A Blank Space

By now, you have probably seen and read many videos and memes bashing January.  If not, crawl out of that dark hole you are hibernating in and scroll mindlessly through the internet like the rest of us! This year, January nobody's favorite month got off to a slow start!  Blame it on those Wednesday holidays.  Thursday, January 2 was still a holiday if you are in school, or a half speed day for those who work, or just another holiday for us retired folks.  Then there was Friday the 3rd, and really...did anything get done that day? The engine of the new year had barely sputtered out of gate before the weekend happened and shut that engine down.  Back to holiday mode. Monday, January 6 marked the official beginning of the new year if you ask me, it was the day we could finally press the gas pedal and get moving into 2025.  The question is, where do we go?

This is a terrifying sight to me!
Life is better with a plan in sight!

Once the year finally got going, I found myself eerily "caught up".  After over two weeks of holiday festivities surrounded by family and friends and many planned activities, I am starting the year home alone, with a short "to do" list.  This is not a good thing for me!  I really need a full "to do" list!  Yes, I realize there are some of you reading this thinking, "what I wouldn't do to have nothing on my "to do" list", I have been there, just not this year.  Today is like a blank space on the calendar taunting me to mark it up with chores, activities, appointments, short- and long-term plans and at least one trip...somewhere.  The possibilities are endless except for the ones that involve skiing or running marathons, then I'm out. 

I still miss spending January here!

 While TJ is gliding down the snowy white trails I planned to stay home and work on my golf game, join the many who participate in dry January and combat my holiday cookie habit.  All these well intended activities have been more difficult than expected, except for the dry part (I feel so much better!).  I continue to forget that January is a winter month, even in Texas, and golf is a hit or miss (literally and figuratively) activity available to only the heartiest of souls.  I have already broken my 50-degree temperature limit rule once and probably will again...if the sun is shining.  

The arrival of the January polar vortex has forced me inside.  With dreary cold days and no trips on the books there was only one thing to do.  Plan a trip and get the heck out of here!  Alas, here I am.  But there may be some travel on the horizon.  All I needed was a little motivation to guide my internet scrolling and find the next great place to visit.  Not a reality yet, so stay tuned.  I just needed a place to escape to, even if it is virtually.

To close, I will try to list a few good things about January.  It is probably getting a real complex with all the bashing...and here I thought I was the only one all these years!  Just check EVERY early January post on the blog!  Yikes!  At least I am consistent.

Things to like about January-

Plenty of time to read all those books you got for Christmas.

Ample opportunities to snuggle up with a cozy blanket by the fire.

Soup!

We all need some time to recharge after the holidays and there are not many distractions in January.

College Football Playoffs...Go Irish!

I get to wear those cold weather clothes that feel so neglected in my closet.

Boot weather!

After-Christmas sales to spend all that money we are saving by not buying booze!

Dreaming about the endless possibilities that lie ahead.

Like Taylor Swift, "we've got a blank space"...we can write whatever we want!

Only 40 more days in January!

Hang in there!

Happy New Year!

Annual Reset

 We are almost one month into 2023...how is it going out there?  Welcome to January (my favorite January post!), or as I am referring to it, "my annual reset button".  I don't necessarily make resolutions but occasionally I will assess the past year and where I am compared to where I was last year, or the year before, or maybe 5 years ago.  But really...comparing to 5 years ago just reminds me how time is marching by!  This year I have decided to make a few promises to myself, with the goal of self-improvement. Ugh!  Self-improvement....so much work!

January 2022
My "sweet rides"
before they were retired.

January 2021
 Avoiding humanity and Covid and cuddling with newborn Augie!

5 years ago...I won't be doing this anymore...

It was good while it lasted!  
Obviously, January is a month for skiing!

My first promise or pie-in-the-sky wish is to get healthier.  A general goal which means eating healthier...or just less, drinking less, moving more and ultimately looking and feeling better.  Not that I feel bad now but I ain't gettin' any younger...dammit.  I need to keep the tires aired up, the engine tuned and take care of the interior and exterior, so I can outlive my warranty.  

My other goal, which will probably be easier to accomplish, is to improve my golf game.  My beloved golf game was cast aside and left on a ski slope to wither back in February.  Life kind of got in the way of my golf game and it was seriously neglected in exchange for rehab, recovery, and travel.  It became an afterthought instead of a priority.  Poor golf game.  Now that I have the time and the knees to golf again, I want to get back to where I was or even improve.  A girl can hope!

Hoping to make this drive several times a week!

It is almost the end of January, and I am happy to report that things are going well on all fronts. After a month or six of overindulgence in all things food and drink, I have cut back from my "no rules" consumption habits to some reasonable consumption practices.   I was not ready to commit to dry January, so I am doing "damp" January (which I occasionally refer to as "grumpy humorless January").  But "damp" instead of "dry" has a better chance of becoming a practice that will be sustainable into the rest of the year.  According to Atomic Habits (yes, I am also trying to improve my reading material), if I do 1% better every day or week, I will ultimately reach my potential.  Stay tuned.  

Improving my golf game is a much more fun (most days) endeavor!  Spending 4 hours outside hitting a little white ball into a small hole, in the company of friends, is so much more fun than eating my vegetables and drinking water!  I have already begun to see improvement...but it was not going to be hard to play better than I did last year!  Low bar to hurdle there.  I must say that I also enjoy playing in moderate to cool conditions a lot more than hot and humid ones, which makes January a great time to work on my game.  This is a promise I should be able to keep for longer than a month! Just think, if I do 1% better every week where I could be.  The math geeks out there are welcome to do the calculations on this one for me and let me know when I can expect to shoot in the 80's!  I'll wait.

In other news, I am trying to figure out ways to perk up the blog, or maybe ways to wake up my writing.  I realize just by writing this, that I really do enjoy writing and should do more of it just to exercise different parts of my brain.  As with golf...and maybe healthy living, writing takes practice.  I do have a few ideas but not quite the total vision yet.  I guess now I have a project to work on when I am not golfing or deciding what healthy options I should make for dinner!  Feel free to share recipes, blog topics or ways to make a 10-foot putt!

Happy 2023!

 

The Party Is Over

And so it begins....another year.
I usually don't "love" New Year's Eve.  I find it never quite lives up to the hype and as much as it pains me to admit, I have a hard time staying up past midnight these days.  This year was different!  Is this a sign?

We were still in Nova Scotia on New Year's Eve and went right across the street to a party.  No need to worry about which one of us would have to be the designated driver, we were free to drink... responsibly.  We bundled up, it was -20C, and walked to the party.  (Yes, we take on polar bear qualities when we are immersed in snowy wintry conditions)  We knew every single person at the party!  That is my kind of party!

The party itself was attended by young, old and all ages in between.  One of the many blessings of life at the shore are the multi-generational get togethers.  We had tons of delicious food, signature drinks, and on top of it all there was hockey and curling on the pond next door.  I can't say I actually witnessed the curling, I stayed inside and "made sure the fire did not go out"....I have my limits people and -20C is one of them!

This young man ?  braved the cold and participated in the curling,
 he also tried some creative ways to stay warm.
His glasses immediately fogged up when he came inside!

Winter up north has a few unique necessities aside from the obvious good boots, warm coats, hats and gloves.   A large mudroom is a must in any northern home.  The mudroom is the staging area for putting on and taking off all the winter gear.  We don't really have a need for mudrooms down here, except for mud...and really...how much mud do flip flops drag in anyways?

A nice self respecting mudroom...in full use!

We brought in the new year with cheers and hugs and kisses all around.  I loved being up there and bringing in the year with my summer friends and relatives.  Since the party was attended by many children things broke up soon after midnight....perfect!  We bundled back up and walked home, I'm sure we were stone sober by the time we got there.....-20C can do that!

So, here we are in 2014 and it's time to get back to work.  The holidays are officially over...or they will be tonight after the BCS Championship game...for me at least.  I guess it's that dreaded time of year when I am supposed to resolve to get healthier, organize my life, write at least once a week on the blog,  and be a better person.  Since we have a big wedding coming up in May, I will join the resolutionists this year and try to fight the flab in order to fit into that elusive-perfect-mother-of-the-bride dress.  The party is over......but it sure was fun!

Just January

January in Toronto

What does January mean for you?  I decided January was the northern August when we lived in Toronto...  a long month with crappy weather!  Now that we are in Houston it is just January.  For most people January is the month of resolutions, paying Christmas bills, and the inevitable post Christmas let-down.  January is the month we moved one of our three times to Houston and the month we moved to Toronto.  So I sometimes associate the month with transitions, lonliness, unpacking and trying to get into the swing of things.  Even though we did not move this year the month still has a few transitions and I am trying to get into the swing of things.  I'll fill you in on the swing of things next week!

Have you noticed all the people at the gym lately?  What?  You haven't been to the gym? TJ says there are lots of new people (aka resolutionists) going to the 6a.m. spin class he attends. ( that is not him on the left in the picture)  My only response to that is....WHY??  There are so many things wrong with that, beginning with 6 a.m.!  I like to excercise as much or more than anyone, but as you may have guessed....I am not a morning person!  Apparently there are many people out there who think torturing yourself by waking up at some ridiculous hour in the morning and riding a stationary bike and sweating up a storm is the way to a healthier new year.  For me it would be the way to a grouchier sleep deprived new year. Each to his own.  I'll find a different way to lose those Christmas cookie rolls around my waist.

The post Christmas let-down happens to me just about every year.  Something about a new year and having a clean slate and a year full of hope and possibilities cries out, "do something!".  The holidays are over, the decorations are all put away, except for that bin at the bottom of the stairs that has not managed to sprout legs and take itself to the attic yet.  The kids are back to their own homes and living their lives while we are in the once again quiet house, adjusting to the silence.  The good news about this January is that we prolonged the holiday season at least a week, maybe two, with our trip to New Orleans and then Kelly's late return to school.  The off season did not start until this week!  Yeah!  Only 2 weeks of January left. 



Last weekend we had a rainy, dreary Sunday and found ourselves with nothing to do for the first time in about 2 months, so we sat down together with our blank calendars and mapped out the year.  Where are we going and when?  The early bird gets the worm or in this case the low air fares, if there is such a thing anymore, so it is time to start planning.   These "meetings" do not always go smoothly.  TJ is more impulsive and ready to click that "purchase" button quickly and I need to mull it over, weigh my options, research, think about it, do a little more research and think a little more before I can commit.  This can be frustrating for both parties.  We did somehow come to a few agreements and are now busy until after Labor Day, when we will be wishing for a slow day in January again.  All because of one rainy day!