2022

January

I am posting for January two weeks early because we are about to head out for Africa!!! 

It is a 3 week trip, so when I get back, I will do a whole post just about our trip. First we have to pass the covid testing and then I can breath a sigh of relief that we really get to go this time. Last August, we postponed this trip due to the Delta variant, so much was unknown about it then, we just didn't want to get stuck in Africa once the trip was over because the US border had been shut down. Now, it has been a month into the Omicron variant, things are less severe and not so much is being shut down. But we will have to go through at least 7 covid tests before we are done with the trip. 

So here is what has gone on in the short two weeks of January 2022.

We started off the month with snow. Always so exciting, no matter how old I get. 

The water actually froze coming out of the downspouts!

I don't know how the birds survive it.

I had to laugh when I saw that both doves closed their eyes at the same time for the picture.

They all just seemed to hunker in and wait for the thaw.

In the photo above, is a starling. Most people with feeders don't like them. They swoop in with a flock and they stay until the feeder is emptied out. Especially on the suet that I put out for the woodpeckers. But these guys are really so detailed in colors and outlined it all in brown, that you just have to admire them. 

I drove to Salem to celebrate John's birthday. Seeing my kids turning another year sure makes me realize how old I am getting. 

Next up was John's birthday. Since we need to pass the covid test in a week, we are quarantining as much as possible. Which means, we had to do a 'distanced' birthday party for him with Jessi & Ariel and the kids doing a 'drive-by' birthday song. 

A year ago, I noticed a pod growing on my stephanotis plant. I read up on it and it said that it would take a year for the pod to mature. It was well over a year and it had still not dropped, so I decided to cut it off and open it up. It was packed with seeds. I spread them out and in minutes they had fluffed up. I divided the seeds up and gave some to Mom, Cyndi and Jessi to plant and planted some myself.  Hopefully one of us will have success at starting them. The article said that the plant has to have cross pollination, so since there is only one plant here, it might be sterile and they might not grow.  Anxious to see what happens! 

Dad has his birthday on Sunday. By then we will have had our covid test and feel safe enough to go to dinner and celebrate his day.

My bags are packed!!! If we pass the test, I will be posting photos of our trip asap. If we don't pass...well, we just better pass!