A Cold Year-end Wrap Up!

So here we are, the final blog post of the year. The Four-day End of Year sale we've been running has been doing quite well, although today might be slower because our wind chills are expected to be between -8 F to -30 F (-22.2 C -to -34.4 C). Yeah - that's COLD. I'm going to be dressed in angora today with a turtleneck underneath, and our furnaces are going to be working VERY hard. 

Yes, my friends, that -23 F area near the center is where
I'm at and where I'll be going in less than an hour. Ick!
I'm not fond of snow, and I'm fully capable of bundling
up, but I really am not fond of this deep cold. 

It's been a great year and I've enjoyed sharing it with all of you. I had fun classes at Bead & Button in June, carefully selecting my classes in January. I've had this year's catalog already open and the classes I am interested in already are marked. I'm ready to go on the 9th when registration opens, and I'll be paying off the bill until the show and then the show expenses until the State Fair opens, then those expenses until Christmas and then then whole debt ball begins again. I'm sure I'm not unique in this, but I really hate not being able to pay off my credit cards completely each month. 

The new patio was the next major step in our backyard project.
Next year we'll get the fireplace wood storage unit built and
maybe a pergola. 

We got a new patio, Sharon came to visit and share the Fair and Renaissance Festival in September, and we finally got a new storage shed erected in October while the snow was beginning to fall. I guess that was our hint that this year wouldn't be the mild winter we've had for the previous two years. 

During the summer, our outdoor 50-meter pool was open, and they
kept it open two weeks past Labor Day this year, which was
a cold run in and out, but absolutely fantastic for a great swim. 

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm ending my year down five pounds from the start and having been at the YMCA to swim 279 times. That includes today's swim, although I need to make a quick stop at the grocery store on my way to the pool today. I'm cooking Chinese-style mini-meatballs for the family pot-luck get-together tomorrow, and it turns out I need stuff - yeah ... different stuff for the sauce, and the meat too. LOL I won't get far without the meat. 

I've really loved spending this year interacting with all of you. I cherish my on-line friends and reach out to all of you six days a week throughout the years. I think this post will make post 2725 in my blog, so I guess I've been doing this for quite a while. 

Have a safe and happy New Year. I'll be back in 2018! 

So, I'm going to get my shopping list together, bundle up, and head out into the cold. I hope all of you have a wonderful, safe and joyous New Year, I'm already looking forward to sharing 2018 with you. I'll be back on Wednesday. Be sure to take a look at the Supermoon on January 2nd, if you can. It's one of three Supermoons in a row (one in December and two in January). Joie!