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From sunshine to snowflakes

Five days ago we were in the Sunshine State - Florida. We spent a little over a month there and during that time it wasn't very sunny. It was warmer though - most days - than in our home state. I was actually cold there several days. When a southerner says, "It's cold here too", believe them. Sure, it's not below zero with a windchill of freeze to death, but it is cold. We are back in Maine now where it truly is cold, yet so refreshing.


We flew to New York to pick up a car we bought, then drove the rest of the way. We went from sunshine to snowflakes before we even reached home. About an hour and a half from our destination it began snowing. Wonderful! Don't get me wrong, I love the snow, but we had been up since 3:00am without really sleeping much before that, then hung around the dealership for almost 4 hours before heading north. We were exhausted and not looking forward to finishing the trip in a blinding snow storm.

Winter driving is always an adventure. It wouldn't be too bad except for those people who insist on driving the speed limit - and faster - in these conditions. Stephen fell asleep in the back, Bruce was at the helm, and I did my best to keep us both from nodding off. WKIT, Stephen King's rock station blared through the speakers and frequent rolling down of the windows to freshen up the cabin air, helped stave off the yawns. (Is rolling down the windows still used or did I just give away my age?)


We arrived safely at our residence shortly before 1am, home sweet home. I love to travel but I love coming home the best. We left the unpacking for the morning, sleep was all we wanted to do. Everything could wait until the next day, New Year's Eve.


We woke to a few inches of snow on the ground. It was so pretty.



Happy New Year!!!


How can it be a new year, I don't even have all my Christmas cards done yet? Yeah, I am one of those people, remember, I procrastinate. Every year, I vow to get my greetings done on time and every year, I fall short of that goal. This time, it wasn't completely my fault. I started doing them. I made a family update letter as a homemade Christmas card, but the printer ran out of ink. We didn't want to do any more shopping than needed while we were in Florida. We tried to order it, but delivery would have been too late also. So, here it is January 4, 2021 and I have a stack of 2020 Christmas cards to send out. Not much has changed yet. If you usually get a card from us, and don't get one this year, sorry. I failed again.


I used to make new year resolutions, but after failing year after year, it became too depressing. I decided a few years back to choose a word I could focus on for the year that would help me be better at whatever it is I want to be better at, at the time. It's ironic I have yet to choose procrastination. Probably because that word has negative vibes. I like feel-good words with a positive spin. I will not tell you my word for this year. I am struggling between a few. I might just keep all three. I picking a word so much better than resolutions. I am a work in progress, so having a word I can adapt to any situation seems to be a better way to evaluate my progress instead of racking up the failed attempts of a cut and dry resolution.




I wrote this for my late Christmas cards:


Even though this is late, we wanted to send greetings and well-wishes. We all can use as much kindness as we can get right now. I am always up for a little after-season holiday cheer and blessings, so I hope you are also.


I am sure by the time this reaches you, most everyone’s trees have been taken down, Christmas music is replaced with the news, Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services. But as the lights fade, let’s try to keep Christmas in our hearts to brighten our future and to help make 2021 the best that it can be.


Merry (belated) Christmas & Happy New year





As much as we love the sun Florida has to offer, we also love the snowflakes that pile up like they did with last night's storm of ten inches.



Christmas may be over, but it is still looking a lot like Christmas, so, my wish for all of you also, is for Christmas cheer to follow you through the year.


Happy Hiking,


Emily


Health Update:

I just realized I hadn't posted any updates. Well, all was going great in Florida. I was biking, stretching, and eating right and lost 8 pounds. Then Christmas week hit. I enjoyed the week. Didn't do any damage, yet, Need to get back on track, and I will, not just yet though. My favorite day of the year is Sunday. Most people celebrate one day for their birthday. I take the whole week, and often the whole Month. I will only indulge this week on my favorite foods and treats. The rest of the month I will continue to celebrate but with other fun things instead, like gifts. I hope hubby reads this and gets the hint. But he won't. He is an engineer, and they don't get hints.




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