Monday, January 20, 2020

January

Ice Storm last Friday
Some people don’t care for January due to the cold and dark days but I kind of like it, though not for those reasons.  Around here the last six weeks of the year can be a little hectic.  We have Thanksgiving celebrations near the end of November with Christmas following behind.  I do love Christmas but it gets a little hectic with all the various preparations and activities surrounding it.  By the time January arrives I’m ready for a break.

I like to take time to reflect on the past year and on the coming new year as well.  Am I the only one having trouble realizing this is 2020?  Wasn’t it just 2000 and we were all concerned about the Y2K Bug? (that was my 1999 Halloween costume by the way)  I remember when the year 2000 sounded so futuristic.  It’s hard to imagine it being 2020 and while we have had many advancements, we are not traveling in flying cars yet.

But I do like to take this month to take a break from some of my usual activities and have a little down time.  I like to read a good book, work a puzzle or even take a nap. 

Zeus taking a nap
Although I am not a big sports enthusiast, I am excited that our local Kansas City Chiefs football team will be playing in the Super Bowl this year for the first time in fifty years!  I live in the middle of Chief's Country and when they won the final game last night you could hear the fireworks all over the area!  You could call that a January highlight for this part of the country.

How is January for you?




20 comments:

  1. You know, as long as we don't have a lot of appts, January is okay with me, too. I would like to say I am getting a lot done, but it is slow going. But it is nice not to have so much pressure.

    I love that picture of Zeuss(his feet.) LOL

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    1. I understand what you mean about appointments, they can throw your days off. I have not gotten much accomplished this month either but hope to get better organized soon.

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  2. Pinwheels! How lovely. I try not to think until spring is coming. That takes longer and longer.

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    1. I do okay with the winter months for the most part but I don't like to drive in the snow and ice. I see that you just got a good bit of snow. Spring will get here and along with it your lovely flowers.

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  3. You're right, it feels surreal for this to be 2020. It seems like only a blink since we rolled over into 2000.

    Our Thanksgiving is in late October in Canada, but the fall is always busy here too. We have three family birthdays, I have three craft fairs (small, but still), and I'm pretty much the designated Christmas prep person, so there's a lot to do. I vegetate between Christmas and New Year's, but then things get busier at work again plus there are two family birthdays that month.

    Those are both such wonderful photos, and two very different subjects! Those fuzzy feet!

    Enjoy the Super Bowl and good luck to your team :)

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    1. You are busy in the fall and winter! Craft fairs can take up a lot of time in prep work and of course so do birthdays. My oldest son's birthday is between Christmas and New Years and then both grandchildren's birthdays are in February. I always try and kick back a little in January before things get busy again.

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  4. When I was a kid/teenager in the 1970s and 80s, I used to think about how old I was going to be in the year 2000 - 32! So old!!! Then the year 2000 came, I turned 32, and guess what, I did not feel any different from how I had felt at 31 in 1999 :-)
    Now it is 2020 and I will turn 52 in March...
    In my family, January is almost as busy as December, with several birthdays to celebrate, and of course it means going back to work after the Christmas/New Year break.

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    1. It's funny, I don't think I ever imagined the year being 2020 or even 2000 for that matter. Age is a strange thing. When I was in my 30's I thought the 40's were old and now I'm in my 60's and I'm thinking maybe I'll be old in my 70's or 80's. I guess it is all relative along with how we live our lives.

      You are right, going back to work and family birthdays in January will keep you busy!

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  5. All months are ok for me although in this country I regard January and February our most likely months to have winter weather and memories of school days of being snowed in and unable to attend school. As we had a transport business these were not necessarily happy memories because it also meant tension at home. As you know, I do not celebrate New Year either so really whether it was 1999 or 2000 meant little or nothing to me. I think of my mother's age and what she was doing at different milestones of her life mostly and then look at my life during the same time frame.

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    1. January and February are also the worst months for winter weather here too. Although we do get snow as early as October. It is interesting that you compare your life with your mother's at different ages and milestones. I have already lived longer than my mother did and I sometimes look back to make comparisons and I see many more differences than similarities. The passage of time always brings me many thoughts about both the past and the present. I hope you have a good day Rachel.

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  6. I'm not a January hater. For me, March is the worst month by far. It's usually cold, dreary, rainy, and depressing. I could do without it. However, January is mostly bright and sunny, cold but not dreary. I'll take it.

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    1. I look forward to March as the end of winter and hopefully the beginning of spring. However we have often had quite large snows in March. It is interesting that you have more sun in January.

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  7. I hate the dreary days...and always perk up when the sun is out! I am using January to get some stuff organized but will probably take several months. :)

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    1. You are right, too many dark days can be depressing. You have so much snow and cold temps where you live that it must be daunting at times! I admire you using the time to work on organizing things. That is always a challenge to me.

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  8. Born in 1951 I can remember thinking that by 2000 I would be almost 50 and SOOO old! Reading 1984 and believing our lives could actually be that science fictiony by then. I never seemed to give much thought past 2000, to be honest. And yet here we are.

    I have always loved the quiet and contemplation of a new year in the dead of winter with its long nights and white days. I love the fall and have always really liked winter, too. Since I have always liked writing (reading before my wonky eye issue), arts & crafts, and TV & movies--winter was a time to settle into all those things with relish. The years go by so quickly! :)

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    1. The years sure do go by quickly. You stay busy no matter the season and that is good. I always have more than enough to do too and never seem to get around to all of it. I think I look at a new year as a new start to accomplish things.

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  9. January has been up and down for me so far. I get frustrated at the fast passage of time. I haven't made any plans for the year ahead and yet we are nearly at the end of the first month!

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    1. I understand your frustration Simone! This month certainly has gone by fast and I feel like I have not gotten much done at all. Thank you for stopping by.

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  10. I hope you have got your Chiefs outfit ready for Feb 2nd when you take on the 49ers... January does indeed seem like a perfect month for reflection. And indeed it does not seem true that we entered this millennium twenty years ago! Crazy!

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    1. Yes, we are excited to see our team go to the Super Bowl. Win or lose, it's an honor to take part in a competition of this level.
      You know I'm still not used to this millennium much less being twenty years into it!

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