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Happiness is a Great Blanket

I’ve been curled up at home, working on the last of The Honey Pot Plot under a blanket I impulsed a while ago. Generally speaking, I buy cheap blankets and layer them because I have a cat and I spill a lot, so I’m hell on bedclothes, but I saw this blanket on Anthropologie, and they were having a get 50% off the sale price on it, and it was the middle of the night when my buying resistance is low, so I went for it. I love this freaking blanket. It’s fake fur, just fake fur, nothing special except it’s so scrunchy and soft and thick. And acrylic, I think, which is actually good because as I said, I’m hell on blankets. It’s cold here (I know, it’s cold everywhere), and this blanket makes me happy every time I look at, let alone every time I crawl under it.

Money can’t buy happiness until it does.

What made you happy this week?

142 Responses

  1. From my experience, money can take a lot of pressure off me while I’m pursuing happiness.

    Yet, it’s amazing how much thought has to be put into making money produce happiness. You’d think it’d be easy.

  2. I want a picture of that blanket.

    Happiness is being warm. We’re supposed to be hit by arctic temps this week, starting tonight, with three days of single digits during the day, and negatives as low or lower than -12 at night. NO THANK YOU. I will be happy when it warms up again. My boiler struggles to keep up when it is that cold, and the fibro hates it.

    Is it spring yet?

    I’m doing three podcasts this week, guesting with cool hostesses and talking about the new Llewellyn Year and a Day book. It makes me happy to have people be enthusiastic about my work.

    In the meanwhile, still doing lots of adulting, like taxes and trying to find new car and homeowners insurance because the company I’ve been using for over 20 years has decided to leave NY State, and writing up my will and healthcare proxy and such. I’ll be happy when I’m done and can get back to actual writing.

    In the meanwhile, happiness is a warm cat. Or five.

        1. I went to the Anthropologie web site, and there are multiple gorgeous furry blankets. They also have some extreme fashion. There were long, flowing pants that would trip me after one step. I also do not see the appeal of those barrel pants. My go-to catalog also has them, and they are premier ugly!!!!

  3. My happy came with my nephew coming over to mount a TV on my bedroom wall. After quite the battle, my mother passed away on Dec 21. She was 91 and healthy as a horse until we found that damn cancer. She fought that too because she said she never gave up on anything in her life.

    So I’m adjusting to a new normal and that includes moving into the master bedroom, ripping up carpet (because there is beautiful hardwoods underneath), and this weekend mounting a TV.

    We will have temps under freezing for the next 3 days… so I’m dripping water through all the faucets with hopes that it will prevent freezing pipes! While I don’t mind the cold, I’ll be ready for temps to get above freezing so I don’t have to waste water.

    And also blankets. 😀

      1. So sorry for the loss of your mom, Cathy. So hard.

        And for the loss of your husband, Mary. Especially tough at the holidays.

        Big hugs to you both.

    2. I’m so sorry for your loss. Makes the holidays quite a challenge, I lost my husband shortly before Thanksgiving after a long battle with CHF.

    3. I’m so sorry for your loss, Cathy. May her memory be a blessing.

      I’m battling the same cold temps. Last time I forgot to leave the taps dripping and the pipes froze. It can also help to leave the cabinet doors open to let the warmer room air in.

    5. May her memory be grace in your life.
      I ask my deceased mother for help constantly and I feel she provides it.

    6. I am so sorry for your loss.

      If your temperatures are in the teens and twenties (F) you do not have to drip the water. It is only when you get intothe single digits and below zero that it really becomes a problem. Otherwise, those of us in the Upper Midwest wouldn’t be able to turn off our water all winter.

      1. Well that’s good to know. Although it will be single digits for a couple of days. Here in middle Tennessee, we don’t get these temps too often.

      2. Cathy and Mary, I am sending out loving vibes to as you deal with the losses of your mother and your husband.

        I teared up today when I saw my granddaughter crawl for the first time (on Skype — lives in a different part of the world). I was thinking of my mom who would have been so happy to know that my son/ her grandson grew up to have a gorgeous baby girl.

    12. Deepest condolences, Cathy. I’m glad your mom went on her own terms, but even so, it’s still hard for you. Go you for finding your happiness moving forward.

    15. Hugs Cathy. Very hard to say goodbye but gosh she sounds like she was a very determined lady. And how wonderful to get to 91 without major health issues. Take care.

    17. Very sorry for the losses of Cathy and Mary. Cathy, I lost each of my parents (years apart) within a week before Christmas. I still miss them, but the specific association with the holidays faded over time, so things generally get better in this situation.

  4. Anthropologie is great. I haven’t bought anything directly from them yet, but I always gravitate towards their brands at thrift stores.

    I also have a very good blanket. It’s a camping blanket from Rumpl that my husband bought me. It’s extremely warm, rusty red on one side and dark blue with white polkadots on the other. I call it the whale shark.

    My happy for today was going to be lunar new year plans, but that is a bit up in the air at the moment because the weather can’t make up it’s mind. We will see.

    So at the moment, I am happy that I don’t have to go to work tomorrow, and that with TikTok taken down and my signing out of Instagram and Facebook for a week of protest against the new policies, I am essentially without social media for the first time in years. I was on a strict schedule for posting, trying to drive traffic to my shops and it feels weird but good to be without.

    1. Good for you , Lupe! Whatever the reason for getting off media, I’m sure it will help your mood and health.

    2. If you can’t stand the lack of social media, check out Bluesky! It’s a lovely place! And those who use it at least partly for commercial reasons (authors and other creatives mostly) have reported they get far more engagement there than they ever did on Twitter or FB. There are active communities there (I’m on #Quiltsky), which can jumpstart rebuilding your communities. A lot of creatives have come over from IG recently.

        1. Neither have I, but the people I follow keep me quite busy reading their posts.

        3. You can put hashtags or words into the search bar, or else go into feeds and scroll down to the option to search for a subject, and type something and if there’s a feed, it’ll pop up and you can click it to add it to your header.

        1. I’ve opened an account on bluesky – I’ve never been on Twitter (definitely never will be on X), so I’m completely clueless how to navigate there, but I will find out eventually.

          However, I’m quite satisfied that the hockey teams I cheer for have at least already an account and some – like the Oilers – also post.
          Plus all the PWHL teams are on there, too, so yay.

        2. My engagement is getting better. Using hashtags helps. I also try to comment on a post or two a day, to try to foster connections. I also went into the profiles of people I follow and followed who they were following to try to find more like minded people.

    3. When I bought my computer I was advised by someone who knows me well that social media would drive me nuts. Although I miss out on a lot of communication, I also miss a lot of unpleasantness. And I feel better that I am not supporting arrogant vermin like Elon Musk. And Mark Zuckerberg makes me ashamed to say I’m Jewish. I hope that you find other ways to support your etsy shop.

    4. Alas, the evil Cheeto has pledged to save TikTok tomorrow and the ban is lifted. While I am happy for the creators who rely on it for income, I am annoyed that he will be heralded as a savior.

      1. Me, too! Have you noticed that the only person who has skin that looks less healthy than Trump is RFK Jr., who evil Cheeto has nominated to run HHS?

    5. We bought the funky Anthropologie cabinet knobs to put on all the cabinets in the basement room we made for doing projects (knitting, drawing, sewing).

  5. Happiness is my husband volunteering to do all the dog walking during the polar vortex. And sissy that I am, I made not a single attempt at protest. Go ahead, walk the dogs; I’ll stay here on the couch, forever. Also, with leftover Indian food.

      1. Polar vortex is when Santa’s elves shove all the arctic air south through Canada and Siberia as a gift to all of us who normally don’t get to enjoy living in Antarctica.

        1. What Gary said. Also, something you are likely not experiencing in Florida but is hitting 40 states as well as us for the next week.

      1. DS is in town for three days and we went directly to his favorite Indian restaurant and ordered so much food they thought we had more people coming. He is now happily eating his way through the left overs.

  6. Happiness this week was Freakout Friday on Argh, so many people being honest about their feelings was humbling and made me feel not alone in the dark. This is a true community and I don’t always post but am so grateful that it exists. So thank you everyone who posted.

    Blue Monday falls this Monday – the most depressing day of the year. And it is President Trumps inauguration day. Made me chuckle.

    Also went to our annual yoga Christmas lunch (always in January) yesterday. I am no longer part of that yoga group but I was a founding member and always get invited back for the lunch. There were old friends there I haven’t seen in a while and some who were at my retirement party so I have seen more recently. So nice to catch up with everyone.

    1. Blue Monday, great timing…more like Black Monday this year. I plan to spend it drinking 30 proof vodka I bought for the election.

      Back to the happiness topic, I have a part in a play with speaking and things and people have heard of the character! (I mean, no new news after that, but still, that’s my happy!)

    2. Oh gosh, I do most of my catch-up reading here on Sunday, so I haven’t gone back to Friday yet. I look forward to reading it bc I’m heading toward freak out mode re: tomorrow.

  7. They say money can’t buy happiness, but financial freedom can buy you a lot of time to read and craft and do all the things that make you happy. For the rest of us, there is always tea and a new book from a favourite author to look forward to

  8. We went for dinner last night with friends that we don’t see nearly enough. We are motivated to make it a monthly thing.

    Everything else has just been the usual busy life, and oddly enough even when I’m feeling overwhelmed, I still feel happy, or at least content, and I’m not sure why, but I’ll take it.

  9. I got my hair cut which always makes me happy. My knitting group always walks before we knit and we met this week at a friend who lives outside the city. We had a great tromp through the woods – it was cold but bright and sunny.

    Attended a friend’s 65th birthday party. It was a small group of women who are close friends of the woman being feted but we didn’t all know each other. We all brought appetizers and the food was amazing. We shared stories about our friend who is deservedly beloved. Lovely evening.

  10. My happy is I’m at a quilt retreat right now, and my sis is here too! She doesn’t quilt, but she relaxing and sleeping in, and we are talking and just being together. It’s great.

  11. My happy is bedding related, too. A duvet cover I bought on Amazon in the fall was way too big, and the down comforter kept migrating inside it. Also, the birds in the pattern were upside down. 🧐

    I went to Target to find a small knee pillow to sleep with, since I am a side sleeper, and that is supposed to help your back. While I was there, I looked at the bedding. They had a pretty duvet cover in the right size that zips on three sides!!!!!!! Wow! I brought it home, and safety-pinned my comforter to all four corners and one middle, and I was too warm last night, because it was in the right place to keep me warm. I had to remove the fuzzy throw from the bed.

    I had to fix at least three autocorrects in this post!!!! Grrrr. “I am a” became “I mama” ??

    1. A duvet cover that zips on three sides? Heaven! I’ve never heard of such a thing. Mine (which was made for me by an artist at my former shop) has a zipper in the middle that only goes a third of the way up. It’s always a huge battle to get the comforter inside and lying flat.

      1. Deborah, this was new to me, too. But it’s a great idea. It made getting the comforter inside it so easy.

          3. Target (or as the Ladies Who Lunch call it, Tar-zhay) is great for online shopping and shipping. It’s generally free for orders over $35. And they’re very customer friendly if there is a problem with your order. This is an unpaid endorsement, lol.

  12. My happy this week was my friend’s brain surgery to remove cancer being considered a success. The removed a softball sized tumor. It was 95% of the mass. We’re praying that the remaining 5% doesn’t get uppity and cause problems.

    I’m also happy I have tomorrow off. Hope to finish a quilt and book flights to AZ because MI is also getting hit by the polar vortex. Bleh.

  14. I am reading this under my bf’s fleece Spiderman blanket with morning coffee and interior xmas lights still on. I guess a blanket in the hand is worth two on the wish list.
    Actually we have a LOT of blankets. This is Canada.
    Tonight my closest local friends, an entomologist and a botanist/yoga teacher, are coming for dinner, which will be cheese fondue and hot table grills with a plethora of fun things to cook on them. We will sit around talking about beetles and the weather (certainly) and dissing Americans (likely) and generally feeling good about ourselves. Smug and snug while minus 25 outside.
    We will take no thought of the morrow; sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

    1. Lisa, I seriously considered moving to Canada in 2016, but after seeing your temps this month, I’m glad I didn’t. You folks are hardy!! It’s cold enough here, at a few degrees below zero now and then.

      2. We’ll take her if you’ll take RFK Jr. I can’t tell which of them will be worse for healthcare.

  15. Happy today as I’ve forced myself to do some household stuff. I’ve been hiding in books much of January to escape existential gloom but knew it would also help if I felt like I was achieving some things and working through my list.

    Good progress so far today (I set the bar low). I will walk the dogs now and tackle some more things after.

  16. Changing my default avatar would make me happy. 😄 I have a feeling I’d have to create a WP account, but I’m hoping there’s another way.

      1. Yes, and it makes comments of kindness look sarcastic. It’s the avatar randomly generated by WP on my first post.

  17. I messed up my back last Sunday by sitting on a flat, hard surface and twisting slightly. Grrrrrr. The good news is that the chiropractor had an opening Monday morning, and I went again on Wednesday and have made steady progress toward normality. I even Jazzercised very gently on Friday. So my happy this week is mobility, something i usually take for granted but am currently very mindful of and grateful for.

    Also grateful for a good heating system because already feeling the polar in Michigan today.

  18. The Freaky Friday post made my week. All the ups and downs of Arghers and a special congratulations to Jennifer. If there was any kind of award ceremony for local auditions and plays, I would nominate Jennifer for her perseverance. And name it after her.

    I also bought a couple of cozy throws, mine with a sherpa lining, one for watching TV and reading and one for the bedroom for naps. I only wish the sherpa was more tightly knit much like my jacket which has kept me warm for at least fifteen years. I know I had it when I was working. Wow, it has lasted a long time.

    This week I cleaned the oven, well almost, the oven racks are back to nice and shiny at least. And then I went ahead and spilled some of the quiche I was baking, on the bottom of the oven. After that I cleaned the refrigerator. Also, made a chile with leftover pork chops and ground them up with the little food processor and added leftover meat loaf. (I’m still cooking too much) I put half of it in the freezer and made an enchilada pie like a lasagna with the rest. After that I bought a Pillsbury pizza dough in a can and made a calzone with ham and cheese. The dough in the can is rather pricy but (a) I’m not making it from scratch and (b) I’m not rolling it out like a store bought pizza dough. I now think that food is my coping mechanism.

    Well, tomorrow starts another round of Trouble with a Capital T. I wonder if he will be faced with a locked door as he enters the WH. I don’t think the current WH employees can remove all the letters T from typewriters as there aren’t typewriters anymore. I’ve vowed to stay away from CNN, MSNBC and Fox as long as possible.

  19. I always thought electric blankets were a waste of money/electricity, and the ones that existed when I was a kid probably were, but last winter, after reading about how they’re not that bad, and it allows me to turn down the house thermostat and just apply heat to the bed, I gave in. And it made me so happy. I like having the room cold anyway, just not for the first hour or so while trying to fall asleep, and I only got a throw-sized blanket instead of a larger one, so it just covers me (and where the cats sleep), not the whole bed, and it barely registers on my electricity bill. That makes me happy — being warm enough to sleep AND not wasting money/resources.

    Beyond that, finishing a bunch of quilting UFOs and clearing up related clutter in my studio made me happy. I counted last night, and I’ve made around thirty quilty things in the last month or so! They’re all small, with half of them quiltlets (cat sized, about 18″ square) and the other half are lap quilts, but still — so much clutter gone, and all but two old UFOs are now pieced, if not quilted — basting and quilting are apparently going to be a summer project. Most recent lap quilt pieced from orphan blocks here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DE-vagjyNTB/ I’m starting on one of the remaining UFOs today, but it’s daunting after all the little projects: bed-sized, with some 200 blocks made and a few more to finish and then join.

    1. I am in love with my electric blanket. I sleep in a cold room, by preference luckily because it’s also the end of the central heating circuit and doesn’t heat well.

      The electric blanket makes getting into bed in winter such a pleasure.

      1. I’m one of the last people in America who still has a water bed. LOL. But it’s heated, and getting into it at night is heaven, especially in the winter. And it doesn’t put pressure on all my fibro tender points, which is why I have it. Of course, because it is heated, the cats just love it.

  20. Growing up in 80-90 weather, I understand heat, how to manage heat.
    Cold is very difficult for me to manage.
    So blankets are everywhere in my house.
    They seem to multiply. I will be using them ALL this week.

    My happy is that I am having lunch with a good friend tomorrow.

    I will be wearing black tomorrow as It is a day to mourn for me.

  21. Our post-WWII tract house has very little insulation, so even though we’re in southern California, there are blankets galore. I layer them depending on conditions. With nighttime temps in the 40s, currently on the bed are a heavy fleece blanket, a cotton quilt, a cotton lap quilt, and a fake-fur throw.

    Happiness today is 80% containment of the Eaton fire in Altadena, and 50% containment of the Palisades fire, and the smoke/ash plume is still staying away from us. Oh, and getting my Lambda Literary Awards hard copies ready to mail out.

    Happiness yesterday was unloading my Pagoda of Beadery (a seven-foot Chinese chest of drawers) into storage boxes that fit in my bookcases and look nice there. The Pagoda will now await collection by a friend who wants it.

    Happiness Friday was a vacation day put to good gardening use. I put five packets of fancy sunflower seeds into fresh dirt in the front yard. If even a fifth of them come up, that should be a fine crop of color for the neighborhood to enjoy.

  22. Happiness is hard for me because we are celebrating MLK JR by putting a racist-bigoted-felon in the White House.

    That said, happiness is doing all the usual daily activities & spending all free time binge watching Corner Gas.

    And happiness is arghink. Freak out Friday was definitely affirmation that I’m not alone. Thank you Jenny and everyone else.

  23. My happiness was finally getting to see the Dizzy Doc. He thinks I am having vestibular migraines, which are expressed as dizziness, rather than pain. He thinks it might be triggered by my blood pressure and switched my blood pressure pill, He also gave me a migraine avoidance diet where the first step eliminates caffeine, chocolate and aged cheese and told me to check my blood pressure daily. I guess I will have to buy a blood pressure cuff and learn how to use it because the nearest automated BP machine isn’t very near. When I emailed him to ask for some clarification about how long I need to try each stage of the diet, he said that 4 weeks would be plenty. This was a huge relief because I don’t see him again for another 3 months.

    1. Oy vey, Aunt Snack!! No caffeine or chocolate?! I have a nice BP cuff that is accurate. It’s hard to find a good one. I went through two before I got this one. It’s a paramed electronic pressure monitor, and it goes on your wrist. Model PG-800A12 I don’t think it was very expensive.

      1. Thank you for the information. I am somewhat calmer now that I member that I can put the cost of the monitor against my spend down for Public Aid. But it is very good to know what I should buy.

    2. Trying to remember where you live — are you in Canada? If not, and you’re in the US, I’d be happy to send you a BP machine, because my stupid insurance company sent me one for free, without asking if I already had one, and I do (and I’ve already given away one spare). You can email me your snail mail if you’re in the US and you want it: Gin at ginjones dot com

      1. Thank you for the kind offer. Tomorrow I will go to Walgreens and see what they have in stock. I am in the US, but I think I should probably start ASAP and yesterday I got a letter that took 4 days to reach me from 2 counties away. I’ll let you know if I can’t find anything nearer to hand.

        1. The key is to make sure you get the right size cuff for your arm (and do get the arm kind; the wrist ones are notoriously unreliable). I have really huge bones (and okay, a bit more padding on them than ideal), so I need a larger-than-standard cuff, or else the readings are unreliable. Measure your bicep before shopping, so you’re prepared!

          1. Gin, that’s how I ended up going through two of them, but the third wrist BP monitor works.

          2. That is good advice. Now I just have to remember where I left my measuring tape. I’ve been using my steel rule for everything.

    3. Poor Aunt Snack — Aged cheese, not a big deal — Oops! No manchego? Cheddar!! Oh, no!

      Caffeine — How are you supposed to wake up in the morning?

      But, omg — chocolate?! Completely? Let’s review the list of Basic Reasons for Living.

      My best wishes to you, Aunt Snack. I hope after 4 weeks you find that your migraines have disappeared regardless of the amount of aged cheese, caffeine, and chocolate you consume.

    4. I have regular migraines (if there is such a thing), and while YMMV, none of those foods are issues for me. I’m surprised he didn’t tell you to avoid red wine (unless you don’t drink), since that triggers a lot of people, although happily not me.

      My migraines tend to be triggered by barometric pressure and weather shifts. Which, where I live, is about every 15 minutes, lol. Good luck with it!

      1. I think red wine is on one of the lower levels of the elimination chart. By that time I will have chocolate and cheese back, so it will be easier to face.
        One of our favorite sayings here in the Midwest is, “Don’t like the weather? Wait 15 minutes.”

        1. You must be my neighbor! Cincinnati has crazy weather changes.
          Aged cheese, caffeine, and chocolate are 60 percent of my diet, geez. I’m glad it’s 4 weeks. That is a tall order. Hopefully your migraines will be gone.

  24. Blankets. I was a child of New Wingland in the 50s. Layered blankets was a thing. I have more trouble in the heat of summer, when there isn’t a weight of bedclothes on me.

    My impulses for a few years ran to “throws” or lap blankets or whatever they are called. I’ve half a dozen I can layer between the sheet and bedspread. Just now, there is a throw atop my twin bed.

  25. When I worked in the office of a synagogue the Director of the religious school gave me a fleece throw and a bookstore gift certificate as a Hanukah present. I thought that was the most clever combination ever.

    I was so wrapped up in medical concerns that I forgot one of the nicer parts of the week. One time when my parents were still driving, my Mom came into town and my sister took her to a new yarn shop in a suburb that was far enough out of town that they don’t have sidewalks. All 3 of us had a really good time and Kitty bought some very fancy yarn, a pattern and some fancy pewter clasps to make a sweater for my Mom. After Mom died, I was the one closest in size to the sweater and I took it. However, it is hanging way at the back of my coat closet so I often forget I have it. Yesterday I took it out and wore it and it not only made me feel warm, but I also felt wrapped in the love of both my Mom and my sister.

  26. Money can’t buy happiness but it can buy a fancy-ass snowblower with tracks instead of wheels and that’s something. I was able to clear a wide path to the front door in no time, instead of all damn day like it would have taken me with a shovel.

    It also bought me the latest Seanan McGuire Wayward Children novella and that made me happy.

    I’m looking forward to Goblin Macbeth this weekend and warmer temps.

    I’m still working on cleaning the kitchen in and amongst other projects and I can see some real progress.

        1. We are supposed to get 4” of snow tomorrow so I’ll get another chance to break out my new toy.

  27. My dog. That’s it. Rest of week tougher than okd boots. Dog held up. Oh, and I’m 3 weeks into 165 words a day and 10 minutes spent writing a poem every day. Better than meditation or medication.

  28. Happiness was getting to work this morning through the blowing snow which was like heavy fog. (Happiness was NOT being scheduled for only five hours instead of the usual eight because January is so slow.) I had plenty of time to shovel and salt the important parts of the parking lot, and then the sun came out and the whole thing was clear when I left. Ten minutes after I left the heavy blowing snow started up again, and I got home safely through it.
    Now I get to stay home during the cold and read a lot of books and not worry about what the weather does at work thirty miles away.

  29. Happiness was progress on the current story and a dh who cooked twice this week. We’re also planning to ignore what happens in DC tomorrow. A) Natives leave all the tourist events (July 4, Christmas tree lighting, etc.) to the tourists, and B) the obvious. We also plan to help ruin the ratings by turning all our TVs to stations that will NOT be broadcasting the **it show and have no news programs to mention it. It’s a petty revenge, but it makes us happy.

    1. I’m doing that too. I plan to have my TV set to HGTV or something neutral like that, also to ruin the ratings. A friend told me about doing that and it makes me perversely happy to thwart him in a tiny way.

  30. Happiness is turning in my ms tonight so they will have it first thing in the morning. Editor said they’re doing pagination this week. Not sure if she’s working but they do the formatting in Toronto so not a holiday there. Who knows but my part is done and I actually like the characters.

    It supposed to get into the teens the next few nights. I know that’s normal in parts of the country but not here in the deep South so we have to run water and leave under sink cabinets open.

    There’s a stray cat that comes to be fed. We can’t let him inside because my cats growl and hiss at him. We’ve tried to get him into the garage but he refuses and it took forever to get him to come on the porch when it rains. So we set up a small waterproof tent on the deck. I insulated it with cardboard and Styrofoam. Plus there’s a covered cat bed with a heating pad. I guess he’s smart because he goes into it at night but is always gone in the morning. My husband says he must have a day job.

  31. Just got back from a two hour river cruise with my son. Freezing, literally, but very beautiful. And now I’m back in the warm house about to make tea.

  32. Pixie took me on a long walk this morning. Maybe she knew that we’d not be roaming the neighborhood for the next few days.

    Our snow is supposed to stop in the next 2 hours. I’m hoping the roads will clear for the MLK event tomorrow but it’ll be tough with the low temps. I’m torn between wanting to see some people and having to move around outdoors.

    And I will not be watching tomorrow.

  33. My happy this week was getting together with family to celebrate my son’s birthday—hard to wrap my mind around the fact that he is now older than I was when he was born. A good time was had by all,

    I’m now cuddled under blankets on the couch trying to read while the dog keeps trying to insist it is fetch time. Pretty sure she will win—she has persistence on her side.

    Earlier today I put away the last of the Xmas decorations and transitioned to Valentines. I’m loving my new Lego dozen roses and “Love” decoration.

    Tomorrow, I will be drafting my list of positive daily actions to take to work toward the future I want to see, rather than winding up angry and depressed for the next 4 years.

  34. Happiness is a Friday night flight to London, Van Gogh at the National Gallery and the Silk Road exhibition at the British Museum, a couple of shows, and several nice meals. Not coming home until Tuesday.

    2. If you have time I also recommend the exhibit at the British Library on medieval women.
      The Van Gogh is awesome.

    3. Lucky, lucky you. Would have loved seeing the exhibits but England was not on the holiday travel plans last year. Will try to get back to England next year. Fingers crossed.

  36. Happiness yesterday was a fire (in the fireplace) since it was cold and snowing, and teaching DS to make the family cheesecake (his favorite but he is unlikely to make it at home because he would have to buy four pieces of kitchen equipment and he claims he has no space. Cheesecake pan admittedly takes space but a sieve, a hand juicer, and an hand mixer not so much. And can be used for many purposes. This may change.) Also he tried to replicate the soup his sister made for him which was challenging because she gave him the ingredients but not the proportions or timing. DS all through trying to make soup “this is a disaster”.
    DS after tasting “oh it’s not bad”
    :-). It was yummy but apparently didn’t quite live up to his recollection. He will have to buy a new blender to make it again; is apparently willing to do that.

    Happiness is having DS home for four days.

    Happiness is having a three day weekend.

    I’m not sure it’s happiness but avoiding the news is making me churn through lots of household paper chores I had been putting off which will make it much easier at tax time and also significantly reduce my to do list. So it reduces stress.

    Happiness is having found a strategy to get foster daughter to deal with lots of adulting chores she found stressful and kept putting off—I call her each weekend and we do one small step. She seems to have gotten a handle on her spending —I think she is still spending every penny she has (except for money she puts in retirement savings) but that’s a lot better then spending money she doesn’t have.

    1. Thanks chacha1. I will keep the link & buy it when I can. I just dropped my phone & had to replace it. Argh!!! So it will be a few weeks before I can spend money for books. Double Argh!

  38. Yesterday we finally had all eight of us and two dogs together for Christmas. No turkey. Pasta. Adults not exchanging gifts only granddaughters gifts, they scored big time. Always have stockings hung by the chimney with care. Lots of happy people.

    I took two pieces of jewellery to be repurposed for gds and had two necklaces made with their respective birth stone, from a heavy gold brooch. One gold necklace with a beautiful round opal from Australia for eldest. One silver necklace with an oval sapphire for the youngest. Now to use the other stones in something. Thinking of small diamond earrings for all the girls. A few have two holes in their ears. Perfect size for the second earring. One single stone left. Will think of something.

    It was the best day.

    Yesterday I visited a church where several friends attend. Lunch afterwards. Lovely day. In the evening was the Arctic territory NWT mining conference meet and greet. That was very interesting. BIL and partner were there. Very busy Sunday since I had to travel to another city in the morning.

About the Author

Jennifer Crusie is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author and co-author of twenty-three novels, one book of literary criticism, miscellaneous articles, essays, novellas, and short stories, and the editor of three essay anthologies. She lives in a cottage in Pennsylvania, where she often stares at the ceiling and counts her blessings.

Find out more about Jenny’s published works by visiting JennyCrusie.com

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