Life here has been exhausting lately so I really didn’t welcome the time change and the lost hour that came with it this weekend.
Since I was already tired, yesterday was not the ideal time to rearrange my living room. After all, I had been procrastinating this project for some time. It clearly could have waited one more week but I decided that this was the day.
You don’t realize how much is packed into a room until you have to move it all.
But I wasn’t alone! This guy supervised the entire operation. He kept a watchful eye as I pushed a 150 year old steamer trunk that I use as a coffee table and tugged the couch across the room. He wasn’t sure what was happening at first but quickly discovered there was great fun to be had.
In fact, it is possibly that Scout rode on every single piece of furniture and rolled up area rug as they were dragged, pushed and otherwise forced into position.
He weighs seventeen pounds. I didn’t need the extra weight but who can say no to that face?
Around here, we are solidly in winter and it’s a real winter unlike some recent ones where there’s been little snow. It’s cold AND snowy right now. I like the snow but dislike waking up on these subzero nights to run water so it doesn’t freeze. Keeping the bird feeders full has been something of a project as well. My feathered friends are desperate for nourishment in our frozen world.
Around here, work is keeping me occupied and is occupying my thoughts outside of work hours too. It’s that time of year and I have to remind myself that this too shall pass. Consequently, I’m throwing all my energy into protecting my own mental health.
To that end, I’m spending a lot of time curled up with a blanket and a book. In fact, I’m about six books ahead toward meeting this year’s reading goal. Don’t be impressed though. I’ll soon start falling behind. When the weather warms up, I’ll be out adventuring instead of home reading. I’m savoring every word and every page right now, grateful there are so many smart people out there who write good books.
I am thoroughly enjoying my reading and quiet as I chip away at the book stack that’s now occupying a good chunk of my dining room table. It’s a visual reminder of all the amazing books awaiting my attention and a reminder of how much I enjoy the written word.
Around here, I’m also enjoying the sixth season of All Creatures Great and Small. This is not a reboot of the original tv show but a reimagining of the amazing stories written by author James Herriot. Set in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales in the years leading up to (and now at the end of) World War II, this show is quite literally the only thing I look forward to seeing. It is a tragically short season of just seven episodes. It’s one of those shows that I will watch and rewatch because it’s simply that well done. I once heard a critic refer to it as slow tv, an annoying but apt description as the show focuses on the people and animals rather than explosive one-upmanship like so many other modern tv shows.
Around here, slow tv is a welcome part of my attempts at slow living. Those slow living efforts are made easier by the continuation of my No Spend Challenge. This continues to go well and be fun but I’m suddenly very tired of deciding what to cook and feeling like doing dishes is my full time job. I know this is just a phase but I sometimes think how delightful it would be to just order pizza.
Around here, Scout has been cozying up in the strangest places, finding warmth and comfort wherever he can. He’s a funny guy and a good little companion who is thrilled to have me home more this winter.
Around here, I’m snug and happy in my snow globe world, thankful for my job and all the comforts it brings to my life -even if I’m in the midst of a rough patch.
And as always, I believe that having things to look forward to is a key to happiness so I’m working on making sure that I have plenty to anticipate including a weekend away with my Pittsburgh pal this spring.
It’s the first Saturday of a new year. How will you spend it? We get just 52 of them in 2026 so it’s best to spend the time wisely.
It’s also the first weekend of my No Spend Challenge so I’ll be home, doing home things and hopefully reading. I’m in the middle of a page turner. In fact, I fell asleep reading last night, waking up to the book hitting my face.
How lovely it is to fight sleep in favor of just one more page!
It’s also lovely to have a furry little friend to check on you and curl up close. Scout will be glad to keep me company while we relax today.
This is how I want to spend this day. It’s a choice and I’m glad for it. Wherever you are, I hope you are choosing to do something that brings you joy and peace as well.
Around here, my long awaited Christmas vacation is winding down. It’s back to work on Friday even though it feels like I’ve hardly had a break. I’m cherishing these last few days.
Around here, Mother Nature is doing her Ohio thing where the mercury rises to 65 degrees one day and then plummets overnight to a daytime high of 20. Factor in a wind so strong it will knock you down and suddenly winter has arrived.
Around here, I have several projects underway. One is to remove most of the Christmas decorations but I’m leaving up the tree for a while. It has white lights, pretty ribbons and woodland themed ornaments. This tree is pretty in the winter without being Christmasey. Some snowmen and other non Christmas specific things will stay out. Meanwhile, the place is bare in spots and piled up with totes ready to store.
Another project involves finally getting my craft room in order. This is where I store hobby supplies, holidays decorations and extra decor. I have a weakness for vintage and antique items and like to freshen up my home by rotating in and out small pieces of interest. That room is a habitual mess but I swear this is the year I get it done. To that end, I bought a shelving unit which I assembled over the weekend. Progress can be seen but, golly, there’s much to do.
Around here, I am working on my reading goal for the year and considering what my goal should be in 2026. I’m finishing up my 101st book – one over the 2025 goal. While that list includes some good fiction, there was very little nonfiction and several kids books. This is a sign of how tired my mind was and how badly I needed some quiet, fun distraction rather than learning and enrichment.
I’m thinking about knocking the goal down to 75 or 80 to make it easier. My goal means absolutely nothing but it does keep me reading and it keeps me always ready to start the next good book. There’s some wisdom in making it high just to keep me engaged with my TBR.
Scout is enjoying having me home and especially appreciates how much time I have spent relaxing with a book lately. He finds reading time a wonderful opportunity for naps!
Around here, I’m gearing up for my January No Spend Challenge. This is an annual tradition and one I look forward to every year. I’m currently compiling my annual list of things to do that don’t involve spending money. I’m up to about sixty activities ranging from fun things like dabbling with watercolors and putting together a puzzle to going for a hike and doing chores like cleaning closets and decluttering.
Around here, as nature turns cold and less habitable, I am turning inward. My mind is quieter. I’m using this time to calm my nervous system. Two doctors have informed me recently that I’ll never be better until I work on this. Soft lights, quiet, and the softness of home are just what I need and exactly what I aim to embrace during my No Spend Challenge.
Around here, there are stories waiting to be told and others waiting to be read. Some are waiting to be lived. A new year is just around the corner.
Yesterday started in Colorado at 3:30 am. One short car ride, a flight, airport train ride, another flight, airport shuttle, and rides in two more cars brought me to my Ohio home on the ridge by about 8:30 pm.
Easy peasy!
As I turned down the bed, I couldn’t shake the sensation I was still in motion. Luckily, Scout curled up next to me and I was out like a light, sleeping through the night for the first time in longer than I can remember.
When I awoke this morning, I knew I was home before opening my eyes. The sound of the heat pump and even the feel of the bedding are unmistakable elements of home.
And when I opened my eyes, Scout was sitting at my right arm, staring at me. It’s hard to tell how long he was there. He didn’t make a noise and wasn’t asking for anything.
He just sat there watching me as though confirming I was really there. I scratched his ears and he settled in next to me for a nap.
I tried to go back to sleep but the dry nose I always bring home high western elevations made that impossible. But I have stayed in this spot, hurkle durkling for a while and luxuriating in the solace of my own home.
This is partly for me and partly for him. While he didn’t go on a journey, he’s had a rough week too. My parents take good care of him but that’s not the same as having me there and he doesn’t understand where I go or why I would want to leave him.
Our pets are our family but we sometimes have to leave them. Whether it’s for a few hours or a few days, they are left alone and wondering why you left in the first place.
They miss us. He misses me. It doesn’t hurt me to lie here with a stuffy nose for a while longer just so he can luxuriate in the moment of having his person home.
