Happy Friday 13th! I love a good Friday 13th. After all, I was born on one.
As one season melts into the next, we are assured that the world truly comes full circle. There are certain things one can count on to come round every so often just as scheduled. This week the warmer temperatures have returned, the Olympics are in full thrall, and I was reminded of my younger days as well. Sometimes that full circle is a good thing and sometimes not as welcomed. However, we should always hold out hope because what goes around will come around and we should just be ready and welcome it - come what may.
- What I've Been Loving -
The warmer weather has brought out lots of smiles for us. Mike spent most of the day outside a couple of days this week. When he came inside, he was in a much better frame of mind than in days past as well. I got out and strolled in the sunshine a bit and it brought smiles to my face as well.
I've never been a big lover of hot weather but as I've aged, I learn that I like warm weather a lot more. The cold just seems to get into my bones and I don't enjoy it as much as I once did. When we had snow and ice on the ground, I learned that our eldest grandson could spend most of the day out in it. He would take his BB gun and go out and just wander round and look for targets and investigate. I remember being a kid like that. We lived on a farm and I would just get out and go walking across the field and through the woods poking at rocks and vines and hanging limbs was sort of like a type of therapy for me.
When I was outside yesterday, I noticed this little fellow. I'm sure there is an old wives tale about the coloring of this caterpillar. Also, I wonder, what is he doing scooting around in February?
One day this week I took my computer outside and did a little organizing and sorting of expenditures and income information as I prepped for tax filing. It made the task seem not quite so bad to me. So, I can say that I've been loving these warmer sunny days.
- What I've Been Watching -
I've watched a bit of the Winter Olympics. I'm not as big a fan of the Olympics these days as I was in the past. I really liked it most when the athletes were true amateurs. These folks are really professionals these days. They treat the sport like a job and practice it for hours every single day. They have company sponsors for which they advertise. I seem to recall the days when these were young people who spent their time before or after school working to improve their skills. I understand that the way all sports have evolved is more toward professional dedication and that is alright. I just enjoyed it a bit more when there was a fresh-faced innocence and the participants were not nearly so polished and professional.
Many of the athletes are participating for their third or even more Olympic experience. So, that means they have been working at this sport or event for at least fifteen years. I heard one of the commentators mention something along the line that a participant was still in his teens so he had many years left and would look much different in his next Olympics. I've known folks who have had three different jobs during that timeframe. So, their dedication is admirable. Plus, how can one not be in awe of a person who straps on a pair of skis and a tight-fitting suit and slides down a mountain at more than sixty miles per hour?
I must say that it is enjoyable to see and hear from former Olympians who are now commentators sharing these athletes' stories and pointing out their skills and finesse. It sort of feels like these folks are old friends who have come back to visit and keep us informed about different sports that we might not be so familiar with. Scott Hamilton, who lives not far from us, is especially wonderful to hear from because he just tells these folks' stories with such humor and candor. He was talking about the world's most admired figure skater right now and chuckling about the young man's irreverent attitude and willingness to take risks and do things that are different. It is exactly the kind of thing folks like me enjoy hearing and learning about.
Plus, Snoop Dogg is there and is slipping and sliding and sharing his perspective. I loved that they showed him attempting curling and sliding down a hill on his fanny. His reactions have been about like mine would be only he is a lot more athletic than I am by far!
- What I've Been Working On -
When my son, Bryan, was a little fellow - barely starting school, we went for a parent night that must have been around Mother's Day because each child had drawn a picture of his mother and answered some questions about her. One of the questions was something along the lines of: "When does your mother get angry?" My precious child answered, "When she spills melted butter." You see, earlier in the week I had melted a stick of butter in the microwave which was at upper cabinet height and bobbled and spilled the melted butter all over myself and counter and cabinets and floor and whatever else was nearby. Of course, it was hot and burning me and I was shouting some quite colorful expletives. So, my precious child recalled that and shared it with his kindergarten or first grade teacher.
Well, this week has been sort of a repeat of that experience - minus the precious child witness. On Tuesday evening, I was cleaning up after dinner - Taco Tuesday. From the island, I picked up an almost-full, large tub of sour cream and turned around to put it on the top shelf of the fridge. Just before I got to the shelf, my grip on the tub gave up or I bumped into something or for some reason unknown, I let go of the tub. Then, started flailing round to try to catch it, which only served to make it bounce off a lower shelf, hit the interior side of the fridge, then, hit the door and continue on to hit the top of the freezer drawer, then, the freezer handle and on down to the floor where it hit hard. The top had come off at the first bump and sour cream had plopped out in heaps all over the fridge, the island, and the floor. I can assure you that my dismay was expressed colorfully and it is really a good thing there was no precious child witness.
Then, late last night, after the Mister had gone to bed, I stirred myself up a cup of hot chocolate, placed it in the microwave to heat, and opened the door to get my cup of goodness. I picked it up and got the cup about half out of the microwave and lost my grip on the handle. Hot chocolate sloshed all over the microwave, on the cabinetry between the microwave and the oven, down the drawer below the oven, and splashed all over the floor. There was even a drip or two between the glass pieces of the oven door that will require that the door be taken apart in order to get it cleaned away. I had come full circle. Again, my frustration was expressed colorfully, if rather quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping hubby. Again, it is a really good thing there was no precious child witness.
So, this week, I feel like I have been working on cleaning up messes of my own making!
I hope you have had a good week and have made fewer messes than this old gal. Have a good weekend!
