Friday

I was out early for a walk this morning. I managed to find my way back to the parking area husband and I had visited yesterday. The parking places were a little confusing, but I managed to end up parking okay. I had a nice walk. It was quite quiet for a while. It was also quite chilly! I wanted to make the most of it as it's supposed to rain/snow for days. Perhaps the weather forecasters will be wrong. 

After the walk I went to the shops and did a small food shop. It really wasn't that busy, but I think it was still early. Later, in the afternoon, I 'chatted' with sister for a while. It was really nice. Thankfully, the clocks in England go forward this weekend and I'll be back to normal with the time we usually chat at. I've been really confused the last few weeks lol. 

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Making the most of the sunset view. 

A few more phone photos from my walk this morning

Do you have plans for the weekend? 

Tomorrow husband and I have midday eye appointments. I almost broke my glasses the other day so I thought I should probably update my prescription. It's supposed to rain so I don't think a walk is in the cards!

Last Couple of Days

Yesterday was...okay. I felt a little down. I think staying in the house was getting the best of me. So, this morning, as the weather was forecast to be sunny but chilly, I decided to get up and go for a walk. I actually walked all the way to the place I usually go to. It was nice. I didn't walk around too much when I got there. I sat on one of the downed beaver trees and watched the beavers swim, swans trumpet and geese honking at one another. It was really quite relaxing. I didn't relish the walk back home, but I managed it and warmed up with a nice bath when I got back!

By afternoon I was feeling a little down again. Yesterday, late in the afternoon, husband had got a text from the car place telling us that the car was almost finished. We were expecting to hear something today. I was hoping. It's supposed to be nice-ish tomorrow and then rain until next Thursday!

Around 3.45pm husband got a text telling him the car was done and it was ready to be picked up! I HAVE MY CAR BACK!!! If I could insert a dancing emoji here I would.

It looks wonderful. You can't even tell there was any damage. They even cleaned it and vacuumed inside. I would definitely recommend the place for repairs. After the first couple days, they were really good about updating us on progress. They got us in a lot quicker than they said they could. I think that's because it's all going through insurance and we're not arguing about the cost lol.

I'm a little wary about parking my car where I did before. I know it was probably just a fluke thing, but still. Sigh. Today, on our way to the car place husband and I looked at another parking area that has access to the park. It's in a nearby neighbourhood and there are only about six parking spaces but it is rarely used. I think I'm going to try parking there - at least until they get the camera up in the parking area I used before. I worked out how to drop a pin there on my Google Maps so I can find my way back. We'll see how it goes in the morning!

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A little sweet treat made me smile today. I am still eating the Christmas goodies lol

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A view from my walk.

Tuesday - Car Update and Decluttering

I'm really missing my car. I think I'm going crazy. I think I need to at least go for a walk around the neighbourhood if nothing else. I don't really like doing it as I don't want to talk to anyone lol. Anti-social or what? I like just wandering with my camera and not sure I want to do that around here either. Sigh. Husband did get an update on the car and (hopefully) it should be done by Friday. They are apparently just waiting for a bit (not a lot lol) of tinting for the back window. I can't wait for it to be done!

So what am I doing while in the house all day? As I haven't got to the shops this year I've been pulling things out of the freezer to make meals this week. That's not a bad thing. Hopefully I'll be able to use a few things I've been meaning to use. Housework? Can't say I've done a lot extra of that. Decluttering? Well...

I must admit that I don't find it easy to declutter. I've been trying to concentrate a bit more on the craft room as I really want the space to be able to create and right now I can't because things are cluttered up. As I sort through things, I feel that I'm just moving a lot of it around from one place to the next. However, this afternoon I did tackle some of the (too many) paper pads I have. I pulled out quite a few and added them to the donate pile. They aren't full pads, I have used some pages, but they no longer fit my taste. There aren't that many pages missing though, enough I know that they will be able to sell them. 

I've also been sorting through some more magazines. As I write this, I have a pile beside my chair that I am slowly sorting through. I have put quite a few in the recycle bin, a few in the donate box and three I added to Ebay yesterday and they sold almost right away! They have already left the house thanks to husband making a trip to the post office today. In a couple of cases, instead of keeping the whole magazine, I (shock, horror, gasp!) pulled out a pattern/picture I wanted to keep and got rid of the rest. 

I am beginning to realise that this decluttering journey is just that. It's not going to happen overnight. I can't just pull out a bunch of stuff and get rid of it. I can pull things out, easily get rid of a few and then have to revisit to pare things down a bit more. As long as I'm going forward the clutter will become less. 

I've also been working on one of my photography projects for the year which is to organise some of my older photos. As I'm not taking a whole lot of new ones I'm looking back through the old ones and cataloguing them. It's going to be a huge job. I did some while I was at daughter's and am still plugging away. 

As for what's making me smile? 

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As I was sorting though things in my craft room I came across these cute little wood cut-outs. I have now put them up on the wall in my room. They make me smile. 

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I had some nice cup a soup in my mug today. Mum got me this. It came with an Easter Egg one year. I always complained how hard it was to get a 'real' chocolate Easter Egg over here in America, so Mum bought me one and kept it until I came over in the summer. It's a good memory. 

Sunday Adventure

We didn't go too far yesterday as we had to use husband's work minivan. We did what we call The Loop. Our house to South Haven, along the lakeshore to St. Joseph and back to our house again. We made a couple of stops along the way and I had a nice but chilly walk along the beach at St. Jospeh. There were a few people about, mostly fishermen and women all bundled up. 

It was nice to get outside and see a bit of sunshine. I do wish it would warm up a little bit! Husband did actually walk with me for a little bit but after a while he went back to 'warm up the van' while I had a little more of a wander about. I like it when the beaches are empty, and they aren't out smoothing out the sand each evening.  As always it amazes me how much the beach can change. A couple of years ago the lake was really high and eroding lots of areas, now it is low again and the beach has expanded. 

Pretty soon this whole beach will be packed with people. 

You might recognise this lighthouse from last week as Michigan City and St Joseph as they are very alike. I can't find information to see whether they were designed by the same people. The one in Michigan City doesn't have the little light at the back (the photo before this one). I find it really interesting. 

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This is my favourite phone photo of the day. 

Look at that wonderful view! If I hadn't told you that it was fairly chilly yesterday you'd think it was a deserted beach somewhere really warm lol. 

Hope everyone is having a good start to the week!

It's Definitely Saturday Now!

Well, husband did sort-of hear from the car place. No estimate on when the car will be done, but they did send costs. We only have to pay $100 but the actual cost of the damage is over $4000!!! Yikes. I'm glad we have good insurance coverage. 

I got out for a walk today. Took a few phone photos but I made them into a little video. 

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This view just makes me smile. Would be better without the snow lol

We're off on just a mini-Sunday Adventure tomorrow. 

 

Is it Friday?

Strange sort of day today.  My oldest son, who lives with us, is working four ten-hour days so has Fridays off currently and husband took today off so he could take the car in. Halfway through the day I realised I didn't know whether it is Friday or Saturday! I always message with my sister on Fridays, so had to keep reminding myself. Added to that, I had the remember that, at the moment, she's only four hours ahead as her clocks haven't changed. Sigh. Can't wait until it gets back to the regular 5 hours! I forgot last week and ended up messaging her early. 

Husband did take me to the shops today to pick up a couple of things, but other than that I stayed home. It wasn't the sort of day I wanted to be out in. We had snow. Yes, snow. Sigh. It doesn't feel quite like spring here yet. My sister was sharing photos of blossom and flowers and I shared snow lol. 

Thankfully, it won't stick around for long

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I was glad husband drove when we went out. The roads were slick and icy in spots.

 

I was hoping we would at least hear from the car place today, but we didn't. Sigh. Husband says it will now be Monday at the earliest we'll hear from them. I was hoping we could at least make plans for the car rental, but now - who knows? It will be strange being without the car. There isn't a lot of public transport around here. Sigh.

On the plus side, I did work in the craft room today. I have more space to work and have started to go through some things. At some point I'll have to make some tough decisions so I can have the space I want. I also need to make sure that I don't bring anything else into the house! Isn't that part of decluttering or at least stopping the clutter from coming back in? 

Later in the afternoon I was sad to hear the news about Kate. I've felt so bad lately with all the fuss going on around her. A diagnosis of cancer is a shock for anyone but having to put it out there in the public with everyone speculating and gossiping has to be extra hard. I know that when Mum had cancer she really didn't want anyone to know. She didn't tell most people though once she started losing her hair I'm sure people knew. It was just the way she was, private about certain things. 

I hope everyone is having a good weekend. Are you up to anything fun? EDIT - see I'm thinking it's Saturday again!

Day at Home

I stayed in today. No car. My friend had offered to pick me up to go for a walk, but it was supposed to be really cold. I think it was about 17f/-8C when we would have walked so I said no. Tomorrow it's supposed to snow. Sigh. I think Mother Nature has decided that we need a bit more of a dose of winter. Husband is home tomorrow. He's dropping off my car to have the windows done. Hopefully it won't take long. I should have the car back sometime. I think it might be a while before they get to the body work as there is a backup. As that will probably take a bit of time I shall get a rental car (mostly covered by my insurance).

As I spent the day inside I got some housework done and went about doing some sorting. I didn't do too bad on the books. I think I might have got another 20+ ready to donate. I have two pretty good size boxes ready to take to the library bookshop and a big bag for my friend. I'm really pleased with the book situation. 

I'm not so pleased with the craft room. I seem to just keep moving things around from one place to the next. I am really struggling with it. My new plan is to get a couple of clear plastic boxes and load them up to get stuff out of the way so I can then sort through things. I have managed to pull out a few things to donate, but I know there are more I want to get rid of. I need to at least get the table sorted so I can actually 'do' things. Am I just putting it off if I put things in boxes? I feel I need a clear space to look through things. 

Ack. Any help? 

On the plus side - I am doing quite well with the magazines. The piles are dwindling and I am finding it easier to get rid of them. I am also not bringing lots into the house which is a definite plus. 

81/366 - I think I've messed up the days somewhere lol. I shall have to check on my phone as I am keeping them in a folder!

Sunrise from the garden.

Grrr.. Not a Good Day

I had a nice, but really cold and snowy walk this morning. 

I'll get the Phone Photo - Things That Make Me Smile out of the way first as nothing afterwards made me smile. 

 

It was really snowy, blowy and cold, but once in a while the clouds would part and the sun would come out. 

Sigh. From there it went downhill. 

I got back to my car in the car park to find a police business card tucked in my driver's side window. I looked at it and then noticed that the passenger side of my car had all three windows damaged. Apparently, someone - a vandal - had pulled into the car park and shot a BB gun at my car. 

The whole thing involved police, the insurance company and husband. At the end of it the damage just makes me feel a little sad. I have to have most of the windows replaced and also work done to repair damage the BB pellets caused. 

When husband went to the local offices of the insurance company, they - sadly - weren't a lot of help. Pretty brisk almost to the point of rude. It seemed as though they thought we should know how things work. Thankfully, when we got on to the phone of the claims department, they were a lot more helpful and friendly. I'm tempted to leave a review of the local office though - being British - I don't like to make complaints to companies. 

If I do make that complaint, I also want to write a compliment to the police officer who responded and had left the card in my window. BTW the card was left after a passerby reported the incident. The officer was really friendly and helpful and even brushed off the driver's seat that had some glass on it (that I hadn't seen). 

This is (probably) the only moan I'm going to make of it. I'm taking a deep breath and putting it behind me. The car was damaged, I wasn't there, and cars can be fixed. Although there isn't a camera in the car park right now there is one being installed. 

Onto the next day. 

Lakeshore Visit and Getting Rid of Knick-Knacks

On Sunday we also visited Michigan City, Indiana. It's about an hour and a half away from us, but it is in a different time zone too. It makes it quite early in the morning when we usually get there. Nice for a beach walk as there aren't too many people about. On Sunday it was so cold and windy. Husband opted for a really quick walk before he headed back to the car to 'warm it up'. Lol. 

 Such wonderful skies

A video - as much as I could stand before my fingers froze!

The inner lighthouse

I like to go there to see the daffodils. A few years ago the beds were really full. They could do with a makeover lol. 

Today, I went for a walk with my friend though the wind was bitterly cold. I was glad to get done with the walk. I had some errands to run and then was happy to spend the rest of the day inside. 

I've been thinking about knick-knacks. There are too many of them around the house. I'm not quite sure how to get rid of them too. How do you sort through them? I know there are several I want to keep as I enjoy them, but several more I think I should keep because they were given to me. How do you decide how to get rid of these? Sometimes I feel as though there are some I should just box up and put somewhere until I can deal with them, but then isn't that just putting off the problem? Sigh. 

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Clouds like this make me smile. It's my kind of cloud day. 

Snow to Start the Week

Spring? What Spring? 

I think Mother Nature decided we needed another little burst of winter just to remind us that, although it's been rather mild this winter, there is still some cold to come! Yesterday on our Sunday adventure it was really windy and cold and well, there was either ice or snow blowing in our faces as we stood on the lakeshore when we stopped in Michigan City, Indiana lol. This morning when I went for my walk it was snowing and cold. It's been like that most of the day. Sigh. 

Yesterday we had thought about going to watch the herons nesting at a faraway Metropark, but the weather didn't look great, so we decided to take another (sort of) longish drive down the coast of Michigan over into Indiana, through Michigan City (stopping at the lighthouses there) and going to the Indiana Dunes National Park to renew our National Park Pass. The other year when we stopped at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park we were getting ready to pay and the man on the gate asked if we were certain things (you know students, oaps etc). He got to veteran and my husband says yes and he lets us know that we can get a free membership to the National Parks. At the time it was just for a year but they were bringing out a lifetime one so we could upgrade when it was available. 

There aren't that many National Parks near us but we do stop at Sleeping Bear Dunes once in a while and up at Pictured Rocks, so we thought we'd go to the one closest to us and get husband's lifetime membership. We've been down to Indiana Dunes National Park a few times. There are quite a few trails there to walk and a lovely homestead to see. 

We found a trail at the back of the property but didn't walk that one as we had plans to walk another. We've added it to our to-walk list lol. We saw a lovey pileated woodpecker drumming against a dead tree making a really loud noise, some bluebirds and robins flitting around. There were actually quite a few birds about. 

These are a few I caught while using my Merlin App. It's a great way to identify bird songs and is available everywhere, I think. My sister downloaded it to her phone and tells me what birds she hears while out walking at her local parks. 

I think I'll leave the lighthouse and beach visit photos until tomorrow.  It will give me something to talk about lol. 

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A few little flowers peeking through the leaves! Made me smile. Despite the cold and windy weather, spring is around the corner!

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Snow in the woods, but I think - maybe - just maybe - the daffodils will survive. It can only get warmer. Right? 

Is it Spring or still Winter where you are? 

Ta-Da!!!

I decluttered over 50 books today!!! Can you believe it? I can't! 

What a pile!

The sad thing is it certainly doesn't look like I've got rid of any as I pulled out some others that were tucked in different places and the bookcase is just as full. I am determined to keep going and maybe - just maybe - one day I'll have no more books tucked away anywhere and there will be space on the bookcases. 

I'm sure I'll be able to get rid of a lot more. Hanging my head, but most of these ones I had Kindle copies of too. Sigh. I'm going to raise my hand and confess to being a book hoarder. 

Before working on a single bookcase I did go out for a walk. It was chilly, but sunny. It was nice and quite while I was out. I got to watch the beavers and the crazy geese. 

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Tomorrow we're off out for a bit. Not sure where yet. What are your plans for Sunday? 

The End of Another Week

Isn't this month just flying by? 

It's not been a bad week. I do feel as though I'm getting something done. Not as much as I hoped, but I can see a tiny bit of progress. I've started a small charity shop box and have filled it so have to get a bigger one. I'll feel better once that one gets filled up! I don't find it easy to get rid of things. Sometimes I just wish a decluttering fairy would come to the house and just whip it into shape. I'm not sure I'd miss a lot of the stuff. It's just hard to go through and choose what I'd like to get rid of!

I went for a walk this morning with my friend. Later I video chatted with daughter while she was in a store (she wanted to show me something). She showed me Baby A who gave me (or at least I like to think it was me) a smile. I miss her. Was lovely to see her again. Her hair is growing in so dark! Later in the afternoon I messaged with my sister. I forgot that our clocks had moved forward and hers hadn't yet (such a pain!) and I was an hour earlier than we usually message, but she was alright with it. She had two of her grandchildren today, so she was ready for a sit down and a glass of wine! She babysits one on Thursday and two others on Friday so by the end of the week she's ready for a rest! I enjoy catching up with her each week. 

Not sure what's on for the weekend. Tomorrow I'm off out for a walk by myself in the morning and I hope to do some more sorting in the craft room in the afternoon, or perhaps I'll tackle a book case. Sunday we'll do a Sunday Adventure, not sure where yet. The temperature - of course - is supposed to drop on Sunday and it will be close to freezing all day!

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One of the few spring decorations I've got lol. It's a bird. Makes me smile

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Daffodils. A sign of spring in the woods! Seeing these flowers always reminds me of Mum. She always had them growing in our front garden. 

What are you up to for the weekend? 

I went for a walk with my friend today. It was nice and sunny out and fairly warm. I was there really early to see the beavers. She came along a bit later. By then it was starting to get a little busy. I suppose people were making the most of the nice weather especially as it is supposed to rain all day tomorrow!

I did get everything on my list done today. Quite pleased. Granted, it wasn't a really big list, but at this point the goal is to stay on track and get things done. I am usually such a procrastinator. I get so easily sidetracked by other things. Sigh. I have already made another list for tomorrow.

I messaged daughter today. She said Baby A was doing okay. She was a little sleepy today apparently. I'm hoping that means that daughter can catch up on some sleep. I do miss that little girl. Hopefully it won't be long until I see her again. 

How is your week going? Spring has been in the air here the last couple of days and it's been lovely to get outside. I even had the window open for a bit this afternoon. It was lovely. As I am typing this the little weather icon in the corner of my computer screen is telling me there might be an inch of snow on Monday - ha ha!

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Sunrise. Always a reason to smile!

Today

It was lovely out again today. I got out and early and took a walk. Not too long, but it was nice and quiet so I made the most of it. The beavers were out today and one swam around watching me as I sat on the shore watching it. 

You'll be pleased to know that I got everything done on my list. There wasn't a lot on there, but it kept me busy, helped me not dwell on something I was sort of dreading. 

At the end of last year I went to a meeting about the place I walk, Asylum Lake. I then got an email asking me if I was interested in being on the board of the association. I hate new things. I'm not really a fan of people and meeting new people makes me really anxious. But I decided to jump in and said yes. Today was my first meeting. Rather daunting and I spent most of the day anxious. Not dentist anxious, but I couldn't stop thinking about it! I had to drive to an unfamiliar place (I had planned out my route in advance), meet new people, drive back in the dark (something I also hate). It went...ok. As I said to my daughter later, I felt a little daunted. We introduced ourselves and everyone else was going on about what they do for work, their degrees and such and me? I just told them I liked walking there, it was good for my mental health, and I liked taking photos of the things I saw there. There was one woman there who seemed to be good at everything and very confident in herself. Daughter told me I had a different perspective and that the group needed diversity, not just degrees. BTW I do have a college degree, but it was years and years ago and I did nothing with it. 

Baby A had her first vaccinations today. Poor thing. Daughter said she was smiling at everybody before them, not so much afterwards. She's feeling achy and pretty grumpy. I'm hoping it will just last a day or so. 

Tomorrow looks to be the last of the good weather so another walk. I have a list to make before I go to bed. More tidying and a bit more sorting hopefully. 

71/366 Things That Make Me Smile 

From behind the beavers' lodge. Wonder how long that tree will last! 

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My oldest son surprised me with a just-because present. It's a bird feeder with a camera! What a lovely surprise! I'm looking forward to finding the perfect spot in the garden for it. The camera is powered by a solar panel. 

Agh - Weekend and Week Ahead

My blog is being funny again. I can't keep signed in again so haven't commented on blogs until I can get it sorted. I don't know why it does this sometimes. I'm hoping it will at least allow me to post!

My first weekend back in Michigan and the weather was horrible. I really wanted to visit the lakeshore as I have really missed it and haven't been for - gasp! - three months. It was so cold! And windy! And there was snow/ice. Ugh. I did get out and walk anyway. Just for a tiny bit. Husband, being the sensible one, sat in the car 'keeping it warm'. I froze my fingers off. I was glad I had dressed in my long underwear, two pairs of gloves and hand warmers. Today was just as different! It's been sunny and warm. Sigh. Don't know why that couldn't happen on the weekend!

Here are a couple of phone photos from the walk yesterday

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I did not walk out on the pier. The wind and snow/ice was pelting my face and the water from the lake was blowing sideways. There was only one brave fisherman out there and even he ended up coming back!

I have got back to writing lists again. I need to get things done. I did well today, managing to get everything done and even a couple of extras! I like seeing things written down. I think it helps keep me on track. I just need to make sure that I write the list each day. Do you write lists? Do they keep you on track? 

There are so many things I need to get done around the house. If I think about it as a whole I can feel myself becoming overwhelmed. I'm trying to take it one chunk at a time and keep working through it. Hopefully progress will be made!

It's the End of Another Week

Time really is just flying by! Still no sunshine here. Today it rained most of the day. I had a dentist appointment first thing, and you know how much I like them! It went so-so. No work has to be done, but apparently my gums are not looking as good as they have in the past. The hygienist was talking about having me come back in four months instead of six, but it's smack bang in the middle of summer and I don't have all the plans finalised yet. Also, I'm not sure my insurance will pay for that. I haven't been as diligent as I should - long story - so I told her I'd rather stick to the six months and see if things were okay by then. She hadn't seen anything last time that caused alarm with my gums so I'm just assuming it's been all that's going on and not doing things as I should. Sigh. At least no work done! So I'm putting it behind me and going forward. 

After the appointment I ran a couple of errands and then came home and caught up on the rest of the washing. In the afternoon I messaged with sister. It's Mother's Day in England on Sunday. A day I dread each year since losing Mum. Sister is going to Mum's bench on Sunday and will take some flowers from me. I miss her. A lot. 

I'm moving forward with house things. It's very overwhelming, but I'm trying to focus on little things and keep going. I was really happy to read - in an email - that the library is now accepting donations without an appointment so perhaps I'll be able to load up the car and take them to drop off there. I used to always donate my books there and then they changed their donation rules once Covid hit and it's taken them this long to go back to the original. 

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It was as cold as heck sitting on one of the downed beaver trees and there was no sunshine, but it was lovely just sitting there listening to the birds all around me. I have missed that! Made me smile. 

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These little gift bags made me smile. They were at the dollar store (1.25 store lol). There are two in the pack. I picked them up to send one to Granddaughter with a little money (well, an IOU I'll fulfill when we visit as I don't want to send cash) for Easter. She doesn't really need anything, but daughter and son-in-law are starting a bank account for her, and I'd like to add a little to it each holiday so maybe when she's older she'll have a nice little bit. 

Hope everyone had a good week. Do you have plans for the weekend? 

So-so Sort of Day

How are things going for you this week? 

It was a so-so sort of day here today. I was disappointed to find that it was cloudy when I woke this morning. No chance of a sunrise. I did get out once it was light and took a walk at Asylum Lake. There were lots of geese around, a pair of Trumpeter Swans and a pair of Mute swans as well as some ducks and quite a few muskrats. I did catch glimpse of two beavers as they returned back to the lodge for the day. There were not many people around, which was really nice. 

I did manage to get all the clothes unpacked, washed and put away. I did a bit of other sorting. There are still too many things that I have to put away. I shall work on more tomorrow. 

Daughter did a video call with me today. It was nice to see Baby A. She looked a bit grumpy though. Apparently, she didn't sleep very well last night as she was very windy/gassy. She didn't sleep this morning either but had taken a little nap at lunchtime. Daughter was quite tired, but she sounded upbeat. I think it helps that Baby A smiles at her in the middle of the night when the tiredness is getting a bit much. 

I'll be up and about early tomorrow for another walk. Hopefully there might be a sunrise. 

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It makes me smile to be back walking the trails despite everything looking so dull and gray. 

Rainy Day

My first day back in Michigan and it rains. One thing I did really like about Minnesota was the amount of sunshine there was! Lots of quite cold days, but plentiful sunshine. I really was looking forward to doing an early sunrise, but it was not to be. I did manage to pop out for a quick walk in between rain showers. Tomorrow is supposed to be better!

Confession time - I am not all unpacked or sorted. My son was off work today and was doing his washing. I'll get mine done tomorrow. I still have to put away all the things I took with me too. I did get all the post/mail sorted today. I also went and got a few groceries, at least a couple of days of meals planned. I have to get back into the meal planning thing. 

I'm missing Baby A. She really did give lovely cuddles. I'll be a bit more on top of things (hopefully) by tomorrow. 

A photo I took of Baby A and Sierra on Saturday for my #1day12pics. I was playing with Baby A on the floor on her playmat and Sierra came and laid down right next to her, not even moving when Baby A flailed her arms. Adorable. 

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Was really lovely to be back at Asylum Lake despite the weather! The beavers have been really busy. They even managed to bring one tree down on top of their lodge!

Quick Update - Back in Michigan

Sorry for the absence. Husband and oldest son came to stay for the weekend and then bring me back to Michigan today. I meant to post, but really wanted to spend as much time as I could with daughter and baby A before I had to come back today. 

It was really hard to say goodbye and I miss her. 

I'll catch up with blogs and posting over the next few days. I have a lot of things to catch up on here at the house, sort out and organise, so it might take me a few. Hoping that keeping busy will keep me distracted from missing the baby too much. 

Thanks for your understanding. 

I've got some catching up on my Phone Photos Things That Make Me Smile, but here is today's. Baby A had just finished eating as we got ready to leave and was sort of burping and dozing. I got to hold her one last time, so this is my smile for the day. I'm so thankful that I got to spend these two months with her. You hear so many stories of grandparents not being welcome to visit with baby or spend lots of time with family and I am so thankful that daughter and son-in-law love me enough to ask me to stay a while!