. If that doesn’t fix it , well then…………

Back to Sunday. The mr and I are going to pick up a really old, but functional. little fridge today. Something to store food in until we get the part that hopefully gets the real fridge back up and running. After we get the fridge, we will probably go for a little hike, the mr might fish, I will read, which reminds me. I was able to pick up 4 new books from my library, curbside, this week. I haven’t been able to get new books for like 2 months. Out of all the things I missed before quarantine, going to the library is the thing I miss the most so I am really happy to be able to get books again!

From the internet, in list form

-The world we live in is so fucked up right now and has been for so long. So many emotions and thoughts. I just don’t understand how and why shit like this is still happening and it is hard for me to process. I just know that I feel so much anger and sadness. The Death of George Floyd, in Context

-I Have a “Quarantine Bubble” With People Outside My House. You Should Too. Are you part of a bubble? We are in a family bubble but whats knew?

-How community fridges are fixing a broken food system. The mr has been working with a local charity and making these amazing little making food pantries and installing them all over the city. What a guy, right!

-Ok so I hate ceiling fans because they are ugly, but I do understand they are very functional. The mr wants to put one in the bedroom. I am slightly coming around to the idea, but only if I find one that I like. So far I have seen this one and this one. Still not sold though

-What Are Capers, Anyways? Adult knowledge

-So my gym (the YMCA) is opening up next week and if you were to ask ANYONE that knows me or works there, they would say I would be the first person at the door when it opens. Well guess what? Not going back for the summer. Gonna keep on running ans doing my own thing for a while. And I won’t have to worry about getting sick! How Fitness Will Change Forever

-Oh hell no. I would never, but good for these guys. Love At First Quarantine: After A Single Date, Couple Hunkers Down Together

This Artist Creates Food-Shaped Soaps That Look So Real, You Might Just Start Salivating. Would you use these soaps? I kinda hate shaped soap. It just seems wrong to me.

-Are you gardening food this year? Are you doing it because you love to or because you are freaked out about food? Gardens Have Pulled America Out of Some of Its Darkest Times. We Need Another Revival.

-If I was a person who bought things…..Ginormous Rainbow Tunnel Sprinkler

Pictures from the week

-C

Sunday Happy

Did you get any of that polar vortex snow yesterday? When I woke up there was a dusting of snow and ok, I wasn't thrilled, but I wasn’t devastated. I do live in Vermont so it’s almost expected. But now I am officially done. It is getting further into May and I just want to be able to not wear a freaking jacket anymore or have to worry about all of my plants. Be 55 degrees for a while. That is not to much to ask.

Another week has come and gone. The time is just flying away here. Besides the day trip to Shannons early in the week and the 5 bean bag chairs we bought for Judah (The guy has been wanting one for so long so I figured he deserved a little something something that isn’t stupid for being such a great kid. We ended up getting 5, and giving him 2 and each of the other kids one so they don’t just steal his), the week wasn’t that much different then all the weeks past. The mr and I went for a hike/fish adventure one day, had lunch with the littles everyday, and have started some outdoor projects around the apartment building. We had a sleep over with Judah which was awesome just because that kid is awesome. Bean bags and burritos. We know how to live! And then we went on a good hike with Meg and her littles down threw the woods and found us a river. Oh, and we emptied out Mileys room and the mr built her a new lofted bed. That took up some time for sure. And carpet bowling with Barb, Judah, and Coco. Life is great when you can spend an hour laughing at knocking little wooden bowling pins over.

It is Sunday again and it’s Mothers day! Happy day to all the Mamas! We have a few things on the agenda. A lunch with the littles and there mom then a good walk with my mom. Then maybe if we have time I might try to take a bike ride at some point. Also we didn’t have time to do our weekly deep clean of the house yesterday so we will be spending a few hours doing that today. And I need to brush my hair. It’s been a hot minutes and if I don’t do it soon, I’ll be rocking the dreads again. Doesn’t my life just sound so exciting. Haha! OH boy.

Internet links from the week.

-Welcome to the Culinary Barter Economy. I have always been a hug believer in trading food for just about anything. It just makes so much sense.

-Barb and I are making the plans now for next year! Cycling the tulip fields.

-These cabins. Soon, soon we will be able to build out own.

-It’s not your imagination. Allergy season gets worse every year. Every freaking year. And more and more people are getting them. I used to not have any allergies and a few years ago, BAM, face felt like a wet punching bag. So yeah, allergies. Suck.

-I did this in middle school science class and thought it was there greatest. I Think I am going to do it with the littles. Stay-at-home science project: Grow your own rock candy

-Did I tell you the mr got a bunch of pet shrimp? Yea, not my thing but whatever. This reminded me of him, because he also likes to makes things out of paper. Make Your Own Paper Prawn Using This Pattern Designed by Artist Lisa Lloyd

The Super-Easy Way to Figure Out When Your Grocery Store Is the Least Busy. I never knew, and it’s a little creepy, but I used it.

-Don’t kill you trees. I see it all the time, especially the mulch “volcano”. Drives me nuts. 4 Common Mistakes People Make when Caring for Their Trees

-Speaking of trees, these tress are freaking amazing! Rainbow Eucalyptus Are Real-Life Neon Trees

-The 'Spaceship Earth' Documentary Stars Share Tips For Surviving Isolation. Or you can watch the movies Biodome. Pauly Shore will tell you how to be.

Pictures from the week.

-C

Sunday Happy

Hey friends, how are we doing? Good good I hope, if not a little wobbly and wonky, but that’s ok. At least it is spring. SPRING!!! I have been loving the weather so hard this past week. Not to cold, not to hot, not to sunny. Just right. So that is good.

Besides stellar weather this week, it has been another week. Started out with a nice long hike with Megan and the gang for her birthday. Muddy as heck yes, but really fun and good to spend some time with her and the kiddos. Then after that, the days just blurred from one thing to the next but things were done and happened and all that.

The frost froze in our fridge and it was this whole thing that took a entire day to fix with the steamer. That was fun (not really, but my fridge is so so CELAN). We also spent time with the littles, tried to figure out school work but then ended up making smoothies. I made a handful of face masks and cleaned out all my garden beds. We went for a walk with Shannon. Did a few little hikes, a few bike rides, and lots of walks. I wore my sandals on my feet for a day, and Barb and I went for a bike ride together just yesterday. So basically I spend most of my time either cleaning, hanging with the littles, or running, walking, biking, or hiking. Life is weird right now but I am embracing it and am more then happy to spend all my time outside.

Oh and the mr. He went and got himself a freaking scooter. I don’t even know so we will circle back round to this some other time.

And today, Easter Sunday. We usually do something as a family on easter, like hide eggs for the littles and eat food together, but not this year. We are going to go eat lunch with the littles and maybe do a little egg hunt thing with them. Then we are going to go for a walk with my mom. After that, well I don’t know. Probably come home and make a giant list of food that I need to get tomorrow. My chest freezer is basically emptied of frozen veggies, farm share isn’t until Thursday, and I am running dangerously low on me food. (there is more then enough food in the house to feed the mr for months, I just don’t eat any of it.) I might have enough frozen broccoli and one beet that I have been hoarding for dinner tonight and I know I have at least 2 onions and the spinach that I saved especially for tonight so just as long as the grocery store had some veggies tomorrow, i'‘ll be alright.

Internet from the week.

-Are your days melting together? IT is not just you. Time Is Meaningless Now

-Have you made bread yet? And are you wondering how the heck it does it thing wit the yeast? No for Real, What Is Yeast Exactly

-Hundreds of Rainbow Glass Panels Emit a Rotating Kaleidoscope in a Playful Kindergarten. What a place to go to school!

-This has NEVER been a problem for me, but it might be for you. I Bought Too Many Vegetables

-How do we know what dinosaurs looked like? Yeah, really, how do we know?

-I have been running every morning but man, are my ankles super sore. I think I screwed up my Achilles tendons. What is the best surface to run on to avoid getting injured?

-The toilet paper shortage is more complicated than you think. I haven’t had to buy toilet paper yet, but now and going to be keeping my eyes open for some next time I go shopping.

-As soon as it is warm enough outside I plan on it, for just me and the mr, and then for the littles.. Throw Your Kids a Quarantine Campout

-How Stories Connect And Persuade Us: Unleashing The Brain Power Of Narrative. This is why I read.

-Some good things are happening. Lockdown Effect: Impossible View of the Himalayas Captured by Photographers in India After 30 Years

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Pictures from the week