Our dog joins us on the bed for some morning snuggles. I give her some love and check the time knowing that I want to be productive today after not being productive the last couple of?days. It’s 6:15 and I get up. I turn on the tea kettle for hot water, begin washing laundry, and turn on a YouTube winter jazz music station. I have been listening to WLBC for days and need something else. I get the?three canvas paintings that have been drying and hang them in the?kitchen. My daughter paints over them when we are ready for?a change and?finished?them up Friday the?1st. She went back home Saturday. Next task is to write a quick letter to the same daughter to send the Christmas picture of the family and dogs, I forgot to give to her. It takes a little longer as I use an ink and pen set for the letter which takes some practice to make the letter legible. Not sure how the pens dipped in ink were used in the past but I am betting the pens were better than the two I have.?
We opt for a simple breakfast and hot lemon water. Neither of us wants to cook and my smoothie blender is broken and has not been replaced. I briefly microwave?some frozen blueberries. And, I add some milk to leftover rice on the stove and turn it on for rice cereal with honey. My phone begins blowing up with texts at about 6:45. My mother is having a heart Cath procedure at 8:00. Mom calls me about 9:30 which leads to numerous calls and texts throughout the day. Machine problems led to the decision to transfer her to another hospital. Covid-19 challenges are enough to know you don’t want to need a hospital right now – bed shortages, and can’t be there to get clarity and to help make decisions. I had planned to call my Mom’s siblings, however, delay that until after we hear more.??
I mention to T. my thoughts on setting some plans for our 2021. We always have plans in motion but some things are not as clear like the trip to Berlin that has been delayed. I just want to make sure we are living while waiting to live bigger. The second topic was the stress of visiting his parents over Christmas. We always visit and ski and we took major precautions but I still felt like we were risking their lives and struggled to be comfortable. I counted days until I knew they were safe. They are aging and nothing is guaranteed, they were so excited for us to visit, and his mom has some dementia. People don’t stop aging while we wait for vaccines. I can’t do that again. Vaccines necessary for the next visit and fortunately, the aged are able to get them soon.
?
I begin a list of groceries via text for T., he’s going to the store. We have been out of town and have not shopped since returning.?
I write three letters to recently married niece and nephews to go along with a book that provides in very simple terms the importance of saving for retirement, how to do it, the?value of saving early, and to put great thought and effort into how you spend your money. This is about financial freedom, learning money skills, and passing on the info to children, friends, etc. I added post-it tags to the charts and thought-provoking pages hoping to make sure they review those pages. I have given the same book to several others with some great responses. Who would have thought that saving and investing $2,000 a year from 18 to 25 would over time be higher valued than saving $2,000 a year beginning at age 26 until you retire? I use my wax sealer tools on the letters for the 1st time ever. A little boost to start the year. I love doing things for the 1st time and things I rarely do. :)?
I am now struggling to find something to play that will give me the motivation to finish laundry and put up Christmas decorations. I search on YouTube for several music options and finally choose snowboarding videos with music. Not nearly as upbeat as I wanted but it works for a bit as I get stuff done. This is a nap day and I begin to settle down and take a nap. I have felt the pressure of work building since Saturday afternoon. Mentally, it is draining my energy and I am having to put extra effort into feeling good.?
I wake to a quiet room and a cat on me, also napping. My husband walks in shortly after and we both decide we are done for the day and we turn on?”Bridgerton,” a series on Netflix that we enjoyed yesterday. This sparks some fun.?T. and I enjoy some bantering with our newly formed accents and enjoy the era’s language choices.?The?relationships and interactions are enjoyable to watch and Bridgerton parties during the roaring 20s to come are something to look forward to. Ha! Yes, I do search for clothes of the era to see what I can find. And, the clothes exist. The long tail jackets and pants, and dresses are available. Look at that. I still want to shop for them in person and touch them prior to buying. Silly stuff but we would enjoy this costumed event. Reminds me of a fundraiser we attended a couple of years ago, bourbon and all. The really cool thing about the show is its diversity. Our world could certainly use the help showing people it’s normal to have people of all varieties sharing and enjoying life together. I am sure the critics have something to say about it but the diverse cast works great. I am ready for the next season.
?T. makes a great salad and cooks steaks for dinner. I am not a big steak eater but this has great flavor and I am enjoying the meal which is nice given we are both tired of eating most of our meals at home. It’s a T-bone and I am eating the most tender piece. We had a cow butchered, a?great way to know what you are eating, and split the meat with the family. We eat while watching Bridgerton which is not normal. Our meals are normally enjoyed sitting next to each other at the bar in the kitchen. We finish the series and head to bed to get a good night’s rest prior to starting the workweek. It’s maybe 9:00 or so.?