Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Mary kept thinking about her vintage dresses!
It’s January, and Alexa just reported it’s going to be 85 degrees today! I thought to myself, ‘Maybe we’ve had a pole reversal, and summer came in like a boss!’ I half expected to see palm trees sprouting in my backyard and someone at the neighbor’s BBQ flipping burgers in a Hawaiian shirt.
So, naturally, I dove into the internet like a kid in a candy store, hoping to find the reason behind this meteorological madness. Turns out today’s historic high average is 69.5 degrees, the historic low is 48.8, and the landmark average daytime temperature is a cool 59.2.
After several minutes of manipulating my fingers and toes (I swear I’m not trying to summon a rain dance), I concluded that today is a whopping 36.8 degrees warmer than usual! At this rate, I should probably dig out my sunscreen and make a snowman out of ice cubes—because who wouldn’t want a frozen margarita in January?
Mary made a great breakfast, and I decided to reactivate my food vacuum system that I bought when Sue passed; I was alone, and you can’t cook for one, so I sealed everything up. Bob Duda was going to call and assist me since he uses his all the time. I fiddled around for quite a while and finally figured it out (I admit, I read the instructions).
FoodSaver V4400 2-in-1 Vacuum Sealer Machine with Automatic Vacuum Sealer Bag Detection and Starter Kit
On a serious note, during our cleaning activities, we found a bible given to my Aunt Opal and Uncle Jimmy by my grandmother in 1936. It was in good shape except that the leather cover was drying out. I put it into the vacuum machine, and now it is sealed! I did the same with the Bible given to me 76 years ago by my Aunt Edith and Uncle Claude.
OK, back to work! I replaced several LIFX bulbs with the new Govee lights and changed the security camera power supply, so we now have a view of the living/TV room and front door online.
I finished re-bulbing the critical lamps in the house, with only two bedrooms left to go! In case you wondered, IF the wifi goes out, the bulbs will work with Bluetooth! If all power goes out, who cares?
Govee LED Smart Light Bulbs, 1000LM Color Changing Light Bulb, wifi & Bluetooth Light Bulbs, Work with Alexa and Google Assistant, Dimmable RGBWW A19 75W Equivalent Smart Bulbs.
The greatest surprise of the day? The mailman delivered a card from Colleen that looked like it could compete in a family reunion photo contest! We opened it up, and BAM! There it was: our family immortalized on a card, like some Hallmark miracle.
I did that???? Oh my!! My Spirit Animal is now a RABBIT!
I squinted at the picture, half-expecting to find a stranger or someone I could pass off as ‘that weird cousin from out of town,’ but nope! It was just the kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids – all there. It felt like I’d stumbled upon an accidental game of family bingo, and I was one card away from winning a trip to the Bahamas!
I mean, how did we end up with so many people? Just yesterday, it felt like it was just Mary and me arguing about who was eating the last piece of pizza. Now we’re basically a small army. And let’s be honest, if family photos were a reality show, this one would definitely win an Emmy for ‘Most Awkward Poses’.
We continued working all afternoon and well into the evening. Mary made extreme progress going through all the costumes and hats, and even donated several. It did amaze her that the closet contained little bugs that ate the dresses and made them smaller; after all, it had been almost 20 years since she wore some of them.
Paul was puzzled by many of these devices!
No pictures of us today—we looked like a couple of raccoons after a dumpster dive! After hours of cleaning and rearranging, I’m pretty sure we could win an award for ‘Ultimate Messy Makeover.’ My hair was doing its best to look like a tornado.
Honestly, we were one step away from creating a new trend in ‘post-apocalyptic chic.’ Instead of capturing our radiant smiles, the camera would have just caught the chaotic energy of us trying to find our sanity among the clutter.
We watched “In Harm’s Way” in the “new” TV room while sipping on some vino.
Crash time this evening was 10:30 pm. Good night, you all!
