Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday:

 “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple” – Jenny Joseph

That is the opening line of a poem titled “Warning” by Jenny Joseph.  The poem goes on to describe the red hat she'll also wear (which led to the formation of The Red Hat Society).  Purple has always been a favorite color of mine, and I didn't wait until I was an old woman to wear it.  I wore it a lot as a young woman in my teens and have continued to wear it or a variation of the shade, such as lilac.  But I was reminded of the poem when I got dressed to go to the office on Tuesday morning: lilac floral skirt, purple shell, lilac cotton cardigan.

Tuesday's Outfit

I used to have purple high heeled shoes and a matching purse, at one time; a purple bead necklace, etc.  Back when I was a younger woman and more stylish, when I had several pairs of shoes in colors to match my outfits and purses and jewelry to match.  These days, I have mostly black shoes and a single neutral colored everyday purse, and I rarely change my jewelry.  These days, I’d rather sleep in those extra 10 minutes!  LOL.

My morning commute to the office was a bit complicated as there was a road closure due to construction on the route I normally take.  And there was no clearly marked detour.  But I was familiar enough with the area and alternate routes, so once I made my way to a road I knew would take me downtown, I was able to relax.  Of course, several other drivers had also taken that alternate route, so it was a bit congested.  But I was able to get to the office at a reasonable time.  These days, that is 10:30 a.m.  Next week, I would like to bring it up to 9:30 a.m.

I had a good day at the office.  I still think I am more productive when I am at home, but I am getting more used to the background noise, again.  Later in the afternoon, I walked the three blocks to the local branch library and borrowed a book:  "Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948” by Madeleine Albright.  It was a beautiful afternoon, sunny and warm.  Half way to the library, I remembered I hadn’t brought my cell phone with me – I had left it in my purse which was locked up in my desk.  But I had my employee ID which I wear on a lanyard around my neck and I carry one of my business cards in it, as well.  So, if there was a medical emergency, I had some identification on me!  I really must make it a point to carry my cell phone with me, though.

After I came home, I brought in the trash cans, had a cup of tea, watched the evening news and relaxed a bit.  Then, I decided I should put the sofa sheets to wash and vacuum the family room.  My artificial pine Christmas tree is just like a real pine tree in the sense it sheds!  My family room floor and the area rug were covered with the fake pine needles!  So I put the sheets to wash and vacuumed the family room and the kitchen.  Then, I pushed the sofas back in their usual place – I keep them in an L shaped arrangement, but had put them facing each other in order to accommodate the Christmas tree.  They are back in their usual L-shaped arrangement, now.  It opens up the room.  I also lint rollered the sofas before I covered them again with different sheets.  Then, I hung up the washed sheets to dry, went through this week’s grocery sales ads that had come in the mail, and had dinner.  I was tired by then and didn’t feel like sorting through the stack of mail and papers on the dining table.

Later, I video chatted with my daughter.  She had a lot to discuss about her work – apparently one of her colleagues is leaving her full time position at the end of the week and management had been asking daughter about her work load; daughter was hired to do 50% of her time on one project and the other 50% of the time on another project (two separate funding sources) and has been helping on a 3^rd project during her “spare” time when work is slow on one of the other two projects.   Apparently, when she told them that, they teasingly asked her what about her evenings and weekends!  LOL.

Tuesday's To Do List:

- Go to the office - DONE

- Bring the trash cans in - DONE

- Finish clearing the dining table - Almost Done; only thing left is a stack of paper and my sewing machine and box of thread, which I want to keep out in case I sew this weekend

- Paperwork/Filing

- Vacuum (I am going to keep this on the list, but I doubt I'll be able to get to it until Thursday) – STARTED (did the family room and kitchen)

- Another load of laundry (sheets I use on the family room sofas to keep the cat fur off) – DONE

Yesterday, I was grateful for:

- A safe commute to the office

- A productive day

- Video chatting with my daughter

- The convenience of having a library an easy walk from the office

- Being told I looked very “spring like” in my lilac outfit by a colleague :)

Wednesday

Today (Wednesday), I wore my plaid skirt and cream sweater combination to the office.  I dressed it up with a multi-colored beaded necklace.  The clasp of the necklace broke, but I fixed it with a small safety pin!  I shall see about replacing the clasp when daughter comes on her next visit; I think she has some jewelry clasps, as she makes jewelry for her friends, at times.  If not, it’ll be a good excuse to visit the craft store!  (I am on a self-imposed general craft supplies diet, unless I need a specific item for a specific purpose!)

There was no road closure this morning, so the commute went fairly smoothly (there was a delay, however, due to an accident on the freeway).   I had a banana for breakfast, leftover teriyaki beef and rice for lunch, grapes, peanuts, and a couple of crackers for snacks.  I had forgotten how hazardous to one’s waistline our office tends to be!  There were doughnuts set out on the “snacks” table, along with small packets of M & M’s (last week, there were lemon muffins and chocolate candy bars; earlier there were pies to celebrate February birthdays).  Today there was a staff meeting during which there were cream puffs with a green tea filling which I declined.  Later in the afternoon, there was a retirement reception for a colleague with cakes, cookies, brownies, etc.  Again, I declined.  I’ve been guilty of bringing in banana bread, etc. to the office, myself, and on the first day I returned to work, I brought in a jar of chocolate covered raisins.  Next week, I think I’ll bring some fresh fruit and keep on the snack table as a healthier alternative!  Today, I did take a couple of oranges from my tree to give to my supervisor and the clerical staff.

The evening commute didn't go as smoothly as the morning commute.  There was another accident just before my exit and traffic was backed up and bumper to bumper.  I left the office at 5:30 p.m. and didn't get home until just after 7:00 p.m.  My daughter phoned as I walked in - she was calling to check if I had come home, yet!  (I text her to let her know when I leave the office and she knows it takes me about an hour to get home; she texted me at 6:30 p.m., but I was in the car and didn't answer the text).  So I chatted to her on the phone for a bit, then, made a cup of tea and just rested.  I was feeling too tired to do any of the things on my to do list for this evening! 

Dinner was the last of the macaroni and cheese I had made, mixed with some leftover corn and the last of the chicken breast half.  I'll call it a mac and cheese casserole!  Video chatted with daughter after dinner.

Today, I am grateful for:

- My supervisor being fine with me coming in at 10:30 a.m. and saying she’s happy to see me.

- Chats with colleagues.

- Being able to resist the sweets!

-  A safe commute to the office and back.

- Video chatting with my daughter.

The older daughter of my friend who passed away in November called me to inform me that she was having a memorial service and dinner afterwards to mark the passing of three months since her mother's death (one of our customs), this weekend.  She said it was going to be just family, but apparently I am included in "family"!  I asked her if I can bring something towards the dinner and she said if I'd like to bring a dessert that would be good.  I will make a pudding or something; the dinner is on Saturday night.

Wednesday’s To Do List:

- Go to the office - DONE

- Put away laundry - DONE

- Finish clearing the dining table - Mostly Done

- Paperwork/Filing

- Vacuum living room, dining area and hallway (probably won’t get to till Thursday)

- Clean the litter box/sweep bathroom (will get done before I go to sleep).

Thursday’s To Do List:

- Doctor’s appointment (afternoon)

- Vacuum

- Paperwork/Filing

- Clear dining table

- Go for a walk

How was your day?  Have you had a pleasant week so far?