Happy New Year! We’re an ill and exhausted bunch around here, so it’s going to be another short post this month.
Read
I finally read Tom Lake and, as usual with Ann Patchett, I liked the writing and structure, but there were some things that bothered me. I also read her book of essays, These Precious Days, which I enjoyed. It’s been a long time since I read an Agatha Christie mystery, but after half-listening to a Christie biography at bedtime I read one from the library, Murder at Christmas.
If you have a two to four year old around I recommend Wacky Wednesday, a very silly picture book by Theo LeSeig (alternate pen name of Dr. Seuss).
Eat
Too much delicious food to remember! These German chocolate cookies and rugelach pinwheels were some of the hits, along with maple shortbread, cherry crinkles, sugar cookies, and many more.
For my traditional New Year’s Eve cheesecake I combined a few recipes to make a snickerdoodle version; it didn’t win any points for appearance but it tasted great.
Do
I tallied up how many days I went outside for at least 23 minutes in 2023 and the grand total was 322. April, May, and June were the only months that I never missed a day outside. December was my worst month, probably a combination of being sick, being busy, and the weather being miserable at times (I can do cold or rain but both at the same time is a hard pill to swallow!). Overall, I’m happy that I took on the challenge.
Other activities of the past month:
- Christmas concert in Ogdensburg
- Christmas play at our friends’ church in Owen Sound
- Skating at an arena (the kids went while I did some shopping)
- Using my gift card for Northern Reflections to buy a new sweater and pants
- Christmas potluck and carol singing
- Christmas day picnic and walk with my parents
- Staying at an Airbnb in Trenton that had a backyard sauna
- Multi-day Bond family gathering (presents & puzzles, board games, buffet & bowling, cookies, cakes, & chocolate!) (also coughing, coughing, coughing)
Meditate
“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” – Luke 6:35