Winter Blahs?

I can understand why most people get the winter blahs up north. I've lived there during winter. Usually, it's nine months of grey skies along with the cold. Seasonal Affective Depression is rampant. This too I understand. Nothing like endless grey skies to compound it.

But here in the south winter skies are usually bright and sunny (unless it's rainy). Snow falls while the sun shines. It's not oppressive. It's exciting mainly because it doesn't happen  that often. With sunny skies, you want to get out and do except for the bone chilling temperature, unlike our northern counterparts. I say bone chilling temperatures with a grin because the thermometer reads 30 degrees not below zero in the afternoons.

Mel has been learning a new (for her) computer language this past nine months online. Java will open new doors for us. In fact, she has been hard at work on a seed cataloging for our purchased and saved seeds. We've only got a medium sized box full of seeds to work with. But she may market the program once she gets all the bugs out of it. In case you didn't know, Java codes runs most games and and is used in web page design. Her program is similar to the one offered by growveg.com which offers a monthly subscription based service. Hers, you buy the program and you can update at your leisure. Can't find a variety of seed that you have, simply edit it and add. This simply adaption to the program is what I disliked most about  the growveg planner and it doesn't do. Not all plants are alike or even close. Simple drop down windows allow for ease of use and adaptability. Yes, she is also working one 1.2 or even 1.4 in ease of use for noncomputer literate folks not like us. There may even be version 2 or 3 with more bells and whistles at a later date. When Bill Gates developed Windows 1 did he ever envision Windows 10 some 30 years later? Possibly. Go Mel, go!

The down side is that little on computer time is left for editing videos for our Cockeyed Homestead YouTube channel. Now that we've secured a decent, freeware based video editing software again, we should be uploading videos again. Knocks my wooden head for luck. It's been a computers going down, camera issues, audio issues, and software editing issues, we've had our share of technical issues in 2017.  We appreciate all the concerned comments while we've been dealing with these issues.

The way we combat the winter blahs is to keep busy. We have tons of projects until spring. I'm currently on my new, to me,  Cindwood loom, I'm knitting a cowl neck sweater for Mel. This looms ain't cheap, but they are well made. I don't mind spending/ saving for good money on a good product. I'm making it in Mel's favorite color...green. It was supposed to be finished for her January 15th birthday, but other issues have pulled me away from knitting it as you have read on this blog.

But that's not all on my to-do list. The next project for my looms is a dog sweater for Nnyus, pit bull/ridge back hound mix. That poor dog has very short, thin fur, but still does her job on these frigid days keeping us and our cockeyed critters safe. She comes in chilled to the bone. She had a very nice purchased coat but it was lost on one of her missions on the homestead. After that, it's a baby blanket and layette set for Ainsley's (Mel's niece) who is expecting a little girl in April. I also have orders for two beaded, silk/bamboo blend, knitted shawls to be completed by May.

If it's about Mel, it has to be  a cat

So I'm keeping the blahs at bay. I also have my spinning that keeps me warm and cozy inside with the wood stove. Sunlight streams through the windows keeping our moods uplifted. Mel's SAD isn't as bad this winter with the combination of a new antidepressant, the sunlight therapy, and aromatherapy. She's sleeping, eating, and is all around better. Thank God! I'd threatened to run away from home if she got bad again. Amy and Ellen, you understand. They've even offered me a sanctuary. Yes, 2016-2017 winter was that bad.

While it was hard to live with her during her experience, it was just as hard being Mel during this time. I'm just glad that it isn't as bad for both of us.

So what do you do to keep the winter blahs away? Let me hear from you.
Until next week...

Y'all have a blessed day.