It’s “Hey Rene J” Today!

We’ve had music lessons for the past two days and have added the guitar to our repertoire. In other words, my little pup has found the strings! The good news – the music room is a draw. The downside? I have beads hanging as draperies and they are also a big draw. Soon I may be redecorating out of necessity!

Whenever I paint, I really should add an extra quart to the measurement required. The extra quart is what ends up on me.

Seriously? I can cover myself, wear a shower cap, and yet….I will end up being painted.

You’ve heard the stories – my painting is meticulous on the walls, and yet, I am a mess after. That’s why, if I weren’t doing my own painting, I would hang out at the paint counter of Home Depot. I’d look for a person with paint on their backside (accidentally bumping the previously painted wall) or in their hair (must paint ceilings! A bonus!) or all over their hands – the best sign. (Spends time with the brush on small spaces.)

My hands are raw from scrubbing, but one closet looks good!

When I was a wee lass, a closet was a magnet. Both sets of grandparents had one which held the toys. The toys? The closet?

The toys were in a cardboard box at both houses. They were minimal: an incomplete set of Lincoln Logs, a mopey yellow squeaky dog, a plastic blue car, a View Finder (with one reel) and an Etch-a-Sketch, the primo toy. These items had to be shared with a multitude of cousins, and because we were taught to share, it was also imperative to pretend you didn’t care whether or not you got to play with the toys! This was true for both of my grandparents’ stashes.

The closet? One house had a Harry Potter under-the-stairs closet which was way cooler than the toys. The other grandparent had a boring front hall closet, but a much better flooring option for the toys. Both were educational spaces.

This only comes to mind as I anticipate painting one of two remaining closets of which I have not painted in this house. Fair warning spouse. Your office closet is the final frontier.

Puzzle addict and coffee drinker. Oh, there are more similarities not evidenced in this photo, hopefully much better ones. Miss you, Mom!

Yes, I knew about this word game app, and I kept myself from trying it as I’m already a puzzle aficionado. (addict) However, I was encouraged to try it and share my results with two other gamers I roomed with on my Tucson excursion.

Every morning for the past two weeks we individually text the other roomies with our number of guesses. There is no ”wordle shaming,” but you do get to brag a bit if you guess the word with two attempts. I haven’t done that yet. My new problem? I stayed awake until midnight last night just so I could play this once-a-day-word game.

Puzzleholics Anonymous is calling.

My husband says I should blog about curling. He thinks we should give the sport a try.

In honor of his wishes, I am suggesting he get a broom and practice the sweeping on our floor, while I head upstairs and plug in the hot rollers. That’s how we’re going to participate in this Olympic sport.

End-of-the-week humor.

Years ago, when computers were entering the elementary school, I took my kids to an evening event at the library. The task was to plan a vacation. You could use reference books or the computer. Well, I chose books, mostly because I love them, especially travel books and atlases. You can flip back and forth, feel the texture of the page and see how worn it is. Did someone else like the Greek Isle destination photos? Remember, a book is what got my young mind set on Egypt, flipping through those pages in awe time and time again.

When I’m researching anything on the computer, it’s just clicking. Reading homework is harder, as flipping back and forth seems to be a normal thing for me, and my eyes do not appreciate that ”flickering.” A book is more restful.

Oh, it might be faster to find exactly what you’re seeking with technology. My kids chose the computer that evening and definitely ”beat me” in gleaning the information we needed. However, I often feel I’m missing part of the journey that way. Is speed the most important thing?

This came to mind as I was cleaning my desk yesterday, flipping through papers and letters, touching life. I loved those card files!

Remember Mitch Albom’s book, ”Tuesdays With Morrie?” I have ”Wednesdays With Avila.”

Yesterday began with an early auto drop-off for an oil change. Returning home, my pumpkin arrived and the day took off from there! I assumed I would have time to finish my puzzles and scribble something, but the napping was quick and all I finished was breakfast and an afternoon phone call.

I did get some good knee action in as I crawled around with my little one. I should put Swiffer sweepers on and get some work done! After the floor exercises we did some heavy lifting and toting. We have our own mini-Olympics.

It’s always a joyful day and I count my accomplishments in blessings received from her little smiles and giggles. There’s always another day to clean closets.

This was a cute memory jolt in the paper. Did you do this in school? Work on your homework at lunch, recess, in the next class, study hall, just so you wouldn’t have to do it at home? We didn’t have buses taking us away from the school in my little town, or I might have saved some work for the trip.

Sometimes I’d be listening to a lecture while solving a theorem just presented in the previous class, lest I forget. Is there even study hall any more? Do students get homework?

I’ll have to ask the next student I see hanging out at Starbucks.

This is my next Pinterest project. I shall be creating placards to be placed strategically around the television for the Super Bowl viewing audience. Thank you, Ponna and Patherine, for sharing this inspiring post.