News flash!

It's cold here in the northern hemisphere. The morning temperature at 6:30-ish was -8°. I've never experienced anything like this since moving to West Virginia nearly 17 years ago.

Then again, it is winter, after all. We expect it to be cold sometimes between Christmas and Easter.

But this is some serious cold.

The good news is the water pipes didn't freeze and the electricity stayed on. More good news: We have wool socks and sweaters. That's a little fringe benefit of having a knitter in the house.

There really is no bad news, as long as we have heat and water and warm clothing. Too many people  don't.

I haven't seen a deer in a couple of days. I'm assuming they're all hunkered down in the woods, sheltering in place. My bird feeder is full, but the birds aren't pecking at it this morning. I'm sure they know what they're doing, opting for warmth over food.

I'm making great progress on the knitting magazine project. I've decided to donate them to the library. I've only kept a dozen potential patterns from the scores of Vogue Knitting issues I've gone through. I will soon move on to Interweave Knits (which is my favorite). I went through Knitter's several years ago and sold the issues I had no interest in on eBay. I just don't want to deal with the hassle of selling and shipping what's left on my shelves.

The patterns I've saved are for single-color, very simple designs. A couple hats, but mostly sweaters. It's been interesting to see how I'm initially drawn to lace or color work, but when I ask myself if I'd wear it, the answer is no. I have quite a stash of sport weight wool in a variety of colors, and will use it for small Fair-Isle projects – mittens and caps, maybe a bag.

Santa brought my younger granddaughter an American Girl doll, so in addition to the little poncho I made while watching football last night (oh, how I wanted Auburn to pull it out!), I see a fun little knitted wardrobe in her future.

My daughter-in-law's clogs are finished (again! Third try's a charm!), and now it's on to a pair of socks, recently requested by a male friend who wears a size 12 shoe. I'm thinking boot socks out of worsted wool to speed up production.

I'm switching my official weigh-in day from Mondays to Wednesdays. January 1 was on a Wednesday, and I want to record it once a week from the beginning of the year (even though I weigh myself daily). I've been sticking with the paleo/primal plan, but have definitely been feeding my cold and I'm up a couple of pounds. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

The good thing is I'm not worried about it and I'm not throwing in the towel. I'm so grateful to have found a way to eat that produces weight loss and good health. I've never felt better.

Except for this cold. And the cold outside. Both of which will be gone SOON!