Sweet Tweets

 

This little Carolina wren has been living around my yard since the summer. She inspires optimism seeing as she thrives despite the harsh weather here. Her song makes me happy as I count the extra daylight we have gained since the solstice - about 12 minutes.

The waxing crescent moon and Venus keep me company in the hot tub.

This plane was unusually low and off the usual flight path so I took a picture. 
I realize it's only a matter of time before I drop the phone into the water. 😱

Since my knee incident I have been taking a greater interest in my health. I know I have arthritis which contributes to joint issues as well as inflammation. Therefore I am concentrating on drastically reducing any added sugar in my food most days. Now, there are big slabs of carrot and chocolate cake in the freezer, but I will be saving them for very occasional treats. I'm getting used to coffee with no sweetener. Just a few headaches let me know my body was reacting to the change, but that has settled down. We'll see if I notice any positive changes in a week or two. Update week 1: sleeping so much better and longer, dropped 2 lbs, more energy, no alcohol. Hmm... let me keep going with this.

The volunteer dinner and Scrabble night was fun. It was my first visit to Caffe Lena and I felt very welcome even though I've yet to volunteer. Not a bad way to spend a snowy winter night!

Me with Susan, Peggy, and Jill playing on my Mom's Scrabble board and that is her pen too. 😊

I've since heard from the volunteer coordinator and will be signing up later this month. I also heard from the Pine Bush Preserve people and have an interview later this month to volunteer there. 

The frozen  Erie Canal from the Whipple Bridge.

Susan and I met for a 5 mile walk along the Erie Canal. It was a frigid day and didn't break 19 degrees F. It's amazing how walking warms you though. I had my gloves off and took my scarf off too, for most of the time. Most of the rest of our group stayed home hibernating which I'll be doing today, though I might take a shorter walk in the neighborhood.

I had a visit from the hot tub service department yesterday. Sunday night (of course) I went to check the salt system, pressed a few wrong buttons, and the pump shut down. Since temperatures are not expected to go above freezing for the next week, I panicked as I envisioned frozen burst pipes and a ruined hot tub. The technician put my mind at ease and explained how it restarts automatically, gave me a lesson on cartridge installation, and complimented my upkeep of the spa. Crisis averted. 

Each day I pick another business to contact about getting my name changed. It is amazing the difference in documentation required for each one. None of it is difficult, just paper work and phone calls and errands. In other news, I called my garbage company to see about lowering the monthly cost. I found out they immediately lowered the cost by $7/mo, then when I mentioned I rarely fill my trash can, they dropped it another $6/mo for going to every other week pick up. Now on to another monthly bill to lower: I'm looking at you, Verizon!