Labor Day Vibes :: Feeling Shady

Happy Labor Day! I have never worked in a union and I am quite sure my father never did either. So my only familiarity comes from life as a newspaper reporter sharing updates on "negotiations." 

Yes, I am guilty of just seeing this as a day off and unofficial end of summer. But it hit home during the pandemic when I realized jobs like mine did not make me an "essential worker." No one is going to live or die based on my creative marketing copy. It does nothing really to move the country forward.

The ones who do deserve more than just one holiday off, in my opinion! Salute to you all!

As for my holiday, I did do some physical labor pulling weeds and random pop-up grape vines (probably poisonous) from around the front deck. I also laid all my hanging baskets of flowers to rest! RIP.

That was sunny, sweaty work! When I hauled the wheelbarrow full of weeds to our way back yard "dumping pile" I was immediately struck by how much cooler it was back there in the shade... with a breeze!

So I set up a chair in my new shady area and enjoyed a cool breeze while I listened to more of my marathon audio book. It was nice. I was wishing for a hammock!

Beyond that, it was a pretty laidback day for both of us. Always plenty of baseball on TV. Plus I needed my steps while listening to my book. 

This week is our week "in the office" Tuesday-Thursday, so I need to remember to turn on an earlier (dang) alarm and pick out clothes for work/immediately followed by golf tomorrow. There is a lot of pressure in the workforce these days, isn't there?

Hope you had a relaxing Labor Day Weekend and took time to pat yourself on the back for your hard work! Thank you!

No Plans, No Problem

 

When I saw this, I gave myself permission to do as little as possible this long weekend. I gotta say, I'm getting pretty good at it!

I actually didn't want to do anything that would be stressful. So even though I had an opportunity to go Up North and back to see some cousins. Just wasn't feeling the "let's drive 9 hours in road construction and detour" vibes.

That would, however, have put a dent in this audiobook I just started. It's called The Calamity Club and it's like 28 hours! Better be worth it. So far I'm really enjoying it! Might have to increase the talking speed just a bit more.

So although I haven't been running in circles, I have been walking in them. Getting my 10,000 steps AND listening to this book. That will be the extent of multi-tasking this weekend!

Foxy Friday

Ever since I made national news (CBS Morning News!) with my famous fox photo from the 2023 U.S. Senior Open, I've declared the fox as my spirit animal.

So today, on my day off, imagine my delight in finding these fox paper plates at Dollar Tree while I was hunting for other raffle basket related items! Not sure when and where I'll use them, but it was a must-buy!

Speaking of must-buys... I went to the downtown farmers market at lunch yesterday (not many weeks left) and made sure to feed my guilty pleasure of buying myself fresh flowers. How can I resist full bouquets like this for merely $10? I don't feel so guilty after all!

Today I took the day off for no reason other than to have a 4-day weekend. I went down to the Rome farmers market so I could get some candles from our friends who run Midwest Nice candles. (They smell so yummy!) 

A perfect addition to these raffle baskets I'm putting together for a benefit my nephew Colin and his wife are organizing. A fellow racer has a newborn daughter who spent many, many weeks in the hospital due to seizures. Very sad.

For the rest of the day off... well I was going to get steps on this hot and humid day. But now I see it's 87 degrees and "feels like" 95. Uff da!

Enjoy your holiday weekend! 

Vert Der Ferk?

I'm just a short time away from my fantasy football draft tonight for the Swedish Chef Mafia. I have claimed the coveted trophy before but came in second last year. This year, I am going to be doing some speed studying for the next 90 minutes like it's a college all-nighter!

I don't know anything this time. Have not watched pre-season. Do not know who's injured. Do not know who's been announced as a starter. I am praying the ESPN app is my friend. AND that 60 seconds is long enough to look up the status of the next "best" available player.

In the end, it's probably one of the many things that is seriously out of my control! LOL.

Plus, as hubby often points out during the season, "How much money is on the line?" Well... zero entry fee and a bragging rights trophy for the winner. So no stress.

Except for that smack talk in the office! 😁 Hopefully I don't have to say "Vert der ferk?" too often. Go, football! 🏈 

Tip-toeing Thru Tuesday

On the weeks that we're out of the office, our schedule takes a different turn. Especially on Tuesdays when we have golf league. 

 

No matter what day of the week, the flowers look immaculate!

It was a challenging night of golf league mainly because it was 80+ degrees and so humid! Then our 4th couldn't make it. By some lucky coincidence, we saw a fellow Marketing Dept employee on the driving range we could nab to join us!

Ugh. These geese were all over my tee box on #5 and I was grateful they didn't hiss at me when I tried to shoo them out of the way before my drive.

All part of nature!

Monday Sports Report

It was a Monday sports day! I gotta say I wish all football games were playing during daylight hours. Perfect lighting and great focus. This switching to 8-man football also brings me a few yards closer to the action! 

I stopped at our Royals' JV game after work. It started at 5 p.m. and book club started at 5:30 so I knew I had time to shoot pictures of one quarter at the most.

It was just enough time for me to catch a long kickoff return for a TD!

What made it special is that the varsity squad had finished practice and were watching from the end zone. Loved to see their excitement and support for JV!

Jim was actually officiating at the game. He said it ended in a 22-22 tie. Since it was 90+ degrees out, everyone was fine with ending it in a tie. I don't even know if they keep JV stats/records anywhere to see how they compare to other schools in the conference!

Put me in the right frame of mind for book club since the main character of the book also played some football. If you get a chance to read Life & Death & Giants, do so. A brief synopsis:

Shunned by her Amish community in Lakota, Wisconsin, Rachel Fisher lives on her own and gives birth to an 18 lb., 27" baby boy. Orphaned at birth and not knowing who his father is, Gabriel Fisher ends up being raised by his older brother, his Amish grandparents, and the local veterinarian who delivered him. Over the years, Gabriel rapidly grows to become a giant in height and weight. He spends his entire life trying to fit in; both literally and figuratively. However, no matter his size or where he went, he was loved by animals and people alike.

It got high marks from us all! As I've said many times, I love my book club. We rotate picking out the books so there's always something I never would have thought to read! 

And yes book club is a SPORT. We're exercising our minds! 😀

Comfortable Sunday

Today was our "Quilters' Sunday" at church. (Photo way before service!) Not only did we have a loose change offering to support their work, but we got to see all that group accomplished before we ship those gorgeous quilts around the world in a few weeks.

I'm always jealous of their work because it's the same thinking pattern as me (as a scrapbooker)... What colors blend well and how can we keep the patterns different enough to make it interesting?

But do I need another crafty hobby? NO!

Since Jim was golfing with a buddy at Lake Arrowhead this afternoon, I focused on a different hobby. I realize Crop-toberfest is more than 6 weeks away, but I figured I better order a few more prints so I ordered a few prints to be sure have enough work to do!

Very low-key day other than that. I got some steps in – not 10,000 but I could go outside and be ambitious after this! 

I can hear your laughter. Since I only have 5,101 right now. I can see why we'd be both be hesitant!

I'll fill you in tomorrow. With an honest report. Promise!