Enjoy and remember

It felt like spring walking this morning.  It was 50 degrees with a slight breeze.  Didn't need any layering today.  It was cloudy and every once in a while it was a bit misty but not enough to get me wet.  Not much snow left now as you can see in the picture.

I walked the farm loop and then around town a bit.  Lone Chicken and one friend were out of the hen house today.  First time I've seen her in quite a while.  One of the farm ponds I walked by had quite a lot of Mallard ducks on it.  My three horse friends were out near the fence over by the Drane house.

Didn't see anyone else out walking but as I passed by a workman checking out the drains he said good morning and told me he sees me walking all over the place.  Quite a few people tell me that!!

I walked 6.1 miles.

Sunrise: 7:24

Sunset: 4:48

❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤

We haven't had pancakes for breakfast in a while so I made them this morning.

While I was out walking, Ken wrapped my Christmas presents and after breakfast I wrapped his.  We put them under the tree and are now all set for Christmas.

This afternoon Ken hung the blue plates above the cabinets in the kitchen for me.  Ken made some hooks on the back of the plates and tested them out by hanging them on a wall in the basement low to the floor for a while in case they fell.
I kept the plates in a group instead of spreading them out and will add more as I find others on our travels.  I like looking at them up there. : )

We've been home all day just enjoying time around the house.  It's nice to be done with all the Christmas stuff and now we can just enjoy it.

Hope your plans are all coming together as well and that you can take time to enjoy the day and remember that Jesus is the reason we are celebrating this wonderful holiday.

A happy day to you all my friends.
happyone  : )

I sometimes think we expect too much of Christmas Day.

We try to crowd into it the long arrears of kindliness

and humanity of the whole year.

As for me, I like to take my Christmas a little at a time,

all through the year. 

And thus I drift along into the holidays,

let them overtake me unexpectedly,

walking up some fine morning

and suddenly saying to myself:

Why, this is Christmas Day.

~David Grayson

Morning walk and dropping off some goodies.

This morning I took a regular old walk outside.  Wonderful to get out there in the fresh air.  It was a warm 44 degrees, windy and cloudy.  I was actually glad for the wind because it kept me cool.  I would have been hot otherwise with my three layers.

I walked part of the farm loop and went to the school, but instead of walking down the hill to town and walking there, I turned around and went back the way I had come.  I did that because the two roads I walked on were clear of snow and ice and I knew it would be good for walking.  As I walked past here, I wanted to walk up the road because it looked inviting but there was a sign that said no trespassing so I didn't.

I met a man named Eric on my walk today.  He lives along the farm loop road and is Farmer George's son in law.  His Dad has the farm next to Farmer George.  Eric was walking over to check on his Dad and as I walked passed, he stopped to talk to me.

A new barn is being built along the farm loop too.  They are working on the roof here in the picture.

My walk was a tad bit longer than usual at 6.8 miles this morning.

❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤

Didn't walk at all yesterday because we were gone all day.  Ken had a doctors appointment (just a check-up) back where we used to live and he dropped me off at my friend Mary Jo's house.  We did a little Christmas shopping, had lunch at Olive Garden and then went back to her house and had a nice visit. Nice to see her again. : )
Ken had lunch with a couple of old co workers, and then picked me up at 2:30 and we came back home.
No time to see anyone else but maybe next time a few of my old friends and I can get together somewhere for lunch?

❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤

Ken left to do some Christmas shopping of his own this morning.  I walked on over to Sherry's (hairdresser) to wish her a Merry Christmas and give her a card and some chocolate chippers.  I had an ulterior motive with the cookies though.  : )  Her husband is the one who bakes the other chocolate chip cookies in town and is my competition.  This is a way for him to taste mine. : )

Next stop with a pumpkin bread and a card was Bob at the tractor dealer up the road.  Bad news!  He wasn't there.  He has been let go, and the place is moving up the road about 20 miles to Oakland and there is a sign saying the store is for lease.  I left the pumpkin bread with the guy working there today.

Stopped in at the Dollar General on the way home and bought some little wreathes to hang in the dining room front windows on sale for 50 cents each.

Last stop was the library.  I gave them a card and some cookies.  When I walked in the door the librarian said,  "Oh Karen, I just put a book on hold for you yesterday."  It was next months book club selection - The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman. 

So I got little more walking in this morning.

This afternoon I plan to do a little reading.  I have a book to finish before I start on the one I picked up today.  I want to do some cross stitch too.

Hope your Friday goes well.
happyone : )

Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas

if you stop opening presents and listen.

~Attributed to a 7 year old named Bobby

Comment replies:

Cheryl - Two guys live across the street in the green house - they work at the cafe in town.  A single man moved into the house next door but I've never seen him home.

Linda -  Thanks cousin.  I'll check out Leslie Sansone's DVD's.  Sounds like a good idea.

A good book and a nice outside walk : )

Guess what?  It was snowing this morning when I got up!!  This is 6 days in a row now.  I do like snow but it sure would be nice to see some sun for a change.
After breakfast I hit the track down in the basement and walked 3 miles.  This time I listened to Meatloaf.

❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤

I read a little book with just 135 pages called, The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida.  It was an excellent little book.  It was written by a 13 year old with autism.  In the book he describes how his mind thinks, feels, perceives and responds.  It is a book of questions and answers.

It is a wonderful book for anyone who is trying to understand autism.  

 I really got a kick out of question number 45.

Why do you enjoy going out for walks?

My guess is that lots of people with autism like walking, and I wonder if you can work out why.  "Because walking makes you feel good?" "Because it's great being out in the open air?"  Both these replies are true, of course, but for me the number one reason is that us people with autism love the greenness of nature.  Now you might be thinking, "Oh, is that all?"  However, our fondness for nature is, I think, a little bit different from everyone else's.  I'm guessing that what touches you in nature is the beauty of the trees and the flowers and things.  But to us people with special needs, nature is as important as our own lives.  The reason is that when we look at nature, we receive a sort of permission to be alive in this world, and our entire bodies get recharged.  However often we're ignored and pushed away by other people, nature will always give us a good big hug, here inside our hearts.

The greeness of nature is the lives of plants and trees.  Green is life.  And that's the reason we love to go for walks.

❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤     ❤

I made some more chocolate chippers today.  This time they are for a friend I'll be seeing tomorrow. : )

After lunch I went for a little 3 mile walk around town in the snow.  I had to wear my snow boots and can't walk fast in them but it was so nice to get outside and walk if only for a little bit.

Snow on bushes in front of the library.

 Walked down a side road.

Walked around one of the cemeteries, one side which hasn't been plowed yet.  It was fun walking in the snow.  : )

I met Joe who drives the town pickup truck around checking things out that I see every  morning when I'm walking.  We always wave to each other but this is the first time we actually met. The truck now has a plow on it and he was plowing a parking lot.  I was walking past and he rolled down the window and we talked for a bit.

Back home again.

When I got back home I didn't feel like going inside, so I walked around the yard, cleaned the snow off the truck again, put some seed out for the birds and shoveled the walkway.

Once inside Ken made us both a cup of tea. : )

That's been my day so far.
Hope yours is a happy one too.

happyone  : )

A new star,

the Christ child,

God's gift to mankind;

these are what Christmas is made of.

~ Richelle E Goodrich

Comment replies:

OE - It isn't good snowman snow - the snow is too light and feathery or I would have made one. : )

It snowing again. : )

Started the day walking 2 miles down in the basement singing Christmas carols along with Anne Murray.  : )

More snow today.

We went to Walmart again this morning and got a few things and also another mile and a half walking in.
When we got home Ken started up the snow blower and cleared off the driveway.  It certainly comes in handy around here.

I haven't done much today.  Read, and walked the rest of my 6 miles one mile at a time down the basement. : )  I did a little cross stitch too.

Oh by the way the basket of cookies yesterday was a big hit.  They all loved them and were really surprised.  When it was time to get our bill, Jessica, our server, said, "No charge."  When we tried to say that the cookies were a THANK YOU to all of you, she just smiled.

A happy Tuesday to you.
happyone : )

 “What is the spirit of Christmas, you ask?  

Let me give you the answer in a true story...
On a cold day in December, 

feeling especially warm in my heart 

for no other reason than it was the holiday season, 

I walked through the store sporting a big grin on my face.  

Though most people were far too busy 

going about their business to notice me, 

one elderly gentleman in a wheelchair 

brought his eyes up to meet mine 

as we neared each other traveling opposite directions.  

He slowed in passing just long enough to speak to me.
"Now that's a Christmas smile if I ever saw one," he said.
My lips stretched to their limit in response, 

and I thanked him for the compliment.  

Then we went our separate ways. 

But, as I thought about the man and how sweetly he'd touched me, 

I realized something simply wonderful!  

In that brief, passing interaction we'd exchanged heartfelt gifts!
And that, my friend, is the spirit of Christ~mas. ” 

~Richelle E Goodrich

Still snowing

No morning walk again.  I think I just have to accept that there are going to be mornings here that I just can't go for a morning walk and on those days I will do my walking in the basement.

I baked Chocolate Chippers again this morning.  This time they are for all the people who work at Brenda's making us our pizza all the time.  We will be going there for pizza tonight (Mondays pizza is half price) and we'll give it to them.  I put four cookies in snack bags around some loose cookies in the middle. 

After lunch Ken and I went for a little walk in the snow.  First stop was the library.

Then on to the Post Office.

From there we went to the Dollar General and then back home.  I left Ken at home and walked a little longer up the hill behind our house.  I couldn't walk far because I had on my snow boots and they aren't good for long walks.  It was nice to get out and walk even for just a couple of miles.

It has continued to snow here on and off all day and is supposed to continue through tomorrow.  

This afternoon I'll be doing a little reading and some cross stitch.

Hope your day is happy and bright.
happyone  : )

This Christmas mend a quarrel.

Seek out a forgotten friend.

Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust.

Write a letter.

Give a soft answer.

Encourage youth.

Manifest your loyalty in word and deed.

Keep a promise.

Forgo a grudge.

Forgive an enemy.

Apologize.

Try to understand.

Examine your demands on others.

Think first of someone else.

Be kind.

Be Gentle.

Laugh a little more.

Express your gratitude.

Welcome a stranger.

Gladden the heart of a child.

Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth.

Speak your love, and then speak it again.

~ Howard W Hunter