January 31, 2018 Super Blue Blood Moon 2018

Well? Did you see it?
The full moon?
The January Super Blue Blood Moon
This was a BLUE MOON, simply, the SECOND FULL MOON twice in one month.
NO...... it wasn't BLUE!
And it was a SUPERMOON (the Moon is at its closest point to Earth and appears to be 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than normal.
"The BLOOD MOON occurs because the Earth is passing between the Moon and the Sun, which gives the Moon a reddish tint to it. It's caused by light bending around the Earth because of gravity passing around a portion of the atmosphere, more commonly known as a LUNAR ECLIPSE."
"Skywatchers in some parts of the world witnessed a rare combination of events that included a total lunar eclipse."
Because of our location, and viewing on the east coast, we were not able to see the entire lunar eclipse. The skies were clear enough, however, to witness a partial eclipse!

Moon over Ft Lewis Mountain

About an hour before this photo was taken, the brightness of the moon, made for a pleasant alarm clock, shining directly into our bedroom window.😎😎😎.

Up and outside I ventured with coat, hat, pjs, shoes... quite the site, but those that know me.......
I made such a racket that hubby was also clicking away on his cell phone, to certify my sanity.

The real spectacle  was late last night, January 30, 2018.
One Bright Moon!
Photo taken at 10:47PM

Super Blue Blood Full Moon

You can call me Looney , Luny, or Loonie.........
just not Lunatic 😁😁😁

January 27, 2018 DECLUTTER II

Heave Ho
Let it Go......
From baggage and books,
To boots and beads,
My weight is decreasing at phenomenal speeds.
So listen to my urging,
It's time to get purging.
I have too much stuff...
Way more than enough.

"WHAT WOULD YOU TAKE WITH YOU, IF YOU HAD AN HOUR TO PACK, KNOWING THAT YOU WOULD NEVER RETURN TO YOUR HOME?"
Ouch...
Distress...
hmmmmmmmm.....
It's just a question, right?
But I seriously could not get that question out of my head.
I look around my home of 44 years and....... well...... what exactly would I take????
Wow! Does that motivate you?
That question has been my motivator for decluttering in the month of January... ( in addition to the latest  episode of THIS IS US😭😭😭)
Frames, books, yarn, makeup bags, games, fabric, old files, garden fixtures, art supplies, old cosmetics, duplicate kitchen utensils, seasonal items,
OK, breatheeeeeee.
More trips to the donation centers....

The journey is getting a little easier....... because I have less CRAP STUFF.
Here is my first endeavor  for the year →→→ DECLUTTER I
Most current dilemma: ↓↓↓
What to do with the thousands of photos that are in boxes.(I'm just not into the scrap-booking adventure, but the people that do this, have my utmost respect!)
One crate of photos went to child #3 today.

Don't worry Child #1 and Child #2. You will get your stash ASAP.😀😀😀

For the items that are sentimental:
I have 2 Hope Chests

One is now full.
The second one is collecting "sacred" items for my kiddos to deal with one day.
YES, MY KIDS ARE THANKING ME.
Each time drawers, cabinets or closets have been emptied, I send them photos.😍

Am I done?
Hardly.
But I'm 701 items free!

And I have NO PLANS for replacing the empty drawers.
In fact, I no longer need all of those storage containers that I first showed you!
Remember that question that I asked?
Think about it!
"WHAT WOULD YOU TAKE WITH YOU, IF YOU HAD AN HOUR TO PACK, KNOWING THAT YOU WOULD NEVER RETURN TO YOUR HOME?"
Dr. Mercola shared an excellent article entitled Time to Declutter. He shares many issues, but one that stood out for me was how clutter affects your brain! Read it → HERE
Happy Decluttering! 💓💓💓 and Stay tuned!

January 25, 2018 Amaryllis Flower

Sunglasses please!😎
The Amaryllis Flower surely wins the blue ribbon for 'EASY TO GROW'.
Light, water, and watch!
From bulb to flower took 24 days.
It is fascinating to look up close.... as in MACRO photography. Here you are able to view the reproductive parts (the pistil and the stamens)

This red and white Amaryllis is bright and will cheer up some of these blustery January days.

There are more than 500 different varieties of Amaryllis flowers.
The blooms look stunning for up to 3 weeks.
The is the FIRST of several blooms on this particular plant.

There is joy and sunshine on my kitchen counter!
Yes, sunglasses are needed! 😎

January 22, 2018 First Bike Ride for 2018

Walking and biking the ROANOKE RIVER GREENWAY has been a favorite destination spot for us(Not to mention the photography opportunities, as well as chatting with many of our friends).
We usually begin and end our adventure at the the River's Edge Sports Complex due to parking convenience as well as being close to our house.
The relatively flat paved trails make for a hugely popular spot.
Today was the first BIKE RIDE for 2018.... for both of us.
We were slow, cautious and steady.
The weather was PERFECT.

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The company was fabulous.

And actually (for our first time out) we accomplished  a few good miles!

Any day outside is a good day!
Here's to grabbing life with gusto in 2018.
👍👍👍👍👍

January 10, 2018 Cascade Frozen Waterfalls

Not to be confused with THIS IS US. This ain't us! 

Wowzer.
How incredibly difficult it is for me to describe the overwhelming feeling of admiration for this waterfall.
BREATHTAKING.
B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L.
The Cascade Falls is located in Pembroke, Giles Co. Virginia, and is probably one of the most visited falls in Virginia!
and........
"possibly one of the most beautiful on the entire East Coast"
The weather temperature Wednesday was perfect, not too hot, not too cold (as compared to last week's ZERO temps with horrible wind chills). The 40-ish temperature was just enough to produce some rosy cheeks.
Hikers normally go on this 4 mile loop during the spring, summer, fall season.
Oh, BTW, we are not normal.
The path is wide.

Can you see Ron sitting under the massive rock??? 

The path is usually clear. Today, we took precautions to watch where we stepped, due to ICE.

The stream along the path was gorgeous!

Don't be fooled by wet rocks that are actually ICE rocks.

Obviously it took us longer to get to the falls, than "normal".
We had to ooooh and aaahh(with an occasional ewwww, but mostly awe). We stopped to take   photos, and catch our breath, and watch for ice, and mud. We took advantage of every resting bench along the way.

I'm beginning to doubt the validity of taking heavy camera equipment on hikes like this.
But we did.... and it got heavy.
My trusty iphone worked just well!
The last portion of the hike to the falls was treacherous as well as strenuous(for me). The young whippersnappers that zoomed by us reminded us of our age, and our recent loss of endurance.
👇👇👇
SOTSWTM
Sitting On The Sofa Way Too Much 😍😍😍
The last portion of the hike also felt as if we were entering "The Chronicles of Narnia"
Exquisite!

Because we did not want to swim in the stream today, walking along the edge of the ice covered rocks took more time than usual.
We made it!

No, this is not us, either!

I promised my adult children that I would be careful.
Ron shook his head (someone had to take the picture, you know!😎)

For more information on the Cascade Falls, click on this site here 👉CASCADE FALLS .This is an additional site than previously mentioned at the beginning of my blog. Included are some lovely photos of Cascade trail, upper and lower trails, and Big Stoney Creek.. Here is an example of one of the photos included in this site.

Today was a fun adventure.
I  highly recommend starting this hike earlier than 1:15 PM.  We watched the sunset while walking back to the parking lot, and we did not have breadcrumbs with us.
Happy Hiking!

January 9, 2019 DECLUTTER I

Yep.... I'm taking the challenge!
Actually I started this madness the last day of last year......
*********DECLUTTERING CHALLENGE: 2018 in 2018********
That's 2018 items that will be GONE from my house this year.
Check out the site here→→ NOURISHING MINIMALISM.
In this site, you can download the chart!
I did this same challenge in 2017.
I blogged about it as well, last year. Here is the blog! →WELCOME 2017...USE IT, LOVE IT, OR GET RID OF IT . The blog explains in detail HOW to best take the challenge. I completely fizzled out on keeping the chart. Nonetheless,  I came close to the 2017 items.

Mind you........ we have lived in our home for almost 44 years and raised 3 children.
My parents and Ron's parents homes have now been sold, which means...... you guessed it.....
Anyway.
This year, the chart will not be tucked away.
It has been a laughable, action-filled, daunting, but satisfying first 10 days.
This project can be intimidating, but I'm determined to live with less CRAP things.
495 items have been trashed, given away, or donated.

There is no significant reason or purpose for the colored markings. I threw away 10 magazines, and filled in 10 spaces with a colored pencil.
I donated 52 punch cups, and filled in 52 squares.
24 pieces of flatwear, each received a square.
Articles of clothing, sewing machine, furniture, frames, sheets, towels.... how could I have 5 curling irons in my house? Candles, baskets, ornaments, strollers.
The china closet has been cleared of dishes no longer using.
I'm a bit of "undiagnosed ADHA"....... and thus have flitted and fluttered around the house like a dragonfly, going from the basement, to the attic, to my clothes closet, to bathroom supplies, to kitchen cabinets.

The purpose, however, is to GET RID OF STUFF.
Three trips in one week to the Goodwill has placed me on their first name basis!

I'm attempting to list the items that I donate, for tax deduction purposes.
But seriously, I TOTALLY WANT TO GET RID OF STUFF.
There are a lot of other places that are worthy of my donations. Goodwill fit the time slot this week for getting rid of CRAP STUFF.

This was round one. I know that I will not be spending this much time every week getting rid of 2018 items......... and no, we are not moving.
Reducing the number of possessions that we have acquired over the years, represents an important new direction that our life can take for the future. It's exciting!

January 8, 2018 New Beginnings in January

What is it about January that encourages me to want to start over, and/or try something new?

Or declutter?

Or renew my mind?

Or diet?

Or exrcise?

Or not look back?

As far as New Years resolutions.....

Thankfully.............. I MADE NONE.
No one, however, can deny that this is a NEW YEAR.
New beginnings and new choices will enviably pop up this year.
How will I handle them?
Time will tell.
This year I gifted myself two bulbs to grow inside, during the usual dreary months of January/ February. Both are small examples of new beginnings, and are fun to watch!

Amaryllis , January 2, 2018

Paperwhite, January 2, 2018

The Paperwhite bulb and the Amaryllis bulb are easy to grow!

Both will bloom in about 6 week.

Photo below is the Paperwhite. Photo taken today! January 8, 2018.

What will you choose to do, to represent new beginnings?
I've got a list in my head, and have begun writing them down.
I'm looking ahead, and not in the rear view mirror!

Here's to new beginnings and new choices!

January 3, 2018 Fenwick Mines

photo courtesy of Tony Zeljeznjak 

GRAB LIFE WITH GUSTO!
The weather might be chilly, but the latest scientific research indicates that our brains perform better when it's cold outside. (Being properly dressed is highly recommended). Today's mini adventure was highly invigorating.
Thank you Tony Z for going with us. (you qualify as crazy, so we felt at ease being with you!)
Oh so you need proof? How is this?

Here is Frick and Frack:

Fenwick Mines Falls is located in Craig County Virginia(State Route 685, New Castle). The path to the waterfall is relatively short and flat..... which was a good thing for me. This was my first trip out, due a minor knee injury.

There is something that is just beautiful about this....... even though it was COLD.

Call us crazy, or call us.............looney.

photo credit Tony Z

Here's looking at ya!

Photo credit to TonyZ

And here's to more winter adventures!

PS. Use common sense, dress warmly, know your limits, enjoy the outdoors.