Catching Up

     Last month was a busy one.  From the beginning of December through yesterday, we hosted five gatherings in our home.  Wynn and I love welcoming our family and friends - sharing food, drinks, games and laughs.  All were wonderful get-togethers which I hope we can continue to have for many years to come.  Lately Nathan and Nina have taken very active roles in helping us prepare for our parties.  Everyone likes to cook so there's no shortage of sous chefs in this house.

     An unfortunate part of being so busy is that I'm not able to get to everything I'd like to.  This year our New Year's greeting cards were sent out nearly two weeks into the January and I haven't been able to blog for several weeks. So, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a HAPPY and HEALTHY 2015!  

      In general, I feel fine.  Most of my days are good, with not-so-good ones interspersed among those.  However, for the past month, or so, I've been more fatigued and experiencing more joint achiness.  I attribute my general malaise to a busy December and the frigidly cold weather we've been having the last several weeks. 

Ann, Mike, me, Wynn

     For the first time in my life, I'm bothered by the winter weather in Chicago.  Having a chronic illness, coupled with being in the latter part of my 50's, makes four inches of snow with single digit temperatures and sub-zero wind chill indices seem crazy.  I think if I had one less burden, say...I didn't have cancer or the wind chill factor wasn't in the negative Fahrenheit range, I wouldn't be complaining.

Me, Margaret, Neil, Ann, Nina, Mike, Wynn

      
     Winter, however, brings snow and we've been able to go cross-country skiing a few times this year. Achiness aside, if the conditions are right, I'm going out! A good day of skiing makes it possible to forget about burdens. 

     I've never been a speed demon in anything I do, but now I'm even slower than I was before.  (Hardly seems possible.) "Thanks!" to my skiing family and friends for patiently waiting for me to catch up. 

Yup...that's me way behind my skiing party.