Later today is the winter solstice; so time for a new thread. If you'd like to look back to where we've been, please go to: The thread "Support for a Healthy Lifestyle in Autumn 2019" in Sandbox forum

The solstice always lifts my spirits. I find it uplifting to think that the days will start getting longer, even if only by a minute a day.

I'm also feeling good because a) our son arrived home today for a few days and b) it's a sunny day!

I know I won't be going to the gym or exercising at all for days. 'tis the season...

Karen

We will be home later today to spend Christmas with friends and family. We left Texas Thursday morning

We went pseudo-hiking today. It was pseudo because it was only an hour and 15 minutes and there were no big hills. It was hiking because it was on a trail. I have to get started somewhere.

Thank you for the new thread, Ann. happy Solstice.

I'm with you Karen, tired of the short days.

Good for you, Kelli, and that sounds like a good start to me.

My back is still bothering me somewhat, but I am too busy right now for exercising anyway..

Managed to get our tree up yesterday and decorated today. We buy it earlier in the month since they are all cut at the same time, but we leave it in the porch until closer to Christmas because we'll leave it up until Epiphany.

Also got our Christmas Greetings out to most people. If you are interested, our on-line Christmas photo-letter can be found at: https://violaann.smugmug.com/O...

The bells played their hour-long program at a retirement home on Thursday and we had an extra rehearsal on Wednesday which made everyone feel better, I think.

It's been really cold here the last couple of days. Cold enough yesterday that I was able to unload and defrost my freezer by putting everything in the porch. My exercise for the day was running up and down stairs at least 15 times.

Oh yes, this year's tree. It's a bit bigger than last year - it scraped the 8 1/2 ft. ceiling when we first brought it in, and it's wider than we had expected, but it's a lot smaller than the 10 1/2 ft. trees we used to have at the apex of the ceiling.

Very nice Christmas letter, Ann, and your tree is lovely.

Wow.... Ann and Bob had a VERY busy year. Your grands are growing up so fast.

Great letter, Ann. You are quite the world traveler.

Karen

Beautiful tree!! And who is that handsome fella !!!!

After the past two days of really cold weather today warmer and extra nice for a longer walk than the one mile only exercise walk we did yesterday and the day before.

So we did 2 1/2 miles this afternoon and are now back home.

Nice sunny day again so Lily and I went off on a 2 1/2 mile exercise walk this afternoon. Just got back inside.

Rain.. rain.. rain..

tomorrow supposed to be sunny

Spent today on feet cooking ... I feel like I walked six miles

No rain here, we have fog, 12 F, .probably the same tomorrow, and we have lots of snow, I have sore feet, on them all day, cleaning and cooking.

3 mile exercise walk today as it was fairly nice out.

Not doing much other than up and down stairs though I did mall walk on Monday. Pool has reopened, but since two of my regular aquafit days are holidays and the instructor I like is away until early January, my membership is on hold until then. But I'm getting ready to get back into the pool. We don't have much snow and most of the rest of the week will be above freezing, and raining, thus taking whatever snow is on the ground. Doesn't look good for snowshoeing though I don't know how much I can do with the knee issue. For sure, I will use my old, wooden snowshoes. The reason I fell was tripping over the pick on the bottom of my newer ones. I think I'll sell them.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it. We will have dinner with our daughter, her partner and our grandson later in the day. My granddaughter - twin of the grandson (they are 17) hasn't spoken to my daughter in 4 1/2 years although we see her regularly. I put the blame squarely on ex SIL for not insisting that she get counselling with a direct objective of re building the relationship while she was still young enough that he could insist such.

Anyway, we still have a relationship with her. Grandson still goes back and forth between the houses.

I didn't buy any dessert. That is my healthful thing for today.

Catching up on this thread.

Ann, hopefully your daughter and granddaughter will reconcile someday. But as they say, you can pick your friends but not your family. I haven't spoken to my only brother since he and his family didn't show up for my Mother's funeral 4 years ago. He hadn't visited her, or helped with her care, in about 10 years before her death at age 90. I'm just done with him. Sometimes pain and perceived neglect are more than we can forget or forgive.

We thoroughly enjoyed having our son home for a few days, but exercise didn't enter the picture. The weather has been exceptionally nice and we should have been out walking. Instead we sat on the front porch in the sunshine (temp in the low 60s). Our neighbors came over and joined us, just like in summer time.

We dropped our son off at the airport way too early this morning to be considered civilized. Today is laundry day and generally cleaning up the rubble, putting away gift boxes, etc. Not much intense work involved. Hopefully a nap later. And hopefully we'll get back to the gym tomorrow.

Karen

Seems like my only exercise the past few days was cooking, then lifting my fork. Going to exercise this afternoon, even though I had a short sleep.