Happiness is a Good Weather Report

~ Jenny

It’s going to be in the fifties and even the sixties for a couple of days this week. So the chances of another three feet of snow with blowing and drifting and power outages in March are slim. I’m so happy. I told Bob it was like crawling out of a hole. (He said, “We’re doomed.”) Combine that with the new shower curtain and the tomato hack, and it’s been a damn good week.

What made your week damn good?

84 thoughts on “Happiness is a Good Weather Report”

    2. For out of season tomatoes: Slice cherry tomatoes in half, put on baking sheet, sprinkle on olive oil and red wine vinegar, bake in 400 degree oven for twenty minutes. Jammy tomatoes for naan pizzas or pasta or BLTs. (REALLY good on BLTs.) I think I’ll try putting shallots and mushrooms with them next time to see if that works. Also going to try regular tomatoes since the supermarket ones are looking pretty pale.

        1. Thr late wife and I tried fried green tomatoes. They were delicious. I don’t think I’ve seen a green tomato in a supermarket since she passed. That was in ’97. Likely I’m just unobservant.

  3. I took initiative to get something done. And I did it.

    I slept or lay abed and read novels all day yesterday. And every time my mind said that I had things to do, I told it to hush, I’m rebooting.

    Today I was able to vacuum inside the car and tidy it up. Wipe down surfaces and interior windows.

    I went fabric shopping and I didn’t go overboard at all! My old necessary items are perishing and can’t be darned. I bought exactly what I needed and I’m SO proud of that.

    2. You were ABLE to buy exactly what you needed? I spend months of enraged searching to find something that will sort of do.

  4. I had a break week from school so finished a number of assignments due this coming week and started on some others. I also took care of financial paperwork that had been sitting on my desk for several weeks. And DH and I finally signed our wills, which means we each have one. Small tasks but less mental clutter.

    I got my hair cut. Salons just opened up again after being closed since Christmas. At the start of the pandemic, my hair was very short and red. A year later, it’s primarily grey and long enough to pull into a high pony tail. I had been colouring my hair for 30+ years so going “natural” has been an interesting process.

    A number of years ago, I inherited a plant from a colleague that looked like a pile of sticks stuck together. Turns out it’s a Dancing Bones cactus and it produced a tiny yellow flower this week. It resembled a dandelion and only lived for a couple of days. Since I had no idea it flowered, I was thrilled. The Philodendron Prince of Orange that I ordered last week arrived – the leaves are truly orange.

    1. I had to look up Dancing Bones cactus. I have a Mistletoe cactus that also flowers with little yellow blooms.

  5. My happy updates: Fatso the robin keeps singing to me and hopping down to scarf down carefully curated & chopped berries. Pudgy (our fave squirrel) now keeps nibbling the post-Xmas-sale almond we left out for her while she waits to glom onto the (post-Xmas-sale) walnut we toss for her, then grabs it just before a rival gets there and dashes away up a tree trunk with it, in triumph.

    My friends suggest that there may be a pattern in our favored-creature-naming, but personally I don’t see it.

    1. We have some bursts of crocuses in bloom as well as the snowdrops. Lots of other bulbs leafing out.

      We celebrated DHs 60th. He’s a very social extrovert and with the pandemic anniversary coming up I knew he was going be be sad at it being just two of us but I got over 50 people to put notes and videos and pictures on a kudo board and it really helped.

      Also two sets of friends dropped by that night with presents. Mostly good although the cake topper that is still playing happy birthday 4 days later, not so much.

      Today we are zooming with the kids and playing Geogessr.com where you get “dropped” somewhere in the world and try to figure out where. I can’t imagine why it has taken us a year given DHs passion for and extensive travel.

      The Senate passed the American Rescue plan and while some of the tweaks they made were bad others were good. This is really going to help end the pandemic, prevent evictions, reduce hunger, and for a year cut child poverty in half. All in all it makes me dance.

      Anticipatory happiness: next Sunday is Pi Day.

      1. Have you and your DH tried the Randonautica app? I haven’t but it sounds fun, as long as you’re smart about it.

  6. Late this week I realized I had so much paper clutter around my desk, it was keeping me from getting to the point with anything. So I made a list of the paper piles and assigned them each a day, although Medicare choices and 2020 taxes will take longer than that. Good to have a plan. Who knew?
    We’ve got some really excellent frozen mud up here, and since this week we may hit the 50’s we’ll have some super duper wet mud. Thus is Spring in New England. Cedar waxwings and Canada geese have shown up, and birds are singing here and there.

  7. Very productive weekend already – as of 10 minutes ago the quarterly board meeting is done and I am putting off the minutes until tomorrow so now planning to read and eat.

    Speaking of which had really lovely carry out and cake celebrating dear sister’s birthday. Planning to eat the left over dinner soon. Left over cake didn’t last until bedtime yesterday, predictably.

  8. The small grapefruit size lump on my stomach is not the harbinger of stomach cancer (why go with a minor worry if you can inflate it into a major one?) but merely an incisional hernia from the lymph removal that was done several years back. I see the surgeon this week to see about getting it repaired since it has reached the point of causing problems. Minor surgery along the lines of an appendectomy. So happy this is working well.

    I have started weeding the back yard. Last year I decided the bluebells had to go from my flower beds since they are taking over and except for a few weeks in spring, they are obnoxious. This may be the last year for removing them. The first year gets all the obvious plants, the second year gets the small ones that were missed and the seeds that are sprouting. I am leaving the ones that are on the hillside. They will be a gift to whoever lives here next (in five to ten years or so).

    My neighbor’s house went on the market yesterday. We like one another but are not close friends. I saw her children go from pre-school to adults with children of their own. I hope we do as well with the next one. We could use more children in the neighborhood.

    1. Our neighbor’s, behind us, house went on the market as well. Spring time. If she gets a quick sale she can thank us for taking down the tree that was in our yard in front of the bay. Now there is a gorgeous view from her porch. I was watching the people coming to see it and they spent a lot of time on the porch. The tree had to come down as it was in danger of collapsing onto our roof. All that was left was the G-kids swing in a puddle on the lawn. That part was sad. Good luck this week.

  10. I cleaned out part of the herb garden. The mint is already out and trying to take over the world. I can’t wait to see.what else will be returning.

    I have a book on scenic driving tours around my state. We took parents put for a nice drive to see a new part of the state and to vet out of the house for a while.

  11. The happy bits of this week have been mostly gardening: I spent Friday up a flimsy ladder with a crowbar and my dad’s old Black and Decker, and have succeeded in removing the rotting green-black trellis between the ground and first floors and replacing it with vine eyes and thick galvanized wire. I also drove in three stakes to support the honeysuckle by the gate and finished the planting. Now all that’s left is for all the new plants to grow.

    I’m happy about my plan for the rear corner of the garden: I’m excavating a hole for my container pond and have at last ordered the dwarf apricot I’ve been yearning for for years. Plus a Chilean guava. It’s going to be a Mediterranean corner. Just hope enough sun can get to everything.

  12. My Saturday was sunny, breezy, a little on the cool side in the shade/breeze and I used that flimsy excuse to stay inside and write 5000 words of an in-progress novella. Today it is grey, not breezy, but cooler and I am using the same excuse. Happy is reading five books in four days, watching two movies with the husband last night, and having another day off scheduled for midweek.

  13. On an unrelated note the hearts are not working for me. They are all grey; if I click one that I clicked before the heart turns red but the count goes down.

  14. I stayed up very late last night reading The Flatshare, because I am a grown-ass adult and can make my own choices! I kept thinking I should stop reading and go to sleep, but then I realized I just didn’t want to. Worth it!

    A friend and I just bought tickets to the Philadelphia flower show in June. It’s pretty amazing if you’ve never been. They are doing it outside, socially distanced, yada yada. I am giddy with excitement about having planned a trip. (It turns out being vaccinated makes you really eager for normal life. It seems so close!)

    1. I really liked Flatshare! It wasn’t cringy like some many Brit romances (Bridget Jones, at least for me).

  15. * I got my first vaccine. I have also been out four times in the last eight days (I am soooooo not leaving the house again for another two weeks now! This is a lot!).
    * I did a storytelling workshop and got a story out of it and performed it at a story slam a few days later.
    * I got Hamilton tickets, so we’ll see if that happens in September….
    * I talked to my neighbor outside for a few hours post-shot (he’s doubly vaccinated and tested a lot at his job so for once I wasn’t wigged out)
    * I finished the crush’s birthday present and dropped it off (even though sadly the place was busy and I only got to talk to him long enough to pass it off and leave, sigh). It is actually a secret message thing I came up with, so we’ll see if he figures it out or not.
    * I get to watch the Harry and Meghan hot goss tonight. Looking forward to that!

  16. The chimney guy came and took down the ruins of my chimney last night, a month after it was supposed to be done, but then weather made it impossible to climb on roofs, so it wasn’t his fault. And then we had another bit of cold, but tomorrow (and the rest of the week) is supposed to be nicer, so he should be back to rebuild it, and then, finally, the leaky roof can be replaced. All of which makes me happy and will make me happy in the future.

    Plus, I finished a first draft of a manuscript, with some peer pressure from a friend who’s also trying to get into a solid habit of daily writing, so we report to each other how much we’ve accomplished. No scolding, but just knowing I need to fess up if I goof off helps to keep me on track, and seeing that I wrote 30K words in 30 days makes me happy. (They’re crappy words, as my first drafts always are, but I can fix them.)

  17. Happies this week have largely revolved around some proper sunshine outside, early gardening (which I always enjoy so much more than the proper gardening in the summer that gets done because it has to be – at this stage it is much more like voluntary playing), and a truly luscious chocolate cake with fudgy icing.

    That last happened because today is my birthday. It’s been a weird day mentally, with definite high points, but also lows. I normally really enjoy my birthday, even though I’m still a bit taken aback that I’m a ‘proper’ adult (and have been for… a while. I don’t yet admit to ‘middle aged’. :-P) Pandemic birthdays ain’t for sissies.

    But fudgy chocolate cake. Always good.

    7. Happy birthday. Middle age is round about 50 since I know a people who are still going in their 90’s so you probably have a few years yet.

      1. Ah, thank you, that’s most kind – not there yet, so can continue as I am! 🙂

    8. Happy Birthday, Frances, whatever the number. I think adding another year is a great achievement in these somewhat difficult times.

    10. Happy birthday! Pandemic birthdays are tough. I turned 60 last April and I had actually been going to make a fuss for a change. Not so much. The good news is that the day after your birthday is just another day.

    11. Happy birthday – buon compleanno – alles Gute zum Geburtstag – bon anniversaire 🙂
      I hope you had a great day with lots of sunshine!

  18. My dad got his first shot yesterday (an excellent birthday present for me) and my mom can get an appointment on the 17th. The province has a store of the AstraZeneca vaccine for people aged 50-64 opening on March 10 for people born in 1957, March 11 and 1958 and so on. If they have any left by the time 1967 and 1970 roll around, Paul and I are getting them.

    I’ve been able to do some furniture painting and get my bench closer to being finished. It’s only been 3 years. 2021 really is the year of finishing projects.

    1. Nice! I’m not sure if they are doing that in Calgary, but I’m a ‘72 and hubby is ‘66, so will have to see.

    2. I didn’t know about this one – thank you for sharing 🙂

      And also, your blog name has to be one of the best I have ever come across!!!

  20. Just pleasantly content for once. The weather will be warmer in about 18 hours. Can’t wait.

  21. I decided to take the advice I shared Friday. As I compose this comment, I am baking seven or eight stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon. Given the limits of the electric power in the garage apartment (if I use the tiny toaster oven and the 600 watt microwave at the same time, I pop a breaker. Or any other of my appliances in pairs.) I will be sequentially preparing stuffed potatoes and broiled hamburger patties, plus mixed veggies. I believe I’ll use mashed potatoes to hold all the stuff in the stuffed potatoes, and any leftover cheese will top the beef. I wish I had a tomato at hand.

  22. I took a surprise opportunity to have a lesion removed from my lip. Had my hair trimmed. The podiatrist fixed my foot. A friend taught me to snowshoe. Two friends took us to dinner last night (1st indoor seats in a year). Another friend dropped by today to sit outside for a bit.

    My face looks horrible from the stitches and bruising of the lip surgery. But I’m damned pleased to have the procedure done. An excellent week.

    1. That reminds me — I need to take down the Christmas quilt hanging on my back door, or else resign myself to leaving it until after this December.

      1. I’ve had Christmas gnomes on my mantel for over a year. I feel no guilt; it’s been a bitch of a year and the gnomes aren’t suffering.

        1. All three of my Christmas Trees – the tallest being maybe 9 inches – are in plain view on my shelves… just not plugged in.

          “… and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!”

    2. March 1st I put away the Christmas bird house that rests on a pole that I had decorated years ago. I had attached another pole to it that had signs indicating directions for winter events. To further amuse myself I also wrapped greenery and tiny lights to it. Going further there are little elves going up the pole. After all that work why would I put it away early?

  24. It was fairly cold her today but the sun was out so I made myself go for a walk at a local park. It feels so good to get outside and have the sun shining for a change.

    Later this afternoon my siblings and I got together for a google chat. We’ve been doing this for several months now, since the beginning of the pandemic, on the first Sunday of each month. It’s a great way to stay in touch since some of us live too far away to get together in person.

    And Happy Birthday from me as well, Francis!

    1. Oops! I spelled your name wrong, I know it’s supposed to be Frances, but I hit enter too fast to correct it. Sorry!

  25. Happiness is getting the first Pfizer covid shot—and appointment for the second dose—with nothing worse than a sore arm. (I hear it’s the 2nd one that can flatten a person.) Also a walk with a friend that included snowdrops and aconite. Lunch out with another friend–food wasn’t great, but coffee and conversation were. Stratford Festival in Ontario is offering free content as a balm for not being open; I got to watch a 1988 performance of Taming of the Shrew (yes, I know) that I’d seen in person and never forgotten–1950s Italy, complete with Vespa and a Marilyn Monroe-like Bianca, plus Colm Feore as Petruchio. Be still my heart.

    3. Myself and two friends got the Pfizer at the same time. No reaction to the first shot. The second shot one guy had no side effects, I had a very sore shoulder for a couple of days, but no other side effects and the third got flattened for a day and half with every side effect except fever.

  26. Thanks to Office Wench Cherry, I know that my DH will be eligible for the vaccine on March 19! Also, our weather has warmed up and the snow is retreating. We are trying to sell our house and had a few viewings, no offers but positive remarks. Also, I bought a vintage Singer sewing machine and had fun cleaning it and experimenting with top hat cams to make different stitches. I started watching “Kim’s Convenience” on Netflix and it is great. I’m making the best of a year at home and looking forward to longer days and barbecue weather. Better times ahead.

  27. Finally getting a number of plants in the ground in the backyard along the fence line was my happy this weekend. Digging holes was made difficult by tons of old tree roots from who knows where, but once I brought out the reciprocating saw, it was smooth(er) sailing.

    Now enjoying the lavender and other blooming shrubs while waiting for the climbing roses to start growing and climbing.

    Next up: trimming the lemon tree and making lemonade.

  28. Transcribed Right Booth’s deposition, and learned a little more; my cousin was really amused at his denial that he knew anything about a will — he can barely read and someone has to explain what a document is. He also points out that Sarah left out the information that her mother had a fifth child who was NOT recognized by James Ferguson — though if he wasn’t James’ child, I see no reason why James should have. Hardly sinister. Without wishing to side with Right Booth, I can sympathize with the view that struggling through this lot of handwritten documents is a challenge to even the literate person!

    Haircut this week, too — it doesn’t feel as if I have a strand on my head longer than one inch, but I just let Gregg worry about that. He also did my brother, who now looks much less like Baa-rack the sheep than he did!

    From Right Booth:

    That it is true as is alleged in complainant’s bill that JAMES FERGUSON died in January 1859 possessed of the real and personal estate mentioned in said bill and . . . that this respondent has been renting said real estate acting for himself and . . . that this respondent is the nephew of said JAMES FERGUSON and that complainants are the children and descendants of POLLY GUILLIAMS and for new matter the respondent says that said POLLY GUILLIAMS has another child living to wit ROBERT GUILLIAMS who respondent believes does not claim to be the son of JAMES FERGUSON. [Clearly likely to be of further help in identifying Polly!]

    Respondent further answering says that he knows nothing of JAMES FERGUSON having executed the last will and testament mentioned in complainants’ bill and demands and calls for strict proof thereof . . . .

    In regard to respondent conduct concerning the trunk of said JAMES FERGUSON at time of his death these are the facts. Upon the day of Mr. FERGUSON death one of the complainants to wit FERDINAND HUFF who then lived at the house of Mr. FERGUSON went into the neighborhood and bought a keg of whisky to the house and put it in an old trunk which had no key in the room in which JAMES FERGUSON’s body was laid. On the following day there was some ladies present in the room with the corpse one of whom was sitting upon the trunk and persons about the house who had been digging the grave wanted some of the whisky and at the instance of FERDINAND HUFF and others respondent went into the room and got the trunk took it in an adjoining room and opened it in the presence of FERDINAND HUFF one ABNER LESTER and others and took the whisky out. In this trunk there were no papers not anything else but the keg of whisky.

    . . . Respondent verily believes that JAMES FERGUSON died intestate and that complainants are setting up a claim which in law they are not entitled to and in order to succeed in establishing this claim they are using the most herculean and powerful efforts by all manner of means to ruin the character of this respondent and make it appear that he is guilty of a most atrocious crime without the slightest cause or foundation for such a charge and proceeding. And now having fully answered respondent begs leave to be dismissed hence with its costs.

    Respondent is but poorly educated and can scarcely read writing and it takes him some time to find out what a paper is and unless it is plainly written cannot make it out at all.

  29. I just registered on the county website for covid shots and found out that I am in group 1B+. They are on group 1B now so I have no idea how long it will take me to get an appointment, but at least I have started the process. I am hoping that it will not be that difficult because I am a confirmed Luddite and would hate to miss my chance because I am such a technophobe. There was a kid on the news tonight who was helping people get appointments, but I missed the link for how to contact him, so I’ll just have to hope the county website will work . But tomorrow is my birthday, so I am hoping that that will bring me a little extra luck.

    I will have to fit in a bakery run tomorrow. My sister and I usually bake for each other and celebrate together, but that is off this year. I never made one for her birthday in December and have not talked to her for a few days, so I am on my own . I hope Bennison’s has a good selection, because if I decide to bake a whole cake for myself, I will never be able to close my jeans again.

      1. Thank You!

        I bought a lovely slice of Opera Torte and a roast beef sandwich on a fresh baguette. When combined with the fresh asparagus I have been hoarding in the fridge, it will make a lovely dinner.

        And I ALWAYS eat the cake!!

        1. Many happy returns! You share the day with Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. and Kenneth Grahame . . . .

    4. Happy birthday, aunt smack. It’s early afternoon in CET, so you might be already celebrating your b’day.
      Have lots of fun, sunshine and the best day ever 🙂

  30. I had such a good time reading all your comments I almost decided not to comment myself. But, I’m so excited. We had our grandsons for an overnight for the first time in a year. Boy, I’ve missed those little guys. Seeing their little faces made me over-the-moon happy.

  31. I’m going to hit the road & go to OCNJ for a walk on the boardwalk & watch the waves & smell the sunshine 😎

  32. I am mostly feeling Very Crappy, because People Are Pissing Me Off.

    But I am happy that we too are supposed to get warm weather for a few days in the middle of this week, and we’ll be able to repair the mangled paint job on my shop (don’t even ask–see People Are Pissing Me Off, above).

    And I have made some inroads into the first draft of the 3rd cozy mystery, which is due April 1st. Finally hit 50K (out of 80K, more or less), which is usually the point where I think, “Oh dear god, there is a good chance I will actually finish this book.” So there’s that.

    Also, cats. Cats good. And Murderbot, also good. Thank you for that, Argh people.

    1. Cozy #1 is sitting on my desk, I finished it yesterday while waiting to get an x-ray of my knee, and I thought it was fantastic. I can’t wait for the second one. Yes, my copy is an actual book not an audiobook (who knew I still knew how to read and not just listen).

  33. I’m happy because my cat Harry is doing amazingly well. A week ago he was falling over every time he tried to walk. But he has figured out strategies for staying upright, and learnt what he can and can’t do, and is almost back to normal – except for his tendency to walk sideways, and the fact that he now has his own step for getting up onto the sofa.

    He’s not getting better, exactly, because that’s not going to happen. But he’s happy, and so am I, and I am amazed all over again at how we can adapt to pretty much anything.

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