January

So, the Christmas decorations have been packed away and the furniture back in place. The only hint that Christmas is just over is the beautiful pink poinsettia my daughter gave me. It's a time to regroup and move into 2021. I have a few projects underway. Hannah provided prints from our family photo shoot back in October and I'm  framing them  for a display in the hallway. My closet needs a once-over, culling little worn items for the thrift shop. A 1,000-piece puzzle of Woman in Gold by Klimt awaits. I'm also hoping for a new writing assignment from Nemours.

Winter in Texas couldn't be more different than in Toledo, OH where I grew up. I remember bitter cold, big piles of grey snow and skies that rarely saw the sun. When we lived in Littleton, CO, the weather tended to be mild and sunny, but occasionally we had big snow storms. The post-holiday months in Berwyn, PA and northern Delaware, where we lived for a total of 25 years or so, were usually very cold and snowy. Our eight years in Williamsburg, VA were marked by two snow storms that each dropped two feet of the white stuff and paralyzed the town. In North Texas today, it's 65 degrees with not a cloud in the sky. The weather is generally quite mild during the next few months, with only an occasional dip into the low 30s. While my three grandchildren would love to see snow, I can live without it.

The corona virus continues to play a big part in everyone's lives. We have been very careful, staying home as much as we can, ordering groceries online and only seeing our immediate family. Andy and I registered with Dallas County to receive the vaccine, since we are both (way) over 65 and have underlying health conditions. I hope that with the new administration getting in gear, vaccinations will be ramped up considerably. The national news is heartbreaking, with so many infections, hospitalizations and deaths.

I will admit to being rather nervous about the whole thing. Although I've never had insomnia in the past, there are nights when I just can't get to sleep or wake up and can't settle back down. The only cure is to get up, have a snack and watch TV for a couple hours (Nashville on Hulu is my favorite) until I get good and sleepy. This drives our dachshund Toby nuts. He really wants me to go back to bed so he can curl up on the duvet. I give him a treat, let him sit on my lap for a while under the blanket, and eventually he curls up in the corner of the couch until I'm ready to return to the bedroom. 

I hope everyone who reads my blog will stay safe by wearing masks, washing hands and staying away from others. Get vaccinated as soon as possible. If we all work together, this misery will be a thing of the past.