I know, I know. I’ve skipped a couple of Monday Musings. But I’m back this week, and in a funk. It’s why I just haven’t felt like writing as of late.

Oliver’s been really sick, which has thrown my world into disarray. I’ve been on a tear dealing with the beach house. I’ve been overscheduled with social things. And I took a couple of days off for my birthday, which I think you always pay for coming and going. The stress of trying to go on vacation and then trying to get back in the swing is often not worth the going. Let’s just say I reversed any rest and relaxation about 24 minutes into my first morning back.

Plus, I learned that an acquaintance passed away, suddenly and pretty horrifically. I met Holly when I first moved to Charlotte and interviewed at the company she worked for. We had been in the same industry for several years and knew a lot of people in common.  I only met her that once but we shared a pretty memorably awkward moment in the ladies’ restroom. Later, I continuously met people in other places who always asked, “Oh, do you know Holly?” She was just that sort: fun, kind, life of the party, a connector. Driving home from Memorial Day weekend, she went missing. They found her a week later; her car had run off a hairpin turn in the mountains and crashed down a steep ravine. It’s a weird thing to follow someone you know in a news story, to ride the roller coaster of emotions until you know what happened to them, and even more bizarre to consider that a shared encounter I’d rather forget died with the only other person who was there. Another, gone too soon.

So, all of that and this gloomy weather we’ve been having has me feeling unsettled.

But on to lighter things! I’ve stored up quite the selection of random musings since I’ve been away.

Like light bulbs. They used to be tried and true. If you shook what you suspected to be a burned out light bulb, it rattled in confirmation. But what do we do with these newfangled eco-friendly compact fluorescent deals? Is there a trick? Or do they just never die?

And rugs. If you need to buy a rug pad for every rug, why are they two separate things? Why don’t they just make rugs with a built-in grip on the back?

Finally, why did I just discover that you can wash plastic shower curtain liners in the washing machine? All that crusty, opaque, filmy mildew just washes clear away. It’s a miracle, and a revelation.

Clearly, I am not very good at housecleaning.

It’s also pretty apparent that I’ve been focused on home improvement and spending way too much time at Home Depot. That beach house has me nesting.

Have a good week, all.