Braille

I love the theme of our 2024 calendar, obscure holidays and daily celebrations, because it reminds me that there is always something to celebrate. Today I discovered that it is National Braille Day. I was immediately hit me with a wave of nostalgia I wasn't anticipating. 

I fell in love with Braille when I was Timmy's age and I read a book about Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller. Despite the fact that I went to college to teach the blind and I earned my graduate degree to teach cane skills, I haven't worked with Braille in nearly two decades. The years that have flown by since I left teaching and I find my mind continues to translate the written word into invisible dots. 

I don't have a Braille writer, but I do sketch out 'secret' codes to myself with dots. I discovered that I can leave reminders about surprises and gifts in the open because nobody in the family can decipher the codes. I miss Braille, but I don't miss teaching. 

Packing

Yesterday the boys stepped back into their school day routines and, while they were not delighted to be back at the grind, their complaints were kept to a minimum. Timmy even admitted that he missed his classes and his friends. I was delighted with the return to normal but I did my best to keep my smiling to a minimum as I watched Scott leave for work and the boys log in for their classes. 

With everybody back at school I'm starting to turn my attention towards preparing the home to move. Specifically, we really need to purge the trash and start to pack. Because we don't own a pick-up truck or any feasible way to transport large items to the dump they have accumulated in the back of our garage. I feel overwhelmed by the clutter and the tasks ahead but fretting isn't getting anything done. Instead I spent several hours yesterday pricing dumpster services. 

If the weather holds, we will have a dumpster delivered to the house in about two weeks. This will provide us with enough time to consolidate the trash into a central location. Once we get the trash removed I'll reclaim an area that can be used to stow our packed boxes, which will probably be ordered today.

I'm still feeling overwhelmed by 2024 but I'm trying to tackle it head on. I figure if I keep checking small items off of my list it will eventually result in my house being packed and moved. At least, that is the plan for now!

New Year

Despite being nearly one week after Christmas I was finally able to celebrate the season with my mom and sister. Covid swept into their home before Santa, leaving germs and forcing a not-so-festive quarantine. We waited a few days after the last negative test before heading north, but we were all eager for our seasonal get together. I may have missed Christmas but I'm so glad that we were there for New Year. 

We were planning on going to watch the pickle drop on New Years Eve but the rain changed our plans. Instead of going to the countdown we ate junk food, played games and watched television. It may not have been as exciting as those partying in Times Square, but the kids had fun and celebrated 2024 with giggles and laughter.  

It was a quick trip to Pennsylvania because everybody returns to school today. I know that the transition from vacation to work is always difficult but I am happy for the return to normal. The Christmas decorations have already been packed away, the tree is in the woods and the presents have all been unboxed and put into use. The holiday is officially offer.

Typically I mourn the end of the holiday season. This year I celebrated the tinsel removal. It was a difficult season and I'm glad that it is over.