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Ten Degrees and Getting Colder

  Cold Sunrise   That's just the name of the song written by Gordon Lightfoot.  It was actually -13 F when I got up this morning (wind chill -24).  Tucson may have pulled back into the lead!  There's a lot of weighing pros and cons of Colorado vs Arizona by the wood stove.  Not much else to report. I did enjoy a few games of pool and a beer with my brother this week.  We don't get together very often, so it's good to try to keep the lines of communication open, especially with my mother celebrating her 86th birthday next month.  He lives in Milwaukee and just started semi-retirement.  Our opposing politics and lifestyles keep things very casual and surface-level.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.   It's important to find common ground.  He and his wife have started going to concerts and recently saw the Steve Miller Band.  Music is one of our common interests.      

Not really SAD, but

A lot of people are affected with Seasonal Affective Disorder in Wisconsin.  We have many, many days without sun during the winter months.  This year, we've had a string of days with heavy fog and unseasonably warm temperatures in the 30's and 40's.   Personally, I can't claim that I've ever really felt the effects of SAD, but this year, knowing that we are likely moving west later next year, I've been very impatient and annoyed with Wisconsin weather.  

Sun trying to fight through the clouds

It hasn't helped that my daily routine involves looking at the weather in Fort Collins and Tucson.  Their weather has been spectacularly sunny and more pleasant this time of year.  

So, I haven't been blogging much because not much is going on. I've substituted indoor pickleball for hiking. The trails have been muddy and not much fun. For Christmas, we had my mother, Julia's brother and Allie here.  I went and retrieved my mother from Cedar Rapids and brought her here.  My brother was nice enough to take her back.  

Brother, mother, and me

Julia would like to take a trip somewhere warm in February or March, but it's too early to say whether that will work out.  We are busy getting the house ready for sale in the spring.  In fact, we had our first showing to a friend of a friend who  heard we will be listing it in the spring.  Things will work out one way or another.  

One thing we have decided upon is not to buy anything out west until the money is in the bank from our house sale.  At that point, we plan to put our remaining household belongings in storage and head west with the Scamp to Fort Collins.  I took the opportunity to give some family stuff to my mother and brother in anticipation of our downsizing.

Callie soaking up the heat

From a personal standpoint, Julia and I will be glad to put 2024 behind us.  It was a very tough year with the loss of Justin, our son.  It definitely took its toll.  My body and mind are slowly recovering, and I am sleeping much better after some very poor sleep for many months. 

Comments

MFH said…
Good to hear from you.

Happy New Year!!

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