Nutty

Yesterday was beautiful albeit unseasonably warm. We are in mid-October, and I am still plucking ripe blueberries off our bushes. The leaves are still hanging onto the trees, refusing to budge from their dull green. I want my beautiful autumn, I'm tired of shorts and bugs!

The falling nuts are the only sign that the seasons have changed. I don't remember another year where the hickory nut harvest was so plentiful. We take a snow shovel to the driveway to move the nuts every day, and by the next morning the asphalt is covered again. Have I mentioned how much I hate the hickory nuts?

These aren't regular nuts. Hickory nuts fall like baseballs on our house, encapsulated in a hard green pod ranging from 2-4 inches in diameter. When they land on the driveway (or any other hard surface) the pod splits open and the nut flies out. Our cars, our roof and everything else we own and keep outside has been dented from these nuts. Seriously, if you ever buy a house with a hickory tree close to anything important, cut it down! Unfortunately, we have several hickory trees and cutting them down at their size is cost prohibitive. I wish we had done it when they were younger.

Not only do the nuts damage everything, but they create a hazard minefield through the yard. One step on a nut or a partial pod and an ankle is twisted or I'm thrown off balance. This time of year, I'm on high alert when I simply walk from the driveway to our door. Despite our efforts to clear the nuts, the supply seems endless. 

We are supposed to reach 90 today, but tomorrow storms are going to bring cooler temperatures to our area. I am counting on the storm bringing down the rest of the nuts in a single event, allowing us to sweep them away for good.

Dance

Yesterday was uneventful. Between work and school, I had little time for anything else. After nearly two months, I feel like we are finally hitting a groove with school. The stress cloud that has been following me since August feels like it is finally beginning to fade. Fingers crossed, I think we might have a handle on the school year schedule!

Even though we were busy, Timmy and I did manage to squeeze a few rollerskating dance parties in between tasks. My goodness he loves dancing and skating around the living room and kitchen. Although it leaves me both tired and sweaty, I have to admit that I love it. Watching him smile and laugh is absolutely priceless. As an added bonus, it seems that I have lost five pounds since our dance parties have started!

 

 

No sleep

Yesterday was rough. I woke up feeling worn out because I didn't sleep well Sunday night. My sleep tracker logged a whopping 3 hours of sleep for the night. Unfortunately, a pot of coffee wasn't enough to overcome the lack of sleep.

As the day progressed, I began to feel worse. I ended up trying to take a nap in the afternoon but was unsuccessful. (Unless I have a high fever, I just can't sleep during the day.) Instead of sleeping and feeling better, I spent the day muddling through until bedtime.

I went to bed early and, although it took me longer to fall asleep than I had hoped, I slept hard. I'm feeling so much better this morning! It's amazing how sleep, or the lack of it, has the power to influence the entire day.

Fun!

The weather wasn't ideal over the weekend, but I was able to escape for a few hours to have some fun with Timmy. We went to one of our favorite farms for a morning of swinging, sliding and exploring. After two hours the farm began to feel crowded so we left earlier than I originally anticipated. Despite our adventure being cut short, I left feeling both happy and energized.

I'm grateful that I am vaccinated and safer to be around crowds. I know that the vaccine does not mean that I am completely safe from the virus, but it does provide a layer of protection. Timmy is still vulnerable, so keeping him away from crowds is my priority. While I was bummed to leave the farm early, I also felt incredibly grateful that we are now able to enjoy some adventures. Hopefully life will return to normal sooner rather than later.

Sunday was busy with work and prepping for the week ahead. I've learned that investing a few hours of my weekend helps to mitigate much of the stress I feel at the beginning of the week. I wish I could log off completely and not worry about work during the weekend, but reducing stress is definitely worth sacrificing a few hours of my time.

Our week is going to be busy. Hopefully it will be a good one!