One of the nice things about having a blog is that it gives you an anchor in history. (I hear from blogless people that Facebook serves a similar purpose.) I can see daffodils today and think, gosh, this is way too early. But then I can go back to previous Januaries and see that we’re probably only a week early. I had snowdrops pictured in the final weekend of January last year, rather than in the middle of the month, and the daffodils didn’t turn yellow until February. (Also, how is February arriving at the end of this week?!)

With highs predicted for this next week to remain in the 40s, I suspect this daff will unfurl itself in short order. Right now, it looks not dissimilar to me when I am fooled by bright sunshine into leaving the house underdressed only to wish 15 minutes later that I had a warm layer to block the breeze.

The past couple days I was out during the day in just a baseball tee and sweatshirt (and knitted accessories). But as the sun sets, it still cools off quickly and I’m glad to pull on a jacket or puffy vest. It’s still too early for canvas sneakers (at least without wool socks), as I discovered this evening, but I know that day isn’t far off. (My apologies to those of you for whom that day is far off.)

The current forecast for the Bay Area has the highs in the upper 60s and lows in the upper 40s while I’m out there later this week, so I’m hoping that means I can leave the winter sweaters and coat at home!

I was lucky enough to be on an above-ground train this evening as the sun was setting over Old Town Alexandria. The first clue of its gorgeousness was actually the pink hue cascading over the D.C. skyline on the other side of the river, but I was on the wrong side of the train to capture that.

I embark upon a cross-country work trip Wednesday, the first of four trips in the next month, so a lot of my weeekend to-do list focuses on prepping for that.

But it also includes some fun, as well:

• Watch a video — I picked up Judy, Valentine’s Day, and Pokémon Detective Pikachu at the library this week. (And Rudi has promised to be home from practice relatively early tomorrow.)
• Do laundry.
• Spend time outside.
• Go to a craft fair in the old subterranean trolley station in my neighborhood.
• Bowl.
• Pick up sweets in Chinatown to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
• Bake shortbread — I have Mary Berry’s cookbook out from the library and bought semolina last week.
• Clean the kitchen.
• Finish my shawl.
• Paint my nails (but maybe not until after bowling on Sunday).

How about you? What are you hoping to do on this final weekend of January?

I have Monday off, which means I get to fill three days with some combination of fun and chores. Here’s some of what I’m thinking that might include:

• Taking part in the Women’s March. I’m just going to march, not hang around for speechifying, nor take part in the theatrical flash mob singalong they’ve planned.
• Having a hot drink with Sarah after the March.
• Finishing some overdue correspondence.
• Washing laundry.
• Listening to my audiobook.
• Putting away the last of the Christmas decorations.
• Bowling.
• Baking cookies. Maybe I will make myself a batch of Gramma cookies, since her birthday was today.
• Doing something with Rudi on Monday after he’s back from coaching.
• Knitting another row on my shawl.
• Clearing off my couch and my coffee table.
• Catching up on some sleep.

What are you thinking about doing this weekend?

It was a surprisingly balmy weekend for January, and I was lucky enough to be able to spend a good deal of it outside. Which means my living room is still a hot mess, only one load of laundry got done, and the tree is still inside and covered in lights (although the ornaments are off).

I don’t regret any of it, and I’m glad that some of my tasks were mobile. I’ll be spending some of my evenings playing catch-up this week, but I think it will have been worth it.

How was your weekend?

Oops! Apparently in my haste to finish my post and go to bed, I forgot the key step of hitting publish. Here’s my weekend planning, now partway in:

I think this is the last weekend I’ll have without plans for a while, although there’s a possibility that bowling doesn’t start until the following week. Volleyball does kick off this coming week, so at the very least it’s the final week where my physical activities consist only of walking and cycling. (Don’t be impressed by the cold-weather biking; it’s pretty much just the couple miles to work in the morning. And even then it’s only because I’m impatient and a procrastinator and would rather leave for wherever I’m going at the latest possible moment.)

Anyway, how am I thinking I’ll spend these next two uninterrupted days of inactivity?

I have some fun things lingering from Christmas (movies I wanted to watch and a couple other things), so Rudi and I may queue up some dvds after he gets back from ski coaching tomorrow and Sunday.

I put a bunch of things on hold at the library and then failed to put some of those holds on pause, so I have nine (!!) books waiting at the local branch. I also have a couple dvds they’d like back, so I’ll take a walk down there and then tote my treasure home.

My living room once again looks like hobos reside in it while I’m at work. I mean, sure, they’re using Rudi’s and my stuff, but I’m certain that’s just a coincidence, right?

Laundry must be done so I don’t have to wear fun but uncomfortable underwear to work this week. (I refuse to believe I’m the only one here swayed by cute patterns at the store only to find elastics will not stay in the right spot when you want to do something strenuous like walk more than a dozen steps.)

We also need to then take down the Christmas tree. Ornaments are starting to slide down branches, and I fear breakable baubles will soon fail to defy gravity.

And finally, I hear rumors that the sun will peek out at some point over the weekend — likely on Sunday — at which point I will drop whatever I’m doing (unless it’s breakable, in which case I will carefully put it down first) and run outside to soak up some wintry rays. The sun is back to setting after 5 p.m., so that could potentially include quite a few hours outside reading and/or knitting. Hooray!

What do you have planned for the weekend?