White out one day, sun the next

Our weather has been know to change quickly.  I took this picture during a snowstorm and used the Prisma app to create artwork. But today the sun is out and the snow is starting to melt. Don saw a robin in the snow yesterday. I wonder how they can survive the cold. Spring is coming. I can feel it.  The last few years March has been fairly mild. In the days before global warming we would have a blizzard on St.Patrick’s Day. 

The scent of Spring

There is nothing that says Spring like the smell of hyacinths. At this time of year when I get tired of winter I like to buy some hyacinths to put on my windowsill. 

When I walk by I inhale a big breath and take in their sweet perfume. It reminds me that even though it is white outside that someday it will warm up and once again I will be able to go outside.

Next week I will be going to the orthopedic surgeon to have my shoulder checked. Unfortunately the month of physical therapy did nothing to help the pain so I am on to the next step. I’m hoping surgery isn’t in the picture but the way it is hurting continually I feel it may be necessary. 

    I will be getting my second vaccine on March 16th so I am happy about that. Then I would like to travel a bit to see family (depending on what the doctor says of course). I have missed being with my kids and sisters.

     

If thou of fortune be bereft, 
and in thy store there be but left
two loaves, sell one, and with the
dole, buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.”

― John Greenleaf Whittier

Getting a Headstart on spring

There is still snow on the ground as I look out the window today but there is spring in my heart. Today I have hardly any pain in my shoulder...the aspirin I took this morning kicked in and this is the best I have felt in a month. Last night I didn’t get to sleep until one thirty because of pain so it’s a relief today. Because I felt so good I got a little start on spring decorating. 

Missing

I have definitively been missing on this blog this year. I am calling it a hiatus but it is really just ignoring blogging for a while. Life goes on, even through this pandemic. But it isn’t a very exciting life right now and the sameness of the days gives me nothing to blog about. 

   I have spent the last month going to physical therapy for the pain in my shoulder. Finally we decided that it wasn’t helping so my next step will be to go to an orthopedic surgeon for a consultation about my rotator cuff. I have been in a lot of pain with it but am dreading surgery.

    The weather has been consistently in the twenties with snow on the ground so I can’t get out to walk. It seems my only outings are to the grocery store and doctor appointments. 

     I have lots of time to read and watch Netflix now. 

For today

Looking out my window...   

 It was a glorious day today. The sun was so bright as I drove to Erie for a doctor’s appointment (My thyroid is regulated now). But the temperature remained below freezing (about 12-16 degrees)

I am thinking...

   Covid will be continuing for a while yet. We are not out of the woods just because there is a vaccine. I am frightened that a new strain will mutate that can’t be controlled by a shot. 

I am grateful...

    That I have an appointment for my vaccine. I have to go out of town but at least I will get my first shot.

One of my favorite things...

    I love florals and to create vignettes using them. I got some pretty ones at Hobby Lobby especially the vines.

I am creating...

    Some water colors at an online class with my favorite instructor from Houston. 

I am reading..

  The latest Patterson book. 1st Case

I am watching...

  I just finished Firefly Lane on Netflix, an outstanding series starring Katie Heigel.

I am hoping..

     That it warms up soon so I can continue walking outdoors every day.

In my kitchen...

     Some broccoli cheddar soup for lunch.

From 2009...

Everyone is doing Bernie memes so I got in on the fun too. It is stress relieving to laugh a little these days. I am so fortunate to have family and friends to support me. I can't imagine what I would do without them. Don and I have our appointment for our vaccine shot in a few weeks. That will be a relief to at least feel partially protected. This has been a tough year but we have managed the best we can. 

  I am anxious to go and visit my grandchildren. Next weekend we are going down to my oldest son's house. It will be nice just to get out of town for a weekend. 

Sorry that i haven't blogged too much. There is just not a lot going on right now. 

Bernie . I added him to a painting I did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Topiaries

Reese

I think I am feeling very cat-like. I watch Reese sleep most of the day and I feel I am slipping into cat-hood. I am sleeping in most mornings till nine thirty and then get up and slowly move into my day. I do minimum chores and go out only when necessary. 

It snowed again last night and the weather is hovering below freezing. This morning I got a call from one of my friends who is worried about our other friends who are getting sick and wondering if we all should be tested. I know my friends are extremely careful and don’t go out very often but in our town the Covid virus is spreading quickly so we are all anxious. A testing site will be opened for just a few days in the town and we wonder if we should be checked just in case. 

Don has been keeping busy putting puzzles together while I read or look at decorating videos on YouTube. I have started watching some episodes of Last Tango in Halifax. I had watched it previously  and thought I had seen all the seasons but I’m refreshing my memory. 

   I am trying not to be discouraged by what is going on in America but seeing troops guarding the center of our government is cause for concern. I have relatives that are Trump supporters and they talk with such anger that it bothers me. I worry about the division that Trump has caused for four years and if we can come together as a nation or are the seeds of distrust running too deep. It seems that the truth and facts don’t matter to some. Sorry for getting political on you this morning. But I feel we are living through a definite historical time.

    And of course the fear of Covid dwells in my mind. With four thousand people dying each day I must be concerned as both Don and I are in a high risk group. We are waiting it out at home until we can be vaccinated. 

Something new

It’s been a while since I’ve been shopping so I took a trip to a nearby town to return some library books and check out a favorite shop. I ended up buying this lovely wooden arch to put above my fireplace. 

Q and A

There are new questions from Preppy Empty Nester today that I will answer. Maybe you can answer too in the comments....

1. What are your plans for January?

     January so far seems a lot like the months of 2020. I will be spending a lot of time just being at home. I spend the time reading or using the ipad and also watching a lot of Netflix. 

2. What do you want to see happen in 2021?

    The most important thing is to end the pandemic. It has been so hard for our country and our people when some people did not take it seriously at first. Now it is raging and my only protection is to stay home safely and wear a mask when I have to go out. I await the vaccine patiently. 

  The second thing I want to happen is to get great leadership in the government and end this division of our country. No matter who you support we are all Americans and we need intelligent and empathetic leadership. 

3. What would you give a 5 star rating?

    Bridgerton on Netflix. A great series and the duke was very easy on the eyes. 

4. How do you feel about memoirs?

   I love them. My dad gave me two full cassette tapes of his life story which I typed out and made into a scrapbook. Now we have a lot of stories about his life. He urged me to do it also. So this would be a great time to put it together. 

5. If you could join any musical group what would it be and why?

    I think the Supremes. They had happy music which rocked my soul in the sixties. 

6.  What is your favorite genre across all platforms?

    I love reality tv. Give me an episode of the Housewives or Top Chef and I am in heaven. 

7. What candle scents are your favorites?

   I love anything spicy...cinnamon, pear, eucalyptus, ..

8. What books are you reading?

    Right now...just finished Bob Woodward’s new one. Interesting how people in Trump’s circle can shed light on how the president acts when no one is watching. 

9. When do you decide it’s time to upgrade?

     I hate upgrading. It seems there is always something new to learn how to operate. If I’m happy the way things are I see no need to get something different. Keep it simple for the old folks. 

10. What is your favorite color and why?

   I like turquoise. It looks great on everyone. 

How about you now?

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. What are your plans for January?
 
2. What do you want to see happen in 2021?
 
3.  What would you give a 5 star rating? 
 
4. Do you have writing goals for 2021?
 
5. How do you feel about memoirs?
 
6. If you could join any musical group who would you choose?
 
7. What are your favorite genres across all media?
 
8. What candle scents are your favorite?
 
9. How well can you mimic other accents or voices?
 
10. What books are on your TBR list in 2021?
 
11. When do you decide it’s time to upgrade/buy something new?
 
12. Why is your favorite color your favorite color?
 
13. Who understands you the best?
 
14. Do you write letters?
 
15. How do you keep going when times are hard?

Puzzle time

Don just completed a puzzle of his Navy ship. It was black, gray, and white and quite difficult.  But he persisted. I think a lot of people are putting together puzzles to keep their minds active.  What have you been doing with your extra time?

Winter changes

How are you doing staying home? Are you finding projects to do that keep you busy? I am lucky that I am not an essential worker and have to risk my life to work every day. I have been retired for 18 years now. So I can stay home and stay safe. But staying sane? Just joking. It’s not bad to spend your day in your lovely home. But I am an extrovert and love being around people. And even though I love my home I miss my friends. I miss shopping. I miss concerts. Yes, I can find things to do. But I find myself sitting around more than I should and watching way too much television. 

  So today I did some redecorating. I love making vignettes. Maybe I should have been a window decorator. I took everything off my mantle and put up a winter mantle instead. 

I love the gray/white tobacco basket and I can find a way to use it in every season. This time with a spray of pine and berries. The metal pine cone was actually a free gift when I stopped at a Joanne FAbric shop in Winchester, Va. I was checking out and there was a table and you could choose things from it. The deer statue was from a coop near Knoxville, Tn. 

I didn’t want to put away the spiral tree so I kept it on the mantle along with three Louisa May Alcott books and a painting that I did. 

I think the birch pot fits in nicely with the plate in the background. It’s nice to see something different in the house and reuse items I already have. 

Christmas keeps on coming

This year the delay in the mail has really disappointed a lot of people. My packages to my sister still haven’t completely arrived yet. I was thankful that my family opened gifts when they were here in November. Today I did get a package from one of my sisters. The candle above was one of the gifts along with those fancy paper clips. 

  I took down all my Christmas decorations but left up things for winter. I carried them down to the storage room in the basement but now need to properly put them away. 

  It is cold out today with a high of 24. I am no longer walking outside. I really miss that. I am spending most days right inside the house. 

Christmas spirit

I guess I was feeling a little sorry for myself yesterday. I was thinking of Christmases past and the joy I always felt at this time of year. That peaceful feeling would come over me and I would know that all was right in my world. This year I was waiting for that feeling. I had it a little bit when I hauled out my Christmas decorations and distributed them around the house. (But I didn’t put them all out and pared back quite a bit). Then it came again when my family all came home for Thanksgiving and we exchanged presents. (But that left the month of December with no holiday activities at all.) The days passed and I waited for that excited feeling to come. But every day I stayed at home and listened to bad news in the world. My usual optimism had a hard time mustering up a smile. 

    But today it came back. That fun feeling. That holiday joy. And all it took was a trip out of town. Don and I went to Jamestown. He hasn’t been out of the house for months but wanted to go out to lunch. All of the restaurants in Pennsylvania are closed now so we really enjoyed the Olive Garden. I made two very quick stops at TJ Max and Michael’s but came out of the stores with no packages. I was really thankful that I had done all of my shopping early and didn’t have to stand in those long lines. But it was Wegman’s, a grocery store, that put me in the holiday mood. The town that I live in doesn’t have the variety of foods that this store displays. I really went wild buying things I don’t usually buy (like a pecan topping for the Brie that I will share with Don Christmas Eve.) And stuffed pork chops for our Christmas Eve dinner. We are having ham for Christmas Day. It was fun to be in the bustle of shoppers and I picked out some rum balls and a platter of Christmas cookies. (Since I am not making cookies this year). I even found a large white platter that I needed. (Along with some greenery). When I came out of the store I told Don that it was dangerous for my wallet for me to go in that store. LOL. 

     I was really in a great mood all the way home recalling that holiday feeling. Now to find some Christmas movies to watch and to make the holiday special even though it will be just the two of us. 

Can it be Christmas?

Can it be that Christmas is just a few days away? In this crazy year of Covid it seems that nothing is the same as it used to be. Pennsylvania is shut down again with restaurants only doing take out and most people staying home as much as they can to avoid catching this virus. I only leave the house now for a once a week trip to Walmart for groceries. Don hasn’t left the house in months. Even the library has closed again. Bradford has seen such an increase in cases that we are up to almost four hundred in our little town. I haven’t seen my coffee friends in weeks and haven’t walked with my friend Sandy much either because of the cold weather and deep snow. I am so glad we celebrated our Christmas at Thanksgiving because we will be alone at Christmas. We will wait for the vaccine so that we can once again feel safe being around people. Meanwhile I will stay right here.

Our Christmas is over

When the boys and their families were here for Thanksgiving we exchanged our Christmas gifts since we were all together. 

This picture is blurry but it tries to show Don’s sweatshirt with a picture of the ship he served on pictured on the front. He received a lot of gifts..mugs, puzzles, pictures of that ship. 

I loved my personalized gifts. 

The kids loved playing with Occulus virtual reality.  

 But look at our Christmas present.  Chris found a stray cat near his house. It was obviously someone’s pet since it was declawed. He tried to find the owner but no luck. So he asked us if we would take it. She is the sweetest cat. So lovable and all it wants is to sleep in your lap. chris called her Reeseie since her coloring is peanut butter and chocolate. 

Roasting chestnuts

You know the song “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire”? Well, I’ve never eaten a chestnut. We were listening to Christmas music this weekend when Chris and Wendy were here and she said that she ate them when she was a missionary in Macedonia. So they went to the store and bought some for us. Using Google we discovered how to roast them in the oven. It was a process. First we soaked them in some salt water for twenty minutes. You can soak them up to two hours. Next we roasted them on a cookie sheet in the oven.  20 minutes at 350 degrees. Then turn the over to 450 and roast another fifteen minutes. Take them out of the over and put them in a bowl on a damp towel and cover with the towel. 

They pop right open and you can peel the shell right off. The meat is one large nut. I put a little salt on the ones I ate. It has a different and unique taste but not bad at all. 

Today Chris and Wendy will go to Coudersport to close on their house. When they got married they put the house in Port Allegany up for sale. It has been over a year and they are happy to sell it now. When they left last weekend I thought I wouldn’t see them for quite a while because of Covid so I was happy they came up again. 

Covid is keeping Don and I right here at the house most of the time. It is raging here in Bradford and we want to stay safe. The only way is to stay right here at home. I have finally gotten used to being a homebody and don’t mind it as much as I used to. But I have a long list of things I want to do once it is safe in the world again. 

Happy thanksgiving

First let me apologize. I haven’t been blogging for a while. After keeping up this blog since 2006 I found myself with not a lot to say. Covid has kept me in and my routine is similar every day. I do ordinary things which aren’t that interesting to blog about. 

I am so fortunate to have my family with me this Thanksgiving. Ryan and his family all tested negative and came up last Saturday. We have spent the week just staying at the house keeping ourselves busy baking and playing games. Chris and Wendy will be joining us today. 

The turkey is in the roaster and we are looking forward to a happy Thanksgiving feast. 

Ryan and Sara spent some time watercoloring. 

Good morning

Good morning. It’s early in the morning on Tuesday and I’m gazing out the window at the snowfall that happened last night. It has covered the ground and is still coming down. Our Circle of Friends group is meeting in the nearby town and I’m wondering how many people will call me and cancel since we are always fearful of driving in bad roads at our age. When I was younger a little snowfall would never keep me from doing anything. I have been known to drive on some really treacherous roads just to go shopping. But of course I am more cautious now. My friends and I are in charge of this month’s meeting and we chose to go to Sprague’s which is such a lovely place to have lunch. 

I am still in my pajamas this morning since I have decided not to go to coffee with my friends on Tuesdays and Fridays when they go to a more popular and larger restaurant in town. I feel since the cases of Covid are on the rise that I should limit my exposure as much as possible. It is always in the back of my mind that I could be exposed and get Covid or carry it home to Don who has COPD. After today’s meeting I am also not going to any more group meetings for a while. 

I have been decorating my house for Christmas a little early this year since my family is coming for Thanksgiving. I am happy that we will all be together but so worried also. I know we are taking a chance having them here. It is a risk. I haven’t seen my Tennessee family for almost a whole year and have missed them so much. 

I have made a lot of food ahead of time so I don’t have to be worried about cooking all the time. My turkey is purchased and we will have a large feast next Thursday. I’m hoping that maybe they will want to make Christmas cookies while they are here to divide up to take home.

Marilla

Sorry for not blogging for awhile. I haven’t been inspired lately. My weeks are rather routine. 

Ice on the Marilla bridge 

Our weather is a funny thing.  Sometimes cold enough for ice and then warm in the afternoon. I’m still taking a daily walk around Marilla Lake every day 

The other day when we were there they were stocking fish into the reservoir.  

It’s a beautiful walk.