Keepin' Busy

We are well into winter, with its short daylight hours and long nights.  I start getting more depressed this time of year - especially after the abrupt halt of fun activities leading up to Christmas and the New Year.  One thing that I typically do in the (long, long) evenings this time of year, is puzzles...or if I get a new set for Christmas...Legos.

Luckily, I did get a new Lego set for Christmas, the Himeji Castle.  It is already finished, but it was fun to do and fun to play with the lights now that it is finished.

We have had snow on and off for the past few weeks...about 4.5 inches of snow for New Year's Eve... requiring L's party guests to spend the night.  Following that, we had a big thaw, with temps on Friday topping out in the mid-60's.  Today it is cold and snowing again.  We are getting whiplash around here!  While walking in the snow last week, I found this interesting print in the snow.  It looks to me like a bird of prey (likely a red tailed hawk, as we have lots of them around here) caught a tiny beast in the snow!

The other after Christmas activity that always happens is the Putting-Away-of-Christmas-Gifts, which occasionally requires the Clearing-Out-of-Old-Crap activity.  I had actually done a bunch of the second activity well before Christmas, and stuff had been sitting around in boxes in our storage area for a couple of months, making it difficult to get to the wrapping paper!  In addition, I could no longer close the door to the garage closet where we keep the recycling and burnable trash.  So last week one day became the Getting-Rid-of-All-That-Stuff day.  I took 4 boxes of stuff to Goodwill, and dropped off the recycling on the way, since we no longer have a recycling facility in our area, and also burned the burnable trash in the incinerator.  I put all of the seats in the Highlander down, and the back was completely full!  So.  Much.  More.  Space!

Of course, since I was at Goodwill, I had to look around a bit.  I came home with a complete set of "Planet Earth" DVD's that looks new, a 3 disc set of "Finding Dory", and a brand new puzzle for a grand total of $11.38.

It came in a cute little box that looks like a book!

Currently, I am waiting for JP and J to let me know that they are on their way home from the city so that I can start dinner.  J is coming home to have a combined birthday celebration for L and me.  L slaved all evening yesterday baking a Turtle Cake for the occasion.  

Tomorrow, L heads back to work.  JP and I will take J back to the city, but first will take her and her roommate to pick up a second hand kiln that we will be storing here until they have space/need for it.  We already have J's used pottery wheel in the barn.  They are gradually acquiring the things they will need for their own studio one day.

L and I also put together this puzzle.  It was also thrifted, and was missing a piece.  😞

I'm staying busy enough lately that I haven't yet sunk too far down into the doldrums.  Let's hope it stays that way!