A Look Ahead - January

Happy New Year! And, happy first birthday for my blog! Marty, my little blog greeter, is hopping up and down in celebration! It is hard to believe that it was just one year ago that I started this little adventure. I now find myself constantly thinking of topics and taking pictures that I consider “blog-worthy”, ha-ha! And, I have been lucky enough to make many wonderful new friends along the way! Thank you for visiting with me (and Marty), making it so much fun, and extending your warm friendship. I will be having a bloggy giveaway as part of the festivities, so be on the lookout for that post!

Whew! Where did December go? How about 2008? Zoom, zoom – the whole year went by in a flash (except for the unending political campaigning). I thoroughly enjoyed being retired this past year. Without the stress and time commitment of the work grind, I lived in the moments, savoring the changes of the months and seasons. I don’t recall being able to enjoy life this way since I was a little girl. It has been a blessing.

The new wall calendars are hanging up today and the old ones are down. I’m not particularly fond of cold weather, but I do love the pace of January. No hoopla and no yard work. It is time to bundle up inside and have some indoor playtime in the studio! I have several projects lined up, and I also plan to get back into stitching the Noah’s ark series. I have been also been reading several books the past couple of months, and more books wait for my attention this month. It is refreshing to get back into a reading habit.

I am oh-so happy that the orthopedic doctor was able to help my knee last month with fluid draining, a cortisone shot, and new medication. The treatments worked! Now I am exercising and bending the knee in earnest so that I can bravely use it for going up and down stairs. I know that the cortisone remedy is not a long-term fix, and I will probably need it again later on this year. The bone-on-bone discomfort of arthritis remains. But I am content at the moment to regain some of my former mobility and buy some precious time.

Sadly, my sweet hubby has experienced some leg pain for the past month, and he recently consulted with his orthopedic doctor. It seems that an arthritic hip is getting worse and he needs a cortisone injection in it to reduce the inflammation. It is a lot more difficult to do the procedure on a hip, so he has a hospital out-patient appointment in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, he is hobbling. Our fingers are crossed that he will get as much relief as I did for my knee. This getting old business is not fun!

The contingency contract on our house has expired and the prospects did not renew it. They still have their home on the market, which signals to us that perhaps they remain interested in purchasing ours. We continue our marathon wait for a buyer. We’re not happy campers about it, but we are trying to make the best of it and just go on with our lives as best as we can. Hubby will be drafting up his seed order soon for the vegetable gardens. We both got outside a few days ago, during the brief 70 degree weather, and planted some more daffodil bulbs in the flowerbeds near the road. We figure we’re going to be here for the long haul.

We haven’t decided where we will be traveling in 2009. We are in a temporary holding pattern until we have some progress on our medical issues. But we are starting to do our research and discuss our ideas!

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. I always have improvement goals for myself, regardless of what day it is on the calendar. And, these goals change as circumstances change. I very much consider myself a work in progress, LOL!

We are looking forward to an interesting year ahead. We always hope for enough “up” moments to more than make up for the “down” ones. We will be looking for those wonderful opportunities for find joy along our life path, pausing to marvel at the delights of everyday living and make a pleasant difference in the lives of others.

May your New Year be healthy, happy, and prosperous!