I’ve Been in a Slump

Blogging should not feel like work but that is what it has felt like these last couple of weeks. After A to Z and our wonderful family visit, I think I fell into a bit of a slump. The world got a little darker and as a result, many of the blogs I followed got a lot more serious – mine did, too. My sweet blogging getaway drifted out of sight and I went along for the ride.

In preparation for the arrival of my daughter and her family, I did a LOT of yard work. A season’s worth of leaves had to be removed. I spent two days raking and moving leaves (life when you live surrounded by forest). In the process I hurt my knee. I had pain and swelling. An eventual trip to the doctor sent me back into physical therapy.

Yesterday was my first PT appointment. It was also my birthday. I heard from most of my family and many friends. Hubby and I don’t do much any more for birthdays so it was more of an average day. I am trying to drop some weight to benefit my knee so no cake and ice cream for me.

We finally had our 10×12 garden shed delivered and hubby has been busy relocating items from the garage into the building. He has installed a rack system for hanging garden tools so it is slowly coming together.

Our grandson is home from Clemson, but he has a summer job lined up. We will try to get down to see him soon before he starts his job. He is studying to be an engineer and the classes have been pretty tough. I think he is looking forward to working and saving some money before he goes back to school in the fall.

We have a granddaughter graduating from high school this month and she is also headed to Clemson in the fall.

I will have physical therapy twice a week for the next six weeks. I am trying to work more vegetable dishes into my diet. My son is inspiring all his family to embrace a more vegetarian lifestyle. I am not ready to become fully vegetarian, but with a bit of an elevated cholesterol, more vegetarian dishes will grace our table. I bought some new vegetarian cookbooks so we shall see.

I have been frustrated by the 1950 census. I found most of my relatives but not my parents! I even ordered my sister’s birth certificate to see where they lived when she was born (two months after the census was taken). I found the census for that location, but alas! No parents! I know my father was at Ft Devens two years later, but all indications show them living in Tennessee in 1950. It could be that the Google OCR reader could not properly translate the census taker’s handwriting. (My grandfather’s first name was listed as Malter instead of Walter.) There are A LOT of incorrectly transcribed names. I suppose it is possible they were missed when the census was taken.

What can I say about the world situation? I want to ask the question my mother often asked her children – “Have you lost your ever lovin’ mind?!?” I think I know the answer. We are wrestling with when to get the second booster. My doctor suggests yearly, but that seems to be in opposition with what the FDA, CDC, and Johns Hopkins University seem to advise. I think the end of the month will see us rolling up our sleeves.

I am off to select a door photo from the No Facilities Thursday Doors writing challenge. See you around the blogging water cooler.