January is usually a welcome quiet spot after the busyness of the holidays. But this year it’s appointment month for me. Mostly follow-up appointments that just happened to get bunched up together. Today is, thankfully, the last one for now.

Early in the month we helped our son and daughter-in-law move into their first purchased home. It was structurally fine but needed numerous smaller fixes–painting, patching holes, cleaning multitudes of dog hair (even from the dishwasher!), turning a space leading to the attic into a pantry, etc. They’ve just about got the preliminaries done, and then they can take some of the bigger projects one at a time. It’s exciting to see what’s new every time we go over!

We owned the house they had been renting. At one time we thought about using it as rental property or maybe moving there if we ever needed to downsize. But in the end, we decided to sell it. Jim spent a number of evenings and weekends touch-up painting and fixing things, and we all went over for an evening of cleaning. We had a good offer after just a day and a half of it being on the market! We’re waiting on the appraisal and such to be worked out but hope to close in a couple of weeks. Jim will be thrilled not to have the responsibility of two properties any more.

For the first time since about last April, COVID numbers have gone a bit down this month in our city. I hope that trend continues and spreads worldwide. But the newspaper also reported cases of a new strain that is not deadlier but is more contagious. Our church is meeting in person, with people sitting in family groups six feet apart. But a few of us are still using Zoom, mainly those with physical issues. We can’t participate in the discussion times that way like we could when we were all on Zoom, and I miss that. But I am thankful for the option to watch in real time.

Timothyisms

I don’t know if I just haven’t been paying close enough attention, or if he’s getting old enough not to say cute/funny things any more. I hope not the latter. One thing I smiled at privately: when he was packing up items from his room, he named them one by one. One was his “favorite rubber band.” 🙂

Creating

No cards this month! I can’t think of anything creative I have done in a while except hang my winter wreath out front.

Watching

We haven’t really been in movie-watching mode, either. There are a few series we follow, but not many are on now. We’ve enjoyed watching The Weakest Link. I’m still working through Lark Rise to Candleford while riding my exercise bike.

Reading

This month I finished (linked to my reviews):

• The Old Lace Shop by Michelle Griep, the last in the Once Upon a Dickens Christmas trilogy of novellas.
• Mistletoe and Murder, a collection of ten novellas by Christian mystery and suspense writers.
• Be Delivered (Exodus): Finding Freedom by Following God, a commentary on Exodus by Warren Wiersbe.
• Daddy Long Legs, a classic epistolary novel by Jean Webster
• Becoming Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn, a brand-new biography.
• Don’t Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life by Anne Bogel.

I’m currently reading:

• Nicholas Nickleby by Dickens. I’m on a quest to read the Dickens books that I haven’t yet.
• Be Loyal (Matthew): Following the King of Kings by Warren Wiersbe
• Write Better by Andrew Le Peau
• The Laura Ingalls Wilder Companion by Annette Whipple
• Influence: Building a Platform that Elevates Jesus (Not Me) by Kate Motaung and Shannon Popkin
• In Between (A Katie Parker Productions #1) by Jenny B. Jones. I don’t usually read YA, but I found this on a Kindle sale and it looked good.
• Fear and Faith by Trillia Newbell

That looks like a lot. But the Dickens one is an audiobook. I have been reading a chapter a week of Fear and Faith on Saturdays, which our church Bible reading plan schedules as a catch-up day if needed. I read the commentary, which amounts to half a chapter or a chapter at a time, with my morning Bible reading. I’ve been chipping away at the LIW and writing book for a long while–I don’t keep them where I usually read, so I forget about them.

Blogging

Besides books reviews and almost weekly Friday Fave Fives and Laudable Linkages, I’ve shared on the blog this month:

• What’s Normal, Anyway? With all that’s been going on in our country, we often speak of wanting things to “get back to normal.” But what’s normal? If we mean trouble-free, no nation has experienced that for very long at a time.
• Reading Plans for 2021
• When It Looks Like Evil Is Winning.
• The Dreaded Proverbs 31 Woman. Did God put her in the Bible for us to dread and dislike?
• Whatever Happened to These Old Sayings? Some common sense wisdom that seems to have been lost.
• Spiritual Sacrifices. The OT sacrificial system has been fulfilled in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. But the NT speaks of spiritual sacrifices.

We have a few events to look forward to In February. And every day of winter brings us closer to spring, more sunlight, growing things returning. (Winter is not my favorite.Can you tell?) But in general I’m not looking too far ahead. There’s much in Scripture about moving forward a day at a time, a step at a time, in faith and hope and obedience.

How was your January? What are you looking forward to in February?

(Sharing with Grace and Truth, Hearth and Soul, Senior Salon, InstaEncouragements)