Different

When the year was still fresh, I read Why We Can't Wait, The Choice and I got about 150 pages into Caste before it was due back at the library. A lot of people are waiting on the book and it actually was for the good because all three of the books are heavy. 

Took a break to read Driving While Hungry. One thing that I've learned is that I don't care for e-readers. Years ago, I read a few books on them but it just drives me bonkers now. 

I am so restless and sad right now. 

I posted this tweet to my Instagram stories and a friend responded and I said it's still hard to believe how Chauvin executed Floyd and she commented -- with people recording and telling him to stop. 

Last month I was having a horrible day and walked my mother's dog, Jazz, which is pretty much my dog and this woman started walking towards me and Jazz started barking immediately which is normal for him and I thought that it would stop the woman in her tracks. Instead, she handed me a gold gift bag -- said that her daughter was having a baby. She told Jazz, "It's okay; it's okay" and it felt like she was talking to me too. 

Had to have part of a pipe replaced in the basement. The bathtub drain had been getting progressively slower. The plumber that I used before wasn't returning my calls so the guy who did my aunt's bathroom ages ago and whose wife went to nursing school with my mother did the job. 

He carried his tools back to his truck and I was surprised that it was taking him a bit but he had been looking for screws and offered to secure the screen door on the side of the house. I could have wept. Thought that I was going to have to get it replaced and I had just pushed it up as close as possible for winter because I couldn't deal with one more thing...

It's amazing how sad you can be and then something little delights. When I spotted green leaves emerging from the ground, it made me happy because I thought that maybe I had planted the tulip bulbs too deep... 

Months ago, I took a couple of PTO days and needed to make sure that this contractor had gotten an assignment and would be able to deliver it because almost every call you get when trying to leave the office for a few days is urgent. 

Ended up having a nice conversation with her. She talked about growing up in a communist country and how the feel of a communist country is different. I also got to speak to her toddler who is so sweet...

And this country feels brutally different but the sad part is...it's not.