Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Dream a little dream with me

The best possible time for a vacation to a tropical paradise is February.  

No doubt.

You see, after the long summer, fall is a welcome respite.  We're anxious for cooler, more comfortable temperatures.  Warm sweaters, cozy jeans, boots...thick, fuzzy socks.  An inviting fire in the hearth that beckons after getting your chill on doing chores.


And then along comes the anticipation of the holidays.  The fun of Halloween, the endearing warmth and thankfulness of Thanksgiving, followed by the festive and always lively, Christmas.  

Even January has its' merits.  New Years Eve, and all the promise of the new year ahead of us, unfolding.  The anticipation of looking ahead and making plans, resolutions...you know how it goes.

But by February; the reality of winter begins to wear thin...the cold and the damp drones on and on.
We begin to wax nostalgic for longer, warmer days.  Relaxing in the sun, warming our face and sipping something cool and refreshing.  Spending time outdoors, instead of by the fire.   


I've done pretty well this season, so far.  No real problem with my SAD.  I've been busy enough not to grow weary of too much time indoors, and our weather has certainly helped.  We've had more dry days than wet, we've had some brisk, cold weather that revitalizes the senses, we were even blessed with some beautiful snowfall.  

But now it's raining.  The pastures are flooded.  The horses are muddy.  You get wet every time you step foot outside.  Yuck.

I haven't heard the word drought for some time now.  Weeks even.  The naysayers are oddly quiet.  There's snow falling in the mountains.  Lots of snow falling in the mountains.  Eventually, every year it happens.  The moisture always comes.  And we make up for lost time...big time.  

Don't get me wrong - I'm thankful.  Really, I am.  

I just feel so melancholy when it rains.  I become introverted, and I think too much.  I question everything and there's never any easy answers for all that weighs on my mind.  *sigh*

I get the blues.  That's what my mom always said.  The blues...

Perfect time to get away and have a little vacation.  So, I've been planning...checking out flights and tropical destinations.  We're not getting any younger, so why wait?  

I'd love to visit Key West.  Spend a week or so just lying in the sun, hacking around on foot and taking in the sites.  Kayaking, snorkeling, swimming...Margaritaville.   I love Jimmy Buffet, don't you?  *sigh* 

My hubs wants to take a cruise.  I like that idea too.  I've always wanted to visit Jamaica.  Swim in the beautiful, blue Caribbean, dine on whatever suits my fancy.  But the rigidness of the schedules of a cruise worries me somewhat.  And some ships have dress codes.  What is with that?  I just want to hang out in shorts or sundresses and flip flops.  Shades and no make-up.  That's much more to my liking.  

I adore Hawaii...mmmm, that was a dream vacation for us.  If we were ever to go there again, I'd pick Maui this time.  Oahu is beautiful, but there's just too many people for me.  Rains too much on Kuwai  and Hawaii  has all those volcanoes.  I think Maui is just about perfect.  

I'd love to go to Mexico again, just much further south and away from all those touristy destinations.  A traveler can really get a lot of bang for the buck there.  And it's beautiful, and very much tropical too.  But, unfortunately that's not somewhere my hubs is inclined to go.  He says it's dangerous.  I don't agree, but that's alright.  Many other choices on the menu.

Right now, I'm just in dream mode...but the flights if booked in advance, are very affordable.  What a wonderful surprise a tropical vacation would be for our anniversary...this coming July, we'll be celebrating our 30th.  That's a perfect reason for a romantic getaway for two, wouldn't you say?

*wink*



I'm ready to trade in my muck boots and rain coat for something a little more comfortable.  
Warm sand and sunshine on my shoulders, instead of raindrops falling on my head.  
Mmmmm....

I've got some dreaming to do...

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Winter wonderland



Yes, we finally got a taste of winter.  Snow, that is.  We've had some cold, dry weather so far this season, but we had real snow.  Beautiful, white powder...about 12" of blinding whiteness.  *sigh*  We even had drifts that were between 2-3 feet deep.  Seriously cool.

The horses loved it, the dogs were crazy about it, and we enjoyed it immensely!  The cats?  Not so much.
I drove home last Thursday at noon to make sure my fire didn't go out, and while I was digging through the wood pile, I got a call from my boss.  He asks me if I'd like to have the afternoon off?  Would I!!??  Whooppee!!  A real snow day!!  I absolutely felt like a kid again.
Ruby - come on mom!


It was such a gift, totally unexpected and I thoroughly enjoyed my "stolen" afternoon of peace, serenity and domesticity with the house all to myself!!  :)  I baked a pie.  I kept the home fires burning.  I fed the birds.  I brought the horses inside and gave them a flake of hay.  I did some laundry, watched the menagerie of birds bicker over the seed, took the dogs for a walk and took lots of pictures.  It was wonderful!!

And it never stopped snowing until Saturday night.  I got to stay home Friday too.  An unexpected long, snowy weekend.  We were pretty much housebound all weekend long.  We got a little freezing rain Saturday night after the snow stopped, and that made the roads a bit treacherous.  Call me crazy, but I loved it!
Eagle's frosty lashes

Ladde

And now today, all the snow is gone except for some occasional piles here and there.  We're back to 40-something temps and rain...lots of rain last night, along with the moisture from the melted snow, makes for a soggy, wet, green mess.  It was fun while it lasted.  I now have a better (albeit tiny) understanding of just how much more work having snow makes winter chores.  If I had to endure weeks or even months of snow, I would seriously consider a different lifestyle.  We're just not set up for it.

Harley

Kadie and Shad

Missy

The living room project continues...slower than I'd like, but it's coming along.  Paint is finished, pellet stove is out and all the brick hearth has been removed.   Originally we weren't going to remove the hearth, but after reconsidering, hubby ripped it out too.  Out with the old - in with the new!!  We also painted the one end wall that is done in beaded board.  I've always liked it, but decided to paint it as well.  The wood was a light oak, maybe even maple color that just didn't seem to "go" with the rest of the room colors.  I'm still getting accustomed to it, I like it painted, just don't love it.  Funny how these projects always end up much more complicated and lengthy than one envisions at the beginning...

Frozen rain chain

So, that's about anything that's new in our neck of the woods.  What's going on with you?

The calendar says we have 5 more weeks of winter, and less than 4 weeks until daylight savings time begins.  That's always a reason to get excited - right?  Spring is just around the corner.  Better finish up with those inside projects so we can spend as much time as possible outside with the horses, in the garden and enjoying the warmer days soon to come.

Can I get an Amen to that?  :)    

Annie

Oh yeah!!