Webbed Feet and Feathers

The sunny South hasn't been so sunny lately.  This is the view from my front door this morning.  Not unlike many other days this winter.  There were 13 strategically placed rainy days in December.  

Note the 3 Saturdays and 4 Sundays!  Lovely!  Not too bad, though, considering there were 19 days with above normal daytime temps.  Now to be honest, not all of this rain fell during daylight hours, and we have no drought concerns for the moment, but seriously...every weekend?  

And then there's January with 4 rainy days already, and all but 2 days the low temps have been below average.  But do you think we got any snow?  All the moisture dries up before the cold air arrives.  We are either freezing or floating.

I won't complain (too much) because compared to other parts of the country, the winter is balmy and fairly typical for our area.  No sub-zero temperatures and no wind chills equal to my age.

But would it be too much to ask for a little snow?  I'd trade my webbed feet and feathers for some snow boots and mittens.

So how's your weather - too hot, too cold, too much snow (or not enough)? 

Getting Started in the New Year

With the new day comes new strength 

and new beginnings. - Eleanor Roosevelt

Welcome to 2014.  A new year, new adventures, new beginnings and new memories.  Do you make resolutions?  Do you start hitting the gym, begin diets, make a bucket list?  Do you suffer the disappointment of not keeping your resolutions, your diet stalls and you end up as a couch potato by the time the Super Bowl rolls around?

The new year is a good time to begin afresh, but the best of intentions fail when you try to implement too much change at once, at least this has been my experience.  

So I don't make resolutions for the new year.  Instead I set goals and continually strive to eat better, exercise more, stay positive, be nicer, be more organized (stay organized) and a whole host of other things.

Every time I fall off the wagon, I pick myself up, brush the dust off and remind myself that I can do this.

Here are some tips on how to start small and accomplish your goals (not resolutions).

• Pick one or two things that you think you can do regularly. If you don't exercise, try walking for 15 minutes every day.  If you do work out, add a class, increase a weight, time or distance.  

• Instead of a full blown diet, choose a healthy snack such as yogurt or nuts over candy and chips or water over sugared beverages.

• Skip the numbers.  Forget the holiday statistics.  Don't focus on your weight in pounds.  Let your body be your guide.  You will know when things are working for you.  

• Get organized one project at a time.  Change is overwhelming so don't decide to do a major overhaul in January and find yourself afloat in chaos come Spring.  Make a list. Compartmentalize each project so that you start and finish one before moving on to another.  This will keep your house in order and your sanity intact.

• Try something new.  This can be anything from creative arts to taking a cooking class, learning a foreign language, travel or volunteering.  Find your passion and embrace it.

• Relax.  This is something many of us need to work on.  We think if we are relaxing, i.e. "doing nothing" that we are wasting time, not being productive or just lazy.  Not true. Relaxation allows you to restore your balance, reduce stress and increase focus when you return to your activities.

Remember, starting small doesn't mean thinking small.  Whatever you dream, you can do.

Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Quote of the Week

The heart, like the mind, has a memory.  And in it are kept the most precious keepsakes.  ― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The memories we store in our minds bring forth pictures, sounds and smells. The memories of the heart are a bit harder to describe.  The best thing I can come up with is that memories of the heart are feelings.  Not just things that touch us visually, but how we felt at that moment in time.

For example, the picture above appears to be just barren trees in winter, but it was taken not so much for what it was, but the the way I felt looking at how the sunlight played upon the branches against the clouds in the background.

In a few days we begin a new year...and with it new memories.

Quote of the Week

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

From our house to yours, Merry Christmas!

Quote of the Week

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.  - Hamilton Wright Mabi

Twinkling lights that cast a warm glow in the night are a sign that Christmas is just around the corner.  Would that the spirit of the season lasted, not just through the holidays, but throughout the year.