Holiday time

I guess I've been busy!   My intent was to post to this blog regularly but I see I've neglected to do that.  Must do better.

I am busy, I volunteer at the thrift store 2 mornings a week and I work in the Keene Valley Archives 2 other mornings a week.  That doesn't sound like much but somehow the days get away from me.  No, the weeks get away from me.

Now it's almost Christmas.  I'm leaving in the morning for RI, will be there from Thursday to Thursday.  I'm hoping I've found a house-sitter for that week because it's tradition that my pipes or pump or SOMETHING freezes while I'm away in the winter. 

The lake has frozen over, sometimes that happens before Christmas but not always.  It's been cold although yesterday was LOVELY and rainy.  We lost some snow but have plenty left.  I liked the brief thaw because it gave me a good chance to shovel my steps and a path on the deck.  I'm notorious for neglecting that until there's a thick hard pile of snow in a path from the stairs to the door.  One year I had to slide down the pile of snow to get inside the door.  That made me feel as if maybe regular shoveling would be wise.  And now that I'm retired, do I really have an excuse?  I can't say "I don't like shoveling in the dark" because I have plenty of daylight hours at home.  Geez I do love this life.

I'm still hitting the gym most mornings.  My friend and I have been having a great time doing our treadmill half hour then visiting over coffee at Stewart's.  That will come to an end soon though because she'll have to go back to full-time work.  Rats.  There was a strange man at the gym this morning (!) but we included him in our chatter and found him to be politically sympathetic so that was a relief.  No, we don't like the tax game being played in Washington.

The dogs are doing well but maybe they think they spend too much time in the car.  I usually take them with me wherever I go but Bear starts whining on the way home.  Sometimes I stop at a trail in Wilmington on the way home and let them run but I tire of that walk long before they do so it's not a great success.  Haven't walked the bog in weeks, it's covered with snow now.

Life continues to be wonderful for me.  I'll have a good Christmas with my mother and Mark, then more company arrives on the 26th so it will continue to be festive.  If I can get this man to stay in my house while I'm gone I will really enjoy the trip.  If not I'll worry about my house too much.  But I'm happy either way and feeling very lucky.