Walmart.

 I do a weekly Walmart run whether I want to or not. If I can I will skip it but most weeks I need something. 

I don't like the self check outs and prefer to go to a real cashier. I do have a favorite cashier too and she's always working on Saturday morning.

On this particular trip, my favorite cashier wasn't at the registers that were open. I chose the shortest instead. I got behind this woman who was chatting away with the young guy who was cashing her out. When she was done she wished him a good day and told him what a good job he did.

I must say he was very friendly and he didn't act the least bit bothered by her rambling on. He was also quite friendly when it was my turn. That's something that you don't always get these days.

While I waited for my turn I took a picture of my watermelon with the bananas sitting on top of it.

I have been craving watermelon for a couple weeks but they've only had really big ones. I stopped at Mason Farms stand but they wanted either $9 or $10 for a small seedless watermelon. No way was I paying that much. On this particular trip they had them and they were only $4.97.

Drawings year 3 week 4

 

In the drive thru

 One day after work I was in the mood for a perfectly unhealthy meal that I didn't have to cook. I drove through the drive thru at McDonalds. 

While I was waiting for the car in front of me I snapped a couple pictures of the lilies that were growing there.

Passing the time

 One day at work while I was making calls, I pulled out an index card, some markers and a pen and did a little doodling. Of course I'm not finished with it but it's something I can do while the phone is ringing and I'm waiting for someone to answer.

Police presence.

 I've seen a lot of police activity while sitting at my desk at work.

The one day there was several sitting in an empty lot. One had it's lights flashing but the others did not. I have no idea what they were doing as I couldn't see anything other than their cars.

Then there was the very busy motorcycle cop.

He pulled up alongside a car in traffic, lights on and pulled them over into the Country Fair parking lot. He took care of them, pulled out going the opposite direction and immediately put his lights on again. He pulled a second car over across the street in the grocery store parking lot. When he was done with that one he pulled up next to the stores sign and parked in the shade. He couldn't have been there more than a minute before his lights went on again and he was off after another person.

I didn't get a picture of him but took a picture of the sign and asked AI to add the cop.

2 or 3 days later, there was a motorcycle cop who again had pulled over several people in the same area in a short amount of time. Not sure if it was the same one or not but he definitely was one busy guy

Amazon purchases.

 I've done a little shopping on Amazon lately. Nothing big. Just little things to make my life easier. The first thing was a cane. Because of the hip pain I decided that a cane might be a good thing to have. I meant to get a picture but never did.

The cane came and it is a great help. Vanity has kept me from using it anywhere except for at home and work but last Saturday I did take it to Walmart with me to get from the car into the store where I could grab a cart. I did find out that the one I purchased was too tall for me. The ad said it was for 5'0" up to I think 5'9". Turns out it was about 3" too high for me. I purchased another one at Walmart that was the right height.

The other purchase was a little rechargeable desktop fan that I took to work with me.

It gets a little hot sometimes especially on really sunny days since I sit right next to the window. This little thing does a great job even at the very lowest setting. 

Life was better when it was simpler.

I look at how young adults live today, and I keep hearing the same thing: “I’m too busy.” Too busy to cook, too busy to clean, too busy to run errands, too busy to make time for family. Everything has to be delivered, automated, or outsourced because life feels overwhelming.

But I don’t think life is harder now. I think it’s just noisier.

When life was simpler, people still worked full‑time, raised kids, kept a house running, and handled their responsibilities. Yet somehow, there was still room for family. You sat down for dinner. You spent weekends together. You didn’t have to “schedule” time with the people you lived with. You just did it.

Today, people have more conveniences than ever, yet less time for the people who matter. They’re not buried under chores — they’re buried under screens. Notifications, social media, constant comparison, constant pressure. Their attention is pulled in a hundred directions, and family ends up squeezed into whatever minutes are left over.

The pace of life didn’t change. The priorities did.

Back then, you didn’t need an app to remind you to call your mother. You didn’t need a “family night” blocked out on a calendar. You simply showed up. You were present. You weren’t distracted by a phone buzzing through every conversation.

Life was better when it was quieter. When you could hear yourself think. When your time wasn’t eaten up by digital noise. When family wasn’t treated like an optional extra.

Simpler wasn’t worse. Simpler was better.

What do you think — is life actually busier now, or just more cluttered?

Drawings year 3 week 3

 

Beauty and the beast

 I love those Facebook things that you pick a picture and it will put your face in them. Since my profile picture is one that was done with AI it makes me look young and wrinkle free so it works good with these.

I did this one recently. Not only did I like the way this one turned out but I loved that it had me sitting on a front porch drinking coffee. That is exactly where I would love to be spending my time.

Last weekend I was in Walmart doing my weekly shopping. As I was walking towards the grocery section I spotted another customer who looked familiar. She shopped at the store where I used to work and we always referred to her as the beast. She was the meanest most unpleasant woman I have ever encountered. I snapped a picture of her and sent it in a text to one of the girls I used to work with. She said it sure looked like her and she was happy to say that she no longer shops there.

Men at work

 And sometimes women too. Lately there has been roadwork all over the place. Two mornings in a row I got stopped just before I got on the highway as I was headed to work.

They resurfaced parr of this road a couple weeks prior. I'm not exactly sure what they were doing that day but they had it down to one lane.

While I sat there I took a picture off to the side. Why? Because seeing green just makes me happy.

July happy mail

 I found the graphic for this one on Facebook and printed it out to use for this card. I loved the looks of it.

With most of my cards I go to AI to find a sentiment for the inside.

Random desk shots.

 When you are at work and things are slow, you'll do just about anything to pass the time. I get tired of playing games on my phone or reading on my kindle all the time. One day I took random pictures of the things around me.

When the temps are high a scrunchie is essential. This one sits atop the tablet with all the notes I scribble all day long while on the phone. 

The phone is a big part of my day. Well at least it is when it rings. I do make a lot of calls too.

And how about a close up of the pencil holder I have sitting next to my computer.

Ditch lilies.

 Every year I've posted pictures of my day lilies

These are so common around here and mostly you see them growing wild in ditches along the side of the road. Hence, many people refer to them as ditch lilies.

I was recently stopped in a work zone and thought I would grab some pictures of them.

You can't really see the up-close of the flowers that well but they are the same ones I have in my yard.

I think that I shall never see

 A poem as lovely as a tree.

One day after work I snapped pictures of trees on the drive. I was stopped in traffic when I took these. Sorry about how blurry the first one is.

It's like night and day

 Just a small comparison between the job I have now and the one I could have had if I had waited for the grocery store I used to work for to reopen.

On July 1st I received an email saying that everyone across all divisions was being paid a $250 bonus for the 4th of July. Normally this would be a paid holiday but this year it fell on a Saturday so it wasn

When I worked at the grocery store the only day we ever closed was Christmas day. Now, they are closed for all holidays. According to their Facebook posts it's so their employees can spend the day with their families. According to employees that I used to work with, it's because he doesn't want to pay time and a half. I asked if they at least get holiday pay and I was told no. They no longer get paid for any holiday.

I really feel like I dodged a bullet by not going back there. It's nice to work for a company that cares about their employees

Just a small update. The other girl who I was working with in the office found another job and last Friday was her last day. Now I will be alone 3 out of 5 days and my manager will be coming twice a week from out of town. When I inquired about days that I already had scheduled off or one that I need to leave early I was told that I shouldn't worry about any time off at all and they would work something out even if it meant closing the office early so I could leave for an appointment. They really have gone above and beyond. 

The cost of having it handled

I went to AI to help me put into words what I was feeling about being proud of being independent but struggling with it at the same time. This is an edited version of what AI composed. 

We wear independence like a badge of honor. "I’ve got it," is our mantra. And it’s a great survival strategy—until it isn’t.

There is a quiet, exhausting downside to being fiercely self-reliant. Eventually, your strength transforms from a choice into a cage.

When you are consistently dependable, you inadvertently teach the world that you don't need tending to. People mistake your competence for immunity to exhaustion. Because you aren’t projecting a crisis, they assume you're perfectly fine. Your needs become invisible simply because you are too good at hiding the weight.

For the fiercely independent, actually asking for help is an excruciating exercise in vulnerability. You have to swallow your pride and override the internal voice telling you that needing help means failing.

But the real heartbreak happens after you finally ask: 

People say, "Let me know if you need anything," but because you look so sturdy, they forget to follow through.

When someone agrees to help and then simply forgets, it feels devastating. It reinforces the exact narrative that made you hyper-independent in the first place: “If I want it done right, I have to do it myself.” 

Real strength isn’t about carrying an impossible load until your back breaks. It’s about having the courage to say, "I am drowning right now, and I need a hand."

You shouldn't have to prove you are completely broken before the people in your life offer you a hand. Consider this your permission slip to let the shield drop, even if just for a moment.

Now if only I could follow this advice and let that shield drop. Instead I'll more than likely continue to let it break me. 

Archive dive

 I have nothing to use for a blog post today. I decided to do a little archive dive and see what I could find. This is just a random selection of pictures I found.