2026 Happy Blog Challenge

June 16th Here are some happy things from today: This one is kind of weird.  I remembered to trim my nails before going to work last night.  When they get too long, they get in my way and break, often in a painful way.  I'm happy I thought to cut them. It was a fast paced work night.  I worked almost twelve hours and it didn't feel like more than ten.  😅  My step count is just under 18,000 for the day so I guess I moved around a bunch.  Some plants I noticed today in the yard include what Google Lens thinks is a Deutzia crenata or Crenate pride-of-rochester.  It is a deciduous shrub and the bees seem to like it. Another plant Google Lens thinks is a primrose.  It is a volunteer in a place that I will most likely need to pull or relocate near the whorled loosestrife.  I'll need to pull or move some of that as well.  I'm already behind on lawn maintenance here, but I'm enjoying learning about some of what is growing.  The last p...

 April 21st, Tuesday  It was a beautiful day to be on a trail.  Today we hiked almost nine miles, round trip, up Wayah Bald on the Appalachian Trail.   The gap prior to this mountain is where I stopped the northbound through hike on the AT I attempted last year.  There were a lot of people on the trail making their own through hike attempt for this year.  I hope they all make it. Stephanie and I had planned to backpack a few days on the AT but with my foot bothering me, we are not.  I don't want to wear a heavy pack right now.  Here are some pictures from today's hike: This tree is basically hollow on the bottom.  👆 There seem to be leaves starting to bud at the top.  Nature is cool.👇 The plant with the yellow flower is possibly a bellwort. One of those mountains is Mount Albert.  The 100 mile mark on the AT.  The day last year that I climbed Mount Albert and its fire tower it was completely clouded in. Blow up of Mount ...