2025 New Year

A new year and time has not stood still. I'm getting a reset on my home maintenance plan and a new planner undated to begin learning to have it handy when trying to schedule some thing for the new year before the old year ended was a challenge I had to open the calendar, and hunt up the pages for writing that down an apt. in the new one. 

Started the  6 weeks till holidays a bit late put up and then undoing it putting away stuff bit by bit. I de-cluttered decor items this year and so glad there is less to put away. The red and green totes are good clear ones would be even better so you could see what is inside.

Some wins from my bucket list getting the back gate installed found workers putting up fence in the area and got a quote and on their schedule win win idea I used for the gutter covers a couple of years ago. Got a coupon and had the ducts on the furnace cleaned this fall! Got my will done last year. Some of these things had been put off way too many years. It felt like I was finally able to make out plans and prep for things ahead. 

I have redoing the plantings in the garden and around the new deck. It is so great to see the new roof I had put on a couple of years ago. Dear grand son heads up a crew and did that! Several years of experience under his belt was a big pay off for their first summer job of the year in the shade of the big tree in the front yard. 

  

Cheking In

This has been a busy year, this spring I started a you tube channel "Idea factory" I just do shorts on it. Quite a learning curve for me doing that. 

I got a new roof on the house and shed this summer, and a new deck put on. My grandson heads up a crew and they did that work. I cleaned out and decluttered the shed and small shop also. I dug out an old plum tree in the back yard. 

Currently I am working on a getting My Prayer Planner on paper after loosing it when they took down all the yahoo groups. This is part of my Nano writing this year.  

Holiday decorating is on my mind I got the decor items upstairs to put up in December. I have been working on a crochet hot pad and it is ready to stitch together the last row on that project. 

I have supplies for some pouches to seam up the zippers came last week, got my dragonfly spoon ring also. After facing some dragons from my past, trauma stuff in childhood revisiting some healing has thrown me for a loop. Writing is great therapy for me.

I had no heat for a week last month due to a broken natural gas line 30,000 people in the area were without it as well. I was not alone. I was glad I have an electric hot water tank, electric oven and space heaters. I closed off the bedroom and was fine. 

Then got a bug and that took a bit of recovery time. 

I was doing fine on my prayer focus project till the heat issue came up and it got totally derailed. 

I was reminded of the covering of wings over us it talks about in scriptures when a flock of geese flew overhead and I could hear the whoosh whoosh whoosh of their wings when they flew past.  

My daily walks with my dog help. I am currently doing leaf removal from the giant maple tree in the front yard. It is great to get fresh air, exercise and stretching as rake and bag up what seems like a brazilian leaves.      

Fall 2021

 

This fall has been better for me as I can reenter some of my regular actives that is good news in person church and life groups, one is a zoom meeting.

I started and finished a prayer shawl, made up some puppets some of them have already found new homes! I made up some hot pads and dish cloths and shared them with friends that live on my walking routes. 

A branch came down and I delimbed it and got it and some others burned up in the fire pit so glad to have that part of the yard reclaimed. Yea for progress on that. 

I dug up the tomato plant I grew from seed and brought is inside and it is doing good. It is to the blooming stage now so hoping to get it to have tomatoes on it later. 

Leaves are turning colors here and still on the trees we are enjoying seeing them on walks and drives in the area. 

One grade school in the area is back to on line learning because of high cv-19 numbers. 

Hosptial and fire dept. are having a booster clinic close by for the cv vaccine.   

I went to a couple of estate sales and got some finds the supply chain issues are not a problem because the items are there and handy! I got a fun umbrella and used it on my walk one day when it rained that was fun. Found some books as well.

On an art date I went to the craft / fabric store that was fun. Family has planned Thanksgiving and gotten the plans for that underway.  

Summer 2021

Summer This year seamed to fly by. 

June we had a head wave and I had a failed yard sale. 

The good news about that was I had decided on what to de-clutter so that got hauled off to the thrift shop eventually later on in the summer. So it was productive 

I got branches cut up from the tree sized bushes I pruned back that too some time and was great arm exercise for me. 

In July fires erupted near there were level three evacuation with in a mile or my home. Got my rings reworked to be done before what would have been my wedding anniversary. And some other on going estate tasks. 

I was carpooling my grand daughter to and or from cheer practice in Aug.

Sept. for my birthday I had stubbed my toe and then got a bad cold sinus thing so was home laid up quite a bit. Not how I wanted to spend my birthday.

Then the gov. reinstated mask mandates and delta variant of cv-19 kicked in so made bee- booping around town less desirable.  

We got rain so I was able to get the branches in the fire pit and made ash out of them, did some fall clean up. The garden was pretty crunchy this year gave up on it early on. Things in the plant cage where they had some shade made it until the first frost this week anyway. I did get three tomatoes this year. 

This and that

I have been out in the yard cleaning the brush that I have pruned off along the back fence line. I saved the oldest pieces for the fire pit and enjoyed doing that this weekend. Getting to that ahead of a windstorm that came through it was great for arm work out and getting my steps in. 

Today inside stuff is being done as the winds are howling outside. The freeway was closed for five hours due to high winds and blowing dust. I checked in with the kids they are okay and let them know I was okay too. [They are grown.]

The buses have not been running here this week it is spring break. I have more things to declutter here I find as I do cleaning of my zones that keeps it interesting. School will be back in-person next week.

Went to the thrift shop saw a friend there, found a few treasures got take out saw more friends there, did some business. Walked the dog a bit. Enjoyed the sunshine today had lunch outside in the sun in the front yard. 

I found ice on the bird bath it is too cold to plant stuff I can wait on getting out the hoses. Some tomatoes are in stock at the stores now. 

A friend from high school stopped by we had a great visit it was so good to catch up. Then my amazon order came and things were a great fit yea! 

The next day I was back at it getting yard in shape cutting up branches and doing clean up before spring planting begins.   

Spring

I have been thinking about spring. I need to get my list made out and I have actually done a few things. I got the bird bath set up and the birds, robins mostly, and squirrels have been using it. It's fun to see. I have been pruning in the back yard the last two bushes on the hedgerow one left to do, I am in clean up mode now. Had some nice weather last week then it turned cold so I pushed the pause button on that project.  Bulbs are up and one is in the yard snowdrops came followed by pink fragrant blooms of one of my favorites daffs this week. Then the tulips with red veins I planted in the fall will make an appearance. It is good to have something in spring and beyond to look forward to this year. I planted a news pink iris this spring already and have been moving potted onions to the front year as I pruned off dead spikes from them. 

Walks have been interesting I have had to start carrying a walking stick again because of encounters with loose dogs that charge me. I did clean up the office purged files and papers and played musical dressers when I when I painted one for the spare bedroom, pulled out two small filing cabinets a chair and use a board for a desk or work space set up in the shop for now. I did not want to haul it off in cold wet rainy or snowy weather. It is so good to get that space freed up. I was discouraged that the paperwork is not done and seems to be ongoing but such is life. It goes on but at least that part is done and will not have to be done again and will not have to be done again that is helping. 

I made progress on the paint room and sewing crafting zone in the basement this winter as well. I am pleased with the space I reclaimed in those zones. Tax prep got done, and I cleared off a small table and moved it then had to elevate it to get the office chair to fit under it. 

Winter

We got nine inches of snow accumulation in the mid. Feb. winter storm we got in 2021. 

I had a good lesson on winter driving this winter the main roads were pretty good but our street was very slick had been plowed. I had to learn how to use four wheel drive in both rigs. I did an untinotential cookie in the road two doors from home I had to knock on the neighbors door and have their high school age kid show me how to put it in four wheel drive. He did not know how to drive a stick shift so I drove myself out of that minor pickle I drove around the block. 

Talked with my son who clears snow in the winter for one of his jobs we had a good talk. He suggested I look on you tube how to put the other rig in four wheel drive and then get to use it and drove around the block.  We did not loose power had heat and water is good yea!

The snow is gone here now, today we had sun and rain and I could see snow squalls in the mountains in the area around us. 

I did lots of snow clearing for my exercise that week and got out my snow boots both pairs one nicer one for town. I do not need those every year. Deep snow does not happen but every few years like seven to ten years. 

I made a snow angel , snowman and snow creature it was great to play in the snow. I have two snow shovels one for the front driveway and one in back for the deck and patio and trails. 

I am looking forward to spring and the time change in two weeks. The bulbs are blooming I have snowdrops in bloom in my backyard.