The Christmas decorations were put away for another year on Monday

January 2, 2018 - Tuesday

-2 degrees/cloudy skies/breezy

Pentoga Road

The holiday season is over and life resumes back to normal. That includes eating. I've noticed that my belly has gotten bigger over the past six weeks. It's time to lose some weight.

I normally would never eat all the cookies that I've recently consumed. For that, I blame Auntie Hollyhock for her great baking and culinary skills. If her cookies didn't taste so darn good, I wouldn't be tempted to inhale them by the handful. Coupled with a big glass of cold milk, Auntie Hollyhock's cookies make the world seem like a better place, each one a little island of peace in an otherwise turbulent world. 

So, it's time to drop a few pounds. I'll limit myself to one cookie a day, my early morning treat that helps to make the pills go down. It'll be my real life spoon full of sugar. 

Ten pounds? Easy peasy. I'm supposed to see Dr. Katie on May 8th, more than enough time to lose the excess. Hmm, two pounds a month. I can do that in a week, which means there's no need to start the one cookie a day diet just yet.

As I said, it's all Holly's fault. Yeah, that's it.

Monday began with one goal in mind, to take down the Christmas decorations.

While Sargie was still in the shower, I put together the makings for bean soup. The beans had been soaking the night before with the ham and bone added yesterday morning. In the end, it all went together and I'll brag, it tasted wonderful.

The soup was supposed to be eaten for last night's supper, but it made the house smell so good that we had it for lunch, then again for supper. 

Beans beans the musical fruit,

The more you eat, the more you toot,

The more you toot, the better you'll feel,

So let's eat beans for every meal!

Did I ever tell you I have a couple of degrees in music? It was obvious last night where my real talents lie.

The remainder of the day was spent taking down decorations. I'd carried the empty boxes and totes earlier in the morning from the storage shed and lined them up on the back deck.

There were at least a thousand, maybe a million, and as two or three would be filled, I'd carry them out to the shed and bring in that many more from the deck.

My back began to grow weary later in the afternoon so I utilized the wheel barrow. 

It was well into the evening before we called it a day. Other than Rudolph and the angel who are still in the front yard, all signs of Christmas have been put away for another year.

Sargie opens this morning. I'm going to take my usual walk then head to town to run a few errands. After, I hope to get the rest of the ice fishing equipment ready for the year and with any luck, finish my day in the shop. Wednesday will begin my official ice fishing season.

It's time to refill the coffee cup and maybe get.... another cookie. Two pounds a month? Not a problem.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...