Five Things for Friday: A Random List

- 1 -

I am busy at work these days, with some aggressive deadlines. At one point yesterday, I was feeling totally overwhelmed. I picked the first item on my list, made a phone call, and found that talking with my coworker to decide how to  handle that issue was very satisfying, and I went on to make good progress on other tasks. Ended the day feeling positive, and today went equally well. I need to remember:

Q: How do you eat an elephant?
A: One bite at a time.

- 2 -

Punxatawney Phil saw his shadow yesterday, meaning we have six more weeks of winter. It's hard to complain about that - we've had such a mild winter. Yesterday I walked Bonnie at lunch; it was sunny, a pleasant 45 degrees, and simply lovely. We walked a tad longer than usual, enjoying the springlike weather.

I read that one day in January, 1967, Kalamazoo's temperature reached 60. Two days later, the city had the biggest snowstorm in its history: 28 inches of snow in two days. I also read that, because Lake Michigan is nearly ice-free this year, we are "open for lake effect snow in February, whenever an arctic blast moves across the lake." Clearly, it won't do to become complacent regarding the weather.

On Groundhog Day, I like to watch the delightful (and cleverly named) comedy, Groundhog Day. In her Five Things for Friday post, Heather shares her family's unusual Groundhog Day tradition - check it out.

- 3 -

I have two books on the desk that I have read, for which I want to write reviews. It always takes me a while to gather my thoughts and find the right words (especially for books of poetry), so for now I'll just name names: Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, and House Where a Woman, poems by Lori Wilson. I enjoyed both, and hope to share my thoughts in the relatively near future.

I'm reading The Lynching of Emmett Till: A Documentary Narrative, edited by Christopher Metress. I've barely started, but it promises to be interesting (if I can just find time to read...)

- 4 -

I'm also struggling to find time to knit. Elijah, the elephant for my young friend (who arrived on Sunday, hurrah; mother & child are both fine), now has two arms & two legs, and part of one ear. And the shawl got its weekly allotment of knitting as well. Slowly but surely...

Knitting tonight! Hoping to finish an ear, maybe two...?

- 5 -

It is rare that Jim & I are in sync with the rest of the country, television-wise, but we have definitely  joined the Downton Abbey bandwagon. Such a terrific series! We record the episodes, and Jim likes to put off watching as long as possible, savoring the anticipation. I, on the other hand, like to dive right in. We try to compromise somewhere in between.

And coming up soon is another of our favorites: the annual Westminster Kennel club dog show. We talk about going to New York someday, to mingle with dogs and dog people, and enjoy the show in person. (It's on my bucket list!)