FRIDAY, January 2nd, 2026
Estate Lane, Nova Scotia
-9*C/17*F cloudy and blustery
Dear Neighbor,
I'm back. What a hectic week it has been. We've had some very snowy days. This is a picture I took from my front window last night, a lot more snow has fallen since then and actually I just looked out, and it is snowing now. We lost our power last night from about 6 until almost 10 o'clock. Eileen was really upset by that as she and Tim had not had any supper yet. She messaged me on the phone to say so. I expect they had a very late supper last night.
My son and his boys managed to get over safe and sound and we had a lovely few days together. The boys have gotten very tall. I did not get any photos of them. I was having so much fun that I forgot.
This is a photo that my son took of the two cats waiting for me to get up the other morning. I always use the bathroom and then come out the bathroom door to feed them. Now I know what it looks like from the other side of the door. They wait patiently for me to magically appear. Cute.
Anyways I had a lovely visit with Anthony and the boys. They were only really here for two days, so it is kind of a blur. They got to see Cindy and Dad and we all actually had a dinner out together on the last night that they were here. They left to go back on New Years Eve as that looked to be the best day for travelling. It is a good thing that they left when they did because it started snowing yesterday and hasn't stopped.
One gift which I managed to get over the holidays which was very unexpected was The Shingles. Yes, 2025 was a year that didn't stop giving. The pain in my arm has been getting worse and worse and actually it is the same arm that I had the shingles in before. On Saturday I started to get a rash and on Sunday morning it finally dawned on me that something else was going on, so I popped over to the pharmacy in town as soon as it opened. They prescribed the anti-viral meds for me but were unable to prescribe any pain killers. I did talk to my Doctor on Monday morning and he said to just use Tylenol, etc. for now and I have a walk in appointment with him next Monday. If the pain is still bad, he will prescribe some other pain killers.
On the positive front, my echocardiogram was fine. There is nothing wrong with my heart.
The Shingles vaccine is now free here in Nova Scotia, but I will have to wait a year now before I can get it. Also there seems to be a bit of a waiting list for it. We will see how that goes. In the meantime, I really hope that the pain from all of this does not linger too much longer because it is not very pleasant at all.
I am hoping that health wise 2026 will be a lot nicer to me. Hope springs eternal!
(source)
I went over to Cindy's yesterday for New Years Dinner. Dan came and picked me up. Cindy and I spent some time making paint swatches for our new watercolor pans. That was fun. We are hoping that in 2026 we will have more time to sit down and paint together. I am not one to make resolutions as such, but making more time to paint sounds like a good one.
I would also like to sew more and do more needlework. My fun side has taken a back seat now for far too long. It is time to start feeding it again.
So here we are with a blank slate, beginning another New Year. There is a quiet potential in this time of year. It holds opportunity and whispers promise despite our powerlessness in the face of nature. There is hope in it all . . . the regenerative power of the new year.
Taking their cues from nature, the ancients long associated this period of time with hunkering down, rest and regeneration. They savored and enjoyed the slowness of Winter.
Indeed, there is something about this slowing down and letting go that resonates deep within us. It can be all too tempting to want to rush towards Spring and the life, color and activity it symbolized, especially as the Easter Eggs start to appear in shops around now. (I even saw some before Christmas, perish the thought!)
Nothing is to be gained from speeding towards the next season. This can leave us feeling burnt out and very unsatisfied as we battle low light levels which promote the production of melatonin making us want to sleep more and encouraging our brains to slow down, and us to want to rest and nurture our bodies.
I say we embrace it rather than fight it. Carving out small rituals every day to feed our souls and reclaim the light. Lighting a candle over breakfast, slipping back beneath the sheets with a hot drink cupped in our hands in our favorite mug, getting outside whatever the weather, embracing the here and the now and wallowing in it with appreciation. Savoring the slowness of winter. There is much beauty to be found in the brown, greys and whites of winter. It should be a time of rest and regeneration, a nest filled with candles, blankets and comfy loungewear.
Cindy and I had thought that we might get out today, but looking out the window that is clearly not going to happen. fluffy goose down flakes are falling furiously at the moment. It is so pretty to watch, but not something you really want to drive in. I will be most content today to just stay in and putter about the house. Bake a little, cook a little, perhaps paint or sew a little. I have a church talk to write for the 25th of January, so I really need to get down with that and at least start it. I will not be bored and, God willing, the power, hopefully, will not go out again.
I will relish today in whatever way I can and I hope that you will too. I hope that your January is beginning your year filled with promise and hope, and that 2026 brings you the joys of good health and loving family around you. Blessings to each and every one of you.
A thought to carry with you . . .
☾ ° ★° * 。
• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
*Keep smiling because life is
a beautiful thing and there's
so much to smile about.
~Marilyn Monroe• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。*
• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。*
In The English Kitchen today . . . Crispy Sweet & Sour Chicken Nuggets. A bit of a cheat in some ways because it uses frozen chicken nuggets, but very delicious and simple to make. After all the hard work of cooking during the holidays and the run up to them, its nice to be able to cook something that doesn't involve a lot of work.
Happy New Year! I hope you have a beautiful day whatever you get up to. Don't forget!
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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
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And I do too!
