We still don't really have much going on right now. Jacob is playing a lot of basketball, usually 2-3 nights of practice or training per week, plus a game on the weekend. He is once again having some differences with his team (which seems to be a bit of a trend) but I swear he's mostly justified and it's not just him...though a more open mind might be helpful for the rest of the season. He just seems to keep ending up with coaches that don't like to use real plays and don't know how to best utilize him, along with teammates that don't trust each other and therefore tend to not pass as much as they should. All of the above gets frustrating for Jacob (and spectators), so it's definitely an exercise in patience. But it's good for him to be back out playing games, even if only one of us can watch him at a time.
Carter is still a bit of an enigma when it comes to engaging him away from a screen. I'm very much looking forward to the start of school so we have a little more of a schedule (which he may fight every step of the way, I know). It should at least help us structure his time a little differently and get him away from constant screens for at least two days per week, without making doing our work impossible. I can't even fathom what it will be like when Craig and I have the house to ourselves twice a week. We haven't been alone for more than a couple hours pretty much since March. I foresee some lunch take-out from gluten-filled restaurants, if nothing else! Anyway, I'm just hoping Carter's school info comes soon so we can find out more about his teacher from our friend who works at the school and so we can figure out his school supply situation. I'm just not sure how it will work if supplies are needed in two spots. Heavy backpacks every day, I guess?
I'm moseying along on the working from home. I still dislike it, still miss my co-workers, and still feel like I'm not nearly as productive. I'm convinced--given that August is usually so busy for me and things are a bit slow right now--that I'm missing a ton of projects. But without being in the office, everything just seems different and I'm probably missing some visual cues. It's unsettling, but I'm just doing what I can to get a few things done each day. I keep hoping that one of these weekends I can finally ride my bike to my office (just because I've wanted to for years), pick up a bunch of stuff I originally figured would be OK for the few months (ha) that I'd be gone, and have Craig and the boys pick me (and my bike) up on the way to picking up dinner. It just kills me we may be out a year or more when all is said and done. I never would have imagined that could happen, and now we're
almost halfway there with no end in sight.
I missed work a little extra this weekend because I had my annual "birthday" trip to Kohl's. Sometime in August, Kohl's always sends me a birthday reward, and I always try to line it up with a 30% off coupon so I can make the most of my "free" money. This year was a little different since there are no fitting rooms available, so the adventure felt a little different because it was more of a guessing game than anything. As I mentioned in my last post, I tried to go in the evening last week but only scratched the surface on all the racks (clearance and discontinued brands) with the hour I had before they closed at 8pm (darn you, post-COVID hours). I went to another location on Saturday morning, and hit the jackpot--two long sleeve shirts, one short sleeve shirt, one nicer half sleeve shirt, one blouse, one hoodie, one sweater, one necklace, and one pair of shoes. All for just over $50, but then I used a gift card from Christmas and paid $1.28. Ha! Plus I got $10 Kohl's Cash for this week! But I really missed work during this trip because the blouse and the shoes will only truly be useful once work is back in the office, or maybe once we start going to church. But like I mentioned last post, I miss dressing up for work (some days, at least) because it's nice to feel pretty, and just buying those things made me miss it even more.
I'm starting to see more college drop-offs happening in my social media feeds, and normally when college move-in season comes up, I get all nostalgic thinking about my own move-in. This year is a little different, mostly because I can't stop thinking about how badly it sucks that freshman are having the COVID experience instead. Some aren't moving in at all because they're staying home for a remote semester. Some are even taking a gap year. Others had to move in for two weeks of solo quarantining, which I'm pretty sure would have put me over the edge. Some are moving in but with directives not to socialize with others, probably all while experiencing some hardcore fear of what might happen if they go to classes in person. I don't know how I would manage that anxiety and all of those unknowns. I was terrified enough as it was. I've alluded to my college experience a few times here, but I'm not sure I ever fully talked about it. I did not want to go away, so leading up to move-in, I was quite unpleasant and cranky. I think part of my bad mood started after orientation weekend at the end of June, when my roommate never showed up to our room and I felt totally alone for most of the weekend. Everyone else seemed to buddy up with their roommate initially, and I had no one to show up to events with, so most of the time I felt like a weird third wheel trying to buddy up with other people. Going back to my room that night was lonely, and I guess it just convinced me I wouldn't fit in or make friends once I got there for real. Everything about it was overwhelming and isolating, and I hated it--hence why I think the solo quarantining in particular would have driven me crazy. I stayed disgruntled for the entire summer, right through the morning I left, through move-in, and pretty much right until my parents left. I'm pretty sure I barely talked on the ride there, and I was still in "parents are embarrassing" mode so I was full of eye rolls and groans as we figured out the move-in process. We got my stuff settled in my room, did lunch and book buying, and headed back to my room for goodbyes. By then Mary had moved in and gone to lunch herself, and I only had a few minutes to sulk and fight off tears after my parents left before she and her parents showed up for their goodbye. We bonded pretty quickly and found some friends around the dorm and elsewhere, then spent the weekend figuring things out (the campus, our email, dining hall life) and taking a bus trip to the closest mall. Even just in that first week, we did so much socializing and were so bonded with our group of friends that I felt like I had known them for years. And pretty much everything about that would never have happened under our current circumstances. I can't even imagine starting college like that, and it makes me sad.
So, amidst that sort of sadness, I'm finding my joys in the little things, like great Kohl's trips, fun Hobby Lobby purchases, and flowers. More on the flowers in a second, but I dragged Carter off on a shopping trip with me on Saturday while Craig and Jacob were at basketball. I had been meaning to drive out to Webster (all the way across the county) for a while, mostly because they have one of the remaining closing Pier 1 locations and because they currently have our only Hobby Lobby (but not for long--there will be one seven minutes from my office soon). I was on a hunt to find something new for Carter's room (no luck) and something new for our bathroom to spruce it up once we upgrade the sink and shower. I found a sign that says, "Wash up, buttercup!", which cracked me up. I still need to find one that says, "Please seat yourself" to complete the slightly silly decor. I also found a random magnet that says, "Hold on, I need to overthink this," which is perfect for me and will probably end up in my office. And I honestly couldn't resist a gorgeous blown glass pumpkin to add to my small collection. I figure the craft show where I usually get them isn't happening this year, and it was a good price anyway. It made me happy to buy and will make me happy again in about six weeks (!) when I pull the bin out and find it there.
As for the flowers...they are my daily bright spot. My garden continues to produce, which is fun, though I'm drowning in cucumbers. I even made some spicy pickles yesterday! But my flowers are so happy and pretty. I even had a random late bachelor button show up in a spot where I'd cleared out the spent flowers a couple months ago. The greenery grew back, and suddenly there was a flower, too! In another oddity, inside the house, my violet shot up its first flower in probably close to a year. I have no idea why, although I have been diligent about trying to remove extra leaves in hopes it afforded the plant enough energy to flower. Maybe it worked?
These Black-Eyed Susans are in my front flower bed and have thrived this year. They're so cheery.
In the back yard, I finally got my first morning glory! I planted seeds with my first round of zinnias, and all they did was shoot out a ton of leafy vines that wrapped themselves around anything they could--including each other. I had given up on ever getting flowers from them, but the other morning I looked out my bedroom window and saw this beauty!
Apparently they just take a long time to bloom. Sure enough, I had another in the other pot the other day, and I can tell more are coming. So far they all look to be this color but I'm hoping maybe some other colors will emerge later. Too bad they only last one morning, but they're pretty while they last!
This flower was its neighbor. It's the first little one in these pots that had more than a layer or two of petals. It's so tiny but perfect.
But the real action is in my front porch planter that I started a bit later. That one has been a constant source of entertainment, as the zinnias change nearly every day. It's a multi-day process to open, and it takes a while for the stamens (I assume that's what they are) to emerge, and then they take a while to slowly die off, evolving and changing all the while. They're amazing. After a bunch of pink ones, this one really caught my eye. It's like a ray of sunshine!
This was the first one with lots of petals. It's stunning.
The red is beautiful, too.
This one had pink petals that faded to pale toward the center.
This was the planter this morning. It's overflowing and still more are coming!
This might be my new favorite--it's the first one with the ruffled edges, and the color is more of a melon-y pink than the other pink ones.
And this orange one is pretty stunning itself.
Otherwise, I'm still wishing we could figure out some sort of end-of-summer adventure, but I don't see it happening. I think that between trying to find a decent, safe location and worrying about getting COVID through hotel ventilation, it's probably too much of a concern just yet. It's such a bummer. I miss traveling and seeing new places. I really need some things to look forward to in the next few weeks because otherwise things are a little depressing!
Still, we're healthy, we have a comfortable home and two incomes, and really have everything we need. So I know life is good, even if it's not awesome. And for now, good has to be good enough. I'll keep looking for the little things and make the best of the rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment