Five things that made me happy today – 4/12/20

We were late out of the starting block. We’ve missed a lot of turns. It’s still too foggy to go out. But the haze will clear and we will rise again, if we but sit patiently at home and enjoy what is right in front of us for a while longer.

Gretchen Staebler

1. WORSHIP

#Photo-a-day #Lenten Discipline

2. We had a really good Easter service this morning. If you’re on Facebook, go to Bethany Tacoma to see this morning’s Facebook Live replay. You can fast-forward through the first part to the sermon, and then go ahead and fast-forward to 45:25 for the postlude. I wept through most of the sermon, and then I clapped along through the postlude. “Nothing can stop resurrection.”

3. For our Easter lunch, we decided to get take-out from Boathouse 19, but when I called to put in my order, I found out it was closed for the duration (please God, not permanently). So then I tried Pomodoro’s Italian. I called there, only to learn they were closed for Easter. (sigh) Finally I called our old stand-by Moctezuma’s. Hooray!!! They were open, so I drove down and picked up Mango Chicken for Big Al, and a Chicken Parilla Bowl for me. Plenty of salsa, tortilla chips, and flour tortillas. Very satisfactory, even if it was the third choice.

4. The preacher saw my plaintive cry yesterday about craving coffee cake and pancakes, and texted me that she had two bags of pancake mix and half a box of Bisquick that were languishing on her pantry shelves. So when she was at the church to do Facebook Live, she brought them in, and left them for me. I scurried by there on my way home from picking up lunch, and retrieved them. Lots of kindnesses all around.

5. Just had a really good Zoom conversation with my sisters and niece. All are well and hunkering down. We’re looking for a way to hook up with some cousins next time.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 4/11/20

Through me course wide rivers and in me rise tall mountains. And beyond the thickets of my agitation and confusion there stretch the wide plains of my peace and surrender.

Etty Hillesum

1. WAIT

#Photo-a-day #Lenten Discipline

2. Slow day today. I had several opportunities to work on my puzzle and it’s coming along fine. I still think I’m missing several edge pieces, but I may just have them in the wrong place.

3. For lunch I sauted the rest of the cabbage with apple and onion. Then I browned some bratwurst and put them on top of the cabbage and steamed them for 20 minutes. We also had little tiny potatoes to go with.

4. I made another order for Safeway to get stuff I forgot last week, and stuff they didn’t have. I hope they’ve gotten more stock in. I’ve been craving biscuits and/or pancakes, so I ordered some sugar-free syrup and a box of Bisquick. My sister has been trolling me with pictures of a blueberry coffee cake made with Bisquick, so I also got some blueberries. I can put them in the pancakes, too.

5. I’m going to be having purple hull peas for supper (canned, but decent). After lunch I got busy and made a batch of Jiffy corn muffins to eat with the peas. Maybe I’ll make chili later this week and have a muffin with that, too.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 4/10/20

Through me course wide rivers and in me rise tall mountains. And beyond the thickets of my agitation and confusion there stretch the wide plains of my peace and surrender.

Etty Hillesum

1. FEAR

#Photo-a-day #Lenten Discipline

2. Still warm today, although it was threatening to cloud up and get cooler this morning, so I walked some before lunch.

3. I picked up lunch from Silk Thai. Big Al had pineapple fried rice, and I had Pad See Ewe. We don’t eat there very often because they are closed on Sundays, but it was really good, still.

4. The threatened clouds didn’t materialize and I walked again after lunch. Got my steps completed and then some. It ended up 65 deg again this afternoon.

5. When I got home from my walk, the bunny had come by (a couple of days early).

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 4/9/20

Through me course wide rivers and in me rise tall mountains. And beyond the thickets of my agitation and confusion there stretch the wide plains of my peace and surrender.

Etty Hillesum

1. MESSAGE

#Photo-a-day #Lenten Discipline

2. Another gorgeous day. It was in the mid-50s before noon, so I took a turn around campus before lunch.

3. For lunch, we had ham, Yukon Gold potatoes, Al had saute cabbage, and I had steamed yellow squash.

4. After lunch I drove to Safeway to pick up my “Park & Go” order. Everything was just fine, except when I got home, I only had two Diet Pepsi’s and I knew Big Al would never survive. So I called Safeway, and drove back, and they brought the missing bag right out to the car.

5. After I got back, it was 65 deg. and I took another long walk and got all my steps in. I also saw 7 or 8 friends out enjoying the sunny weather, and I had a nice (6 ft away) visit with them.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 4/8/20

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day saying “I’ll try again tomorrow.”

Mary Anne Radmacher

1. LOOKING

#Photo-a-day #Lenten Discipline

2. We had our first virtual Flash Fiction class this morning. It went very well. I think I’ve told you about Flash Fiction before. We get a prompt and then we write for 20-25 minutes. No editing, or worrying about grammar or punctuation. It went very well once everybody figured out using Zoom. We were supposed to write a character study of someone “If ___ were an …, he would be…” I chose “If Papa were an overcoat, he would be utilitarian.” Here’s what I wrote.

3. Big Al and I had PF Chang’s Home Menu Chicken Pad Thai. It was pretty good, but, unusually for PF Chang, the portions were skimpy.

4. We were almost out of sausages and eggs for breakfast so I took myself to Trader Joe’s for a quick trip. Before I got out of the car, I donned my mask (really fetching looking.) They are limiting the number of people in the store at any one time, so there was a line most of the block long. Everybody was being very respectful and staying 6 feet apart. Also the door monitor had a big tank of disinfectant (like the yardmen use to spray weeds) and he was spraying down the carts. Once I got inside, I scurried to the bread (for raisin bread for Al) then to the eggs and finally to the sausages. I got what I wanted and straight to the cashier. There was no line, and I was checked out and back in the car really quickly.

5. The weather is spectacular today. According to the car thermometer it was 59 deg. When I got back from the grocery store, I took a fairly long walk and then finished my steps at the Wellness Center. Good day for our new normal.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 4/7/20

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day saying “I’ll try again tomorrow.”

Mary Anne Radmacher

1. GREAT

#Photo-a-day #Lenten Discipline

2. Good Bible study this morning via Zoom. We read through Mark’s account of Holy Week and the Crucifixion. And then we read the resurrection story from John. It was nice to see everybody else. If we can’t be together, this is the next best thing.

3. For lunch, Big Al had his usual Chef Salad from the FTJ kitchen. I ate the other half of my Joseppi’s Chop-Chop salad from Sunday. It may sound boring, but it’s nice not to have to plan and fix lunch occasionally. 

4. Our Great Decisions discussion group sponsored by Senior University met today on Zoom. The discussion was about India and Pakistan, and luckily we had a former Foreign Service officer who lives here now. He was able to give us some much needed additional information and perspective.

5. I got two pretty long walks in today, one before Great Decisions and one after. I also managed to get all my requisite steps in.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 4/6/20

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day saying “I’ll try again tomorrow.”

Mary Anne Radmacher

1. DAWN

#Photo-a-day #Lenten Discipline

2. I traded a couple of pairs of socks with a friend of mine for two masks that she made. Now I can go out in public and not feel like Typhoid Mary.

3. For lunch today we had pork chops baked on top of rice with Lipton Dry Onion Soup, and asparagus. I used to make pork chops that way all the time, but I haven’t in years. It was so good I’ll have to return it to my recipe rotation.

4. The laundry is washed, folded, hung up and put away. That always makes me feel so good on Mondays.

5. We have “virtual” Gazebo Group on ZOOM again this week. It’s not the best was to meet, but it’s the only way right now. We need the socialization.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 4/5/20

There is a hard truth to be told: before spring becomes beautiful, it is plug ugly, nothing but mud and muck…But in that muddy mess, the conditions for rebirth are being created.

Parker Palmer

1. CELEBRATE

#Photo-a-day #Lenten Discipline

2. We had communion at church on-line this morning. (We each got to pick what we wanted to use. I had a lemon Oreo and a little splash of wine. Somebody else said she had Girl Scout Thin Mint and a cup of tea.) Since it’s Palm Sunday we were reminded that while the crowd thought Jesus had come to throw the Romans out of Jerusalem, he understood that the best he could hope for was a protest demonstration. All through Holy Week we are reminded that Jesus doesn’t save us from suffering, but that he understands how we suffer and he stays with us through it.

3. For lunch today, we got take-out from Joseppi’s. Big Al had half a pizza, and I had half a Joseppi’s Chop-Chop salad (greens with garbanzo beans, tomatoes, shredded mozzarella and four different Italian sausages sliced and cut in strips. And the house salad dressing.) Planning to eat the other half of the salad for lunch on Tuesday.

4. Quiet Sunday afternoon spent working on my puzzle and reading my Kindle while dozing in the rocking chair.

5. Slightly warmer again today with a high of 52 deg. Slowly but surely spring is coming.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 4/4/20

There is a hard truth to be told: before spring becomes beautiful, it is plug ugly, nothing but mud and muck…But in that muddy mess, the conditions for rebirth are being created.

Parker Palmer

1. WATCH

#Photo-a-day #Lenten Discipline

2. After the fiasco with ordering on line for pick-up at Safeway a couple of weeks ago, they sent me an apology, a pre-reserved pick-up time, and encouraged me to try again. I made my order this morning, and I should be able to pick it up about 3:00 on Thursday. There’s nothing in the order that we can’t live without until Thursday, so I’m happy. Now that they (apparently) have their act together, I’ll be able to get stuff regularly.

3. We had creamy potato soup for lunch, and I had a bologna sandwich, while Big Al had a salad to go with the soup.

4. The weather is definitely improving. Mostly sunny all day, and 50 deg. right now. I had a nice walk over to the Wellness Center where I finished out my steps and did my strength work. I guess I’m going to have to do it myself without relying on a trainer to push me. I’m not going to like it, but I’ll do it.

5. Made a tiny bit of progress on my jigsaw puzzle. Still don’t have all the sorting done, and I’m still missing some edge pieces. Maybe I’ll just work from the middle out instead of the edge in. 😉

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 4/3/20

There is a hard truth to be told: before spring becomes beautiful, it is plug ugly, nothing but mud and muck…But in that muddy mess, the conditions for rebirth are being created.

Parker Palmer

1. DARKNESS

#Photo-a-day #Lenten Discipline

2. It really turned cold this morning with a biting wind – 42 deg. at noon with windchill factor of 34 deg. I’m really happy the house is warm, and if our feet get cold we can bump the furnace up a couple of degrees.

3. Lunch today was steak, potatoes, and salad for Big Al, and steamed yellow squash for me.

4. I took the car to the Wellness Center to work out because it was too cold to walk comfortably. Got all my steps in for the day.

5. I worked a little bit on the jigsaw puzzle. It’s a hard one.

How about you? What made you happy today?