January has never been my favorite month. But, over the years, I've come to appreciate it as a rest month after the busy December holiday activities.
This year, however, it seems like much of January was lost to sickness, being snowed in, and having no hot water for a couple of weeks. I wrote about all of that in a family update, so I won't repeat it all here.
October is a similar rest month between our "birthday season" and the fall and winter holidays. But Jim's surgery was schedule last October, so it seemed we missed out on that rest month as well.
We had to rest both months, but recovery rest is not the same as regular rest.
Nevertheless, I am glad those procedures and illnesses did happen during quiet months and not in the middle of Christmas or family celebrations.
The third week of January, we felt we were coming out of a fog and starting to get back to normal. We've been steadily improving.
With all of that, we haven't really had many family activities or outings. Jesse, our youngest, is looking for a house since his apartment rent went up. He and Jim have had some house-hunting excursions. Until this last weekend, either the houses weren't suitable or went under contract before Jesse could get an offer in. But it looks like we have a good possibility just now, pending inspection and such. We're praying for God's leading in this (and rejoicing that looking for a house here means not moving to Washington or Canada, as he had considered doing).
Our church held a parenting seminar last weekend. Thankfully, snow melted and illnesses abated so that Jason and Mittu could go while we watched Timothy. He's comfortable with us, but had never been away from his parents that long before. But he did well.
Jim retired at the end of last year. But we're not really sure what our new normal is yet. 🙂 It was nice, through all we dealt with in January, that he didn't have work on top of everything else. As he has had time, he's been cleaning out and organizing his office and the garage. At some point he's going to finish painting the inside of the house. He had done one bathroom and two bedrooms before deciding to save the rest for retirement. When the weather gets warmer, but before it turns hot, we want to sort through our attic and shed and get rid of some things, hopefully sparing our children that task when we're gone. There's no shortage of projects, and it's nice to take them at our own pace.
Watching
We're very much enjoying the return of All Creatures Great and Small on PBS Masterpiece Theatre.
The only other thing we watched worth mentioning was the old movie Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey while Timothy was here. That was a family favorite as our boys were growing up, and it was fun not only to see it again but to share it with him.
I didn't make any cards this month.
Reading
Since last time, I finished (linked to my reviews):
- I Can Only Imagine by Bart Millard, nonfiction. The story behind the song of the change in an abusive father when he comes to know the Lord.
- Being Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn, the second of a two-part authorized biography.
- How to Write a Sentence and How to Read One by Stanley Fish, nonfiction. I like to read a few writing books each year to keep learning and refining my own writing.
- Beneath a Golden Veil by Melanie Dobson, fiction, audiobook. A slave-owner's son cannot follow in his father's footsteps as a plantation owner, and in fact helps a young slave escape. They end up in Sacramento during the gold rush era with a hotel owner who also surreptitiously helps slaves escape.Even though CA is a "free" state, they all still find themselves in danger. Very good.
- By Way of the Moonlight by Elizabeth Musser, fiction, audiobook. A young woman's plans to turn her grandmother's estate into an equine therapy center fall through when a developer tricks her grandmother into selling the property. Following clues in a cryptic letter the woman learns about her grandmother's first love and time with a coastal mounted patrol during WWII. Good.
- The Lies of Saints by Sigmund Brouward, fiction. Third in the Nick Barrett series, Nick helps a detective friend with a mystery involving a two-decade old hazing and apparent suicide of a Citadel cadet and the disappearance of a debutante. Good.
- The Cost of Betrayal by Dee Henderson, Dani Pettrey, and Lynette Eason, audiobook. Just finished yesterday; review coming tomorrow.
I'm currently reading:
- Be Skillful (Proverbs): God's Guidebook to Wise Living by Warren Wiersbe, nonfiction
- Be Comforted (Isaiah): Feeling Secure in the Arms of God by Warren W. Wiersbe
- Isaiah for You by Tim Chester
- Proverbs for Life for Women
- Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making by Andrew Peterson
- Organizing for the Rest of Us by Dana K. White
- The Winter Rose by Melanie Dobson
- When I Close My Eyes by Elizabeth Musser
I don't usually have two of Wiersbe's "Be" commentaries going at the same time. I'm in Proverbs for my own devotions, and our Bible study group just started Isaiah using the Tim Chester book. I wasn't going to use Wiersbe's book on Isaiah since we're using another. But Isaiah is so long that Wiersbe's comments are shorter, so it looks like it will be doable.
Blogging
Besides the weekly Friday Fave Fives, Saturday Laudable Linkage, and book reviews, I've posted these since last time:
Writing
Our critique group resumed after taking an extended break. We thought, instead of starting a new round of critiques and then breaking for Christmas, we'd just wait to start again til January. I think we all appreciated having more time available to prepare for the holidays.
I happened to be the first one up this time. As always, the comments, corrections, and suggestions were very helpful and left me raring to go and get back into my book project.
I was just telling another friend that I want to be more regular in working on the book. But it would be difficult to just stake out certain times or days to write. We're in a period of never knowing what a day will bring forth. 🙂 Usually in the afternoons, I read and comment on a few blogs before going to my own writing. But I'm thinking i need to switch that order.
We've added another feature to the critique group. We meet for an hour to discuss the presenter of the week's work. But now we have an extra fifteen minutes for those who can stay to discuss or pick each other's brains about some aspect of writing or publishing. That's been both fun and informative.
Looking ahead
I'm eager to turn the calendar page to the next month and leave January behind. I love Valentine's Day, and my daughter-in-law's birthday comes in February as well. We're discussing a possible outing for her birthday which will be fun. And if Jesse's house offer goes through, we'll be helping him move.
But one of the best things I like about a new month is we're that much closer to spring. 🙂
How was your January? What are you looking forward to in February?
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