The Years To Remember

We spent the last couple of days of my daughter's visit enjoying the area on walks, watching favorite shows, and me getting to spoil her with Mom attentions. All too soon it was time to drop her at the airport where she had an uneventful trip back to LA. A colorful sunset looking southwest toward the Catskill Mts. I met my friends Dale and Janice for breakfast on the 24th because our monthly dinner had to be postponed to January and that is just too long to wait between friends. It is always so good to see them and in this case wish them a Merry Christmas. Later that day, as I was baking cookies and apple crisp, Dale texted that she had come down with the flu and cancelled her Christmas plans. I had the flu vaccine and felt fine, so I just continued on with my plans. The day before Christmas we had some precipitation, but it was graupel - neither snow nor sleet, but something in between - like little snow pellets. The apple crisp was successful and delicious. Christmas day was deli...

A little Christmas decor.  I always think of my Dad at the solstice because he loved its hopeful nature. The returning sun, longer daylight hours, and renewal always seemed to energize him. For some reason I am embracing the solstice even more this year. I woke up at sunrise and watched it for a bit. Then I decided a dip in the hot tub with a lemon-lime ginger water would be a nice start to the day. It was sunny, calm and peaceful as I watched the birds and squirrels flitting about while I embraced gratitude.  Now, about 2 hours later, it's cloudy, windy, and we're getting a little snow. What a good reminder to enjoy each moment as it comes, because things always change.  I'm guessing this was a high school or college photo of my Dad. I never knew him with a full head of hair, as I met him when he was 35 and already balding.  He has the most serious expression - I mostly saw him smiling. Dad and I were shoveling snow while Mom and my daughter were staying warm inside...

  Just a beautifully decorated home I passed on my way to a hike this week. My daughter and I had a wonderful visit with my two sisters last weekend. They left for their homes Sunday which are 2 and 3 hours away. Just as my mom used to do, I reminded them to let me know when they arrived safely. The largest part of our time was spent chatting, laughing, and reminiscing. We did quite a bit of cooking (me), went to a Ukrainian Christmas Market, visited NightWood light and music event, and ended our visit with a late lunch at the Tipsy Moose Tavern. We made tentative plans to meet again in January to go through family photos, digitize them, and possibly create a memory book or two. This is what happens when I take a photo without my glasses - a bit blurry. We enjoyed walking the Night Woods trail and listening to the enchanting music. The Mount is such a stately house and never disappoints. The snow made it even more magical. Me and my daughter, chilly but happy. It was a sub freezing...

 12/6 Saturday I'm paying the price for going out and partying not 24 hours after general anesthesia surgery. My muscle aches started during the lunch yesterday and now I can't move without lots of body pain today. I'm hoping a full day of rest and lots of fluids will help. I'm going to lay low tomorrow as well, to give my ear every chance at healing quickly.  12/8 Monday My skinny pencil Christmas trees won't hold large ornaments, so I've taken to hanging them around doors and windows to festivate my home. Who knew rest and fluids would get me back to somewhat normal! Still no exertion allowed, so life is rather dull. Grocery shopping and light housework is all I've been doing. I did put up more than my usual amount of decorations for Christmas, though there isn't much to choose from since I've given most of it away. My daughter comes tomorrow and my two sisters will join us on the weekend. I'm very excited. I'm planning lasagna, meatballs, ...

 12/5/25 This robin looks a bit disgusted with the weather! My previous post of the 10 day weather turned out to be a bit inaccurate as usual. This morning's low was -2°F. A very chilly start to the day as evidenced by the nonstop birds getting all the suet they can. I was happy to see a red bellied woodpecker, along with the usual smaller ones. I can't get good photos of the birds because the deck is backlit by the sunny yard, and in shadow, so the photo below is one I took out my classroom window when I had my classes involved in Cornell's Project Feederwatch about 10 years ago.  Red bellied woodpecker Yesterday's surgery was interesting. I thought my eardrum was just going to be disconnected from a bone it was lying against. When the Dr tried that, it caused the eardrum to tear irreparably. He also noted the bone was damaged. So a bone was replaced, and a new silicone eardrum was installed. Sounds like I'm a major appliance now. 🤖 I did not get the info from my...

Monday 12/1 A shot during Tuesday's snowstorm. This nuthatch and lots of woodpeckers enjoyed the suet feeder.  I finally worked a shift at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve on Monday, after taking five months off. It was just as boring as I remember, but I read a new manual for docents, and caught up on The Conservationist magazine which my mother gift subscribed for me for about 25 years. I missed it and may subscribe again. Instead of taking a hike on their trails, I completed a few errands, then went for a walk in the neighborhood. It was so cold. Winter has not officially begun, but we are expecting more than 7" of snow Tuesday. A potluck dinner, for the X-Country ski group, has been rescheduled to next week when my daughter will be here, so I most likely won't go. I hate to think what it's going to be like when actual winter begins.  Downy woodpecker. Wednesday 12/3 I was forced to stay home for Tuesday's snowstorm so I was able to prepare well for my surgery on ...

 11/23 Sunday It's snowing again! I'm glad I took advantage of yesterday's upper 40's temps to get in another bike ride. I couldn't entice any of my friends to go - they thought it was too cold. Ha! I did use toe warmers in my shoes and that kept me very comfortable for the 19 mile trip. Biking does make me happy! So dismayed to see this display of over-consumerism. Most cars were of this design and it was a   very long train. A much nicer train at the depot park, marking the far end of the bike path.  There were plenty of other bikers out there, though they were going faster than me! My top split speed was 17mph and I did that for two of the miles - going down slope and with the wind. Average speed for the whole ride was 11 mph as there was a head wind for the first half. I am going to try to ride all winter, even though that means it will likely be a solo endeavor.  I'm going to spend Thanksgiving with my sister's family in Corning. I'm sure we'll...

A frigid scene on my walk today. The bird and I seemed to be the only ones out on this blustery day. 11/17 - Monday.   I keep having to remind myself that we are smack in the middle of Autumn,  since the weather continues to look like the dead of winter. This morning I woke up to the remnants of an ice storm which jolted me into my winter driving mindset, as I nearly slid through the first stop sign at the bottom of my hill. As I waited for my car to be serviced, the TV weather reported "cold and blustery weather that feels like 26°F" , even though it was a balmy 33°F. Brrrr. Since I was out and about for medical and car service appts, I ran a few other errands. I realized I hadn't planted a single spring bulb this fall, so I decided to stop by Home Depot to see what was left. Perfect timing for me! They had just put out three shopping carts full of bulbs FOR FREE! Here is my haul: I added up the value and it's $220 worth of crocus, tulip, and allium bulbs - well wor...

 I seem to have picked the right time to get all snug in the house - it's been freezing and snowing for three days, though not much accumulation. There are still leaves on some of the trees, but not for long. The fall has been so warm and temperate, that this cold spell is quite a big shift. My mind was just not ready for this, though we often have a first snow in November. These marigolds had been going strong thanks to their location near the house and the brick path. I'm guessing this is their end! The Aurora Borealis made an appearance in the area Tuesday night, as seen from my front porch. They definitely weren't as dynamic as the time I saw them in Iceland, but nice to capture! Geri invited AJ, Peggy and me to see Elizabeth Strout ( Olive Kitteridge ) speak at Proctors Theater in Schenectady. We met at Tara first and had some lovely Moroccan tagines for dinner with a bottle of wine. Elizabeth was charming and open about her books and characters and she has a delightfu...