Rain, Rain, Go Away

I got wet on my walk yesterday and I got wet on my walk today and tomorrow looks like even more rain! 

On the plus side it was actually quite mild today. It obviously couldn't have been mild and sunny lol. Oh well, at least I got out for a bit of a walk. Husband and I are going to chance going out in the morning. If nothing else, we'll have a bit of a drive. We're hoping to head down beyond the rain lol. 

I didn't do much of significance for the rest of the day. Middle son came over for a bit as he had some post delivered here. Not sure why he's still having it delivered here but at least it's not so far for him to come to pick it up! He stayed for a little while before heading home. Later, daughter and Baby A video chatted for a while. It was lovely to see her. She's getting so big! Apparently soon she'll be joining the toddler room at daycare. She's definitely ready for it I think! Some of her 'friends' are already in the toddlers so I'm sure she'll have fun there. 

As usual, plans went awry, and I didn't get any crafting done, but it was a relaxing day. 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Thursday and an Art Talk

The days seems to be flying by again though there really isn't a lot going on. I've been having my morning walk and getting a few things done in the house. I've been trying to avoid going anywhere after my walk, so I don't spend money! Also, the sooner I'm home the more time I have to work on things around the house. It's almost the end of the month and there are still a couple of piles in the living area, so I need to work on those the next few days. Things are looking a bit tidier, but there is still a LOT of room for improvement! It seems all too easy just to plop things down with hopes of finding a place for them later. I really, REALLY need to stop doing that!

It's been a quieter week this week, but I did do something social today. I went to a talk last week about Oak trees, the second talk in the series, had a local artist talking about his work and oak trees and nature in general. It was quite interesting. He's a beekeeper too and the art he's creating lately incorporates his beekeeping with his sketches. His name is Ladislav Hanker. These are a couple of his works

He was talking about what brings him inspiration and some of the trees around the local area. It was all quite interesting. I'm hoping it brings me inspiration to my photography tree project though I'm not sure quite how yet. Two people from the Asylum Lake board were there too so I sat with them, and we chatted a bit. It's about as social as I get lol. 

Tomorrow will be another walk and I'm going to make myself complete a couple of the house-y projects however much I'd rather do something else! If I can complete them tomorrow, I'm going to give myself the weekend off to work on creative projects. 

I do have to stop by the shops tomorrow. Sigh. I'm out of Marmite and I've been having it on toast for breakfast. I pay an exorbitant amount for it, but it lasts for quite a few breakfasts. I am going to make a list before I go and STICK TO IT! 

Tuesday

It was another cold start to the day, but at least the sun was shining today. It always makes me feel a bit better when the sun shines. 

 

I had the usual walk and then went home to do the usual house-y stuff. Oh what an exciting life I lead! (Hence the title of my blog lol). 

I was taking a look at the decluttering totals this month. There really hasn't been a lot of it happening. I've added some to the list tomorrow - 10 books and 5 other items to declutter. I feel in a bit of a funk with it, but I need to keep going. The totals are definitely not as impressive as last months. 

I'm really starting to think about what's coming into the house. I'm trying to curb spending too, but money seems to be leaking more than ever. I suppose it's the expense of things. I've been meal planning and trying to stick to lists, but every time I go do a food shop it seems to be more expensive. I think I need to start writing down what I'm spending so I can see all the bits. Perhaps I am just spending more than I think. 

Do you keep track of every little bit you spend? Do you use the cash envelope method? I used to do that but not sure if I want to go back to it! What's your favourite budget tip? 

Weekend

It wasn't a bad weekend. Pretty chilly. The volunteer clean-up at Asylum Lake went really well on Saturday. It was sunny but bitterly cold. About 40 people showed up though! It was lovely to see people of all ages, from really young children to teens to adults then to seniors. A great mix of people. 20 big bags of rubbish were picked up. I can't believe there was that much! By the time I got back home I was ready to have a nice warm bath. 

On Sunday we decided to go to Kensington Metropark which has a lovely nature walk in it. We were hoping it was going to be warmer, but at least it was dry! It's over closer to some cities and they have a series of what are called Metroparks. Kensington has 4,481 acres of land. There are golf courses, boating, running, biking, farm centre and more. They also have a great nature centre which is what we like to go to. There's lot of trails in that area for walkers. No dogs or bikes allowed (there are plenty of other areas of the park where these are allowed). It's really great for birdwatching. At this time of year, the herons are building their nests up in the rookery, which is what we were going to look for. 

They were up in their nests. It's really fun to watch one of them brings sticks for the nests to the other one. I think it's part of their mating ritual. 

Today the weather was still colder, and it snowed! Not sure Mother Nature has got the message yet that it's supposed to be Spring. My friend had texted early to say she had forgotten that she had a dentist appointment and wouldn't be walking. I was glad! I did a really short walk and headed off to go to the shops. I've had enough of snow. Sigh. 

Hopefully tomorrow will be better! 

End of Another Week

Not a bad end to the week. It was below freezing when I went out for my walk this morning, but the sun was shining and that's always a plus! I had a nice walk with my friend. I had debated about going to do a mini food shop after or leave it, but that would mean going on the weekend and I really hate food shopping on the weekend, so I ended up going and picking up a few bits. Got the things done on my list and then messaged with sister for a long time. I had to really think about the time change difference again. The US changed did the Spring Forward thing a couple weeks back, the UK doesn't do it for another week. Instead of five hours difference we're on four and the end of our chat usually lands right when we eat. One more week and then we'll be back to normal lol. 

Tomorrow is another social day - too many - too many - lol. It's our first volunteer day at Asylum Lake. It's only for three hours, but that's more than enough. Half of me is looking forward to it, half of me dreading it. It doesn't help that I pulled my back a few days ago and I can still feel it. Not so good if we are bending over to pick up rubbish! I am going though as I can't go to the next three as we will be away. 

My plan is to go for a nice relaxing nature walk by myself, go home and get something to eat, pack up some water and then go a little early so I don't have to worry about parking as it is limited. I'll do the volunteer event (hopefully I won't have to talk too much!) and then I'm going home and taking a nice warm, relaxing bath. The high tomorrow is going to be just above freezing but at least the sun will be shining. 

I'm not planning on much beyond that. 

Just trees. I'm finding them quite fascinating at the moment. 

Falling Behind

*Edit - not sure what is up with commenting on comments. I can't reply to anyone! I did read the comments and will reply as soon as I can!

I survived the dentist! Yeah. It was nerve-wracking (I'm such a chicken) and it took longer than I thought. I tensed up a lot. I could feel myself clenching my fists. Not good. I managed to get through it and - thankfully YEAH - I don't have to go back for six months this time. Phew. I don't have to think or worry about it again until September. So glad. I just get so flustered beforehand and after that I seem to crash for the rest of the day! I did manage to get the bits on my list done for the day, so I was glad of that. 

It's been a pretty average week. Not a lot going on. Today was the first day of Spring but it certainly didn't feel like it. It snowed this morning! I went for a really quick walk as it was snowing and blowing and I was getting wet and snowy and, well, I just couldn't be bothered! I did get quite a bit done at home today. I'll allow myself a bit of a longer walk tomorrow as it's supposed to be okay weather. 

I did something social tonight. Certainly not my usual. A church the next neighbourhood over was hosting a talk about Oak trees and their significance in our area. The area I live in used to be full of Oak Savannas which have sadly mostly been lost. The talk was by the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy and efforts to restore some of these areas. It was quite interesting. As part of my online camera club this year all our projects are focusing on trees and for my main tree project, I'm going to take photos of one of the oaks at Asylum Lake, so I wanted to learn more. I'm glad I went though being social is not for me lol. Mind you, I have to be social again this Saturday as it's our first volunteer day at Asylum Lake and I've said that I'll go. Sigh. Why I thought it was a good idea I don't know! 

Tomorrow is a walk day and then some house stuff. I'll be messaging with sister in the afternoon. Another average day. I do have some catching up to do with blogs, but I'm off to bed pretty quick so most will be tomorrow! 

Photo for the day - 'My' tree lol

Start of Week

It's the start of another week. Dentist tomorrow. Feeling really anxious about it. Sounds silly, but I can't seem to help it. It's at 9.30 so not too late. I'm going to go watch the beavers and then head out. I haven't planned much for the rest of the day. I think I usually have an adrenalin crash and end up want to sleep the rest of the day. I'm going to try not to. I do have a Zoom meeting I want to attend later in the day. Another something social. My social battery might be about drained by then lol. 

I video chatted with Baby A today. She was outside pushing her train around and then riding on it. She was finding it really funny. Daughter wasn't sure she would want to chat with me, but she wanted the phone and took me for a ride with her. She gave the phone a hug too lol. 

Morning at the Beaver lodge

Weekend

I don't suppose it's been a too bad weekend. I went out for a bit yesterday morning by myself. It was ok. A little chilly. I did get up in the craft room, did a couple of bits, looked at the mess and then left again. It's been like that each time I've gone up there. I'm really struggling with sorting through anything up there. I'm definitely going to have to think of a new way to approach it.  Son J and his girlfriend came over later in the day on Saturday and stayed for something to eat. I think J is finally settling in his new flat. 

Today the weather turned horrible. Of course it did, it's Sunday! There were a couple of places we were thinking of going to today but decided not to as it wasn't worth the trip when the weather was so lousy. We ended up just visiting the lakeshore for a quick - absolutely freezing - walk! It surprised me that there was still ice along the lakeshore despite how warm it's been this week. We weren't out as long as we usually are, but it was still nice to get out. Here's hoping that the weather is better next week! This afternoon, after we got back it actually snowed! 

Snow in the garden this afternoon. 

I spent the afternoon doing a bit of sorting, a bit of looking around the craft room and a bit of computer stuff. Not a really busy day, but a teeny bit productive. I have made a menu for the week, and we stopped at the shops to pick up a few bits including most of what I needed for the week. I'm trying hard not to spend too much money this week. I have a dreaded dentist appointment on Tuesday so that will be more than enough spent for the week!

A couple of phone photos from today

There will have to be some digging done before anyone can sit on this bench!

Quite windy today. Neither husband or I lasted long on the beach and there wasn't anyone else around either !

Rolling Around to Friday Again

The middle of March. Already. Wow. Yesterday was another productive day. Today, meh, not so much. Yesterday my hairdresser texted and asked if I could manage to go for an appointment today 12.30. She had to cancel the one last week as she wasn't feeling good. I said yes. I had to keep reminding myself today that I had the hair appointment. I don't generally do one on a Friday. I also had to keep checking the time to make sure I was going to message sister at the right time! Our clocks changed and hers haven't! We are now four hours behind instead of the five. Both things, little as they are, knocked me a bit off kilter for the day. 

Before the hair appointment, I made the mistake of popping into my local Joann's crafting shop. They are going out of business - all the shops are closing. It's been such a part of my crafting life since I moved to this area. It was a little sad to see the shelves so bare. I did pick up just a couple of items. Even though I'm trying not to buy craft items I'm a little sad to see it shut. We do have a Michaels and a Hobby Lobby (which is becoming more a decorating shop than a craft shop and, for personal reasons, I try not to shop there) but other than that even the little independents all seem to be closed. I suppose with online shopping people aren't shopping in them so much anymore. I remember back when MIL was quilting and the sales were on the queues used to be halfway around the shop! Now it seems mostly empty when I'm in there. Sigh. 

Didn't manage to get a lot done. Husband got off work early (he put in all his hours this week) so he took 2 boxes and 1 bag of donations to the charity shop. I had a good message time with sister, though the time change really put a crimp in dinner time lol. After, I even did a little video call with daughter and Baby A. 

I suppose, all in all, not a bad couple of days.

Plans for the weekend? Honestly not too much. I'll be going for a walk in the morning, weather permitting, and then I plan on doing a little crafting. I worked on getting the desk mostly clear, so I have a space to work on. On Sunday the temperature drops from of 71f /22c to 39f /5c high on Sunday. We'll be going out somewhere, just not sure where yet. 

What are your plans for the weekend? 

Sunrise from this morning

Productive Day

I feel as though I've had quite the productive day and I spent no money at all! I went for my morning walk first. It was quite chilly this morning. Below freezing when I went out, so I was well bundled up back in the winter gear including hand warmers! Even though it was cold I could definitely tell that Spring was still in the air. There were lots of geese and swans around making lots of noise. Not too many people, which was nice. 

I had made a list and started work on it right away when I got home. I marked off everything and then some! I did go up in the craft room for a bit. It was more of looking around, seeing the mess and leaving again. I did manage to add a few things from there to the donate box. At some point I am going to have to make those hard decisions as to which projects I want to do and those I will actually do. For now, though, I'm going to mainly concentrate on bits of the house I can actually get done. That way at least something will leave the house. I don't want to get ultra-focused on one thing that I end up giving up on and getting nothing done. 

Plans for tomorrow, another walk and another (little bit longer list). There are a couple of small bits I want to get done that I've been putting off. 

Hope everyone is having a good week

Everything is looking quite bare but at least the ice has gone from the trails! There was mud but this morning it was just frozen. 

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Spring

It's been a beautiful start to the weekend, sunshine and quite mild temperatures. I even had my windows open for a little while yesterday! It was lovely to get some fresh air in the house after the long winter of being shut up. The ice on the trails have melted, but it's turned a bit muddy. The ice on Asylum Lake is slowly melting, less and less of it each day and more sounds of Spring! The geese have been squawking and flapping, the ducks are returning, and several swans have popped in and then out again! The Sandhill Cranes, Ducks and Geese have all been mating so perhaps there will be lots of babies about in the summer!

It's so nice to have plentiful sunshine and warmer temperatures. Having the sun shining certainly picks up my mood. I've been making lists and getting things done. The piles in the living room are going down - not nearly enough but they are getting there. I have some organisation to do, downstairs mainly. I feel as though if I get that sorted, I can have things more in order and cleared out from up here. The ultimate goal is to get rid of things but that, I think, is going to take a while. I did look at some of the things downstairs. Eeek I have a storage container or more of yarn that I don't think I'll use. I'm almost ready to let it go just to have the spare tubs and get things a bit more organised. Almost. 

I do need to get moving though. Once May comes, we'll be a lot busier, and I'll want to be outside more so I need to move faster now.  I feel as though once the living areas and the front porch are done, I will feel a lot happier. I feel like I need a plan of attack!

The last post had a snowy photo, things have all changed so here's a nice sunrise. 

Weekend

It hasn't been a bad weekend. Yesterday morning we woke to a bit more snow. It was actually quite pretty. It had settled on the trees and a little on the ground. 

I got out for a little bit of a walk but not a lot and the rest of the day I really didn't do much. It really was a lazy sort of day. 

Our clocks went forward this morning. Ugh. It was quite dark this morning and, of course, quite light this evening. I'm not sure I like it so much! 

I went out today for a drive along the lakeshore. Not far. Husband overslept so I left him and went by myself. I wasn't about to wake him. I had planned on us going up the lakeshore a bit and working our way down stopping at some little parks and seeing the last of the ice. Temperatures are warming up and are supposed to be 73f/23C by the end of the week! What a change! Even today was vastly different from the cold of yesterday. Today we got up to 55F/13C - really a warm-up from what we've been having. 

It was lovely out. There were quite a few people out and about enjoying the sunshine. I couldn't believe some of the idiots people out on the ice. I cringed as a couple took a toddler up to the top of an ice mountain. At this temperature they are melting, and bits break off. It's also quite deceiving as it may look like solid ice, but on the other side it could be hollowed out! I ended up meandering down to another park where I knew there wouldn't be too many people.  There were a few people about on the beach at this other park, but they were searching for different stones along the shore. It was all quite relaxing. 

Some ice chunks

There were some green bits poking through!

It was another lazy day when I got home. Mind you, it was later in the afternoon when I did get back. I did stop to pick up a few food bits on my way home. I have my menus planned for the week and picked up the first half of what I need so I won't have to go out tomorrow. I'm writing a list for tomorrow and will get back to the sorting and cleaning after my walk tomorrow. I picked up a couple of boxes while I was out today as I need more to put books in. My plan is to finish the bookcase downstairs this week and then take another look at one of the ones in the living room. It seems every time I look through them I am able to let a few more books go. 

Hope everyone had a good weekend. 

And Before I Can Blink It's Friday!

I'm not sure where the week has gone. I had good intentions posting and I look and haven't done it since Tuesday. Mind you, not a lot has happened between then and now. I've been plodding along with the lists and getting things done. 

I did something new this week too. I had joined a small group within my online photography group, and we had our first Zoom meeting together. It may not seem like a big deal, but it was (not an exaggeration) absolutely terrifying for me. I don't know how to describe it otherwise. I get so anxious. I got through it though, managed to even talk! Now that I've met them, I know the next time will be a little easier. I'll still be nervous but nowhere near as terrified as this time. It seems really silly when I think about it, but it's just not something I find easy. I'm glad that I did it though. 

It got me thinking about introverts too. There's this man at the Asylum meeting I go to who says he's an introvert and he has no problem getting up and talking in front of people, he's in lots of community groups, he leads certain things. He doesn't seem like an introvert. It got me thinking so I looked it up. There are, apparently, different types of introverts. He must be a social one. I am definitely an anxious one lol.  

I also had that Asylum Lake meeting this week. I've definitely reached my limit of social interaction for the week. I was actually glad my friend wasn't walking this morning. I needed a bit of alone time in nature. 

I did get the boxes of books to the library on Wednesday. Four boxes! I've already filled another one. It's definitely getting a bit easier with the books. I had plans to do a bit more sorting today, but after I got back home, I ended up sitting down and falling asleep for a bit. Not like me, but I haven't been sleeping too well. Perhaps the not sleeping has changed once again to being tired all the time lol. I did message with sister today, had a good catch-up and a bit later daughter and Baby A did a video call. She is so delightful and growing up far too quickly!

Photos for today - there were so many Red-winged Blackbirds around today singing their hearts out. It was lovely to hear. The day started off chilly, but bright. At the end of the day it was snowing again. Sigh

Rainy Tuesday

It rained most of the day today. I suppose it makes a change from snow, but it made the trails at Asylum Lake rather slippery! I did manage to get in a visit to the beaver lodge before the rains (or rather in between the rains). They were out and about in the bit of water open to them. I had the place mostly to myself. It was lovely. I was likely the only one crazy enough to brave the ice and the rain. Once the rain started in again, I went back home. 

I feel as though I got quite a bit done today. All the things checked off my list and then some! I did a bit more sorting but find myself struggling. Arrggg! 

Example - why do I struggle to get rid of these? 

They are adorable, they have lovely colour yarn on them. Do I need them? No. Could I use them for something. Probably. Do I want to keep them? YES!! Did I? No. I put them in the donate box. Shaking my head. I really don't understand the struggle, but I shall keeping plodding onwards. 

It's supposed to rain tomorrow. Or maybe not. It depends on which forecast you look at. Lol. If it doesn't rain, I'm doing a quick jaunt down to the beavers' lodge. The trails will likely still be icy, and I've decided that I'm not walking far until it's all cleared up. I just don't find it enjoyable. I'm not 'into' doing x number of steps per day (my walking friend is). I like going to walk around getting a bit of exercise and looking at all the wonderful nature I can see. Seeing the beavers fulfills my need for a bit of nature magic. 

I have a bunch of things to do tomorrow. I am hoping to get some boxes of books to the library bookshop for donation tomorrow. They accept donations from 11-1. Fingers crossed I'll make it down there! I need to get them out of the house. Husband is taking the other boxes to the charity shop on Friday. I have a current box that is half full so I'm hoping to fill it with donations before it takes it away. A good goal to have!

Sunday/Monday - Lake Michigan Ice

Had a lovely day out yesterday. It wasn't particularly warm (about freezing), but the sun was shining and that did make me feel better. The ice at one place we stopped at was amazing. It was like mountains and mountains all along the shore. What wild winds there must have been in this spot to make it like that! I'm inserting a little video at the end. Even husband was impressed! He even got out and walked with me at a couple of places and managed not to have many coughing fits. 

I only had a small list for yesterday and I did manage to tick off everything. One of the items was creating a meal plan for the week. I then made a shopping list of items needed to complete the meal plan. Doing a food shop was an item on my list for today! I managed to pick up everything in one place (for once). Spent more than I wanted to, sigh, but I think that's just going to be how things are. I have to admit that I rethought a couple of items I was going to buy as they were more than I was willing to pay and worked out an alternative. 

I felt quite productive the rest of the day. I took care of one area that I've been meaning to sort out so one less pile in the living room! I did go up in the craft room and sorted through one tub. I didn't get rid of a lot. At this stage, I think it's good to at least look through what I have so I can think about what areas of the crafting room I do want to tackle and let go of. This will be - probably - a slow ongoing project. I want to at least get to a point where I can feel creative in there, so I am able to use some of the too-many craft things I do have! 

Tomorrow and Wednesday the weather doesn't look great so I'm not sure about a walk. Not sure I want to lol. The trails were a bit of a mess today, really icy in spots and clear in others so iffy as to whether I want to chance my Yaktrax. I wish they were easy to whip on and off so I could take them along with me and just put on as needed lol. I'm sure if it rains things will be even worse!

In case it does rain, I have a list planned so I'll keep busy. I won't be going out anywhere if I don't go for a walk.

Hope everyone had a good start to the week. 

While I was looking through a pile I found this

Made me smile

Here's the ice video

March 1st - Saturday

Thank you for the lovely comments on the last post. We'll see how much I can get rid of this month!

March 1st. Wow. After yesterday's mild temperatures, the cold returned. Really cold. The wind was blowing too. It was so bitter I couldn't walk for long. I ended up coming home again pretty soon and husband and I decided to go to the Amish shop, stopping at a small park on our way. There are several eagles in the area. It didn't disappoint! I didn't get any great photos, but I saw plenty of eagles. The water was mostly frozen with only a few small open areas where the eagles were fishing. I had to have seen more than ten of them! Quite unusual for our area. 

I made a small list today, but nothing too significant. I checked off all I had on there, including going up in the craft room. I pulled out a few items I'm ready to get rid of...maybe...sort of. Sigh. The craft room has become my new nemesis. I'm hoping at some point it will become easier to get rid of things. I'm reallly struggling there. Maybe, at some point it will become like the books (had a problem with letting go of them) and something will click, and it will be easier. I have to keep in mind that the goal is to have a relaxing house and to think about what I'd really like to take with me to that dream small cabin lol. 

Tomorrow it's supposed to be a little warmer. We aren't talking heatwave. It might reach freezing. I think the winds are supposed to be lighter. We're going out for our usual Sunday Adventure, but I'm not sure where yet. Definitely somewhere near Lake Michigan. There is still some ice around, but this is probably the last weekend. 

Photo for today - the beginnings of Spring. Once the snow had started to melt in the woods the tops of daffodils began to peek up through the leaves.