I Can't Believe It is Almost February!

Yes, almost February!  I hope some of you got to see the "Wolf Moon" last night.   It was the first full moon of the New Year, and the closest a full moon will be this year.  If you would like to read more about the full moon names, see this web site:   http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names/     It was really beautiful here in Poughkeepsie, as it was so COLD and Clear the past several nights.  If I had not been on my way to work, I would have tried to stay out and enjoy it and maybe take photos.  I did go use the fancy viewing binoculars down at the park on the Hudson to look at it.  The nights leading up to the full moon were also great viewing times here.  Last weekend when Hayden was here we looked at the waxing moon through the fancy commercial viewing binoculars down on the river at Waryas Park. 

The river still has ice, but with the warmer days earlier in the week, there is less of it.  This morning on my walk though, there were sheets of thinner ice (versus the big chunks that there usually are) drifting gently down river, until they ran into the remainder of the large chunks, making cracking and moaning sounds.  It is truly awesome to listen to the sounds of the ice on the river.  There were BIRDS! amazingly, swimming and diving in the river.  It is hard to imagine that they were finding any food, with the water so cold. 

It is a beautiful, clear, CRISP sunny day here.  Twelve Degrees!  at the local Dutchess County Airport.  Pretty darn cold!  Too cold to want to go outside and enjoy the weather!  But, alas, I am on my way to bed anyway, as I have to work again tonight.  BUT, the patients are doing good, and the past nights have been pleasant.  And so I hope it continues, at least for one more night.

Weekend with Hayden

I picked Hayden up Friday afternoon from his after-school care near his home and we headed back north to Poughkeepsie.   We stopped to do our grocery shopping and picked up "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs" (the DVD).  I had not seen it, and liked the book.  As it turns out, the movie is much different than the book, but still fun to watch.  Saturday, after a slow start to the morning, I decided to see if I could introduce Hayden to cross country skiing.  We went to Belleayre Mountain, to the same trails that Mike and I had gone to when he was here.  The ski rental shop's smallest child's cross country shoe/boot was not quite the right size, but with an extra pair of socks we made it work.  The day was clear, sunny, and warm.  There was still a fair amount of snow on the trails, but it had warmed and refrozen, so it was kind of "crunchy" and packed down slick in some places.  Not the nice fresh powdery snow that Mike and I had.  BUT, it was still fun and since it was warmer, at least Hayden didn't complain about being too cold.  We started out with all the requisite falling down, but once Hayden saw that I, too, fell down fairly frequently, I could tell he didn't feel so bad.  At least he had a MUCH easier time getting up once he fell!  That is the hardest part for me.  Much easier to take one ski off than try to get up with both on sometimes.  I guess my ankles and knees are just not as flexible!  Plus, Hayden is much closer to the ground! (shorter)  By the time we were half way through the trail we had both gotten much better.  I felt that I did improve my skills some over last time, especially considering the slipperiness of the trails.  At the end of the trail Hayden did say "That was Awesome!"  So, I hope that means he will go with me again.  Sometimes I feel that he says things like that just to make me think he enjoyed it.  He seemed to like it much more than ice skating, so maybe he will go with me again.

When we got home we called Dad and Rita with Skype, and after some technical difficulties did have a fun chat.  Then it was pizza and meatballs for supper.  AND of course watching "Meatballs" again.  We played a couple of games before bed.  Hayden beat me at the "I SPY" Memory game (similar to playing Concentration with picture cards), but I won at Dominoes.  Then stories and bedtime.  I read one book, and Hayden read one to me, and then we were soundly asleep.  This cross country skiing really makes me sleep good!

Christmas Past

We are now more than halfway through January, but I am still feeling the spirit of Christmas and believe this is going to be a Great Year!  Looking back at last year I have tried to figure out what worked and what didn't work for me.  Remembering the times I felt the lowest, and the happiest times of the year may help me plan this new year to make the most of it.  I have also posted some new photos and a video of Hayden from his school Holiday Concert on my flickr site.  If I can figure it out, I will try to post the video on this page.  But, if you don't see it and are interested, please go to flickr to watch it.  Yes, I know, it is past history now, but I couldn't get things to download in the short time I had in December, a very busy month for me.  I am still learning how to arrange things and make them happen on my blog. 

Our snow is melted, after a couple 40 degree days.  For those of you in Nebraska........I would really like to have some of your snow!  I remember fondly the winters growing up in Nebraska, especially the big drifts and piles of snow next to the driveway on Benton Street.  And, playing in the snow at Grandma's house in Missouri.  I REALLY do LOVE snow.  It is so magical for me.  I think about why this is so and am just not sure what the fascination is.  IT is JUST frozen rain!, but oh so pretty and almost mystical. It covers everything so quietly and wondrously.  I wonder if it is genetic (coming from kin who were from cold climes such as Scotland)?, or the desire to return to childhood, or what?  Any ideas, readers out there?

Well, I am going to hope for more snow!  At least until late March, when it will be the beginning of boating season again!

TIME

Time is going way too quickly.  With my Christmas trip to California with Mike, I did not even get any Christmas stuff posted. So, I am going to go ahead and put some of the photos up anyway, even though it is past. The photos of Hayden's concert are not as good as I would like.  It was a full room, and the program went pretty quickly, without much warm up. The children's voices were wonderful though, and the expectant looks on their faces priceless.  It was heartwarming to see Hayden's smile light up when he saw me in the audience.

Mike and I had a great time with his kids and extended family.  Full houses of happy people, tons of great food (too much), sharing of good times, and some new scenery for me.  We visited the Felton/Santa Cruz area, Manteca (down in the valley), and Yosemite (just for a day trip).  We got to see Jupiter and the moon through a very nice telescope.  The colored bands on Jupiter were awesome to see, along with the moons of Jupiter, and our own moon.  The trip to Yosemite for the day took us from 50 degree weather, rain, sleet, clear skies, and then fresh new snow up in the Yosemite Valley.  During the clear skies we saw El Capitan, Half Dome, Bridal Veil Falls, Yosemite Falls, the Brothers.  Then back down out of the valley, to the "other" valley (San Joaquin/Central Valley) where Manteca is.  We played Trivia at the local pub with Mike's two older (college age) children in Santa Cruz (came in 3rd) and had a wonderful time walking around the area.  It was a much needed "real" Christmas vacation for me.

It is the first time I have had extended planned time off around Christmas to really enjoy it since ???  I can't really remember when....maybe the year I left school nursing and Rachel and I flew to Lincoln for Christmas (1994?).  I've had other memorable Christmases since then, but with only a day or two off, if that.  There was Hayden's first Christmas, in 2004 when we all went to Rob's Aunt Barb's for a couple days.  That was a nice year, until the tragic event of the tsunami hit the news.  And then all of us except Rachel got sick within a couple days of Christmas.  Share the good times, share the germs! Then there was the first Christmas I was in St. John (2001?).  Rachel flew down and stayed on the boat with Mike and me.  It was a wonderful time, except I had to work Christmas Day, so Mike and Rachel enjoyed the Caneel Bay Resort and beach and cooked me a yummy dinner when I got off.  There are many more wonderful Christmases that I remember, even if I did work through parts of them, but as I try to think back over past Christmases, it is scary to not be able to remember each and every one!  Where do the brain cells go?!!  eek!

The ski photos are from just this past week when Mike and I went to Pine Hill, NY to cross country ski on Belleayre Mountain.  I enjoyed it much more than downhill last year.  The fear of falling is not quite so acute.  Plus, the snow was deep, fresh, and very soft.  No one else had been out on some of the trails, so nothing was packed down.  I've found my sport for the new year.  We only had to drive a little over an hour to get there, and cross country equipment is much less expensive to rent or buy.  Plus, we didn't need lift tickets!  The aerobic workout felt good.  Fairly low impact (unless of course you fall down!) And being in the snowy woods with such quiet beauty was awesome.

Now, as the beginning of the year evolves I try to make resolutions that I can keep and start with a fresh outlook.  And keep that fresh outlook going!

Books!

One of my favorite loves----reading! I read several new books over the past month. One was THE NOTICER, by Andy Andrews. It "had" me from the cover. The quote on the front that read "This is the best book I have ever read in my life." just dared me to read it just to see if that could really be true. And, we could all use "a little perspective", or a new perspective at times in our lives. The writing is very clean and succinct and naturally leads one on to the next thought, page, or chapter. As the story progresses from the opening description of Jones, "just Jones", the reader is given a fresh outlook on seeing things with a different perspective than they may have had before. Jones, a seemingly itinerant person who knows everyone but whom everyone in town knows very little about appears at just the exact crucial time in different peoples lives. Through each interaction he has with the town's people we are shown how our perspective on life and how to lead it may be hindering our achievement of success and happiness. The situations he encounters and the people who are touched by Jones are all very believable. Jones always has great advice on how to make life better, from finding a life partner, keeping the one we have, getting a job, making friends, or figuring out what we want to do with our life. One of my favorite parts of the book is the one in which he explains the four dialects used to convey love. As a "self-help" book, it is far above any other that I have read. Jones imparts his knowledge by being a careful listener, a consummate "Noticer" and a skillful conversationalist. The author has created a wonderfully inspirational and intriguing way to make the messages flow. Throughout the book I often thought about parallels between Jones and Jesus but never felt that religion was a dominating issue. Spirituality maybe, but not religion. The book, for me, though, read more like a novel than a self help book, all the while presenting thoughtful, probing pointers on how to gain new perspectives. It was both an enjoyable and helpful read. The study guide at the back of the book would be very useful for group discussion but is also a good self study guide. It is a book that I will read again and refer back to when I feel "stuck" and need to change my perceptions and perspectives.