a_natural_beauty

Again I've taken some days away from getting on my laptop. Sometimes it is just difficult to get up and turn it on and get away from my comfy couch. But in the last week there has been some good news and some not so good news. I'm starting to feel this is normal anymore. For awhile things were really looking up and nothing too bad could happen but I know bliss never happens forever. And that's okay. I guess it makes me appreciate when good things do happen and come around. I'll be checking my reading page this morning, I hope you all have been doing as well as you can be.

So the good news is work has picked back up again. We've been getting more patients and my coworkers and I have been able to stay all day. Finally it feels like it's gotten back to normal. A scare just enough I think to make us appreciate us for job - the other day - Wednesday I think it was we were talking about it. Just at how comfortable it is to work there and how bad some of our past jobs have been.

Animal crossing has been a nice distraction. So far my island has seven villagers. Anicotti, Bam, Bertha, Lucy, Mira, Moe and Shep. The Able sisters shop, Timmy and Tommy's store has expanded. I have the campsite now. I'm working on getting my star rating up. Currently I have one star :-p But I'll get there. After Mike moves in we'll get the online membership together and if any of you would like to come to my island we can do that. I still need to get all of the fruit trees. So far I have oranges and peaches. And my island already produces pears. I had to look up the list of villagers just now and there are sooo many: https://animalcrossing.fandom.com/wiki/Villager_list_(New_Horizons)

I finally got all my stamps sorted into albums. This means my extra stamps to trade and my current collection! I'll be posting photos to my stamp groups on FB and see if anyone is interested in trading. I have quite a few extras I would love to get rid of. :)

The bad news: My mom's health has taken more of a drive again. I won't go into much detail but it's been painful to see. She dose have an appointment to get a scope done later in the month and I'll be taking her to that. But lately it's gotten to the point where I often wonder how happy she is.. getting older and having all these health problems - yesterday on the ride home from the library she had trouble taking because of her dentures and she got so upset with herself. :( My dad's health has been much better in a sense but I worry about him at times as well.

I am somewhat stressed about the trade war happening and the state of things here in the U.S. as well as worldwide. There isn't much I can control or do to change things other than change things in my own life and circle. But again - I'm trying not to let the stress and worry get to me. I had a feeling things would get bad but this is a new level that some days can still be hard to get a handle on. I haven't been to stores yet since the tariffs have gone into effect.

Somewhat good/bad news: The Ohio libraries had one heck of time this past week (honestly for a bit longer at my local library due to budget cuts already) due to fundraising being cut with a vote that happened yesterday. Luckily the vote didn't cut funds completely but there will be some cuts - we found out last night at our pot luck that next the vote goes to the senate and then we will see what we can do from here. But currently it looks like this issue will come up every year - two years and it'll have to be voted on. Before all of this happened we had the option of sending out emails to our local representatives and house speakers - which so many people did! I think more than they expected which is why their original cuts to funding didn't happen. Originally it was going to reduce the funding by $100 million. One important fact I learned from all this is that every dollar spent by Ohio libraries Ohioans receive $5 in economic value. So within the next few weeks we should be learning how we can continue this fight.

Sorry I haven't been on here much. Last week got away from me, I'm sure some of you understand. I think if I was one of these people who spent more time on my laptop it wouldn't be so hard but some days it just feels like such a chore to turn it on and get into everything. ^^;; I never did like technology much.

Over the weekend I was sick with a nasty stomach bug. It lasted about 2 in a half days. I'm glad it cleared. Luckily Mike was here to help with so much around my house and with our fur baby Wiley. It's strange when you are sick you go through wishing you did more when you had your health and when you finally get better you want nothing more to do than be productive again. At least that's how it goes for me.

My local library started a blind date book event. Where they wrapped up random books and gave you clues on what they are about. If you want to do it, just pick out a book and read at least the first 100 pages and then you fill out a little slip with how you liked the book. So far I've read "Days at the Morisaki bookshop" by Satoshi Yagisawa & Eric Ozawa, "Sung" by Catana Chetwynd and now I'm making my way through "Interview with the vampire" by Anne Rice.

I started painting these two little glass birds for my dad. They look like cardinals so he wanted me to paint one like a female and one like a male. I'm using acrylic paint. I'm close to being done with those. It's refreshing to do some painting.

I'm still working on Promised Memories, I'm close to being done with chapter 18. I decided to only do one page a week to focus on other hobbies and art. Maybe someday I'll go back to two pages a week but to be honest I felt like it was taking over my free time and now I feel like I can breath.

That's pretty much it for now. I'm going to catch up on my updates and work my way through my the reading page. I hope you all have been well. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

This is also a post I've been meaning to write for awhile now, I figured maybe when the mood strikes I will pick a topic (or a few!) to share of what I am grateful for. Today after work I went to an event at my local library of learning about Viking runes and painting them on a canvas. I wrote my name and a few other runes but on the way out to my car I dropped mine and it smeared on my shorts/leg. I will touch it up and fix it tomorrow I think. But what I am grateful for is to be so close to my local library. I just live a few minutes from mine and they have been doing more projects and things to get the public involved. Also a summer reading program which I have joined. I'm happy to have a safe place to get books, movies, information. It's a blessing.