Events Leading Through January and February 2024

I have a really bad habit with not writing in the winter, usually due to hibernating, and becoming a hermit, but I’m trying to be better on that front. 2023 has come and gone and going into 2024 has been a challenge for a lot of reasons. The first of the year, we got hit with snow and rain, and it was like we were stuck inside for the whole month. However, in that time, I have been getting inspired again, so let me begin.

Around February, there was enough decent weather for me to go out, and get some important errands done. The piles of snow are still about but were starting to melt. Downtown Burlington is full of hearts, and good stuff to see and do before catching the bus home.

I also got some serious house cleaning done. Things have been starting to look up, so I’ve just been keeping at it. Our cat, Dulce, hasn’t made it easy, but we’re working on getting around him. I’ve found some order in my room, including my futon that I bought.

I thought of some great series for my edited videos. Comichorde is what I label several of the series of videos I edit, the series, and seasons based on comics, like the DC comic, including The Sandman, and now, The Dead Boy Detectives. And these are just some of the projects I’ve gotten started.

Church Community Coming Together

Our church has worked together to convert an old building in town into our place of worship. We've gotten a lot done, and we've finally been able to go in and have worship, and it looks amazing.

The building used to be the old Hawkeye Newspaper, but we were able to buy it and convert it for our church, and when we first saw the building, it looked abandoned, and kind of sad.

  

Ever since we it got fixed up, we've had worship there, and even potlucks and it feels awesome to have a space just for us now.

   

A New Book Turned Into Movie

This amazing new story has become a Netflix series. It looked amazing, and the song in the trailer was awesome, so I looked into both. The story in the book is slightly different than the series, and the song is “Fall with You” by Emma McGarth.

I was able to find the eBook version of the original story and seems to be a little different than the Netflix series. When I first read it, I was a little disappointed with the ending because it felt so unended. Maybe I'm just so spoiled on happy endings. 

I enjoyed watching the Netflix version, it was amazing, and the actors were amazing. I managed to find an interview with some of the main characters, and I'm going to post it here.

All That’s Happened This Past Year and Going Foward

Again, I’ve neglected my writing for my blog, but I’m back at it starting right now. So, here’s some of the stuff that’s been going on with me since I last posted. We’ve cleaned and worked on the house, I’ve been taking the bus around town more, our new church is finished enough for us to attend worship there, and we have a brand-new member of our family.

So, this fall brings a lot of changes. As the weather turns from warm and sunny, then to cloudy, windy, and rainstorms, so a lot has been going on around me, and my community. For starters, my mom's car broke down, so I've been taking the public bus a few times, and although it can be a rough ride at times, it's provided me with some insight, and some independence of my own. I've gotten to Walmart on my own, so I can a bill, which for someone with autism, is a big, personal deal. I've also made it to the bank and have been to walk around downtown to see a lot of things, I usually can't when driving, so that is an interesting bonus. I've also been able to go to the library more, which I've enjoyed.

Next, is something even more awesome. Our church community bought an old newspaper building, and has been converting it, which is so amazing to me! So now, we have a place we own, and have made it our own. We had a potluck awhile back, and recently we've been to attend Sunday worship and sermon there on a regular basis. And soon we'll be having another potluck there, which is incredible.

And here is the most recent and sweetest news, we got ourselves a new kitty cat! We're not totally sure yet if it's a boy, or a girl, because she's only a few months old, but we've named her Dulce, because 1, she's the caramel orange, and cream white color, and 2, she's a sweetheart. She's made our lives richer, and we already love her so much. On top of everything else, she's learning to hunt mice, and they haven't been bugging us lately.

That's about everything right now, but I intend to start doing some more research, and history projects based on where we live right now, in Iowa. There is so much interesting local history around us, so now I can ride on my own. I'm going to try and learn more, and report back. Please subscribe, and come to read more, and also try and support on Ko-fi.

Life Throws Us All Kinds of Curves

The First of January was insane, we had a major change of plans. Sometimes, it's hard to go with the flow. First, you can get excited for an adventure, but then reality hits your plans. I’ve always enjoyed road trips, but they can be really hard on the budget, especially in the future, after you use your credit, and you end up overcharging a lot.

So, we had to go the doctor’s in Iowa City the first of the month. I was looking forward to that, until I realized I wasn’t going to have as much as the month before. Getting to the city wasn’t that bad, but the University parking was crazy as usual. All of that went pretty smoothly, and the hospital had Pepsi, and chips in the vending machine, so I was good. It’s what happened after, that through us for a loop.

We were supposed to keep lunch inexpensive, and we were trying to find a good place for waffle fries. But the place that I looked up on DoorDash was permanently closed, so that was disappointing. We ended up settling for Subway, which wasn’t terrible. After that, we were supposed to have only two stops. Chong’s, the Asian store, and Walmart, for my favorite brand, and blend of coffee.

The Asian store wasn’t that bad, I was able to find most everything we needed, including some good ramen for my sister, and some chopsticks. For me, I just needed a key ingredient for my miso soup, and Mom wanted some coconut water/juice. Next, we went to Walmart, but when I went in, they didn’t have what I was looking for, even though I checked the website. So, mom took me to three different places, until finally we found a Walmart close to Burlington that had it, in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

Needless to say, we were pretty tired when we got home. I don’t usually regret what do, or get, but I have a habit of regretting the choices that put us in hot water. I really need to control my spending habits. There’s a phrase I’m looking for, but I can’t place it right now. Anyway, the start of February seems to be coming down, in a good way. I’ve been working on video projects, and my blogs, while doing house work. Imbolc passed by, and I made an interesting dinner, inspired by what I read. There’s been some warm days, so maybe the cold front will end soon, and next month will hopefully be better.

Clothing and Fashions Inspired By the Ages

Two of my favorite things, clothes, and history, are combined when shopping at vintage places, or even inexpensive places, like Goodwill. People give up old clothes, and you never know when you'll find something worthwhile.

A while back, my sister took my mom, and me shopping for some clothes. I was inspired to try and find jeans, something between “borrowed jeans” of the 1940s, and the wide legs, that made a comeback in the 1990’s. I was going for loose, but fitting, and comfortable, retro style.

In the end, I was able to finally find some awesome options, with some help from my sister, although she does like to take charge, and I mean complete control. But I ended up with awesome stuff, including some amazing shoes, so it wasn’t terrible, although I need to be able to cut myself off more times.

Grocery Haul & Healthy Foods to Cook With

I don't usually talk about what I buy, but I wanted to share some of things I've found at the grocery, and the health food store near us here in Burlington, Iowa. My mom has a lot of allergies, so it's really important that I find, and work with ingredients that are ok with both of us, and I've been very lucky to find these ingredients, sauces and flavors, that don't have anything that can make us sick.

My mom loves her sauces, so I've been trying to come up with some of my own. One of my first, that she seemed to like a lot was coconut aminos, with sesame seed oil, especially on chicken. I also was able to find a health food store near us called Nature's Corner, and they have a vegan mayonaisse, made without eggs, or soybean oil, which is very important in our diets. They also have a ketchup made by the same brand, Primal Kitchen, as well, and later I was able to find it our local HyVee store, as well. 

Recently I also discovered another brand that is a little healthier for us, called Noble Brand (by the New Primal), and they have a good, and spice bbq sauce. Plus, at Nature's Corner, they have soup packets, that don't have anything bad, like soy, wheat, or any added perservatives.

I've always enjoyed cooking healthy, and even doing things from scratch. Sometimes, when I'm working on the basics, it's nice to have quality sauces, and it makes it easier on me. It can get pricey if your not careful, but I always say it's worth it.

A Different Perspective for This New Year

A lot of the time in January, the days can start off cold, foggy, and seem off, but give it some time and, the sun can try to make an appearance. What could seem like a complete disaster, could shape up to be not bad, even awesome.

There have been a lot of moments this month, the first of the new year, where it’s felt like a seesaw, one moment things are pretty hard, and then they are looking up, and the next day, you get some news that tries to bring you down again. I guess we all need to try and keep an open mind and maintain a balance of some kind.