MEXICAN VEGAN FOOD WITH FRIENDS

I met my friends for dinner at one of my favorite vegan Mexican restaurants. It was do much fun to catch up. After dinner we took a walk and got ice cream.

It was a very nice evening.

Until tomorrow...

ORGANIZING MY OFFICE AND SOME CHICKEN TALK

I had my Taskrabbit come over today to help me clean and organize my home office. As usual we forgot to take a "before" photo so I can't show you the complete mess the room was in. My office once again became the dumping ground. When I had my foster son all the items that were in his closet ended up in my office. All my art supplies and camera equipment we're stacked up in my office. Along with boxes of office supplies.

Today we cleared out the office closet and made room for my art supplies and camera equipment. I found a place for the office supplies that were necessary and the rest I took downstairs and merged with the boxes of office supplies in the garage. We organized some paperwork. There is a bunch that still needs to be done and I didn't get to clearing off my desk but I can see the floor and I can sit in my comfy chair again.  I call that a win.

This evening I had a sit down with my neighbors about their chickens. I think they were worried I was going to complain about the noise. Honestly I can't hear them until I come upstairs. Those chickens wake up with the sun. Happi wakes up at 5:30 -5:45 am to go pee so I wake up and then go back to sleep.

I had different concerns. 1. There is too much smell coming from the pen. They need to work on that.  It is better now that the rain stopped.  2.  There is a hold under my fence where something is either burrowing in or out of the pen.  Either way it isn't good.  They are going to fix it.

Until tomorrow...

BOX OF COOKIES

On April 16th I mailed a box of homemade cookies to my nephew for his birthday. He is in college and some homemade cookies are a treat. 

I made the lemon cookies from lemons in my garden. I packaged them up and used my Food saver to seal them. I put them in a priority box and mailed them.

Two days later the website said the box was delivered. The box had been left on the porch.

My nephew checked but no box was there. After a few days I contacted the post office and they said there was nothing they could do since it was delivered. I guess it was stolen. The joke would be on the person who stole that box thinking it was something valuable!

The post office sends me a check for my claim. $1.06. Wow.

Today I get a text from my nephew. The box showed up today. Thirteen days later.  So where has the box been? Did it get delivered to the wrong address? Has it been sitting somewhere? Who knows?

He has his slightly stale cookies. I have my $1.06. 

Until tomorrow...

HEART EVENT

Today I had a heart event right in the middle of a meeting.  There was no way around explaining what I was doing when I pushed the monitor and then recorded the event on my phone.  It was a meeting with me and one other person.  At the time the event occurred, the person was giving this long (I mean long) explanation about something.  I pushed the monitor and she didn't notice but once I picked up my phone, it looked like I was disinterested in her speech.  I entered my information in my phone and explained that I was wearing a heart monitor for a heart condition that I have had since I was a kid.  It is nothing to worry about and I am fine.  The doctor just tests me every now and then.  No biggie.

She seemed very concerned at first but then she calmed down.  It really is nothing to worry about at this time.

Until tomorrow...

SWISS-CHARD, POTATO, AND CHICKPEA STEW

Tonight I made a quick stew.  Swiss-chard, potato, and chickpea stew.  I used the swiss-chard and butternut squash from my veggie delivery.  I swapped the potato out and put the butternut squash in.  It tastes really good.  I also cooked a couscous mix to eat it with.  It made a great dinner.

Until tomorrow...

HEART MONITOR

Today I got my new heart monitor.  It is a patch heart monitor this time.  I have to wear it for two weeks.  Here is what it looks like (excuse the poor photo):

It is adhered to my upper left chest.  I have to keep it adhered for two weeks so no baths or saunas or hot tubs. It has a button that I have to push when I get a racing heart.  I downloaded an app to use for recording the episodes rather than having a book that I have to write them down in.

It seems to be okay but lets see what I have to say about it after week one.  These things are always fun the first week, then they get a bit annoying when the adhesive begins to itch and hurt.

Until tomorrow...

ISLE OF DOGS

Today I went with my friends H and M to see Isle of Dogs.  It was a crazy animated movie about a boy who's dog was sent to an island where all the dogs are sent and he goes to rescue it. It was funny and unique.

After the movie, my friend M and I hung out for a bit.  We had not seen each other in a while and it was great to catch up.

Until tomorrow...

ADOPTION CONFERENCE

I went to an adoption conference today.  It was an all day event.  Some other folks from my adoption class were also there so we had lunch together.

The conference had a key note speaker and then a bunch of different "classes" that you could attend.  There were classes for social workers, adoptees, and foster parents/adoptive parents.

The key note speaker talked about microaggressions.  Example: when someone says to a foster parent: "Isn't that child so lucky to have you?"  or "Isn't he so grateful to have you in his life?"  both of these comments are microaggressions because although they are meant to be compliments to the foster parent, they will make the foster child feel badly.  The foster child should not be made to feel grateful or lucky to be fostered.  They deserve a good home like everyone else.  That is just one example.

Then I went to a class about Trauma and EMDR & Brainspotting.  EMDR is a therapy that is used with trauma survivors.   Brainspotting is a new therapy that she explained to us.

After lunch with my friends, I went to a talk on Race.  It was not as good as I expected it would be.  I guess I had high expectations.

Then I went to another class with the Keynote speaker.  I really liked this class on Reclaiming Birth Culture.  This is about the difference between race and culture.  A person can be Asian and adopted by a white family in the mid-west.  They might be brought up in a full white culture and may loose their Asian culture.  To reclaim their culture the child (when they grow up) may take an extended trip to their biologic country to immerse in their culture.  Some may move to their biologic country.  Very interesting.  A long discussion about if a family of one culture can really instill a culture of a child of another culture.

Overall it was a day well spent and I get credit for it.

Until tomorrow...

SEVEN SECONDS

I began watching a Netflix streaming series named Seven Seconds.  It is a series about an African-American teenager who is run over by a car driven by a white off-duty police officer.  After the accident, it all goes south.  One thing after another happens because of human error, purposeful decisions, and timing. 

It was a series that makes you think and it made me yell at the TV screen. 

I thought it was really well done. 

Until tomorrow...

2ND FRUIT AND VEGGIE DELIVERY

I got my second fruit and veggie delivery today.  I went online ahead of time and made sure the items I was getting were items I wanted.

This time I got:

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 Royal Mandarin orange
• 4 kiwis
• 1lb red potatoes
• 1 pkg strawberries
• 1 pkg cluster tomato on the vine
• 1 bunch rainbow chard
• 1 bunch Nantes carrots

Yum.

Until tomorrow...