Cold and Dark February

Things have settled down quite a bit. Dad is doing okay at home with Mom, and when we went out to visit them last, he was walking in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and munching on a Ranger cookie. To think that he was in the hospital and transitional care unit for a good two weeks, and then was able to make it back home, is a success story in itself.

I've been a knitting fool lately. My looms are a source of peace and calm to me, and I'd rather spend time in front of the fire knitting than be out in the bitter cold, which is what we've had lately. The days are getting longer, though, and that helps some.

Our 29th wedding anniversary is this Sunday, which is also Valentine's Day. We've decided to see a matinee movie ... Brooklyn, which is supposed to be wonderful ... and then cook a meal together from Betty Crocker's Chinese Cookbook, recipes from LeeAnn Chin. We'll make Cashew Chicken, which is something we used to do when we were dating. We won't be spending the $513 that the newscasters say is what many will spend on celebrating Valentine's Day, but I think our plan is way better.

It's also the Lenten season, and I've found something I want to try. The Forty Days - Forty Items Challenge has been circulating around on Facebook, and it seems so simple that I'm just going to do it ...

I'm glad to have seen this. The cold and dark of the winter has started to affect me, and I think I need to make a more purposeful effort in being grateful for all that I have.