one year.
One year ago, I left the Cape to return to Atlanta to go to the doctor, dentist, optometrist, and the airport to get my Global Entry. I had plans to see Venice and London with Camille. I got my Global Entry … but the airport was deserted and I have not been on an airplane
ideas bigger than bandwidth
I have so many plans. So many ideas. So many things I want to do. But I seems to always lack the time and energy to do them all. At work, I say “YES!” because I really do want to do all the things. I’m always dreaming up new projects and ways to improve. Unfortunately,
celebrate 2021!
Maybe it is strange to think about celebrations in these crazy times. I wrote about this five years ago, in celebrate! But maybe it is time to revisit why I continue with this silly project…. Now that I have been doing this for, oh, seven years, I have built up a list of holidays along
day 40. recipe org ….
Covid quarantine organization …. I did the spring cleaning. We are working on the yard. What’s next? I’m running out of projects! So now I’m tackling my recipes … For years, I’ve had a running menu. I record what we cook each day, so next year, we have a suggestion. While I have a great
day 25 – pool.
When I started to realize that I might be stuck in Georgia into the late spring/early summer, even just the thought of the heat made me miserable. I feel ill when I get too hot.I decided that one way I might survive is if we had a pool. Five clicks later, we were pool owners.
day 22 – baking.
Popular amongst many of us sheltering-in-place, Camille has been baking! We ran out of all-purpose flour for a bit, but were able to restock via our farm box delivery service. We have plenty of yeast, bread flour, and whole wheat flour. Camille created and nurtured a sourdough starter. Bread, cookies, biscuits … what’s next?
day 21 – spring cleaning.
So what to do when stuck at home for weeks on end? Read, catch-up on tv shows, bake, and, my favorite, spring cleaning! A room a day. Closets sorted, piles filed, spaces decluttered, linens and couch cushion covers washed. Fridge sorted and wiped down.
day 20 – senior year.
Senior year! Exams. Prom. Tears. Pomp and Circumstance. Parties. Graduation. Yearbooks. But not for this year’s seniors. Last days of school via Zoom. No gatherings – so no prom, no graduation, no parties. No gifts. Chloe this week did have her senior portraits taken, but only from over 6ft. And she got a big “lockdown”
day 19 – iso-cation.
Surreal. We are now in week 3 of “shelter-in=place” due to CoVID-19. Camille came home early from Oxford. Chloe is finishing up her senior year of high school via Zoom. Rob is working from home – living room, Camille’s room, garage. So far, we’ve been able to go to the store twice a week, but
celebrate!
Did you know today is National Vinegar Day? Co-workers and friends tease me all the time for my ceaseless reporting of each day’s holiday. Planet Money has reported on the the origin of these “holidays” in It’s National Garlic Day. Who Is Making Up These Weird Holidays? and Episode 765: The Holiday Industrial Complex: From
exhausted, but what a year.
Today I took the dog for a walk at the beach. I worked a full day. And I rearranged my new living room. I sometimes feel like life is stagnant, but then I think of how much has changed in the last year …. A year ago today I was in Atlanta getting ready for
home.
If I could have, I would have stayed. On the Cape. Summers in Atlanta are brutal, and I don’t enjoy melting. But I had to come home. Doctor appointments, a trip to NYC with our exchange student, seeing two kids off to Brazil, and a chance to see the nephews visiting from Buenos Aires. I
foreshore ripple.
The same, but different every day. Without Google, it would have taken me weeks to learn the name “foreshore ripples”. I would love to make a time lapse video of low tide on one of the bay beaches in order to study how the ripples change from tide to tide. Do they stay the same?
a day off.
Yesterday, I took the day off. I read, napped, and watched television. No work, no coursework, no reume updating, no organizing. A day completely off. While I wish I could say that it felt terrific, it actually felt like a waste of a day. So today, it is back to work. Time to move forward
getting out of the comfort zone.
Long car trips are a great time for catching up on the backlog of podcasts. On my long trip last week, I ended up listening to Comfort Zone on the TED RadioHour. I was inspired. The past couple of months have been difficult, really difficult. I have moved from one crisis to the next with
resolving my anxiety over gift giving.
Gift giving. It should be fun, right? We have the means to give gifts. I love to give, whether it be time or otherwise. But Christmas and birthdays. The gift acquisition process is an anxiety-ridden, stressful, axe over my head experience for me. My stress levels soar. I really hate buying things. For me and
dreams come true.
We went for 3.5 years with sharing a car. It worked okay. Sometimes I felt trapped, but mostly we made it work. Then life fell apart. Even so, we made it work with one car. It took lots of arranging and some bizarre arrangements, but it worked. But now life has gotten a little easier.
expect the unexpected.
I’m not a car person. I never spent time to learn how to care for a car. I can’t change the oil, can’t replace a belt. I might be able to change a tire if it comes to it. The one time I had a flat tire, I didn’t get the chance to try to
play!
I don’t play much these days. Or perhaps my personal definition of play is lacking. I work, manage the house, volunteer, and run the errands. Sometimes I get the chance to exercise, hike, read, or meet a friend, though not as much as I need. What is play? I play with the dog, but even
being present.
I’ve lived in a constant state of panic for so long that I no longer know how to not live that way even when there’s no need to panic. This week, I’ve caught myself wishing for something to “Hurry up and be over! I have things to do!” a number of times when, in reality,
GBK Gwyneth
instagramming
2023 photos
reading
2022 photos
2021 photos
