The Simple Woman's Daybook, March 2018

I'm joining up with Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook, because it seems like a good thing to do on a cold, snowy day that finds me at home and sick.

For today....

Looking out my window...is a cold, windy, and snowy day.  Going outside (as I occasionally must for the dog) is surreal as the air is alive with the sounds of the spring birds lured back too soon by February saying goodbye with a gentle kiss of warm weather.

I am thinking...about what it means to live in Appalachia and the Rust Belt as I read Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance.  He defines them as two separate regions with lots of ties. I live in an area that is defined by both.

I am thankful...the remodeling of our main bathroom will soon be done. It was torn out far too long ago, leaving us with just the bathroom in our bedroom. Work and health issues have prevented my husband from working on it in any sort of timely manner.  At Christmas we purchased all the tile, grout, lights, etc., and it has been sitting in the spare bedroom ever since. This week we bought the vanity and basin "knowing" he would be taking a 3-day weekend to work like crazy on it. 

Then work said, HA! The hotel project is nearing its end and there are a lot of little details to be ironed out before it can be turned over to the owners. One of those details is inspections for all sorts of things...and several ended up being scheduled for today and there was no one who could cover.  I was upset, but my husband promises that he will have 3 days next weekend. Guaranteed.

I guess I can live with the vanity box in the kitchen for another week.

One of my favorite things...is this little man. He is growing so fast and his personality is developing. This nanny is glad he's still got some cuddles in him.

I am creating...my journal. I've always kept journals, but for some reason never decorated the pages or got creative with them. Now I am. I enjoy it and I guess the thought is there that maybe they will be something my family will cherish one day when I am no longer here.

I am wearing...the sweatpants, long-sleeve shirt, and fuzzy socks that I slept in. I am home sick, so I don't have to look good!

I am reading...Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance. It's interesting to see how much I recognize of the world he describes in my own. I just finished reading Bear Town by J.D. Vance. I enjoyed it so much I ordered his book A Man Called Ove to read next.

I am hoping...that this will be the year we finally don't get pummeled by taxes. We've had a LOT of extra taken from our paychecks and now there's President Trump's little tax cut. Hopefully, it will be enough that we don't owe.

I am learning...to take one day at a time, live in the moment, and be content with the "now" of things.

In my kitchen...there are a lot more fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods than there used to be. We are both trying to lose weight and I am trying to make us healthy, too, rather than my husband's method of just not eating much until he reaches his goal. I know what would happen if I did that...I'd hit goal and it would be back to regular eating. I want to change how we eat. Some recipes go over better than others, as do some changes. I want to do the Whole 30 diet, but he refuses to give up certain things like dairy and some grains.

In my garden...I noticed something had been digging in one of the raised beds the other day. I'm guessing a squirrel must have buried some of his nuts in it and came back.  I wish he would dig down in there and pull out the Trumpet vine roots I know are lurking in there.  I need to pay a visit to the local nursery for advice on getting rid of them...if there is a way without completely emptying the beds to dig them out or contaminating the soil with poison.

Shared quote...“Religion is something between you and other people; it’s full of interpretations and theories and opinions. But faith . . . that’s just between you and God.”  - Fredrik Backman, Bear Town.

Closing note...It seems that maybe the rash of violent threats at schools is winding down. I only heard of one or two school closings due to it this week. I still can't get over there being close to 700 incidents in my state alone following the Florida shooting. A few were credible threats, but most were perpetrated by kids trying to get a day off school or just to be "funny."  It's a crazy world we are living in.  I hope this trend of fake threats is a wake up call for all of us.  Our culture is seriously off track.