Whatnot – Week 23

Sunflower.Another Wednesday and here I am. If it weren’t for these regular posts I would not know what day it is. Are you good? Most of you are fully vaccinated by now including myself! I just got my second yesterday so I will hold off on how I feel but if you got the first shot, DO get the second. With everything ramping up in India I think we will need to hit that herd immunity mark and right now they are saying it’s not going to happen since people are skipping the second shot.  

I am in limbo here. Still waiting for move-in info for my daughter. Still trying to find a car for my son before he leaves for Kansas. That is enough to occupy my head.

But in other news, two separate women in my neighborhood have been allowing their dogs to do their business on my lawn without cleaning up after them. They are not new. I have a funny sign posted asking them to avoid the area but they do not and have on two occasions let their dog do the deed while I was standing right there. I am kind of thinking they are not 100% there so I don’t think there is anything I can do about it but it’s frustrating. If I try to talk to them one runs away, which is weird and the other looks at me like I am a crazy person. 

You might laugh but we feed our dog premium dog food and the output is not at all bad but their dogs! Ugh! I am a gagger and it’s not pretty watching me go at it AND the other day my bag broke. Another neighbor down the street provided a poop bag station to deal with their own issues and someone stole it! Definitely not them. 

Anyway, enough about poop. Well, I got flagged on Barnes and Noble for profanity and the word in question was POOP. I was reviewing Broken by Jenny Lawson. Clearly, way too much poop talk in my life these days. 

After all this frustration I took a walk with the pup and encountered that sunflower you see above. That neighbor’s strip is completely bare and has no water source and yet that flower exists. That’s kind of how I feel lately. Everything around me is less than ideal and yet, each day I try. I really try to see the good in everything and I try to relax. Being wound-up like this is not the norm for me. 

What are your plans for Mother’s Day? Youth group is meeting on Mother’s Day. I think attendance will be very low but I didn’t plan to celebrate it ON the day anyway. Too crowded. I really have no plans. A long nap sounds pretty good right now. 

My reading schedule got thrown off due to the Hub’s birthday celebration last weekend. I missed a review for Monday but so what? It will just post on Friday instead. It wasn’t a review copy and I was enjoying it too much to rush through it. Rules of Civility is quite enjoyable. Next up:

next-up-050521

Tell me what you are reading! 

Sunday Matters: Seasonal Reading

Sunday Matters

Another blogger recently posted about an event titled 20 Books of Summer, or something close to that. It intrigued me. I could never commit to that many books over the summer because for me, seasonal reading is all about mood and the flexibility it brings. Plus, this summer will be filled with moving. But, I like the idea of it. Planning for seasonal reads pulls me out of my boxed-in existence so I might do a short list. What about you? Do you have reading plans this summer?

Right Now:

It’s the Hub’s birthday today! We celebrated yesterday with a nice meal out because of church, then youth group today. He’s easy to please. He wanted a Japanese dinner, the kind where they cook at your table. It was delicious. My tofu was so delightful. The truth.

On another note, my youth group graduates very soon and then? Not sure what I will be called to do. When I became a youth leader I vowed to take them through the entire cycle, JHigh through High School but I don’t think I can cycle back around and do another seven years. Stay in youth ministry? Try children’s ministry? Or something else? Not quite sure yet. This is what I am pondering as this season ends.

This Week:

On Tuesday I get my second dose of Moderna.

On Saturday The Girl interviews for a summer camp counselor position! This would be her first job and she grew up in this summer camp! It would be a good fit.

Reading:

I finished Rules of Civility and should have the review posted for tomorrow.

My next book is one I am excited about. I am participating in a little marketing push for The Invisible Husband of Frick Island and I am here for it.

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island

Watching:

I’ve been watching an eclectic mix of things. I’ve been very unsettled and jumpy and it’s affecting what I watch too. After a few minutes I am ready to move on to something else so either the content isn’t working for me or I am just not able to focus.

Grateful for:

In all honesty, I’ve been working myself up into a big ball of anxiety. It’s been hard to find good things to set my mind on. But, there’s always something if you really think about it.

  • I am so very grateful for my daughter’s future roommate and her adorable, kind family. They live about two hours away from Missouri State and they offered to accept some shipments for us like bedding sets, etc. We plan to get a lot of stuff when we go, but bedding in a small town will be slim pickings. This allowed my daughter to find something she loves and not have to worry about getting it there.
  • A new friend on FB is recovering from COVID and she found this great new band while bedridden and shared it on FB. I am LOVING them and I am obsessed! Dirty Honey. It is reminding me of high school and all the hair bands I was into. Looks like she is turning a corner with COVID too.

That’s all I have. Let me know what you are doing these days. It’s been hot hot hot here. It’s too early for 97 degree temps and we have already had three local fires. Entirely too early for this.

Chatting with friends about books and life…