Good morning.

Unfortunately, I am feeling under the weather. It started yesterday and I feel awful. A sinus thing, I suspect.

So I’m posting that I won’t be posting, if that makes sense.

I’ll be back on Friday.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Stella in black and white.

Something I did on a whim yesterday. I was making our oatmeal and the sun was shining on the stove and it looked pretty.

It was sunny all day yesterday and my mood completely changed. A couple of projects that I had been contemplating were completed with ease. I had lots of energy. So did Don. The sun, especially when it’s bouncing off the white color of snow, makes me happy and fills the house with light.

Of course, today is another story as we have a major snow event headed our way. It won’t impact us until sometime after 7 pm, so there’s time to run a few last minute errands this morning. Don tested the snowblower yesterday and it’s running just fine. We have the heat turned down because we’re low on heating oil and have to make what’s there last until Monday. It can’t simply be a snow storm, it has to be a snow storm with us wearing several layers of clothing and fingerless gloves inside the house. Right?

This too shall pass.

I’ve been daydreaming about spring. Green appearing everywhere. Cleaning out the garden beds. Ah….

Don made an apple pie yesterday but we have yet to sample it. That will happen this afternoon, after lunch.

There’s not much else to report, my friends. We’re in a waiting mode. Waiting for the storm. Waiting for heating oil. (Have you noticed that this shortage of oil happens to us at least once every winter? Yikes.)

Stay safe, especially all of you who live in the path of this storm.

Happy Saturday.

I finished “The World of Miss Marple” late in the afternoon yesterday.

The artist did a bang-up job of creating Marple’s world. The muted colors give it a period feel. I had fun with this one. You can see Miss Marple in the center. She’s dressed in blue and she’s knitting.

Sigh. We have a major snow event coming Saturday night into Sunday. The forecast says anywhere from 5 to 10 inches. We also have more snow coming next week. I guess February is going to be the month of very wintry weather. Don will get to use the snowblower, though I suspect he’d just as soon not.

We had snow yesterday, just an inch or so, but it was combined with sleet, so it was very icy. We cleared it as best we could. It’s quite windy today and the wind chimes are constantly ringing. But the sun has just emerged, which helps.

This morning, we saw a lot of birds flying around the property. They were very active. The birds that I could see clearly were bluebirds. Normally, I see them – if I see them – right around midwinter, when they are in the process of migrating northward. But last autumn, I saw a LOT of them migrating southward. I’d never seen so many migrating birds of all types on the property. Perhaps we’ve been included in some AAA-type guide that offers information on safe places to stop while traveling? If so, I’m grateful. It was so neat to watch them fly all over the property, silhouetted against the colors of the sunrise.

In the midst of this somewhat bleak midwinter, the visiting birds are a much needed splash of joy.

By the way, I’ve never read any of the Miss Marple mysteries. Who knows why I never got to them? Well, I do – I’m not a big fan of the Cozy Mystery. But, I suspect they’d be a perfect antidote for these stressful days. Have you read them?

Stay safe.

Happy Friday,