Not long ago, I was surveying bags and bins of unfinished knitting and crochet projects... and I clearly remember thinking: I really MUST finish all these BEFORE I start anything new...
But guess what?! A few days later, I downloaded a new pattern and IMMEDIATELY went out to buy yarn and knitting needles for the project!
Then I IMMEDIATELY started working on it because I couldn't wait to see what it would look like.
Creative curiosity - Is that my problem?!
Inspiration is a powerful thing!
Happy New Year - 2026!
I recently came across a short video clip about happiness...
It was entitled... Five Questions to Ask Yourself, to be Happier.
The first was... What are you grateful for?
Thinking about this question is sure to lift my thoughts from the problem of the day! In fact, when I'm feeling low, Terry often reminds me to "count my blessings"!
The second is: What is going well in your life? Or as they put it, Where are you winning?
It's good to be reminded that we ARE winning most of the time.. achieving some of our goals! And if we're not, maybe we need to set SMALLER goals that will get us moving in the right direction.
The third is... What can I let go of?
I don't think of this too often, but it's easy to have too many goals - and become paralyzed... What should I do first?!
If we have a lot of things we want to do, some may have to be set aside - at least for a while - in order to have more time to focus on others.
The fourth is one of my favourites to think about: What does my ideal day look like? What is my ideal day?
It's a kind of exercise in time management... How will I fit it all in?
I didn't get the final question, even after playing the video clip three times... But maybe four questions are enough to think about. I plan to reflect on all four - to realign myself - now at the beginning of this new year!
This was early January 2025. There wasn't much snow.
By February 7, a lot more snow had fallen...
Towards the end of February, temperatures were milder. Some of the snow even melted.
But nature likes to trick us! On March 1, Terry was out with the snowblower again - even helping the neighbors!
By early April, most of the snow was finally gone.
By mid-May, everything was green. Trees had leaves, grass was growing - it has even been cut several times!
This is our front yard a few weeks later, in early June, when irises were beginning to bloom.
By early July, a lot of flowers were blooming in all the flower beds...
OMost prominent were the orange lilies, my perennial favorites!
At the end of July, the flashy phlox were in bloom...
The end of August is the time of the Japanese anemones...
They were still there the first week in October. One day of rain had revitalized them after a lot of sunny, dry weather.
Early November was lovely, if cooler...
December 2 - the sun is low in the sky at 3 PM - and there is some snow on the ground.
A snapshot of the year 2025 in Ottawa... Yes, we did have a white Christmas! This was the view from our son's dining room window on Christmas Day.
A few weeks ago, I attended a play put on by kids at a theatre school here in the city. It ran for four nights at the Shenkman Arts Centre, in Ottawa's east end.
A colleague of my son's had co-written and also acted in the drama.
I was very impressed!
How fortunate we are - here in Ottawa - to have opportunities like this for "kids" - young and old - to follow their dreams on stage!
I'm nearing the end of my virtual walk along Route 66, from Chicago to Santa Monica, California. I started the 3670 km trek in late June 2024.
The California scenery is very interesting, especially from an aerial view.
Right now, I'm looking forward to finishing - and beginning a new virtual walk in Vietnam.
Hard to believe I've logged over 2500 km on my cell phone walking app in 2025!
Hope I can keep it up next year, in 2026!
