Change is good

The first change is the location of the blog. I am switching from Blogger to WordPress. The blog itself is now at http://www.tealowljourney.com and I'm still making minor tweaks to the imported posts. Some of the formatting got mangled during the conversion. I am about 40% of the way through the old posts. I like the extra functionality such as email registration and social network integration. Have a look around! Hosting is at First Degree Systems. The website will be down for a couple of hours on Tuesday, February 26^th so please be aware of that.

Our weather is in flux now. This February is one of the snowiest on record already. Today's snowfall didn't have a lot of moisture in it, but it caused problems on the roads. I hope everyone have safe travels today. I have already used the snow blower more this month that I did all last winter.

The Amaryllis bulbs were a flop. The large one failed set a flower stalk and the small one has signs of wet rot when I bought it. The large one will go dormant in a few weeks and I will try reviving it again. I have a forsythia cutting in water now. It should bloom within four weeks. A splash of color is always a welcome change even if it takes some time.

The back-and-forth weather shows we are getting close to spring. Change happens and it isn't always easy or smooth. Our days are getting longer at this latitude. We have gained almost three hours of daylight since December 20^th and are picking up nearly three minutes per day of daylight. The cold snaps are shorter, which I welcome. The seasonal tug-of-war is causing some strong winds at times. Solar angle is more favorable as evidenced by melting snow on an asphalt driveway when the temperature rises above 10°F. Soon the white shroud covering the ground and coating the trees will give way to green and life.

Babies are another change in some people's lives. My cousin Diane will be a first-time grandmother July 25^th. I have mentioned Lucy's cousin Chris eagerly waiting on her grandson's birth. Those are wonderful changes.

New jobs and new careers are other changes. The economy has caused a number of changes with some people branching in new directions. I applaud your courage and vision, Mary, and I am proud to help any way I can!

My changes have not been as exciting. Enough time has passed to determine the new normal and I'm still making adjustments. Life is a series of changes and adjustments are part of the process. Lucy never quit and she inspires me to keep trudging forward. Joy and happiness are gone, but hope remains.

Mark Twain said "To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with" and his words are still true over a century later. Dr. Suess said "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened". It is not easy, but it worth remembering. Hope allows us to smile when surrounded by despair and gives us a reason to keep plugging away.

Spend some time with your special someone and get that full value of joy. One can never have too much joy.