Miser Family update, warm hats in cold weather

Life continues to be rich and full in the Miser Family Household.  This week, we're especially rich in . . . hats!  Especially in hats that are suited for cold weather, and also in the cold weather to wear these hats.

We start off with the adorable row:  Dogs that sit still and pose for photos!  B-child!  My husband in a hat with a pom-pom!  (It's a hat he got during his travels in Latvia last year; perfect for nippy climates).

The middle row features the instigator of this week's theme:  I-daughter models her very warmest hat, and also displays "the reason I love hat weather so much ".  These are not ALL of the hats she's knitted, she assures us.  N-son models his favorite x-mas hat, and gets photo-bombed by his sister.

The bottom row shows situational hats:

• Y displays her good posture, saying, "Sorry not wintery hat... I didn't pack any for Arizona "  
• My sister-in-law (also currently in warm climates) dug through her files to share "We bundled up to attend a snow carving festival! ".  I love that the snow creature has a snow hat!
• L2 contributes with  "I wear this hat more than any other hat ; Warms people's soul"; And perhaps my head a little ".   (In case you can't quite see, it's a birthday cake hat, with candles flopping around on top of it).
• And I snapped my photo on location:  "Here's my warm heart, warm gloves, warm ear muffs (boxing food at [our local soup kitchen], for families that need it). Ooh, and my mustache mask."

N-son is doing well, and for that I'm grateful.  He got out of the hospital on Monday, right after I gave my calculus exam.  Before he was released, N-son, my guy, and I had a lesson, from the hospital pharmacist, about how to use the glucose meter and the fancy needle pens for insulin.  I told the pharmacist that I, too, was a teacher and I knew from experience that everything works perfectly in class when I have the magic chalk, but that when my students try to do the same thing at home with their mere-mortal pencils, somehow nothing works right.  So could we please practice once with the equipment while we had help?  The pharmacist reassured us that wouldn't be necessary, since he'd covered everything already.  

So we went home and couldn't get the glucose meter to work, and we forgot to take the cap all the way off the needle in the insulin needle pen, and we basically messed it all up.  But fortunately (?), N-son is supposed to repeat this routine four times a day (every day for the rest of his life, basically), and thanks to the chance to repeat our mistakes frequently, we quickly switched from mistake-making to success, and by now N-son is a pro at the whole process.   He's eating all his meals at our home while we establish the monitoring/injection/healthy-diet routine, but sleeping at his own place and otherwise autonomous.  

I spent much of the rest of the week grading and catching up on paperwork and (ahhhhh) sleeping in until 5:45 or sometimes even later.  I got to take care of delayed chances for service, too; I gave blood and got to go help at the local rescue mission that I've missed working with.  Sometime this week, the weather kicked over from balmy and warm to "bundle up, baby; it's cold outside!" --- just in time for our Warm Hats in Cold Weather Family Fun Foto. Lovely.

And now, let's turn to this week's interview!  This week features my sister-in-law.   She's an amazing person, with an exuberant  zest for life that I've admired from afar.  A couple of months ago, she wrote back to me about the family letter, saying, "I may start picking out my favorite photograph of the week. This week congratulations are in order for L2."   I responded, "On the off chance you'd like to include a photo in the collage, next week is "special eating utensil/plate/mug" --- a favorite spoon or drinking glass or something like that.   No pressure, though!"   And ever since then, she's been an avid participant.  I'm so happy to keep connecting with her like this!  And next week's theme, which is seriously going to be a challenge for almost all of us, is one she proposed: "Clowns, or Clowning around".  I'm busy thinking hard about this already.

With that said, let's hear what my sister-in-law is/has been/will be up to!

What things were you doing a year ago that you're not doing now?

Having friends over for dinner, visiting friends in their homes, going to movies, listening to live music-everything from Classic Rock to the Philharmonic, musicals and the ballet. Oh and I used to dress up!

What occupies your days, nowadays? 

Lots of caregiving. Frank has serious health issues now, and he needs not one but two new knees, so top priority is making sure he’s okay every day. 

Tell me a bit about your hobbies

In New Hampshire I hike, kayak, play pickle ball and always have a jigsaw puzzle going. In Vegas I work out, walk, bike, hike, read, and cook!

When you treat yourself to a bit of "me" time or special indulgences, what does that involve for you?

Having a pedicure while drinking a nice cup of loose leaf tea and reading a page turner. 

Five years from now, what kinds of things do you hope you'll be doing that you haven't done yet or aren't doing now? 

Traveling! I’ve never been on a river cruise; it was in the works before the pandemic, but that was that. 

I guess kayaking is not the same as a river cruise . . . 

Describe some of your favorite household gadgets or treasures. 

• My 1800 watt clothing steamer. I love all things laundry related. It’s in my blood.
• Phillips Sonicare toothbrush (I use an app when I brush)
• Dyson hair dryer-such a time saver.
• Potato ricer, I make the best mashed

This list could be a lot longer; I married the Gadget King. 

Are there any questions I should have asked you, but didn't? 

"Now that you are really into kayaking, do you think you should learn to do something besides dog paddle?"

 Nah, I’ll just keep wearing a life jacket. I hate getting my hair wet.

And that's the news from our family, which continues to be wealthy in our adventures.  May you and yours be similarly prosperous.