Life: Through the Lens

 Procrastination! The name of the game this past week has been "procrastination."  I have a list of things I want to work on.  I even prioritize them.  There is not a lack of choices.  There is even some variety.  And yet....I choose a puzzle, which of course I can not stop putting in just a couple more pieces.  It must be time to walk the dog, as well.  We can't forget our devoted companion!   There is certainly something entertaining outside my window, as well.  All I have to do is look up from that puzzle!   Maybe I should head down to Ballyhoo Books and Brew to see if there is a must-read on the shelf,  and I must purchase a chai latte while I warm by the fire on these chilly January afternoons.  Then I finally get out my list, ready to start working on my of my projects, and there is one more thing to distract me.  I must say, it IS a windy wintery day today! Well, tomorrow is another day.     How ...

Snow Days! Oh my, how I do love snow days.  It is obviously a throw-back from my years teaching, as there is no "reason" to celebrate the day.  It is cold.  You can't get out because of snow and ice.  Meetings are cancelled or postponed.  But I think that's what makes it special for those of us with lots of hobbies and activities.  The first question seems to be "What should I do today?"  And there are lots of choices!    You can obviously shovel a path for the dog...because she couldn't possibly do her "business" when the snow is so deep and cold! (Have you read the book by Judy King titled The Bent-Handled Snow Shovel?  Humorous memoir...fun read!) https://www.amazon.com/Bent-Handled-Snowshovel-Judy-King/dp/1939502470/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3RDYVJTRULV5I&keywords=the+bent+handled+snow+shovel+book&qid=1705353689&sprefix=the+bent+handled+snow+shovel+book%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-1 Or, you could stay in doors and watch the wildlife loo...

We have been in a creative funk, and I decided it was time to do something about that!  We went into slow-mo prior to the pandemic, but once that hit it seemed we stopped moving forward.  No travel.  Little, if any photography, but we did turn to reading A LOT!  Political, mystery, self-help (well, not much of that)...not all bad, really.  There was gardening, movie watching and jig-saw puzzles (which really is NOT our cup-of-tea). Coming out of this slow period of life,  we have finally picked up speed.  Maybe a bit too much!  I have SO many projects on my plate, and I have decided to tackle one more.  A new shift in the blog - I hope this will provide the motivation I need to get moving! Stay tuned! Roamin' is back!

I can't believe another year is drawing to a close, and our Christmas celebrations are winding down.  We have had some lovely family times, and unexpected moments of reflections. For instance, on Christmas Eve we were supposed to have our family Christmas dinner prior to church services.  The morning of the 24th we woke to find no power.  In fact, a very large section of mid-Michigan did not have power, though for some reason the center of town did! Hoping for the best, we lit candles (since we have gotten our fabulous puppy we have been getting up earlier than usual) and lit the gas stove to make tea.  With the advent of the iPad and Kindle we could read for a while, while calling Consumers Power to try and get a handle on how long we might not have power.  And the day slowly moved forward. It became apparent we would not have power back that day, and maybe for another day or two on top of that.  With an unexpectedly warm December, th...

Last week we were able to get away for a few days for our annual Color Tour of upper Michigan, though it is later in the season than we typically like.  But you take what you can get...and we had a lovely, if somewhat wet and cold time!  Have camper, and puppy, will travel! When we plan our excursions we like to revisit some favorite haunts, and explore new places as well.   We were surprised to find that most campgrounds had closed for the season, but we managed to find a wonderful KOA campground in St. Ignace that was still open, and a couple of questionable establishments which we by-passed.  Fortunately we also found a very nice pet-friendly motel in Marquette for one of the nights, and certainly found the service very good, and the new owner was very friendly and accommodating. The color was past prime in the Upper Peninsula, but we still had a lovely time exploring.  Our first "must see" location is always Pete's Lake, near Munisin...

Travel across country is sometimes a bit monotonous.  I-80 is one long, straight highway, with a lot of truck traffic, construction, and flat farmland for miles and miles and miles. Sunshine or showers, the road stretches before you. Sometimes there isn't much to look at, so time needs to be passed in a variety of ways -  Working on a knitting project... ...meeting a cowboy at McDonalds... ...learning about energy sources at a rest stop... ...wondering how close to true certain messages are.... Pastureland and farm fields become more vast the farther west you go, and Iowa turned into Nebraska with little fanfare.  It wasn't until we reached the western part of Nebraska that the landscape began to change. So Iowa became Nebraska, which became Wyoming, which became Colorado.     Colorado provided a rather dramatic welcome. We arrived in Fort Collins safe and sound...and feel we are truly beginning our adventure...