Keeping Busy

As I begin writing this with only a few days remaining in January, I recall that quite a few years ago, this month seemed a lot longer and I thought it would never end. There were even a few years when I was affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). I was never diagnosed by anyone; we had many days with no sunshine and the gloomy days affected me a lot. That was quite a few years ago and I haven't had any symptoms lately.

We've been enjoying college basketball and especially watching Oklahoma and Purdue this month. We hope both these teams do well in March.

I missed seeing Jayden's first indoor soccer game a week ago, but Ray was able to go so it was fun to see him play Saturday morning. He started the game as goalie but all the players rotate to different positions throughout the game. In both games, his team has played to a 2-2 tie. At this level the teams are co-ed and some of the girls are very good. All the players can move the ball and aren't afraid to get in the thick of the play.

Jayden's team is in the green but he's not visible in this photo

During the soccer game Kylie reported that she had passed all but one part of her GED exam. She was concerned that she hadn't received a report on the final test; but later that day she sent a message that she finally had the report and had passed! I am really happy that she has taken the initiative to finish her education. Without the GED she would not be able to begin a class that begins in about a week to become a medical assistant! She is excited to begin this next phase of her life.

This afternoon with the help of a friend from church we finished a banner for Lent that begins on February 14.

When finished we headed over to the Lotus Garden for a Ladies Night Out with other women from Concordia. This restaurant has been in the same location I'm guessing for close to 50 years! Amazing. I probably have eaten there but probably back in the '70s or '80s. We had 17 that came but I couldn't get them all in the photo. I need a wider lens.

I enjoyed Cashew Chicken and will have
enough for Monday's evening meal 

A Week Later

What a difference a week can make. Last Monday, we made our way to the gym and as we were turning the corner we skidded on the snowy street and narrowly missed a snowplow in the other lane. Now a week later, all the streets are clear of ice and snow and, with 50 degrees today, there isn't much snow left on lawns or fields.

Since last Sunday, we had sub zero mornings to deal with and temperatures that never reached the freezing mark. Perhaps the worst winter weather is history but we won't know for several more weeks.

This weekend has been pretty busy with events at church. On Saturday morning, our quilting group met for several hours for the first time since last October. We didn't have any work left from last fall so we were starting over, but we managed to knot two quilts, piece one and get several others ready for knotting next month.

In the evening, the 50 + Club met for an evening of games. First, we snacked on all sorts of interesting and delicious appetizers, then played ten rounds of bingo. Ray had an early winning card and picked out a handy-dandy dandelion digger! We don't have a yard, but I plan to use it somewhere! I like to dig dandelions! By the end of the evening, I won two games of bingo and picked out two prizes from the selection available--hand wash and a hot pad. Our table also had another player that won two games. What are the odds that we would have about half the winning bingo cards at one table? Everyone had a new card for each game. When bingo was over, most people played three games of euchre and the rest played Mexican Train (a game of dominoes).

Ready for Euchre--should have alerted Ray that I was taking a photo.

This evening a different group at church sponsored a chili cook-off so by 5 p.m. we were tasting eight different varieties of chili. They were all a bit different and it was hard to decide though there were one or two that I didn't particularly like. My version didn't win and I don't know that it even got any votes.  As we were driving home, we noticed some fog likely caused from the warmer air meeting the cold ground.

The first playoff game is over and the Patriots will be playing in the Super Bowl on Feb. 4. Who will be their opponent? Philadelphia or Minneapolis? The game is being played as I write this so check the newspaper in the morning if you need to know.

Half-way Through January

Some people I've talked to recently are ready for spring, but, I think to myself, it's only the middle of January! What do you expect in the middle of winter? First we need to get through the next month or two before we begin to think about spring. We've had bitterly cold weather, but the actual amount of snowfall isn't breaking any records. It's just what you can expect during the coldest month of the year.

So far the weather hasn't stopped us from getting out and about. In fact, last Friday, the car was covered with ice and that took quite a while to clear before we could get the car ready for our trip to the gym. Some places were closed as were most schools, but we weren't the only people to show up at the gym!

Ray is enthused about Oklahoma basketball the past couple of weeks. The Sooners have a freshman sensation who is leading major college teams in scoring. Trae Young is quite a player and it is fun to watch. We also watched some NFL games last weekend. The most interesting was the final 10 seconds of the Saints vs Vikings game Sunday evening. The Saints came from behind to take the lead by one point with about 30 seconds left. The Vikings then had possession and it seemed that the Saints would win. However, the Vikings moved the ball down the field and with only 10 seconds left on the clock passed the ball for a touchdown to win as time expired. It was quite a shock for everyone -- both the winning and losing teams! Couldn't have been more exciting to be on the winning team or a fan of the Vikings! I would like to see them win next weekend so they can play in the Super Bowl on February 4 in their home stadium. We'll have to wait until next Sunday to learn who will play in the big game.

Trying to keep positive!

2018 began as bitterly cold. On January 1, 2017 we hiked in one of the State Parks and made a resolution to attempt to visit a park each month. A year ago the weather was mild compared to 2018. The State Parks have free admission on January 1 and I'm sure there were hearty individuals who braved the elements this year. We have had about two weeks when temperatures stayed below 32 --maybe some of the coldest weather in four to seven years, depending on how it's reported. The good news is that we didn't have much snow on the ground but every time we left the house we bundled up, something that we didn't have to the last several years.

On New Year's Day 2018 we weren't planning a hike but hoped to watch Oklahoma defeat Georgia in the Rose Bowl football game. The game was exciting with Oklahoma scoring several times in the first half, but couldn't hold onto the lead against the Bulldogs. Tonight we're watching Georgia playing Alabama for the National Championship and we'd like to see Georgia defeat Alabama a team that has dominated college football for what seems like decades. At one point we considered making the drive to Atlanta for the game if OU was playing, but on a positive note, we saved lots of money by not making the trip.

Have you heard of Project 365 where you plan to take at least one photo a day for the entire year? On January 1, I thought why not try it this year. If I don't make it, no one is going to know but me. There are websites that give prompts of what you might want to photograph. I did very well for the first four days of the month. Last Thursday, after taking a photo, I realized that I wasn't able to turn the focusing ring and I was stumped. What was wrong with the camera? I finally removed the lens and reattached it being at a loss for anything else to try. Oops! That wasn't a good idea. I couldn't even get the shutter to release with the lens in place.

Then on January 5, I woke up not feeling great and stayed home while Ray went to the gym. Even if the camera was working, I probably wouldn't have taken a photo. I slept continuously and the day is a blur as I don't remember much of anything. I'm not sure what kind of bug I had but if it was the flu then it was fairly mild but I'll never know if the flu vaccine made it as mild as it was. I didn't do much around the house on Saturday and stayed home from church on Sunday. On a positive note, I have a slight cough now and occasionally a drippy nose, but well on the way to being back to normal. We spent a couple of hours at the Greenwood Community Center this morning playing Pickle Ball.

Since I was feeling better yesterday I decided I had to figure out what was wrong with the camera. I listened to a lengthy You Tube video and one important fact came through: When reattaching the lens, keep turning until you hear the click. I took off the lens one more time and paid special attention to reattaching and listening for the click. Success! The camera is working again. On a positive note, I won't have to make the trip to downtown Indy to visit a camera store and, second, I learned a few new settings for the camera while watching the video.

2018 didn't start out being a lot of fun, but it only can get better! Here's to a fun year with new adventures and ?