A New Year, The Same Old Me

Just some random ramblings about how the first week or so of the New Year is going. 
On New Year's Day, we noticed a bit of water standing in the front flower bed by my office window.  Kept an eye on it, and it hasn't gone away.  So, have called upon the Water Service Line insurance folks to send someone to look at it and figure out if it is the water supply line as we fear.  Just hope it's leaking OUTSIDE the slab,  and NOT under it!  I will probably lose a couple of rose bushes because of this. :(  The roses you see in this photo are the ones that may be lost.  They are dormant now, so if we can dig them up safely and cover the roots with dirt until everything is repaired, we should be able to replant them.  They need pruning back anyway.

Also on New Year's Day, I managed to keep a few resolutions.  I wrote in a poetry journal, and in one of my other journals, I exercised, I worked on the Bodhran lessons online, I did voice practice, and in general felt pretty pleased with myself.
Since then, I have failed to do any of those things except exercise. 

Tomorrow I have to go and insure my continued existence.  To do this, I must have my husband with me, and we must go to the Pass and ID  office on Tinker AFB to get my ID card renewed.  If it expires, so do I.  (At least as far as my base privileges and my medical care are concerned.) All this means I must get up the FIRST time the alarm clock goes off, and I must be more or less coherent before 10 am.  A VERY tall order.  I'm a night owl, and rarely fully mentally functional before 10:30 am at the earliest without massive infusions of caffeine. 

The weather in the last day or so has turned incredibly cold.  Bitter arctic air seems to be trying to push it's way all over this country right now.  I do not want to see our natural gas bill next month.  It's going to be ugly.  Very ugly indeed. 

Also hope it isn't too horribly cold on Tuesday.  On Tuesday the people are supposed to come and actually install drywall in our garage.  FINALLY.  (It's only been damaged since MAY.)  (Contractors and workers hard to come by around here in the aftermath of that tornado.  Our garage ceiling fell in the day BEFORE the big tornado.) 

 

This is what the garage looked like right after it happened. All the stuff is now moved out, and all the drywall is down.  The walls have ALL been insulated, new electrical wiring installed, and we're waiting on the drywall crew.

At least I have money put aside for that, and the service line coverage SHOULD cover the water issue.  Thanks be to God, because our budget can't take many unexpected expenses.  

Tomorrow is also the first voice lesson of the New Year.  Hope I can produce a halfway decent sound.  I did all right this morning, in spite of my sinuses.  Our anthem went very well.  

So, the New Year is acting a lot like the old one so far.  Hope things improve.  I am not giving up hope just yet.  

There are still good things to be done, and books to read, and songs to sing, and challenges to meet.  Guess I better get some sleep now so I can handle all that! 

The poem I wrote on New Year's:

Resolved Again 

By C.K. Armistead 1/1/14

To make the right choice

To practice piano, drum, 

And voice

To move my body more

To make it strong and sleek

For my love to adore.

To open my ears and eyes

To write my visions here to share

Hoping they won't be despised.

To love more, care and share

With those who cross my path

And those in need elsewhere.

To be myself, but more refined

More of what is best about me

And leave selfishness behind.

So my life is a light

And a guide to others

And not a blight.