Author: Jo

January, 2026: Gonna

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2026! WOW!  Happy New Year to everyone.

Sky graffiti.

While I don’t make resolutions, in 2026 I do plan to:

  •  have a new kitchen installed.

    Can hardly wait for a new kitchen.

  •  finish staining the outside of the house.

    This east wall remains unstained.

  •  paint the front hall which is 2 stories tall.

    I think this will be a tricky job.

  •  travel to far off lands.

    We’ve seen the Northern Lights but might have the opportunity to view them from a dog sled.

  •  incorporate a weight lifting routine as a health boost.

    I’ll start with light weights.

  •  lose 10 pounds.

    I keep an accurate scale in my bathroom.

Charlie and I haven’t got any special plans for January in terms of parties or travel.  I’m still trying to round up a contractor for the kitchen project.

We’ll be doing small projects around the house.

In January I plan to:

  1.   Make travel plans for London including transportation from the port to the hotel, UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), and potential theatre shows/tickets.

    We hope to see a few shows in the West End.

  2. Organize a few items in my studio/office in back bedroom (#63).  Get rid of old paint which I was going to use on the walls but have decided to go in a different direction.

    Christmas decorations and Charlie’s clothes are messing up my studio. That will change.

    I am calling this room JoStudio.

  3.  Work on tax return and required minimum distributions including the charitable variety (#2).
  4.  Shampoo upstairs carpet (#28).

    The upstairs wall-to-wall carpet gets a lot of foot action.

  5.  Put away all Christmas decorations.

    I like to carefully pack away Christmas decor so it will be ready for next year’s holidays.

  6.  Empty at least 3 boxes in the garage to make room for new kitchen items.

    Records, papers, and books were unboxed to dry out after a heavy rain wet their containers. This month I’ll sift through and limit what I keep.

  7.  Remove trim from kitchen pantries and save for future use.

    We might need some of this trim in the new kitchen. (The bifold doors are leaving.)

  8.  Read a book.

    Love a Sue Grafton mystery.

  9. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: STRATEGY.
  10.  Write a goal list for February, 2026.

Jo

December, 2025: Score

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December has been a cold and windy month on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

We have been experiencing some fiery sunsets.

In the meantime we’re still trying to enjoy the season and get to know new people. By the way, I met and remembered 10 new people.

In addition to the pre-planned numbered list I also:

  • Contacted 4 contractors to come to see the project and give me a proposal.  Only 1 has visited the house so far.
  • Made meringue kisses for a potluck supper.

    I enhanced my contribution of meringues with some colored sugar and seasonal gummy candies.

  • Attended a choral concert with a 60 voice choir.  Lots of music including a sing-along Hallelujah Chorus.
  • Got a new battery for my car.  The old one lasted more than 6 years.
  •  Weatherstipped the bottom of the garage door.
  •  Purchased a bistro set for my balcony.

In December I wanted to:

  1. Celebrate Christmas.  We really celebrate the holiday the entire month of December and let it drift into the New Year by taking a special class, decorating a little bit, getting in touch with family and friends, meeting new friends, and remembering the highlights of the past year.

  2. Work on an inside project from my 101 in 1001 list.  I wrote at least 7 notes to friends (#4) — not just Christmas cards because I’m not really a card person.  I wrote actual notes.  I also piled up Christmas decorations that no longer suit us and gave them to my son’s wife who is welcome to toss them.  I just couldn’t. (#27).
  3.  Continue packing up kitchen items, removing cabinets, patching holes, and maybe even painting.  The first potential contractor came for a look early in the month so I got busy right away packing up items we seldom use.

    Everything gets carefully packed up.

    I used multiple size and shape boxes since kitchen items are both fragile and oddly shaped.

  4. Get rid of a pile of clutter from the master bedroom. Part of the clutter was Christmas gifts which have now been fully distributed.  I also moved a box of bank statements to my studio where I expect to work on our tax return for next year.
  5. Choose new appliances: Stove and exhaust fan.  I’ve chosen a Frigidaire 30-in 5 burner 5.1-cu ft Freestanding Natural Gas Range (Stainless Steel ) and a Hauslane range hood.

    What an improvement this will be!

  6. Make a dermatologist appointment.  I called in the middle of December and made the first available appointment which is not until February.
  7.  Read a book.  I read the final (5th) book in the Thursday Murder Mystery series, The Impossible Fortune.  I was on the waiting list for quite a while but finally nabbed a hardback at the local library.
  8.  Get a COVID booster.  I tried to get one at the local health department but they have some kind of computer glitch that won’t allow them to take information. ?????

    Vaccinated!

    So I went to a local pharmacy and received the newest vaccine since we’ll be traveling in 2026.

  9.  Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: MARVEL.
  10.  Write a Do-it list for January, 2026.

Jo

Merry Christmas 2025

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I am so happy to wish the readers of LFTM a very sincere merry Christmas.

My sister has sent gifts wrapped in whale paper — my Christmas theme of wildlife.

While we do have some decorations up this year the house is a bit unsettled as we are gutting the kitchen little by little and hope to begin remantling in spring.

The future kitchen will have color and storage.

Once again Charlie was the musician for 2 church services on Christmas eve at a church we’ve recently begun to attend.

If Charlie shows up there will be music.

The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:5

Look for the light.

Merry Christmas from Charlie, Jo, and Dash!

Jo

New Kitchen Appliances

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Some of the first decisions I have to make for the newly designed kitchen  are the appliances.  The exact model selection is necessary before ordering the cabinets so everything fits together.

A bird’s eye view of the new layout.

We are gutting the old kitchen so everything will be new. The only thing staying in approximately the same spot is the sink.

We’ve been storing the appliances while waiting for the demolition to begin.

I have been purchasing the units from Lowes as they offer me a 10% discount.
My appliances are as follows:
Refrigerator   Whirlpool 28.7-cu ft Side-by-Side Refrigerator with Ice Maker, Water and Ice Dispenser

    Item #6841589 |Model #WRSF6536RZ

I like a side-by-side due to the ice maker, water on the door, and freezer placement.

Dishwasher Whirlpool 24-in Top Control Built-in Dishwasher
Item #6817039 Model #WDTS8024SZ

Our dishwasher will be in approximately this placement except in blue cabinetry.

Sink  Kraus Turino Farmhouse apron front 33-in x 18.25-in  Fireclay Single bowl Kitchen Sink  Item #3625572 Model #KFR1-33GWH

The new sink is deep and wide.

Faucet  Kraus Oletto Spot Free Antique Champagne Bronze Single Handle Deck-mount Pull-down Kitchen Faucet with Sprayer   Item #1245682 Model #KPF-2820SFACB

I’m sticking with a champagne bronze finish for the fixtures like others in the house.

Stove Frigidaire 30-in 5 burners 5.1-cu ft Freestanding Natural Gas Range (Stainless Steel )Item #5760671 Model #FCRG3052BS

What an improvement this will be!

Range Hood Hauslane 30 inch Ducted 525-CFM Stainless steel Under Cabinet
Item #2524116 Model #UC-PS38SS-30

Our new range hood will vent outside the wall instead of under the floor.

While each unit is attractive I hope I have selected function over form for the kitchen appliances.
Jo

Plans for the Kitchen

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At the end of September I met with a kitchen designer — the same one that designed our previous kitchen at The Glade.

The kitchen at The Landing is fully open to the downstairs area.

She took measurements and we talked about design options, color, and lay out.

The finishes are pale blue (Upward), cream (Sandhill Crane), and a nameless deeper blue with accents of champagne bronze.

Here’s what we came up with:

Before — These pantries will be totally removed to increase the size of the kitchen.

After — The new pantry wall will house the refrigerator and deep floor to ceiling cabinets.

The pantries are being dismantled and replaced by a side-by-side refrigerator and pantry cupboards.

Before — The sink wall is behind the stove island.

After — The island will be totally removed in the new scheme.

The sink countertop is now much longer with an integrated trash cabinet.

Before — The cabinets on the microwave wall will come out and be replaced by new cabinets, a stove, and range hood.

After — The new stove will be gas, not electric.

The future stove wall will vent outside through the wall leaving the current island obsolete so it will disappear.

Before — The island (which will be removed) looks directly into the dining room.

After — The kitchen will still be open to the dining room, just not as much and we’ll gain cabinet storage.

Currently there is no division between the kitchen and dining room.  Once the island has been removed it will be replaced with a 4-foot tall knee wall and counter.

Before — No division between kitchen and dining room.

After — The inevitable clutter in the kitchen will be hidden by a 4-foot tall wall.

The purpose of the knee wall is to hide the goings-on in the kitchen while enjoying a nice meal or sitting in the living room.

A view from the refrigerator wall.

And that is as far as we have progressed in the kitchen design.  Although I have chosen some appliances I will need to decide on all of them before the cabinets can be ordered.

A bird’s eye view of the new layout.

The cabinets take 6-10 weeks to fabricate.  I still must select a countertop and there are lots of options.

Whew!  Whose idea was this anyway?

Jo

December, 2025: Aims

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December is a wonderful month to look back and dream forward. We’re working diligently this December on dismantling the kitchen.  We haven’t had to live without a kitchen at Christmas since 2013.

The kitchen is in the far corner behind the post.

In the meantime we’re still trying to enjoy the season and get to know new people.

In December I’d like to:

  1. Celebrate Christmas.

    The polar bears are protecting the scaled-down Christmas tree.

  2. Work on an inside project from my 101 in 1001 list.  Could be writing notes to friends (#4), scanning  the  Mommie photos (#11), old Christmas decorations that no longer suit us (#27),  and/or work on studio/office in back bedroom (#63) — so many choices, so little time.
  3.  Continue packing up kitchen items, removing cabinets, patching holes, and maybe even painting.  The painting will depend on how far we get with the tearing apart.  Much of the wall will not show when the kitchen is finished but I would like it to be fresh and clean before the cabinets are installed.

    The living room in Sherwin Williams’ Alabaster.

    I’ve chosen the color Alabaster like the living room.

  4. Get rid of a pile of clutter from the master bedroom.

    Most of the stuff on the left has got to GOOOOO.

  5. Choose new appliances: Stove and exhaust fan.

    This dinosaur has outlived its era.

  6. Make a dermatologist appointment.
  7.  Read a book.
  8.  Get a COVID booster.

    Glad we no longer are required to mask up.

  9.  Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: MARVEL.
  10.  Write a Do-it list for January, 2026.

Jo

November, 2025: Score

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By November the setting sun has moved from the west to the southwest so we get really stunning sunsets over the water.

The sun goes down in an orange ball then fires up the sky when it sinks below the horizon.

In addition to the numbered list below I (we):

  • went birding at Blackwater Wildlife Refuge with 3 experts. Apparently we saw over 48 different species of birds.  I learned a thing or two but (unfortunately) not much more than that.  Happily I will have more opportunities in the future.

    We saw many bald eagles — one of our companions with a real camera took fabulous photos.

  • watched the 1957 film Funny Face starring Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn.
  • had our outdoor TV antenna upgraded.

    There’s a man at the top of our antenna tower pulling up the antenna on a seriously windy day.

  • witnessed the Northern Lights across the marsh — an unusual sight in Maryland.

    Not only is the Aurora visible but I can also see Orion’s Belt, Taurus, and the Pleiades.  I’m learning!

  • donated the first 4 Thursday Murder Club books to my local library since they do not own them.

    I’ve donated 1-4 and am still waiting for #5.

  • saw bright shooting star during the Leonid Meteor Shower.
  • bought 2 cords of seasoned oak for the wood stove.

    2 cords — some need stacking; other need splitting and stacking.

  • began an Advent study at a local church.
  • had Thanksgiving dinner on Tilghman Island at a local crab shack.

    Thanksgiving buffet was loaded with seafood specialties. I enjoyed short rib Wellington after baked oysters.

In November I had planned to:

  1.  Continue to take apart kitchen.

    We started taking down cabinets from right to left — one by one.

    The upper cabinets are mostly down and removed from the kitchen.  Charlie is planning to use them in the shed.

  2.   Bring down Christmas decorations to go with this year’s theme — Wildlife: whales, ponies, polar bears, birds.  The theme highlights this year’s travels.

    I inherited this little bird sculpture.

  3.   Work on new appliances for kitchen renovation.  I ordered a new dishwasher, sink, and faucet.

    I’m sticking with a champagne bronze finish for the fixtures.

  4.   Order backsplash tile.

    Enough fish scale tile for the backsplash.

    I came up against a little issue where I had to visit more than one Lowe’s store to get the full amount we’ll need.  Done and done.

  5.   Wrap, pack up, and mail Christmas gifts.

    All wrapped up — no peeking.

  6.   Read a book.  I’m working on the Thursday Murder Club Mystery series. Just read the 4th in the series: The Last Devil to Die.  I’m waiting for The Impossible Fortune (5th installment) to become available digitally through my library card.
  7.  Work on contractor possibilities for kitchen remodel. I have contacted 4 possibilities by email with photos of the project.

    I’ve decided on a 2-tone kitchen — blue (Upwards) on bottom, cream (Sandhill Crane) on top.

  8.  Work on a paint/stain project.  Charlie continues to stain the exterior of the house while I spray painted dead olive trees for some outdoor Christmas decoration.

    Spray painted silver/bronze.

  9.   Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: ENJOY.
  10.   Write a goal list for December, 2025.

Jo

Rearranging

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When we moved into The Landing last March I had the moving men put each piece of furniture in what I hoped would be its final home.

The dresser is just visible in the far corner by the kitchen.

Most items fulfil that wish.  However, once the downstairs bedroom/bathroom suite was remodeled I thought it needed a larger, more useful piece of furniture.

The dresser holds the TV, a lamp, and all the drawers are empty for guest use.

The dresser that was dividing the dining room from the kitchen is now in the downstairs bedroom.

The green dressing table looked good but wasn’t very useful.

Then I had to move the green dressing table that had been in the downstairs bedroom someplace else.

The dressing table fits well under the corner windows.

Happily it fit in a windowed corner in the primary bedroom.

This pantry was loaded with stuff that we rarely use.

In the meantime we cleaned out the pantry so we could take down the walls for the kitchen renovation.

The pantry is empty and ready to be torn out.

In addition to boxing up everything we also removed the built-in shelves.  Charlie will probably use some of this wood in his shed.

Everything gets carefully packed up.

We are also packing up the dishes and glasses that were in the upper kitchen cabinets.

We started taking down cabinets from right to left — heavier and more difficult than expected.

One by one we are taking down those cabinets.

I might have to remove the wall hooks in the garage to make space for old kitchen cabinets.

While Charlie might use some of them in his shed I’m hoping to use the lower cabinets in the back of the garage so I can unpack even more cardboard boxes and store the contents NEATLY.

My eye is on the new kitchen which will inevitably take longer than planned.

Progress is slow and the goal is very distant.

Jo

A Walk Across the Bridge

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For a long time I have been contemplating walking across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (4.3 miles) which is allowed once a year in November as part of a 10K (6.2 miles) race.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is 4.3 miles across from shore to shore. (Our view from a cruise ship.)

Then this past February I fell about 14 feet from a ladder directly on my back.  I didn’t think I’d ever be able to walk any distances again. Finally at the end of August I began easy walking everyday and building up stamina until I believed I could at least cross the bridge under my own power.

My goal was to get to the high point of the bridge.

Just before we left for our cruise to Canada I signed us both up to join the estimated 18,000 participants who would run or walk that day.

I was going to walk not RUN!

The night before the event I received this notice:

Hi Jo,

We regret to inform you due to the forecast and a higher than acceptable chance of inclement weather, the Bay Bridge Run has been canceled and will not take place as scheduled on Sunday, November 9, 2025. THE EVENT WILL NOT BE RESCHEDULED. During inclement weather, the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) does not implement two-way traffic operations (one lane in each direction) on the Bay Bridge’s westbound span. As such, the eastbound span cannot be closed for the event. Please be assured that this decision was not taken lightly; however, the safety of the bridge’s customers, employees, and runners are the MDTA’s priority.

This is my official shirt and race bib.

I was not very happy.  I’m not sure I have it in me to train for the walk next year.

I was the oldest member of the Chesapeake Cars and Coffee Team.

However I did meet some really nice people.

Jo

November, 2025: Aims

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Wow! This year has flown by! Already November and we still haven’t finished staining the entire exterior of the house which we started in June.

A lone great white egret studies his reflection in the marsh.

More recently I have been exploring the local area with some experts in birding.

In November I plan to:

  1.  Continue to take apart kitchen.

    Here’s a preliminary plan for the renovated kitchen.

  2.   Bring down Christmas decorations to go with this year’s theme — Wildlife: whales, ponies, polar bears.

    My polar bears made the trip to our new house unscathed.

  3.   Work on new appliances for kitchen renovation.
  4.   Order backsplash tile.

    Multi-toned blue fish scales in my first choice for the backsplash.

  5.   Wrap, pack up, and mail Christmas gifts.
  6.   Read a book.  I’m working on the Thursday Murder Club Mystery series.

    Just finished this one.

  7.  Work on contractor possibilities for kitchen remodel.
  8.  Work on a paint/stain project.
  9.   Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: ENJOY.
  10.   Write a goal list for December, 2025.

Jo