Winter? And Swimming

We got a tiny bit of snow yesterday. I believe it's called a trace of snow. I left work and it was snowing just enough to get the roads wet, but not be a problem. And when I arrived home, my grass had a slight white tint to it. Maybe we got a quarter of an inch? Half an inch? 

This morning it was in the 20s so I decided to make today my at home day and when I opened my blinds I was so glad I did. Fog! I love fog. From indoors. I don't love driving in it so much. But looking out my window to the foggy streets was so nice. So I opened all my blinds and enjoyed it for a couple hours until the clouds went away and the sun came out. 

I guess you can call me crazy, but I love any kind of weather that's rainy, gloomy, foggy, or just brings an atmosphere of a storm. I know "bad" weather can really wreak havoc on people, and I get it's not fun to be out in and I have a warm, comfortable home. But I love it all the same.  

So I went to water aerobics tonight. I meant to go on Tuesday, but it just didn’t work out that way. Tonight was fun and I saw a lady from my ward there and talked to a few other women so it worked out well for me to go today for the first time. The instructor was nice and she played techno ABBA for the whole hour, which I loved hearing. There was a wide mixture of ages, and even 3 men. The few people I talked to sounded like they go once a week but I’m going to try twice next week. I’m already feeling it in my shoulders. We did a total body workout and it didn’t feel like much, but I know I’ll feel it tomorrow as well. That’s good. I am looking for something outside my house and I need to be active and moving my body. I do need a different swimsuit. The top of mine is cute and concealing, but it floats and that’s not great when you are jumping up and down in the water. I had to tuck it in. So I’ll be on the lookout for new swimwear. And this is going to kill my fingernails and possibly skin but I’m sure there are things I can do to help, because I’m going to try this for a few months. 

And as a bonus, on the way home, it was foggy again. What a beautiful night!

Heyer Collection

I had it in my head that I wanted to go to The Book Garden, a used bookstore in Bountiful. It’s not that far, but far enough that it’s not just somewhere I can drop in.

 

Of course, on the way there I told myself there’s a Barnes and Noble closer, in fact 2 of them. But I decided to keep going, since it was in my head to go to The Book Garden. Sometimes, when I get ideas stuck in my head, I have to do them before they go away. LOL

Turns out it was a good idea and I’m glad I went. I picked up 3 used Georgette Heyer books that I don’t have and the 2 Agatha Christie’s that were on my want to read list. I ended up getting 6 books for $35.00 and supporting a local bookstore so I was very satisfied. With these 3 Heyer books, I’ve pretty much completed my collection. Not that I have everything she’s written, but I have everything on my list that I wanted to read, plus a few extra. And I have the romances in used book editions that are fun and sometimes a little campy, and not the boring Sourcebooks editions.  I’m pretty happy with the collection I’ve put together from library books sales, used bookstores, and online bookstores. 

If only it would snow. Ha ha we just survived the 10 darkest weeks of the year, although I prefer to say I thrived through them, but we still haven’t truly had a winter here. 

Outside of books, the real world is depressing and I'm composing a letter to my senators. Once I make that phone call, I can go back to books for a bit. 

Swimming

I actually left my house on a Friday night. Ha! A few months ago I had heard from some neighbors that the Marshall White Community Center was open. It had been rebuilt in a new location - not exactly sure what happened to the old one - and they had told me there was an indoor track on the upper level. My sister and I were thinking we needed to check it out along with the pool so tonight we took the twins and went to the open swim from about 4:30 to 6:30. We had a lot of fun. 

The pool is not quite as fun as the one in Cedar City, but it does have a lap pool and another bigger open pool that’s not quite 4 ft deep all the way across, as well as a big splash playground. We all had a good time. It’s $10 every time you go so I grabbed a brochure on the way out. For me as a single person with a good income, the annual membership fee is not a deal breaker. My sister and I are trying to figure out if we can be a family and get the family membership though. We have the same last name. Ha ha 

They have a nice gym, besides the pool and the indoor track. Plus, they do pickleball and teach cooking classes, pottery classes and other things for adults and kids. 

My dad used to take us to the Brigham natatorium every week. We had a lot of fun doing that growing up. I’m considering going to one of the water aerobics classes. They have them on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30-7:30 after the open swim. I have things on both those days next week, but maybe I can try it the week after. I can pay $10 for it and then decide if I want to do a membership. 

The thing is I am considering that I need to get out of my house a little more, kind of for my mental health. Dealing with some of the emotional things happening because of perimenopause is sometimes a lot. And I don’t want to go shopping just to get out, but sometimes I don’t know what else to do. So maybe I should join a gym. I just don’t want to go to the VASA that’s close to my house. It’s always crowded and the parking lot is so busy and not fun to get in and out of.  But this could be a good alternative. So, it’s something to consider. 

Something different

Almost a year ago, my sister gave me a birthday gift of one of those small little rooms that you put together.  No idea what they are actually called. A diorama? When I see them in the stores, they are super cute, but I don't have any use for them. I truly don't enjoy knick knacks, or what what I call "dust collectors".  

I figured it was something I would put together on a rainy day, but that day never came. I finally put it together this week. It wasn't hard, but it is not the kind of thing I like to do. It's not like a puzzle where you fit the pieces in. It's more like putting together IKEA furniture and you have to follow the diagram. Plus, I hated dealing with the little tiny pieces. They are not in any kind of order (they just all had to fit in a finite space) so if you break them out early on accident, it would be a mess. 

The funny thing about this one is that there are so many details that I had to put together that you actually can't see. I mean, I guess I know they are there, but it's kind of dumb if you ask me. At least the lights work? Anyway, its now put together and I put it on my bookshelf. LOL I have to use precious space for it but oh well. And now when I see them in stores, I can smile at them and pass on by without a thought.

Finally Snow

I was skeptical, but I did indeed wake up to snow this morning. It's not a lot, maybe an inch, and will be gone in a day or so. But for a little while, the ground is white and just as it should be at this time of year. 

The world seems to be a complete sh**show right now, which is nothing new and it's been that way for a year now. I'm trying to remember that God already knows how everything ends, but sometimes it's hard to keep hope, when I want everything right now. :)  I'm trying though.

I made some really excellent chicken and sour cream enchiladas this week and have been keeping low lights and cozy going in the evening. I decided this was the year to finally read the complete Chronicles of Narnia and I'm halfway through. I've got 3 books left and it's been fun and will be nice to get that off the list early. Yep, I think tasty leftovers and a book are on the agenda tonight for sure. 

Micro-Adventure #1

I had a really fun day today exploring in my own state. Me and my sister and the twins went to Draper haha. Our first stop was an indie bookstore I’d never heard of until I searched for a bunch in Utah last year. It’s called The Book Box and it was a cute little store. Not huge, and not tons of books in stock, but a lot of newer stuff and I did buy one book. Then we just basically drove down 123000 S and went to a garden center called Cactus & Tropicals. I gave myself a new pot that looks like a stack of books for Christmas and so I needed a plant to fill it. 

The next stop was to the Draper location of Gourmandise and we picked up some dessert to go. I got a slice of chocolate raspberry cake, which I ate for dinner and it was excellent.  After the dessert stop, we went to a Mediterranean place for some wraps and falafel with hummus. It was an excellent choice. 

Then we went to IKEA where we got the kids some food in their food court. By that time we decided not to do the showroom and went straight to the bottom section of the store. I ended up with way too many impulse items: duvet cover, organizer for my bathroom drawer, a new lamp and some small glass vases. I did not need any of it! I definitely need to clean out some stuff to donate now. 

And on our way home, we stopped for milk tea. It was a very fun day and I got to cross another indie bookstore off my list. I can’t say I’m going to make a big day of all of them, but I really would like to try buying my books at local bookstores this year and then Barnes and Noble as the backup choice. I’m going to try to limit the books I get from Amazon to only kindle, and I don’t really need any of those. 

Now I’m ready for bed. I have church at noon this year and while I don’t love it that late, I also won’t mind for a few weeks that I will have slow mornings on Sunday.

Random

This morning on IG the algorithm showed me a random reel of a symphony and choral song and I looked it up on YouTube. It’s called Waloyo Yamoni and talks about letting it rain and rejoicing and it made me cry; it’s so joyful and the voices are so beautiful. I think the title means Overcome the Wind.  Anyway, that’s a great start to the new year, for sure. I need more wonderful music in my life.

I’ve also been coming across the idea that January shouldn’t be a time of new beginnings. It’s still deep in winter and darkness and we should still be embracing the slowness, especially after the busy Christmas season. Renewal is for spring. I absolutely love this idea.I don’t want to be all busy and suddenly decide to exercise just because the calendar changed over. That never works for me anyway. I prefer a more constant flow to life, a steady climb instead of jumping off a cliff.  

So yes, I’m still celebrating the darkness and coziness of winter. I had my tree and other decorations down on the 27th, but I left out candles, my little box with glowing fireplace, and even the snow globe depicting a winter scene. We’ve had rain for the last 24 hours and it’s been so nice. Yesterday, I made chili in the slow cooker and baked some cornbread to go with it.I still want to eat a lot of soup. I welcomed the new year by sitting in my library reading and being generally lazy.

Since I’m trying to read books I already own, I decided this was the year to actually read the entire Narnia series. I’ve had the full series on my shelf for close to 20 years now. I’ve only ever read The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was a kid. I finished that one and Prince Caspian yesterday. I’m surprised by how short they actually are. I shouldn’t have any issues finishing the rest of them, although I don’t want that to be the only thing I read in January so I’ll mix it up a bit.