Super Bowl Sunday...and January is Gone!

January was a hectic month, which included my birthday (and those of many friends!).  And, yes, I did survive it and I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that I'm within two years of turning 70!!  Well, that's still a couple of years away and a lot can happen in that time......no need to worry about it now!  I did have a very good birthday....the best part was hearing from friends and family, near and far.  It is always great to receive a card in the mail and I received quite a few.  Other friends called or emailed, and there is the marvel of Facebook, which kindly reminds us of special occasions like birthdays  Whatever the form, it was great to hear from everyone.  I appreciate those connections more and more as I age and it means a great deal to be remembered by friends.  Other than hearing from everyone, it was a fairly quiet day.  A friend and I went to see Selma, which was very good and well done.  I  seldom see movies in the theater so it was a nice treat.

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January and the New Year started off well. My former neighbors always have an afternoon open house on NY's day. I hemmed and hawed about going but finally decided to walk over, a total of about 3.5 miles. It was a lovely, brisk day and that turned out to be an enjoyable thing to do.  I have continued to walk occasionally, but not enough to consider it a routine.

Early in the month I began de-cluttering and have been fairly consistent with doing "something" toward that end on most days.  I've even tackled my closets and am just doing one section or task at a time (without being overwhelmed by the thought of having to do it all at once!).  This approach is working better than I expected so I hope to stick with it up the job is done.  The only problem with this method is that by the time I get it all done, it will be time to start all over again!

Also on the home front, we have lost one of our kitties....Blackie.  She was the black one who liked to eat in the back of my car.  We don't know what happened, she just stopped showing up about two weeks ago.  In all likelihood, she probably got run over by a car....we just don't know.

You know how I always post photos of the turkeys passing through my yard.....well, it didn't take long for someone to complain.  I've never seen more than 30 at a time and they always just seem to be walking along, pecking for food.  Suddenly there were stories of 100's, attacking people, pooping in yards (well, yes......that's what turkeys do!).  It even made headlines in the Island Packet.  The fumiest thing they do is stop traffic, which I think is a riot.  Obviously, other's do not share my sense of humor!


 Well, the POA called in the Dept of Natural Resources, who was going to relocate them.  Then, they found that the turkeys have intermingled with other turkeys and was not of pure lineage, so they couldn't relocate them.  Now, they are culling the flock/rafter, having determined the appropriate number per acre (by human standards).  All of that kerfuffling allowed time for a counter-group (pro-turkeys) to form....and you can guess where my allegiance fell!!  While I'm fairly certain the turkeys will outsmart them, they have taken retreat and I don't see them as often, which is too bad.

A new session of OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) classes has begun and I've already attended one.  It was at our local Olive the Above shop that sells olive oils and balsamic vinegars.  The owner is very excited about her products and it was quite informative.  It was also interesting to sample many of the oils and vinegars.  She presented some, but we then got the opportunity to sample others of interest.  At the end, they served a salad assortment on which we could taste wares of interest.  That was followed by a little dish of ice cream, who which was drizzled a tasty balsamic (I forgot which one!). It really was fun and informative, motivating me to be more adventurous in my cooking.  I cam away with a butter flavored oil and a fig balsamic.....yum!

My neighbor, Ana, and I have gotten together again for Zentangle.  This time we only completed one project each because the first hour was show-and-tell.  Even so, it was lots of fun and we've schedule regular meetings. We both started with the same string/pattern, but you can see that the results are very individual.  It's fun to do, especially for those of us with  no art background of any kind.  There is definitely room for improvement but it isn't so daunting that I don't feel I'll ever get it.  So,along with all the other things I'm doing, I'm also trying to make time for practicing this between our get-togethers!

Ana's                                                          Mine

Within the last few days, I watched a special on CNN on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.  I've not been there and the aerial views of the buildings, the sheer size of it, was daunting.  It brought to mind a workshop I went to not long after I moved to San Diego.  The speakers were a Jewish lady who had been in several camps (her married name was Waterford) and a man you had been in the Hitler Youth movement.  They had made these presentations often and were very comfortable with each other.  I remember it to this day because there was just so much to take in and digest in some way.  She spoke about the various things people did to get through the horror, with her saving grace being to maintain her hygiene.... trying to have enough water to bathe 

Today is Super Bowl Sunday and I've spoken to Jan to wish her team, the Seattle Seahawks, well.  I remember poo-pooing the whole thing last year and then it turned out to be a great game.  This year I'm keeping my mouth shut!!