Cozy colorful cotton

Last night I bought purple jersey sheets. I ran them through the wash and had to stop halfway through making my bed and get a picture of how nice the gray and purple looked. I know. I added the duvet and it looked so comfy and I was looking forward to bedtime. Last night was the first night this winter that I did not have to go to sleep with socks or a heating pad, even though it was cold, wet, and windy outside.

Fleurrs

Day 1

Rolling with the lunches

Went to a friend's house last night for dinner. I had volunteered to bring cheese, because my grocery store has a huge cheese section in the deli, and they wrap up smaller chunks of fancy cheese, which is really smart. I've been waiting for a chance to try use that information.

The cheese was a hit, partially because I brought so many kinds. As I was giggling with Tracy about, I understand the cheese to be sorted into one of the following three groups: hard, squishy, and orange. Tracy understands them as stinky and less stinky. I did Google the actual categories, but it didn't help me much. It didn't matter much, and the leftovers found quick homes.

We ate a delicious dinner and played a rough game of Scrabble. Then I came home and finished my puzzle. Today I was supposed to meet a friend, but she did not show up. That sucks, but I did eat a lovely meal and tried a black lager and chimichurri, which I also had to Google.

I did (plain) yoga yesterday and today and I'm looking forward to February, when I start tracking exercise. I'm gonna fill that damn calendar! 

Olympic ice skating effort

I went ice skating with Sarah and her daughter yesterday. It was the last day, and the ice was a little soft, especially near the entrance. I haven't been on ice skates since probably 1995, and it was difficult to wobble to the rink. I watched 3 girls around 10 years old RUN in their skates on the foam, which seemed to defy physics. Sarah and I got out on the ice and clomped and wobbled our way around the circuit and said hello to my tennis coach, who has been working there this winter, as he is from New York and loves hockey. He zips and spins and dances around while keeping an eye out for people struggling.

Sarah's daughter was using one of the seals at first to stay upright, but she eventually felt stable enough to skate on her own. Sarah did two laps and I did three before our feet were screaming. We anticipated ankle problems, but it was our feet that hurt so bad that it felt like they were trying to grip the blade itself.

Sitting down gave our feet the opportunity to cramp fully, and we both spent a few minutes rolling our eyes in agony. Then we rested a few more minutes and went back out on the ice. It started to feel like my roller skating adventure a couple years ago. I clomped less as I went, and even felt like I stood upright, though pictures indicate otherwise.

My favorite Sarah comment was "I'm just trying to figure out why people do this." As has become our custom, though, we gave it a good effort, laughed, took some pictures, then went to find some guacamole and margaritas.

Merry birthday

I have so many draft posts, I swear...

But guess who turned 18 in December! Aaarrrgghhhh!!!!

I finally got to see Ant and celebrate his birthday and Christmas. Poor kid always has to celebrate them together. This huge delay was half due to his holiday and work schedule, and half due to him trying to get an ID card so he can cash his paycheck and get me a present. I told him several times that all I want from him is his company and a high school equivalency, but he still insists he's going to get me something. I'm just going to put him to work during his visit next week.

I told him to decide on dinner and he asked if I was sure, because I might not like what he wanted, like Kung Fu Panda. "Isn't that a movie?" I asked. "Yes," he admitted, and cracked up. We picked out mini bundtlet cakes and went shopping for pants and shoes. We did much better on the shoe search this time, finding exactly what he wanted and for less money.

Tonight was kind of a whirlwind, because we had a lot to accomplish on a weeknight, but we got some good conversation in, and it was nice to catch up. We came back here for cake and I lit a candle and sang happy birthday. This kid I met at age 3, who came to live with me at 7, who has called me mom but mostly Jenny, just turned 18 years old. He's got some hurdles ahead, to be sure, but he's got a good head on his shoulders, a sensible inner voice, and a true heart. He stood there tonight looking through Dickies pants- liking the look and functionality of work pants just like his dad, but he is not his dad. They share some striking similarities, but Ant has a different view, and he doesn't want the chaos.

I had lots of warm fuzzies but also anxieties, considering the shaky support system he's trying to launch from. I made sure (again) that he knows I'm here and he knows. He's planning to do it on his own and he'll do it. He is careful about what he'll take from me, and I feel like he is being thoughtful about it, and appreciates that I am that stability just in case.

After we got the cake, we were trying to decide if we should eat or shop first. Ant asked me if I needed to eat first, thinking of my blood sugar. That was my favorite moment until later, when he said when it's warmer and I go play tennis, he'd come with me and skate at the park. Now that, I can do.

Happy, happy birthday, Ant.

Much appreciated but most unwelcome acceptance

Crazy winds took away my last bird feeder, and it was a couple weeks before I found a replacement. The birds wouldn't use it and I was confused, as it seemed like the same one I just had. I finally decided I would just have to replace that one, since it was doing them no good, and as soon as I picked up another feeder, I realized what the problem was. The one on the left allows them to perch and face the food. They would have to be skinny contortionists to eat from the one on the right. They are back now and happily pecking food and each other around my balcony.

Yes, I do go scrub off the bird shit. Usually not in winter, though.

Last night I went to a friend's housewarming party. Sarah and I brought alcohol, a houseplant, a giant take and bake cookie, and a few toys for Carlos, his cat. We were entertained by all the silly options at the store, but were both enthralled by this little bunny slipper.

THE MOST ADORABLE cat toy ever.

Carlos was freaked out when we first got there, but seemed to be settled by the catnip that was inside the slipper. I introduced myself and he warmed right up to me. In fact, he liked me so much that he snuggled across my lap and returned to my side again and again. I kept petting him and he even answered me when I cooed. We were deep in a game of Cards Against Humanity when my friends were alarmed by me yelling WHAT THE FUCK at the top of my lungs and scrambling to get away from Carlos, who was peeing on me and the couch. There was a scramble of cards and wet towels and dish soap as we cleaned up and the host apologized for his pet, but joked that he hoped I truly felt part of family now. I do take it as a compliment that Carlos decided I was his, although another theory was that he was so comfortable between the catnip and the cuddles that he'd rather pee where he sat. In addition to feeling so loved as to be claimed, two new white cards were added to the deck in honor of my misfortune:

A cat pissing on your leg
and
Randomly yelling WHAT THE FUCK

Carlos the Urinator about an hour before marking his territory

Finally

I love listening to organizational podcasts because they motivate me. I'm off today and I slept in, ate a small, reasonable breakfast at home, then puttered around, cleaning the kitchen. I came across an episode about organizing your kitchen drawers that was only 16 minutes long. Now, the idea is not to complete the task during the podcast- it's supposed to be a week long task, but I only have four drawers total, so I thought I'd be able to do all four or at least the trick drawer in that time.
I put a label on the trick drawer, because it has many victims, including me, and after the last time everything fell out, I didn't care enough to sort it. This may have been in July. Of course, things were going to hell this summer with Miss Riley, so looking back, it makes sense that I didn't care to fix it.
Yes, it feels amazing to finally have this fixed. Yes, it only took maybe 5 or 10 minutes. Yes, it has been a source of negative energy for months. But instead of feeling bad about myself, I'm thinking about how nice that will feel (until it dumps again) and that whatever the source of bad feelings, I can trust that it will be fixed in time. It's easy to say just fix it, Jenny, but sometimes there are other things at play that don't seem that relevant at the time- perfectly valid reasons that make a messy drawer seem inconsequential in comparison.