March 15, 2024

Good Things Friday (264) and Link Love

1. We made it a whole two and a half weeks without a fever/viral incident! The streak ended this weekend but I’m impressed we went that long. It’s the first long stretch of the year.

Sad that the virus also hit me on the weekend as well. I was very excited to do a batch cooking session and a grocery shopping trip this weekend but couldn’t. I rage-cleaned 2/3s of the stove, all I had the energy for, but it didn’t make me feel better about ruining my plans. I’m not sure I’ll feel well enough this weekend either but that’s more the fatigue talking.

2. Sunday’s time change was more painful for me and Sera whose water has to go away by 8 pm than the kids, who both slept in for once in their lives. That was a surprise.

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March 8, 2024

Good Things Friday (263) and Link Love

1. Laying in bed in a lot of pain after my massage, because sometimes that’s how my muscles react to the treat, I discovered that Ilona Andrews has a weekly Friday serial featuring Roman! I’d glee about how I love Roman but fairness then demands I admit there really isn’t any character from the Kate Andrews world I wouldn’t enjoy reading about. Still. Roman’s turn!

2. I have two twirl skirts from Svaha, purchased 2 and 4 years ago, that are still in regular rotation in good weather (not that we have a whole lot of that). In July, I noticed that the pocket of the older one had torn slightly. It’s been sitting on my dresser since then waiting for repair. I finally managed to pull out the sewing machine and mend the pocket!

For funsies, I had a look through the twirl skirts in case they have a really good sale and I feel the need to add one more someday. My favorites: Starry Night, Chromatic scales, Solar eclipse

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March 1, 2024

Good Things Friday (262) and Link Love

Small happy moments this weekend: I made a huge effort all week to clear off my work so I could stop work at a reasonable hour on Friday, and it finally happened! (the past 4 week’s efforts ended in disappointment)

PiC took the kids earlier than usual and gave me two hours to myself. My brain wanted to tackle the 6 of the 7 bags of clothes that have been sitting in the corners, demanding my time. They need to be handed down, donated, or were just handed down and needed to be put away. Everything was sorted into hand down bags and donation boxes and dresser drawers. That felt GOOD.

Sera and I went for a walk on Saturday morning, it was sunny, warm, nary a cloud in sight. Naturally that meant she didn’t want to walk. We came back home for what she really wanted: giant rolls on the grass in the backyard and sunbathing. I got some excellent pictures of a happy dog. 😍

Helping folks

My friend Zara Bain runs an audio transcription business that hires disabled people. I really believe in her business model and they need a bit of help to get through a tough time. I’ve donated and shared on Bluesky, perhaps you might be able to lend a hand too?: “Disabled people face countless barriers to employment. We’ve worked relentlessly since 2017 to change this. Without your help, we won’t survive. Please donate #SaveAAT#DisabilityJustice #Disabled”

Tinu is an activist for Black women and disabled people who has fought back cancer multiple times, while living with asthma, was hospitalized with COVID pneumonia and is facing another recurrence of cancer. I’ve supported her health expenses for quite a while now at the GoFundMe, and am now changing to a regular donation by Venmo to reduce the fees because she won’t just need help right now this month if she’s going to survive this bout with cancer. She also has a Cashapp. We recently lost @sassycrass to Long COVID, we can’t lose another person.

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February 16, 2024

Good Things Friday (260) and Link Love

  1. I managed TWO, no, THREE short yardwork sessions this weekend. I pulled weeds for ten minutes Saturday morning. Smol Acrobat very sweetly asked for a weeding session later that afternoon, which I’d been promising them for days, so it was time to make good on my promise. The last one was for Smol Acrobat’s sake too, but mostly to divert them from the Lego trolley they wanted. However. Ten minutes of chopping hedges is not the same as ten minutes of pulling weeds. My hands were shaking terribly after whacking off the sticky-out bits all along the hedges and dumping them into compost. I needed an hour to recover from that one.
  2. I have come to like my Darn Tough wool socks so much that I don’t want to wear my cotton socks anymore. The first part is good. Not sure what I’m going to do about the second part since we try to keep things out of landfill as much as possible. They’re still in good shape but I think they’re too worn in to be handed down. Actually maybe I’ll set them aside for one of the kids to wear when their feet catch up. They like borrowing my stuff.

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February 2, 2024

Good Things Friday (258) and Link Love

1. JB took a very proactive lead in helping keep Smol Acrobat entertained when I was working on paperwork this weekend and then played with them the whole time at the playground when we walked to the park. They aren’t usually that focused and these outings are more often like handling two only children wanting things they want when they want it.

Help a family escape Gaza

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