The Years To Remember

 On both Tuesday and Thursday I set off to ski at about 8am with the car thermometer indicating the outdoor temperature was -3°F on both days. I did wonder what possessed me to engage in outdoor activities at those temps, but on both days I had fun despite the inhospitable temps. The sun was shining both days and it warmed up to about 15°F which is tolerable.  Tuesday was over to Mohawk Mountain in CT to ski with my sister Theresa. I saw my nephew who was busy on ski patrol duty and we rode the lift together to chat for a bit. He skis much too fast to stay with me so that was the last we saw of him.  Theresa and me on the lift. Heading up the hill. Book club on Wednesday was devoted to discussing The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich. A good book, but another story that educated me on how terrible our country has been to so many peoples. We haven't learned our lesson because we are still being terrible to so many people. While it was well written and an important story to ...

 I went out for my first pass at about 5 inches and 6°F. It only took 15 minutes, but it was snowing like crazy. I just wore my  hat, coat, and gloves at first, but I couldn't see and snow was going down my neck. I went inside and got all my ski gear on, but the snow was coming down so fast even my goggles got covered.  Now all my gear is wet. Hopefully it will dry out before the next foray. In the meantime I spoke to two of my sisters who are also snug at home. I plan to ski again Tuesday with Theresa in CT in nice deep snow! My other sister is hoping for a snow day tomorrow as she is still working.  Second pass with the snow plow at 7 pm and another six inches has fallen. It is really light fluffy snow so not too hard to get through, but it is supposed to snow for another 12 or so hours.  It's bothersome but also so pretty! Third pass at 11 pm and another 6 inches? The big plows went by and left 4 foot mounds at the bottom of the driveway which my little plow ...

 It's been a full week of socializing and I am looking forward to a few days on my own. The weather coming up for the weekend looks bleak - highs in the low single digits and negative lows. I'm glad I got my skiing in Tuesday when the temp was 16°F - so balmy! I'm in the middle - not a bit of skin exposed - and the skiing was great! Wednesday Peggy and Rich came over so we could plan the X-Country ski trip for 2027 - that is if any country will have us. I made a batch of blueberry lemon scones to have with our coffee. We've decided on Chamonix, FR as the location and are looking into hotels, transport, etc... Afterwards I started a pot of Creamy Lasagna Soup I saw in The New York Times and I have to say - it did not disappoint. A savory and bright soup full of sausage, mushrooms and spinach - perfect for a cozy winter day. A shot of lemon before serving it was perfect! It was even better on day 2.  I hope to get my taxes (mostly) done in the next few days. A few days l...

 Friday - Another downhill ski day is in the books. Our group was planning this day for a week, but I was unsure if I could make it so didn't sign up. I donated blood yesterday, I have to pack for a trip to my hometown tomorrow, and the winter just makes me a bit lazy! Anyway, I woke up at 6am, decided I would go skiing, packed up and left by 7am. It was a gorgeous bluebird day even though the temperature in the am was 8°F. I was not cold for any part of the day and was quite sweaty when I was done. I have good gear! Peggy and me stopping for a photo of the scenery. Note to self - it is not a good idea to ski the day after donating blood.  I am so glad I decided to go. It was free so I took it easy because my bad knee was singing to me. That is the beauty of skiing for free - no desire to 'get my money's worth' by skiing longer than I should.  That's also why I drove myself there - so I could leave when I want and not worry about anyone else.   Saturday - Snow in t...

 1/9/26 Finally, the temperatures have risen into the 40's for the next couple of days. This morning, Friday, I woke up before sunrise, looked at the forecast for the day and realized if I was going to get out there, it would have to be now. I went on a nice sunrise walk of 3.4 miles which was pretty and peaceful. The roads were covered with black ice in many places, so I had to tread carefully.  The lake is still frozen, but with pools of rain on top. High winds were predicted as well, so I also took the opportunity to do a little maintenance on the hot tub (3 minutes) and then jump in to sooth my sore muscles. What a nice start to a miserable weather day.  I finished the day with dinner at a Mexican restaurant with my two closest teacher friends and their husbands. We made tentative plans to go to the Connecticut Flower Show in February, as long as the weather cooperates. Weather dependency is a given in winter.  Saturday 1/10/26 I set out for a walk this afternoon...

 Winter has hit fast and hard this year but it does bring some charms along with its harshness. There is nothing so beautiful as an ice encrusted forest, or a frozen landscape. There is plenty of time for reflecting, planning, and reassessment with the cold months that I never find time for in the nicer weather.  Frozen stream on the Alander Mountain trail. We are in another cold snap with the high temps in the low 20's°F. Lows are single digits. Saturday I dragged myself off to a hike over in Massachusetts because the original location was too cold. It was a 6.2 mile out and back hike up Alander Mountain in snow that only required spikes, not snowshoes. There was no wind so I worked up quite a sweat on the 1200' elevation gain. We admired the slopes absolutely covered in mountain laurel and made plans to get over here in the spring when the blooms fill the forest. At the top! It was nice to socialize with everyone even though I saw many of them on NYE. We stopped for an early...

  Hiking friends sharing a New Year's Eve. Our hiking leader Jim, (maroon shirt up front) who nearly died on a hike last year is back to his fit self leading hikes.  I've spent plenty of New Year's Eves at home, quite happily, but the past few have been spent with this group. We started out as a hiking group, but have morphed into friends, book clubbers, and even travel companions. Several have coupled up, which is lovely, but most of us remain intrepid solos who love to plan adventures. We toasted our hosts, our friendships, and an even better year ahead to share.  It was such a fun gathering where we celebrated the New Year in Brazil (at 10 pm).  No one made it to midnight in NY! Rum balls I made for the festivities. I packed them up nicely in a pretty tin. Ten days ago, when I was on a walk, I noticed the rehab work going on at the house below. It didn’t look right to me, which is why I took a picture. I could hardly believe my eyes - the first floor was mostly re...