What's Been Going On: Monday, 10 January - Wednesday, 12 January, 2022

 Phew! We’re getting a little bit of a break from the fierce cold, thank goodness. It got all the way up to 38 yesterday. Which is definitely still cold, of course, but it’s nothing like the bitterness of a 6 degree day with the windchill below zero. Our temps will fall again after a few days, so I’m hoping the driveway melts completely before then, because it’s basically an icy death trap right now.

So far, so good with my daughter at school this week. No COVID cases at her school the past two days *knocks on wood*, so hopefully things are starting to slow down a little here. I’ve been doing my best to get things done around the house, now that I’m home alone during the days again, but I haven’t felt all that productive this week yet. Maybe because I’ve been so sleepy due to several nights of poor sleep!

Anyway, here’s what I’ve been up to so far this week!

 

Monday, 10 January, 2022

I threw a batch of white beans into the Instant Pot, then had breakfast and coffee. I edited and posted my Monday post, got dressed and ready, then posted my review for Made in China: A Prisoner, an SOS Letter, and the Hidden Cost of America’s Cheap Goods by Amelia Pang on my book blog.

After unloading the dishwasher, it was time for a very cold school drop-off. Fortunately, when the temperature OR the windchill is below 10 degrees Fahrenheit, they allow students to walk right in, instead of waiting in line outside, so on this day, I was able to drop my daughter off and make a beeline back to the car. By the time I got home, I couldn’t feel my fingers, despite having two pair of gloves on! Piglet the tuxedo cat had the right idea about how to spend this day.

I made an Instant Pot full of Cauliflower Potato Soup with white beans, threw the dishes in the dishwasher, and tidied up the kitchen. I cleaned the living room, started a load of laundry, and did a quick tidy-up of my daughter’s room. And then I settled down in my chair to do my 30 minutes of Read Harder, reading American Literary Almanac, edited by Karen L. Rood. I did my first 20 minutes of piano practice since mid-December. I’m still working on I Want It That Way and I was really pleased with how I sounded. I’ve got the verses and chorus down; I need to focus on the middle eight and the key change, and then I’ll be good!

I hung out on the computer for a bit before taking lunch to my daughter (BRRRR). At home, I had lunch, then took out the compost (super icy out there!). And since I had some extra time, I read two more chapters of Le Petit Prince. I tried to nap, but ended up just lying there with my eyes closed, so I read and helped my daughter with her math homework when she got home.

I took out the recycling and trash and hauled the cans to the curb, blended the soup, and then it was time for dinner! After we ate, I did my Duolingo, showered, put dinner away, and read until it was time for bed (no watching anything; my husband had a headache and fell asleep at 8 pm!).

 

Tuesday, 11 January, 2022

After breakfast and coffee, I scooped the litterbox, got dressed, and posted my review for Rad Girls Can: Stories of Bold, Brave, and Brilliant Young Women by Kate Schatz on my book blog. I dropped my daughter off at school- no standing outside again, too cold!- then I headed to Walmart for cat food. I also bought a seventy-cent loaf of herb bread and two dollar pie from the discount bakery rack. I was going to make bread, but this saved me the trouble!

At home, I loaded and ran the dishwasher, then did some organizing of my reading list. Some of the ebooks on my list (which I resolved to finally get through) were no longer available through my library (likely their license expired and the library didn’t renew them), so I ordered a few of those books via interlibrary loan and downloaded an ebook version of Miss Jacobson’s Journey by Carol Dun.

I did my 30 minutes of Read Harder, then began reading Miss Jacobson’s Journey. I took lunch to my daughter (BRRRR again), had lunch myself, read a little bit more, and then napped. It was hard waking myself up to pick my daughter up from school, plus my back hurt (which also explains the lack of exercise right now; I’m taking it a little easy for a few days).

I read while my husband did math with my daughter. We had leftover soup, bread, and pie for dinner. I did my Duolingo and showered, read my book, and my husband and I watched two episodes of Killer in Plain Sight before bed.

 

Wednesday, 12 January, 2022

Breakfast and coffee, and then I made my grocery list and got dressed. Today was warm enough to stand outside for school drop off, but we timed it so well that there was probably only a minute of standing before they let the kids in. Hurray! (And a squirrel visited our rain barrel before we left. So cute!)

I went to two grocery stores. No good deals this week, sadly. Aldi still looks a bit like a Soviet wasteland; lots of empty shelves. They didn’t have any coffee creamer at all for the second week in a row. They did have peppermint ice cream, though, so I bought some of that to have this week. ; )

At home, I put the groceries away, then sat down to do my volunteer work, but my computer decided to be grumpy and not let me.

 

Hmph. I instead finished reading Miss Jacobson’s Journey, returned it, and downloaded the next book on my list, Rookie Move by Sarina Bowen. I had just enough time to start reading it, and throw the dishes in the dishwasher, before it was time to take my daughter her lunch.

At home, I had just finished up my lunch when my mother-in-law stopped by for a few minutes to drop off my daughter’s Christmas present. She was sick with COVID over Christmas, so we weren’t able to get together, but fortunately, she had a mild case and is all better now. We both still masked, just in case- I also don’t want to potentially infect her with anything I might have, because who knows what her immune system can handle right now (not that I’m sick, but I’d rather be as safe as possible!).

I finally got my hour of volunteer work done, then I curled up in my chair and fell asleep. I also had to take some meds for my back the night before and those make me sleepy, and I was still feeling the effects from that. It’s such a yucky feeling! When I was finally able to haul my carcass off the chair, I ran the dishwasher and threw the pizza in the oven.

After dinner, I did my Duolingo and showered. And then I took a minute to absorb the news that a dear friend had died.

She was a beautiful, strong, fierce, independent, loving, intelligent, funny, witty woman who had been dealt a crummy hand in life but who somehow managed to keep going through all of it. Through no fault of her own, she contracted HPV and wound up with cervical cancer, which spread. She leaves behind two beautiful children the same ages as my own, children who deserved to have a mother there to watch them grow up. In her blessed memory, I will speak out loudly about the importance of vaccinating your children- both boys and girls- against cervical cancer. The vaccine came out too late for her; your children don’t have to die of this horrible cancer-causing virus. Please, in Jen’s name, to prevent your families the pain her children are feeling right now, talk to your doctor about Gardasil, the HPV vaccine. I will miss her so very much. May Jen’s memory be a blessing.

I showered, put the rest of dinner away, then hopped into bed with my kindle and read until my husband came upstairs. We watched two episodes of Killer in Plain Sight before going to bed.

 

That’s all for now! No big plans for the weekend here, just reading, mostly, and maybe a nap or two. Wishing you all a peaceful end of the week. Cherish your loved ones, friends, and do everything you can to protect them.