Sunny Sunday morning

It's sunny so early, and the birds are noisy if the windows are open, which they have been for the last couple nights. It's hard to sleep in, not that I am much good at that anyway! It feels like summer, the kind of summer day when I was a kid and you woke up and had a beautiful day ahead of you, to just get up and wander outside, where we had a lawn that was mowed. 

It's quiet here this morning. Tamara is not often up this early, especially on a Sunday, but it feels different, having her away for the night. She passed her driving test this week and asked to drive to Newton to attend a Rainbow event and stay with her friend JennAnn. It's nice for everybody, although I do miss the energy she has brought. 

Ray and I watched Notting Hill last night, an old movie with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts that I thought I had seen, but maybe hadn't. It's quite hokey, and I find that really romantic movies sometimes make me sad. I think about my (life-long) relationship and it doesn't quite measure up. Of course, that's because movies are fiction. I feel like my husband doesn't love me that much, or, for that matter, I don't love him that much. It feels a little bit like I've settled for a "good-enough" relationship. But, honestly, many people don't have even that. And maybe it's partly because of movies and books that make you believe in a kind of "true love" that doesn't really exist--or perhaps only rarely. There are some historical examples of people who gave up everything--or their lives--to be with someone else. But maybe that's not the whole story either. 

We went to Molli's yesterday morning and had coffeecake she had just made with D. It was tasty. Then the five of us drove to Saugus Iron Works, a national historic site. It was not open, whether due to COVID or a seasonal schedule. But the grounds were open. It is quite interesting, in the middle of a residential neighborhood, but it used to be in the middle of nowhere. In the 1600s, it was built on a waterway that led to Boston. Now it's silted up and boats could not come. It was sort of a precursor to the Industrial Revolution, "mass producing" nails and pots and other things that had been made by individual blacksmiths one at a time. There is a building that remains from that time and waterwheels. D could run around, Ray could read signs and we all had a lovely time. We'll come back some time when it's open and we can go in the buildings and there will be interpreters. It reminded me of places I went with my parents as a kid, like Louisbourg, and places we took our kids too. Ah, tradition! So glad there are historic places preserved. As a side note, at least one of our ancestors worked there, an indentured servant/prisoner of war Scotsman captured and sent here (instead of them having to feed him in jail or kill him). 

Just right

I have been neither too hot nor too cold the last few days. It is lovely to realize that I have not been thinking about my body's discomfort. My back has not been hurting, nor my feet. Things we can take for granted. I know I am lucky in many ways. The question becomes: what should I do with that great gift, the gift of comfort, wealth, health? It is then that I know I should write...let someone else do the dishes, plan the meals...

Sunny and warm!

This is an unusual afternoon post. Many things have been happening. I will be performing Friday night with the rest of the cast of Ladies Day. I think this is probably the end of a long, somewhat odd run for a historical presentation of speeches and songs from the time when the fate of Votes for Women depended on the Tennessee legislature. I have learned a ton about the movement for suffrage, and that there was widespread opposition to it...from women! "Ultimately, politics will destroy woman as we know her and love her...Women who reject their assigned separate sphere must be something less than complete women," are just two of the fascinating quotes from the show. Songs include, "It's Up to a Man.." and "Alcoholic Blues." I also continue to learn about myself and what I can do if I push a little out of my comfort zone. 

Tamara went to Greenfield, a couple hours away, to take her driver's test again. Ray drove her, and she drove back. This will make our lives much easier. It's fairly complicated to coordinate between my schedule, Ray's, and Tamara's. Ray is going to stop working at HRB for a while after tomorrow. He will be teaching an online class for the University of Georgia one more time this summer, and then he'll go back to Block. Tamara had two days of training for her job renting paddleboards and kayaks with Coast to Coast. Aaron is one of the nicest people I know, so she enjoyed it very much--getting paid to be outside and get wet! 

The biggest news is that Daniela was offered a job at GUS, Tamara's other job. Now she needs to get a visa very soon so she can come here for the summer. Our household is growing, and we are delighted. She is a lovely girl and a dear friend of Tamara's, so they will have a lot of fun together--and hopefully be somewhat helpful for us. Stay tuned! 

Meanwhile, I continue to have two part-time jobs that are quite different from each other. One is very nearby and I walked home today, about 45 minutes, over the bridge. Not bad on a sunny but not too hot day, when I did not need to hurry and was wearing sneakers and a hat. The other is a 45-minute drive, but it is a very pretty drive. I only go on Fridays at the moment, but will probably have to go twice a week before too long. My boss has hinted at it and will be fully vaccinated before long. I rather like my quiet Fridays and working from home on Tuesdays, but he thinks we work better together. We'll see. My social work license lapsed, after I worked so hard to get it. But I haven't done the classes I needed to renew it, plus it is not cheap. I only need it for the Newburyport job and at the moment, I have little contact with clients, so I am okay with it, although they like to say they have licensed social workers on staff. I'm not beating myself up about it...it's been a crazy time and I'm not that clear on my future at the moment. 

Happy Mothers' Day!

 I had a lovely day with my daughter who lives 20 minutes away and other family members. I was a little cross at the start, because everyone slept in and I ate my pancakes and bacon alone. It was a beautiful morning, though. By the time church and coffee hour were done (early, maybe 'cause people wanted to get to Mother's Day activities), I was getting annoyed again. No sign of Molli and no word from her. I ate leftovers. Tamara was up, though, and vacuumed the house. Unfortunately, the vacuum cleaner seems to have died in the middle...Ray couldn't fix it. Maybe the motor burned out. 

Molli came and Michael joined us later. My Dad was feeling very good, enough to be annoying. Molli and I worked several hours and finished the puzzle, with Tamara joining in at the end. She also worked in the backyard some. As we clear old leaves and debris, the small space seems much larger. We played Yacht Race (Ray napped most of the afternoon) and had a roast beef dinner before they left. Michael had to go before the game was over, but he won with Molli playing for him. I was almost second, except for some Sailor's Luck. 

Saturday I spent most of the day on church finances. With the annual meeting coming out, reports need to be prepared and the budget for next year. 

Friday

 Friday, TGIF. I remember when Friday was the end of the work week, a sigh of relief. I like Fridays now because I go to Newburyport. But I'm torn. Even though I only work 6 hours, I spend two more hours driving to and from. And Fridays, especially Friday afternoons, tend to have worse traffic. Friday is a good day because it is when I see my family. Every week at 7:15, my sisters and daughters and I meet on Zoom. It is good to look forward to and marks that end-of-the-week-celebration feeling. As my life is getting busier, though, it is one more thing on the calendar...There is a Market Basket grocery store on my way home from Newburyport. It seems efficient to stop there, even though it means I get home even later on Fridays. Last Friday, I missed that window because I wanted to be with Molli as she looked over a venue for her wedding reception in August (which we will pay for). If I don't get going early enough, the traffic in the morning heading up to Newburyport makes me late, so then I need to stay later...a vicious circle? Now I have been without brown sugar for a whole week and other things are joining the list. I am out of yogurt, plain and sweetened! And last night, I used up the last of the whipped cream in a can and Ray and Tamara finished the ice cream. I must stop at the store today! 

On the other hand, I am in this play. I like this play, I am proud of the people involved for staying with it during the pandemic year. We have been rehearsing on Zoom Wednesday nights. Last week I had a budget meeting for the Church on Wednesday that I couldn't miss. I made my excuses in advance. Apparently, they decided to have a live outdoor rehearsal on Sunday and no one told me. Rats! I am so torn. I really need the non-virtual practice and review of the music and blocking. On the other hand, my Sundays are pretty full. They would rehearse again this Sunday, but it's Mothers' Day. So we are rehearsing at 5:30 on Friday. Yup, tonight. After my day of work and driving, after going to the grocery store, before my special Zoom date...AND today is an important day for Tamara. It marks 6 years since she first came here. 14 years old, with her mother gone a year and a half, after being neglected by her brother who was supposedly caring for her. She didn't really know what was going on, but he left her with Molli and went back to Mexico. She started school (it was the end of the year obviously) and began learning more English--the hard way or the easy way, depending on how you look at it. She is a tough cookie and a survivor and has grown so much--obviously the hard way. I wanted to have a special dinner/celebration for her, but we will settle for ordering pizza, which is kind of a big deal for us now. 

So, Friday is not as much of a treat for me, because I have several obligations hanging over me. I need to go to the church office for several hours tomorrow morning and clear up some bookkeeping issues and prepare for the annual meeting. There are things I need to do for Amelia's business as well. I have a Zoom meeting at 5 (?) with my friends from Georgia. Tamara needs to go to Rhode Island to get the rest of her possessions--a mini-fridge, some boxes of linens...

I routinely get stressed about the state of my house. There are boxes that need to be dealt with, there are books and clutter to put somewhere. This time of year, there is yard work to do. I managed to spend about an hour yesterday afternoon, pulling grass from the beds in front of my house. It is a hopeless task. I haven't gotten all the roots yet in the years I have worked on it. It was sunny with a cool breeze yesterday, but I think Saturday will be colder again. I am tired of not having weather warm enough to be outside. I have not even walked to the beach in months. Although I very much like having Tamara here (she is good company, usually cheery, and sometimes helpful: she washed the dog yesterday!), there is always someone around--her, my Dad, my husband...perhaps I am more introverted than I used to be. I look forward to Sunday, when Ray drives to the Cape to be with his family. His mother sleeps most of the time now, but he hopes to catch her awake at some point. It may be the last time. I want to make a photo book for her, but haven't done it yet. It will be an exhausting day for him, but maybe rejuvenating for me. 

Cold and Rainy Spring

 Ah, Spring! sunny days...? nope. Rain and more rain and cold temperatures are keeping us indoors. The last two days we've sat in front of the fire in the afternoons, working on the puzzle, which I am determined to finish soon. Tamara and Dad play gin rummy, but he usually wins, to the point that it's less fun. He wants to win, but not because she isn't good at it! 

I worked about 6 hours in Salem, and ended my day bringing checks to Annie, the director, to sign, which I do about twice a month, depending on the urgency. Home by 3, I made a cake, Sour Cream Raisin Pound Cake, which was tasty. Ray did the dishes and helped with supper. 

Part Zombie today

 Hi, I'm fine. I just stayed up late last night (for me), and didn't sleep much the night before. I slept hard last night and woke up kind of in a fog. 

We had our first softball game last night. We lost, but it was fun. We scored lots of runs. I would say our defense was more the problem, except I guess you don't say that in softball. Anyway, I didn't play. I was the "manager," keeping track of the batting order. I was kind of keeping track of the runs, too, but didn't do that perfectly. At one point, I think we were behind 10-13, but after that it may have gotten worse. I think their good hitters were in a clump and our good hitters were in a clump and we zigzagged. Some of our team members have not played in many years and none have played much in a couple years (pandemic). It was cold and dark with a light steady rain. People who were running were not cold. Molli and Michael played well. Tamara came and watched, all bundled up with blankets and jackets. She drove me home and we left Ray to find a ride. Then Molli called--turns out Tamara had Michael's phone and wallet and keys... so we didn't get to bed until almost 11 and I slept until 6:30. 

Grumpy Sunday morning

Maybe I overdid yesterday. Maybe I need breakfast--if someone else would get up, we could cook the pancakes I've mixed up. It's 7:30 and pretty soon I'll cook pancakes for myself! 

After a morning of computer bookkeeping challenges, I drove to Lynn at 2 to participate in a caravan rally/protest. As usual with these events, we didn't actually pull out until after 3:30. So, standing around in a parking lot, waving banners, taping signs to cars, keeping my distance. One nice young man introduced himself as Neil and stuck his hand out to shake. I said, "we don't do that now," and felt very antisocial. We were outside, wearing masks and fully vaccinated, but still...I offered my elbow and we bumped.

I was there, in part, because Tamara had committed to giving out flyers about vaccinations. I left a small pile in the Market Basket and gave a few to people. Most had received vaccines and some said no thank you, like it was a choice they had made...

The caravan drove slowly from Market Basket up a long street heading north (Western Avenue, which, amusingly, intersects with Eastern near Molli's house). We were supposed to go a steady 10 MPH. The police had blocked every intersection, but people managed to get in line ahead of me, and they don't know they're not supposed to stop at the lights. After we turned on Eastern, we were stopped at a light and then at the next intersection, the policeman was telling us to come ahead, but i could see the caravan had turned right. I just went home. 

I had somewhere else to go at 5, so I thought I might as well get back. Ray and I got our sneakers on and headed to the park to practice softball with our friends from church. It was good to be outside with people we hadn't seen in over a year. No softball season last year. I designated myself catcher. It's still a lot of exercise for me, but doesn't require as much running (or skill). I don't have to do anything if the pitcher does a good job and the batter hits the ball. I am definitely not going to be able to catch any popups or forced outs at home, but the pitcher will cover for me if he can. I still have to hit the ball and run to first base, unless they can get me a designated runner. 

Then we got Thai takeout. So after talking about it, I feel less grumpy. Also T just got up and is walking both dogs, while I start the pancakes. So yay!