Winter has definitely arrived!

We’ve been homebound due to weather all week. We haven’t gotten any snow to speak of, but it has been very cold and wet…temps in the 20’s for the past three days. The roads are completely iced over. The freezing rain is supposed to continue for the rest of today and tonight, making the road conditions even worse than they have been. We are thankful that we haven’t had any reason to get out! Dennis did go to check on things at the church house a couple of times. We are only a couple of miles away, and he can avoid high traffic areas for the most part. Our Highlander also has an ice setting which makes it the best vehicle we’ve ever had for hazardous road conditions. I haven’t left the house at all. It is supposed to get above freezing tomorrow afternoon for a short time, then much milder temperatures Friday. I’ll need to make a WalMart run as soon as things thaw out, for both me and Aunt Coez. I hope they will have an adequate stock of what we need. With trucks not being able to get through, I’ve heard that the shelves of most stores are pretty bare.

Dennis’ hunting trip to ET last month didn’t go well. The first night he was there, they had tornadoes blow through the area. (Thankfully, he decided to stay in a motel this trip!) He didn’t see any deer while hunting and had a bad experience with the 2^nd motel he stayed at. So he cut his trip short and came on home, empty handed. Oh well, “those things happen!” (That is one of our favorite quotes from Dennis’ dad. That was his response when Dennis told him that we were getting married. LOL!)

I finished Baby’s rag quilt and matching accessories. I’ll post pictures after I’ve gifted them. Now I’m working on a LARGE rag quilt…another one worked “on point”. This one is going together much easier than when I did Jesse’s! I’m over halfway finished, but I’ve run short on some of my fabrics. With the trucks not being able to get through, it may be next week before I’m able to get my material and finish. I really like the way it is turning out. The colors are so pretty!

I have been enjoying my temperature blanket project. It is so fun to see the color changes as the temperatures rise and fall. The last 3 days have all been the same color! It will be easy to look back and remember when this winter storm came through.

Dennis had his dental implant surgery and has done very well this time. He could tell a difference right away in the way it felt from the last time. I don’t know exactly what went wrong with the first surgery, but it never did feel right…and was very painful. He has had very little pain this time round! Hopefully that means that it will “take” this time.

I was supposed to go back for my final doctor visit on my carpal tunnel surgery tomorrow. Since the roads are still bad and getting worse, his office will not be open. I’ll have to reschedule for next week. I’m able to do almost anything with my hand and have had NO numbness since my surgery. I have had more pain recently though…mostly muscle cramps and soreness around the incision site. (It isn’t bad…just bothersome!)  Dennis thinks it is from overuse, and he’s probably right. It always hurts more after “clipping” on my rag quilts or cutting fabric with my rotary cutter. I still can’t put weight on my palm, which the doctor told me would be the last thing that I’d be able to do. My grip is better but not quite back to normal. I’m looking forward to talking to my surgeon and finding out if my recovery is normal.

A couple of weeks ago, Dennis and I both were really feeling the effects of our age and activity. I got up one Saturday and just didn’t feel like doing much of anything. So when Dennis got up, I suggested taking the day off and going out to have some fun. He was all for it! We went to watch a movie, did a little shopping (at Lowe’s), and ate out for supper. It was just what we both needed!

Dennis has been making good progress on our bathroom, although he hasn’t been able to do anything this week due to the extreme cold. He has laid the mosaic tile down on the floor of our shower and laid the floor tile down in the bathroom. His plans, as soon as it thaws out, are to do the grout on the floor, finish out the drywall in the bathroom and get the toilet installed. We have really missed having 2 bathrooms, even though there are only the two of us. After getting that done, he’ll go back to work on tiling the shower walls, seat and niches. It is looking so nice! I can’t wait to see it completed!

before cleaned and grouted

We were very saddened last month by the passing of my cousin, Sammy. He was the 4^th son of my Aunt Coez to pass away. I can’t even imagine going through what she has endured! He was diagnosed with bladder cancer and only lived 17 months after it was discovered. This has hit Coez very hard. She is one strong lady, but this has really been a struggle. Please continue to keep her in your prayers!

My other aunt, Fay, (Coez’s only remaining sibling) has not been doing well at all. She had a subdural hematoma back in late November and has never really recovered from it. She also had COVID and some other health issues around the same time. She spent a few weeks in the hospital, then was moved to a nursing home for rehab. She is still bedfast and totally dependent on others. The hope was to get her strong enough to return home, but things aren’t looking very promising for that to happen. Please remember her in your prayers, too, as well as her daughter, who is trying to take care of everything as a result of her health issues. Old age is hard…as is caring for those who are struggling as a result of aging!

Diane and I went to watch Lion King on stage at Bass Hall last month. It was amazing! The costumes were incredible! It was so much fun to see. I’m really enjoying my season tickets!

I hope that all of you are staying safe and warm during this extreme weather!

Ps 147:16-17 He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes; He casts out His hail like morsels; Who can stand before His cold? (NKJV)