A busy first day

Started out the new year with a walk OUTSIDE. : )  It was 20 degrees and still darkish when I left.  The wind died down so it didn't even feel cold out.  I had my ice grippers on my shoes.  There was still snow around and even though it was still icy in places it was a crunchy ice so it wasn't that slippery.

I walked up and down the three hills behind my house, around one of the cemeteries and then just around town.
The sun even came out and I can't tell you how great it felt to feel the sun on my face.
The house on the left in the picture is where Lone Chicken and friends live.  I just passed them when I took the picture.

It was VERY quite out this morning.  I didn't see any one at all and only a handful of cars the whole time I was out.  But I sure enjoyed being able to walk outside again.  I think tomorrow will be an outside day too.  : )
I walked 6.2 miles.
The month of December I found 19 cents.
I added up the coins I found for the year of 2013 and they totaled $6.64 cents.  It was a very low year.  Don't find very many coins in farm country. : )

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My bulletin board got finished and hung up today.  Put some duct tape around the edges of the painted blue homasote, Ken screwed some plastic white things in the wall so it would hold and then screwed the board up.  I've put it right next to my desk.  I ended up cleaning out my desk drawer and threw away a lot of junk.  That left not much to actually put up on the board but I love it and I'm sure it will be filled in no time at all. : )  Sorry the picture didn't come out so good but it was hard with the bright window right next to it.

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I took the Christmas tree down and all decorations down and put away.  Ken took down the outside ones.  Usually I can't wait to get it all down and back to normal but this time I felt a little sad that it was all over with.   Christmas seemed extra special this year. : )

After that was done I cleaned things up and moved all the boxes that were in the foyer to the library in front of the picture window. Again the picture isn't so good because of the window.

Since it is winter I left the sled and the snowman out and put them in the foyer on a  table.

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I had a goal this past year of reading 52 books this year - one a week.  I fell short of that and only red 40.  That's okay though, I will just try again.  This year I'm going to list the books I read on the side bar. 

This first day of the new year has been a good one.  It's been a busy day as well and it has gone by pretty fast. 

Hope your enjoying your first day of the new year too.
happyone  : )

Shoot for the moon.

Even if you miss,

you'll land among the stars.

~ Les Brown

The basement route : ) Happy New Year and Thanks

It's still snowing, very windy and cold here today so once again I walked in the basement.  This morning I listened to The Greatest Hits by Abba.  Thought maybe you'd like to see my walking route in the basement.  : )
I start out at the bottom of the stairs and walk down the hall here to the guest bedroom.

I walk through the guest room make a left and go through the drying room.

Then down the long hall way (laundry room is on the right, and Ken's train room is straight ahead.)

I turn left and it brings me back to where I started.

I don't just make loops around in the same direction.  Sometimes I walk the opposite way or make figure eights in the rooms.  Once in a while I'll stop and run in place or march.  At times I carry four pound weights and do biceps and triceps curls as I walk.
Though I'm glad I now can do the Leslie walking tapes and they are nice once in a while I prefer just walking listening to music.
Of course I would MUCH rather be outside walking but this will just make me appreciate my outside walks even more when I get out there. : )
I walked 5 miles.  That seems to be my limit at one time down there.

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I never did do any cross stitch yesterday.  I ended up reading the next book for the book club which is The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman and find it very good so far.  The book club isn't till next week but the book is due on the third so I'd better read it now.

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Today I got my office all cleaned and neat to get it ready for my bulletin board.  I don't know why I thought my office had to be neat and clean for a bulletin board but I'm glad to have it done.

We are going to go out supper time for a pizza and salad at Brenda's and then stop at Walmart before coming home.  We need a few things and I want to pick up some colorful duct tape for my bulletin board which should be hanging up tomorrow.

A picture of the snow we are getting today.  I stuck my head out the window of my office and took this of our side yard with our shed in back.

Ken said the nicest thing to me this afternoon.  He came up from the basement and said, "I came to check on the sunshine and the only one I found was you." : )
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We are not doing anything for New Years Eve.  Just a nice quiet night at home.

It has been quite a year of change for us.

Ken retiring, buying a house, moving to Garrett county and finding a great new church all of which was unexpected!!  It's been a joy living here, meeting new friends, walking in a new area, and having Happy Trails near and just enjoying small town living.  We thank God for our many blessings this year and can look back and see how He worked all things out for us. : )
I'd like to say Thank You to all of you who read my blog and for those kind comments you leave.  Thanks for sharing all you do on your blogs and even though most of us have never meet, Thanks for being my friends. : )  You make my life happier. : )

May you all have a happy, healthy and wonderful New Year.
happyone : )

We spend January 1 walking through our lives,

room by room,  drawing up a list of work to be done,

cracks to be patched.

Maybe this year, to balance the list,

we ought to walk through the room of our lives...

not looking for flaws,

but for potential.

~ Ellen Goodman

At Home Today

The weather has turned cold again and this morning every thing had a coating of ice on it.  At 7:30 I decided to give walking a try,  bundled up and put the ice grippers on my shoes.  It was okay walking on the gravel behind the garage but when I hit the driveway it felt slippery even with the ice grippers.  I took baby steps down to the end of the driveway and just didn't feel comfortable so I went back in the house and walked in the basement. Today I listened to Bad Attitude by Meatloaf.  It has some good walking songs on it.  I walked five miles down there!!

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The weather has been a roller coaster ride with temperatures going up and down.  It was misting out for a while and then we had snow flurries.  It looked like someone sprinkled icing sugar over everything and now it's just snowing.  And it's over ice so it's a good day to stay inside.

I got some cleaning done today.  Didn't clean the library where the Christmas tree is because I'll do that room when I take down the tree on New Years Day.

Ken cut a piece of homasote for me and I painted it blue.  I'm going to use it for a bulletin board in my office.  It's downstairs drying now.  I'll take a picture once it's hanging on the wall.  With a bulletin board I'll be able to keep things from crowding up on my desk.

I plan on doing a little counted cross stitch before supper.  Having the left over lasagna from the other day so no cooking for me today.  I'll just throw together a salad and we'll be set.

Hope all is well in your part of the world.
A happy day to you.
happyone : )

Another fresh new year is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear
To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!
- William Arthur Ward

God is Good

It's a rainy day and all the snow is all gone again.  It's supposed to get colder later on and turn to snow.
I'm having a walk inside down in the basement today.

This morning at church Pastor Leatherman preached from Psalm 145, with emphasis on verses 8 and 9.

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,

slow to anger, and of great mercy.

The Lord is good to all 

and his tender mercies are over all His works.

This Psalm is overlooked a lot of times but now it is one of my favorites.

 Verses 1 - 6 speaks of Gods greatness.

I will extol You, my God, O King; 

And I will bless Your name forever and ever.  

Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever. 

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.

 

One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.  

 I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
And on Your wondrous works.  

Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,
And I will declare Your greatness.

Verses 7 - 10 speaks of God's goodness.

They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,
And shall sing of Your righteousness. 

 

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.  

The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.

 All Your works shall praise You, O Lord,
And Your saints shall bless You.

Verses 11 - 13 speaks of God's glory.

They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, 

And talk of Your power, 

 To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.  

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

Verses 14 - 21 speaks of God's generosity.

The Lord upholds all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down. 

The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And You give them their food in due season. 

 

 You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

 

The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works. 

 

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth. 

He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them. 

The Lord preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy. 

 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord,
And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever.

A blessed Sunday to you my friends. 

happyone : )

Bible Cover

I was out walking at 6:45 this morning in the dark. I was wearing a VERY bright day glow green sweatshirt and the few cars that did pass me probably had to put their sun glasses on. : ) It was 32 degrees and windy and once the sun came up it was a pretty day.  I walked the farm loop and then around town.  I saw a couple of deer in one of the corn fields that now have no corn.

It was very quiet this morning.  Didn't see anyone.

Snapped these two pictures along the way, both in town.

I walked 6 miles.

Sunrise: 7:37

Sunset: 5:01

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The Bible cover I had for my old Bible is too small for my new one so we went out to get a new one.  I had seen them in Walmart so we went there first.  They didn't have any left.  Then we went to check in a little book store in Oakland.  They didn't have them either.  We didn't know where else to look around here so just came back home and thought we'd go farther afield another day.

When we got back home I checked my email and there was message from Vera Bradly telling about a sale on book covers.  So I bought a real nice one on line for a really good price.  : )

I took the puzzle apart and was going to start another one but never got around to it.  Ended up transferring more of my notes from one Bible to the other.  I made it to the book of Luke.

I made lasagna for supper and we plan nice quiet evening at home as we do most days.

Hope your day has been a happy one.
happyone : )

Write it on your heart 

that every day is the best day in the year.

Ralf Waldo Emerson