Tuesday, February 1

 I started a new journal notebook today ( 2/1/22), the 7th since I began almost 2 years ago. Mother's death and Covid's beginning prompted me to transition from an occasional vacation post or haiku to a daily journal recording how I (and my loved ones) have moved through these unusual time. I write in paper journals, then transpose to digital pages with photos.

I started the blog in February of 2010.  I had been keeping my haikus and poems on paper, my photos on my computer and my vacation logs in notebooks. I hoped that the blog would be a format that could combine all of these and be easily shared with my family. Until 2020, the blog consisted of just vacation photos and poems and so was sporadic.  I have also used the page feature of the blog to post my sermons and longer writings.

My haiku, written Feb 13, 2010 (the date I'm actually writing this in 2022). Click the link to see the first post with pictures.

2/13/10
Old Leaves
Brown leaves dripping ice
Clinging beyond their season
Refuse to let go.

https://flowersandfeathers.blogspot.com/2010/02/winter-thoughts.html

Now let me return to where I started - February 1, 2022

An ordinary Tuesday hold the promise of the kind of beautiful winter day that we sometimes have in East Tennessee.  The temperatures have been rollercoastering between winter and spring with neither lasting very long.  Today we enjoyed a clear sky, light breeze and balmy 60 degrees. Bill finished the last of his brush pick-up and decided to burn the pile since there was virtually no wind.  When he came in for lunch, his glasses were missing, so I went out with him to help search.  We scoured the ground where he had been working to no avail.  Then we began to disassemble the burn pile.  We were almost to the bottom when his glasses miraculously appeared in the grass where we had search.  It's a wonder we didn't step on them!  

With Bill's help, I got the herb and flower bed next to the deck cut back.  Because my right shoulder had been giving me trouble, I didn't get any garden or flowers beds cleaned. (At least that is my excuse this year!) Lots of work remain to be done before planting time.

Somehow in all the brush-burning the garden digging fork got into the fire!.  I'll miss my good tool.  I hope I can find a replacement.

Brush is cleared but lots of work left to be done.

Lots of garden work before planting season

Faithful old tool

Last of the cedar tree

The afternoon was devoted to RV maintenance.  Bill changed the oil and I cleaned the kitchen and bathroom.  I haven't done that in a long time because we haven't made any long trips.

Tuesday is RT $5 sandwich day at lunch, so mid-afternoon I picked up a couple of sandwiches, chicken for Bill and blackened tilapia for me, we we had for supper.