Blue-Footed Musings

I am grateful for everyone in my life, and for everything that I have, the gifts and rewards alike.

My walks have become much more enjoyable since the kids started joining me. Sometimes we talk as we walk (or as I walk and they ride their bikes). Sometimes we play word games. Often they encourage me to walk farther than I’d planned. I am so grateful for their company.

This afternoon my husband was going to do some work outside, but the darkening sky gave him pause. He called me outside and asked, “Do you think it’s going to rain?” The air was cooling, the sky was turning dark, and thunder rumbled in the distance. “Yes,” I answered. “And soon. I’d better go for my walk!”

He started putting things away. I started my walk. Suddenly, on my second lap, the wind began whipping around furiously, right when I was underneath some old trees, and I heard branches snapping over my head. I broke into a run. Something hit the ground behind me, but I didn’t stop running until I’d gotten past all the trees. My husband and I had a good laugh over how quickly I’d hightailed it up the driveway.

The storm hit hard, dumping buckets of rain, and knocking out our power almost immediately. We were safely inside by then, though, and the storm died out quickly. The power came back on right away, too.

I went back outside to finish my walk. I found that two branches had fallen on the driveway, both in the area where I’d been walking. They were big enough to do some damage had they hit me. I don’t know if running saved me, but it’s good to know that I can still move fast when I need to!

I pulled more than a half dozen books off my bookshelf tonight and put them in the donation pile. Most of the books on my shelves are old favorites, so it’s impressive that I managed to find any that I could part with. But this sacrifice, as big as it felt, was not enough to make room for all my new books, which are currently stacked on the floor.

The stacked books aren’t in the way (yet), but I’m trying to organize my office, and I don’t see how I can possibly consider it organized as long as there are books on the floor. I could box them, but I don’t want to. I’ve got at least four boxes of books stashed elsewhere in the house, and that’s already too many. What I really need to do is either give more of them away or stop buying books, but neither option sounds appealing, so I guess I’ll just have to give my office up to the books and work somewhere else in the house 😉

• I walked the driveway 8 times, or roughly .5 miles.
• I finished my 13th book of the year (Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia, A+).
• I received 6 packages today. One was presumably a mini trampoline, though I’m not sure, because I haven’t opened it yet (it’s in quarantine). One package was a box containing 6 books (I seem to have developed a book-buying addiction). One of the books was a large print edition (oops). I don’t like large print, but I’ll read it anyway. The other four packages were curtain panels for my office. I’m not sure I like the color. Oops on that, too. I will probably have to return them.
• Marshall returned 5 books to my library, and he took 5 new books away with him.
• I have at least 8 mosquito bites and they ITCH.

I’m glad that I long ago established a set of things to do each day as a bare minimum. And I’m glad I made a habit out of meeting that minimum. Had I not, I doubt I would have even bothered to get out of bed this week.