Went to the Office!

Yesterday I went in to my office for the first time in almost exactly 3 months. How odd! A place I used to kind-of dread, now making me feel nostalgic and warm. LOL! 

When I walked in, my close-to-the-door coworker greeted me so kindly; I missed her sweet friendliness. Then the General Mgr. walked by me and said, "Lee! What are you doing here? Get the hell out of here!" (His 'humor' leaves a little to be desired, but I knew what he meant. He's a big germophobe, actually, and still wants people staying home. Thank God.) It was nice to be so enthusiastically greeted. In the old days, there were barely-there "good mornings" from the tired cube-land drones (including myself) as I walked by. 

My desk was dusty, and my monitor seemed enormous after 3 months of working on a laptop. I completed a lot of desk-tasks, though -- packing up some products to send out, printing some letters on letterhead, and dropping some things in the office of another coworker, to be picked up next time she's in the office. 

I only stayed until 3, because I wanted to take Alex to get a haircut and they close at 6; but since everyone is more tolerant of flexible schedules now, I didn't have to feel bad about that. I hope that will last. The guilt of not being "where you're supposed to be" was/is the worst part about being a working outside the home mom. Maybe I'll be okay with going back a few days a week eventually. For now, though, one day was plenty and I am relieved to be laptopping it at my kitchen table again this morning, and for the rest of the week, with Ash the cat snoozing on the notebook beside me. 

Garden (and other) Updates: Day 87

In late April, I planted a Better Boy tomato, cilantro, basil, chives, and flowers. Begonias, mostly, but some impatiens and Verbena as well, a geranium, and my 2 hanging scaveola plants. They all did so well through the spring! And it's thanks to COVID in large part, because for once in my life, I was at home and able to tend to them. But as summer hits, things are starting to deteriorate in the Gardening department:

• The tomato, mostly, just failed. We'd been so hopeful, with three green tomatoes actually growing and many other blossoms looking like the start of a bumper crop. But then yellow leaves appeared at the bottom, which I learned was likely a sign of too much water. I'd remove the yellow leaves (so they wouldn't be a "sugar drain," on the fruit), but the next day there'd be more. In the last week or so, the remaining blossoms have all withered and the 3 green tomatoes have not grown at all. And it's rained heavily the last 2 days. :( I've helped that plant to Jesus, I guess.
• UPDATE: 3 hours after posting, I went out to check the plants and there are 3 new babies on the tomato! It's looking okay! It might actually survive! hope hope pant pant hope hope
• The cilantro, which I was using so happily to make salsa every week, started to flower, and stopped making big pretty leaves. I could buy another plant at Publix to replace this one, I guess.
• The scaveola are doing okay. I try really hard to put them under a porch when it rains (they don't like overwatering, either) and to keep pruning them back. They're so pretty, and I want them to live.
• Begonias looks great. Some are getting leggy, but still lots of flowers.
• Impatiens look great. I'm really pleased because earlier in my adult life, I tried to grow impatiens and they didn't work out (I think they got too much sun). They're happy little flowers.

Ah, well. Shawn maintains that when we go away for a week, the plants always die anyway, and that trip is coming up. 

What we're doing on day 87:

I'm working, and working a LOT. At the beginning of this WFH deal, I had to tell myself it was okay if I only got 6 hours of work done in a day, or only completed one project. Emotions were high and productivity was low; kids needed my help sometimes with school, and we were all getting used to this. 

Now, the kids are out of school and work has really ramped back up. It's going okay -- one thing that helps is the tween & teen sleeping really late in the mornings -- but I'm tired by the end of my workdays. We still have lunch and a show together. I'm still exercising a lot more than Before, though I'm walking outside less because it's gotten hot. (My goal is always 150 minutes a week.) 

We're going out a little bit. To outdoor malls, with masks, and not every day, but we have to do SOMETHING. Stores are open. We needed books for beach week, for example, so we went to Barnes and Noble, which has been re-configured for social distancing (fewer shelves, more spread out, no chairs to read in-store).

Next week, Kate's doing a day-camp on a farm an hour away. If I were working in an office it would be impossible (day camps with their 8 to 3 schedules, I've always abhorred! Think of the working parents!!), but since days are WFH and flexible, I'm making it happen. The camp director promises social distancing, and all outdoor activities (hope it doesn't rain). The kids have to bring masks. I hope she has fun. 

What we're eating:

The same stuff, and some new stuff. This week's been a hodge-podge:

Sunday: HF pork carnitas tacos, one of our faves

Monday: Spaghetti with sausage meat sauce

Tuesday: This super-easy lemon-pepper chicken with green beans and Stove Top (pantry items FTW)

Wednesday: HF black bean enchiladas, which were delish

Tonight: a big salad with chicken leftover from Tuesday

Tomorrow: Baked potatoes, roasted broccoli

Saturday: is usually still take-out night. We haven't eaten in a restaurant yet as a family, but they're opening here in GA. I'm not ready.

I've cut back on coffee. A few weeks ago I had really bad reflux and an upset tummy for 2 or 3 days, and I started thinking about ulcers. Not that I had an ulcer, but when the mind gets going, sometimes.... you know. So I'm down to one cup a day, really, or a cup of regular and then only decaf if I want more.

How we're feeling:

Okay, really, besides the state of the world being a dumpster fire. (I don't want to talk about it.) I turned 46 and had a Zoom party and a delicious box cake. ;) We're glad that our time share is open and that the FL beaches are open. That will feel normal (although we're taking our masks, of course, and won't be doing some of the things we usually do, like the water park). 

Marching band had a boosters meeting via Zoom the other night, and that was hopeful. They're planning ahead as if the school year will begin in August, until they hear differently, and it was fun to see friendly faces and think about band camp next month. I did have a moment of worry that if we allow Alex to participate in it and they aren't as careful as they should be, and he gets sick.... but I have had to shake that thought from my brain and tell myself I can't live in fear.

I'm reading Angela's Ashes. I never read it long ago when it was The Thing, and I really like it, Talk about perspective and gratitude. Next up (for the beach), I've got Olive Kitteridge and Between the World and Me. Looking forward to both of those.