Thursday, April 23, 2026

What brought me joy today

What brought me joy today: 

  1. Exploring books
  2. Being around book people
  3. Being amused by people’s opinions on books
  4. A good video appointment with my cardiologist who has seemed uncaring and clinical in past, and somehow I felt more connected with him and confident in his care, and hopeful
  5. My cat asking for love and also being cat-like in her refusal to accept love
  6. Half a banana from Sean 
  7. Appreciating the quality of Cadbury chocolate vs the cheap stuff 
  8. Rhinoceros stickers — the sheer variety of them, and letting people choose them for their Book Crawl passports 
  9. A book about joy inspiring me to write down my joys lately because apparently I spend a lot of time being grateful and appreciating whimsy than most people so I should document it
  10. Doing exercises in front of my little gold-framed Rembrandt postcard in the bathroom 
  11. Tidying my 50-year plus stuffed animals and telling Sean I’ve manifested space for him to go to Costco for a TV.  

Make fabric envelopes, houses

fabric envelopes

Second tutorial



Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Things I did today instead of Doom Scrolling

Things I did today instead of Doom Scrolling 

  1. Talked blinds and shades 
  2. Tidied the house
  3. Repaired a 17 year old red penguin 
  4. Signed up for a library class
  5. Met a bunch of ladies and drank wine
  6. Watched Survivor 50 

What made you happy this week

What made me happy this week:

  • ​Peter having conversations with me
  • Kate Bowler's new book about ache and joy 
  • The backyard
  • Bingo with Sean 
  • Talking taxes with Heidi 
  • Being tipsy on white wine
  • Good sleep
  • Potential of new blinds 

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Things I did today instead of Doom Scrolling:

Things I did today instead of Doom Scrolling:

1. Made cinnamon rolls

2. Worked on 3 gift tax returns

3. Increased my withholding

4. Got a Pap smear

5. Tried on new dresses

6. Danced to Johnny Cash & June Carter

7. Drank lemon drop martinis

8. Played Bingo

9. Admired the stars & moon



Monday, April 20, 2026

Give myself a writing prompt

You know what I did today?


Dusted a really grody dust-covered ceiling fan in Peter’s condo.

Then vacuumed *cough cough*

Then also changed the AC filter.


Paid for the ambulance ride I took back in March when I wasn’t breathing right.

Then did my breathing exercises.


Looked for and failed to find a flower press kit at Aldi that some Insta Aldi influencer said would be there.

Then researched flower press kits on Etsy. Haven’t bought anything yet. Would I walk more if I looked for flowers to press? Hmmm. 


Noted Mike & Nadine are organizing a thing in July.

Then researched bike trails in Minnesota. 

Remembered Mary McDonald is in Duluth and the weather is glorious there in July. 


Took a walk in the unusually glorious mid-April weather we’re having here. 

Then called Sean to discuss the weather, the condo, Minnesota, and his bum knee.

Then I stretched my hamstrings. 


What I didn’t do?

Work much. Or give a mouse a cookie.

LOOKED UP: what to do with pressed flowers

​getting intrigued by thought of making pressed flowers. Looked up what to do with pressed flowers 


How to press flowers



Small Joys Project

Back in January 2023, I came across a British woman on Twitter who had written out 365 small joys on pieces of paper and put them in a jar, ...