Saturday

Another dreary day. It started off a little icy as there was a thin coating of snow/ice overnight. Husband and I took a drive to the Amish shop. We haven't been there for a while and it's a treat, so we got some donuts, cheese and bread. Yum. Definitely something we only do once in a while. 

For the rest of the day, I got together a few of the things I need to ship on Monday, listed a few things and then spent a bit of time up in the craft room. As usual, there was more moving things around rather than getting rid of them. I think I ended up only pulling 5 items out - sigh. It's five more donated than I had earlier lol. 

I had a chat with daughter by herself and then a video chat with Baby A. They think she has her molar teeth coming through as she is very grumpy. Every little thing seems to upset her. Poor her and poor parents. 

Tomorrow, we're off on a Sunday Adventure. Not sure where it will be or how long as there is predicted to be a bit of snow overnight and into the morning. Not a lot of point going far if the snow is obstructing the view!

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend

Photo today - the Sandhill Crane couple are back at Asylum Lake. It must mean Spring is on the way!

Saturday

Apologies to the blogs I posted on and left Anonymous comments! Apparently, I was logged out of my account when I made them. Sigh. 

We did finally put up the tree today. We have just decorated it with ornaments that mother-in-law made. I'll be sharing a few photos over the next couple posts. She was such a talented woman. She once said that the only thing (like it was insignificant) that she was good at was cooking. She WAS a wonderful cook, but we reminded her that it wasn't only that which she was good at. She was such a talented crafter - she could sew, knit, crochet, cross stitch, bead, the list was endless! We're missing her, but putting up the tree with her creations is a way of honouring her. 

I did go for a walk this morning. It was pretty cold out and I didn't go for long, but a little walk is better than no walk! Husband and I then went out for a bit to do some shopping. Nobody feels much like baking for Christmas, so we splurged at the Amish shop and bought some pies, cookies and lots of cheese to have with crackers. A couple of doughnuts landed in the basket too! 

When I got home, I did a little random cleaning up, bits and pieces that should have been in other places. It felt good to clean up. A long way to go and lots of sorting in the new year, but I'm pleased with what I did today.

How was your Saturday?

Weekend

Not a good start to the weekend. FIL rang last night to say that he had to call an ambulance for MIL. She is currently in the Neuro Intensive Care Unit at a local hospital. I'm not going to say too much about her condition, but please keep her in your thoughts. We did go to visit her today and she was able to talk to us for a little bit which is encouraging. I played a video of Baby A to try to keep her spirits up. I think I might print off some photos to take to her. 

I had a walk this morning, not a long one. I thought I had turned on my alarm, but apparently, I hadn't and I almost overslept! I suppose I needed the sleep. I didn't sleep that well last night, a couple of nightmares, probably because of the worry and when I woke up husband was snoring quite loudly. I could hear him through the earplugs, and it took me a while to get back to sleep. Hopefully tonight's sleep will be better. 

I had plans for the afternoon, but after the visit with MIL I was sort of knocked off-balance and I really didn't get a lot accomplished. I procrastinated more than anything.

Tomorrow husband and I are going to the lakeshore for a walk. It's been unseasonably warm the last few days so hopefully it's not too hot for a walk. Thankfully, the nights have been cooler though. As the days are shorter it takes longer for it to heat up and it cools down more quickly. The weather hasn't felt a lot like Autumn. I'm not complaining too much lol, change is on the way - from a high of 83F/28C we will drop to 66F/18C on Tuesday. 

Photo for today - one of the beavers from last week

It certainly makes me smile to watch them!

Weekend - Saturday

Today dawned brighter than it has all week! The beavers were out and about quite a bit this morning. Of course they were as I was under a time limit. I did a little beaver watching, a tiny walk and then back home to drop off my camera and change my trousers and then back to Asylum Lake for the volunteer morning. I wasn't really looking forward to it. There was to be some tree wrapping (to protect young native trees from the deer), some rubbish pick-up and clearing some areas so that new Oak trees could be planted. It's a little too social for me, but I haven't been to many volunteer mornings this year as they have coincided with time away. 

I'm actually glad I went. I ended up with another woman clearing an area for a tree to be planted. It seemed we got one right in the middle of a field that was in an area that was covered in some sort of prickly berry bushes and burrs. We got a little scratched up and the sticky burrs all over us (took me forever to pick them off my clothes!) but it was actually quite fun. We managed to get the area cleared in the time allotted, so it's all ready for a lovely little Oak Tree in the near future. I think I'll be taking photos of it as it grows! 

This afternoon I've been rather lazy. I've done a little telly watching, a little computer playing about and I actually built a little Halloween Lego that I picked up while with daughter the other week. 

It was, all-in-all, quite an enjoyable Saturday. 

Mixed Bag Saturday

Oldest Son woke up feeling quite poorly this morning. His fever was quite high. He made sure to dose up with water and pills. I think most of the morning he rested and drank lots of fluids. Poor guy. He's gone to bed early tonight. Hoping he'll feel better tomorrow so he can go back to work on Monday. We'll see. Apparently, it's really making the rounds here. 

Husband and I did go out. It was cold, grey and dull, but at least we got out. We drove down to the Amish Shop, spent too much money and came home again. We did stop at a little park, but it was bitterly cold and we didn't walk far. We did see 5 eagles out on the ice-covered lake. 

Here are three

None of these are full grown eagles. The ones on the right look like this years' babies and the one on the left is a little older. They don't have completely white heads until about 4 or 5 years old. There were two more up in a tree. I didn't see much open water, so I'm not sure what they were hoping to catch!

I came home and did a bit more sorting. Middle Son had asked to do some washing (sheets and comforter) at our house. I'd said yes before Oldest Son came down sick, so Middle Son just dropped it off and picked it up later! Oldest Son was on the sofa so I went upstairs to do a bit in the craft room. 

I'm really frustrated about it. I'm not sure what I'm willing to get rid of at this time. I was particularly frustrated as I thought I was done sorting out certain magazines only to find I'd tucked more of them away in the craft room!!! Grrrrr... I feel as though I've taken a step backwards. 

I'm not going to let it put me off. I'm going to keep on plodding along. 

Tomorrow, husband and I are back off to the lakeshore. Hopefully, the weather will be good and I'll be able to take some photos. I haven't been doing a lot of photography this week and it's making me feel a little...off. 

How is your weekend going? Do you have plans? 

Lazy Saturday

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

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

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

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

Hope everyone is having a good weekend! 

Saturday

Another day has flown by and I feel as though I got a whole lot of nothing done!

It was a lovely start to the day. I had husband drop me off for my walk. It was nice and peaceful for a little while. The sunrise was absolutely amazing. I wasn't expecting it and almost missed it. I was watching the beavers swimming about and happened to notice the bright pink in the water. I turned around and saw the sunrise. Wow. 

 

It really was that bright! 

Husband picked me up and we ran a couple of errands. It's always busier on a Saturday and he has a lot more patience driving than I do so I thought he could drive lol. 

The rest of the day I did a bit of sorting, a bit in the craft room and a whole lot of nothing more. I did look through and recycle four magazines, so that's four less in the house, right? As I was looking through them I came across this that my daughter made. It certainly made me smile!

Oh I did have a nice video chat with Baby A today. She was actually in a good mood. Poor little girl has been sick and teething. She blew me a kiss and we played peek-a-boo. 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

A Bit of a Lazy Saturday

The day just seems to have flown by, and I can't say I got a lot of anything done. I did have husband drop me off for a walk this morning. It was very cold - only 24F (-6C) with a windchill of 11F (-12c). The temperature was pretty steady throughout the day, so it didn't get a lot warmer than that. I bundled up. The trick is layers. It's why most of my winter clothes seem to be a size or two bigger than what I need. I also had my handwarmers in my gloves. It was really peaceful on my walk. Probably because I was one of the few people crazy enough to be walking in it. There were lots of Geese on the lake, a Beaver or two, lots of Muskrats and even a Blue Heron! I could see where the beavers had been busy at work. There were paths in the freshly fallen snow where they had dragged things from one part of the lake to their lodge. It's really amazing to see. Well, at least I find it amazing!

There were lots of leaves peeking out of the snow too. I found them really fascinating and took a bunch of photos. 

Here's one. A lot of them were sitting upright. How wonderful nature really is!

I came home and actually ended up falling asleep, but only after having some toast and marmite (love it or hate it) and some Broccoli and Cauliflower Cup-a-Soup. I had it in a mug I bought when I was with Mum. We took a trip to Cadbury World and it's a souvenir from there that made it all the way back to America with me. Good memories of Mum. I suppose I was thinking a lot about her today as sister said she was going to Mum's bench in Felixstowe today. I hope the weather stayed good for her!

I did go up in the craft room today (as I was chilly and it's warmer up there lol) but seemed to just move things around! I really need to get back on my decluttering wagon. I will make a list of places to sort through for the upcoming week. 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend! Can't believe it will be December tomorrow!!!!

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!

First Saturday in July

Husband had a few garden things to do first thing this morning (before it got too hot and sticky) so I left him home and just went for a quick walk. As it is the first Saturday of the month I wanted to participate in A Year with my Camera's #1day12pics. I usually pick a theme. I took my macro lens with me and decided to set my theme as 'It's the Little Things'. I didn't last long. It was rather sticky out first thing - over 90% humidity. Ugh. 

When I got home, I actually picked up my stitching. I stuck on some Midsomer Murders (I watched them all but I like them!) and did some stitching. 

It's been a good day.

We were thinking of going out tomorrow (all three of us) but it's supposed to rain so no go. Husband and I will probably take a short drive in the rain - ha ha. 

Here's a collage of my 12 photos I decided to use today

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Saturday

We went to the lakeshore. It was fun. Sun shining. Really quite cold this morning as the wind was blowing too. There was some ice on the lake and some in the channel leading out to the lake. It makes me quite dizzy to look at!

The ice was quite amazing. It is always so different. 

Lots of balls. These are the end result (though not in the same place) of the balls in the video last week. Waves from the lake push these up on top of one another until forming a line of ice balls. It's quite a sight to see. 

It was only half day trip. We usually go out longer tomorrow. 

When I got back this afternoon I sorted out - shock! horror! Gasp! - another 20 books from a bookshelf to donate. Really quite pleased that I'm able to let them go. I think I've almost filled February's box and all with books! I shall have to start another. 

Hope everyone is doing okay. Have a good weekend. 

Saturday - Was there Sunshine?

Was there sunshine? Yes there was! It made me smile. 

We did go out for a bit in the morning. Husband said he wasn't going to visit with his brother until the afternoon so we could go out in the morning. As there was actually going to be a sunrise (first one for over a week!) we went to watch it. Actually, I watched it, husband said it was too cold (about 20f/-7C) and sat in the car. 

* all phone photos as I haven't sorted through the camera ones. 

Even with the sunrise there was a line of clouds above it lol. 

After the sunrise we took a drive to a Warren Dunes State Park and took a walk along the beach. It wasn't very sunny there, and it was cold, but it was peaceful and pretty. 

We took a walk up in the sand dunes where there was a touch of snow

I've been watching this piece of water dividing the beach for a while. It's moved again. Further along now. It sounds strange but with the winds and the lake waters, this piece of water dividing the beach keeps changing and moving. I've taken photos for years - I really need to dig them out. 

It's a lot slimmer at the bottom further along the beach. So interesting to see how much it changes. I've said it before, but considering this is a lake it's amazing how much things change. 

Got back home and husband went over to visit his brother. Son went over later for a little while. They didn't stay as long as I thought and were home before I headed out to catch a sunset. I had thought of going to the lake for a sunset, but it was cloudy that way so I stuck to a place in town. I can't actually watch a good sunset, but there were colours in the sky. 

I was surprised that it had been cold enough that Asylum Lake had a thin layer of ice on it. 

It wasn't a bad day overall. The sunshine helped my mood. I struggled with getting some of my photo project done. It took a lot longer to get any of it done, but I managed three blog posts on my photography blog. Sigh. At this rate it's going to take forever! I am determined to finish it. 

Tomorrow, I'm off on a Sunday Adventure. Not sure where it will take me. I like having lazy weekends, where I don't feel guilty for doing indulgent things such as hobbies!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. 

Saturday Happenings

I didn't do too bad on the sleep last night. There were a couple of moments when I was awake. I had turned off the alarm so let myself doze for a while longer. Husband slept down in basement. Brrr... it's cold down there, but he didn't mind. He said he was going down there again tonight and then we'll see what happens tomorrow night lol. 

It was dull this morning. Just a bland, white sky. Really rather plain. We did go out for a drive to the lakeshore and a little walk along the beach. There weren't a lot of people around except for a few fishermen out on the pier. We talked to them briefly and they said that they hadn't had a lot of luck. 

Day 344

Still a bit of snow on the pier. I loved the lines made by the fisherman's little wagon thingy. 

It was so very peaceful, though cold. I wish there had been sunshine, but I suppose I will have to get used to the cloudy skies. We don't get a lot of sun in the winter. It does make you appreciate it more when it does come!

From the beach. Had to be careful where I walked as a ledge has suddenly appeared - due to the winds that came the other week. 

When we got home I did make sure I cleared up a pile of boxes that had gathered (to be sorted) by the front door. We usually use the back door. Not sure why lol. I found the gift I had lost (for the game at daughter's). So I wrapped the remaining ones of those up. 

Not a great productive day, but I did get some things checked off the list. I think I spent too much time taking photos and doing Ebay listings. Didn't get that many things up online, but it takes a while. I think I might give it a break tomorrow and concentrate on getting other things done - at least after our Sunday Adventure. 

Just a Saturday

 Thanks for all the comments about Jane's house - it is lovely to be done!

Ana and Bless, you are right, the flower is Chicory. I don't know why I thought otherwise. I remember looking it up the other year and talking to my friend about it recently. I can only claim to be distracted by other things! 

Today was a pretty lazy day. I did go for a walk this morning, by myself, just to the local park. It's the first Saturday of the month and for people who did A Year with my Camera that mean it's #1day12pics. I've been participating each month this year with a theme. As I am doing a yearly project at my local park I thought that today I'd concentrate on Little Things for my Big Project. Armed with my macro lens I went in search of flowers and bugs and the like. It was a little windy for macro photos, but I patiently waited in between windy bits to take my photos. 

I put twelve of them in a collage. 

I must admit that after that I did not have a productive day. I've been relaxing most of it. Tomorrow husband and I are going out for the morning. Early. He's then going out with son so I'll have a few hours by myself. I shall try to at least get something done. 

My phone photo for the day is just one of the calendar on wall turning over to another month. I can't believe it is already July! I can't believe I forgot to mention it yesterday either. 

Hope everyone has a good weekend! For those in the US hope you manage to get some sleep with all the fireworks going off!

Okay - What Happened to Spring??!!

 Woke up this morning to several inches of snow. Yes, you've read that right - snow! I think Mother Nature is sleeping in and has forgotten that it's supposed to be spring!

I must admit that it was quite beautiful. The snow had stuck to the grass and the trees, but the roads have been too warm for it to lay too much and so those, and the pavements were clear. I did go out. Just to the local park as husband was helping middle son look for a car again. I wanted to at least get out for a little walk, just to break the day up. I'm also doing a Big Project for my online camera club - A Year at Asylum Lake - so I wanted to take some late snow photos for my project. I don't think the snow will stick around for long. It is supposed to be cold tomorrow - some artic thing (don't they always say that now?) - but warmer at the beginning of next week. 

There was hardly anyone around - just two runners, one I recognise from being a regular. So it was lovely and quiet. 

I went to look at the daffodils. Poor things were mostly buried. 

I had to look really hard to see these ones. Most were buried beneath the snow so I hope they survive! They are pretty hardy, I think.

Back home I don't think the birds were too happy about the snow. They were awfully hungry most of the day. 

Don't these photos look like winter, rather than spring?

The rest of the day I stayed inside. I thought about sitting out and enjoying the birds and taking some photos (bundled up of course) but, in reality, I am a little tired of the snow, so I stayed inside. I got (mostly) caught up with my online Camera Club Project. I sorted out a few things. 

Oh, by the way. Son did find a new-to-him car. He bought it today! They did a little... well, a lot of running around, but he has the car and he is so excited! 

Phone Photos - Things That Make Me Smile 85/365

I'm not liking the snow, but just the peacefulness of my walk made me smile. It's amazing how much joy nature brings me. Even though it's a tough weekend I find joy in the little things. 

Weekend

 We took a drive this morning to drop the things over at my son's place. We dropped the things off in his car and put a blanket over there (luckily husband has a key to the car). Son let me know later that he was happy to get everything and liked the gifts that finally arrived. Husband and I went down to the beach and took a little walk along. It was actually sunny! What a treat that was. It was quite cold, but just having the sun out made me feel a little better. 

I didn't do much in the way of jobs today but I did get some photos organised and backed up. I like to have my photos backed up in two places so I loaded some onto my external hard drive and reloaded them onto my Amazon cloud. It seems to take a long time, but I now have more space on the computer. 

Tomorrow is not supposed to be sunny but we shall be off on a Sunday Adventure. I'm not sure where we are going. I just fancy getting out and taking some photos. 

Speaking of photos, I took this one last week. I call it 'Only in Michigan'. Whenever we go out in the winter - despite it being below freezing - we almost always see someone dressed in shorts. I almost laughed out loud when I see this guy but I'm just not that rude so I just smiled to myself. 

Hope everyone has a nice, relaxing weekend. 

Snowy

 After the ice yesterday came some more snow. This morning everywhere looked like a winter wonderland. We went out early for a walk so we could get out while the snow was still fresh. There wasn't a deep amount of it, but what fell was what snow that stuck to the trees and bushes coating everything with a lovely covering of white. I wore my ankle brace and it seemed to help my foot so I kept it on all day and I haven't had the usual bad stiffness and pain that I've been experiencing. I'm hoping this will really help. 

I Skyped with Mum. We chatted a little about days gone by. I love hearing her stories of growing up. We chatted about her paper round she used to do and how her Mum had a job that her Dad didn't know about! Mum said her mum used to go off early to the job (after her dad had gone to work) and would be home to make his meal at dinner time (lunch) as he came home from work for dinner. It's so interesting how things have changed!

I checked a couple of things off the list I made for things I wanted to get done this weekend so not all bad. We're supposed to get a little more snow tonight but not a lot. I'm hoping for a longer day out tomorrow so hopefully the roads won't be too bad. 

Photo today - a picture from our snowy walk. 

Saturday Ramblings

Another grey day here.  I did go out for a walk. I also stopped and picked up a brace for my ankle. After thinking about it I decided it was cheaper to buy the brace and give it a try rather than pay the $50/100 for a doctor's visit. Husband and oldest son worked today so I had the house to myself when I got back. I Skyped with Mum and we had a good chat. We will be back to our normal Wednesday and Saturdays now that the holiday season is over.

I started writing down some goals. I want to finish them up before sharing. I'm trying to focus my ideas and not have them all over the place which they tend to be lately.

I do have my photography goals written down.

* Continue with my black & white photography
* Make more photographic cards.
* Document Lakeshore Erosion - Big Project (for Camera Club)
* Learn Photoshop and do composites using textures - this makes photographs look like art prints/paintings. I plan on photographing most of my textures.
* Do more Still Life photography. This is something I am not very good at and really struggle with. 

If only the rest of the goals I have for the home would be so easy to decide upon!  Oh, I do a Goodreads Goal set up for 100 books to be read this year. Anybody else planning on a reading goal?

As today is the first Saturday of the month I participate in something called #1day12pics. It's supposed to give a snapshot of your day in twelve photos. These are mine in a collage.

Saturday and an Icy Walk

Of course Saturday rolls around and it's gloomy, though that is pretty much standard most days in winter in Michigan. We usually do a small morning walk or trip as I get home by 12.30 my time (5.30pm Mum's) to Skype my Mum. We usually chat for an hour and a half and the time just flies by! It seems that no sooner do we start to chat before it's time to our weekly hug and say goodbye again. I ring her on Wednesdays too so we have a good old chat then too.

Our drive/walk this morning was over to the lakeshore. I'm attempting to do a black & white photography series of photos for my EDPS Camera Club (online) as my Big Project for the year. As the day was gloomy I thought that I could take photos of the rails leading up to the lighthouse. I love the lines. They are just fabulous and make lovely black and white photos. Anyway, we got to the lighthouse and there was fabulous ice beginning to form. It was so beautiful (if ice can be considered beautiful). The way the wind had blown and frozen the water was truly amazing.

I'm glad we didn't decide to just stay home!

Saturday...and a funny

Typical Saturday here - walk with hubby and then Skype with Mum. I got a couple of daughter's packages out and now that those are sorted (one more of misc. to go) I'm a little more relaxed. I decided not to do anything holiday related this weekend. I did clean up my craft room a little and sort out a couple of things in the living room to get ready for putting the tree up. Tomorrow isn't supposed to be too bad out (cold, but that's a given) so we'll be off for our Sunday walk.

Hubby must have been really tired. He fell asleep downstairs after doing his own hobby stuff. He made it up to bed later. We said goodnight and I told him I'd see him in the morning. He said 'yeah, for a little while'. I stared at him, not sure what he was talking about. So I said 'why? Are you going somewhere?' He looked at me a little puzzled and said 'work'. He hasn't been working overtime for a few weeks so I said 'are you going to work tomorrow? It's Sunday". He thought it was Monday! I looked at where he usually set his work clothes and sure enough they were all laid out ready to go! He must have still been half asleep!

Here's a photo from yesterday. I sometimes forget that, when things are frozen, the birds find it really hard to find fresh water. So yesterday I got rid of the frozen water in the bird bath and added some fresh water - they really enjoyed it!

Joy had asked about the Peppermint Patties recipe. I will post it tomorrow. Hope everyone has a great Sunday!