Intuitive Value: 2023 January - February

2023 January - February - March

2023 started out with some good food from an after Christmas gift from our son and daughter-in-law. Of course, the first meal of the new year was the traditional Southern meal of black-eyed peas for good luck and prosperity. Good nutrition has become an important priority and a great start for the new year. We'll see if and when the calories end up in excess!

We are especially fond of seafood but find it difficult to come by good quality in the midwest so we really appreciate our yearly gift of Maine lobster, scallops, and crab from our son and daughter-in-law!

Bowl of black-eyed peas & a lobster tail

Citrus Scallops, greens with hot dressing made with olive oil lemon & lime juice shallots, & Dijon Mustard, pureed sweet potatoes, asparagus

Linguine with Crab Scampi

Crab Rangoon Dip in Bread Bowl was a good choice for the Super Bowl Football Game in February

The Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl VII and I got a

Chief's Kingdom T-Shirt

(actually I got 3)!

Then came Valentine's Day and we went to Red Lobster to celebrate.

Coconut Shrimp and a small lobster tail for me.

We did get outside as much as possible even in the cold weather for some fresh air and exercise. Sometimes it's a short walk around the neighborhood where we are almost always greeted by "Bubba" the neighbor kitty. There are several nice kitties in the neighborhood and all dogs are responsibly contained. Sometimes we go below the Pomme de Terre Dam to Outlet Park where the traffic is always watchful and there are trails and playgrounds. It is only about 5 minutes away.

We get all kinds of critters that come to the house as we live along the PDT River in a mostly wooded area at the edge of city limits. Unusual to have such a young raccoon come by and hang around seemingly unafraid. They can be a problem in July and August raiding our gardens but don't know why this one is out and about in winter in the middle of the day; left it alone in case it was sick.

Most days are spent indoors this time of year though and doing puzzles is a favorite pass time. I always have one in progress on the dining room table. This winter we decided to plan for a trip to Italy (Rome & Florence) to celebrate our upcoming 50th wedding anniversary in May of 2024. We have also started reading books and making plans.

Good time for plans and dreams! Our granddaughter keeps our imagination and energy alive! She really is our dream come true! Even though she started kindergarten this year at age five and attends all week, we do get her at our home every long weekend which is about once a month when she is off school. We will have her every other weekend Friday - Tuesday. When we don't have her here, we get to visit her home in Springfield about an hour away and/or get texts, pictures, and video calls.

Princess dress ups!

Barbie airplane and dream house!

Kitty play time with her young Sparkle Kitty!

I love to hike at my favorite nearby Ha Ha Tonka State Park especially in the winter when the leaves are off the trees and you can see so much more of the rugged landscape around the Castle Ruins located on op of the hills.

The Castle Ruins hike is at the top of the lower springs and always fun to see. I have been coming here since we moved to Missouri in 1978 before it was developed by the state for public use. Fun to capture the different light views and perspectives!

The walkway starting from the spring parking lot in under construction this winter and blocked off from here to about halfway up the 300+ stairs to the castle ruins. I am happy the state is taking such good care of this favorite park!

A project I began last year when I bought an iPhone and got a Photomyne app has been stopped in February. I had digitized 3379 personal photos from 1920-1988 which included colorizing the black & whites and making yearly slideshows. I still have 1989 to about 2005 to do as that was when I started taking all photos digitally. I will get back to it in the winter of 2023-4 and likely will complete it.

I offered to do some volunteer work for my St. Bernadette's Catholic Church in February as part of their 50th anniversary as a church in Hickory County. This photo album was one of five that I offered to digitize and make a slide show for their permanent records and anniversary celebration next September 2023. It took me about 3 weeks to digitize 845 photos/documents from (1some old stuff from around 945) then 1973-2023 and put them in a 30 minute slideshow. I was happy to do it for my church!

As March comes around, I start getting busy with growing stuff! As a Missouri Master Gardener in my 11th year, I help out our local Hickory County Chapter with potting plant plugs in our greenhouse that will be ready for our fundraiser sale in a few weeks.

Along comes the annual gardening workshop in Branson that Keith and I attend to get our required continuing education hours as Master Gardeners. We enjoy the classes taught by highly professional and credentialed teachers. I think we would come here every year even if we didn't need the required education hours. I have an Emeritus status so I don't have to do anything anymore unless I feel like it. The food and vendors are the best and we always learn something presented in a different way!

Then comes spring with crocus, Virginia bluebells and so many spring beauties nearby....

This year we find time for an orchid show in Springfield...

Early in January, we install a Hydro-thermal tub a in our final remodeling project. We were using it immediately the first week of January even before the room was completely finished. My dream spa bathroom has come true! I enjoyed decorating and am very fortunate and grateful that Keith could save us lots of money with his skills!

Sadly, Keith's mother passed away in March. She was 95 years old! A trip to Iowa was made for her memorial service. It was a celebration of her life and many family members and friends came together.