What a strange January it’s been! The weather has been… weird. It’s been much warmer than usual – the Northumberland Strait hasn’t even frozen, which is unheard of, so that’s kind of a big deal. We’ve had some snow, but it hasn’t stuck around long. We got a LOT of rain last week, which is pretty strange for January, so… I don’t know. There’s nothing to be done about weather, we just take each day as it comes and go for walks when we can.
Of course, winter isn’t over, just January. It snowed quite a bit this morning, and the forecast has it getting COLD by the end of the week, so maybe we’ll get it all in February this year.
My main excitement this month has been watching the Amaryllis we got mom for Christmas bloom a second time. She had it for the first bloom, and then we brought it home when my folks went south and it fully bloomed again! Quite spectacular, and a lovely thing to brighten up the house in the dark days of January. And, I think it might even attempt round 3…
I have been reading like crazy this month. There’s something I love about curling up with a blanket and a book (or iPad/iPhone, usually) in the winter. I’ve finished 11 books already this year! I’m sure I’ll slow down, but this month it’s been my comfort zone. I especially enjoyed Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (Canadian author, literary sci-fi) and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin about creativity, games and friendship.
Aldon and I did a “dry January” experiment this year (i.e. no booze this month), which has been great! I’ve been paying closer attention to my consumption of everything and how it makes me feel. So much of what I do is just habit, and I can change my habits if I’m aware of them. The abstinence method is a good kick start, and we’re both glad we did it. We know we save a lot of money when we don’t buy alcohol, and I know that I sleep better and feel better, so I’m expecting some changes as we hit a new month. Having said that, I am looking forward to having wine with dinner tomorrow evening. Cheers!
I hit the ground running with the Farmers’ Market this month, getting my feet under me, trying to get organized and working on grant applications. The first market isn’t until May 20, but there’s lots of work to do before the season starts. I’m enjoying it and really looking forward to this summer.
Since Two+1 is on a break while dad is away, we’ve been collaborating with some other friends in the Village and are working on a bunch of Joni Mitchell songs with an eye to maybe putting on a tribute show this summer. It’s still early stages, but we really might have something here. And I am definitely stretching my vocals in a new direction!
The hot tub in the backyard has been incredible for keeping the winter blues at bay. We typically soak daily, after we finish work for the day, usually around sunset. I still can’t believe our good fortune! And I’m sure it’s going to make our airbnb even more popular than last year. The owners have confirmed that we will be offering the Sunset Suite again this summer, but we’re not quite ready for online bookings yet. And we’re going to be accepting bookings outside of the airbnb platform this year as well – the fees are crazy. The suite goes for $1500/week, but on airbnb it comes out to $2100! So if you have any interest in staying there definitely reach out to us directly.
That’s it from me this month. Take care of you and yours! Stay warm…
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