Behind as Usual - Snow and Antics on the Hill

 It's been a week of ups and downs. Tuesday we ended up with about 5 inches of snow! I didn't go out for a walk. I thought about it a little later on and looked out the window to see someone struggling up the hill (video later below) and decided not to. Husband says my car can easily make it and he's probably right as I have four-wheel drive, but honestly, I just didn't want to stress myself out just to go for a walk! When he came home after work he took me to the post office and to do my food shop. By then the roads, at least were clear. 

Wednesday, I did go for a walk. Almost slipped over a couple of times as some of the snow had heated up, started to melt and then refrozen into ice. I was glad I went as it was quite pretty. 

A couple of phone photos from my walk

I love that stream in the winter. In the summer the light always hits it the wrong way and it just looks...plain. In winter, the light hits at the right angle and it's always pretty. 

I did manage to get a few things done on Wednesday. Not as much as I had hoped though!

This morning was a bit warmer - just below freezing when I went for a walk. As yesterday when I went it was a little slippery and icy I wore my Yaktrax today. They are things that go on the bottom of my boots to help grip in the ice. The temps yesterday got up above freezing, things melted and then froze again so I knew it would be quite icy. I was glad I wore them! I didn't slip once despite the ice. 

The beavers had been at another tree. It was halfway down, balanced precariously against another tree so it hadn't hit the ground. Another walker took photos and was emailing the man in charge to let him know about it. 

It's pretty close to the beavers' lodge (you can see it to the left of the photo). They have started chewing on the tree behind too! The wire you see around the other trees is to protect the oak trees. Busy beavers. 

It warmed up this afternoon (a high of 51f/11c) so most of the snow is gone. Tomorrow looks like rain then maybe some mixture and snow at the weekend. Temps are going up and down. Tomorrow a high of 39F/4C.

All the ups and downs drive me crazy. I'm battling a cold and seem to go between boiling hot and freezing cold. Sigh. 

Lastly, the promised video. Little back story, we live on a hill. People cut through our neighbourhood - especially since they redid the main road at the top of our street (and messed it all up but that's another story). They don't know the roads. They obviously don't know that if you go two streets over the road is flat. When it's icy out our road can be really slippery. 

He's on his way back down at this point. After this he did try to turn in our driveway and back down the hill. Thought he would get stuck, but he gave up and ended up backing down the hill where the saga continues. 

After this he did try coming up the hill again, but finally gave up and went along the flat road. I'm really glad that wasn't me! I am also glad that he wasn't hurt and other cars that did pass by did so carefully. 

Back tomorrow!

Sunday, Monday...

Yesterday was a snowy day. We did go out. It was cold and snowy. I had my dentist appointment today. Luckily, in our town, it did not snow enough to cover the roads and I was able to drive myself. It went okay, not great, but okay. It's over and done with now. I don't have to go back until my check-up appointment in March or April (can't remember which and I'll worry about it closer to the time!). It's still snowing outside as I write this. We are under a weather advisory. Could be 2-5 inches of snow. Could be just a dusting. That's the 'fun' thing about Lake Effect snow. There tend to be bands of it and what you get depends on where the bands are. Hopefully there won't be a lot of it!

Tomorrow I shall take a walk if the weather co-operates. It's one of my non-walking-friend day so I don't have to think about anyone walking but myself. I do have to make a meal plan, sort out some gifts (this is a MUST for tomorrow), do some housework and have a general tidy-up. 

A photo from yesterday taken with my camera. I don't generally take photos of people, but I was standing in the snow on the pier leading to Grand Haven lighthouse when this fisherman passed me by with all his gear. He was going to stand out there in the snow and fish! It was slow going pulling his stuff along behind him, leaving trails in the snow

It's the Weekend!

I can't believe this is the last weekend in November. Yikes. Just thinking about it makes me start to panic. I shouldn't think about it or I'll wake up at silly-o'clock and start worrying again. Sigh. 

It was cold, cold, cold this morning. -8C/18F when I got up and it only reached 2C/35F today. I did bundle up and go out for a walk. There were a few beavers about, lots of geese passing through and a few deer. I didn't stay out too late. Most of me stayed warm, the only problem was with my feet. I think it's time to invest in some toe warmers again. My socks are supposed to be really good ones (I wear my hiking boots while out walking) but my feet still got a little cold. I even wore two pairs of socks! I think it was because I stood still watching the beavers. They were okay when I was walking. 

I did go and do a quick food shop today. We were out of a few things and I thought it was better to go today rather than tomorrow. There is snow in the forecast. We are doing our usual Sunday Adventure, but not sure where we'll be going yet. It depends on where the snow is falling and how much we are supposed to get. I knew it was bound to happen as I have to go to the dentist on Monday. Sigh. 

In the afternoon I did a little bit up in the craft room. Still looks like a bomb hit it. I did bring down a couple more things to put in the donate box. I think I shall have to start another. Will I be able to fill it up before the end of the month? 

Today's photo - From Behind the Beavers' Lodge. I think someone knows that bad weather is coming! It's getting bigger. 

It was really sunny at the start of the day!

Friday - Busy Day

Today ended up being busier than expected. 

I woke up at silly-o-clock - AGAIN - and couldn't get back to sleep. I was tempted to get out of bed, but too stubborn to do it. I tossed and turned for about forty minutes before picking up my Kindle and having a read before I felt tired enough to go back to sleep. It was only an hour before the alarm. I should have turned it off, but it was supposed to be a sunny morning and I wanted to go see the beavers for a quick walk. 

There were a few beavers out this morning. So funny to watch. Some are bashful and submerge back into the lake as soon as they spot me watching. Others swim closer and take a look at me as I'm looking at them. It was really cold this morning -5c/23F. I had to pull out my big winter coat and handwarmers while I was out this morning!

After my walk, husband and I took Thanksgiving dinner down to my middle son. He had to work yesterday. He lives by Lake Michigan, so we stopped in at the lighthouse. It was quite strange as one side of the lighthouse was really windy and wavy, the other side quite calm. 

A couple of phone photos

In the afternoon husband and oldest son went out to husband's friend's house to visit for a few hours. I did end up going to a local supermarket as they had a good sale on coats and socks and husband needed both. After that I chatted with sister for a while, had a nice relaxing bath, cleaned the bathroom, did some washing, did some washing up and then got some Ebay things to mail. Phew!

Here's a video of those waves too. I love wavy days. Always reminds me of home. Obviously Lake Michigan is a lake and not the sea, but on windy days it reminds me of the sea 

Thanksgiving Day

I did get up and go for a walk this morning. It was quite chilly, but lovely and peaceful. I saw a few beavers swimming around which is always nice. When I walked up through the field back to the car park I saw a male and female deer. It's getting to be 'that' time of year again and I think they have paired up as I think I've seen him with her before. She laid down behind a fallen tree and he laid down in front of it. Husband says it might be that they've already mated and he's trying to keep the other males away from her. He was quite a big deer! It's also hunting season here in Michigan though there is no hunting allowed in the preserve - which might be why they felt so safe even with me standing on the path watching. 

We went to MIL's in the afternoon to eat. It was a small gathering. We seem to get smaller and smaller each year. My middle son had to work too so he wasn't there. It was a lovely meal though. I think I was on the borderline of eating too much. I felt quite full and a little dizzy after the meal. I think the dizziness was because it was quite warm in the house. 

I took a little nap when I got home. It wasn't something I planned on, but I was watching a Youtube video and fell asleep! I did feel better for it though. 

Tomorrow - no black Friday shopping for me. I have ordered a couple of 'deals' online for gifts though. I am going for a quick walk and then me and husband will be taking a Thanksgiving Dinner down to my son. He lives by the lakeshore so we'll stop in for a quick lighthouse visit while we're there. 

Here's a short video of the deer - she's on the other side of the log

Busy Week

I can't believe it's midweek again and I haven't updated! It's Thanksgiving week here in the US and although I don't generally celebrate this holiday, my family who are American, do. It's a short week for the guys at work. They are finished today. Husband has worked long days so he can take Friday off. Tomorrow we'll be off to MILs for a meal. 

I have got quick a bit done this week already which is mainly why I haven't posted. I have been working up in my craft room and am pleased with the progress so far. I actually have a bit of space to work on crafts though there is still a lot of stuff in there. I've been busy listing some of my supplies on Ebay. Hand up - I am a craft hoarder. There is a lot I'm not ready to get rid of, but I have a lot of stuff and have picked up a lot at the thrift store this year when I saw 'bargains'. 

Husband took boxes last week to the thrift/charity shop and I already have another box ready to go! I've given up some craft supplies, some books and just random items that I've found in the house. 

I've also made a lot of progress with Christmas presents. I think this is the most organised I've been in years - that's saying something as I'm really not that organised. I have several people complete and it's not even December!

I've got some blog catching up to do. I won't be doing any house-y stuff tomorrow or sorting so I'll play catch-up then. 

To all my American readers I hope you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. I know that it's not easy for everyone at holidays, especially those alone or are missing family members. Hugs to all those people. Don't feel you have to be happy and jolly. It's okay to be sad, to miss loved ones. Be kind to yourself. 

A place that brings me peace. 

Quick Weekend Post

Yah, it's the weekend!

I went out for a walk by myself this morning. It was...well, quiet for a tiny bit before it got too busy. Surprising as it was below freezing. I did see beavers, swans, birds, deer and a hawk. Rather a good photography morning. When I got back home husband and I went out to look for a couple of Christmas shopping items. I didn't find what I needed. Oh well. 

On the plus side for the week I did pull out the gifts needed for daughter's house (holiday game) and I have them all! Yah! It's the first time I have actually got them done without having to run around the week we're leaving lol. 

In the afternoon I worked for a bit on my craft room in-between sitting and doing stuff I wanted to do. I'm feeling somewhat better about my craft room. It is still too full, but it is a little more organised than it was. Now it's a matter of sorting out what I want to keep and what I want to get rid of. There is actually room on the desk now to work, so I might try to get up there next week, at least to do a little Christmas card making. 

Tomorrow is our day out. Not sure where we're going yet. Got a sort of idea. We shall see. I will be working on a weekly menu - it will be a short week as Thanksgiving is on Thursday and it will be a fend-for-yourself day on Friday. Hopefully I can get to the shops on Monday for anything needed and avoid it the rest of the week! I'm sure it will be horribly crazy. 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Finch in the Sunshine

Thursday

The last couple of days I've been plodding along. I have got done most of the things on the lists I've made each day. Big fail today though - my goal was to pull out all the things I've got for the gift game at daughter's house, but I just didn't get to it. I have added it to tomorrow's list. Sigh. On the plus side, I did get hubby to load up 2 1/2 boxes I've managed to get ready for donation into his work van and he will drop them off on the way home tomorrow. Yeah! There were quite a few books in the boxes as well as some odds and ends that I've been dropping in there as I decide to donate them. Every little helps. 

Unfortunately, some things have come into the house. Holiday gifts. Mostly. I need to keep on top of them, get them wrapped and organised so that I'm not running around the last few days before going to daughter's house. I must be stressed about something as I've been having horrible water dreams again. Sigh. Nightmares. 

Friday is laundry day - though I did get two lots done today - so the plan for the rest of the morning is the gifts. Surely I can get those done tomorrow. If I could get those out of the way this week I'll be pleased. I always put off buying them until the last minute! 

I have been going out for morning walks. Today was a quick-ish one by myself. I also sat outside for a little while. Probably the reason why I didn't get the gifts done, but it was so nice. It's been unseasonably warm here in my part of Michigan. Today's high was 66f/19C! The temperature is forecast to drop quite drastically midweek with even a prediction for the 'S' word, so I wanted to make the most of it. 

Photo for the day. The chipmunks are still out in the garden. Usually, it's unusual to see them around at this time of year. I've really enjoyed watching them the last few nice days. They've been scurrying around trying to collect enough to get them through the winter!

Sort of Productive (pulling a face here)

I made a list for the day and managed to get all but one thing done. That's a plus, right? Things just seem a little overwhelming today. I need to keep myself focused on the area/project I'm working on and not get distracted. It still seems so hard to get rid of things. I shall keep plodding along and hope that it gets easier. It is just stuff afterall. 

On the list today was a trip to The Dollar Tree - should be renamed The Dollar-Twenty-Five Tree as there is nothing there a dollar anymore. I made a list before I went but did end up with more than planned. I had a specific task in mind. 

When we go visit daughter around her birthday, we do Christmas along with her in-laws and others of their family. We don't exchange gifts, but we do have a holiday game where we each bring 2-3 gifts each (so for us it's 4-6). I do all the Christmas shopping in our family, so I have to figure out some interesting finds for the game. It's between $10-15 per gift.  I stress out way too much about it. I'm sure nobody else gets this anxious about it! I always seem to end up leaving it until the last minute. This year I wanted to get it done early. I am usually such a procrastinator (is that a surprise to anyone lol). One of the goals I set myself this week is to get them shopped, put together and out of the way. Hence the visit to The Dollar Tree. I'm not getting all the goodies from there, but it is great for the little things to help make up the baskets (which is what I've decided to do). Hopefully, by the end of the week I'll have them put together!

I also wanted to pick up some more gloves from there. They are cheap and work well and if I lose them (how many will I lose this winter?) it's not a great loss. I don't wear them all the time as I have some heavy-duty ones for when it gets really, really cold. I do like that they sell these sets of gloves that have a fingerless pair layered with a pair with fingers. 

I have told my friend that I'll only be walking Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. The other two days I will be going by myself, getting done early so I can either run a couple of shopping errands those days or stuff done at home. 

Tomorrow is a walk day, but no errands, so straight home and hopefully more done tomorrow!

Today's photo - the beaver lodge this morning. So beautiful this morning

Weekend

Dentist Update - After the numbness wore off and a bit of pain, I've had mostly a pain-free weekend. I'm hoping that means that there is was no damage done to the root. I'm pretty sure that if it was damaged during the procedure, it would have been hurting from then on. So fingers crossed!

Had a fairly good weekend. I went for a walk by myself on Saturday, giving husband a break as we'd been away the weekend before and he'd done a lot of driving. On Sunday we went out for a brief beach walk. It was rather pleasant. I didn't walk too far, still getting tired easily. It was a sunny weekend, a nice change after the rather dull week we had last week. 

Short video of the beach walk

It's back to Monday now. I can't believe how the time is flying! Son told me today that Thanksgiving is next week. Yikes. I was thinking it was two weeks away. 

I have started the week off with a couple of lists. How did I do with last week's list? Well, not bad. I suppose. I did get more done in some areas, but less in others. This week I am going to try for a list for the week and then go with a list for each day. I need to focus on an area each day so that I can complete the tasks for the weeks. 

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I've got some blogs to catch up on! 

Week Has Flown By

Not as productive so far as I wanted to be this week. The appointments on Thursday and Friday threw me off. I'm not actually counting the week done until tomorrow evening so hopefully I'll get some things done tomorrow. 

Today's dentist appointment - ugh. Another day of mouth being sore. Dentist didn't seem to think last week's mouth ache was anything to worry about especially as it's gone away and wasn't just the tooth but the whole jaw. The crown today was - ugh. Not sure how else to describe it. The dentist said that the decay was close to the root. She did what she could to protect it but if pain increases over the next few days, I will need another root canal. She won't be able to do this one as it is a little more complicated. I would have to go to a specialist. I'm thinking specialist = money. Sigh. It's not just that. It would mean a new place, more anxiety, more worry. I know the crown/decay needed to be taken care of, but it wasn't hurting before and the thought of it hurting over the next few days, not fun. Every little twinge has me worried. 

Enough of that. The weekend is coming up. Tomorrow I'm going for a walk by myself. It's going to be a chilly morning, so I'm planning on a short-ish walk and then getting some things done at home. I haven't actually got rid of any books (was on my list for the week) but I do know the ones I'm going to get rid of, so I hope to pull them off the bookshelves tomorrow. Also a little work on my craft room. I'd really love to get up there and actually craft!

Sunday we will be going out. Not too far though. Thought I'd give hubby a break from driving too far after visiting daughter last weekend. 

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Sunrise yesterday morning. Only sunny for a moment, but quite beautiful

Somewhat Productive Day

The shopping is done. Did some sorting. Got rid of a few things. I felt as though it was a sort-of productive day. Until I looked around and saw all that had to be done. I suppose it's better to focus on what I did do rather than what still needs to be done. Sigh. It just seems a little overwhelming. I suppose in time it will get easier. 

I'm hoping to get a little bit more done tomorrow. I do have a hair appointment and it's in the middle of the day. Not sure what I was thinking. I'm going to try to go for a walk, then come home, do a bit and head out to the appointment. At least I know what I'm making for tea! 

I still have to get rid of 10 books this week. I think that will be something I'll get done tomorrow. I have an idea which ones I'm ready to get rid of. I do have a pile of things in the dining room that are ready to be donated! I also have some magazines ready to go to husband's friend's wife when he goes out next. 

Photo for today - I wish I could be half as productive as the beavers at the place I walk! One big tree down, one little tree down and three others started - at least what I've seen - this week!

What Day is it? Decluttering - DVDs/CDs

I was going to label this post Monday and then just remembered that it wasn't!

Update on my tooth - it finally stopped hurting a lot on Saturday. I was still having twinges through the weekend, but it's definitely okay now. I think the whole gum/jaw was bruised and when I tried to eat on that side, I was aggravating it. I do have to go back on Friday for a crown this time. I am definitely not looking forward to it after this last time. I am going to not think about it until Thursday night!

I managed to get everything done today that I wanted to get done. I have a meal plan made and also a list of a couple of things that I need to pick up tomorrow. I didn't run any errands today. I gave myself today to get caught up on house things. I have also made a list of things to get done this week. Now it's just a matter of not getting distracted and following through with the list. 

We shall see. If I start getting on a roll, I might share the lists each week and whether or not I follow through. 

DECLUTTERING - do you still hold onto DVDs or CDs? I have a stack of both. They are on my to-do list. I would like to get rid of half. Which half? Ha, ha. I suppose the easiest to get rid of would be the ones that I can see on one of the streaming services. I don't subscribe to any music services but how much do I listen to the CDs? I suppose it's all a balancing act. I can honestly say that I haven't watched or listened to a lot of them in a while. 

The photo for today - I saw this puff thing attached to a leaf. Not sure if it's supposed to be that way or it's a fungus of some kind. If anyone knows please let me know. 

Back tomorrow. 

Weekend Away - Visiting Daughter

Another little absence! It was daughter's baby shower this weekend so husband and I went for a flying visit to daughter. It's a long old trip, but we wanted to go for the baby shower. This morning we came back - we left a little after sunrise and got home a little after sunset! We don't make many stops, for petrol/gas and to go to the toilet. It's amazing how short the days actually are!

I'm ready to get back on the decluttering and sorting out the house. This was the last trip we'll take until mid-December when I'll be staying at daughter's house. 

I've got some catching up to do with blogs. Tomorrow will be spent doing washing, catching up on housework, making a plan for the rest of the week and making a meal plan. 

Back tomorrow!

Sunrise just as we left daughter's house in Minnesota

Sunset just before we got home. 

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Plans for November

Anyone who reads this, or knows me, knows that I'm not much of a planner. However, I am going to try to work on a few things this month. Thanks for all the tips regarding decluttering and time management. I have tried the timer method before, and I think I'm going to try it again. I'm also going to make a list each week of things I want to work on. I have the list on a little table by the chair I sit in so it's easy to hand. 

Time seems to be flying by so quickly. I announced earlier in the summer that daughter is having a baby. She is due early January. Husband and I always go and celebrate Christmas and daughter's birthday around her birthday weekend (week before Christmas). Anyway, daughter has asked me to stay for a while until after the baby is born, so I shall be in Minnesota for a couple of months - away from home. This is part of the reason I want to buckle down and get a good start on things before I leave. 

This month some of the goals are - 

- to get a good start on Christmas. I'm a procrastinator, but if I'm going to be away for Christmas, I need to have everything organised here so that husband and sons can have a good holiday. 

- work on the pile of magazines. I am getting through them and it feels good. I just have to make the time to read more of them. 

- book decluttering. I want to get rid of at least 20. I am close to letting go of a couple of sets I've held onto for a while. 

- craft room. The goal here is to slowly get it sorted and get rid of things I don't want. 

- there's a thing - cabinet - in the dining room. I want to get the top sorted and cupboard and the shelves. This is THE big project for the month.

It's manageable list. I'm going to try to add more! Hopefully. 

I need to be as busy as the beavers at my local park! They downed this tree in two nights. 

Tooth update - my mouth is still hurting. I don't think this is normal. So far Ibuprofen is keeping the pain under control but it's not good to take too much and I don't like taking it. If things aren't better by Monday I shall have to call the dentist. Sigh. 

Halloween!

Happy Halloween, Blessed Samhain, Happy End-of-the-month

Where has October gone? I'm not quite sure. 

Daughter sent me these photos of the dogs dressed up for Halloween. They have a LOT of children come to their house for Trick-or-Treat, probably about 200. They sat outside until they were too cold to do it anymore. Daughter was quite sad that her winter coat no longer fits around her! She had to wear one of her husband's. 

Yes, that is snow you can see in the background. It's what's left over from the snow they had yesterday. They passed it along to us today and it was snowing here this afternoon. I am not ready for winter!

I took a little video, then I went inside and sat in my chair tucked up in a blanket!

Do you have plans for November?