Status Report: January

Sitting…on the couch in the living room.

Drinking…an after supper cup of tea. 

Feeling…tired. Two trudging walks through drifted paths and a whole-house cleaning is tiring. I’m also feeling satisfied with a day well spent.

Enjoying…lit candles. Nine of them. Candles are my wintertime “living” replacement for fresh flowers. Candles and bowls of oranges.

Taking…daily dawn walks in the woods with the dog. I never see another soul and I like that. There were heavy clouds today, so no sunrise, but I still saw twilight turn to day. Our sunrise, by the way, is at 10:09 AM. Sunset is at 3:59 PM. Five hours and fifty minutes of daylight. At least we’re on the upside of the short days—tomorrow we have two more minutes of light. 

Hoping…that extremely cold weather we had for most of December is gone forever so we can enjoy skiing, snowshoeing, and pulling babies in the sled. When the days are dark, getting out for a little natural light is a sanity preserver, but that’s difficult to do at -30.

Anticipating…a return to normal life and regular blogging. Holidays are fun, but I’m always glad when they’re over. I love quiet, too, and is the quietest month of them all. 

Planning…to make a lap quilt from kilts to go with my kilt pillows. 

Reading…Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, a novel filled with phrases and sentences I want to remember forever, like “I do not remember grief and loneliness so much as I do peace and comfort — grief, but never without comfort; loneliness, but never without peace.” Or “writing has always felt like praying…you feel like you are with someone.”

Remembering…January ten years ago. Sometimes it seems like a lifetime since; sometimes it seems like yesterday.

Missing…those who have gone before.

Counting…my blessings. My life has changed a great deal in the past two or three years, and most of it is good: new sons and daughter-in-law, new granddaughters, and another grandchild coming soon. 

Signing…off until tomorrow. My book is waiting.

Status Report: December

Sitting…on the couch.

Drinking…nothing. It’s too late for caffeinated and I don’t do decaffienated. On principle.

Complaining…about the weather. It’s cold. It’s been cold for as long as I can remember; it’ll be cold for the foreseeable future, says the weatherman, and by “foreseeable future” he meant all of December. “And as is December”—I’m quoting—“so goes the rest of the winter.” Brrrr and grrrr.

Realizing…that complaining about the weather can be a sanity saver. 

Remembering…yesterday. I had an unplanned full house and an impromptu potluck supper. The grandbabies brought their families over for a change of scenery on a cold afternoon and evening. It was busy and noisy and lots of fun. At least cold weather is good for something.

Reading…Family Vocation by Gene Veith, and A Puritan Theology by Joel Beeke and Mark Jones. I’m not far enough into A Puritan Theology to know what I think, but I really like Family Vocation. Thinking of our God-given roles in life as his means of providing for his creation, and of my own roles as ways to serve my neighbors gives me new motivation to do my work. 

Anticipating…so much. The excitement of the season to come: the ways to serve, fun to have, food to eat, and gifts to give. Plua, a new grandchild coming in February. I’m expecting many blessing to come.

Rearranging…two rooms of the house to make space for the Christmas tree. 

Making…new covers for the throw pillows on the couches from plaid wool kilts I got at the Salvation Army thrift store several years ago. I also brought out the single sized Hudson Bay Blanket for one couch. It all looks pleasantly cabin-like.

Liking…candles lit every evening.

Thanking…God for his protecting hand and for his restraining grace. 

Copying…Staci.

Blowing the Whole Day

Both grandbabies visited me today. The youngest one and her mother spent the whole day because they have no heat in their home and it’s cold out. 

I did nothing on my to-do list except one load of laundry. We were all sitting in the living room at 4:30pm and I remarked, “I basically blew a whole day.”

“Well I guess if you call spending time with your granddaughters blowing it!” said my daughter. It was a reprimand I deserved. Which is more important? My list of chores or cuddling the babies?

I have a couple of blog posts planned. You’ll see them when I have a day without important interruptions. But it’s still cold, and I suspect the youngest granddaughter will be here all day again tomorrow. I’ll probably be busy holding a baby.