Wednesday

There were a few snow showers about when I went for a walk this morning. It was very cold though. I was well bundled up, but I still felt it. The poor beavers have given up on their open water and, for now, the whole of Asylum Lake is frozen

The snow from yesterday has covered most of the ice, but there is still a bit uncovered. It is pretty thick ice though and no beavers are popping up from beneath that! Closer to shore (and on another part of the lake) a lone ice fisherman was sitting out on the ice. Rather him than me!

 

I managed to drive to the post office today. The roads weren't that bad. I decided to stop and pick up a few bits too while the roads were good. Back at home I did a little sorting and then remembered that I'd signed up for a Photography Club meeting. I'm not good at Zoom meetings. I'm really not that good at the whole social thing, but this year I've decided to try to participate more in them. I didn't speak but I attended and stayed on camera the whole time. I'm glad I attended. It was interesting. 

Tomorrow there is a chance at some snow, though the temps are supposed to be warmer (closer to freezing) before we plunge into artic temperatures early next week! If it is snowing, I think I'm going to give the walk a miss and concentrate on getting some things done at home. I've started lots of little bits (the evidence of which are currently sitting in various places in the downstairs area) and I need to finish them and put away what I can. A snowy day will be a good one to do this!

I'm actually feeling quite good about the sorting. There are even a couple of empty spots on the bookshelves! Mind you, there are also books tucked about in other places that will come out of the darkness, and either be added to the bookshelves or be donated. Still a lot that I can't seem to let go of BUT each time I give the bookshelves a sort there seems to be more that I'm willing to get rid of. 

I'm off to bed, earlier than usual I think! I've already fallen asleep a couple of times and I think that tells me I'm ready to sleep...maybe...hopefully. 

Tuesday - snow, snow, go away

We went out for a bit on Sunday, but it was snowing so we didn't get out of the car for long. There is ice starting to form along Lake Michigan and with the cold weather we're having I'm sure there will be more building. 

Monday was more of the same - snow. I was hoping the weather was going to be okay as middle son was coming into town and he was going to sign for his new flat/apartment. We checked at a couple of thrift shops for furniture but no luck. He did the signing though and got keys so we will be moving him in next weekend. It wasn't the one he really really wanted (the funky priced one that seemed to change day to day) but it was something similar and he really likes it.  Fingers crossed the weather will cooperate! The snow made me really anxious, but he did okay driving in it and made it back home okay. It was funny, as he said that as soon as he got outside of our town the snow stopped, and he had a clear drive home! It must just have been dumping on us. 

More snow today. I did manage to drive so I could take a quick walk. I didn't stay long. It looked as though the beavers were giving up on trying to keep the water open as there was a layer of ice over the open water. It was snowing quite hard too and I didn't want to get stuck. I took a quick walk around and then went back home and that was where I stayed! I was glad of it. 

When husband got home, he had to rake the snow from the roof again and do the driveway again. It's supposed to be a snow-free day tomorrow - here's hoping!

On the home front, I did get a bit more sorting done. Slow and steady seems to be the way. If I look at the big picture, it is rather overwhelming. I'm trying to focus on what I can get done, rather than on what I can't. I also think that, at some point, I am going to have to take a hard look at what projects I can realistically do and what I need to let go of. For now, I'm still working on letting go of things that I find not difficult at all. As I get rid of things I am keeping a tally that I'll share at the end of the month. 

Lazy Saturday

It was still snowing a bit when I got up this morning, so I had husband drop me off for a walk. He came back home and raked the snow from the roof and then cleared off the driveway and the pavement in front of our house. We are responsible for keeping it clear. It was pretty cold out, but I enjoyed being outside, all bundled up, and seeing a few peeks of blue skies between snow showers. 

The beavers are managing to keep a bit of water open. They were out and about again this morning. It was amazing to watch one as it banged into the edges of the open water to break up the ice. The photos above are about the extent of the blue skies I saw. By the time I left the snow was coming down again. We're in for some more tomorrow. Sigh. 

I was pretty lazy when I got home. I did sort out a few things, put away a few bits that haven't been put away.  And then I just stopped, looked around at the stuff and couldn't work out how to get started decluttering again. I did manage to read through some magazines by my chair. I also managed to sort out 12 books to donate. I suppose that's something. I'll just have to keep trying. Every little helps. 

I was going to post an update on watching my budget, but I feel that's going to be a bust this month. Son is moving and we said we would help with expenses and some new-to-him furniture. That's obviously going to be a ding in finances, BUT I am going to plod on with watching other areas of spending. Not sure how that's going to go. Sigh. 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend! 

Snowy Friday

Start off with a moan - I don't like driving in the snow (have you heard this enough times now?) It was only snowing lightly when I got up this morning, so I bundled up (lots of clothing layers, hand warmers and yaktrax) and managed to slide  drive through our neighbourhood, cross the main road and hit the other neighbourhood so I could park at the back entrance to Asylum Lake. I've learned that, in winter, this is the best way to go. I can dawdle my way as slow as I feel able along to the end of our area, cross over the main street and dawdle all the way to Asylum Lake. Longer, but I feel more comfortable. 

I only walked down to the beaver lodge. The open water is shrinking. There was only a little bit left today. Some beavers popped up as the snow continued to fall. I saw two dog walkers and that was it. I didn't stay as long as I usually did. The snowfall was making me nervous. I'm glad I went back to the car. The back roads were definitely slick as I made my way home. The main road looked okay though. I had to go to the post office to drop off some Ebay packages. If it was bad I was going to have husband take me after work, but I thought I could make it okay and I did. I drove there, dropped them off and drove straight back home. That was it. For the rest of the day, I watched the snowfall from my house!

For the rest of the day, I did the things I'd put down on my list. I have completed all my tasks. I also had a good catch-up with my sister. She shared some lovely sunrises and sunsets she's had this week and a little bit of snow! I do enjoy our 'chats'. 

I'm slowly sorting my way through the magazine hoard. I have got rid of most of the photography magazines I had. I still have only a few to go. I also have got rid of most of my Landscape magazines. I really enjoy this one. I don't buy it anymore, but I do get it through my Kindle Unlimited subscription. I looked through some Spring ones today. It reminds me that warmer and longer days will come soon. Definitely something to look forward to!

Here in Michigan, we may be covered in snow, but my sister sent me a photo of some Snowdrops she saw this week in Ipswich!

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend. 

Getting Back into the Swing of Things

I haven't yet. Husband and son both went back to work yesterday. It feels like it should be the beginning of the week but it's coming up on the end of the week. I have been putting things away (the house is still a mess) and catching up on housework. On Monday I really need to knuckle down on working towards some goals. 

I haven't made New Year's Resolutions, but I do have things I want to work on this year 

* Time management. This is a big one for me. I struggle to stay on track, and I get easily distracted. The whole day has passed before I even realise it. I am going to make lists each day (these do help a bit) and really try to plan out my day a bit more so I don't dilly dally!

* Organise. Another big one. I am not an organised person. I find it hard to get organised. I can't find things when I need them and it's really frustrating. It's also wasteful as sometimes (confession time) I buy the same thing more than once. 

* Finances. I really want to get on track with finances, making sure I am keeping track on what is spent. Not overspending. Sticking to a food budget. Husband would like to retire in a few years and knowing where our money goes will help us to be able to stay on track with spending when our income is less than what it is now. We are paying off our house this year - YAH!

* Decluttering. This is an ongoing process. I did fairly well towards the middle and end of last year, but I really want to ramp it up this year. I think this goes hand-in-hand with organisation. 

* Crafting. I want to get that horrible, cluttered craft room into a space I can use again! 

It seems a little overwhelming, but I think if I can make lists and learn to stay on track I can get things done! We'll see how that works. I think I might do an accountability post each month. I'm not going to beat myself up if I do slip, but I am going to try my hardest not to slip. 

Have you made goals for the year? 

Photo for today - a snowy one. It's snowy here and more is forecast for tomorrow. It's also cold, though not as cold as Minnesota was! It was definitely lovely to see the sun despite the cold (I think it was about 16F/-9C when I went for a walk). According to my phone weather our next chance of sunshine is next Thursday - let's hope they are wrong!

The beavers are fighting a losing battle keeping a bit of water open!

Back From Minnesota

Thanks for all the comments on the last post!

It's been a week. We had a lovely time visiting Daughter R, Son-in-law S and Baby A. It's a long journey both there and back but luckily (especially at this time of year!) the weather wasn't too bad. We passed by a little freezing rain on the way back when we got to Chicago, but the roads were just wet. It's amazing that we had such a good drive! Still over 600 miles, so there's really no way to make it go a lot quicker lol. 

Baby A is just amazing. She actually remembered me! She gave me a lovely smile when I got there and proceeded to sit on my lap, give me cuddles and generally accept me with no reservations. It seems all that video calling does work! She didn't remember son and husband as much, but she did play with them when they got down on the floor and played. 

She had a lovely birthday party. She had a lot of fun. They got her a personal cake and let her go at it. It was so funny as she was quite dainty with it, just touching her fingers to it. Usually with her food she gets it everywhere! She is taking a few steps but seems to launch herself at people from there - you have to be quick to catch her before she goes splat on her face! Such trust. She really is a lovely little girl and her personality is definitely starting to shine through. 

It was sad to say goodbye, but lovely to have spent the time with her. 

I'll catch up on reading some blogs tomorrow! 

This is a personal little cake (not so little!) that the bakery gave them when they ordered her birthday cake. When they found out it was her first birthday they gave them this one too! 

Happy New Year!

I wanted to say thanks to all who read this blog and for those who comment. I really appreciate it. 

I did manage a quick walk today. Not for long until the rain/sleet/snow came, and it ended up a really mushy day. I did manage to get to the post office before son came. He was running late due to an inspection at his current residence and tried to ring the one we were going to look at. He's having trouble with his phone, left a message but he wasn't sure they got it. When we did get to the place they were closed for lunch! I had to get moving on stuff at home, so he dropped me back and then rang them when they were done with the lunch break and managed to go back and look at the place. He liked it and has put in an application. Fingers crossed this will be his new home. 

At this point in the night - it's quarter to ten in America as I write this - I have done laundry, recharged everything that needs charging, have packed and the house is as tidy as it's going to be (why do I feel the house needs to be tidy before I leave? lol). I might or might not stay up for midnight here. I managed to find Sky News on YouTube and watched the celebration on there. It's always a time I spent with Mum and I did so again tonight and toasted with a favourite drink of hers. This always seems to be a really hard time for me. It was our time. I always loved saying I'll see you later this year, knowing that in the summer we'd get to spend time together again. My sister did ring and I got to chat with her. I did tell her that I'd see her later this year. Something to look forward to!

Tomorrow is an early and long day for me. We're off to visit Baby A and family. I am SO excited!. I actually managed to blog every day this month (YAH!) so I might take a few days off to spend time with the family. I'm taking a notebook with me to write down plans for the New Year. 

I'm also pleased to say that I have actually completed my P366 project! Phone Photos - Things That Make Me Smile. I gave up posting them here a while ago, but I have kept them going. The photos today are collages from this month. 

Did you stay up to see in the New Year? Do you have plans for 2025?

Monday

The rain finally stopped, and I managed to go for a walk. No sunrise but the sun did come out later - just as I was at the end of my walk of course but I did get to enjoy it a bit! The trails were very muddy and more than a little slippery. There were quite a few people out this morning though. I must not have been the only one who wanted to get outside! It was quite nice though to get outside. My walking friend was back from visiting her son and his family for the Christmas holiday and we had a little chat. 

After the walk I went to the Post Office, dropped off my packages and then stopped at the store. There were a couple of items on sale that will do well for meal planning next week when we are back. Tomorrow is going to be a crazy day, trying to get ready and go with son to look at another place and dropping a few more packages off at the post office. It's supposed to be a rainy/snowy day tomorrow but there isn't supposed to be a lot of accumulation. Maybe there won't even be a walk. Sigh. We shall see. A lot of time the weather forecast is wrong. 

I am going to try to stay up tomorrow night, but that's on the hopeful side. We want to leave quite early Wednesday morning as it is a long drive to daughter's house. My sister said she might ring (if they are home) at midnight her time so that will be fun. Hopefully I'll find somewhere to watch/listen to Big Ben. It's a bittersweet time as it was something Mum and I did together every year. I'll raise a glass to her and think of her at that moment. 

Do you have plans for New Year's Eve? Do you go out or is it spent indoors? Do you stay up or not bother? 

* Just down the bottom of this field I watched (and took photos with my camera) of three large male deer locking antlers in play fights. It was quite delightful to watch. I'll share photos soon!

Rainy Sunday

It has literally rained all day long. I don't think there has been five minutes that there hasn't been rain. The ground outside is soaking wet and everything is just yuck. It's a good thing we went out yesterday! Usually, when it's raining on a Sunday we'll find some direction that we can drive in to get out of the rain. Nope. Not today. It's all over our part of the state of Michigan. I suppose it could be worse and be snow! It's really only a few degrees of temperature difference. Right now it's only 38F/3C  (feels like 29F/-2C). It's supposed to keep raining through 3am. I am hoping it will be gone by the morning so I can get out for a walk! I'm feeling a little cooped up as I didn't go anywhere today. 

I was pretty lazy this morning. I did do a bit of tidying, got up in the craft room for a bit, read a few of those magazines that are sitting on the floor and did a bit of packaging up a few bits for shipping. My older son (who lives here) did a bit of clearing out (at last!) and there were a few bits and pieces that I was able to get rid of. He had a few games he was getting rid of that I need to check out whether they are worth selling or would be better off donating. 

Middle son came over with his girlfriend. They went to have a look around the areas that he was interested in renting to see what shops and things were in the areas. We have another viewing on Tuesday. Fingers crossed. Decisions will be made by the end of the week. 

I've got decisions to make too. I have plans for next year that I need to actually knuckle down and accomplish. I am going to document them, so I am holding myself accountable. That might have to be my word of the year next year! I really struggle with staying on track. I am finding that writing lists helps, so maybe if I write accountability lists that will help too. More to come!

Is it Saturday or Sunday?

I'm losing track of days. I know it has to do with both older son and husband being home. It didn't help that husband and I went out today instead of tomorrow - a Saturday Adventure instead of a Sunday Adventure. It's going to rain all day tomorrow. I keep hoping the weather forecast will change but no luck so far. As it was, it was dull and grey today - what a surprise it's Winter in Michigan. We went out for a drive, stopped at a couple of beaches along the lakeshore that we wandered along the beach and I took photos. It wasn't too bad. It was actually quite mild for December. 

The above is not a real lighthouse. It's apparently a replica of a lighthouse that used to be here.  

These were the only two phone photos that I took. I did take more with my camera, mostly of sand patterns and things I saw on the beach. As usual, I'm behind on sorting them. 

I must admit that I felt in a bit of a funk today. I think it's the menopause thing again. Moods lately seem a bit up and down. Ugh. Not good. I feel like bursting into tears for really no reason at all. I think sometimes daughter senses these things as she always seems to call when I'm feeling a bit down. Daughter and Baby A video called. It cheered me up no end. She's so funny! She laughed and smiled and pointed at things. Poor daughter was still coughing her heart out. She's been sick for a while now. She's on her second course of anti-biotics so I hope she feels better soon!

I did get Baby A's birthday gifts wrapped today and all of the other gifts (Christmas and things) set in one spot ready to go next week. I also started sorting through the (newly added) pile of magazines by chair. So far four have been read and recycled, two have been added to a pile that husband will take out to his friend's wife. 

Tomorrow (as it's a rainy day) will be an inside day. I have made a mini list of things I want to get done, but I also just plan on relaxing. 

Do you have plans for Sunday?