Ordinary Days
The pleasure in doing ordinary things
Journal: 8 February, 2025, evening.
Henri and I took several long walks today. It was 82°, such a change from a couple of weeks ago. I don’t think it will last. The forecast is predicting high temperatures in the 60s beginning this weekend, which is not cold but altogether a nicer temperature in February than 80°.  Passing by the pond on some of our walks, I saw lots of turtles sunning themselves on every available log. The turtles and the peep frogs are a sure signal that spring is on its way. 
The tiniest of green buds are appearing here and there. Walking up the hill behind where the pool used to be, the old flower bed behind the gardenia bush is full of snowdrops and daffodils. No blooms yet but the little green shoots are coming up everywhere. 
I moved the front porch fern back outside because it certainly is warm enough for it and it is looking thin and wispy after spending several weeks inside. Everything needs a little bit of plant food and I will probably do that in a day or so because I don’t think we’re going to have any more severe freezing weather, and I’m laughing as I say that out loud because there is nothing more certain to bring it on than that kind of pronouncement. Everyone gets impatient to put out tomatoes and those late Easter freezes get them all. It’s just that your fingers itch this time of year to get out and dig in the dirt and we’ve waited All Winter Long and we are ready to be out there and gardening.
I bought a new pair of walking sandals because—guess what—the skin on my toes is as old as all the rest of my skin, which is, oh, let’s not go there exactly but just say older than it used to be, and the more fragile skin on my toes does not like friction these days and while I didn’t change the distance I normally walk (I try for 10,000 steps a day), I ended up with many blisters and sore toes. Back in our running days it took five or 10 miles to get that result but no more, so I thought I would try a pair of comfy and flexible walking sandals. I am now officially in the orthopedic shoe stage of life and I’m laughing even as I say that. Everything changes, you know. How does that funny meme go? One day you’re laughing and kicking up your heels and going out partying and the next day you have a favorite stove burner and you’re saving good boxes. 🤣 Adulting. There’s nothing like it.
Anyway. The shoes. I’ve only had them a couple of days, but they seem to be working great so far. My toes are happy. 
Today I did laundry, and cleaned out the pantry and organized it a bit, and started a new book that I am enjoying quite a lot, and went for lots of walks with Henri, and put away most of the last of the Christmas things that were still sitting in the living room, and made hamburgers for lunch, and lots of other stuff which I really can’t remember now, but which took me all day long to do, evidently, because now it is a quarter till six in the evening and the day is almost gone. It was an ordinary day, filled with ordinary things which I enjoyed very much, and now I am pleasantly tired and not at all hungry because the hamburgers were very filling, so I will probably just have a glass of iced tea before bedtime and then retire with my book for an hour or so of reading before sleep.
If you’re still reading at this point, bless you! This is the most non-eventful and ordinary thing you will likely read today, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. God bless us and give us lots of ordinary days, in which nothing special happens, but we get to just peacefully live our own private and delightful lives.
My five thankfuls for today:
-that spring comes faithfully every year
-that nature loves yellow flowers because those are my favorites
-that there are turtles because they are also my favorites
-salted caramel chocolate chunk ice cream
-new shoes! Woo hoo!
#journalingalife