If we were having coffee today you would notice that the “view from the porch” is a snowy and fridge one. I think temperature today here in south Jersey will top out at 21 degrees (brrr!). A story in the paper this morning said that they may even postpone the Philadelphia Mummers Parade tomorrow because the brass instruments keep freezing up. Hard to play “Golden Slippers” when you have to keep breaking icicles off your trombone!
Anyway, if we were having coffee today you might also say to me “Where the heck you been, Lady?!” According to my WordPress dashboard, its been five months since my last post. I could blame this on my iPad which kept freezing up and crashing every time I tried to post or I could blame it on a lack of time, motivation and ideas. All of these would be true. However, thanks to Santa, I now have a new IPad and a nifty Bluetooth keyboard that will make posting less technically challenging and since the holidays have passed, or at least our hosting responsibilities which wrapped up with a gathering of friends last night, I have gobs more time.
So this morning I noticed that every January I find myself in this same weird state of mind. For months before (since we also hosted Thanksgiving this year as well as Christmas) my mind is full of details and plans, a nonstop whirlwind of things to do and remember. Then the week after Christmas when all the gifts are given, all the food is cooked and serving dishes stowed away once more my brain says, “Hey, what’s with all this room in here? Where are all the things we need to arrange and acccomplish? What am I suppose to do with my time now?!” Although its nice to let my poor tired brain rest for a bit, I also know we will both go bonkers without some kind of plans for the cold months to come so I am dedicating this “Coffee Share Post” to listing the things my brain (and body) can acccomplish now that things have slowed down. This blog post is the first thing on my list as will be (hopefully) more regular ones in the future.
Number two on my January “To Do” list is creating a scrapbook from the pile of 112 (yes, 112) photos stacked on my desk. In November my sister and I took a trip to Hollywood to visit my nephew. It was quite an adventure, which I plan on doing a series of posts about, but documenting it in paper form is also a goal. I’m one of those weird people who actually still prints out photos and puts them in books. I love being able to leaf back though the memories.
So there’s that to accomplish.
Next, D-man’s stepmom has been asking me to paint a portrait of her son’s dog. Poor Oscar passed away a few months back and she wanted a portrait to give her son in memory. This is a lovely idea and even though animals aren’t my best thing, I will give it a try. I’ll keep you updated on that.
Another plan is to start an indoor herb garden. I have a box that will fit in my kitchen window sill. Now to work out the logistics.
I also need to work on getting my feet fixed. To explain, thanks to family genetics, I have incredibly flat feet. No arch what so ever. Nada. This translates, with age, into bunions, the result of the bones in your feet pushing apart to compensate for their flatness. Ouch, right? I have orthopedic insole that I have worn for years that help with the pain but they are in need of replacement and even with them, I am going to have to break down and have surgery eventually. Six weeks in a boot is not my idea of fun and also even less fun, here in the U.S with our wonderfully inefficient healthcare system, the first step in all of this is dealing with the insurance company. Ugh. That’s why I’ve put it off as long as I have but January is the end of procrastination!
Well, my brain feels much happier now. I’m sorry I’ve run on so long but now that I have a plan I no longer see the cold months ahead looming like a black hole! Thanks for listening. Let’s warm up your coffee and you can fill me in on what’s been going on with your brain!
Many thanks to “Eclectic Allie” for hosting the Coffee Share. Stop by and check out the rest of the posts.
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Thanks. The same to you and your crew!
Well, I’ve been missing from the blogosphere myself a bit this year so I would not have asked you where you’ve been. I’d be too busy oohing and aahing at the snow anyway.
I’m glad you’ve got some plans to fill the void. Now being on summer school holidays until the end of January, I’m going through a bit of a “ooh, I have time to do that!” process myself. Hence my presence here for coffee and a chat. 😉
Good luck with the foot issue. We Aussies just stare at your healthcare system, shake our heads and then thank our lucky stars we live in Oz.
So glad you made it back of a chat as well! Now that I have all these plans, I’m wishing I had a longer break too. As far as the rest of the world shaking their heads at the US, our healthcare system is only part of the problem lately!! I am hoping for a better 2017. Thanks for the good wishes from the southern hemisphere! 🙂
Welcome back. A good list of things to work towards in the New Year. I had my feet done August 2016. I have to say I wish I’d done it sooner as my op was totally successful. A friend who had it done a few days after me didn’t have quite the same success but she already had severe arthritis in her feet as a result of her bunions where mine was just beginning. Whether that made the difference. Anyway all the best with it and Hope you have a Very Happy New Year.
Thanks! And thanks for the info. It’s good to hear that yours was successful. I don’t have any arthritis yet, that I know of so hopefully it will work out. Now to take that first step…
Hello and welcome back! New electronics are always great gifts – I got my husband a new android tablet for Christmas and he hasn’t put it down! I’m tempted to get one myself as my Xoom is on it’s last leg. Hope you find relief from your foot pain.. Thanks for the coffee!
Thanks for stopping by! I know how your husband feels. I have to force myself to put down the iPad and move!! Have a great New Year!
I, too, received a new iPad for Christmas for the same reason. Yahoo! Enjoy yours – I know that I will enjoy mine 🙂
Yes, it’s so nice to not have things crash and disappear! Have fun with yours too. 🙂
Thank you.
Happy New Year! It’s good to hear from you again!
Thank you. It feels good to be communicating again!
Nice to see you back! I guess after 5 months away you should be rested and ready to go 😉 The entire east coast has been so cold, I’m not surprised Philly is considering postponing their parade – it’s too cold for anyone to be outside!
Your link didn’t work. This is one of those weird ones that the labels don’t match the boxes – the top is the link, second your name, third email address.
Hope you have a great 2018!
I thought the link was wrong but I wasn’t sure how to fix it. Thanks for the information!
Just checked – it works!
Yes, I followed your steps!