Happy New Year

Monday

Yesterdays mild weather was in the 40's, rain and lots of the snow melted.  Today it is snowing again 3-5 forecast and right now its 16 degrees.  They say we are headed for single digits.

Bonnie was up and out of the house early today, headed with Elizabeth for Hobby Lobby to see what they could get at the 80% off Christmas sale.

Last night I was looking on ebay for another good deal on a NEST thermostat.  I did not find that but I noticed on our assistant pastors ebay store  http://www.ebay.com/usr/tctjsales that an auction on a Sea Eagle 370 Kayak was about to close.  The price was still very low.  So I ran it buy Bonnie and she gave me a number to bid.  Long story short, we won for $20 less than our max bid.  So Bonnie picked it up at the warehouse today.  I will try to get a picture if we inflate it.  It will be a nice addition to take with us in the Coach when we travel.

Busy night at court tonight and all went smoothly.  Very cold and windy up on the hill but still in the teens, better than the single digits.  Nothing else new to report on today, so I am headed to bed.

Tuesday

Snowing hard when I got up this morning and continued most of the day.  Turns out a lot of the snow was just blowing around as we only ended up with around 4 1/2 inches.  I had to go up to court and to the bank and the roads were icy and slick.  The plows could not keep up with the blowing snow.  I was glad to get back home and stay in for the rest of the day.  We are watching movies and looking forward to the New Year.

On the way back from the bank in Sheldon

View through the window after the wipers were off 30 seconds

This is the first lake effect we have had this year with lots of wind, what a difference.  We did get a few FaceTime calls from our granddaughters today and we enjoy them, they usually end unexpectedly when Reagan hits the wrong button.

It finally stopped snowing at least for a while after 3 and I cleared off the back deck.  Now back to the movies.

Wednesday

2013 is in the books and 2014 brings us 365 days to write our own history and make a difference in this world.

Just a trace of new snow overnight and 11 degrees this morning.  We ended December with 90.5 inches of snow, counting the end of November.  All but the latest 5 inches had melted so we are really in pretty good shape.  Watching a few of the recorded specials from last night and then bundling up to go out and clear the driveway and pavers.  Bonnie's parents and sister are coming over later and I need to get the snow cleared.  Hey the sun just came out, it would be great if it stays out but there are a lot of clouds around.

Well the sun hung around a little while but did not help much with melting any snow.  I headed out and cleared away the snow.

Getting started on the driveway

It sure was cold out but I was done in under an hour and after spreading a little salt I headed in to get warm and have lunch.

Bonnie's sister and our nephew came shortly afterward and her parents were not far behind.  We watched a little TV and then a movie.  Donna worked on a rug project.

Donna, her rug, and Dad Maynard

Got an email from a friend that helped cut and split some wood this year and he came over and got a trailer full.  Bonnie served up her turkey and rice for supper and it was a big hit.  Mom Maynard had brought Grasshopper pie for desert and it sure was good.  Just before dark the snow started again and Bonnie's folks headed home.

We have had a blessed year and are looking forward to the coming year.  We hope to travel more and to try some new things.  To that end I have decided to retire from public service after over 45 years of service to our country and community.  I will be leaving my judicial duties the end of March.  That will leave us free to travel and volunteer when ever we need to.  We still have our health and have watched to many others wait too long to follow their dreams.  Stay tuned for our adventures.

Thanks For Checking In!

"If Your Dreams Don't Scare You, They Are Just Not Big Enough"