gerisullivan | At least the kitchen is clean...

My life is turning out to be a fair bit more intense that I would choose or want this month, a condition that looks likely to continue for at least the first few months of the new year. It's a combination of business and personal situations any one of which would be at least somewhat troubling, but dealing with several of them at pretty much the same time is just plain daunting. Time will tell, and All That Jazz....

In the meanwhile, I'm keeping busy without running myself completely ragged. That's a win. As is doing my holiday shopping without pulling out a credit card. (Well, except for a business gift ordered online, where cash wouldn't work.) Other wins of the last week: everything that needs shipping went out yesterday, the tree is up and decorated (and pleasing to the eye and spirit), the main bunch of cards are in the mail, and I'm looking forward to my first Christmas in my new home. Yesterday I ordered a fresh duck from my favorite market in Sturbridge. I'll pick it up on Christmas Eve, and stick it on my rotisserie that night or Christmas Day. I've never cooked duck before, but really, really like it, and I think the rotisserie will make it easy. Fingers crossed!

After watching friends build fires in my living room fireplace a couple of times, I felt comfortable enough to try it on my own. And after a couple of successes with that, I'm discovering I'm downright fond of them. My dad sent me home from my last Michigan visit with a hatchet, axe, and wedge, and my woods have lots of downed trees in them. I won't say I'm good at splitting wood yet, but careful persistence goes a long way, and if the sawing and splitting helps build upper arm strength, well, that will be a win, too.

In addition to gathering another wheelbarrow full of wood today, and splitting enough logs for two or three more fires, I also cleaned the kitchen. No big discoveries there, just the satisfaction of clean and clear counters. Other recent satisfactions include assembling the elliptical trainer that I purchased the day before the housewarming party. I'm just beginning to build stamina on it, another minute here, two more minutes there. Initial progress as been slow thanks to the fact that I've been recovering from a cold, but I figure that even small progress counts, and making a habit of using it is the most important factor right now. If I do that, endurance will follow.

And that's what I'm up to, more or less. For the rest of tonight, I hope to tackle one or two more projects on my to-do list du jour, light the fire I set earlier tonight,, and see if I can repeat the new time achieved yesterday on the elliptical. Hope the weekend is going well for all who read this.