Off-Kilter

That's the way I felt all week. It started when I woke up on Sunday with a sore back. I was especially bummed because I woke up the previous Sunday with a sore neck. I hope this isn't a harbinger for the rest of 2022. 

The highlight of my week was my Monday writing class. Then the days blurred together. I was down on Thursday: discouraged, disgusted with myself for wasting away the day, feeling sorry for myself. 

I'm participating in Laura Vanderkam's Time Tracking challenge this week. I've done this several times before, but for some reason this week has been very difficult. I forgot to track from Monday at lunch through late Tuesday morning, then forgot again a few hours later. I'm still not sure what I did Monday afternoon between 3:30 and 5:15. Luckily, time tracking doesn't have to be perfect. I'll probably continue to track my time next week as well.

I felt much better about myself today. I rewrote some Merwinsville research notes last night to have them more accessible. This morning I got up and made soup (butternut squash, pumpkin, carrot, and apple.) After I took Lola to the vet, we went for a walk at Oyster Shell Park. It was a surprisingly nice walk; we avoided strong winds by going during the late morning. I was reminded how it's good to get outside for sun every day. Thanks Lola. I wouldn't have done it without you. Here she is in her sweater dress.

Bonus: I saw swans. As I watched them, the Bill Withers song  "Just the Two of Us" was going through my head.

After lunch, I ran an errand and then went to the library. I had wanted to get Kindred by Octavia Butler, but the library didn't have it. I browsed through the books for sale and the stacks. That was fun; I hadn't been able to do that in a few years. I ended up borrowing two books: Dragonwyck by Anya Seton and The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. I selected Dragonwyck because I enjoyed the film. The Four Winds is another book on my to be read list. 

I took my books into The Blue Teapot Cafe and Bakery in the library. I had a European hot chocolate as I read the first chapter of Dragonwyck. It was a nice treat for myself.