Snow to the rescue

What mercy to have a snowy February, dropping soft white flakes of delight on an otherwise dreary month, made worse this year by the impending one-year anniversary of quarantine, a teenager impatient to rejoin the outside world, deplorable national politics, and my resulting fragile psyche.

My “Post-Pandemic” list now has 22 items on it.  When exactly one can declare the pandemic “over” enough to do those things is just another unknown.

Thankfully, we don’t have to wait until then to go sledding and otherwise romp in the beautiful white stuff.

Also, I’ll take pleasure in whatever I can wring a little pleasure out of—such as the things saving my life, obvs, but anything else I can think of along the way, like:

- fun books from the library (Chosen just for me! Not required school reading),

- these custom press-on nails that I’m newly obsessed with,

- picking out pretty flowers and heirloom vegetable seeds from Burpee.com for the hypothetical garden I may or may not follow through on later this year,

- and incessantly checking the weather forecast and reporting to anyone in my household who will listen exactly how many inches of snow may or may not come in the next weather event.

It’s inexplicable why anyone would be tired of being cooped up at home with me after only eleven months.

I say, if it must be the winter, of the world and of our discontent, let it be liberally sprinkled with fresh snowfall.  

Wordless Wednesday

 

What’s saving my life right now

I’m linking again today with the always-reading and always-readable Modern Mrs. Darcy, to share What’s Saving My Life Right Now.

This year it’s in list form, unlike years past when I chose one main life-saver (2018, 2019, and the painfully ironic 2020).

Drumroll.... what’s saving my life right now, in roughly ascending order, are:

6.  Leggings.

Via Pexels

Leggings are great.  They’re as comfortable as pj’s, but you can look put together in them; they’re nonrestrictive for sitting or walking or curling up on the couch; and best of all, they don’t judge you for your creeping quarantine nineteen.

5.  The Office Ladies podcast.

For fans of The Office, this is pure gold.  Angela and Jenna—two stars of the show—are besties and super excited about their subject material, and you get all kinds of fascinating behind-the-scenes of how they filmed various stunts, which scenes made the actors crack up, etc.  Plus they just sound like the kind of ladies I’d like to spend an afternoon with.  As Luna Lovegood said, it’s like having friends.

4.  My newly decorated mantel.

For several years (!) I have been looking at my neglected mantel and felt paralyzed.  I’ve had the usual vague notion that because there are starving children in Africa I can’t spend money or energy on something so trivial.  Also I’m convinced as soon as I put a hole in the wall to hang something I’ll change my mind and ardently regret it forevermore.  Also I was thinking of some architectural antiques that I saw once but didn’t buy (because, children in Africa) but I’ve never forgotten, but then covid happened so I can’t hang out at antique shops, and therefore the layer of dust and mindlessly placed whatnots has lingered and drooped, like an emblem of my inability to control my life.  

Not that it means anything to me.  That would be trivial.

Enter Christmas, the super-awesome and 1000%-recommended Canvas Champ, my new slight ability to Photoshop, and the kind gift of dear Aunt Sammy.  Her gift certificate was the impetus I needed to actually touch up one of my photos, get it printed, sweet-talk Jason into hanging it, and then dignify it with some coordinating pretties.  

I love it.  It gives me a little shot of happiness every time I look at it, which is often.  No architectural antiques, after all, but I did get the blue pot at a second-hand/vintage shop long ago, and the taper candles at a thrift store, so that’s kind of the same thing.  Plus I gathered the pine cones from the park in my backyard, and the canvas is of my own hydrangea that I photographed and edited myself, so the whole situation is immensely satisfactory.  There’s even a carbon monoxide detector tucked behind the pine cones—and a string of color-changing LEDs for soft mood lighting and/or disco parties.  Win-win-win.

Bonus that I was so inspired I finally made this kitchen shelf pretty too.

3.  Making lunchboxes.

Photo by Ella Olsson on Unsplash

This makes a world of difference.  I’m always tired after dinner and ready to be done, but if I push through and put together thoughtful, balanced lunches for everybody, not only does it really help in the leftover-management department, but it’s a life-saver the next day at noon.  You’d think it wouldn’t be that hard to make a sandwich, but my brain is shriveled like a raisin after a morning of school and I just want to be handed a complete meal in a box.  Bonus that I usually forget what I made myself and then I’m delighted when I open it up:  It’s just what I like!  The kids don’t fight over who gets the last baby Swiss cheese because it’s already doled out, and there are no negotiations about whether they earned dessert or not.

Jason was also delighted last week to find ants on a log in his lunch.  I feel like I’m back in school!  Everyone feels the love from Yesterday Mindy when she makes lunches.

2.  Fuzzy blankets.

Ada got me this one for Christmas and I looooove it.  It feels like it’s made of magic baby unicorn skin or something.  Jason also has a similar one that’s bigger and heavier that I steal regularly.  The highlight of my every day is finishing school and snuggling with my fuzzy on my chaise lounge.

1.  The new Keurig Cappuccino maker.

My personal coffee history is a bit complicated, but the other piece of my favorite part of every day now, along with the fuzzies and the chaise lounge and the fireplace, is a cup of coffee with foamed milk on top, made with utmost Keurig convenience (we save our conscience by buying the compostable pods).  It’s hot, it’s comforting, it perks up my mood and my energy...and the foamed milk feels so luxurious that it is an immense treat.

What luxuries are saving your life right now?