Why Do Some Days Just Seem *Cruddy"?

This is one of those days that just seems like it would have been better to just stay in bed! We have forgotten to renew Angus's license and today, I remembered. Mark called the town hall, and the woman there said she would stay a few extra minutes if I hurried. I grabbed my shoes, purse, and checkbook and rushed down. (mind you, our town clerk is available a total of 17 hours a week. This makes it pretty hard to catch her sometimes.)

I got there in about 4 minutes and had not only Angus's paperwork, but also Murphy's records so I could license him. Well, Murphy's rabies vaccine expires in one week...exactly....so she decided I will have to come back AFTER he is vaccinated. Hello??? My dogs (and Murphy is the THIRD since we have lived here) have always been up to date on rabies vaccines. She also reminded me that Angus needs a new vaccine in March. She smiled and said she WOULD renew him, but make SURE I get him to the vet in March.


Mark looked up info on the web, and according to state law, the owner must have a "current" vaccine. Well, if the vaccine is good until next week, it that not "current"? In her defense, the woman was not the "real" clerk. For some reason, she was unable to be there today for her 17 hour-a-week job. I told Mark that apparently this woman was making an "executive decision".
So, I will just have to make another trip down there after I get Murphy's shot renewed. Can you tell I am NOT a happy camper?


OK, now that that is off my chest! I did manage to get a few pictures this afternoon. When I got up this morning, the pool cover had water on it, as opposed to ice. Within a couple of hours, the temps fell to just hovering near freezing......


I took this picture of some weeds out behind the house. We had this really wet snow right after just a little freezing rain, and it made everything look so pretty!


The sky was dismal and ugly today....to say it was "gray" would not have been accurate. It was more like "without color"! I smiled as I took this picture....it reminded me of the days of my youth when I was in high school. I had a Yashica camera, and I loved taking black and white pictures with Kodak Tri-X 400 speed film. Everything came out in stark black and white!


Yes, I took my camera with me as Angus and I walked down to the mailbox this afternoon. There was this oak tree....holding its leaves....which were "frosted".


For those of us living in the northern US....I was always of the mindset that the artificial snow sprayed on fake greens in the stores always looked so junky.....it just didn't look like REAL snow. Well, as I looked at some of the weeds growing down by the mailbox, I did a double-take! What?They looked JUST like that artificial stuff!


And lastly, a picture I took of ice crystals on one of the Dwarf Alberta Spruces.....

In posting these pictures, you know, I think I feel better now! If I had stayed in bed, I would have missed out on all of these "magical" Winter Scenes!

Just Some Sillyness

As I was looking through my pictures this morning, this one really caught my eye and made me giggle......One evening, I was just fiddling around with my camera. I set it to "program" mode, which means it goes into point-and-shoot mode. Then I turned the flash off. By the time it focused, it was a slow shutter speed. I moved the camera very slightly upward while taking the picture and the result was something that would cause Jotul and the local fire department to GRIMACE!!! Believe me, the glass on the stove is, and always has been in fine shape!

The Never-Ending Day?

I am trying *not* to complain, but this day was just toooo long!

I slept in this morning (7:20), and once I was up, I was UP! I started the day by feeding the dogs, taking them out, washing the endless dishes in the sink, and doing two loads of laundry. I have been trying to not use the dryer, as it seems like such a waste of electricity. The first load of laundry, I hung onto my nice folding rack from Lehman's. http://lehmans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=2793&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=drying+racks

I took the drying rack out onto the front porch and left the clothes to dry. The second load of laundry was sheets, so after removing them from the washing machine, I hung them on the railings of the front porch.....really *classy*, eh? Living in the woods warrants using things like railings for drying laundry, as there are so many trees, they are always dropping junk on the clean laundry.

Oh, and speaking of laundry....I LOVE my front loading machine! You don't need to mortgage the house to get a front loader, either, as there are less expensive machines than the Maytag models! Mine is smaller than the Neptune, and cost a whole lot less....it is a GE. I have also discovered that adding a cup of baking soda per large load really freshens the laundry and helps keep things from getting too "stiff"!

So, as the laundry was out on the porch, the wind began to kick up and things went flying by the front windows! I grabbed the sheets which were almost dry, and the drying rack and dragged them inside. The drying rack went in front of the woodstove, and I threw the sheets into the dryer for a few minutes.

Meantime, I had to help Ben with his schoolwork, as he had fallen behind a little. He needs little help, but every time I got up to do something else, well, you can guess! After lunch, we kept working until I thought my brains were going to EXPLODE! Finally, at about 2, I decided perhaps a little walk in the woods would refresh us! But, before the walk, I needed to fix a mess I made the other day!

When we got the snow the day before yesterday, I started to shovel, then got sidetracked. I forget what other activity drew me away, but over the day or two of sitting, a lot of the little piles turned into ice about 2" thick. I had to salt and try to break up the pieces. I also needed to clean around the trucks.....yeah, 3 bay garage......trucks parked OUTSIDE. Ugh......

I finished my little task, and off we went! I, of course!, grabbed the camera as we headed out the door.

Ben brought along a small pruning saw, as he was looking for a sapling to cut to whittle. Living in the heart of wine country, we find ourselves surrounded by grapevines....some out of control! This bugger was about 3 1/2" in diameter. Ben decided to cut it at the bottom so it will die. We have seen much smaller vines take large trees into their grips and kill them!

I am not sure what this particular conifer is, but it is a one of a kind in our woods! We have very few conifers, and most are red or white pines. Not as pretty as this tree! And under this tree is a very special little area.....

Ben made a little cross to mark the spot where we buried Carly's dear little Doxie rescue, Oscar. Little Oscar was only with Carly's family about three days when he passed away from a dreadful disease called HGE. This disease comes on like gangbusters, dehydrating its victim through vomiting and bloody diarrhea...the only hope is getting the pet to the veterinarian immediately!

My heart nearly broke to bits the day the family buried little Oscar.....it was so sad.

We made our way to the back of our property. It is really nice back there, and it is a brisk walk in the best of conditions, as it is entirely uphill. Ben and I went to survey one of my little tasks when spring comes.....This huge white oak fell last year. It is on our neighbor's land, but he told us to go ahead and take it. Mark says there is over a cord of wood in this tree. I had to smile at how little Ben looked standing on this tree!

As we walked along the stream in the back, I just had to take some pictures!

This one was of some "crunchy" dirt along the banks of the stream.

Just looking out through the woods..........

And lastly, this is a spot that I would LOVE to put a little cabin on. It is near our back property line, and it is just so nice there.

I was correct about this little walk refreshing us. Ben and I went back to work on decimals when we returned. We were able to work until it was time to fix dinner. I had bought some thinly sliced Ribeye Steaks last night, so I fired up the grill and fixed those. Mark was feeling good enough to eat normally again, so I made the steaks, veggies, and a salad for dinner. After dinner, there were dishes to do, then I needed to grab the sheets out of the dryer. Fold the sheets, make the bed.....

Finally, I think I am ready to settle down for the day!

Oh, I forgot to mention another one of those "little tasks".....Last night, I stopped by the Dollar Tree to see if they might have some glasses. I broke one last night, and they haven't had them since Thanksgiving time, but I thought I would check anyway. They had them! I looked around the store a bit, as they sometimes have some cool things. I found an interesting item called "The Works" for the toilet bowl. It said it removes lime scale and hard water stains. I thought we were going to have to replace the toilet upstairs, as it looked HORRIBLE! Not any more!!!!!!! That stuff bubbled up and removed all of the mineral build up! Yay!

Such an exciting entry.....laundry and toilets! Ah well, even life in the Bristolwood is sometimes mundane!

A Quiet Day...

Yes, those are still the same carnations that I posted several days ago! There are tiny little patches of kind of a beige color on a couple of the flowers, but they still look terrific! I love carnations, and every time I go near the table, I cannot help but breathe in that sweet spicy fragrance!

Mark has been feeling kind of yucky the past couple of days...he hasn't eaten enough to keep a chicken going, but this afternoon, he ate half a can of Progresso Minestrone Soup. It was good to see him eat something with a little "flavor" to it, as yesterday he only ate ramen noodles....BLECH! He said he doesn't really feel sick, just a little achy and tired. Not sure what that is.

This afternoon, Michelle decided Murphy was too "poufy"! She asked if she could trim him. She has watched me groom the dogs many times, often helping. I kept telling her "no", then finally thought, why not? She had me nearby, and Murphy was extremely accommodating! He sat down and let her trim away. She did most of his little body, then asked if I would help with his face and head. I usually hate doing those, as the boys do NOT like the clippers "buzzing" over their brains! Murphy was such a good dog....he just sat there.

After we finished, I told Michelle to grab the muzzle and clippers to trim Murphy's nails. I was doing quite well, then OUCH! I REALLY went too deep. Poor little pup sat there, squirming just a tad, while I felt like crying! Michelle told me to calm down......I gathered my courage and finished the job. We had some styptic powder to put on the nail and it immediately stopped bleeding. I was so relieved! (Murphy wears the muzzle while I cut his nails, as he tries to bite the clippers, making it nearly impossible to work! The humorous thing about it is that Murphy is so used to the thing that he never complains about it....)

Murphy scored some cookies, then into the tub for a bath. Michelle is so funny, as she dons a pair of shorts and a tee shirt and hops into the tub with the dog. She just bends over and gives the bath so efficiently. I told her she might consider doing dog grooming, as she seems to enjoy it so much!

This evening, Michelle is going to a "Community Bible Study". It sounds pretty cool. It is a joint effort by several churches, and the thing that makes it different is that the kids eat together before beginning their class. When Michelle called about it a week or two ago, the woman said there were 10 girls signed up so far, and 3 boys. They have separate classes for the guys and girls. She is so excited about going. She really enjoys this type of thing, and I love the way she is able to jump in even when she doesn't know anyone! Last summer, she decided to do a photography class and she had a good time with that. When I was a young teen, I don't think I could have done that!

So...here are a couple of pictures of Mr. Murphy.......

BEFORE his haircut

And, afterward............

Well, off to get ready for Miss Michelle's evening out!

Shortly After 4 AM.......

I was awakened to a somewhat familiar, albeit nearly "foreign" sound! As I listened, I could hear my heart thumping within me with *delight*! As I faded back into a sleepy slumber, I remember thinking "Is today a HOLIDAY?

Yes, I know I am making too much of the weather, but when it snows, something inside me rejoices, and I feel just like a child again! I do know that snow creates all kinds of problems and work, but believe me when I say that I do most of the manual snow removal on our premises! It has never injured me nor caused any damage. I have found that shoveling snow has actually left me feeling rejuvenated! I really do enjoy doing it.

Perhaps part of the joy in shoveling comes from memories long ago and far away. My dad worked second shift for a time while I was in junior or senior high school. I am not sure when, but I do remember going outside at about 11 o'clock, along with my mom and older brother, to clear the driveway for Dad. It was such a happy time, and the idea of being up late at night was just so much fun!

I decided to take some pictures of this thrilling day! This one was taken in pitch black darkness....no tripod, and a RIDICULOUSLY slllllooooooowwwww shutter speed. Hence, the BLUR!

So, for grins, I turned the camera to "Night Mode", and this is what I got....still with a rather slow shutter!

This picture was taken in total darkness as well. Now you can see WHY I was mourning so deeply at the thought of losing my dear camera friend the other day! Oh, and for fun, I decided to take a picture of the top of the Dwarf Alberta Spruce from the porch. For this picture, I firmly planted my elbows onto the railing and snapped!

Although this isn't a lot of snow, I LOVE the way the lights filter through the snow, glowing and making such a beautiful radiance! I remember being appalled as a kid....thinking it was a sacrilegious thing when folks went out and tugged on their shrubs, ridding them of snow so as to not interfere with their holiday lighting experience. As an aside, I had asked Mark and Ben to remove the Christmas lights last weekend...I had taken the ones off the railing. Now, I am glad they left them. They are just so pretty decked in white!

Just before dawn, I took one last picture...this looking into the woods......

As I thought about all of the memories of snow and cold, I could never imagine NOT experiencing them!

***Being out in the cold sledding and feeling like your toes were going to fall off, they were SO cold...BUT, you kept on going just because it was too much fun and you COULDN'T stop!!!!

***Making a snowman....rolling his parts across the lawn and using up all of the snow! Then realizing that his "parts" were so BIG and HEAVY, you needed LOTS of help to put him together!!!

***Skating on a pond or the lake and being able to dream of flying across the ice.......

***Being on the receiving end of a snowball shot so hard at your back, you thought you might pass out from the blow!!! And then getting REVENGE!!!!!

*** Coming inside and having hot cocoa waiting, complete with those fun little marshmallows floating on the top!

***This one goes back a LONG way.....but, hearing the bells on the harnesses of the horses that quickly and efficiently cleared the sidewalks....My brother knew the owner of the stable that did this, and it was like pure magic when those horses came by......What a heartbreak it was when the city bought those machines that cleared the sidewalks......

Sure Is Pretty Out!

This morning, as I was working around in the bedroom, I saw S-N-O-W! I (of course) got so excited, I grabbed my camera (which is working fine!) and snapped a picture! This was the first of several "rounds" which continued throughout the day.

You can see that the ground was turning white, but, alas, the sunshine came out, and the snow disappeared as quickly as it had made its entrance.....Throughout the day, the winds came from the west, growing in intensity to the point that they sounded like a large truck driving up the road!!

We went out this afternoon at about 2, and had several errands to run. By the time we got home at about 7, the snow was coming down and sticking. As we passed the mountain, the hydrants looked like they were working full bore! After the pathetic winter we have been experiencing, I don't blame them! (I remember the year we moved down here...1992.....the guy who did our excavating said the mountain had its best year the year before, opening at Thanksgiving and remaining open until May. He knew, as he worked at the mountain operating the snow cat.)

Tonight, I went out to the woodshed to grab some firewood, and it was just so pretty! On my way, I came across a little patch where a mole must have been burrowing under the snow.....I don't remember seeing moles around here, so perhaps it might have been a mouse?

After getting the firewood into the bag, I stopped at the doorway and took this picture......

OK, so even if you don't like snow, you gotta admit that is a cool picture! And, of ***COURSE*** I carry my camera with me to the woodshed! I carry it with me nearly everywhere, as you just never know when you might capture a great shot! Yup, that is what caused the good batteries to "expire". I carry it with me everywhere!

Yay!

The good news is that my camera is now working and I have learned a very valuable lesson....namely that batteries exposed to high temperatures lose their charge and can make cameras and other electronics spaz out! I realized that just like my camera, my cell phone suffered from the heat as well. Lesson learned!

We missed a turn to enter the power facility, so we went on down the road a bit and stopped at a park so the dogs could relieve themselves. The power plant was located about 2 miles back, and we discovered that the park not only overlooked the Niagara Gorge, but also the power plant! These pictures aren't the best, as it was gloomy and drizzly on Friday. (At this point, I feel compelled to make a note regarding GPS....it really is a wonderful aid in traveling. However, it has NO concept of overpasses.....this is not the first time we have been told to turn on non-existent roads in the Niagara frontier!!!!)

The thirteen "ribs" are actually huge conduits where water from above falls through, turning the turbines and generating electricity. As we came near this generating plant, there were acres and acres of high tension towers EVERYWHERE!

Stopping along the overlook, Ben, me, and Angus.

We circled back around, and this is the entrance to the facility.

It seems that the voice of "tolerance" calls out so loudly in the streets today, and yet public parks are being forced to remove nativity scenes at Christmas in the name of "separation of church and state". It was very refreshing to see that in the 60's, the Lewiston area churches and synagogues were able to freely display their tribute to the glory of God...a large monument with verses taken from the Psalms .....

As soon as we entered the building, there was a huge desk with some of the friendliest people to direct us and tell us a little about the facility. Everything is based on a self-tour, so the pace is entirely up to you.

Across from the desk is this amazing display! The monitors to the left and right of Ben are actually a camera aimed into the gorge. You can aim the camera in a 180 degree span, looking around the gorge, and into the waters of the mighty Niagara River below. Ben had a ball working the controls!

From the "greeting center", we moved up onto another level on an elevator, then crossed over the highway through a glass walkway....over to the visitor's center. This center is built on a HUGE cement "pad".

Below are several pictures of Mark and the kids checking out some of the many hands-on activities.

Michelle took this picture of Ben....every boy's dream of going up into a cherry picker!!!

And she also took this picture of a colorful mural of Father Hennipin seeing the Falls for the first time.

And this picture of the facility. See the HUGE cement pad the Visitor's Center is on?

We basically finished up our tour by watching a video about the building of the plant. We found out that another plant that was located somewhere else along this area actually
broke apart, galling into the gorge below, and causing a crisis. I think the year was 1959. This facility was then put on the drawing board. It took 10,000 workers and three years to complete. Everyone doubted it would ever be completed on time, but it was! Quite an engineering miracle considering the workers worked right through the winters when winters were REAL!

This was so much fun and I would highly recommend it to anyone as a field trip!

Good News....I *Think*!

Well, Mark is thinking perhaps my camera might just be OK! When we went to Lewiston yesterday, I had placed the camera down on the floor by my feet. This is also near the heat vent.
(As an aside, when we first bought the Explorer, Mark burned the side of his calf seriously enough to land him in the hospital for a few days. Unfortunately, his feeling is not very acute in that particular area.) So, as we drove along, my camera was in the case, baking.

This morning, Mark plugged the camera into the outlet, and it behaved meticulously! He tested the batteries, and they were all "on the edge". Mark said he thinks I fried the batteries!!! I recharged them all again and they are just finished charging. Since it is late, Mark wants to check the camera out in the morning. I did cheat just a "bit" and put a set into the camera to see what would happen....it WORKED!!!!

So, hopefully, after playing with it tomorrow, the camera will work! And, I will (FINALLY) download my pictures!!!

I Think I'm Gonna Cry....

Yesterday, I was digging around through "stuff" in the bedroom and found a pamphlet from the New York State Power Authority. It was something I had picked up somewhere, and it gave info on a power plant located near the American Falls. I told Mark we ought to take a field trip there today, and he agreed.

I packed a picnic lunch and we were off for a day of fun! We stopped along the Thruway and had subs (I actually made them right there in the Explorer!!) and chips. We had to eat inside the car as it was raining. We folded one of the backseats down and I was able to sit back there and make the subs to order! hehehe I even remembered to bring along a sheet of freezer paper to use as a work surface on top of the cooler!

We got to the power plant at about 3. It has lots of interactive and informative "gizmos" and we really enjoyed playing! There was also a short movie (about 12 minutes) that showed the actual construction of the power facility. It was built in only 3 years, and when one considers the amount of WORK that needed to be done, it was nothing short of a miracle! The plant began operation in January, 1961, 2 weeks ahead of schedule!

So, you might be wondering....*WHY* do I want to CRY??? Well, I was careening about, merrily taking pictures when my Olympus camera just quit working. I had charged 2 sets of batteries for it last night. I wanted to be able to take a lot of pictures. When we got there, Mark asked me why the camera was acting "funny".....I tried it out and it was OK, then it just starting doing weird things. The LCD screen kept turning off, then the lens refused to open all the way. Then, it refused to close. I am not sure what is wrong with the camera, but it is 4 years old and I would hate to think that I HAVE to replace it. Mark will take a look at it tomorrow, and perhaps he will see what is causing the flaky behavior.

So, there you have it. We enjoyed ourselves today, but I have no pictures. Michelle has some on her camera, so perhaps tomorrow I can see if there are some good ones.

Oh, as an aside....one of the coolest things at the power facility is a camera that is postioned on the Niagara River. The people that work at this facility are so amazing...they were so friendly. One of the guys told us that yesterday there were fishermen down on the river catching Atlantic Salmon that weighed in between 30 and 40 pounds!!! They watched them from the cameras! Mark was able to hone in on some fishermen in a boat....the camera can zoom right in....we were able to see the fishermen up pretty close. Sometimes (when it WORKS) technology is SO cool!

January 4

Since I couldn't think of a more suitable title for this entry, the date shall have to suffice!

Remember Fonzy on the Happy Days tv series in the 70's? He used to have the most difficult time uttering the words "I was wrong". Try as he might, he could only get out the "wrrr" sound!
Well, today, it was "be...be...beau.."......um, it was a nice day! Yeah, it is hard to call a 54 degree JANUARY day "beautiful", but if this was a *typical* January, I guess it could have earned that title! As Mark and I walked out on the porch this afternoon, I could barely believe my eyes as a little honeybee flew past us!

I got a package in the mail from my friend, Linda, from Canada. She sent the family several little goodies for Christmas, mostly FROM Canada! She included two little ornaments that have simply fascinated me. They are created by a Canadian artist named Betty Singer for a company called Samaco.

http://www.samacotrading.com/sites/samaco/collectibles/bettySinger/index.html

Although I could not find these little treasures on the site, they are simply beautiful! The detail is amazing, considering the figures are only about 3 inches tall!

Here is Father Christmas....

And a closer detail of his face and the little Scottie in his arms.

And here is Mrs. Claus.....

In this closeup of Mrs. Claus's face, you can see the detailing.....

And did you catch the little Scottie in the bag near her feet?

Linda says these are from a collection appropriately named the "Highland Collection", and new ornaments are added each year. I will certainly ask Linda to grab a new ornament each year for me.... they are just so sweet!

Hope all who made resolutions are sticking by them, and if not, well....there is always NEXT year!

*Trying* To Be Cheerful and A Walk in the Woods

When I got out of bed this morning, I became acutely aware of the fact that I *can* choose what my mood for the day will be. So, I decided today would be a day to count my blessings! Not too hard to do....any of us living in the US of A has much to be thankful for; we are such a rich nation with far more than our share of needs and desires met.

I went downstairs and washed the dishes...there are ALWAYS dishes in the sink to be washed.....then I sat at the table for a few minutes of what my mother used to call "quiet time"! As I sat down, my eyes landed on a flower arrangement I made on December 30. I had gone shopping at Wegman's for a few things, and (as I always do) checked out the flowers there. I was so drawn to one arrangement. It was simply a few large white carnations with some filler that was dipped in gold "dust". The arrangement just kind of took my breath away! So, I copied it!

They didn't have any of the large white carnations, so I settled for the minis. I bought the same vase, the same filler, and the minis.

When I got home, I was amazed at the GENEROUS amount of carnations I got for $3.99. There were TONS of them! I cut them and the filler, then began placing them into the little vase. Oh, the arrangement at Wegman's also had a few ferns in it, but I figured it would be OK without them. They had tied a narrow golden ribbon around the vase, but I didn't have any gold ribbon.

I settled for a wide white ribbon with golden trees on it. Here is what I ended up with....

The Wegman's arrangement was $14.99, and mine wound up being about $11.00. The difference is that my little arrangement is much fuller! So, I am well-pleased! Carnations always seem to last such a long time, and with these white ones being "natural" (as in, undyed) I think they last a good long time, indeed!

As the temperatures were on the incline this afternoon, I decided that I would NOT complain about no cold weather and no snow. The creepy part, though, about this weather is that it still gets pretty cold at night, so I need to make a fire in the Jotul every morning. The not-so-bad part is that there is literally TONS and TONS of kindling in the woods. We had some pretty wild winds here last month, and the net result is that the woods is littered with treetops and broken limbs all over the ground. They make it a snap to start a fire, so I cannot complain about the work involved!

And, speaking of the woods, as the day progressed, I decided to take a little jaunt through the woods...

This is a little path that winds through the woods, taking us down to the "lower 10" acres of our property. The path used to be much wider, but over the years, with some substantial downpours, the drainage ditch to the right became wider and wider, making the path narrower and narrower! This time of the year, without all the foliage, you can see the hills across the way. It really is quite pretty!

As I mentioned earlier, there are lots of dead branches and treetops that blew down from above, making the job of finding kindling a *breeze*!

As you follow the footpath down the hill, there is this small spot where the land actually is pretty flat. I had always thought this would be a lovely place for a cabin...The land naturally rises a great deal from the road, allowing one to look out and down a bit. It is just one of many pretty little spots on our property.

As you can see in these little pics, we have trees falling over every winter. I guess it was the wind that knocked these down, as there has been no snow to do any "harvesting". We always say that God sends angels to harvest trees for us to keep *me* protected!!!!

And, just a couple of pictures looking up into the woods. As you can see, we really do have an endless supply of firewood. No matter how quickly we process the wood, there is always more waiting for us to discover it lying on the ground or leaning against another tree!

I think I mentioned on my blog before about how the oak trees here just do NOT want to give up their leaves....I think I can *hear* this particular tree uttering, "I will NOT go nekkid!!!!"

To end my little walk in the woods, I came around to the front of the house. There, the little stream was merrily winding its way down through its bed....the light of the sun was playing on the water, nearly blinding me as I looked!

As I entered the house, it really didn't seem so important anymore that there is no snow.....And, I was able to count many, many blessings!!!

Happy New Year!

I thought I would post a "happy" picture to welcome in this new year. No, this isn't my house....it is a house across the street from the home of my parents. We welcomed in the new year at my parents' and I could not resist snapping this winter (WHERE?????) wonderland of lights!

Last year seems to have flown by so swiftly. I am not sure where it went, nor what I was doing as it passed by so quickly, but I am learning with each passing day that time is certainly not much of a friend! It neither stops for us, nor allows us to catch up with it!

I have made no resolutions for the new year. I always disliked doing so, as they usually fall by the wayside. I don't like making plans and not being able to follow through because of my lack of "sticktoitiveness" or circumstances beyond my control which cause my plans to be put on "hold" ......better to just try to be and do my best with each passing day! I know there are many attributes I need some work on, so I will merely strive towards those. The Lord knows I have so many faults and I pray He will help me overcome some of those in this new year!

I got up early this morning, and my mom was already up. We took the dogs for a walk, and that was a really great way to start 2007! It was something I so appreciated, as it is terribly hard to walk in my neck of the woods. It was nearly 50 degrees when we took this walk, and that just seemed so bizarre. Usually, January brings REALLY cold weather, so this was almost surreal!

Well, here is to another new year! May you be blessed richly with peace, love, happiness and all things good!