2026 Happy Blog Challenge

 July 3rd Another hot day.  Here are some happy things: As a person on the safety committee at work, I'm supposed to make call-outs when I see unsafe things happening.  After pointing something out to someone they fixed it and later brought over a sign about the call-out.  It was very general and cartoon-ish.   They took my picture with me holding the sign.  Apparently my likeness is to be a poster board or a picture on the billboard or something.  I'm not sure how I feel about this.  I am sure that I'm happy they are trying to put safety first with more than words.  Also, I got some swag. After work I didn't go to sleep since I'm not working tomorrow.  Well, I started to fall asleep, but my phone hit my face.  😂  Anyhow, I decided that I wanted to go to Craft Night, but I didn't want to drive myself.  I'm very thankful that Zed drove me there and Bel picked me up.  Three things happened at the studio: It is qui...

June 22nd Here are some happy things for today: Yesterday and last night I got a fair amount of sleep. This morning from around 8-9 AM I got a section of the lawn mowed. The lawn mower mostly stayed on this time. Last time I tried to mow, it didn't want to stay going.   I mowed part of the lawn! My next task was going to the studio. Keziah and I have been filling the minivan with things that should be at the studio. I got about half of the boxes out and up both flights of stairs before I decided the rest could wait for later. Then I rested until my former protégé/deputy treasurer arrived and we worked on SCA treasurer stuff. Hopefully I am caught up now. Before bed I got to talk with TF for a short time. It is always good to talk with her. I had hoped to get to Texas for a short visit, but that probably won't happen. So phone calls it is! ☮ Finished listening to: Paladin's Hope , by T. Kingfisher.  Started listening to: Paladin's Faith , by T. Kingfisher.  ...

  May 22nd Some happy things from today: Last night I slept… for almost ten hours.  I did wake up in the wee hours of the morning for a short time.  I considered getting up and doing dishes and getting things done.  Instead, I fell back to sleep, thus achieving almost ten hours. The azalea flowers that I took a picture of earlier this week was from a well manicured bush. Most of them have opened and it is quite lovely. Azalea. Bel, Corvidae and I went out for breakfast this morning.  Well, it was my second breakfast and their first one.  It was also around noon.  😂  We went to the old house after and got some of the gardening supplies that were still there.  There is still much to do at the old house.  There is a cherry tree in the garden area that continues to live even though the trunk looks like it is half eaten by insects and critters.  I am amazed that it keeps holding on. Cherry Tree I went to Craft Night.  I would love...

 The Sixth of May Here are some happy things from today: It was a day at work that I am glad I made it through.  There has to be one of those days, right?  Just one more scheduled day this week. After work I had a nice lunch with some SCA friends.  We got some Exchequer banking done and then visited over lunch.  I learned about more people that I know who are getting awards. Then we went to Keziah’s store and got joined by another SCA friend.  The store is closing this month.  Keziah is hoping to reform it as a non-profit in a few months, after some well deserved rest.  It was really nice to get to visit with friends today.   ☮ Continued listening to: Paladin's Grace , by T. Kingfisher. Continued to read: No Time Like the Past , by Jodi Taylor. Thank you for being here and being part of my daily happy things. Stay safe!

 May 3rd Here are some happy things from today: This morning I woke up with a big case of I-don't-wanna!  It might be just what I needed.  Somehow, I managed to get up at least once an hour to get 250 steps in every hour from 6 AM to 3 PM.  😅  Generally that was all I did for most of the morning.  Well, and play games on my phone.  At some point I remembered to pay my mortgage.  Phew! When I finally did get going it was to do laundry and run errands.  These are two things that I am very glad I did.   Then it was time to tackle the quarter one report.  I've been working on it so much, I think I was trying to avoid it this morning.  It is done now.  It feels good for that part to be over.  During the process, I got to catch up with a friend on the phone.  I had questions about some receipts.  😂  The next step as Exchequer is to take care of some updates and balance April's bank statement. ...

 Here are some happy things from today: It took a while but the Kingdom Exchequer and I had a Google Meet and seemingly finished the quarterly report.  Then I double checked some things and ended up finding things that should be on the report.  I'll be checking even more things tomorrow.   I'm glad I checked a bunch of it again, I feel better about it now. Then I went home and got my tired self onto the treadmill.  I'm glad I did.  I'm still tired.  🙃   Over three miles! ☮ Continued listening to: Paladin's Grace , by T. Kingfisher. Continued to read: No Time Like the Past , by Jodi Taylor. Thank you for being here and being part of my daily happy things. Stay safe!

 May 1st Happy May Day!  Today the SCA turns 61.  Here are some happy things: Much of my day seemed filled with appointments.  In truth, there were only two.  It was time for my routine thyroid imaging and general routine physical.  There always seems to be more, but so far things seem alright.  Next week are the blood tests and follow-up on today's imaging.  In between the appointments I took a walk on part of the Windham Rail Trail. One of the things I like about paved, flat trails is that they are so easy to walk on that I can do a bunch of looking around without worrying about tripping on a small stump or rock.  It was a beautiful day to be outside. Almost the entire afternoon and into the evening I worked on Exchequer things with my former protégé.  We got a bunch accomplished.  There is still more to do, but I'm learning a lot and the rest of the year should go better. ☮ Started listening to: Paladin's Grace , by T. Kingfisher...

 April 30th Here are some happy things from today: Other than being so tired that I thought I might fall asleep on my feet, work went well.  It was fairly busy and I felt useful.   Nanni (one of the cats) was out and about in the house. We have been keeping Nanni and Winston separate from Kayden and Mochi, hoping to slowly integrate them after we moved and joined with another household.  All the doors were open and the four cats were at least somewhat tolerating each other.  Nanni visited with me for a bit, distracting me from the things I should have been doing. Nanni doesn't like getting her picture taken. Once again I didn't stay home for long after work.  I got a few exchequer things done on the computer, then went to the studio where most of my exchequer stuff is.  There was a specific thing that the bank needed that I had to print out.  I no longer have a printer and wasn't able to get the one belonging to a housemate working for me....

April 29th Here are some happy Wednesday things: Work was just work today, but after work they gave us hamburgers and hotdogs.  People stayed to toss a ball around but I had places to be.  I did remember to talk with HR about some things before I left.  I now know a little more about attending college through the program at work.   After work it was all about doing Exchequer things.  One thing was to get receipts from an event that happened while I was away.  A bonus was getting to see someone I haven't seen in a while.  It was only a few minutes, but it was good to see them.   The other Exchequer thing was to go to the bank to start the process of changing signatures on the SCA account.  It took much longer than anticipated but we accomplished a lot.   Gideon got new glasses while I was away.  He is SO close to being as tall as me! ☮ Continued to read: No Time Like the Past , by Jodi Taylor. Thank you for being here ...

 April 28th Here are some happy things from today: Very little sleep was had by me last night, and I made it through work.  Yay!  It was tempting to leave early.  I was assigned to Problem Solve in the beginning of the shift and Broomstick at the end.  There was also a Safety Committee meeting with pizza.  Surprisingly, it was good to be back. The quarter one report for my volunteer treasurer/exchequer position is due this week.  I worked on it way too long yesterday.  Today, with fresh eyes, I got it to balance.  Yay!  There is still more to do, but I'm getting there.  I noticed a new bloom in the yard.  Google tells me that it is a rhododendron but the leaves are a lot smaller than what I'm used to. Google also tells me that this is lemon balm.  😊 ☮ Continued to read: No Time Like the Past , by Jodi Taylor. Thank you for being here and being part of my daily happy things. Stay safe!

 April 6th Some happy things from today: There was a conversation with Gideon around the breakfast table about favorite words.  I don't remember his word but it was the German word for potato.  I revealed my favorite anatomy word in high school was Sternocleidomastoid.  Then started our conversation about names of bones.  It was fun. Keziah and I met at the old house to go through some boxes.  We made a lot of progress identifying which boxes go to the new house, which to the studio, and some to donate.  For some reason I thought there would be more things to donate to DIY Craft & Thrift, apparently I did most of that already.  Huh. TULIPS!! Sorry (not sorry) for my excitement over growing these inside in water. My taxes are done and sent.   In order to try to get some of the Exchequer things done I looked at spreadsheets and emails and took notes.  I also wanted to get my step count in so I walked along the driveway and around ...

 March 30th Here are some happy things from Monday: This morning I was up and out of the house for a dental cleaning followed by a trip to the bank.  I don't like getting my teeth cleaned, but I love how they feel when they have been cleaned. Towards the end of my day I went to the studio to work on Exchequer things with my former protégé.  We made some good progress.   In the middle of my day I went for a walk on a new-to-me trail.  The house was chilly, so I still had my winter jacket on.  It didn't stay on for long though.  The beautiful spring day included temperatures in the upper 60's.  At the top of the remnants of this tree I see a woman, looking up to the sky. ☮ Currently listening to: I See You've Called in Dead , by John Kenney. Continued to read: A Trail Through Time , by Jodi Taylor.   Thank you for being here and being part of my daily happy things. Stay safe!

 March 27th Here are some happy things from today: Predawn sky. A little later... Yesterday I went to bed a little later than the time I would have if I was working, but earlier than if I worked a day job.  According to FitBit I got more than nine hours of sleep!  That is a lot for me.  My energy levels could tell I was rested.  That doesn't mean I used my energy as planned.  One thing that wasn't on my list of things to do this weekend was to draw on my window.  When I opened the curtain in my room and saw the pot of gold I drew in February, I decided it was time to change things up.  It isn't the best, but I like it.  It turns out that leaning over my desk to draw on my window is a little uncomfortable.  😅  The best part is that one of my housemates noticed it when they got home today.  It is definitely bolder looking than my last piece. Every day is a new day. Two more of the six tulip bulbs I've been trying to sprout in w...

 Happy Monday! It seems like this is the first Monday in a while that I have been able to spend time with Keziah.   We spent most of the morning chatting while she worked on her pottery.  Eventually I went to our studio and worked on Exchequer things.  Keziah is making some truly lovely things with pottery and it was fun to watch and occasionally hand her a tool or something. The Exchequer things didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped.  I'm not used to the programs yet.  I'm not sure if the program has changed on the SCA side, or if it is what my laptop is choosing to open the programs with.  In the end, I was able to finish one of the things that were overdue.  Phew.  Many thanks go to my former protégé for double checking some things and letting me use her printer. To finish getting in some steps I wandered around the yard at our new place, while snow flurries fell from the sky, looking for signs of spring.  I found it!  The pr...

I fell asleep before finishing this again... Here are some happy things from Sunday: It turns out that many things have changed since the last time I was an Exchequer.  This morning I learned a few more things.  Yay, learning! The household finally had a meeting/gathering.  There were discussions about chores, septic system care, and things that we should have discussed when we moved in.  There just wasn't the time.  I'm glad we got to do this.  There have been so many pieces and moving parts with eleven people that having a gathering like this is important.  Then the dogs got loose.  One of them stayed close, the other ran off.  We all combed the neighborhood and some of the woods in the dark calling for the dog.  In the end, it was someone on the internet (local social media, I think) that enabled one of us to find the dog and get her safely home.  Super thankful and relieved for that. While in the area leading to the woods my lig...

 Here are some happy things from today: It is Wednesday.  It was a weird day at work because some system was down somewhere.  We made it through and I have one day left to my week, yay! In an attempt to get a hold on the exchequer position I visited a friend after work.  We went over some of the money things from the most recent events and made lists of things to do.  We get together again on Friday to go through more of the paperwork.  Hopefully I will have had more sleep then.   There is a tree by the driveway.  I don't know what it is.  It has some kind of berry looking thing on it.  I want it to be cherries, but my limited internet search is implying crabapples.  I should have examined it closer.  I'm looking forward to learning what things are growing on this property.  ☮ Started listening to: Nettle & Bone , by T. Kingfisher Continued to read: A Trail Through Time , by Jodi Taylor.   Thank you for ...

 Monday morning brought to mind intentions.  I decided to try again and with this intention:  My intention for today is to laugh at things that I find frustrating.  Here are some happy things from today: Keziah and I went through some boxes and got some of her things unpacked.  I found two boxes of my things too, but haven't had the time to do anything with them.  😂 We let the four cats mingle some.  The picture is of Nanni and Kayden.  I'm not sure Nanni realized that the orange cat wasn't Winston.   Taking over the office of exchequer (treasurer) for the Barony has been a slow process.  Partly because I keep forgetting that I volunteered for it.  Also, I haven't had all the things I need to do the job.  I made a road trip and picked up some of them and I should have access to the electronic things soon.  Yay for steps forward! On the way home, I went shopping.  My feet have outgrown my cheap sneakers.  My...