Rodent Redux

Hooray and hallelujah! I've done it -- I've really done it! My ongoing battle with the greedy squirrels seems to be over and I WON! Really! 

All it took was the simple afterthought of suspending a suet feeder cage from the base of my bird feeder. For some reason, the squirrels now leave the entire feeder alone. I have absolutely no idea why, but refuse to analyze my small victory :-) Whatever the cause, every squirrel around avoids the feeder. You would think the thing was cursed. 

Of course, there is still that small voice whispering, "Be careful what you wish for..." You don't suppose... Ah, heck no. They are just rodents. Right?

Snow and soup...

I dread winter. Night comes early, daylight is pale and the weather can be thoroughly unpleasant. Photographs of frozen streams in the snow are beautiful; here, the beauty of fresh snow lasts about ten minutes. Last week, temperatures dropped to the lowest they have been in years. Just to remind us a little more forcefully that winter can be nasty, it started snowing. Not a lot of snow, more of an icy dusting, but still... frigid temps and snow are not much fun for anyone but skiiers.

Then, redemption arrived in the form of our annual parish soup sale. What a perfect antidote to the weather! So many different and delicious varieties, all made by the women and men of the parish. Each one triggered memories of my mother's and grandmothers' kitchens and family gatherings of long ago. It was all but impossible to choose just a few; my freezer is now very well stocked for the remaining weeks of winter. I've been smiling every since.

Life is like that, isn't it? Sometimes it seems that every day is a little more difficult than our coping skills can handle. Then something lovely and unexpected happens and we know that a brighter tomorrow will come after all.

Today? More snow. For dinner tonight? More soup! I think this may just keep me going until the first crocuses appear :-)

Late, as always...

Long ago, my mother used to say, "Carolyn is always late for everything, except for every meal." Alas, she nailed it, 100%. So there's no surprise in the fact that I am just now thinking about 2009, a year that is already a week old. Considering that I started this blog under the broad general heading of "beginning life anew," it seems that some thought is called for as a new year unfolds. So here goes.

1. Pray. Meditate. Listen. Help. No year that incorporates the big four can fail to be a good year.
   
2.  Exercise at least a little. Sofas do not improve anyone's fitness level. Walk five or six days each week. No exceptions for anything other than ice and snow. Figure out where I hid the dumbbells from myself and use the darn things. (People with replacement knees need strong arm muscles to get up off the beach in summer!)
   
3. Pay attention to my own "fuel" intake. Dessert is not a required part of any meal. Neither is wine, darn it. Remember this!
   
4.  Read more; watch less TV. Tivo is seductive, but also lures me back to the sofa. Refer to #2 above.
   
5.  Finish at least three projects already underway before starting anything new.
   
6.  Figure out exactly what income I need to retire altogether -- or how to live on  less and retire now.
   
7. Learn a new technique to add to my jewelry designs. 
   
8. Tune the hammered dulcimer and, this time, learn the location of all the notes before I get carried away with trying to play. After all, there is a reason why I can still play the piano after 20 years but cannot remember how to play the dulcimer after 1 year.  :-(
   
9. Take nothing for granted. Appreciate kind friends, good health and a loving family. Enjoying any part of what we have been given does not come with an unlimited guarantee. Don't put off getting in touch with friends whose health is not what it was, or traveling to see them. Memories last long after those we care about are gone. So does guilt.
   

OK, so that's only nine parts of a plan for 2009 rather than the traditional ten resolutions. Call it a 10% penalty for habitual lateness.