Sunday Happy

The week started off with the normal. Hiking up a mountain in our old college stomping grounds, kayaking, the mr fished while I read, then we camped for the night. A packed day of outdoor recreation that was very much needed and appreciated. Then the next day we went home and the mr dyed Judahs hair or half of it at least, bright ass pink. The kid started fifth grade the following day so we figured what the hell, might as well make it awesome. I wish I had pink hair in fifth grade.

After that, nothing to outlandish. I stopped to say hi to the bean and see her new glasses. Went for a hike with Megan and worked at the studio. I went for a bike ride picnic with the mr, we finally fixed the fridge for sure, and had dinner at moms to celebrate Marks zoom college celebration graduation thing (even though her graduated months ago). A recurring theme of the week has been me lossing/leaving my phone in unknown places. It has happened more times then I can count. My memory and mind are on the fritz right now. But the weather… The weather here in Vermont has been just the best! There was a frost warning, I have warn a sweater or two, and have been eating pumpkin everyday. This is exactly why I love living in Vermont.

I am more excited about camping tonight then ever. Emerald Lake State Park. It is going to be chilly, it’s getting dark out earlier, and there is always way less people around after Labor Day so hopefully we won’t have to see(or hear) anyone. We got a good hike maped out, a lake to kayak in, and a pumpkin to eat for dinner. We sure know how to live. HAHA!

The stuff from the internet this week.

-How We Got Conned Into Drinking Bottled Water — And How We Can Stop. And it is not how we can stop, it is WE HAVE TO STOP!

--This week is just been the shit in terms of our environment. It breaks my heart. California’s recurring wildfire problem, explained

-The benefits of note-taking by hand. Notes by hand are always the way to go.

-Need a fridge? Got one here for you. The ad says it all.

-Do You Really Need Both Dish Soap and Hand Soap in the Kitchen? I am all about one and done so this is good.

-She knows. Martha Stewart Now Has Her Own CBD Line in Appropriately Fancy Flavors

-Love this kitchen and this ceiling

-. The World Lost Two-Thirds Of Its Wildlife In 50 Years. We Are to Blame.We suck

-Is this going be a thing? Top it Cake Shield

-What is a people carrier?

Pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

Heavy week. I don’t know about you but I am feeling all sorts of feels. Like I can’t even rangle my self into myself. A lot is happening. Good things, bad things, scary things. People are stepping up, coming forward, doing the right thing that should have always been the right thing. Then there are infuriating assholes and I can’t even. I am sad, optimistic, angry, and all sorts of everything in between. I just really hope for goodness and rightness and change. It has to happen. We need to make sure that it happens and happens now.

The week. Besides feeling crazy and overwhelmed, it was also mild and normal. Started off with a massive closet clean out at my moms. A few of us sibling went over and ransacked bins and bins of my moms old clothes. Sure we all found a few pieces that were worth taking home, but what we really found were the gems of old crazy lady stuff and had the best time dressing up and running around in old bras and house coats.

The rest if the week was basically the same as usual. The mr and I over at the littles everyday doing the normal food and school thing. We went for a few bike ride, a bike ride/ picnic, cleaned, trashed, then tried to re clean parts of the house, and made plans for the summer. We are instating internet schedules and restrictions, getting a reading list together, and making plans for water fights and camping. Next week is the last week of school so we got to get on it!

And fridge update. I don’t want to jinx anything but, HOORAY! The mr fixed it! And right after we found ourselves an old free fridge to be our just in case. HA. But yeah, the harvest gold is here to stay and now we need to find a place for this really cool, old mid sized fridge. We are probably just going to keep it for when we build that cabin in the woods. But where to store it?

Sunday again. Today my goals are simple. I am going to try and get a few chores done, plant another round of greens in the garden ,and get stuff ready for the week. Then I am going to spend at least an hour on the porch sitting and reading, maybe I’ll even take a little nap, and drink at least 2 cups of coffee. I deserve the coffee.

Internet links from the week.

-The People’s Kitchen Collective Is Feeding a Movement by Putting People First. Food and conversation.

-Someone one a podcast I was listening to talked about swiss miss houses. I looked them up and am now obsessed . Swiss and a Bit Cheesy. Swiss Miss Houses.

-Coronavirus FAQs: How To Stay Safe While Protesting, When To Go Out After Recovery. Be safe for yourself AND for others.

-5 Ways to Set Healthy Boundaries Around News and Social Media. I have been disengaging more and more from basically everything that needs to be plugged in. It is actually my natural state and other then checking news, emails, and maybe browsing the internet for a few minutes, I have been pretty much off everything.

- Several Antiracist Books Are Selling Out. Here's What Else Black Booksellers and Publishers Say You Should Read

-Is Vermont Really 'So Expensive'? Um, well, I mean, um….yeah.

-If I lived above a store, I would want it to be this house, above a violin store. ‘A Secret Retreat’ Above a Violin Store.

-Do you know much about Shakers as as religion and not just a cabinet style? I did a little research after I read somewhere that shakers hang their furniture when not in use to make it easier to clean. I understand this practice, I keep my chairs flipped when no in use. The mr hates it. About the Shakers.

-These animals build palaces out of their own snot. I respect this.

-Bored? I have heard that s few times this week Well guess what, it’s nota bad thing. . Benefits of Being Bored

Pictures from the week

-C

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

What a week! The weather, well what can I say. It is pretty much summer and wow. Just yeah, that happened. And now I am hot which means I packed away all the winter stuff and busted out the shorts! And the sports bras. Blah. I was on a great run of a little over 2 months with no bra but finally was forced to wear one if I wanted to run with my iPod. I needed to stuff it into said bra while going for a run. I used it as a pocket. A bra-ket of sorts.. And when I came home, I ripped it off so it wasn’t so bad. Haha!

Another busy week. Littles everyday. We made meals, went for bike rides, hikes, and walks. Had them sleep over, watched Ferris Bueller, and made them weed the garden so they know that food is not free. HA! The mr and I have had little time to ourselves. We did get to spend part of a day picking up lumber from the cedar mill for a few projects the mr is working on and then we went for a nice long hike. just the two of us. That was nice, but again, we basically have had 2-3 of the littles all week which has been great but means I now have no food and every surface of my house is (was, I spent last night with the vacuum and cleaning rags) dirty.

I have also been low level stressed all week. First the fridge. It is still having issues. We think we figured it out and parts are ordered so we (more me) are crossing our fingers that this will solve the problem. I will be really really sad if I need to get a new fridge. But just in case I have been keeping my eyes open for a new, old, yellow or green or just bad ass one. Again, just in case because I trust that the new parts will fix it. On top of that, the mr ripped some of the walls down in the bedroom. It has been almost 4 years since we bought this house and remodeled it. We did all the work ourselves except the framing of the addition that was added on. Not a big thing, just basically raised the roof. And for the past maybe year or so, the mr seemed to have it in his mind that the roof was shifting and was going to fall in on us and has been telling me he wants to cut a hole in the ceiling to check out the framing. I was fine with that, at some point, when we planned a time to do it. Long story short, the other morning at 430 (I wake up at 4, he usually wakes up at 730) he came into the living room, dressed, and informed me he was ripping that top of the walls down in the bed room. And he did. They were down by 9am. He added more supports to the frame to make us all happy and then had to call it quits. My sweet sweet bedroom now has the walls ripped off with no immediate plans to re-sheetrock. Meh. Actually am fine with it. I have lived in worse. Just as long as it gets done before the winter.

We are there again, Sunday. After the few chores and a trip to the grocery store this mooring, (again, the littles ate all my food) the mr and I are picking up the littles for a picnic lunch and the mr is going to take them fishing. Me, I hope to be able to sit back and read, not have to worry about cleaning up a mess, and just be.

Internet links for your internet pleasure

-From Camping To Dining Out: Here's How Experts Rate The Risks Of 14 Summer Activities. Camping is low risk. Phew!

-Should you refrigerate tomatoes? Researchers and an ‘electronic tongue’ offer a surprising answer. Good to know cause we are getting close to tomato season!

-Did you have Jump Rope for Heart when you were a kid? I freaking loved that shit. I think I gotta bust out the old rope, get my jump on. Jumping rope is an unbeatable cardio workout—if you do it correctly

What day is it today? I don’t even care anymore.

-We walk. A lot. (like a lot lot) And maybe not correctly al the time. Walking correctly takes work—here’s how to improve every step

-Is it sick that I would love to receive (maybe even give) a list like this? A Friend Sent Me a Long List of All the Ways I Suck—What Do I Do?'

-On the Moon, Astronaut Pee Will Be a Hot Commodity. I mean, I would just assume.

-Yes to peanut butter and pickles. The Elusive Story of the Bread-and-Butter Pickle Sandwich

-I see it. I hear it. Life is crazy and people are feeling it. Is Everyone Depressed?

-Nature is fascinating Herd Of Fuzzy Green 'Glacier Mice' Baffles Scientists

Pictures from the week

Sunday Happy

Happy freaking springtime! Warmer weather, green and blooming everything, grey skies, downpours, burst of sunlight. Everything about this time of year touches the deepest pits of my soul. This weather is me. I live for it!

The week. Well no lying, it’s been a shitstrom and I am really tired and stressed..Basically just a bunch of crazy stuff with a bunch of people that has been piling on. That and I’m pretty much just sick and tired of people and drama and grown ass adult people acting like fuck faces and doing all the shit that I just don’t want to have to deal with let alone think about. Gosh that sounds intense right? But life and I am dealing with it so whatever. On s smaller scale of life woes, that fridge keeps freezing up again so we had to completely take it apart, clean out the 50 years of shit that has built up inside, and put it back together again. Hopefully we fixed it this time for real. Can’t deal with having to get a new fridge right now, that will tip me over the edge! AAAAHHHHH!!! At least I got to a hang out with littles all this week, littles that can be shitheads in every way but are still the coolest people I know. We had sleep overs, pancakes breakfasts, lots of walks, bean bag fun, camp out planning, and basically just hung out. I have woke up twice this week and stepped on a dinosaur, well once it was a cow, but yeah. They keep it real and keep me insane in the sanest way possible. Even when they trash my house and get boogers and peanut butter all over the couch.

Today. Hopefully not a crazy day. I need a new watering can, one with holes for gentle watering, so bad. My outside hose situation is not working at the moment and my old metal can split in half during the winter. So today I guess I am going to go to the gardening store and get one. It is weird to even think about, that I can go into a store now and I am not actually that sure I really want to. I might just order it online and do curb side pickup, although I kind of want to look at rakes (broke that handle of that too) and some new shears… Blah, I am not looking forward to it, but I Am looking forward to planting more shit in the garden today. Also hoping for a bike ride at some point, probably over to the littles house to make them lunch and get all the tude I can handle! A day, what a day.

Internet to browse while browsing the internet.

-This is what happens to your boobs when you stop wearing a bra. It’s been 2 months to the day since I have even considered putting one on. For real. HA!

-Moring routine when littles sleep over is breakfast with this podcast. It’s for kids I guess but heck if I don’t learn something every single episode.

-Going to dye some fabric like this this week

-The best way is to store herbs in your belly.. But if that isn’t the first option. We Tried 5 Methods for Storing Fresh Herbs and Found a Clear Winner. And onions as well. The Right Way to Store Onions

-How Not to Make a Huge Mess in the Kitchen. Oh shit does a messy kitchen drive me batshit crazy. I can’t eat until the mess is cleaned up!

-I am not a shoe person by any means. I got a pair of snow boots, hiking boots, chaco sandals, and running shoes. But IF I was to get another pair of shoes that I didn’t NEED, I would get these bad ass rainbow running shoes. Maybe in a few months when I put another 300 miles on my current runners.

-Kabocha Squash Flour Is My New Go-To for Gluten-Free Baking. Screw baking with it, I would just eat it straight, like a gangsta. To bad it is expensive as shit.

-Why Birds Do What They Do. Because they are better.

-Perfect sleep is when I take up and am not tired…So not often. No one knows what a perfect night’s sleep actually looks like

-Why Humans Totally Freak Out When They Get Lost. But I never get lost so I am good.

Pictures from the week.