Stepping Outside

 Today I ran some errands and decided to make a detour.  It is a dear friend's birthday so I dropped some things off at her house as a surprise.  I didn't get to see her, but I hope it was a pleasant surprise.  Other happy things for today:

• It was another cold day.  I decided to walk outside, only in shorter sections.  Since I was out on errands, I stopped and walked a little bit on a rail trail.  

There were people and pet footprints as
well as bike tracks in the snow.

The dark mark on side of the bridge under the fence is 
a pigeon trying to keep warm in the sun.

• Another stop I made was at a park.  It was getting close to dark so I didn't stay there long.  The sun was low and only turned a bit of the sky orange as it set beyond a frozen lake.

☮

Currently listening to:  The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah.
        (Most of the book takes place in Alaska, where there are very few people.)

Stay safe.

Stepping Inside

 Winter has finally settled in for a few days now that January is almost over.  The temperatures are in the teens with wind chills below zero today and tomorrow.  My steps have been achieved indoors today.  The important part is that I walked around and even jogged for a bit in the house to reach my goal.  Other happy things for today:

• Keziah and I did a partial clean out of the garb closet.  When we moved here, we just put things that we didn't think we would need until we have events again into this closet.  Today much was sorted and the decision to repurpose some of the older garb was made.
• There has been binge watching of the show I mentioned yesterday, Signed, Sealed, Delivered.  Considering how much I have cried each episode, perhaps 'fluff' was a poor choice of words.  
• Every week a friend posts to a group of friends and asks how we are all doing.  During these times it is so important to remember when people could be together while staying safe.  Any way people find to communicate from a distance is good.
• The cats got fed some of their grass again today.  It hasn't become the routine I thought it might.  They really love munching on it!

 ☮

Stay safe!

Sepia

Today marks the two year anniversary of Keziah and I becoming Baron and Baroness in the SCA of our Barony of Stonemarche.  This last year has not been busy since the pandemic and safety being of more importance.  There have been online events, but we haven't done too much, just occasional things.  This is the time of year that we usually have a large event that draws about 2000 people.  I miss seeing some of the people, not the event.  It was a lot of work and the break is good.

Things that I am happy about for today:

• My W-2 came in the mail.  Maybe I will get my taxes done earlier than usual since I am unemployed.
• Last night we found a very sappy series called Signed, Sealed, Delivered on Amazon Prime.  It is only free for a few more days and I may just binge watch it.  Sometimes fluff is fun.
• My walk today was just over four miles.  I had intended to stay on the sidewalk but ended up on a short trail and then went around from there to get the four miles.  There were some footprints in the fresh snow.

The trail.

Probably squirrel.

Deer.

Fox?

• Going through some boxes today I found my mother's high school yearbooks.  In the 1950's they really did use the word 'daddy-o and they said 'swell' a lot.
• I found pictures of my brothers from before I was born.  Someday I will get the pictures to them.

☮

Currently listening to: The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah.
        (A family moves to Alaska in 1974.  I expect to cry at some point.)

Stay safe.

Light Snow Fall

 Around dinner time I went onto my computer and found that I hadn't published last night's post.  Oops.  I'm not sure if I looked it over for silly spelling errors and things like that either.  Today's will be short.  My happy things for today are:

• Last night it snowed, only an inch or two.  This morning I got out and shoveled.  It was warm enough that we probably could have gotten away with letting it melt.  I have done this before on occasion and have regretted it.  So this afternoon, the driveway and walkways are almost dry.  This pleases me as there will be little or no ice to slip on.

Snow!

Snow shoveled.

• Keziah and I went to the grocery store.  On the way there we drove on a bridge over the Merrimack River.  The section to the north seemed to be starting to freeze, the part to the south, not so much.

I only got a picture of the northern section.

• When we left the store to head home we were blessed with the pink clouds from a setting sun.

• Keziah and I also canceled our Planet Fitness memberships.  We have been meaning to do so for a while but with the pandemic... we really didn't want to go in to cancel.  They won't cancel memberships over the phone.  When we got there and I remembered all the reasons for joining I almost changed my mind.  Looking around at all the people without a mask on made it easy though.  I'll keep walking and trying to do other things at home to get my exercise.

Thank you for reading!

☮

Currently listening to:  The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah.

Stay safe.

Cat Grass

 The later at night it gets before writing this, the more important any pictures I took during the are.  When checking on my indoor garden today I noticed that the cat grass has grown well.  It was brought upstairs for Nanni to munch on first.  Winston was upstairs.  They really seemed to enjoy the grass.  This might become a regular midday treat.

Nanni.

Winston & Nanni.

They wouldn't stop moving for the pictures.  I have a short video of Nanni eating it.

Other happy things from today:

• Sometimes things happen to change a person's plans for the day.  I got out for a walk later than I wanted but earlier than I have been getting outside.  It was weird to not have a sun low in the horizon.  There was plenty of cloud cover in preparation for the current snowfall.  I walked a little over two miles.  I noticed a makeshift bridge over the stream.  I'm sure I have seen it before, but it hadn't stuck in my head.  There are things I can do to make more trails (or better define some that are there) while it is still winter.  Mostly moving the larger dead wood that isn't frozen.  If I can get the chainsaw to work, there are the large trees that are over the trails that could be cut up too.  Will I be able to do any of this?  I don't know.  But there is beauty in the land as it is, and beauty in my dream for it too.  

Makeshift bridge.
I wonder if Four made it or it was here?

The brook is a bit more frozen.

• The cat grass wasn't the only life downstairs.  Some of the plants are doing better than others.  There was also a lady bug on a petunia!  My feelings are mixed because ladybugs can become a nuisance inside a home.  They eat other bugs though, so finding one on a plant is good.

• There was a Zoom meeting that I went to tonight about all the work that the people do behind the scenes to produce an East Kingdom SCA court.  It was informative and so good to see some familiar faces.  

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

        (Learning about planting seeds)

Currently listening to:  The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah.
        (Yes, the same author as The Nightingale that I finsihed recently)


Wash your hands.

Forgot to publish...

As the Earth Freezes

Much of today I spent off task researching apps to help increase personal productivity.  This was obviously a counterproductive endeavor, especially since I didn't end up choosing and downloading any apps.  Then, when I started doing the online course I've been working on, I fell asleep.  Happy Monday?  😉  Eventually I got outside for a walk.  Here are some happy, and perhaps interesting, observations.

• In the winter as the ground freezes rocks sometimes retreat deeper into the earth.  What I expect is happening is the wet soil expands while freezing and the heavy rocks sink down into the wet soil that is under and not frozen.  This doesn't explain why others don't seem to have this problem at all or why, as any New England driver knows, rocks heave up when frozen under roads.  My Google energy fails with this search.  

Down it goes!

• Gideon has been making up a card game all on his own.  I'm looking forward to learning it.
• The turkey tail mushrooms are cold too.

 

Reach for the sky!

The nearby swamp seems frozen over.
I wonder if there is a pond nearby that people ice skate at.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Stay safe!
 

Memories

 It was another cold day.  I had no intention of going outside.  There were things on my todo list that I didn't get done yet this week.  I chose to focus on the important goal, sorting through some boxes.  My goal was three hours this week working on boxes that have been in storage for over three years.  I had an hour and a half left and spent at least that going through boxes and down memory lane.  Not just my memory.  There is a box that I inherited of letters and other papers that belonged to someone who lived in the late 1800's to early 1900's.  I have a suspicion as to where they came from but I'm not positive.  Anyhow, look at the back of this dress-

And the sleeves!  It is gorgeous.  I wonder if it was white or just a pale color.  There was a front view as well, but I like this view.  Other things today that made me happy today:

• Finding pictures.  So many pictures.  I didn't take the time to go through them all, just tried to do a preliminary sort today.  Pictures of my kids when they were little, before I had kids, and of trips (and field trips) taken years ago. 
• Cats get into some interesting places.  

Winston on the shelf of the side table.

• I found a headband of Gideon's and wore it for a short time before returning it to him.     

Photo of me, courtesy Keziah.

• Although I didn't complete all my goals for the week, I got most of them.  Having TF as an accountability partner is helping me get more things done than I think I would otherwise.  I'm grateful for the technology that helps us connect, but mostly for friendship.
• Zed and Keziah went shopping for new clothes for Zed today.  I was getting ready to start walking many, many laps inside the house when Zed, with his new heavy coat, said he would join me if I wanted to go for a walk.  We went out into the cold and walked a mile down the sidewalk (didn't seem terrible) and a mile home (With the wind in our faces... brrr).  We were home a little after dark.  I enjoy walking by myself, but I like walking with people too.  Good conversations.  I still had to get some steps inside, where it was warm, and Gideon could hide for me to find. 

Sun setting.

☮

Finished listening to a collection of stories called NPR Driveway Moments Cat Tales. 

        

Stay Safe.

Search for Footprints

 What a difference ten degrees makes!  I thought I was getting used to the cold, then I went out today.  It was around 21°F and the wind went right through my leggings.  That said, I should have had warmer clothes on, but those are in the laundry.  Today Gideon and Zed joined me.  Gideon's Scout troop is going for a walk this weekend looking for tracks in the snow.  They opted out of joining the troop because of the pandemic so we walked out back instead.  We found some tracks.  Each line on my trekking pole is one centimeter.

These might belong to a cat.

Woodchuck? Fisher? Squirrel?

I want this to be a rabbit.  At around two inches,
it is short according to my chart and
the front should be much smaller than the back paw.

I think these might belong to a fox.
They are small and have an X.

I'm pretty sure there were coyote prints out there too, they didn't photograph well.  Other happy things for today include:

• This morning I put together the arrow holder.  It doesn't work the way I was hoping (wrong size) and will need adjustments.  If I do get it to work right though, it will be cool.

These are not the arrows I was hoping to use this with.
There are some other problems that I hope to fix too.
I have other things that will be taking priority though.

• I planted some mints inside today.
• Pretty moon.

 

• Did I mention it was cold?  I took the next picture using my nose so I wouldn't have to remove my glove.  🙃

Zed and Gideon with the sun.
Sorry about the blue dot...

☮

Stay safe!

More Painting.

Most of my late morning and early afternoon was spent painting the one section of my wall that is not slated to be stone.  I also painted the arrow holder during this time.  Mistakes were made, but I don't need to write about those.  😊  Below are the before and after shots.

The arrow holder needs to dry overnight before I can put it back together again.  I have no idea if it will work or not, time will tell.  Other things I am happy about:

• While waiting for dinner to be made, Gideon came into my room to "be social."  I was sitting down to write this blog.  It is Minecraft night so I like to write early.  When I can make the time, I like to write early, my brain works better then.  I told him what I was doing and he said he was hoping to play a game, but it was okay, that I could write my blog.  He's so sweet.  Instead, we are playing Polytopia.  It is turned based on my phone.  I can type and listen while he takes his turn.  Fun!
• There was a flock of robins in the back this afternoon.  I stood and watched them flutter around and rummage through the leaves for food.  
• There was something about the way the clouds and blue sky were positioned behind the witch tree today that I had to take a picture of- 

• There were fresh tracks in the back, since yesterday, that were probably coyote.  Part of me is happy about this, the other part doesn't want to run into the animal while I am out walking.  
• There were also bird tracks in yesterday's snow.  I found it interesting that there were two different sized prints next to each other.

☮

Currently listening to a collection of stories called NPR Driveway Moments Cat Tales. 

        (There are genetically engineered cats that glow under a blue light.)  

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

        (Learning when to plant things.)

Stay safe.

Twists

My attempt at going out this morning to walk was delayed by needing to put on my Baronial Coronet
instead of my winter hat. Okay, I didn't really put on the coronet, that was just figurative. Sometimes things happen and as Baronial heads, Keziah and I have things to do. Usually these are fun things, sometimes not. After doing what I could, I got outside for a walk. It started to snow. Silly me, I haven't looked at the forecast since Sunday when the week was to be dry. These passing snow showers were a surprise. It made for a pretty walk. Other happy things for today include:

• There were four different types of birds I saw along my walk today: chickadee, junco, nuthatch, and woodpecker. None of them were on the property, they were all seen on the way to the conservation area.
• The turkey tail mushrooms looked gold trimmed today.

• There was a rather large tree in the conservation area that seemed to be getting consumed by a vine of some sort.

• I just thought the colors on the ground here were pretty.  

• My list of the things to do this week has not been getting done as much as I had hoped.  TF and I had our mid-week accountability talk and I feel better now about what I have accomplished. We also plan to build in time for things like holidays and national events in the future.

☮

Currently listening to a collection of stories called NPR Driveway Moments Cat Tales.  

Currently reading:The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Stay safe.

Inauguration

Today, in the United States of America, we had a Presidential Inauguration with a peaceful change of Presidents.  I don't always watch the inaugurations, I watched this one.  This one seemed important.  As a side to that, I know someone who was working there and that brought an additional level of importance.  Watching this was important.  Watching my grandson, Gideon, watch it was also important.  Getting out after and taking a four mile walk was a different kind of important.  These were all happy things for me today.  Other things that helped me be happy today were:

• Started playing a turn based game with Zed today.  It may take a long time to finish, but it is a nice, few minute distraction that can be spread throughout the day.
• Keziah hung some of our SCA scrolls today.  It seems that none of us wanted to hang them as we didn't want to mess them up.  Now they are up- uneven, crooked, and perfect.  Someday, someone will enter, see them, comment on this, and they will be the volunteer to make it better.  😊
• When I walked out of the house for my walk the sun was bright and getting low on the horizon.

• As I made my way up onto the property the sun was bright and flurries were falling from the sky.  I hope the video works.  It is short with flurries falling.  Since I have had problems uploading videos here in the past, I also uploaded it to my YouTube channel.  This would be the only thing I have ever uploaded to that channel and I have no idea if that worked either, but here is a link.

• Near the top of the hill the flurries were still falling and where I stood was shadowed by the cloud.

• As I headed back towards the house the clouds were moving away.  The sun was lower on the horizon and reflecting light orange on the clouds.

• Making the most of what there was for light I continued walking on the sidewalk, first south, chasing the clouds away.  Then I traveled north as the sun.  Then there was darkness with scattered headlights followed by home to a warm home.

☮

Currently listening to a collection that of stories called NPR Driveway Moments Cat Tales.  

        (Did you know that cats can't taste sweet?)

Currently reading:The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

        

Stay safe.

Fortunes

 Even though I am not working, my alarm still wakes me on weekdays at 7:00 AM.  This seemed like a good time to keep should I get a morning job, I won't have too much of my schedule to adjust.  Other than great ways to get me out of bed, the Alarmy app I use also offers up a fortune for the day.  I generally read it as a way to help my mind wake up a bit more and then forget about it.  Today's suggested that I would have a bright day and things would go "as smooth as silk."  For some reason I held onto this one, at least the bright day part.  When things didn't go as I expected, I just rolled with it, took it with stride, and had a great day.  Particular things I am happy about include:

• The battery didn't die on the drill today and all the holes are made!

• Keziah has put in an application to have a studio space to do her art in.  I'm very happy for her to be pursuing her arts as a career.  
• Progress has been made on the box situation.  Things have been moved and will be sorted through this week.  If I can do a chunk every few days or weeks, soon I will be able to say that I have downsized.  
• My walk today was along part of the Rockingham Rail Trail in Derry, NH.  I used to walk along there a few years ago when I lived in that area and had a dog.  There were good memories.  Back then, I had seen moose sign in that area.  Today, I saw some tracks in the loose gravel that had me hoping they were moose tracks, but they were from a horse.  I saw a few deer prints too.  Most of the prints along that trail are from that loud beast called an ATV.

☮

Currently listening to a collection that of stories called NPR Driveway Moments Cat Tales.  

Stay safe.