It is always nice and uplifting to see the blue sky. The temperature has been back and forth, but it was in the 40s and walking outside was bearable. I marvel at all the joggers who are out even in the very cold weather putting in their miles.

Happy Birthday to all who celebrated their day this past week. Big balloons go out to Jordan Donaroma and Jackson Dowd, who celebrated Feb. 1; Ethan Thibodeau, Tieman Crowell, Feb. 3; Gloriannie Amaral-Espinoza, Olive Rosbeck, Feb. 5; Joao Da Silva, Maria Da Silva, Lucille Morrison, Feb. 6; and to Harper Kelly who celebrates her day on Feb. 7.

I was in Swansea for birthday parties and on the boat on the way home I was reading but my eyes kept going to the water and thinking how cold it looked and watching all the waterfowl bobbing up and down in the swells. I know they have lots of oil under their feathers, but I thought how fun it would be just to sit there and bob all around the ocean even though it was freezing cold.

My friend Diane and I went to Rosewater for breakfast and when we walked in, we recognized most of the people which I know is not uncommon this time of year. But this group was all retired teachers. Mike and Sandy Joyce, Barbara Reynolds, Tom Durawa to name a few. Sandy said they meet up once a month in different towns to stay in touch with each other. We were even able to catch up with retired lawyer Jim Reynolds who was with his wife Barbara for the breakfast.

Even though the groundhog saw his shadow, and we are supposed to have six more weeks of winter, in one short month we will be turning the clocks ahead. It will also be time to start your vegetable and flower seeds for summer. I always start out with good intentions but I can’t get it to work for me. I don’t have much room to start all those seeds, then I think what would I do with them all, then I either water them too much or not enough. Then I remember I work at a nursery, so I let the girls there worry about all that and I can just buy them when they are all done.

Have a great week and keep the home candles burning.