January 2024 is at end. Since I am still coping with the aftermath of 2023, the time passed quite quickly. No travel to speak of since I spent every night at home. So, what was accomplished? Lots of reading. Three books reviewed with a fourth review due out in time for the weekend. Many football games watched since a family favorite team is headed to the Super Bowl. Finally, lots of hand quilting.

Snow storms, blizzards and weather in the mid-sixties made for a crazy month and it looks like the erratic pattern will continue in February. Growing up in Florida, there did not seem to be such wild weather. But perhaps I did not notice. Children have other priorities.

• If two old men stay healthy, it looks like we will have a re-match of the 2020 Presidential elections. On the Republican side there will be a new V.P, what about on the Democrat side? Most importantly-do costly elections eliminate younger candidates? Furthermore, why do candidates drop out before or after just one primary? Is the money machine that great?
• Are pro ball games rigged? The Haters seem to think so.
• After reading Lauren Grodstein’s We Must Not Think of Ourselves, I wonder if Americans would leave the country if taken over by fascists or communists? Actually, would the inhabitants of any modern country?
• Why is it so hard for a nobody to become published? I’ve certainly read books that were just so-so and yet published, not self-published. In fact, I have read self-published books that were better than those going the traditional route. Perhaps Amazon deserves a thank you after all.

I read a handful of bloggers on a regular basis. Their content is varied but I enjoy what they write and learn many things. What continues to surprise me is how often I am contacted by others to write articles on subjects that are important to them. Even if I share their viewpoint, I do not feel compelled to “speak” for them.

This last week of January 2024, a different request appeared in my mailbox. The young men wanted to write a column on health and wellness. They sent a link to their own website and no, I did not click on it. But I did search and find the blog. It is a credible blog. So, why not just post there? What happened to independent thinking?

I am successfully growing indoor herbs for the first winter ever. Basil, Rosemary and Thyme have been harvested from their containers throughout this long winter. Even better, the ginger roots brought back from my parents’ house are growing as well. Now the trick will be to repot so they can grow to full size. The blooms have an incredible fragrance.

February will see the first of the seed starts. The forecast for this week is above average in temperature so winter pruning and clean-up can commence. This is a good time to prune the grape vines and cut off the tops of the dead plants in the garden. It may look like lazy farming, but leaving the plants in the ground helps fight against erosion from the wind.

Finally, the blizzard knocked down some fencing and it is time to repair again. Fortunately, the damage was to the deer fencing and not the heavy- duty privacy fencing like in previous years.