xmas is over

Contemplating resolutions, etc. this morning. Not to make, but just reflect on the idea in general. Everyday can be Day One of an improvement in one's life. Some improvements are a transformation but most are not.

• Took Clio on a token walk this morning, around the block. It was too cold for her feet. I didn't even bother trying with Watson.
• Finn was crabby - he kept asking to go out, but came right back in after about 30 seconds. Meanwhile, Beau was being a butt, attacking the dogs (*not* a good idea) and Finn who pinned him down for some punishing bites. 
• Put away the rest of the xmas decorations. How come, when you think they are all back in the closet, there is at least one item still lurking somewhere? It's like vacuuming pine needles - there are always some left in June. And stink bugs! Every so often, another one appears; yesterday one fell out of nowhere, into the dog's water bowl while I was filling it at the kitchen sink.
• Also ironed the xmas table linens and put them away. It's not often that I iron.
• Returned to knitting the never-ending baby blanket.
• Worked on the whatever that is on the 24" loom. It's been a weaving experiment that I think is finally coming to an end, except I ran out of yarn.
• Looked at my Blogger statistics for this blog. Today there was a huge spike in views, mostly from Russia. Hope they are amused.
• Started reading Future Home of the Living God, by Louise Erdrich. My first nit to pick is it is supposed to be a journal-like letter to the narrator's unborn child, but it reads like straight narrative with dates serving as chapter titles. I've heard both favorable and unfavorable things about this book, so I'll probably continue reading, to see for myself.
• Tried watching River, but it wasn't doing anything for me. Switched to Call the Midwife.
• While watching TV in the den, I heard a strange noise, like something cracking or crackling. I thought it was Beau but he wasn't out there. I looked and looked for whatever it was, found only a cracked outlet cover on an exterior wall. It's a mystery. In case it was due to the cold (and that room is colder than the rest of the house), I decided to up the furnace for the night. I can't wait for this cold snap to be over.
• House maintenance and repair is the one thing that will probably drive me out of my home and into a rental of some sort.