Another Successful Crap Swap

I meant to write this post yesterday and schedule it for early this morning, but my head hit the couch pillow around 7 p.m. last night and I only got up at midnight to fall asleep again in my own bed. And then I basically didn't get up until 8 this morning. I'm not sick -- just exhausted.

It was a long weekend, and I didn't get much sleep. Our regularly scheduled Crap Swap was supposed to happen in April, but COVID forced a cancellation. It was rescheduled for this past weekend, masks and all.

This was the third year, and each year it seems there is twice as much stuff to give away. I think a dozen or so households brought items, and I believe I counted 19 tables. I started setting things up before 7 a.m. on Saturday, and I went to bed after midnight. And it was HOT. Miserably so. I will never again do it in the summer. And as exhausted as I am even yet today, I may never do it again period!

And yet it's nice to see our unused stuff get a second life, and it's fun to see what other people bring. But it's kind of like childbirth -- I'm going to have to forget how hard it is before I have another one!

Photos: November --> June

I haven't done a straight photo post in a while -- probably because I haven't taken that many photos! (You've seen all of my November photos worth seeing, despite the title of the post.) When the pandemic arrived, outings came to a screeching halt. Here's a few that I think you haven't seen.

December 27, 2019 - Columbus Metropolitan Library

December 27, 2019 - Columbus Metropolitan Library

January 8, 2020 - Edith on the balance beam.

February 24, 2020 - An extra-relaxed Atticus and Brown Bear.

February 27, 2020 - Atticus cleans up his wall artwork!

March 4, 2020 - Atticus at COSI. The pandemic shortly followed.

March 17, 2020 - Edith looses all kinds of teeth!

March 24, 2020 - Edith read a lot during the pandemic!

March 26, 2020 - Blowing bubbles.

May 13, 2020 - Atticus was proud of his butterfly!

May 16, 2020 - Atticus has a puzzle morning.

June 11, 2020 - Dress up clothes!

June 23, 2020 - Atticus can always find a use for a box.

An Uneventful Birthday

I'm marking the week of my 39th birthday with my first chiropractic adjustment today -- appropriate for someone who's nearing the top of the hill, isn't it?

Since that's about the most exciting thing that's happened lately, I suppose that means that my birthday tomorrow will be the most uneventful I've had in many a year. But things are getting back to normal in some ways (seeing friends outdoors), and not at all in others (figuring out how many days per week -- if any -- the kids will actually be at school this fall). If this is all over in a year, there's no doubt that I'll deserve the 40th birthday bash I was planning to throw myself next July.

But I'm reading more books than ever, the kids have gained a lot of independence and overall things are looking good, all things considered. Happy birthday to me.

Holiday Weekend

With the coronavirus still firmly in our midst here in Franklin County, big plans for the July 4th holiday weekend were out of the question. We did manage to make the weekend special, however, with a few precautions.
We visited my family in Northwest Ohio for the first time since February. Since then, my sister and her family moved to a new house, so we got to see that for the first time while simultaneously celebrating her youngest son's fifth birthday and the holiday. The kids were thrilled to visit their cousins again. We were careful, of course -- we spent the entire time outside, aside from bathroom breaks.

The cousins and Grandpa.

Edith

Edith and Atticus were thrilled to go swimming in a pond for the first time, and they were so excited that Aunt Katie gave them some sparklers they could try out at home. Pandemic or not, it was a lovely weekend.