Goodbye January

Above is the view from my kitchen table, where I sit writing today. At least the sun is shining on this last day of January, but we woke to single digit temps and a stiff breeze that let us know winter still has us firmly by the scruff of the neck. Every now and again we are given a little shake, as if winter wants to let us know it could break us, if it really wanted. I'm not going down without a fight, however.

I've been low this winter, not feeling up to writing much, and today's sunshine was enough to rouse me. Gourdo, who has to keep busy always, has been at work on a project, building shelves to house a television and books in our living room. Ooooh yeah! Food Network is on!

The house is turned upside down as a result of the bookshelf project. I think that is adding to the feeling of malaise. As soon as I'm finished with this brief, keep-in-touch post, I'll attack the disarray and maybe whatever order I manage to restore will help with the mood around here.

I'm starting to plan trips to the various home and garden shows within an hour or two from us, and I'm also looking online for seeds to start in March. I have a few items on my wishlist and they are proving difficult to locate. Is that because they won't grow here in Ohio? My garden research really heats up now that January is done. If I decide to start seeds indoors, early March is when I'll want to have seeds and supplies at hand.

Goodbye, January, you vicious beast! I'm glad to see you go! Photos by JulenaJo.

One Month Nearer

We were lucky.
We didn't have as much snow as many did this week. We didn't have the ice that paralyzed the southern parts of the state. Still, as you can see in the photos I took from the center of the road in front of our house, there was enough to keep road crews busy.
The worst part of our weather was, as it so often is, the wind. Although it wasn't blowing when I took the photos, gusts of wind wipe out the roads in a short time. Visibility is impaired by blowing snow, and unexpected drifts on top of ice make travel treacherous.
This was the last day of January. There's a possibility of more snow in the next few days--and winter is far from over. But we are one month nearer to spring. I'm ready. West & East photos by JulenaJo.