I don’t think I’ve ever written a catch-up post without random cat pictures sprinkled throughout, so here’s one of Tara to get things started.
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| Tara |
One thing (maybe the only thing?) that has been consistent over the past year and a half is how quickly things can change. If you wait a month in between blog posts, what’s going on in your little corner of the world can drastically change.
I’m back to working from home. We were back in the office for about a
month. Our official work from home
started on August 9th, but a few of us started working from home
about a week before that. We have mask
requirements in place again, but there was about a week between those starting
and when the CDC started recommending masks even for vaccinated people in areas
with substantial or high spread. Our
county continues to have high spread and a lower vaccination rate than the rest
of the state, so we’re fortunate to be able to work from again.
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| Charlie |
Caroline is thrilled that I’m working from home again. My work laptop seems to be her favorite thing in the world, so she’s back to spending her days on my desk.
On my last day in the office, I discovered that I have a
mask and dress that match perfectly. I
didn’t realize it until that morning when I was getting ready to leave, but I
was pretty excited. Lots of people
commented on it. One of my coworkers
asked if I had a mask to match all of my dresses. I don’t, but that would be pretty cool. I still seem to be the only person at work
embracing more colorful masks. As one of
my coworkers pointed out, though, I have a pink office, so no one should expect
me to show up in a dull mask. I still
think that masks in cheery colors or patterns help make the best of a bad
situation.
Our library system did a summer reading program. You were given cards to fill out with time
spent reading. It was a check-off
system, in 30-minute increments, and you turned the cards in when they were
full to be entered in a drawing for prizes.
They had a program for kids; they got a free book every time they turned
in a card, in addition to being entered in the drawing for prizes. The adult program was just for the drawing at
the end. Each branch did a drawing and
had prizes. I won one of the
prizes!
I was so excited to win!
I know the picture isn’t the greatest, but my prize was a tote bag
(great for taking books to and from the library), a tumbler, a book light, and
a puzzle. I’ve loved the library for as
long as I can remember, and the only award I ever won in public school (before
we started homes-schooling) was for reading, so I was very happy to win
anything in a reading program. Even as
an adult.
We’re currently enjoying some cooler weather, which is a
nice change. It’s still warm but not
miserably hot. We’ve been opening the
windows in the mornings and evenings. I
love it when the weather is mild enough to do that. I’ve seen a list of the 12 seasons of the
Carolinas floating around the internet, and I’m not sure who started it, so I’m
not sure who to link to. Here’s a link to it, showing that we’re currently in False Fall. I’m just glad we’re no longer at Hell’s Front
Porch. It’s one of the most accurate
things I’ve ever seen about our weather, especially the various winters and
springs.
So how are things for you?
Are you working from home, or are you back in the office? How many seasons do you have? And which one are you in?
Masks are back here as of today. The fourth wave made it necessary. We have almost 85% with two vaccines but there is a break-out in kids under twelve who can’t be vaccinated yet. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI like those seasons. We are in second summer.
Great mask with that dress. You are looking great!
I love the idea of the 12 seasons! And that dress/mask combo are terrific. I'm glad you're working from home -- much safer -- but it did sound like they were at least being careful. And Tara has the most beautiful face! Good to see you here!
ReplyDeleteGreat to see a post from you.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree: if you have to wear masks, you might as well make them fun, and make the best of the situation.
We've definitely entered Autumn/Fall properly here now. There's that nip in the air in the mornings and evenings, even though it can sometimes get warm-ish later in the day. There's a point that starts in August and goes until the very start of September when it starts looking like we're in Autumn, only to then get really hot for about a week during the first full week the kids are back at school (they go back in early September over here... Exactly what date depends on the school) but once that's over we know it's Autumn for sure.
I like the 12 seasons chart. It's not quite that bad in the UK, though the standard four seasons have long vanished. Now we have spring, late spring, a very short summer (blink and you've missed it), early autumn, autumn and winter.
ReplyDeleteThe virus is pretty much under control here right now, with falling infection rates and a high vaccination rate. Virtually all the people in hospital or dying are those who have only been vaccinated once or not at all. The over 50s are due to get a booster jab very soon.
I don't need to worry about the working-from-home issue as I've been retired for 3½ years! And I love the matching face mask.
Fun post, great to see the kitties. Your mask and matching dress is gorgeous, fashion designers should copy that idea. We have to wear medical masks here, they're not so pretty. Have a great day, stay safe, hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteThat’s a funny list. There’s an Ohio one that focuses on road construction seasons, which is also funny. My husband’s office is still going in, but with masks. The grocery stores are also asking people to wear masks. I haven’t really been many other places. Your coordinating outfit is fabulous!
ReplyDeleteAnd now I know why I like you so much - I also won reading contests at school and have won prizes at the library in the past! I no longer enter, since my daughter is now an employee. You got some great prizes! Always great to see you post.
Your kitties are adorable. Very nice mask/dress combo. I wear all masks with cat prints on them. :) Congrats on winning those cool prizes.
ReplyDeleteYour dress-matching mask is awesome, Danielle. Tracey and I are still working from home, which Ava loves. My office sort of opened up for those who wanted to go in, but they never made it a mandate. So, I've been working from home since March 2020. We did go in one day for a team meeting. It was great to see everyone, but strange. Congratulations on winning that library drawing. We love the library, so we would be excited, too. Fall is definitely on it's way. It's still pretty hot here, but we've seen a few trees starting to think about changing. :)
ReplyDeleteHAHA...I am enjoying the cooler months myself. I don't like the heat of the summer at all. Love the mask with the dress. Nice. And Tara, is a beautiful Tortie. I have a 1/2 Tortie that favors her dad (tabby) in coloring but her mom in body shape. Love my beautiful girl. Have a Russian Blue also. Beautiful babe. Congrats on winning the neat prizes.
ReplyDeleteI make it a point to try to match my mask to my outfit. Some days work out better than others.
ReplyDeleteWe've got a pretty good vaccination rate, and I've been hearing all weekend how things are pretty good in our state. (Although, my city hit 1000 total Covid deaths on Thursday. This number includes the mayor's mother and step father.) I don't think we'll be locking down again.
I like that list. I'd have to think on what our list would be. We generally have a "cold" week sometime in the "winter" and a scorching week in the summer. Then it's just gradations of warm. Currently we're in "wildfire season".