Happy “It’s Almost the Weekend” day.

For those in the United States, this is is a holiday-weekend.  Monday is Memorial Day–a day for honoring and mourning the military personnel who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.  It is also typically the unofficial kick-off of summer, although this year there will be nothing typical about it.

While the grocery stores are sporting plenty of meat for grilling and a variety of red, white, and blue items for that patriotic feel, a pandemic is hardly the time for big holiday gatherings.   My state is pretty much still in time-out, although we are moving into the curb-side phase of things.

My neighbors apparently got a head start on the “meat grilling” portion of the holiday program this evening–either that or their house was on fire.  Judging from the smell of lighter fluid wafting across the street, I’m going with the grilling answer.  I won’t be doing any grilling of my own, and not just because I don’t own a grill.  I have stocked up on spinach salad fixings, fresh fruit, and some refreshing adult beverages, all in an attempt to slow the impact of being stuck at home and away from the gym for more than two months now (online workouts can only help so much).

Growing up, holidays always seemed to require jello salad–often with some kind of unidentifiable fruit suspended in the jiggly mess and covered in cool-whip or some other nutritionally vacant substance–but there will be no jello salad for me.   I’m thinking that’s probably a “life-extending” decision.  I can’t guarantee that there won’t be donuts though.  Someone has to help keep the local bakery in business.  It’s my civic duty. 🙂

Before I succumb to a sugar high or imbibe a refreshing adult beverage, I think I’ll give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

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Happy Friday.  It is Friday, isn’t it?

To be honest, I’ve had my days mixed up all week, though that isn’t really such an unusual occurrence these days.  The only day I’m completely sure of is Wednesday, since that’s when the garbage trucks rumble through the neighborhood, grinding and clanking (and obsessionally thumping).

I don’t know about you, but my weeks at home have been filled with more seminars, webinars, phone calls, and Zoom meetings than I would have though possible.  Almost every email I get is either someone offering to teach me something or sell me something.  Ah well, at least it is proof that there are actually people out there somewhere.  As a plus, I’ve learned all kinds of new things–all of it for free!

In our work meetings, very few coworkers have been bold enough to turn on their cameras so we can see them when they talk.  Almost two months with no haircuts or coloring, plus no visits to the gym coupled with “working in comfortable clothes” has left many unwilling to make themselves visible once again.  I’m planning to brave the camera in my morning staff meeting, even if it means I will have to change out of pajamas and wear real clothes.  We’ll see how that goes.

Once my work day is done and I’ve gotten over the trauma of turning on the camera, I think I’ll reward myself with and adult beverage and then give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

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Welcome to the end of another week.  Or is it the beginning.  It’s getting harder and harder to tell.

I actually got to leave the house this week for something other than my weekly trip to the grocery store, which I’ve been treating like a game show.  Can I get in, get what I need, and get out this week faster than I did last week?

Wednesday included a trip to my actual office.  I needed some books and files that I hadn’t initially brought when we all were sent home and thought it was just going to be a temporary thing.  I’d forgotten what I nice view my office window provided (though all of those people out there without masks, what were they thinking?).

It was a little weird being the only one in my part of the building, not to mention strange to have to have my temperature taken before I could get to the elevators, but I appreciate the care they are taking.  I was also able to pickup my allotment of masks, so now I have a backup stash.  My computer apparently appreciated being attached to the network after such a long time; it took almost two hours for it to do all of the updating it needed to do (which was another reason I was in the office).  I was on conference calls most of that time, so it wasn’t too much of a problem.  I should have made a list of what I needed before I left home though.  I managed to forget one of the main things I stopped in to get.  In my defense, I got distracted just as I went to pick it up  by the package of batteries in my drawer that had gone on an acid-trip in my absence.  I seem to have that effect on batteries these days.

Anyway, now that I’m back home–having survived the crazy drivers on the road who seem to consider both speed limits and turn signals to be for “other people”–I’m ready to get back to sheltering in place.  Seems like a good time to pick up a favorite book or maybe pop a good romcom caper movie into the DVD player.  Before that though I think I’ll see what I can to with today’s writing prompt and random words.

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Happy Friday everyone; did you miss me on Wednesday?  The days have been both jammed pack and dragging on here in the Stay At Home Writing Castle.

I’m fortunate enough to still be working during the pandemic–my job being both essential and transferable from office to home–but things are definitely different (and not just the lack of real live co-workers to within my line of sight).  I don’t know about anyone else, but when I’m working from home, the work day just seems to go on and on and on.  I find myself working 12-hour days, not because I’m being required to, but because there are no cues to remind me that it’s time to transition from work to home.

I’m working on that.  I take a walk around my local park every evening at seven, which should be a cue to wrap things up, but I always manage to thing of something during that time that I just need to quickly check on.

I’m sure you can guess what happens next.  Hours later I look up and realize that it’s almost tomorrow.  I have a feeling that just about the time I figure out how to balance work and non-work, it will be time to return to the office.  There have already been rumblings about what post-pandemic life will look like in the office, and on the (extremely) rare occasions I need to stop by my physical office, there are temperature checks, masks, and one-person-per-elevator social distancing rules in place.

Still, things could be worse, especially now that I got my delivery of toilet paper from the local office supply store (go figure!).  In hindsight, I picked the wrong year to stop stocking my pantry with months worth of supplies.

Now that my paper-goods cabinet is stocked for the duration, I think it’s time to turn my efforts toward more creative pursuits.  I’ve been having fun playing along with our Friday sprints (though often not until Wednesdays), so after my post-work walk around the block later this evening I’m going to see what I can to with today’s writing prompt and random words.

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Hi there.  Welcome to another Friday.  I hope yours was a good one.

When not working this week I tried to spend less time watching the news and more time outside or doing something creative.  The past weeks of wet and then sunny weather have resulted in a yard in bloom.  My two climbing roses seem to be doing their best to take over the house.  They’ve grown up over the edge of the roof and now one bush is sending out a shoot aiming for the neighbor’s house.  I’m curious to see how this will all wind up.

For now, the yard has a wonderful springtime smell and lots of color.  Well, lots of one color.  I swear I planted flowers of a variety of colors, but they all seem to be varying shades of pink, with the exception of a bit of lavender.  I know the hydrangeas change color, depending on the acidity of the soil, but I don’t know about the rest.  Whatever the explanation, the yard is pretty and is nice to sit out on the deck in the sunshine and enjoy the view.

From a creativity standpoint, I made “sneeze” masks last week from random material from the craft cupboard and now I’m making a quilt top out of all the random-random pieces left.  I haven’t done any quilting in a while, so we’ll just have to wait and see how that all works out.

For now, I think it’s time to engage in a little creativity of the writing type.  I’ve been having fun playing along with our Friday sprints (though often not until Wednesdays), so after my post-work walk around the block later this evening I’m going to see what I can to with today’s writing prompt and random words.

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How’s everyone out there?  Still doing okay?

I’m doing fine though even I, introvert that I am, am about ready to go back to the office for a little human interaction.  I was thrilled to get to the grocery store yesterday so I could pick up some milk and assure myself that I’m not staring in an episode of “Last Man Standing.”

I was online chatting with a co-worker yesterday who is working from home along with her husband and has apparently had just about enough “togetherness.”  I guess no matter which end of the spectrum you’re on, after a month you start to wish for something else.

I’ve been going for a walk in my local park before dinnertime every day–socially distant and with my mask–which is a nice chance to get out and about and at least see people from a distance.  Everyone has been pretty good about keeping far apart, except for Sunday when there was some Easter egg hunting going on.

I had fun with Wednesday’s short story (you can check it out here if you missed it).  I think I’ll see if I can build on it, using today’s writing prompt and random words.

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