Wow. What a winter! We have had a massive snow storm that closed the city of Watertown down for most of a day, as well as just the regular yearly snow. We have had an ice storm that knocked out power for days to thousands of people, weeks of below 0 temperature that has both delayed and closed schools because it was just to cold for people to expose any amount of skin to for any amount of time. We adopted two neighborhood cats. One had to be put down because he had feline aids and could no longer fight the own bacteria his body produced. The other had major mouth issues, but with some massive and expensive dental care (thanks to my lovely roommate), has recovered nicely, and melds in with our other fur babies quite well. Christmas was quiet and uneventful. To uneventful. Diana and I both decided that next year we need to start creating some holiday traditions, so that the passage of time can be marked a little better. Days and seasons tend to blur when you don't do anything to notice them. I finally got Diana to try Lord of the Rings Online, and now Mom, Dad, she and I play together. The cats are an endless source of hilarity and annoyance, and all of us cannot wait until it is warm enough to kick them all the hell OUTSIDE! God lord! They can drive a girl to insanity and back in about 2.3 seconds! Oh, and we had the house wired for internet. Just internet. Why is this important? I can now stream Netflix. OH. The. Bliss! I have been spending my January doing what I always spend my January doing: reflecting on the previous year and figuring out what I want to change this year. The people here in the North Country are friendly, but it's very hard to actually make friends. Sounds a bit contradictory, but it is true. I need some friends. I don't need a lot, but I need a small handful to explore this new place around me with. What works in the PNW does NOT work here. I have decided that I will combine my friend-making search with some volunteer work. If I can do things I like, I will meet some peeps that have similar interests, and maybe that will kick things off. If not, at least I will have some fun things to do. I don't plan on flying home to visit this year. I simply don't have the money for that. Mom and Dad are talking about coming out here for a visit, and I am now hunting around for things to discover with them. Like wine slushies. And Maybe the Cream Cheese Festival. who knows. With the help of the local friendlies and the internet, I should be able to come up with a fine selection. I might also get a chance to see Dave, Beth and Madeline this year. There is talk about a visit to MIT and other things. We will work it out as we go. I did finish my sketchbook for Project Sketchbook, and mailed it in. I will be doing another this year. I kinda want to do 2, but I don't want to over extend myself. I made a lot of my Christmas gifts for this last season, and plan on doing it again. It was fun, and challenging, and fun. Really fun. I'd love to encourage everyone to buy local and make gifts. Why? Because it's fun. What better reason? I don't have much planned in the way of home projects this year. I have some rock steps I almost finished last year that I will finish in the spring, but other than that, and retouching the paint on the porches, I plan on starting my garden this year. Growing here should be a challenge. The soil is shallow and mostly clay. I have been composting, but there is a lot of work to be done. I have a feeling it will be a very small garden this year. However, ya gotta start somewhere! Diana and I might get a canner. There is a lot of fresh fruits and veggie to be had, and I would love to have them for the winter. Off to start the day!