Family Comes First

I just followed my trail. The deer beat me to it, but that's ok.

The sun returned this afternoon after a brief morning of light snowfall. The sunshine felt wonderful.

The sunshine makes you do goofy things. I just couldn't resist saying hello in shadow language.

Across the lake, the international students from the nearby university enjoyed the warmer weather. I believe they were playing broom ball.

The Son has a birthday tomorrow, so Becca decided to drive over today and spend the day with her bro and family. I love having the kids home.....even Trisha could spend half the day with us. Family......it just makes you feel good.

A BIG thank you to Bike man for helping Becca file her taxes.

A Nice Warm Up

The pond was just crawling with geese. If you look closely, I believe those are two swans off to the right. The geese were very content either standing on the thin ice or swimming in the cold water.

Ohhhhh, what a nice warm up today....27 degrees. Spent the late afternoon with our daughter in Minneapolis. Becca and her housemate Artena treated us to a nice homemade taco dinner tonight. Thanks girls. Artena's special friend Tim also joined us tonight. The visit was short and sweet, but so nice.

Still feeling pain in my neck and back muscles from the issue of shivering yesterday. I've been taking Tylenol to combat the muscle spasms. Still can't believe how muscles can react to tensing up from cold conditions. Just didn't feel good today....maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

Bone Chilling Cold

Photo courtesy of BM

I could watch the cardinal all day long if I had the chance. The male cardinal really stands out at this time of the year.

Took off early this morning for a job related training session and headed north. The thermometer read 18 below zero! My vehicle was sluggish, slow to warm up and noisy. I felt every bump and pothole in the road. Froze my butt off....I just couldn't warm up. Then to make matters worse, the facility I was in had furnace problems and they did not release that information to us until 2 hours later. I couldn't understand why I kept shivering....I mean literally shivering. For several hours I sat in my chair feeling chilled and tense. Now tonight, I'm feeling pain in my neck and shoulders. I think sitting there in a cold room really affected my muscles and I was more tense than I realized. Thank heavens I ended up putting my wool coat on the last hour of the session.

Has that ever happened to you? Shivering....chilled to the bone?

PS. During the morning I received a cell phone call from the Police Chief telling me our building lost heat during the night.....the furnace broke down again. He just wanted me to know before I came back to my library.....oh geez. It really wasn't a good day for me.

Above it All

Some cats just can't resist being above all else. The higher the better. That's my kitty!

War Paint!

Beware.....I'm talking war paint! I have to admit that I like pampering my face. Who doesn't want to look healthy and fresh? I don't do manicures, pedicures or massages. Just a little war paint here and there. I decided to help out someone tonight who is just getting into her Mary Kay cosmetic business. All I needed to do was go through the motions of a facial and make-up lesson. One of my staff members joined me tonight. Krissy is such a good sport. What else is there to do on a cold winter night?

PS. Just so you know, war paint stays at home during our bicycles trips.....Bike man's orders!!!!!

Cold Sky

What can I say, it was cold today....windy kind of cold. When I left for work it was 18 degrees. When I stopped by the fitness center today the temperature had already dropped to 6 degrees. One of the things I noticed later this afternoon was the sun still hovering above the horizon around 5 pm. Kind of deceiving since I really wanted to go for a nice long walk out on the lake, but the windchill kept me indoors.

On a brighter note, much more enjoyable temperatures towards the end of the week. Hey, it's still winter!

Can I Tell You Something?

I love my new Green Bay Packer bear.....thanks Birgit!

As I grow older, it seems like the lessons I learn leave an everlasting impact....an impact that brings meaning to life. Maybe it's just the fact that I've lived fifty years and now can honestly say, I speak from experience. As a younger person, I would be quick to judge, quick to loose my temper, and a tendency to act on impulses. But now, all things come together and life starts to make a little more sense.

It's been a difficult week learning more and more information about a person Bike man and I know and like, that allegedly has gotten himself into problems with financial issues and personal issues. Then I learn my church is also struggling with legal issues, and my church body will have to make some tough decision in the next few months. Should a person quickly judge and find fault with someone? Should we get mad and blame....pointing fingers?

I guess this is where you have to ask yourself, what pleasure do I get from talking negatively about that person or the situation? If one thing, I've learned to look at all sides of the issue and not be quick to judge....it's hard I know, but I don't live in a glass house and I have certainly made mistakes in my life. My Christian background has taught me to forgive and then move on. I've also learned to keep struggles, issues and certain people in my prayers, instead of condemning them. Yes, that's also hard and I can speak from exprience when I say this.

So, my message today is to forgive, move on, and most importantly....... love. Whether you believe in God or not (and I hope you do), love will bring you peace in your everday life. Thank you all for being faithful blog readers.....I do appreciate your daily visits.