First of all, let me say that while the adjective “miscellaneous” is quite popular, I don’t think that the noun “miscellany” is used nearly often enough. So I’m happy to use this neglected word as the title of this post, which certainly fits the definition of “a collection or group of various or somewhat unrelated items”. 

In other words, this week I had a handful of things that I wanted to discuss, but none of them felt like enough to fill an entire post. So let’s start with:

Covid-19

As I wrote about in last Sunday’s post, I was lucky enough to be able to get a rapid test when I had an exposure scare, and, thankfully, tested negative. Meanwhile, St. Louis and statewide trends, cases, and hospitalizations are on the rise, as are the waits times for testing results, which I’ve been told are now averaging 7-8 days. Meanwhile, our local school districts are scheduled to release their fall plans tomorrow, which has a lot of people feeling extremely anxious. Our schools typically start in August, and I’ve been watching the national and local debate on the school issue, which has gotten quite contentious.

Both of my sisters have been weighing pros and cons of sending their kids back to school, and my teacher friends have been trying to plan for all possible scenarios.

Baking

I had a rare two post week this week, because on Wednesday I posted my entry for this year’s Great Bloggers Bakeoff, which is going on right now over at Mel’s Caramel blog. You really should take the time to check it out, because there are some amazing entries.

I wouldn’t put mine in the “amazing” category, but I had fun. So much so, in fact, that as the week went on and some really stressful stuff went down at work, I kept making little cheesecakes and various toppings, eventually mastering strawberry and cookies & cream. It was extremely therapeutic, and I ended up with way too much cheesecake. Lol. 

Small Acts of Self Care

I’m a firm believer in looking for opportunities to maximize the benefits for investing time, money, and effort. Recently, I’ve started applying that principle to stress relief and health management. Even on the busiest days, I’ve made a point to set aside at least an hour for relaxation, and I’ve gotten in the habit of taking a few minutes to consider what activity would have the greatest impact on my mood. I’ve discovered that varies day to day, and being mindful of it has been really beneficial. So some days I add a little extra reading time, while on others I take a walk, do a little baking, or watch the Muppets (which never fail to lift my spirits…no matter how old I get). 

I’ve also made a few small financial investments that are paying daily dividends, like a new seat cover for my stationary bike (good timing, since I’ve increased my workouts a little due to all the cheesecake), a few new accents for the house (they make me smile every time they catch my eye), and high-quality, super comfortable bedroom slippers (which, since I’m still working from home, I’m wearing most of the time).

The right small things can really make a big difference.

Let’s keep the miscellany going. What’s on your mind?