Hello, friends, happy new week to you all. What’s new with you? What’s new here is that we have SNOW on the ground – snow! As anxious as I am for paddling season to begin, I have to admit I’m giddy about our current brush with winter. While unpacking after our move this summer, I found my snowshoes – never used, tags still on – and have been waiting impatiently to use them. Sunday was the day! But I’m getting ahead of myself. Last week was another doozy at work, but thankfully, this coming week presents a bit of a lull, which I plan to enjoy. Two briefs filed and several other projects advanced, and I needed a brain break. I got one. On Saturday, I ran to the grocery store first thing and when I got home, we headed out for a hike, as we do pretty much every rain-free weekend day. I wanted to check out a potential stand-up paddleboarding spot for once the weather warms up, so we drove out to Beaverdam Reservoir in Loudoun County. I cased the launch spot, and then we wandered the lakeside trail for a bit before turning around and heading home. Everything aligned for a good ramble – the kids behaved, we had the right snacks, everyone was properly attired; good all around. We’ll definitely be back, and I plan to bring my board out there as soon as it’s warm enough to SUP. The rest of Saturday was laid-back; I ran out to the garden center to stock up on birdseed before the “big storm” and set up a new feeder station when I got home, then spent the rest of the day reading.

On Sunday, we woke up to a blanket of white on the ground! Not too much snow – I think all in all we got about two inches; the prediction was four to eight, so it was a bit of a bust. But still snow! We spent the early morning watching the squabbles and dramas at the bird feeder, then went off to hike in the snow at Riverbend Park. Steve laughed at me for bringing my snowshoes, but I didn’t care! I finally got to use them, and it was hilarious and awesome. Rest of the day – so chill I don’t even recall what we did. The kids knocked around the house. I cuddled up under a blanket and read, and made multiple cups of rooibos tea to keep my hands warm. (The heat in our house is weirdly uneven – very comfortable upstairs, in the bedrooms; downright chilly on the main level of the house; frigid on the sub-level where Steve likes to watch TV.) And that’s about it! Some cooking, lots of staring at the birds.

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Reading. Don’t get too excited – this was a good reading week, but not as epic as it appears from the gallery. I’ll explain. I started the week off with the January chapters of a couple of books I am reading month-by-month all year long: Orchard and The Almanac 2021. Had intended to begin the year with them, but work and life craziness intervened, but I couldn’t let the first month of the year end and me already behind. Then went back to Bewildering Cares and finished it up – I enjoyed it. Next, on to the highlight of the week – A Fine Romance: Falling in Love with the English Countryside, by Susan Branch. My Grandmama loved Susan Branch; I didn’t think she was necessarily for me, but after A Fine Romance I’m a convert. Saturday evening and most of Sunday was dedicated to The School at the Chalet, which I’ve been meaning to read for some time now. I know it’s not exactly highbrow literature, but whatever – I thought it was good fun, or as the Chalet Girls would say, simply “ripping.” Finally! Ended the weekend curled up with My Family and Other Animals. It’s COLD here; I am expecting a few days in Corfu with the Durrells to warm me right up.

Watching. On the hunt for something to watch for our family “movie nights” (which are really TV show nights) after finishing Big Crazy Family Adventure, Steve suggested The Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We are halfway through the final episode of the show now – going at a rate of about an episode a night – and surprisingly, really enjoying it. I am on record as having no desire to go to Disney, but understanding that I will have to bite the bullet and take the anklebiters at some point in the near (but post-COVID) future – but when that day comes, we’re staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Mom has spoken. Oh, and we’re bringing Grandma.

Listening. More music than podcasts this week, actually. The one time that I really have for extended listening is my weekly trip to the grocery pickup. This week, instead of a podcast The New Pornographers came on, and I decided I wanted to listen to them for awhile, then switch to R.E.M. Steve and I were comparing notes on pandemic listening recently and discovered that we have both fallen down eighties (and nineties) music rabbit holes – namely, wallowing in what we liked in high school. Steve’s Spotify playlist has turned into Depeche Mode central. Meanwhile, I confessed to having Chronic Town on repeat. Steve nodded knowingly and said, “R.E.M. would be the sweet spot for you.” You can say that again.

Making. A new bird feeder setup. Recently we started having trouble with European starlings – rat birds. They’ve been ganging up on the little songbirds and hogging all my nice (read: expensive) Cole’s nutberry suet blend for themselves. BOO, starlings, get off my lawn. I ordered an Audubon “starling-proof” bird feeder and several bags of foods starlings hate (white-striped sunflower seed, peanuts in shell) and shuffled around the setup this weekend. I’ve now got an upside-down suet feeder for the woodpeckers (starlings can feed upside down, but they’d really rather not); safflower in everyone’s favorite tube feeder and the window feeder (blackbirds – like starlings – and squirrels don’t eat it); sunflower and peanuts in shells in the tray feeder (starlings’ flimsy beaks can’t cope); and the good stuff in the starling-proof feeder. They’re still around trying to get into trouble, but my hope is that they’ll get frustrated when the only food they like is out of their reach, and go bother someone else. Meanwhile the songbirds have no trouble hopping in and out of the caged feeder, and even the bluebirds have been able to get in and out, although they’re a little awkward about it. Success! It’s been a hoot watching the birds argue and squabble and re-establish their pecking order (pun intended) around the new feeders. Also, I am that crazy bird lady. Apologies to my neighbors.

Moving. A better week! Even though I had another busy one at work, I made time for myself – one outdoor run, two Peloton workouts, one regular (snow-free) hike, and a grand snowshoeing adventure. I had way too much fun with the snowshoes; hope we get another storm so I can use them again before spring.

Blogging. I have two good posts for you this week! January’s reading recap on Wednesday (it was a slow month, but there’s good stuff in there), and pictures from last weekend’s hike at Great Falls on Friday. That’s one that deserves its own post! Stay tuned.

Loving. You guys, I recently got this mug and I am obsessed. Rainbow Brite, Strawberry Shortcake, Jem, and She-Ra – all my girls – together on one mug. Shut the front door. The only sad thing is, somehow the bottom of the mug got chipped in the sink the first time I used it. But it’s still totally drinkable and totally adorable. If you’re an eighties kid, you need one.

Asking. What are you reading this week?