What an odd week it’s been where I live in Colorado. All week I knew that the forecast for Thursday was 20-degrees and snow, and yet I waited until after dark on Wednesday night to bring in my basil plant and throw sheets over my flowers. Similarly, my husband had the air compressor running long after sunset to blow out the sprinklers and was fiddling around hooking up the chickens’ heat lamp until late. One could argue that we are both procrastinators… In any case, after a really slick commute Thursday morning (CDOT is usually on top of it but they seem to have been in denial on this one?), this morning the roads were 100% dry. And that is a great thing about Colorado: here today, gone tomorrow snow!
A few things that I feel like talking about:
Food
I tried this recipe for pumpkin spice cookies. The pumpkin aspect was a little subtle for me, but they were REALLY GOOD snickerdoodles. I didn’t even have to make any high altitude adjustments to get a perfectly light, perfectly soft cookies. I just discovered @littlesweetbaker (the source of this recipe) on Instagram and am swooning over her photos and recipes.
Podcasts
I can’t say enough great things about The Happiness Lab podcast. Please give it a listen (it’s free)! I just finished the episode called, “Mistakenly Seeking Solitude” and I can’t stop thinking about it. In summary, scientific studies show that even people who think they want to be left alone actually feel happier when they are around people. Even introverts! <waving my hand wildly> Even shy people! <nodding, knowingly> This morning I made a quick Barnes & Noble stop to buy a gift card and a coffee. I paid special attention to how I felt after making a little conversation with the cashier and the barista, and it really did give me a happiness boost. I mean, if the cashier had been cranky or the barista had been short with me, it would have been discouraging. But, as the podcast episode discusses, those little human interactions that we take for granted (more and more, to our own detriment as a society) are really important to seek out and enjoy.
Deals
Finally, have you heard of or tried Rakuten? It used to be called eBates. My cousin, Stacy, told me about it and for a long time I couldn’t be bothered to figure out what she was talking about. Have you heard of Honey? The browser plug-in that gives you discounts? Rakuten is 100-times better. With Honey, my “Honey Gold” never amounted to ANYTHING. After a holiday season of online shopping, my “Honey Gold” amounted to maybe $1.62 or something meaningless. I started using the Rakuten plug-in and was happy to discover that they give larger percentage rebates at most of the stores that I shop at online (Pharmaca.com, Old Navy, GAP, Macy’s, Kohl’s, etc.) and with the browser plug-in, you’re alerted right away if the site you’re on offers a rebate. The regular percentages aren’t huge, but sometimes there are special promotional rebates – in any case, my feeling is that it’s effortless, it costs nothing to use, and especially for big online purchases or big shopping “seasons” (like the winter holidays or back-to-school time) I might as well get money back on things I’m going to buy anyway (including Groupons!). If you want to check it out, you can use my referral link and we both get an extra-special rebate to start.
I hope you have a lovely weekend and that you talk to a stranger for a happiness boost!
Fall foliage photo by Vanessa von Wieding on Unsplash.