September 30

Brady came downstairs this morning and announced that he needed to fix Bob. Initially I wasn't sure who Bob was (I'm sort of surrounded by Bob/Bobby/Robert/Rob/Robbie-types) but then a few minutes later he skittered back up the stairs to his room and reappeared with his old robot. (THAT Bob.)

He cut up an empty granola bar box, drew a face on it, attached new arms, and then voila, Bob was restored. And then he took a picture of it and added said image to a Google slide for school. Badda-bing, badda-boom.

This is what distance learning looked like today. It's definitely not a perfect system and there's definitely at least one procrastinator in our house, but all in all, I'm grateful for how well my kiddos are handling the challenge. Given some of the experiences some of my friends have had thus far, I know full well that I am extremely blessed.

September 29

I went outside this evening to plant some fall beans. (I'm a wee bit late, but feel emboldened by my recent victory over the aphid colony that wiped out most of my previous crop.) When I came back inside, I heard the unmistakable sounds of BearBear and Cheesy's banter emanating from the living room, so I went to investigate.

Sure enough, I discovered BearBear (voiced by Abby) and Cheesy (who is BearBear's estranged and rather sociopathic daughter, brought to life by Adam) engaged in conversation. I have no clue what they were talking about (and trying to figure it out sometimes gives me a headache), but I smiled at the sight of the two of them --my husband and my only daughter-- enjoying the interaction. 

Because seeing my people --my family-people and my friend-people-- enjoy happy moments is such a big blessing.

September 28

I am so, so glad that I decided I wanted to learn to crochet. 

I'm currently working on a number of different projects; when I get tired of one of them, I just switch to another. This one is a scarf I'm making for myself using a waffle weave stitch (which is my current favorite!); the others are things I'm making for other people. I love that there are so many different stitches to try out and so many different types and colors of yarn available. It's become my norm to crochet while I watch TV at night. And I love it.

Beyond that, I'm thankful that I didn't just give up for good when it took me longer than I would've liked to figure out the basics. Perseverance can be hard, but it can also lead to wonderful breakthroughs and rewards.

September 27

Both of my parents are exceptionally talented when it comes to fine arts. Cross stitch, rug hooking, embroidery, smocking, knitting, woodworking, sewing... between the two of them, they can pretty much do it all. I joked for a while that it must skip a generation because I've historically had neither the patience nor the desire to create in that kind of way (though I admit that I do love to crochet). Anyway, if there is indeed a gene, Abby proved this weekend --once and for all-- that she has it.

She saw a dress she liked on YouTube --a personality she follows was either just wearing it or created it; I'm not clear on the precise details-- so she decided she was going to make her own version. I was, honestly, a little skeptical as we went to Joann's so she could buy fabric (twice, actually, since she discovered she'd need more than she'd initially thought) because she was making it WITHOUT A PATTERN (and yes, that's in all caps because I know for a fact that it's extremely difficult to see a dress and just MAKE it by SIGHT and WITHOUT one) and because she chose a checked fabric. (Checks are difficult to match, and since she constructed the bodice and the skirt separately, it could've gone very, very wrong very, very easily.) 

But when she came downstairs very late last night to show me the finished product, all of that skepticism evaporated. Even without a pattern, she managed to eyeball it perfectly: the fit, the sizing, the length, all of it. I was super proud of her, and it tickled me to see how proud of herself she was, because she earned every ounce of that feeling.

So tonight, I'm thankful for her talents and her drive and her determination. She may procrastinate sometimes (and that may drive me absolutely batty), but when she really wants something, she goes after it. And that kind of dedication, methinks, is a blessing.

September 26

My allergies have been terrible the past few days (shout out to ragweed for that particular joy), so it stands to reason that I spent most of today inside with my air purifier running on high. After dinner, though, when the orange of the sunset sky shone through my bedroom window, curiosity got the best of me and I headed up to the deck for a look at the view. 

And it most definitely did not disappoint. The oranges, the pinks, the blues, even the shades of grey... they were all lovely. And soothing. And I couldn't help but notice the sunbeams in the center of the image. 

It's hard to not feel a deep sense of gratitude when you get to watch incredible art like this be painted onto the sky every evening... from your own backyard.

September 25

I found out yesterday that my original Mother Ship is closing for good this weekend. It seems kind of silly to be sad about a Starbucks shuttering its doors since there are at least five of them here in Pleasanton alone, but this one's been special to me. It's where I plunked down in a chair each morning after school drop-offs. It's where I enjoyed hundreds of coffee dates. It's where I did PTA work and where I transcribed interviews and wrote articles during my "I interview celebrities for fun" phase of life. It's where I was the customer of the month earlier this year. As odd as it sounds for someone who never worked there, I did a lot of living there. So today, I popped in to get drinks for myself and Kristine (for her birthing day! Happy first birthday to Lily!) and to say goodbye to whomever was working. And the "whomever" happened to be two of my favorites: Katie and Megan.

These girls are two truly top-notch human beings, and I'm thankful that I got to meet and talk with them during their time as employees at the store. Both were perpetually pleasant, positive, and attentive, and my time there wouldn't have been the same without our morning exchanges and their smiles. 

So this evening, I'm thankful for them, and hopeful that they'll move on to their new stores knowing just how amazing they are.

September 24

If 2020 has revealed any truth, it's that this life is unpredictable.

Take my gardening. Usually, I wind up with overly healthy tomato plants that overproduce delicious fruit. That didn't happen this year. Sure, I've had some tomatoes, but not nearly as many as usual.

My bell pepper, plants, though... they've taken off like gangbusters. The peppers themselves are plentiful in number and in color: there's the huge yellow one, some that are turning a vibrant shade of red, and a host of black ones and green ones on the plants in the back. And even now, each plant has new flowers so they may well continue producing well into the fall.

Funny thing about is that I've never been able to get bell peppers to grow. But this year... this year, they're thriving.

So look at it this way: this year definitely isn't going in a direction that any of us would've liked or planned. But that doesn't mean it can't still be good -- maybe you just need to look for surprise bell peppers instead of the tomatoes you usually harvest.