Happy New Year's Day!

What a gorgeous one it is - to look out at!  Not so much if you have to be outside.  There is bright sunshine (and a few cloudy periods) but the temperature is still in the low teens and the wind is bitterly cold and strong.  Woody spent much of the morning looking longingly outside and then wanting to go out.  We've let him out twice, but he's come back in a matter of minutes.  He finally gave up and is asleep on his bed in Fred's office. 

I took these pictures earlier this morning.  I think the sun is brighter now - not as many clouds passing between it and us, but it hasn't warmed up at all.  The thermometer outside my office window is reading 8 degrees - the one at the kitchen window is reading 14, and has a low of 12 for last night.  I guess it's going to be colder tonight, and even colder yet tomorrow.  We got three inches of new snow yesterday, and I have 16 inches at the stake.  It is very light and dry, so isn't packing down much, even with the wind blowing it.

Diane Rossi said she went snowshoeing yesterday and it was great.  We haven't been out yet - I'd like it to warm up just a tad, although in the woods where we're protected from the wind it wouldn't be so bad, I guess.  I have lots to do inside today, so I guess except for my daily climb up Jamie's driveway, I'll take care of business inside.

I still have some greeting cards to send out.  Yes, sometimes I don't get them done for Christmas.  In my defense, I have a notion it may bring a smile to the face of whoever receives my very late card; and after the rush of receiving and giving all those greetings, gifts and well wishes, it may just be nice to receive a message during "down time."  These are really letters, in the guise of  holiday greetings.  One is to a cousin who lives in Niagara Falls.  She doesn't have a computer, so we communicate the old fashioned way - by letters.  Only we don't do it often.  At Christmas and sometimes in between if there's an event in her family or mine.  It's most often been me writing to tell her another of our cousins died.  We're down to the younger ones now, so I haven't had to send one of those letters for a while.  I hope she doesn't shudder when she sees a letter from me in her mailbox, thinking it will be sad news.  She often sends me one of her cards with a drawing or painting of hers on it.  She's a talented artist, and I keep all her cards.  Actually, I keep LOTS of cards and letters.  It's not the same with e-mails, is it?

Another who will get a late card is a friend I was in college with living in Florida now.  There again, several of our friends from those days have died, others we've lost track of.  Such is the state of things as the years pass.  It's sad to look at my address list for Christmas cards and see all the names crossed off - some altered to one name instead of Mr. and Mrs.; others crossed off altogether. 

On the bright side, this is the time of year I get those lovely family picture cards and a note telling me who everyone is; and in response to my e-mail greetings to some cousins this year, I had an update on their children and grandchildren - the generations after ours - and that's so much fun.

So it's a time to reconnect or to continue connections with friends and family, and there's no time limit on doing that, so I'm off to finish the last of my "season's greetings."