It's getting a little too warm here for my pansies. They've lasted since October (a record!). And they're showing their last hurrah. I love the colors I chose this year and I hate saying good bye to them. It's time to plant some begonias or impatiens (I haven't decided.) But I so love my pansies. They brought me joy all winter and now well into the spring! Thank you, pansies!
Every year I tell myself I will go strawberry picking at least once while the kids are still in school. And I don't. I wait until they're out and then the first week of summer vacation we go. Like today. And we have a blast. And we pick loads and loads of strawberries. I freeze some and then wish we had more. And then the season is over. Sigh. The lady at the farm today said the season is a short one this year. She doesn't think they'll have any more strawberries after a few more days. So this was it. Again. But let's not focus on that. Let's focus on the pints and pints of strawberries I just put in my freezer. Because strawberry picking brings joy in our freezer!
I was going to be joyful for something else but when I began writing this post (starting with Day 169) I remembered my silly, joyful, fun and funny students. In algebra, whenever an answer or page number or coordinate had the number 69 in it the class would erupt into giggles. As if I'd never heard THAT joke before or I didn't know what they were snickering at. Ahhhh, to be young and carefree and silly and goofy again! Hmmm. I will! I'm giggling at day 169. Because 69 (and my former students) bring me joy!
Our family loves cookies. And my boys love to bake with me - especially if they get to be "testers." After a day out in the sun I needed to keep my fair-skinned youngest inside. We baked our favorites, Hershey Kiss Peanut Butter Cookies. One batch is never enough. So we made two! Double joy!
Every day isn't peachy keen. I have bad days, too. So some days, it's hard to find the joy. I have to dig deep, look hard, be very aware of those joyful moments. Today, it came from a big hug from my son. He could tell I was having a rough day. He called out to me and I answered in a frustrated tone. He said, "I just wanted to say I love you!" and then he gave me a big hug. Ah, the joy in the little things!
We make it a point to do something with the kids each weekend that THEY would enjoy. We try not to fill it up with errands and chores. This weekend we went on a little nature walk at a local park and the boys (especially) loved it. The wildlife we saw. Tossing pebbles into the river. The chance to be with mom and dad. And mom and dad loved creating memories. Family outings are joy!
I'm a bit of an introvert. But I do enjoy getting out once in a while. Since the month of May is so crazy as we wind down the school year we've been trying to keep our weekends clear. But this weekend? Last night we went out with friends for dinner (2 families + 4 kids = big mess and noise. Thank goodness for outdoor eating!). Tonight we have a birthday party to go to. I'm actually looking forward to it since our social calendar has been a bit lonely lately. For this introvert, parties = joy! (Tonight, anyway!)
