January Rain

Crazy rain again today!  We had it pretty hard here, and of course we desperately need it, so no complaints!  It was just hard rain, the little gulleys alongside the road completely filled with water, right to the top.  Overnight, the thunder woke us up from time to time, enormous fearsome explosions that shook the neighborhood.  Not many of us slept well, save for Maddie of course, who sleeps through anything.  

And it's a good thing too, because she was back at Chestatee today, and having a great time.  She was loving the random hugs from kindergarteners and the funny unexpected remarks from students when her old kindergarten teacher asked questions.  When Mrs. Garrett started laughing, the assistant teachers lost it too - kids can be funny!

Mom and I were in school too, continuing our Hillsdale College course on the book of Genesis, which has been a great deep dive into certain stories within the first book of the Bible.  The daily schedule continues on in 2024, and I'm still on that treadmill each day - lately walking in Australia to earn a particular badge. It's cold outside, so no walking out there today.  We've kept the birds happy with plenty of birdseed, and sadly these squirrels are starting to get more destructive up here again.  Squirrels ruin things.  

It's soup season, right?  The temperature has been cold, and so a hot bowl of soup is just the medicine you need for a winter season.  Mom had butternut squash soup prepared, and just recently the potato chowder with asparagus and leeks on top, along with some cheese.  Great stuff!  We're also both really enjoying our Factor meals, these packages you order away for, arriving weekly to put in your refrigerator and heat up when ready.  They're fantastic with variety and taste, and it's an easy night for Mom in the kitchen.  And of course, they can be fast-friendly.  We've been enjoying some new items along the way, and I'm suddenly a fan of tofu.  

Tonight we were reading from "I Shall Wear Midnight," and gone is the threat of the Cunning Man.  He's out of here, defeated by Tiffany Aching at last.  It's been a good book, the entire plush entourage on the bed to hear it, alongside Maddie and occasionally Mom.  There's another member of the entourage, this creepy rubber duck that Maddie keeps hiding in unexpected places - and then I turn around and do the same to her.  It's been a running joke the last few weeks, finding a weird rubber duck in a shoe or book or whatever.  

We were watching "The Chosen" tonight, and then an episode of "Monk" of course.  And this hilarious animated "Napoleon Dynamite" series, which sadly only has six episodes.  The first three have been hysterical.  Obviously with animation, things are a bit more over-the-top.  But it's been super funny so far, and so great to be with some classic characters again.

We're doing more writing for cowboys and our "Trailblazers" series, and can you believe it?  There's an Easter meeting this week.  We're meeting about Summer Xtreme already too, planning out messages and so on.  Things are moving forward this year.  Time to get some sleep!