I’m halfway through this 100-day photo challenge to capture a happy moment from each day. Days 26 to 50 go from Sept 26th to Oct 20th, and the first big chunk of them were during vacation. There were days when it was tough to choose just ONE happy photo! Back at home, and still suffering from a lot of mental health issues, it’s been tougher. However, I keep trying to find little pieces of joy. The following photos are from the Day 26-50 time period, but skip vacation days, as I’ve basically featured those in posts already. So really, this is from October 3rd to 20th. In no particular order:

From 10/12 – Some days, you just need a chocolate muffin.

From 10/16 – Jason and I have begun the next phase of planting in our yard, and while we were out at the nursery, they had fall bouquets for sale. I loved them so much and definitely got one. Despite doing pretty well in terms of a garden in our yard, I actually have a black thumb. The garden thrives purely because I let it do its own thing and don’t mess with it! So I’ve never been able to keep a potted plant alive. I don’t know how this one will fare, but at least it’s pretty in the meantime.

From 10/5 – There’s nothing particularly remarkable about this photo, but there was something pretty remarkable about this moment. Nimi was sitting in my lap getting her afternoon pets. She’s a very cuddly cat with a personality that is completely different from the traditional idea of torties. The kittens began sniffing around, wanting to get pets, too. Nimi gave this little huffing sigh, stood up, and shuffled over to occupy only a single leg of my lap, so that there was room for the littles to climb up. It was the sweetest thing ever and I would’ve given her a big hug except she’d hate that. Instead, I took a photo.

From 10/9 – This skeleton has been making the Halloween rounds in our house since 2018. Back then, our entire beautiful xeriscaped yard had been ripped open to the bedrock in order to fix a plumbing mistake made in the mid-90s when the house was built (why????). And frankly, when your yard gets ripped up and is nothing but dirt and rocks in September, you’ve got to make the best of it. So we bought this skeleton and some skeleton “parts” and buried them in the yard for Halloween. Before this skeleton was buried, he performed hamlet (2nd photo at that link) in our living room, and ever since then, Ambrose has positioned him into various poses throughout October. Whether he’s planking on the living room floor, giving birth (3rd photo at last link), or watching TV like in this photo, this little guy enjoys life. (At present, he’s outside with arms outstretched for Halloween, a scraggly shawl tied over his shoulders.)

From 10/17 – We had a beautiful cold front this weekend, so made a fire in our fire pit in the evening. The moon, not quite full, was so beautiful with thin clouds in front of it. I’ve never been able to get a good photo of the moon, and after trying with my phone, I got out my full tripod and camera with telephoto lens to see what I can do. The whole process was frustrating – I could see every bump and crevice through my viewfinder, but the photos were coming out as nothing more than a coin of bright light! A friend sent me at article that talked about tips and tricks for taking these photos, so I followed them…and this is what I got! It’s an incredible photo, and I got several others. It made me so happy to get a really good photo of the moon!

Hopefully with more cold fronts on the way – and a tweaking of my medications after a doctor’s appointment to discuss my lethargy this week – things will start to feel a bit better. As always, if you want to follow along and see all the photos, I’m posting them both on Facebook and my Instagram. (My instagram is currently on private, however, so just send a follow request!)