Outside

 
That's where I wanted to be all day today, even though it was 2 degrees when I went out to top up the birdbath at sunup, I still knew I would be outside today.  It was going to be a sunny day and I love sunny days.  I can put up with cold as long as it's sunny.

I dug around in the front closet and found my old scrapbook with my copy of the 8th grade grad photo and, lo and behold, in my own handwriting and with a fountain pen, I had written down the names of everyone in the picture.  Hallelujah!  I found a whole bunch of other memories too but put the bin back before I got sucked into spending the whole day sorting through it all.






Instead I went out snowshoeing--twice.  I realized that the "back 40" of our neighbors has a nice gentle slope that would be perfect for some snowshoeing fun so I went around the fence and chugged right up the hill.  It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be and I loved it.  I even stomped "HI" in the snow so they could see it from their kitchen window, then I realized that it couldn't be seen so I walked down slope a bit and did it again.  I came in, had lunch, knitted a bit, and went out again.  I will confess that on my second trip up and around my calves let me know that once around was enough.  Maybe next weekend I'll try the park.

 

 

Birds! We had birds today.  Big ones and little ones.  While I was finishing my lunch this Sharp-shinned Hawk came chasing its own lunch, only stayed in the tree long enough to pose for me, then flew off in pursuit of a sparrow.  On my way in from my first snowshoeing adventure I sat on the retaining wall enjoying the sunshine and crisp air when I heard rat-a-tat-tat but couldn't see anything.  Naturally the suet feeder that's so visible from the kitchen table was hidden behind the big square feeder full of cracked corn BUT the Downy Woodpecker flew up into the apple tree, landing on the side toward me so I got its picture anyway.  There was a trio of Chickadees scolding me from the forsythia bush as I came by and then from the small apple tree as I was sitting on the wall.  I managed to snap this photo of one of them on the platform feeder.  They're "hit and run" feeders, never staying long enough to get their picture taken but I held up my phone and when one landed on a feeder I took a picture.  This is the only one I managed to get.














In the *Head, Slap* Dept. this morning, I realized that I forgot to make a February calendar, book list, and habit tracker grids in my Bullet Journal.  Of course February 1 follows immediately after January 31 so there wasn't a blank page for me to add them onto.  So I used a box cutter, cut out a blank page from the back of the book and washi taped it into place.  That gave me a place to put the washi tape tab I use on the first page of each month and I made the calendar on one side of the page and the trackers and book list on the back side.  It isn't as tidy as having them on a two-page spread but it works.  Honestly, I think sometimes I'd forget my ass if it wasn't screwed on tight.



After supper I got the hand of the first of LC's mittens done.  I was about halfway up the thumb when I took a good look at it and it was ugly so I pulled out the stitches and will take another run at it later or tomorrow.


February 6--After Lucas van Leyden, The Card Players.  Daniel draped his arm over Leann's left shoulder and rested his chin on her right shoulder.  She fanned her cards out a bit more and cocked her eyebrow at him.  He shrugged.  She felt it more than she saw it.  "No kibitzing," said Carolyn.  She slid her cards together and then fanned them out again as if by doing that their spots would change.  "Your turn," Leann said, nudging Julie with her foot under the table.  "Ouch," Julie said, "don't kick me.  I told you to quit kicking me."  She threw down her cards.  "I fold.  I'm done.  I can stay home and get kicked around, I don't need it here as well."  "You are such a diva," Leann said but only after Julie was out of earshot.  Carolyn stared after Julie.  "You don't think Roger really kicks her around, do you?"

My calves ache but you'd better bet that I'll be out there snowshoeing around the yard and up the neighbor's back lot tomorrow.  I seem to be drunk with snowshoeing or maybe it's how doing it makes me feel.  I can not tell you how much better I feel having lost 22.5# since mid-November.  I have so much more energy it's ridiculous.  Can someone please explain why I stop eating healthy and pork the weight back on?  Now that's ridiculous.  WW Hoisin-Glazed Turkey Mini Meatloaf with cauliflower "mashed potatoes" for supper tomorrow night.  Decadent tasting and on plan.  What could be better?
--Barbara