Looking Back

 Hello dear bloggy friends! How are you all doing? It's January 10th, Tuesday. A dreary dismal day out. Not too cold, in  the high 30’s. No snow but the ground is still wet from all the snow we've had. Buddy, our latest adopted, has turned 11years and he has become needy in his older years. He is at the moment, curl up under my writing arm and the arm of the chair so that I am writing with it held in the air over his sleeping head. What we do for our pets.❤️ I have an Amazon Fire tablet that I start out with but switch to my IPad so that I can upload pictures to my blog that I have taken with my iPhone. And that is generally how I compose and complete my posts. It sometimes takes me several days because life gets in the way or I have to head outside to take a few photos. The pickings are lean this time of year. Only the deer that congregate down at the back closer to dark. Not like at Mom’s in Maine where there was something going on all the time  as I checked daily what was happening out through the kitchen window.  My friend Mary who lives close by the house told me that about a dozen shingles have blown off the garage roof. 

I hope you enjoyed Christmas and New Years. Ours was different again this year. Last year the family had Covid issues and this year we all were wanting to stay in out of the cold. It was extremely cold and windy. So, we decided to eat out at a favorite restaurant  New Years Eve and we came back here for dessert. We exchanged gifts and I was thrilled to get Amazon gift cards, as well as a lovely Knitters Planner/ journal. Roger received gift cards to our favorite eating places and a generous gift card from my son to The Giant Supermarket. Wow, what a haul between the two of us. 

So, on Christmas day we watched football. All day long. I watched while I knitted and I cooked a traditional Christmas meal but used a turkey breast instead of the whole turkey.  It was cozy and I wasn't in the usual pain. My doctor put me on double strength Celibrex and a muscle relaxer, Flexeril, and Neurontin. I have had 5 weeks of Physical therapy and it has helped also. I am feeling the best I have in many years! Which is not to say my back issues are gone but I am at a point where I can feel like I'm not an invalid.  I can cook and clean in moderation. I can drive up to Judi's again, she lives in the Poconos about an hour away. 

Looking back on 2022 I  think it was bittersweet. I am so blessed and I truly am thankful…Compared to many others around the world...it truly is heartbreaking to see what humanity has had to deal with through no fault of their own.

But here in my little corner we have had our trials and disappointments  as life has happened as it does. My health was terrible. I spent the first part of the year with flu and bronchitis. I went to Maine in June to start the big garage cleanout. It was hard work but my grandsons plus our handyman helped and many truckloads to the dump were made. I ran out of energy so after 10 days 3 quarters was done and I now have to complete the rest of it. I need Roger to go up with his truck so we can finish the job. I doubt he will go. He says his traveling days are over. At 76 I have to respect that he doesn’t want to make the long trip. 

Here at home we spent a huge amount of money replacing our central air and heating system. We decided on heat pumps. We have 4 levels to this house. We have hot and humid Summers. We were without air con for over a month waiting for the workman to start the work. I really mind the heat so I was miserable. But I tried to keep my sanity by knitting and reading. 

Late Summer came and we were so happy to relax and enjoy Summer in our lovely air conditioned house.  However, my dear friend of many years told me she didn't have long to live. She had been fighting lung cancer for years. Small spots on her lungs. Mild chemo treatments for 14 years kept them from growing. She spent many years wearing wigs. Lovely wigs. Her friends were jealous and we told her so. She always looked so much better than we did! She would laugh with us, she was always a happy person. The four of us had many enjoyable trips together . To Sight and Sound, Shady Maples, and into New York city. Anyway, in the Fall the Chemo stopped working. She tried a vitamin infusion therapy from a private clinic. It didn’t work and she passed away just before Thanksgiving. What a sad sad time. Her family and friends were devastated. The eulogies were lovely but hard to hear. Throughout her illness she never lost faith and she told us "Jesus is my buddy". About a year ago her husband, John, was diagnosed with cancer also. He, unlike his wife, really suffers with the chemo and radiation.  He is not doing well. We are all worried about him.

So, the year 2022 was a tough one in many ways. There have been many positive moments also. When you love the Lord you can't help but see the sunshine through the rain. Especially when you are a part of a loving family. Roger has had a year of good health. He has won 2 bouts of cancer in his lifetime. My brother and his wife are dealing with her health care in the nursing home in California much better. She has adjusted and has continued her writing. She is a retired professor from Columbia University. My grandchildren are lovely human beings with busy lives. I am so thankful for my many daily blessings. My daughter is my best friend. My son is a credit to his family. My dear sister in law in Maine continues to struggle with her health and she is always in my thoughts. My brother died during the pandemic. 

The year Ahead

I don’t make New Year resolutions because I am not very self disciplined. I do enjoy my hobbies so I think back and thanks to GOODREADS I am able to keep track of what I have read. It always surprises me that I read so many books. Since taking up knitting that figure diminished in 2022. I read 90 books on my Kindle. I also read a bunch of paperbacks as my wonky eye sight would allow. I listened to a few books on Audible but didn’t keep track. I watched a lot of British mysteries on Acorn and Britbox TV. This coming year I intend to keep better records. I can do all that with my new KNITTERS PLANNER. It has sections for knitting and so much more. I am a jotter by nature. I think of something, read something, etc, I jot it down in a notebook. I have several filled with random scribbling from last year…in no particular order and most of the time I question myself and my brain when I look back at some of them later. So, this year when I saw an ad for the knitter’s planner on Youtube I ordered it. When it came I didn’t open it. I handed it to Roger and told him to put it away somewhere for my gift at Christmas. A win win situation. He didn’t have to try and figure out what to get me and I ended up with something I really like.🤗 

The highlight of my personal time for 2022 was making the decision to accomplish one thing which was to teach myself to knit. I have loved every moment. I already had a huge stash of dk yarn from my crocheting hobby of many years. My passion of choosing hand painted fingering yarns blossomed and has made me very happy. Following knitting podcasts on YouTube has given me many hours of enjoyment. I am at the moment knitting a shawl of beautiful colors for a friend. 

Another highlight of 2022 was to adopt Buddy, a cute dog of 10 years. He gives Roger and I so much unconditional love. 💕 Everyone who meets him loves him and he and Lucy have bonded.

I have one thing for 2023 I want to accomplish and that is to get my mom’s house in Maine on the market and sold. It would give me a lot of relief to get that behind me. The other good intention is to get outside more and walk. I sit way too much. 

I hope I haven’t bored you too much with my ramblings. I wish all good things to happen to you and yours for 2023.  Thank you so much for reading and commenting. I am going to try to do more commenting on your blogs but I do read about your lives and I enjoy being apart of the blogging community. 💖

Take good care of yourselves mentally and physically.

💗

Susan

A few of my favorite photos