March 1, 2013

March - A Look Ahead




Hello, March! I am turning the calendar page with glee. This is the month of daffodil blooms in east Tennessee, and I am delighted to proclaim that my glorious “daffies” have been unfurling for the past week in our little flowerbeds. There is finally a big enough showing to cut a bouquet for inside admiration and some will still remain outside to cheer any passerby.

I managed to get a few things accomplished last month. Most notably, I slugged through the annual chore of completing our income tax preparation and electronic filing. Imagine my surprise when the refund arrived in our checking account in only 7 days, a new record of blazing speed. That is a significant improvement over the 5-month wait that we endured a couple of years ago.

I also visited my orthopedic doctor in February for some continued care of the chronic tendinitis in my left knee. It seems that condition is a permanent one as a result of the replacement surgery several years ago. It is just one of several body parts that is uncooperative. A fresh cortisone shot has brought me some temporary relief. I also got another prescription for pain patches to minimize hobbling during our traveling adventures.

We are smiling like little kids on Christmas morning right now because our new dining room set arrived yesterday. It is gorgeous! Be sure to look for a future post about it and photos.

The date of the first photo challenge is rapidly approaching! It will be on Saturday, March 9, and “black and white” is the topic. Please visit A Personal Photo Challenge blog if you are interested in participating.

I am officially “back to school” with video training on lynda.com. I am a new affiliate, but I have proudly sung praises about their training quality for years. The course lessons on the Nikon D800 are cutting through my brain fog, thank goodness. There are about half dozen different courses I plan to take during March, including those for Apple software.

Learn it all. Learn it fast. Learn it now.

I’m going to hold my breath and take the plunge on changing my blog template. I have been reluctant to relinquish my old custom blog template and backgrounds. But the creation of the backgrounds has developed into a tedious chore. It’s also an unnecessary one with the ease of the new Blogger templates currently available. So you may expect to see some tinkering and redecorating in the days ahead.

I made significant progress last month in my closet clean-out campaign. Several bags have been carted off to Goodwill. More clean-out activity is planned for March too.

Of course, you can expect more photos this month of fascinating places we’ve seen on our travels. After a long hiatus, I have resumed post-processing of some original images. Who knows what I might unearth as I go digging around in my inventory?

May you see some seasonal changes in March that lift your spirit!

15 comments:

  1. Hey girl! Love your new look. Very pretty!

    Hope you have a great weekend; I'm sorry though that your knee is giving you problems.

    xoxo

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  2. you're doing good at clean-up.

    i've always used blogger templates for my blog - then changed up the colors to suit my own tastes.

    good luck with the camera class!

    and our refund arrived 7 days later, too - then they took it back out before it 'really' hit the acct, then put it back in again 2 days later. :) but still, 9 days is a record for us, too.

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  3. Sounds like a busy month ahead for you. Can't wait to see that new dining room set. Pretty new background you have

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  4. Lots is happening in your world. I like the new look to your blog. Sorry to hear (from the sidebar) that you are having spamming troubles.

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  5. I love these Hydrangeas. Very very pretty.
    You sure accomplished a lot in one month. Good for you.

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  6. I love that rabbit on your sidebar. He's so cute! Sorry your knee is giving you grief. I'm going to check in on your B&W photo contest. Hope you have a good weekend.

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  7. Well aren't you just on the ball with the taxes and everything. I can't wait to see your new dining set. I bet it is gorgeous!!!
    HUGS!
    Kim

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  8. Hi Donna, Welcome to March... I love it since it brings me hope that spring is not far behind... I say that as we have snow flurries here!!!! ha

    Good Luck with your class... And good luck with the template changes..I do love your purple on here though... Beautiful.

    Sorry about your knee. Glad it is not stopping you from traveling..

    Have a great weekend.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  9. Oh a knee that pains just doesn't fit in with your lifestyle. Glad that you're getting some relief with the cortisone shot, which doesn't sound all that pleasant. Have fun going to school and playing with the blog. I find that I like the traditional blog looks best and really am unhappy when gals give up their headers. You're not going to give up yours, are you? I think I've been in Blogdom too long. Obviously, I think I am queen or something the way I make such statements. ☺ I'm looking forward to the challenge and have already begun experimenting.

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  10. It's beautiful in here!! Can't wait to see photos of all your doings. Have a great weekend!

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  11. We have a CPA do our tax return... He said it could take up to a month to receive our refund.
    Love the new background Donna!! Beautiful!
    Would some type of brace or wrap help your knee to relieve the stress? Wish you could find some relief for the pain!
    Hughugs

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  12. I love your lavender hydrangeas- my favorite color and flower combination. I envy you your design talent. Nicely done Donna.

    Enjoy your refund ~:)

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  13. Oh I am so tired of hearing the weather person say, "you'll need to bundle up tomorrow for your work day". It's so cold and the snow continues to trickle down from the heavens. I hope my cedars enjoy the moisture. So it is not out of character for me to be envious of your daffys.

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  14. March came in like a lion...we've had snow four days now and more expected. I'm plain tuckered out!

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  15. Oh girl I need to do some clean-outs too. And I love Lynda, whose praises you sang to me last spring. Take good care of that knee.

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Marty, here! Donna loves comments, and I faithfully pass them on to her. Thank you so much for visiting!