Two posts in 2017. I wanted to be sure there was a least one for 2018 :)
So. Winter always gets under my skin, and getting creakier and achier has me internalizing. A month long cold got on my last nerve. Crazed hot flashing and disturbed sleep have me half insane. I'm hanging in though, holding on tight to my sense of humor and my family, making myself reconnect and go out with my friends, which is hard to do, but I'm glad I'm doing it. Hubby and I are playing lots of cards, gin mostly, taking little trips, and going to concerts - I'm pretty sure live music is the best antidepressant I've ever had. I'm listening to lots of music while I do my chores and cook -. Tedeschi Trucks, Doyle Bramhall II, JJ Gray and Mofro and M83 are on my current playlist.
This year, I set small goals, no resolutions. My mantra is Be Here Now. No forwards or backwards fretting. Easier said than done, as I'm a natural born worrier. So, I'm trying to cook more, eat healthy foods, drink more tea and less alcohol, organize my life a bit better, declutter, and mostly try to let go of lots of things both material and mental. Results are mixed.
Impossibly huge puzzles are a good distraction, and lots of Netflix. Godless blew me away, almost as good as Deadwood. Stranger Things, Ozark, The Crown and Mindhunter were riveting. Watch them if you can.
Attention span for old favorite activities like blogging, camera photography or reading is elusive. I do snap pictures on my phone constantly though. Obsessively. Trying to capture it all so I don't forget these moments. I have 9,278 pictures on my phone and will run out of memory soon if I don't do something about my digital hoard.
Since I have no decent words to make sense of much of anything, I will stop writing now and share with you 0.2 percent of my iphone pictures.
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| Because Puppies. Florida School Service Dog Foster Pups :) |
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| Didn't know at the time, but the last collegiate competition for us - so glad I went |
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| Very cold but lovely day at the beach in Gulf Shores Alabama |
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| 2000 piece puzzle I finished for the new year, excellent distraction |
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| A long chilly walk in the park with sculptures |
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| My favorite tree in the park |
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| My favorite boulder along the Fox River edge |
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| A Thanksgiving walk in the woods with our girl |
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| This tree got a hug |
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| Holidays were warm and cozy and flew past. |
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| The last 22 hour Florida road trip home from school - new school travel time is thankfully under 3 hours |
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| A long renovation, but good riddance to the big old unused spa tub, hello lovely shower built for a tall man :) |
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| This 2000 piece puzzle is going to break my spirit and my neck |
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| 20 years here and just discovered Chicago Riverwalk - the city is even more stunning than we knew |
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| Especially at night.... |
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| ...except for the Rump Tower self-aggrandizing monolith |
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| My bursitis and the weather let us walk for miles, all the way to Lake Michigan and back, thank you |
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| Enough with the snow please |
That's it for now. Thanks for visiting.
Wishing you a kind and peaceful 2018, filled with lovely photo opportunities.
xo