Almost Year's End

5/365

"Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written".  Jn 21:25

I was just looking back on the posts from this year, a paltry 4 before this one.  I can hardly believe that's all I posted.  Where has the year gone?  And how bad of me that I didn't post more!  And just 4 posts in spite of my determination to post at least once a week.  Ooops.

So much has happened this year both good and sad.  I stayed in NY last winter for the first time in 10 years.  It was nasty cold with a lot of snow, but my hiking buddies and I managed to get out to snowshoe or use spikes almost once a week, which made the winter a little more tolerable. 

This Fall we continued finding trails and the one below is one of the last hikes we did before the weather turned snowy.

Last April my youngest daughter and her husband were blessed with their firstborn child.  James made his arrival three weeks early but completely healthy and happy.  The parents are over the moon.

8 months in this picture

In May my oldest grandson graduated from college.

         This past summer one of our hiking buddies passed away after a 2-year long struggle with bone cancer.  I was out of state at the time.  We think about her every time we hike.  She is missed.

In early October I attended my 50th College Reunion in Jamestown, ND.  I hadn't been back or seen anyone from my class in all those years.    Everyone reconnected so easily and we had such a great time.  It was a bittersweet weekend.

           In late November my second oldest grandson began his BB season so I spend a lot of time attending his games.  After this year's season there are only two more seasons to go.  That is, until the little guy starts sports.

 

 That's a quick review of the past year.  In between the big events were all the mundane activities that make up a life.  Sometimes those mundane things seem bothersome or annoying or pointless.  When I feel that way I try to remember how much I'm blessed 

*with good health

*with family

*with adequate finances

*with friends

*with a nice home

*and on it goes

Basically I try to keep things in perspective.  

WHAT A WINTER!!

4/365

This is the first time in 10 years that I've spent the winter in upstate NY.  What a mistake!  It has been cold and very snowy.  Seems like we've had one storm a week.

One saving grace is that my hiking friends and I have been doing some snow-shoeing.  This is my first experience with it.  I didn't think I'd like it, but it's more fun than I expected it to be.

Sometimes we don't need snowshoes, we can use our spikes instead.  I prefer the spikes if the trail is tamped down by snowmobiles, otherwise it's pretty necessary to use snowshoes.

We've been trying to go out once a week.  One week we had to cancel because the weather was so bad.  One week we went to the local golf-course instead of driving north to a trail. Most of the time we've managed to dodge the bad-weather-bullet: a storm the day before and more snow the day after.

Another storm is forecast for next week (third week in March).  We're all weary of it, but another storm guarantees a few more weeks of snowshoeing.  Another storm guarantees more water in the wells and farm fields. Another storm guarantees a real appreciation of Spring when it finally arrives. So I guess there's an up side to it all.  Sigh.

Some hikers we met along the trail

Hunting Lodge