Joining in again with Anne Bogel to mark the halfway point (!!) of winter with a list of what’s saving my life right now. I know life feels different now than it must’ve felt in 2022 (and for sure in 2021) … and when I put this list together I was surprised how similar pieces of it felt. Deep down, these mid-winter days do have a familiar rhythm.
First, signs of spring. It’s been a gray, wet week, so I didn’t venture into my neighbor’s yard to grab a photo of her daffodils, but they’re blooming. and yesterday (blurry photo at the top of this post) the cherry trees started to bloom. The days are noticeably longer even with the rain. Marc just told me Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, but poor Phil doesn’t live anywhere close to me … I think we’ll see spring in March!
Second, embracing cozy. handknit socks (and sweaters). afternoon naps. candles. instrumental music (loving this playlist and this one). reading Little Women.
These last three items are new … forewords to a new part of my story? or maybe main chapters? we’ll see!
Third, having the boys on Monday afternoons. It’s the best mix of energy and exhaustion to spend a regular three hours a week with Charlie and Sam. Lucy and I pick them up from school; we have a snack, do an activity (or three or four), and then we feed and walk (RUN!) Lucy. (also, our best sleep of the week is Monday night.)
Fourth, Lucy. a healthy, curious, friendly, energetic six-month old puppy. who now naps regularly enough to let me think about a blog post!
Finally, voltaren. arthritis sucks. I started using voltaren on my knee last August and it helped. I stopped in December to give my body a break and started back again yesterday. My knee feels better. even in the chilly rain.
What’s saving YOUR life right now?
mere-et-filles 
Yes to all of this and more signs of spring please. So sorry about your arthritis
I just got my list up, too 🙂 I love experiencing your relatively early signs of spring – they fill me up! And thank you for the spotify playlists – I’m not great at venturing out of my tried and true favorite songs and have been on the hunt for something different. (My current top track is the Chipmunks’ version of Bad Romance, thanks to Bryce and Bronwyn. But Call Me Maybe is also on the list, so that’s fun.)
You have so much keeping you busy! The boys and Lucy sound like handfuls. I’m glad you’ve found something that helps your knee and allows you to move with less pain. I hope you continue to feel better!
Definitely the longer days and the signs of spring and warmer weather. Happy Friday!
There aren’t many signs of spring here as we’ve already reached our predicted high temperature of 18 today, and it’s supposed to be five below tonight. So what’s saving my days is a functioning furnace, knitting with warm, soft yarn, and voltaren for my shoulder so I can knit!
Daffodils and cherry blossoms are definitely signs of spring . . . in February! (Although we’re having the mildest winter I can remember – except for this weekend – I think our signs of spring are still quite a long way off. . . ) (I live closer to Phil’s stomping ground for sure.) Your days seem full of good things, Mary. So glad you’re feeling brighter this year. XO
I haven’t seen any daffodil blooms yet (still very early here), but they’re poking up and I’ve seen two patches of snowdrops as well as some buds on the trees. I’ve noticed that the days are getting longer and even the quality of the light is a bit different. What’s really saving my life right now is wool — I’ve just been so cold lately, and I’m so thankful for sweaters and socks and hats and cowls taking the edge off!
Love the peek you have provided of blooms! Nothing here in PA at this point and gosh it’s COLD, but the sun is out, so that is good. We listen to a ton of classical music & jazz, so thanks for the Spotify play list links. Between the boys and Lucy I’m sure you and Marc must be worn out Monday nights!! Enjoy that family time.
the sunshine that was here yesterday and so far is abundant right now. We had way too many cloudy days in a row that it sapped my energy.
Spotify playlists are BIG in our house. Often, I go ‘sans lyrics,’ as I can’t hear words if I’m trying to focus on ANYthing else. (But do like singalong lyrics to bump up the energy!) What I love most is searching according to mood/tone I want to set. Like, ‘morning gentle piano’ or ‘sing the oldies’ or ‘jazz greats’–and, ta-da!
Thanks, technology 🙂
Enjoy all those good things, Mary, and have a wonderful weekend!
How lovely to see the Spring like blooms. All things considered, we are having a mild winter but Spring is a ways off for sure. I love your list. I bought a candle in December for the first time in ages and it’s lovely on these winter nights. Wool, knitting, and the heating pad are making my life more pleasant these days.
Our spring feels a LONG way off this morning as it’s -10 here and the wind chill is -30! But next week it’s supposed to be close to 50 so I may be seeing snowdrops before long. I pick Jackie up from school on Fridays and it’s such a fun thing to do, it’s one of the brightest spots of my week!
We had sun yesterday, filtered by the inversion, and I caught a sight of snowdrops coming through the ground, that is, until they were covered with snow! I’m quite sure they’ll be covered with more snow before I see them again. Reading is saving my life right now. Lucy looks very content in her bed.