Happy Bereavement!

 Yes that is the weirdest title ever.  I'm OK with that.

When my FIL died in November, I was unable, nor was it really necessary for me, to take bereavement time.  When we laid him to rest in mid-December, I chose to use PTO, as I had so much to use up.  According to work policy, based on his relationship to me, I have 7 days of bereavement leave to take, and we are allowed to take it in separate increments within 6 months.  

With the new system safely in at work, I decided to take this week off and just be.  I'm only logging into work, if it all, after 9pm because I won't work for 3 hours.  I do have work on my phone, so I have been scanning things, but there hasn't been anything earth-shattering.  

So far, I've updated my recipe book, I've sewn together my Little Cotton Rabbits (LCR) bunny, made them some shorts and started to shovel out Renee's room.  I've scheduled 3 different internal audits for various groups that I am affiliated with.  I'm getting caught up on personal email.  

So a good use of time.  I do have an errand day planned and I do need to leave the house for a few other things, but a very much low-key restful set of days.

Enough

My sister and I, unbeknownst to each other, would each choose a word to define the new year.  This literally went on for like 5 years before we figured out each other was doing it.  Anyway, a bit of backstory.

This year, my word is ENOUGH.  I mean in it a few ways.

That there is ENOUGH.  I have enough crafting stuff.  Let's work on using that.  My two deep freezes are full of food; let's eat some of that down before rushing to refill the larder.  I have ENOUGH clothes; there is enough of many things.  

ENOUGH

That for some things, I've had ENOUGH.  I don't want to fill my time, headspace or soul with upsetting things.  Yes, this sounds like politics, and some of it is politics, but there are other things that I will continue to say I've had ENOUGH.  Many times, this deals with what I am willing to watch on TV or what I am willing to read.  I don't want to watch about abuse or dying children.  Or read about it either.  You won't find me seeing the movie It Ends With Us.  Nope nope nope.

ENOUGH

So my word this year is ENOUGH.

And enough about that.  (see, I even made a funny)

And to all, a good night

 Yes, it's Christmas.  

It's been a very low key set of days.  I have decided that my matriarch status lets me dictate some things about holidays and so I've decided that I'm no longer hosting them.  The decision was easily made.  No one likes to drive 2 hours to us.  One nephew has a dog.  Everything ends up on a day with a sporting event and he just wants to watch that anyway.  And lastly this same nephew is a huge homebody.  Add in the fact that we drive north every 6 weeks and have for the past 18 years, it's easier to just let them host.  

And so they did.  My side of the family is very small.  My niece-in-law's is huge.  And they were all there.  And it was loud and crazy and fun.  The food was amazing.  The experience was just great fun.  That was last weekend.

The weekend before was the annual Schwitzner Sibling Christmas, which is always on the third Sunday of December and hosted by the same sister.  This too was also a wonderful, albeit lower key, event.  We all got to hang out and then the next day we all got back together to lay The Dad, as they referred to John, to rest.  We hung out with my MIL on the 21st, enjoying pizza at a beloved pizzeria.

So by the 22nd, all the (forced) Christmas events were done.  Whew.  

Meanwhile work continues.  Standing up a new general ledger is no small feat and the workload is nuts, but it's coming along.  I'm just tired and crabby.  It will all be done soon enough.

And Santa brought me the gift I've asked for.  (Wink, wink, that's a work reference.)

tap tap - is this still on?

 It's been a looooooooooooooooooooooooong time, but I think it's time I come back.

There's a lot that has happened.  A lot.  Overall we are all OK, which is a good thing.

I'll get caught up as topics make sense.

Still Here

 I'm still here.  Getting a handle on things.  Finding new ways - reestablishing old ones.  We've made it through the first Christmas without Kim.  Harder on her kids for sure than on me, but we made it through.  

More this week.

So Much Has Happened

 I know I haven't posted, but so much has happened.  Nearly all of the events in one way or another involve my sister Kim.  Early summer events now take on so much more meaning in light of late fall events.

The most important piece to know (the pivotal plot point, if you will) is that Kim died from COVID-19 on October 1, 2021 in Key West.

More later.

One Year In

We're one year into this working from home pandemic thing.  I'm checking in.

I'm still doing great.  I think I've gained 5 pounds, which I'm not happy about, but comparative to many other things, it's fine.  I still work from home.  That too is going really well.  There is an informal agreement at this time that if your schedule works for you, your boss, your division and your job, then chances are strong you can keep that schedule.  I have offered to go in like once a week and I think it will all work itself out.  I'm not worried.

Of course, that being said, I've just asked to work full time for a week in another building to kick off a project with the developers.  It would seriously just be easier if we can all be together and understand each other before we try doing the rest remotely.  So now I've got to figure that out.

Mentally things are fine.  I can sense a few people who are introverted retreating more inwardly and so I need to reach out to them.  But we are fine.  Ted is an online person and that community is thriving.  Renee is isolated up at school but she's figuring out.  I've seen one nephew twice in 6 months because his over the road driving had him ending up here.  I've seen his brother a few times as well and he's coming for Easter next week.  My sister is coming home in early June and we already have a few things planned.  (Yes, we plan on going to cemeteries.  No, we do not find this weird.  Yes, Ted is coming with us.  And yes, he has family buried in some of the same cemeteries that we do.  It all works out.)

Health-wise, I just finished my series of shingles shots on March 9.  Opinions differ on how longer I need to wait for my COVID vaccine, and I'm going with the longer option.  That means mid-April sounds about right.  So I will worry about this in another week or two.  Ted also finished his series of shingles shots and he's going to wait even longer than I am.  Everyone still wears masks, even though I personally hate them.

Oh we did suffer a dead dishwasher.  We need to get that replaced.  And the garden has been planned....