Sunday Outing - brr at the lake

I dragged husband out again today. There are winds at Lake Michigan and I do like to go watch the waves. I could have done without the cold! Husband lasted a little while then went back to 'warm up the car' while I stayed outside and took photos. I was so cold when I got done that I took a nice warm bath when I got home to warm up from the inside out. I was bundled up and hand warmers but the wind made it worse. Looking out my window now I see occasional snow showers so I am glad to be home!

I took a really short video - as much as I could do with freezing hands lol. It always amazes me that this is just a lake!

Weekend...or is it?

 Husband and son have been home for two extra days this week and it is messing up my days lol. I kept thinking Friday was Sunday and I'm really not sure what today was. Ack. 

Husband and I went out for a while yesterday but it was bitterly cold and the skies all grey. It had snowed a little overnight Thursday night, but the roads were okay. Walking on the beach was not. I was frozen. I was bundled up - even had on  my hat and gloves, but either it was colder than I imagined or my body is just not that used to the cold yet. I really need to slide into winter, walking on the beach was like jumping into the sea when it's really cold. I think the wind chill was 21F/-6C. It was a little windy. Brrrrr.

Today was another chilly grey day. I went out for a walk anyway. I couldn't stay in the house all day. I bundled up - again - and took some hand warmers in my gloves too. It did help. When I came home husband and I went over to Jane's house so he could move some (heavy) bags of rubbish up from the basement into the bin and empty a couple of boxes that will be shredded into a large barrel. MIL and I are starting back up again on Monday after taking last week off. I think neither one of us is looking forward to it but it is something that has to be the done. 

I spent some more time up in the craft room this afternoon. It was quite nice to get back to doing things. I'm still not feeling that creative but I've been doing some things that I have done before and enjoyed. I'm hoping inspiration strikes at some point. I have a lot of sorting to do in the craft room. I feel as though I need to purge a lot of stuff but am I ready to let go of it? I keep thinking that I don't want someone to have to sort through all this. 

A couple of phone photos from my walk today. The lake already has some ice on it - I feel as though this is too soon - lol!

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Thanksgiving Day

The wind here in Michigan has taken the last of the leaves off the trees. Now comes a horrible time of year, when everything is mostly grey and dull, before the snow comes (well, we might get a little tonight) and chilly. Today was wet and rainy. I didn't go for a walk at all. It is Thanksgiving here in the US. Not really feeling in a holiday sort of mood. There is a lot I have to be thankful for, but my heart is still a little raw. Been a tearful few days again. I don't think the horrible weather helps either. Usually I'd complain to Mum about the weather and if she had sunshine she said she'd send me some. Though talking to my sister there was supposed to be high winds in Ipswich this weekend anyway. 

We did go over to MIL's to eat. Really small get-together. My middle son had to work so it was just five of us. We didn't get together for Thanksgiving last year  and since our last Thanksgiving meal we've lost three people who used to come for the meal - Jane and two neighbours of in-laws.  We did pack up some food and drove the 50 miles to drop some food off for son. 

My MIL makes some delicious pies - the top one is apple (my favourite) and the bottom is pecan (husband's favourite).  

This evening I am spending time snuggling under a blanket and watching some Hi-de-Hi on Britbox to (hopefully) make me laugh!

Two Handmade Cards

 I used the toppers that I had put together the other day to make a couple of cards. It's a start to getting back in my craft room. While sitting up there the other day I realised part of what has kept me from going up there and crafting. Most of the time I was up there before going to England I spent making cards for Mum. The things I bought or had out were specifically with her in mind. It's just taking some getting used to. Sigh. It will be four months tomorrow. I've been a bit teary the last few days. 

Anyway, here are the cards. Simple but I like them. 

Weekend

 Thanks for all the comments! They are appreciated. 

Jackie - I wish you were closer too. I feel sure you'd really honour Jane's treasures especially those we have to let go of. There are so many of her things (and Mum's) that I would love to keep, but that would mean my house would become overflowing. I don't think I could mentally deal with that. I have my clutter and I am by no means organised or completely tidy, but I like a bit of space lol. 

This week I am really feeling winter closing in on me. The days are becoming shorter, darker, colder and the trees have finally lost most of their leaves. It really is quite bleak. I started a new book the other day - The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman and this passage really just sums things up. 

It really sums up my bit of Michigan. Because of our proximity to Lake Michigan we are subject to a lot of weather that forms over the lake and that causes lots of cloud. 

Ack. Enough moaning for this post. 

We're taking a much needed week off from sorting Jane's house. I will be dragging husband over there to lift some rubbish bags we filled. I made the mistake of lifting a few the other day and my poor arms and shoulders hurt for a couple of days after. 

We're feeling quite a bit of frustration, but we're also uncovering some wonderful (in my opinion) memories. We found this really fascinating photo of one of MIL's relatives. He worked on the railroads. I absolutely love the photos Jane collected of family. There are such wonderful ones I absolutely love. Must be the photographer in me. 

My MIL was also really pleased to find this locket that she had been hoping to find. It was her mother's and inside she kept photos of those most beloved to her - her husband and her daughters (my MIL and Jane). How wonderful it was to find this!

I really think this is what we have to focus on. It is things like this that will keep us going through the long process of sorting things out. 

Once in a While...

 Once in a while oldest son surprises me. I was chatting with him the other day and telling him about some fluffy socks I had bought and was wishing I could have bought more but was watching my pennies. I didn't really think he was listening, but when hubby and I got home after a (really rainy/snowy) morning out he handed me these. 

Two pairs of lovely fluffy socks! Not just that but he got ones with hedgehogs on - which he knows that I love!

How sweet is that? I could really use some cheering up and getting these just made me smile!

Weekend

 

Snow came overnight and early this morning and then changed into rain and back to snow and repeat. It wasn't a particularly nice weather day. I felt a little...off as I didn't get a walk in, then I started to feel a little sorry for myself. It's Saturday and I usually try to keep busy so I don't think of our Skype routine. Sigh. 

I should have done more. Instead I've been sorting through photos on my computer, re-watching (again) Shetland episodes. I did go up into my craft room - the first time in a long time - for a little bit. I've not been feeling all that crafty but I did put together some 3d decoupage toppers from Craft Consortium called Made by Elves. Maybe I'll soon make some cards with them.

I should have taken the photo when their was natural light. I took it with my phone and left it to late so I had to turn the light on. 

I'm hoping tomorrow I'll be at least be able to get out for a bit. 

Thanks for those who helped with suggestions for the sidebar and my Books I've Read widget. It worked! 

 A stone I came across on my walk the other morning and such a good motto I had to share. 

I sorted through three drawers in the bathroom the other day. I ended up with almost half a bag of rubbish! I am not sure why I was keeping things. I shall have to make sure to go through the drawers a little more often than I have been. 

MIL and I were over at Jane's again today. It's definately a hoard. It's not easy to say. There was so much more to Jane than her hoarded house, but it's a lot to deal with. I've watched Hoarders on television and so many times the houses are dirty and the hoard is...well, icky. Jane's house isn't like that. There is no hoarded food and dirty dishes. A lot of it is in large plastic storage bins. It almost seems as though she set an empty box down, put things in it (inserts from newspapers, junk mail, notes, lists, magazines) and when it was full instead of sorting through it, she put a lid on it and put it in a room. Yes, there are a lot of things on the floor, but what we have got to mostly is paper. She loved her paper. 

But as I said there is  was so much more to Jane than her hoard. She has some beautiful things in her house. Please forgive my lousy phone photos (I want to go back with my camera and document more) but I wanted to share more than just my frustration with what we have to clear through. I wish others could have seen her lovely displays. There were obviously lots of things she treasured. 

This is the wall of lighthouse cross stich in Jane's dining room. Some of these I cross stitched and framed for her, some she stitched herself. She really loved lighthouses!

These are large lighthouse puzzles that Jane completed and had framed. Just two of a few. They are so beautiful and must have taken a long time to do. 

As I look at them and sort through her house I'm thinking of Mum and how I'd love to chat to her and tell her what's going on. I know she'd give me encourgement and try to see things from Jane's point of view. They had only met a handful of times, but Jane was really lovely to Mum sending cards of encouragement through her cancer diagnosis and treatment and I even found one she sent Mum after she'd got Covid, before Jane herself got ill. 

It seems so recent yet so long ago. Just a year ago and they were still both so vibrant. How quickly things can change!

Midweek Catch-up

 Ack. First let me say I'm frustrated! Trying to update my reading list and I cannot for the life of me change from October to November. It's usually easy to remove last month list and add this but for some reason I can't work out where the edit button has gone. I've just spent about half an hour trying to work it out and have given up!

Plodding along. Haven't got much sorting done in the house - one drawer so far this week, but I am managing to keep up with the daily stuff. I think it's good that we are taking a day off inbetween a day working at Jane's house. It makes it a little easier to keep up with my own house which makes me feel a little more...even. 

I haven't been doing a lot extra. I am still out walking each morning. It was fun this morning to see that the beavers have been at work again. They are chomping down trees all around. These are a couple of things I made for my Instagram stories - I took the photos with my phone while out walking this morning. 

Tomorrow I am going for a walk - weather permitting as it is supposed to rain all day - and then I have a couple of errands to run. I wish it was something more exciting but I need to do a food shop and then I want to see if I can get a couple of bits ready for (groan - not looking forward to it) Christmas. 

I don't think I'll be doing a lot of crafty stuff for Christmas this year. I usually make a photo calendar of my kids for Mum and a couple of other things. It will be the first year in over 20+ years that I won't be making her one - sniff sniff. 

First Snow

 We had our first snow on Wednesday. I wasn't quite expecting it. It wasn't much and didn't last long (none of the road, just on the pavements and grass). It made for a pretty walk. I was delighted to be able to take a photo of a couple of deer going through the field with snow around them. 

Our clocks here in America go back tonight. I look forward to the extra hour of sleep (the way it's been lately it will just mean I'm awake even earlier lol) but I am not looking forward to the dark coming earlier in the evening. It already seems as though there isn't a lot of sunlight. I can't imagine how dreary things will seem when it gets dark so early. 

Tomorrow will, at least, be sunny. We are going for a drive and maybe a little walk. I hope to see the last of the autumn colours and take some photos. I am not looking forward to when the leaves finish falling and there is only bare trees to look at!

Mum's Bench

 My sister let me know that the plaque had been added to Mum's bench. 

I can't wait to go see it next summer, buy an ice cream, take a seat and think of Mum. 

November

 Well, another month starting. I'm not sure November is my favourite month. The days are definitely shorter and, although the month starts with beautiful colours, by the end of the month everything is bare and dull. I can already tell that the cloudy, duller days outnumber the sunny ones. Sigh. 

I was looking for November quotes and the one above really spoke to me. 

Yesterday MIL and I went back over to Jane's to continue with the sorting. We have decided to make sure we have days off inbetween going to her house just so we are able to keep up with our own houses and not end up feeling too overwhelmed. Today I was planning on going to do some food shopping and then maybe going to a couple of parks to take photos of the leaves that are still left. Nope. It wasn't to be. The day started rainy, drizzly, a bit of (yikes!) something close to snow and then something resembling ice. I barely managed to get in a short walk at my usual place!

On the plus side because the weather was so lousy I managed to go food shopping, stop at the dollar store for a couple of bits, clean the bathroom, do two loads of laundry, sort out and put away some things I had brought back from Jane's and (finally) got my summer clothes sorted (some for donation) and got out some of my winter things. 

Back to Jane's tomorrow and maybe on Thursday the weather will be nicer to me and I can go out and take some photos. The wind has been picking up and taking more leaves off the trees and soon there won't be many left!