February 2, 2013

February - A Look Ahead




First things first. Yes, I am alive. The congestion and cough haven’t completely subsided yet. It looks like the cold is going to take its sweet time in clearing out completely. The older I get, the harder it is to fight the wintertime cooties. As you may recall, I suffered through a cold when we went to Churchill in November too. Fiddlesticks.

I said goodbye and good riddance to January. Though we had some mild temperatures sprinkled throughout the month, our area received an extraordinary amount of rain. We logged in almost 13 inches, the second highest ever recorded for the month. This staggering amount tripled January’s average. A cold front has now settled in, and I see snow pelting down on the other side of my office window. I am not a fan of February’s weather either. It can zip by quickly, thank you very much. I've already started a countdown to March!

I’m running behind on posting photos of my journeys, but I hope to pick up the pace a little bit this month. Bear with me until get back up to normal speed again. The posting agenda includes more scenes from the snow country of Churchill and also the wilds of Alaska. There will be a variety of other subjects in my posts this month, and you won’t want to miss those either!

Mister Jim and I are deeply involved right now in planning our various major journeys for the calendar year. We have one lined up completely at this point: a fall trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone areas of Wyoming. Now we are working out the logistics for spring trip to southern Utah. Once we get that all of that nailed down and reservations made, then we’ll plot out details for a summer visit to Newfoundland. Oh my, it is shaping up to be a busy travel year for us!

If I get my energy back soon, I will continue with some sewing projects this month and also tackle some needed clean-outs here at our cottage. Mister Jim has completed some serious whittling in the clothes closet, and now I need to get my part done. You know what they say: “Hard work often pays off after time, but laziness always pays off now.” Words to live by! The dreaded task of preparing our income tax return is already underway.  I will cross that item off my to-do list by the end of the month.  

I received some unexpected recognition this past week. Travel Manitoba discovered the Churchill inukshuk image in my Flickr photostream, and they highlighted it as a their photo of the day on Twitter. Happy dance! Our tour group only visited the structure once in the daylight hours and only for a few minutes (since polar bears can lurk in this area). So I had to make the best of the conditions and limited time to capture the scene. Though there was a boring overcast sky, I was able to enhance the photo through digital editing to bring out some details.


The giveaway drawing for my handmade photo greeting cards closed yesterday. The winner was Ann of Snap Edit Scrap. Congratulations, Ann!

The famous Pennsylvania groundhog proclaimed that spring would arrive early. If the daffodils in our flowerbed are any indication, that prediction may be true. Daffodil blades have sprouted profusely through the mulch and some are already 6 inches tall. Blooms will unfurl this month! I love my daffies, so bring them on.

Best wishes for a good month in your neck of the woods!

19 comments:

  1. glad you're alive. :) congrats to ann!

    i enjoyed turning my calendar page to february, yesterday. :)

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  2. I'm glad you're feeling better; those colds take their own sweet time.

    Congrulations, Donna. That photo is so great, it needed some kind of acknowledgment.

    Get well soon so your can enjoy the travels. I cannot wait for spring even though our weather has been pretty good.

    xoxo

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  3. Hope you continue to feel better, Donna... Being sick in winter seems worse than other seasons... Bless your heart.

    We have about 3 inches of snow here today --and more is expected tonight--so they say. It's pretty--and since I love snow, you know that I'm happy!!!!!

    Congrats on your recognition.. That is so special.. You deserve it.

    So glad you are going to Yellowstone and the Tetons. I am beginning to share photos from when we were there in Sept... Ask me anything if you have questions --but give yourself plenty of time since that area is huge. We had 5 busy days there --but needed more.

    We also were in southern Utah in 2011... Beautiful area also. Stay in Kanab --and you can visit the northern rim of the canyon, Zion, Bryce, Cedar Breaks, Kolob, etc... Highway 12 is an awesome drive... Then there is much more in southeastern Utah which we haven't seen. Questions?

    Can't help you with the Newfoundland trip--but it's somewhere we'd love to go sometime. We are not taking a big trip this year --after house renovations and a new car in 2012.. We're building he kitty back up!!!!

    Have a great weekend.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  4. Great news on your Inukshuk, photo. And congratulations to the winner of your lovely cards. Stay warm, keep well. It's been brutally cold up here in the Great White North, and icy as well, my poor pond fish, the ice melter. Get well soon.

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  5. You're just becoming famous girl! I do hope you feel better. I once again acted like a kid at an amusement part and now my throat is irritated. OY!

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  6. I have been soooo lucky this year not to get a cold. Once I get one it seems to hold on and on. I hope you get your strength back soon.
    I cannot wait to see the pictures you will take in Yellowstone! It is one of my favorite places in the world and with you skill and style they will be amazing!
    Congrats on the recognition.

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  7. Congrats on having your photo featured. And congrats to your winner! I know she is thrilled! I hope you continue to feel betterl. I know that stuff just hangs on forever. Take care, sweet friend! Hugs!

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  8. Glad to hear that you are still hanging in there hope that cold leaves you soon.
    Congrats on that photo being featured.
    Thanks again too, I'm thrilled to have won. Your photos are so amazing I know I'll love them

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  9. Congrats!!! i love traveling - we both do - if only we could do it more often. i love the word "cooties"... gets me into fits of giggles all the time. ha. ha!! ( :

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  10. I'm so happy you're feeling better, and it's wonderful your picture was highlighted! It's a beautiful photo!

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  11. Donna, you must have been thrilled when your awesome photo was highlighted.
    Winter's gloom can take a toll on our minds and body's hopefully making plans for you next journeys will help you to feel better.
    be well n happy :)

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  12. Congratulations on your recognition! How neat! I can't wait to see all the photos you come up with from your trips. Hope you get to feeling better soon.

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  13. Glad you are on the mend and congratulations!! Well deserved.

    Wyoming...always a state I wanted to visit, so I'm excited I'll get to travel through your eyes ♥

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  14. The colds are lasting forever here, too! Must just be a bad year for them...hope it's gone SOON!

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  15. Glad you are feeling better! Congrats on your flickr photo.

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  16. SO glad you're better...I hate colds AND the cold of Winter!
    Can't wait to begin "our" travels, especially to Newfoundland! How fun!
    CONGRATULATIONS on the photo in TM!!
    You are SO Good at photography Girl!
    Stay warm!
    hughugs

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  17. I hope you are completely well soon! Be careful - I have heard of this winter cold turning to bronchitis and pneumonia.

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  18. I'm glad you are on the mend. You've been on my mind over the past few days and I've wondered how you were doing. Congratulations on your recognition! You deserve it.
    ~Adrienne~

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  19. Oh, no. You'll have to visit Australia Donna, we had 16 inches of rain over the long weekend here at the end of January!
    ;-)
    But the weather for February is being very pleasant and much cooler,after the frightful HOT (as well as WET and HUMID) weather we had for over a month.

    Hope February brings you better health, and some pleasant surprises.

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