January in the WI Northwoods brings snow, ice, subzero temps, and occasionally, whatever virus is going around.  My family had a late (Jan. 7th) Christmas get-together with three grandchildren, who I found out later, had been sick over three weeks.  Within a few days of that gathering, four of the six adults present were sick.  I was the first.   For days my life was sleeping, sitting, water bottle, a little TV, kleenix, and cough drops.  It has taken me 17 days to get over this and finally feel almost back to normal, just a bit of cough hanging on.

During the time I was sick, it snowed three times.  My stepping outside the door was limited to taking the dog out 4-5 times a day,  So, there is currently a good 16″ of snow on my sidewalk that I am starting to deal with today.

At the start of the new year I set a few new goals for the studio, including weaving on my drawloom, daily, even for just a few minutes.   On better days while sick I did manage to add a few rows.  There are new weaving habits to be created, and this is one.  Right now, it is a bit of practice, tweaking, deciding whether to re-sley.

A lot of my weaving books had migrated up to the second floor living room over the past 4 months or so, and are now back in the studio.  To provide breaks from  chairs and loom benches, I’m reorganizing my weaving/spinning/felting/fiber books, keeping those I will want to refer to within easy reach.  Some will be packed for the move as I have run out of shelf space.

So as I write this, it is January 26th, the month nearly gone, and I am so far behind on what I’d hoped to have done.  Looking ahead, I am planning my work, and aiming to keep a balance between creative work/studio, and work on home, deep cleaning, packing, etc.  Yard work will be waiting for me in spring.

Now, there is a warp to beam on the band loom, a new scarf warp to be made for the Standard loom, a warping trapeze to learn to use,  and a lot of weaving to do.  I’d best get to it!

P.S.  Right after posting this, a five minute phone conversation with my daughter-in-law left me once again with almost no voice, thanks to whatever has been ailing me.  Her last words were “Mom,… call someone!”  So I did, and was able to get in 45 minutes later.  The nurse practitioner is calling is bronchitus, and I returned home with an antibiotic and something for the cough.  I’m hoping in a few days this will all be a distant memory.