Jumbled January

 

I'm getting complaints about my outdated blog
but I really don't know what to write.

Our January is a jumble of events with few connecting

threads running through them.

January is January.
It's more laid back; a month of recovery.
We try to not let anything exciting happen

so that we can recover from the busyness of the previous months.

 

Wesley left right after our trip south.

He headed for the cold country

where there are friends and Bible School.

Nathan stayed in the south for awhile
and returned home a week after us.

He is getting to be an expert Amtrak traveler.

 

Rudy returned to work on the 4th.
The girls started school on the 4th.

On the 4th, I plotted what I would do the next day,
which was my birthday.

 

 

 

I was well pampered.
Nathan took Tiana to her writing class, picked up Bethany,

took the girls to the library, and then they all went shopping.

 

I spent a few hours ALONE!

What a rare treat.

Then I had a massage.

Another rare treat.

 

Rudy brought home supper

and a birthday cake.

I had the night off.

 

Tiana made this supersized kiss for me...using MY chocolate chips!  :-)

 

We have been blessed with rain.
Nathan likes to take detailed photos
and this month his focus has been raindrops hitting the puddles.

 

One day we were trying to get home via a back road.
So much for CA not having any water.

We were glad to be in a high-clearance vehicle.

A car coming from the other direction had to turn around and

find another route.

 

The wet ground was good for pulling out old fence posts
but not so good for building a new fence.

 

 

January is good for cleaning things out.

The containers were matched with lids and the extra lids
and lidless containers were (gasp!)  THROWN AWAY!

 

 Seldom used toys were hauled out of the closet.

 

On warmer days the cats relaxed on the picnic table

where they could catch some rays of the setting sun.

 

Daisy was well loved.

 

One day, Tiana wrapped her in a blanket
and put her in the doll stroller.
I figured she would stay for a second or two.
Instead, she sat there for an hour, basically

only moving her head to keep people in her view.

She finally jumped out because Rudy came home for lunch.

 

I had to do some work on my photo albums

and I came across these pictures.

This snow suit belongs to a friend who bought it for her

first-born and whose grandchildren now wear it.

 

A chunk of the month was spent preparing on the sly
a surprise party for a special guy.

 

January holds a lot of promise.
It's the first month in a new year.

"Clean out" and "organize" are often the theme.

Going back to school is always shocking

no matter if it's the 4th, the 18th or the 25th

of the month.

Suddenly the month is done

and I am finally used to writing 2016...

most of the time.

 

We ended the month with a bang.

But, more on that next time.