HOW DO YOU WANT TO SPEND YOUR TIME THIS YEAR? YOU CAN ONLY SPEND IT ONCE AND THEN IT'S GONE.

OUR STAG

 

Our neighbor's stag

Hello from sunny PA, 29 degrees F. It’s 8:30 in the morning. This afternoon some time we are expecting an Arctic 🥶 blast continuing for several days with high winds and possible snow. Wow, what a forecast! I shall continue to hibernate. Since being sick with one thing and another for two months I am extremely reluctant to go anywhere. Roger, of course, being “himself” loves to be out and about running errands and enjoying meeting up with his friends for breakfast at their favorite diner. 

I am very content being a homebody. It’s times like this that I am thankful for our large rambling house and my many hobbies and our pets. I feel so blessed! I finally feel good and humbled not to take my health for granted. I am eating better, taking vitamins, and try to get at least six hours sleep. Insomnia has been the thorn in my side for many years. Himself is asleep the moment his head hits his pillow and keeps saying when I marvel at his ability to do so that it is easy, just close your eyes. As if!

We were able to meet up with family this past Saturday and we ate out together but came back here to open Christmas presents and to celebrate 3 birthdays. Cake and ice cream was enjoyed also! So, the holidays are put to rest for another year and life goes on. Covid is very much with us still here in our corner of the universe, many people we know are sick. I need to schedule my booster shot. 

I usually pick a word for the new year that expresses what I hope for. 2022 has a nice ring to it and my word is “CHANGE”. There are way too many changes I hope for in my life time to make the world a better place for my grandchildren. An old saying…the world is going to hell in a handcart…seems very apt these days…politics always being front and center but changes there wouldn’t be a cure for everything wrong going on. In talking to my friend Sharon about a problem she has encountered I wonder at the little injustices going on that affect the lives of the aged, especially those who have to cope in our computer dependent society. She doesn’t have a computer because, at 76 she has a very fixed income. She never married and lives in the house her parents left her. Her car is twenty five years old. She can’t afford Wi-Fi and smart phone. She has serious health issues. Yet her doctor’s office and pharmacy communicate via computer and texting.Appointments for the vaccines must be scheduled by computer and even the post office forms for getting her mail delivered to her door instead of her going down the drive on bad winter days must be downloaded by a personal computer. Phoning doesn’t do a thing to help her out unless she happens to get a kind soul who is willing to go the extra mile. Sometimes a receptionist will say they will make changes in the computer for her to be contacted via phone but those changes don’t last. She was so frustrated when she wailed at me over the phone. I did the only thing I knew off the top of my head to help her…I offered to download the forms for her and print them off. I also said she should contact her congressional  person’s office to complain about one of the challenges our aging society faces. 

Returning to my own little space I am fortunate that I do have cable and internet, computers, laptops, smartphones, etc. I don’t have to rely on one income to make ends meet. I am not alone, I have a loving family. But I pray that some changes will be made to accommodate those old people who don’t have what I take for granted. 

What I am up to these days

So, I am doing more cooking now and Himself is very happy about that. He can still wear clothes he wore 30 years ago. Yes, he still has a couple of closets full of clothes he refuses to part with. I, on the other hand, have a couple of closets full of clothes I can no longer get into but am hopeful I will some day. After 16 years I think it’s time to face the fact that it’s not going to happen, donate them and fill those spaces with the yarn I don’t want to part with. Needs must and all that…it’s time to get my priorities straight. 

I seldom do any knitting because I knit English or American style taught to me by my grandmother many moons ago. I love knitted items and watch many YouTube videos and podcasts of women and men cranking out wondrous knitted items using Continental and Norwegian methods with added “flicking” and “throwing” to speed up the process. So, I have decided I am going to learn a new way of knitting so I, too, can wear home knitted socks made in no time at all. Well, I have the technique down but forcing my mind and hands to undo what I was taught is another story. What is that saying…it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks. However, I am going to persevere. I practice a little each day and I am will do this until I can do the Norwegian knit and purl faster than I could doing them the American way. 🤪

What I am reading and listening to 

 I would like to read something by Josephine Tey, maybe the THE MAN IN THE QUEUE. Has anyone read it or anything by her? Her books are expensive on Kindle.

Lately I have read books by David Blake, Willow Rose, B.R. Spangler, Jane Adams. Right now I am listening to COASTLINERS by Joanne Harris. She is a new author for me. I tend to read series. According to GOODREADS I read 131 books last year on my Kindle. Some of those were rereads from my Kindle library. I tend to forget after 5 years! Most of those books were free on KINDLE UNLIMITED.  But, of course you have to pay a subscription fee to begin with. I also have a membership to AUDIBLE in which I can listen to one book a month. I have built up credits because I read more than I listen but I use my monthly credit on books I can’t afford to buy and save them in my Audible library. So I currently have about 75 books on audible that I haven’t listened to yet. I think that will change in 2022 because I am crocheting and knitting more and I hope to do more sewing. I hope to deplete a bit of my huge yarn and fabric stashes. 

So my friends I will leave you with good thoughts for your 2022. 2021 lingered. The collective “we” had a rough year. We need a rebirth in 2022, the world needs a rest. 

Remember to take good care of yourselves. 💕

The Family

ZEPPE (12 yrs old)

NIKA (17 yrs young)

Mark Twain said...

The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you found out why.