Today I need to figure out what I want for a coffee maker/system. The current pod system I have is not great, and the water is not heating up to a consistent temperature. A sure sign that the coffee maker element is about to fail and then I will be stranded with no coffee. The pod coffee is expensive and I have had a run of very bitter coffee also so I am pretty sad and grumpy about it this morning. I want to have a Panera coffee every morning but that would be a ridiculous amount of money. So do I try a aero press? French Press? Good Old Mr Coffee? Pour over? I have a new Costco membership and I can get coffee at a great price. Today is a deep dive. I don’t want a million parts to clean. I need something that I won’t hurt my hands, fingers and wrists making. Today I have a mediocre coffee and it is spurring me on to get a better set up.

Freezing temps are still hitting us at night so no tender plants or seeds have been sown. I do plan to try to get a bit of weeding in. I love my garden but the weeds that have popped up in the compost we used is absolutely horrible. I even put preen on it a month ago. I have a ton of grass to pull, nettles, dandelions and mugwort. I keep telling myself it will be ok. My back says nope. I am going to use a few tools and limit the amount of bending and kneeling. I also don’t want to get off balance and fall. I think I need some tall weeding tools like this:

Amazon.com : Grampa’s Weeder – The Original Stand Up Weed Puller Tool with Long Handle – Made with Real Bamboo & 4-Claw Steel Head Design – Easily Remove Weeds Without Bending, Pulling, or Kneeling : Hand Weeders : Garden & Outdoor

I need to learn to work smarter not harder! I also have to apply my time management ideas to weeding. If I spend only 15 min a few times a week on this then the weeding will be done and managed all summer. I just can’t get overwhelmed by the amount of work needed at the starting point of the project.

I have been just going where my energy takes me this week and it has been all about knitting Grandmas Favorite dishcloth, a few stitches on my hexies and a ton of Zentangles and doodles. I needed the repetitive Zen nature of these projects. I hope to get to sewing more and longarming but that may wait till next week. I am loving the fact that I don’t have to do anything. No commitments, no customers, no stressful time tables right now. It has been just what I needed.

Strange times we live in and I am trying to make the transition to a world for the fully vaccinated. I don’t like wearing masks for long periods. I also feel like I need a mask when in public and in close contact with people I don’t know. I have been slowly getting out more and that has been going ok so I think the weaning myself off the mask is going to be ok too. I was just surprised that I had a bit of anxiety when the CDC announcement came this week that masks are not required in most situations for fully vaccinated people. I think that we all will have somethings to work through as we seem to be returning to a pre pandemic life. I have one more week at home and then back to the office full time. I plan to savor the moments because once I got used to it, I really liked working from home. PS so glad palazzo pants and banana clip barrettes are back in style, I have the pants on order for work as it is super hot in the office. I will miss my climate controlled home a lot over the summer.

I am gonna drink up the last of this terrible coffee and find my gardening clothes and get some fresh air and sunshine, take stock of the plants growing in and plant a few perennials that over wintered in pots.

Take time to find creativity in any way you can!

Vicki