Thank you for all of the wonderful comments on my anniversary post! They mean so much to me. Let’s face it, everyone wants to feel appreciated, and reading your words made my day.

Thank you. Thank you for being here, for interacting with me and fellow blog readers, for making me laugh and cry, for keeping me honest.

On to another year!

Yesterday’s progress.

I really love The New Yorker  cover puzzles. I received another one in yesterday’s mail. The artwork is always compelling and I learn a lot about the artist’s style while working the puzzle. I worked on it a lot in the afternoon, right after we filled nylon stockings with salt, tied them off and put them on top of the ice-filled gutters, which was a challenge. Finding nylons was also a challenge, since I rarely wear them and did a thorough reorganization and purging of my dresser not too long ago. I found some old tights, which I cut up and used, but we needed more of these ‘snakes’ so I went back to the bedroom and found some way back in a drawer. Excellent. I did this before, several years ago, and it worked. I had completely forgot about this solution until a reader’s helpful comment reminded me of it.

Today? Snow. In fact, it’s snowing outside right now. Don just ran up to the store for a few things because after this morning, it will be snowing heavily through tomorrow. My guess is another 6 inches. Next week, we have a warm-up coming. And rain.

I’ve had my fill of winter, thank you very much.

Still reading Mrs. Tim Carries On – I’ve been concentrating so much on the puzzles that I haven’t read as much as I normally do. Nor have I done any more work on the dollhouse. (I will, I’m just not real inspired at the moment.) Let’s face it, jigsaw puzzles are my thing at the moment. Once Spring arrives, all of that will change as I head outdoors again. But for now, with the endless lockdown, they really save my sanity.

Still staying away from the news. That is also saving my sanity.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

I finished while Don was baking an apple pie yesterday at approximately 2 pm. As often happens, there was one piece missing and the two of us were looking everywhere for it. I lifted the wooden board off the table and peeked under it. Nothing. More searching. And then I lifted the board once again, this time entirely off the table, and there it was, tucked in the corner.

I left it in place overnight and after I finish this post, I’ll take it apart and start the next one.

We’re in for some pretty vile weather this week, starting off with freezing rain and “significant” icing overnight. We get a break on Wednesday and then Thursday brings us several inches of snow and some ice.

Lovely.

February, the shortest month, has been packed with constant large snowfalls, storms, ice, you name it. I’m over it. Please Spring – come a little early this year!

No vaccine appointments available and frankly, making one this week would be foolish. Even if it’s not icing or snowing, there is shoveling, snow blowing and salting to do. I just pray that everyone stays off the roads, stays safe, and that we don’t lose power.

One last thing, I panicked when I heard “Next week on the season finale” while watching All Creatures Great and Small  last night. Oh no! My goodness, this series is excellent – beyond excellent. On every level. And it’s just what we need right now, isn’t it? Back to what truly matters; goodness, decency, kindness, compassion. I have loved every second of it. I find myself thinking, will filming of the next season be delayed because of COVID? How long will we have to wait? I’m hoping they already have the next season in the can, but who knows?

Dee Dee, one of the readers of this blog, lives fairly close to the town where the series was filmed. It’s extraordinarily beautiful country and we’d love to visit someday. And we long to go back to Paris.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.