A Good Year

Hello, dear readers! How have you been? Well, I hope.

I've been away from blogging for far too long, and for that I apologize. Our lives have changed greatly since my last post 16 months ago. In September of 2024, I lost my beloved job at the bead store when my boss retired and closed the business. At the same time, we were facing the loss of our apartment due to the sale of the house we'd lived in for twenty years. It was an unsettling time, to say the least, but by the grace of God everything worked out for good. In October 2024 I started a new, full-time job in a completely different profession, and in November 2024 we moved into our very own house!

Since then I've wanted to write many a blog post, but life has been so full that blogging, and blog-reading, were crowded out. I love my new profession, but it's physically and emotionally demanding, leaving me little energy for creative efforts at the end of the day. And as first-time homeowners, we quickly found out that maintaining a house also takes a lot of time and energy. But I couldn't let this year end without connecting with you all, and giving you some glimpses of where I've been in 2025.

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We now live withing walking distance of my favourite river trail, and I spent many a cold weekend afternoon there in January:

It's been exciting to watch the river change with the seasons, from winter ice to spring thaw:

Spring brought other excitements, like the blooming of our very own flowering crab:

And bird-watching in the back yard:

Most of my spring weekends were spent digging up saplings, thinning the hundreds of hosta and daylily plants from the flowerbeds in front of the house, and clearing space in the back yard for the beginnings of an herb garden (pictured later in the post).

I didn't have time or energy for cycling until late May, when I finally began exploring the new-to-me roads outside our town:

Ever since we'd moved, I had felt like a different person, living a completely different life. But getting back on my bike seemed somehow to link the new life with the old, and make me feel re-connected to the person I had been.

Work and gardening continued to keep me busy, but I rode when I could, carrying my camera and stopping for wildflower photos as of yore:

Sometimes I even took photos of the flowers at home:

By August, our little herb garden was keeping us well supplied with basil, chives, parsley, thyme, and more:

The raised bed that came with the house was now home to zucchini, chard, kale, beans, and tomatoes:

In late August, I took a trip to California that included a hike in Carbon Canyon, home to many interesting plants and wildflowers...

...and the only non-native successful redwood grove in Southern California:

On Labor Day, Mr. M and I enjoyed a ride in the country:

As summer gave way to fall, with the heavy work in the garden finally done, I was free to take more weekend rides, and revel in the beauties of September and October:

In late October, we took an afternoon to explore the trails of the hauntingly beautiful Durward's Glen:

November found us raking our very own leaves. (Being new to home ownership can make even the most mundane chores exciting!)

The beauty of the leaves was well worth the labor:

Before we knew it, we were celebrating our second Thanksgiving and Christmas in our little grey home.

We have so much to be thankful for.

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I hope 2025 was as kind to you as it was to us, and may 2026 be even better.

A happy New Year to you all.