Thursday, December 31, 2020

Looking Back at 2020's Best Moments

Late in 2019 Ashlee told me about something she saw online - getting a mason jar and every week writing down the best thing that happened and put it in the jar. At the end of the year you open it up and re-read all the good things that you experienced in the past 52 weeks. So I got out one of my favourite Fishs Eddy jars (which sadly, due to a wee crack could no longer be used for my daily juices but I filled the hole with glue and gave it a new purpose) and jammed it to the brim with coloured scraps of paper. Here are the results:

•January•

2nd: Driving to and from the library and so admiring the stunning homes all decked out for the season - Warwick, Kings, & West End plus the little side streets across Crystal - I always look forward to this drive and day dreaming of how it would be if I lived a happy life behind the windows and doors of one of the homes, walking from room to room under the warm glow of the lamp lights.

11th: Today's hug from Fred at Baldwin's Book Barn was the highlight of my entire week!!

18th: Glad I got to visit Godmommy Gina in the hospital on Sunday and that we got one last selfie together. She will be and already is very missed by all.


24th: This week we lost dear lil' Ash Williams, one of the cutest and most adorable fur babies on the planet. So glad to have known him and been there to curl his tail around my hand and give him scruffy rubs on his bum and under his chin. He'll definitely be missed.


31st: Saw Ashlee, Avery, & Sean. Got to catch up with Ash and score some cuddles and giggles from Avery while we watched Toy Story 2.

February•

7th: A week of fab documentary films: The Pieces I Am (Toni Morrison) • Tell Them Anything You Want (Maurice Sendak) • Mike Nichols American MastersBillie Jean King - A Female Tennis ChampionHal (Ashby) • Love, Antosha (Anton Yelchin)

16th: Thursday the 13th I went from WFM to 21 & stopped at the PO in Mtown. I was re-reading my postcards before depositing them (in the drive up mailbox) when a car pulled up behind me & "Rats!" - I had to stop and dump them in and drive off. 2 minutes later Mum calls me and on speakerphone tells me she's driving behind me and was the car in back of me at the PO drop box!

21st: Kay FaceTimed me to thank me for the $80 check so she can re-take her EMT test - she was so cute and all teary and emotional. So glad I could help relieve a lil' stress! xoxo to Kay!

26th: Tie: watching "It's a Living" on Prime and discovering actor Jon-Erik Hexum.  Bonus: the YouTube video (of the weatherman) "I think steel boils at this temperature..." (still makes me laugh!!)

•March•

6th: Spent Sunday with Ashlee - just running errands - Lowe's, Kohl's for returns, MOM"s for food and lunch at Naked, CVS - and talking with no interruptions, just like the old days. Bonus: seeing Sean, Bailey, Avery, Farley, and Bonnie!


13th: Spending five hours with Emily at her lovely home and adoring Ana and Adam more than ever!

21st: Too much work this week but thankful to have a job that is not affected by the Coronavirus. Loved the laughs I got from Tom Papa's "You're Doing Great".

24th: The week of fab documentaries! Becoming Bond, Ask Dr. Ruth, Three Identical Strangers (saw before), Frank Serpico, Bad Reputation. All were so good! Docs are my fave genre!

29th: Gluten Free/vegan goodie box from Xavier that he sent via Amazon! Yum!

April

11th: This week I watched (and loved) Voyagers!!

12th-18th: Discovering tons of yummy GF vegan recipes and I ordered fun kitchen supplies to make them!

19th-25th: The Awkward Family Photos postcards are a huge hit and I'm getting happy texts and messages from the recipients.

26th-1st: All the OT I'm working and COVID stimulus check AND that I'm spending less by staying home means I'm paying down my credit card debt!

•May•

3rd-9th: Go to see Bishop 5/04 and Terri 5/05 and score wonderful hugs from both! Also got to see Jules and Shane for a bit!

10th-16th: Emailed back and forth with Kathleen Hanna who said I was "massively adorable".

18th: Leaving 21 for home I cut through the rich neighbourhood at 11pm-ish that spits out at the cardio health building. A sedan pulls to their stop sign (on my left), they pause but then go as if they hadn't seen me. I stop in time and give two short toot-toots then keep my distance so as not to seem angry or aggressive about their mistake. They pull over and as I slowly go around I see the driver roll down his window and signal me - I stop, he pulls up next to me and apologises profusely. I explain that it's no big deal, nothing happened and I'm not upset. I'm not an angry driver. He apologises and says he's had a hard/horrible day. I lead us in a deep cleansing breath & let him drive off first - great moment! 

25th-31st: Got to see: Ashlee, Bailey, Avery, Xavier, Terri, Shane, Juliette, Dave, Amy, Anne, Marina, Aunt Berne, & Chrissy!

•June•

6th: Chat in garage at Kings AND score hugs (first time since March 14th) from Jackson, Syd, Mary, & Xavier. (Zach was asleep.)

12th: Got moved to Tech Central (formerly OHD) 12:30-7:30!! Bishop's 8pm to chat outside til 9 - really great seeing him and a hug! xoxo

20th: Little Bday package from Autumn + letter from Renee!!

24th: "In the Heat of the Night" ep "A Trip Upstate" so good!

•July•

4th: Spent a couple hours at Dave's (Stacey and Lucy in IN) - chat while he changes out the outlets - watch SGN (Some Good News) ep "Hamilton" - have a smoke, look at pix of Ronny and his huge Moscow Mule & then check my [Roark's] oil levels.


10th: Chrissy's 40th Bday party and day one of Blobfest!!!

13th: Took an external call and he asked (before I transferred him to member services) "Are you from Philadelphia?" He guessed bc of my saying "And all that good stuff" and the way I pronounce "hundred".

26th: Looks like my brush with glutenous grub was a fluke. Hooray!!

27th & 31st: Baldwin's w/Jax!! (we saw Fred!) (and 7/31 Rita's H2O with Bishop!)

•August•

5th & 6th: This week: not one but two great docs featuring Bill Cunningham "The Times of Bill Cunningham" & "Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex, Fashion, Disco"

15th: Ran errands and accomplished all my To-Do's for the day: UPS, Kohl's, Emma's for boxes, clean out the shed, 21 to drop the boxes, pick up coats.

21st: That my last texts with Mrs. Wilhelm were good ones. 
Mrs W: your thoughtfulness overwhelms my heart Love You To The Moon 
Me: Love you right back! Miss your face.

30th: Spent the afternoon w/Jax and introduced him to the first three episodes of "Voyagers!" which he really liked!

•September•

4th: Seeing and hugging Jaeden at MomMom's viewing. I had no idea he would be there.

11th: Re-watching "Rebirth" a perfect film that is touching and allows the viewer to become emotionally involved in the lives of these lovely humans.

19th: Pulling into the lot of Birmingham Road in West Chester and photographing the hills, trees, and farm in the distance on a gorgeous day!


26th: Charm City with Jax - on the way he sees the rain-mist coming from the car next to us and says "Excuse me, sir, but you've got a fog machine hanging off the back of your car!"

27th: Pulling up to 21, Uncle Phil (smoking in the garage and chatting with Mum) says "Where'd ya get that rollerskate?" lol (Roark is a Mini after all...) 

•October•

5th: Went to the library at 12ish for Contactless Pickup (prior to voting and then working at 3:30) - Ann came out to drop my DVDs (All in the Family S1-3 and The Ghost & Mr. Chicken) in the boot and said "Hello, beautiful" and we chatted a bit - before closing the hatch I got an "I love you" which gave me the warm and fuzzies! 

17th: Introduced Wayne to Grounds for Sculpture - we arrived at 9:30 and we all but had the place to ourselves! A gorgeous cool Autumn day! 


18th: Spent the afternoon with Emily, Ana, and Adam - oh I just love them all so stinkin' much!!


28th: Last week I visited twice with Kay (and Danny) to come up with affordable security cameras at the house. Tried to come over on the 26th to chat and set them up (I ordered the cameras from Amazon) but there was no bloody parking in a 10 block radius! I drove around for 45 effing minutes. (I wound up just handing them to Kayla and driving home.) Got a text today with video of one of her psycho neighbours stealing chairs from Kay's patio. She said "i swear theyre all products of incest" and I died laughing!




November

7th: So far so good...Biden's set to be the 46th President.

9th & 10th (it's a tie): Facetime with Natalia! •plus• Kev tells me I'm full time TC - no more phones!

15th: Watched all of S5 "Last Tango in Halifax" I ♥ Derek Jacobi!!

22nd: The Colonial for "The Santa Clause" w/Kayla - wonderful girl that I simply adore. 

•December•

5th: Books & Cooks Tour was a bit of a let-down but seeing Marina (even for only 10 minutes) and Kayla and Danny (also, brief) was the best part of the whole day! (Actually I saw Kay & Dan first, then Marina and Mateo, but whatever...)



12th: Syd's Rapid Test came back negative. Rey contracted COVID on Dec 5th & we were all on the proverbial tenterhooks waiting to see if Syd (& all of us) are in the clear.

15th: Seeing Ashlee & co for the first time since May (MomMom's viewing doesn't count.)

BONUS!! 16th: Emily gets a new liver! So grateful to the donor and thinking of their family.

21st/22nd: Touring the Tri-State area to see Christmas lights with Isabella and Kayla, two of my favourite people ever to exist. It was so much fun!!



27th: Wake up to pix from Ash of Bailey playing stylist to Avery. Oh my gosh, those two are just way too precious. ♥



And there you have it! For the worst year of my life there were a lot of wonderful moments that are all housed in this groovy jar.


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