Back on the Trail

My husband and I went for a bike ride last weekend.  It was a perfect fall afternoon.  I am not certain if it was the bike path lined with the amazing the fire red, burnt orange and yellow fading the brown colors of the leaves.  Maybe it was the smell of dry autumn leaves that had fallen to the ground or the previous evening’s campfire smell of ash that still lingered in the air. The air was crisp, but not so cold that I required a jacket beyond my athletic pull over. The soft sounds of the trees rustling and the crunching of the fallen leaves under my bike tires were simple, yet a scene setting soundtrack of the afternoon.    I was so relaxed.  Beyond my bum starting to go numb and the discovery of my tinging muscles in my quads, I could have continued my ride for miles.  In fact, I surpassed my distance record of 11 miles to 20 miles.  This was an accomplishment that I am so proud.  When I started this journey with “Messy Bessie” 5 months ago, I would have never imagined how much enjoyment and peace  I would gain from it.

I celebrated the day and my 20 mile ride accomplishment with an apple cider float including whip cream and caramel sauce.  It was like drinking a frozen apple pie a la mode without the pie crust! It was my first, but I had had 3 different people I know comment on this unusual treat in the days prior. Our ride just happened to place us in the area of the King Kone ice cream stand in Chardon, Ohio that serves this autumn treat. 

Sometime you need to stretch beyond your comfort zone and try something new!
Then celebrate the growth you have accomplished!

God’s Garden of Beauty

On my recent trip to Colorado, we hiked around the Garden of the Gods.  The Garden of the Gods is a  National  Natural Landmark that welcomes over 6 million visitor a year. This mass collection of protruding sandstone formations  is nothing less than breath taking.  If you are able to ignore any other roaming tourist and allow yourself to lift your head from the path you will experience perfect beauty created by God’s hand, molded by wind and water.

The rock formations at the Garden of the Gods  are imperfect beauty and a wonder to behold. These non-symmetrical formations balance high in the air as they reach from the earth to the sky longing to touch the clouds.  There are indentations and visible holes that offer shelter for small animal and birds or foot holds for those who choose to climb up it’s dramatic angles.  There are lines and cracks that have been etched into the aged rocks by winds and rain that create characters from the stone. Some such figures have been named the “Kissing Camels” or the Siamese Twins. To witness these towering mountains of sandstone is to witness the hand of God.

Why is it that I can see the beauty in these sandstone towers with all their flaws and imperfection, but I cannot always find the beauty within myself?  I am not symmetrical. I have one eye that slightly droops and a tooth that despite 3 years of braces still turns inward at an odd angle.  I get preoccupied with my stomach that is no longer flat and firm after having been the home to 3 growing babies.  My 50 years of laughter and tears have etched fine lines and deep crevices with in my face.  Why is it that I can see the beauty in what God created in the world, but I cannot always see the beauty in me?

Trying to Make a Difference

In the spring of 2017, a longtime dream of mine came true.  After years of researching and hoping, our finances were finally at a point that I could purchase a hybrid vehicle.  It is a Toyota and I do receive flack for it not being an American car, but I cannot live a life that checks everyone else’s boxes.  My boxes were a higher sitting vehicle that I could see over the dashboard, a sunroof and a hybrid.  Yes safety and fuel economy were on the list too, but that is the boring stuff!  I purchased my Hybrid Toyota Rav 4 and named her “Gamora”. Yes, I name in inanimate objects in my life.

My monthly gas cost did decrease by half and my MPG increased by a  half from my 2013 Chevy Equinox.  A car I adored as well.  But a hybrid was my dream!! I was making a small difference in the world and breaking even between the higher monthly cost and gas savings from my previous vehicle.  Life has been great in my car except when I was over tired and over stressed at work and hit a car in the parking lot of my office when I was parking in the winter.  To date the is the only accident that I have had that I was at fault.  My guilt was enormous, but that is another story for another date.  My car suffered no more than a small a 2 inch dent and a scrape above the rear driver side wheel.  It was nothing that touch up paint couldn’t heal. Yet I am still waiting for her paint color to come available at  AutoZone. I am blinded by the glaring gash each time I go to the garage to get in my car.  In case you were wondering, no one sees it unless I point it out.  As for the other car, I am not positive, I was too grief stricken and apologetic about the situation and I may have offered my first grandchild as a penitence. The other driver was very kind and we had the car fixed right away and my insurance rates didn’t go up so I don’t think the damage from my 3 mph parking fender bender was too significant.

My happiness of purchasing a hybrid turned to anger when I received my yearly registration renewal for Gamora in the mail.  I was dumb struck when I read that the government was charging me an addition $100 for my car registration because it was a hybrid.  What?  Don’t they understand that I am trying to save our planets and their great grandchildren’s future?  Wasn’t it only a few years ago that financial incentives were being issued for the purchase of electric and hybrid vehicles? 

Let me get this straight because I am making a positive contribution to the world by choosing a car that runs cleaner and  lowers CO2 emissions into the atmosphere and in turn helping you and your family’s air quality, I am being taxed? It is because I made a conscious effort to protect the planet by choosing vehicle that requires less fossil fuels, crude oil, to operate I need to pay triple the amount to register my car?  It is because I chose a vehicle with a lighter frame requiring the use of less energy to operate that I am paying more from my personal human work energy paycheck to pay an additional fee.

Wow! I am astounded, angered and disillusioned that I am being charged a higher amount to register my car in comparison to a gas guzzling car that only gets 13 mpg as opposed to my 38 mpg.

I think it is shameful that the state of Ohio’s transportation budget bill sign by Governor Mike Dewine in April of 2019 is requiring people with an electric or hybrid vehicles to pay and addition $100-$200 a year in registration fees since these vehicle owners do not pay as much tax at the pump as standard car owners.  If this is the price I need to pay for my effort in being a part of a movement to help heal and prolong the health of the earth, I will pay it, but I will think it is a dishonorable way to be treated.  

On my recent trip to Colorado, we visited and hiked around the Garden of the Gods.  The Garden of the Gods is a  National  Natural Landmark that welcomes over 6 million visitor a year. This mass collection of protruding sandstone formations  is nothing less than breath taking.  If you are able to ignore any other roaming tourist and allow yourself to lift your head from the path you will experience perfect beauty created by God’s hand, molded by wind and water.

The rock formations at the Garden of the Gods  are imperfect beauty and a wonder to behold. These non-symmetrical formations balance high in the air as they reach from the earth to the sky longing to touch the clouds.  There are indentations and visible holes that offer shelter for small animal and birds or foot holds for those who choose to climb up it’s dramatic angles.  There are lines and cracks that have been etched into the aged rocks by winds and rain that create character that are named the “Kissing Camels” or the Siamese Twins. 

Why is it that I can see the beauty in these sandstone towers with all their flaws and imperfection, but I cannot find the beauty within myself?  I am not symmetrical. I have one eye that slightly droops and a tooth that despite 3 years of braces still turns inward at an odd angle.  I get preoccupied with my stomach that is no longer flat and firm after having been the home to 3 growing babies inside.  The years of laughter and tears have etched my face with fine lines and deep crevices.  Why is it that I can see the beauty in what God created in the world, but I cannot see the beauty in me.

I am an earth advocate. In no way do I do all that is possible to aid in conservation, but I  try to make small changes to my life or lifestyle that will have even the  smallest  impact on the earth and climate change. It began back in the eighties when big hair was “IT!” Never the fashion icon I used pump hair spray instead of aresol spray.  I have tried to use reusable grocery bags and even tried my hand at composting, but wasn’t successful.

In the spring of 2017, a longtime dream of mine came true.  After years of researching and hoping, our finances were finally at a point that I could purchase a hybrid vehicle.  It is a Toyota and I do receive flack for it not being an American car, but I cannot live a life that checks everyone else’s boxes.  My boxes were a higher sitting vehicle that I could see over the dashboard, a sunroof and a hybrid.  Yes safety and fuel economy were on the list too, but that is the boring stuff!  I purchased my Hybrid Toyota Rav 4 and named her “Gamora”. Yes I name in inanimate objects in my life.

My monthly gas cost did decrease by half and my MPG increased by a  half from my 2013 Chevy Equinox.  A car I adored as well.  But a hybrid was my dream!! I was making a small difference in the world and breaking even between the higher monthly cost and gas savings from my previous vehicle.  Life has been great in my car except when I was over tired and over stressed at work and hit a car in the parking lot of my office when I was parking in the winter.  To date to only accident that I have had that I was at fault.  My guilt was enormous, but that is another story for another date.  My car suffered no more than a small a 2 inch dent and a scrape above the rear driver side wheel.  It was nothing that touch up paint couldn’t heal. Yet I am still waiting for her paint color to come available at  AutoZone. I am blinded by the glaring gash each time I go to the garage to get in my car.  In case you were wondering, no one sees it unless I point it out.  As for the other car, I am not positive, I was too grief stricken and apologetic about the situation and I may have offered my first grandchild as a penitence. The other driver was very kind and we had the car fixed right away and my insurance rates didn’t go up so I don’t think the damage from my 3 mph parking fender bender was too significant.

My happiness of purchasing a hybrid turned to anger when I received my yearly registration renewal for Gamora in the mail.  I was dumb struck when I read that the government was charging me an addition $100 for my car registration because it was a hybrid.  What?  Don’t they understand that I am trying to save our planets and their great grandchildren future?  Wasn’t only a few years ago that financial incentives were being issued for the purchase of electric and hybrid vehicles? 

Let me get this straight because I am making a positive contribution to the world by choosing a car that runs cleaner and  lowers CO2 emissions into the atmosphere and in turn helping you and your families air quality, I am being taxed? It is because I made a conscious effort to protect the planet by choosing vehicle that requires less fossil fuels, crude oil, to operate I need to pay triple the amount to register my car?  It is because I chose a vehicle with a lighter frame requiring the use of less energy to operate that I am paying more from my personal human work energy paycheck to pay an additional fee.

Wow! I am astounded, angered and disillusioned that I am being charged a higher amount to register my car in comparison to a gas guzzling car that only gets 13 mpg as opposed to my 38 mpg.

I think it is shameful that the state of Ohio’s transportation budget bill sign by Governor Mike Dewine in April of 2019 is requiring people with an electric or hybrid vehicles to pay and addition $100-$200 a year in registration fees since these vehicle owners do not pay as much tax at the pump as standard car owners.  If this is the price I need to pay for my effort in being a part of a movement to help heal and prolong the health of the earth, I will pay it, but I will think it is a dishonorable way to be treated.  

Sometimes You Just Need Simple

It has been a busy couple weekends as I have traveled to Pennsylvania to assist in preparing and moving my mother to a new apartment. Though I was only there for 1 day each weekend, it was 6 hours of hard labor with 4 hours of travel time. Sundays at home were full of completing things that needed to be done before the beginning of the work week – yard work, laundry, errands and preparing my lunches for the week. Sometime you just need something simple.

I love soup, but especially with the change from summer to fall. Last week I had planned to make a large pot of Italian wedding soup to enjoy throughout the week, but I ran out of time in the weekend to make it. So it was a week full of hodge podge thrown together lunches. Not healthy, not satisfying. This week I was determined, but my time was still limited as was my energy to stand in a kitchen for hours.

Luckily this week I gave into short cuts!! Simplified with shortcuts does not have to mean less healthy. I choose pre-package fresh ingredients such as baby carrots, boxed chicken broth, frozen meatballs and bagged spinach. Some days you just need simple. The right tools also help! My food processor and Instant Pot saved me hours. I was only in the kitchen for 30 minutes!! The soup tasted like it was simmering for hours. It was so simple and I did not even need any added seasonings.

Click here for Simple Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup Recipe.

Time for a New Rope

Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

I suffer from 2 different types of fatigue. Physical from my battle with MS and emotional that tends to appear when my compassion plate is over flowing.  This summer, I have suffered with Covid fatigue and summer depression.  July and August were the lowest points. It is interesting as most people suffer seasonal depression in the cold dark months of winter, always striving to be different,  mine typically arrives in the summer months.

 I have mentioned in previous blogs that I am a mom with an A personality and needed to care for the mental health of my tribe, both friends and family during the first few months of the pandemic.  I engaged  with people through text messages, virtual meet ups, online gaming and sending old fashioned letters through the post.  As people found their own routines, I lost my routine.  During this summer of a pandemic, not only did I feel the losses that the world was experiencing, I was also grappling with my own disappointments, loss of plans and my “new “ routine and purpose of reaching out and keeping other people connected. I felt alone and forgotten and most of all hopeless.  I tried to mask these feeling by plowing through, but they were always lurking in the dark corners of my mind.  I began to have nightmares every night and anxiety that filled my days for almost 2 months steady.   I was emotionally and physically exhausted, yet still I continued to go to work, return home to complete home projects and get out for exercise.  I am lucky I have experience and some tools that help me to continue to move forward. By the end of the summer, I had come to the end of my rope.

My goals and plans for the summer had all come and gone and most people never noticed my uncompleted goals of bike riding or book reading.  It did not matter to them and in turn, I did not matter to them. At least that is how I saw it in the dark times. This left me feeling empty and depleted. I was over that “Love you”, ” Miss you” and “We should get together” platitudes I received via social media. They were just words with no connection or true intent behind them. I tried to pass it off as “after the pandemic”, but then I would see photos of “friends” with other friends and I was left behind. I was drowning in darkness and few people noticed.  I was lonely, angry and most of all physically and emotionally exhausted which heightened my all of my emotions. I was at the end of my rope. My depression is closely intertwined with my MS.  Though it will be a daily struggle during this time,  I recognize it and try to implement my tools of time outside, exercise and actively trying to accomplish something. I am no longer surprised by it’s summer arrival which appears like clockwork year after year. Also a roller coaster of emotions is normal in unpredictable times. I see the world being oppressed by a pandemic as being unpredictable. Look at me being normal for once.  

September came and with the turn of the page of the calendar the shadow of darkness that had creeped into every aspect of my life began to  lift like a morning fog. My energy increased and I once again have hope.  Why the change? I can not say for certain, but I cut way back on social media and limited my evening media to tv, movies and crossword puzzles.  I think this helped reduce the nightmares and reducing my anxiety of civil unrest, politics and the feeling of separation I felt from the world.  I find it interesting that the tool that was created to bring us together is ultimately tearing us as a human species apart.

The fog has lifted and the time has come for new goals and plans, a new rope that I can start climbing.

Let’s Get a Hot Tub part 2

 

“The Hot Tub” project became the end of summer project.  One thing led to another.  We spent August remodeling our previous laundry room and bathroom located on the lower level.  Before and after photos can be seen HERE.  The updating of the space leaked into the lower level hall and lower level rec room both covered in 1970’s wood paneling.  It is an area that I always found dark and depressing. I never spent a lot of time there.  My daughter fondly calls it “The Cave”.

I could not muster the strength to tear off wood paneling and replace it with drywall as we had done in the winter with the living room. I begged my husband to try painting it first.  After speaking with a few other people  who had done the same, he agreed as long as we did not pain it white.  The worst part of the project was priming the walls before adding the calming and satisfying Sherwin Williams paint color of Unfussy Beige.  During a day off from work, I primed the entire room with the evening help of my husband who  edged the high places after in frustration  I suggested crown molding when my patience were worn after my attempts  to apply the runny white primer.  Two day later I was able to complete the first top color coat with the help of ‘The Crown” and “Modern Day Love”.  The 2^nd coat was completed the following day with the help of the documentary “Holy Hell” and a telephone conversation with my daughter. There was one casualty of the project : our flat screen tv.  It was impaled and rendered unusable when it teetered off the coffee table after run in with my husband’s bum.  Subconsciously I think he just wanted a bigger screen.

 I was thoroughly delighted by the way the room color had changed the entire look and feel of the room.  It was transformed from a dark and danky 1970’s serial killers cabin to an open relaxing space enhanced by the natural brick fireplace and exposed rough cedar beams.  Now the room has purpose. The room will now be an extension of the outdoor relaxing and entertaining space of the hot tub dwellers.

I want this space to be usable yet unique. The transformation began with a lightly and airy color on the walls which opened up the space making it appear twice as large as it had previously. I wanted to coordinate with the rough wooden beams  and the large window and sliding glass door to the patio which  had been  swallowed by the all-encompassing  darkness that the room before the painting of the paneling.  For likely the first time in my life, I looked online for new curtains that would allow natural light and add a bit of texture to the walls.  Within three minutes, I found a light colored abstract pair of grommet curtains that combined the wall color along with natural tones that would complement both the brick and the beam.  I ordered them.  This was a shocking turn of events as a NEVER order so quickly!  I was delighted when they arrived and accomplished the ambiance of the room I was trying to create. 

The curtain rod process was not as smooth. I wanted to create my curtain rods as I had in our living room own.  I purchased 2 – 9ft long 1 inch wooden dowel rods and stained them the same color as the impending baseboards that were yet to be installed.  I found birch tree discs at my local JoAnn Fabrics along with 2 – 12×9 inch pieces of leather.  My husband drilled holes in the center of the birch discs and I cut the leather into 1 ½ inch 12 inch long strips. The difficulty came in the installation. We discovered the paneling was only attached to a thin piece of drywall with insulation and the exterior brick wall was directly behind it.  We had difficulty determining the correct length screws that could attach to the wall and provide the security and support needed.  After finally locating the correct size of anchors and screw the curtain rods were installed.  They were exactly what I had envisioned.

This room will be a work in process for the next few months as it slowly comes together piece by piece.  We have already designated the newly painted bookshelves into a wine rack and plan to fill it with photos and mementos of our travels. We have decided not to use the fireplace for heating, but instead have opted to fill the space with candles of various sizes so that we can still have the touch of a soft glowing light from the fire place. We have ordered theater seating for my husband and an oversized chair for me to curl up on to watch our newly purchased tv that replaces the broken one. I am even pondering the idea of repurposing my husband’s 30 year old steamer trunk and creating it into a portable bar with tabletop to add a usable bit of uniqueness to the space and a little camouflage to the lower shelves that house the board games.  

So our relaxing, good price on a new hot tub has led to the remodeling and design of 3 additional areas: the lower level restroom, the rec room and the lower level patio.   Not only have we increased our price tag and added 2 additional months of work, but we have created additional rejuvenating spaces in our home to rest and renew.  Though after 12 months of house remodeling and updating, I’m not certain I remember how to relax. That is why we bought the hot tub in the first place.

To see the photos and get additional details on our home projects including the transformation from the laundry room to a spa room or “The Cave of Seclusion into the Rec Room of Relaxation, Click Here.

Let’s Get a Hot Tub part 1

I realize hot tubs are not everyone’s favorite thing. I have heard many comments with the precursor “Yuck” or “Eww”  in regards to hot tubs.  “It is a  stew of germs.”  “It is like sitting in someone else’s bath water.”  Yes, people are not kind in keeping their opinions to themselves.  Yet still my husband and I enjoy them.  Well at least we think we do. We have had a running joke for about 3 years in regards to hot tubs.  In our travels whether it be a hotel, resort or ARBNB, we would always look forward to the opportunity of a soak in a hot tub or Jacuzzi.  Every time except for one, the spa tubs were not available due to cleaning or repair.  I feel  I need to say this.  Sitting in a public jet tub is not my preference.  I agree with the “stew of germs” quote,  but there are times that it offers a different and much appreciated relief of the ongoing intensity  of my discomfort and pain of my tightening muscles. There are times that my body calls out to any and all methods of relief including a group hot tub.  I find that if the water temperature is right, it is about the only thing that fully relieves my MS heavy muscles.  That is unless I then go into a cold air room and the muscle contraction occurs which is almost debilitating.  I also like being able to control the pressure or location of the jets which can offer relief instead of the pinprick pain that sometimes comes with a massage offered by human touch .

In June, we took a long weekend trip a few hours south of our home with the sole purpose of  having a relaxing get away. We needed a mind release from the coronavirus and a calming place to relax after my infusion treatment.  It was a rustic cabin in the woods near Lake Jackson, Ohio.  It was a place held  everything we were looking for: seclusion from cell phones and internet, beauty of nature and a hot tub to relax my aching muscles.  Well to quote my brother in-law, “Two out of three ain’t bad.”

I almost had to laugh, but was not completely surprised when hours before we were planning on beginning the three hour drive and as I was sitting in a hospital chair receiving my infusion treatment, I was notified by the cabin owner that the heater in the  hot tub at our location was broken and would not be repaired for our trip.

Our three year curse continued. This began the discussion of us installing our own hot tub at our home.  We know several people who have them and love them and several people who hated them.  I was undecided, but my husband was ready to look so upon our return we began to lightly browse.  I hate impulse buying and always need to let a large purchase simmer for a bit before pulling the trigger.  Three weeks later the idea was still simmering and we decided to officially begin the search. 

We found a small square hot tub that we liked.  I would be able to use it without  assistance as the hard cover lid had handles attached to the tub base and were  easy to open and close.  The attached stairs folded into the frame of the tub which was both aesthetically pleasing and an added  safety feature bonus considering the possibility of future grandchildren.  I also, in all my non-visible grace, climbed inside the dry tub when we visited the showroom to make certain I would be able to enter and exit unassisted. I did not want to be a 50 year old woman who waited on the stairs with her chin on her hands awaiting her husband’s arrival from work to ask permission to  get into the water like a 6 year old.

The smaller tub sits 4-6 people, but I don’t expect we will have many friends join us.  There are not a lot of fancy bells and whistles. There are no colored lights and no internal sound system, but I have never been one to play keeping up with the Jones.  I was hoping for something simple that could complete the task, not entertain the neighborhood. I was looking for relaxation and even more so pain relief.  Though the back ordering due to popular demand was 16 weeks long, this spa tub fits my wants and needs perfectly, including the cost.

After discussing the pros and cons, my husband and I decided to place the hot tub outside with the open sky above.  Our home is a bi-level with a covered patio on the lower level and an upper deck off the main floor’s living room and kitchen.  Originally we discussed placing the tub directly on the lower level cement patio, but opted to create a pebble stone foundation just off the cement patio so that we can enjoy the stars in the evening and have a nice flow of air from all directions.  Our adult children came over and assisted, meaning they did the hard labor of moving the gravel as it was shortly after my husband’s emergency appendectomy in July.

Getting the needed electric to the hot tub area was a different beast.  We had great difficulty locating electricians and getting estimates to have the electric run from the garage to the tub location.  We have run electric ourselves, but were really hoping to have it done by an electrician.  After the first estimate of over $3,500, we continued our search while simultaneously pricing out the materials to do it ourselves.  The materials, if we purchased them, would be $500.  This was on the high end of the estimated materials cost. We thought a couple months  would have offered us plenty of time to get estimates and have the wiring completed before the tub arrives the end of October, but 2 months later we are still struggling to find an electrician who will give us an estimate.  Time will tell how this unfolds.

A Family Effort

I don’t tend to post photos of my family out of respect and privacy, but I had to post this photo from our family vacation to Colorado.

Knowing my devastation of my waylaid plans for my birthday that was transformed from the sunny beaches and ocean waves into a family vacation in the beautiful mountains, my family did all they could to make it a special week. It began with a cocktail of the day a favorite bonus of a cruise. I would come down to the kitchen each morning and the cocktail, recipe, and ingredients would be displayed on the counter complete with a display stand. My family was very kind about me never having to wash a dish or make a meal while we were there. It was very much appreciated, but difficult to follow after day 4. I was also given the opportunity to complete 2 books I was reading.

On day 3, my husband took me for a walk around the neighborhood. I returned to a house filled with Happy 50th birthday decorations smuggled in luggage from Ohio, a few gifts and the whole family wearing matching shirts in honor of my birthday designed by my daughter in-law . See photo above. The day continued with an activity that I chose. I really enjoy time on the water so the family and I also took a tube float down Clear Creek in Golden, Colorado. It is something I have done one time before at a different location and find peaceful and relaxing. Though I admit on more than one occasion I got caught up in the circulating water and had to work to get myself back to the center of the creek, but it was still fun. It was a low water time of year for the creek , but we still contended with a few rapids. I can not imagine going another time of year. The water flow was steady, but not too fast and the air and water temperature were perfect.

We spent the remainder of our week hiking and taking in the sights including the Garden of the Gods, Daniel’s Park and Breckenridge. We even managed to stop in Dillon, Colorado, the location of our honeymoon 28 years ago, for a photo-op.

I appreciate all the thought, effort , planning (and re-planning and re-planning) and love that my family put into creating a new birthday celebration for me. Though the week was not what I had planned for my big half century mark celebration, it was a celebration that was filled with beautiful scenery and beautiful memories.

Lockdown Loves

DISCLAIMER: It is only fair that if I put negative in the world with my previous blog quarantine Pet Peeves, that I counter act it with some positive energies from today’s post.

Complaining about what is missing and what has changed has been a common occurrence the last 6 months. But there has also been good. Here are some of my Lockdown Loves.

1. Less Crowded Highway
   I have continued to work at the office on a limited basis through out the pandemic. So first off, I am grateful for the job. I have really appreciated the less crowded highways. Though I swear the speed has increased to 80 mph in a 65 zone. For the first time since beginning my downtown Cleveland 45 minute commute, traffic is not a combination of Nascar and bumper to bumper traffic. I have room to gallop on the highway.
   
   
2. New Adventures
   Messy Bessie, my electric bike, and I have has many new adventures on different bike paths in the tri-county area as I try to remember what it is like to ride a bike. I don’t agree with the adage, you never forget how to ride a bike. I forgot! It has been nice to enjoy the outdoors with my husband riding through some beautiful areas. This is time and energy that would have otherwise been eaten up by my commute.
   
3. New forms of staying connected
   I have been a user of Zoom for years as a bible study and teaching platform. It is nice that the rest of the world caught up. been nice to use technology to connect whether bible studies, cocktail catch ups or connecting with friends that live far away. My sister introduced me to Marco Polo a video instant messaging service. Oh the can of worms she opened. It has been nice to connect with my sisters, my mom and my girls. I admit some of those chats are long, but it has helped me in feeling connected.
   
4. New Outdoor Views
   Since traveling far and wide has been limited, I have spent a lot more time hiking local areas that I have never visited. I have discovered new trails, waterfalls and caves near my own home. Why is it that we feel we need to travel to escape?
   
   
5. New Entertainment
   I am a movie lover and have missed my movie theater Mondays. Instead I have dove into new to me old shows such as Good Girls, Dead To Me, Little Fires Everywhere, YOU, Schitts Creek as well as revisiting and tying up the loose endings of a few older favorites tv shows such as Dharma and Greg, The Goldbergs, Last Man Standing that I have lost touch with. I have also ventured out into streaming platform movies and have been pleasantly surprised… sometimes. The hidden movie gem was 7500 with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
   
   
6. Home Projects
   Oh the projects we have seen!! Check out this post to see all the home projects that we have done. It is ridiculous! In short, we have done major renovations or updating to 8 rooms of our 10 room house. What will we do when it is done?
   
   
7. Money Savings
   On average we have saved around $500 a month in savings of gas and parking costs and activities that were not happening. Guess where that money went? See #6
   
   
8. Virtual Appointments
   I liked the flexibility of meeting my doctors online. It allowed for less time from work. I had a sinus infection in August, instead of taking a 1/2 day from work to drive there, wait and meet with the doctor. I only had to take a 1/2 an hour from my work day that I was able to make up at the end of the day.
   
   
9. Appreciated Family Time
   As most, I have had extended time with my husband and my youngest while she was home from university before moving to her own apartment in June. 2,100 hours is a lot of time to spend with anyone even if it is your family. And though there were times when it became overwhelming, it was still a blessing to share my days- morning, afternoons and evenings with 2 of my favorite people (even when they weren’t). There were laughs and memories created that I could have missed out on.
   
   
10. Naked Tuesdays and Thursdays
    in my last previous positions, my day off was Fridays. This day became known as naked Friday. No I did not spend the day naked. Gross. It gained it’s name because on Friday I went au natural – meaning I didn’t wear any make -up. My skin has appreciated the reprise from the 5 day in the office work week and I fully expect to suffer from break outs when face days return.

---

What is something you liked or appreciated during the lock down?

Quarantine Pet Peeves

DISCLAIMER: I don’t know if we are still considered in “quarantine” due to the corona virus, but my family is still choosing precaution to help protect others and ourselves. And lets admit, the title works. The following list has been compiled in my time for the past 6 months and is in no particular order. And yes, totally first world problems, I know. My list in no way reflects that I am perfect or my body or my actions are not someone else’s pet peeves and by someone, I mean my husband.

1. An Uncovered Butter Dish
   This has been a 28 year pet peeve that has only been amplified with my husband working from home for 6 months. There are always denials and passive aggressive apologies afterward and I try not to point it out every week, but please for the sake of your marriage after making a bagel, please cover the butter dish.
   
2. “Limited” Fast Food Menu
   I am not a fan of fast food, but have had to rely on it during long travel days. I am always frustrated and disappointed when fast food is my only option. My traveling staples for the past 6 months have been comprised of Chic-fil-A’s grilled nuggets, Wendy’s taco salad, MacDonalds french fries (not gluten free, but don’t cause me issues) and Dunkin Doughnut frozen vanilla chai. I had to throw my limited meat eating out the window when traveling. Yes I have the option of salads from several locations, but many of the dressing contain gluten and who has the time to do the research when sitting in a line of 10 cars at the drive thru.
   
3. Employment Paranoia
   As most places are reassessing the ability to work from home through surveys and time sheet submissions, I hope that employers please realize that many people are more productive and complete tasks faster at home due to the lack of interruptions the occur in the workplace as well as additional sleep and energy employees have when their day has an additional 1 1/2 – 2 hour daily commuting time. Also when your job is to assist various departments, please understand that several departments are working from home and do not require your assistance in the office because their “in-house” routines have changed for the time being. One can only be paranoid that they will no longer be deemed “essential” when job descriptions and new policies are put in place.
   
4. Everything is Politicized
   Everything from corona virus origins, numbers and procedures to civil unrest to schooling is politicized. The events of September 11th 2001, brought the nation together. But no matter where I turn, humanity and we as a nation are being torn apart and pitted against one another. It is all about being right and showing how the “other side” is wrong. No one listens to one another and cruelty and name calling is common place. I know people from several different countries around the world and the United States is looked at as a joke while being a train wreck at the same time. It is shameful that in a time of crisis, we can not offer kindness and compassion to our fellow citizens because we are so busy tearing down the people who do not share our beliefs or views. When did “agree to disagree” become passe.
   
5. Facebook
   I have found myself looking at facebook a lot more during the past 6 months. My initial social media connection with others has become an anxiety inducer with in me. First it was reading everyone’s disappointments. I would try to reach out to let people they were not alone and I was “here” for them. Then it turned into a tornado of vile reading everyone’s negativity towards a political parties, masks and school and sport decisions. Why is their so much hate and self-righteousness? It put me in such a negative hopeless place. Now that people are getting back to some type of life outside their home, I find my self becoming jealous, left out and forgotten and invisible as I see their posts with friends out and about. Facebook is not where my current anxiety filled self needs to be. I am going to take it off my phone and taking a break.
   
6. My Self-Centeredness
   My “Big” birthday celebration was a bust and not at all what I had envisioned and planned. Yes, it was my party and I will cry if I want to and trust me I have for about 6 months. Selfishly thought this milestone would be an awake “wake” where people could say nice things about me so that I could see if I have made a difference to anyone in this life beyond my children. It is a quandary of emotion because I don’t like to be the center focus of attention, but I want to know that in this life I mattered and I made a difference for good. Welcome to my midlife crisis!
   
7. Office Pop – Ins
   I am grateful for my office in our house. It allows my a quiet space to work from home, write and read and generally be alone, in theory. The office pop-in (and I do it too) can be a big pet peeve when everyone is working and schooling from home. For those of you who are mothers and fathers, remember during the toddler and elementary years when you would escape to the bathroom to take care of business and have a few minutes of privacy through out the day. That is my office time. Remember the fingers that would emerge from under the bathroom door. That is the office pop-in. ‘Nuff said.
   
8. Masks worn below the Nose
   Wear it right or don’t claim that you wear a mask to protect others because the improper wearing of a mask isn’t effective and make you look like a fool. Do or do not, there is no try.
   
9. Parents
   This is does not mean all parents. My pet peeve is with the parents that bash school district and university leadership, government officials and the health departments. My issue is when parents claim to have better knowledge of a once in a hundred year pandemic than those who are educated in public heath. It is the parents who tell those who are making the best decisions with the information and educated guidance they are provided, that they are ruining their children’s lives because kids can’t play sports, have online or in-person learning, or have switched up their child’s university plans weeks before or after the start of the semester. It is the parents that bash the leadership for suspending their children from school or university for not following health guided protocols that they agreed to follow at the start of the semester. It is the parents that blame the government, health officials and university staff for not providing the same experience and amenities that were provided to their children prior to the pandemic. Don’t get me wrong. I am a Mama Bear when it comes to my kids. I will make what ever decision that my husband and I feel is in their best interests of our children with in the constraints provided to me by the governing beings. I do not find it useful or supportive of my child’s mental wellness to be a blame pusher. Most situations are not ideal in this time of a pandemic, but the parents that spew accusations and threats as well as causing their child embarrassment from their reaction is driving my blood pressure to high levels.
   
10. Not Connecting with Friends
    As much as I am a card carrying member of the introvert club and as much as I love my husband, I miss my small group of friends. There has only been one time that I have spent time with anyone other than my family since March 6th. In the past 6 months, there have been no girl’s gatherings, no campfire and cocktails, or dinners out. My communication with friends outside of work has become increasingly limited, I assume they have been hunkered down in their homes. My “work” friends I see infrequently as our schedules have all morphed into infrequent lunch breaks when we are in the office. I miss laughing, sharing our days and just hanging out. It is has been a hard fought internal battle between choosing what I want and what is the safest for myself and others. I am annoyed that I choose safety over friendship and won’t get out of my own way in fear that I could get someone sick.

---

What is one of your pet peeves about quarantine?