"Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour." - John Boswel

January 1 ~ Wolf Moon ~The first Full Moon of the year is named after howling wolves. In some cultures, it was known as Old Moon, Ice Moon, Snow Moon, and the Moon after Yule.
https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/wolf.html
January 4 ~ Emoji Me ~ a fitting representation of the weather here in my neck of the woods so far this year/winter

January 4 ~ Handyman Hubby Neil ~ I'm always thankful he knows how to do things around the house ~ We've had crazy electrical malfunctions lately, starting with our brand new ceiling fan that suddenly stopped working ~ trying to figure out why was quite the adventure ~ Long story short, he successfully rerouted a wire that made the fan work again ~ Now if he can just get the ceiling light in an upstairs bedroom to work again ... these two problems are weirdly related ... all part of the agony and the ecstasy of owning an old old house 

January 5 ~ Our gas fireplace has had a workout this month ~ we'd freeze to death without it ~ something else to be grateful for

January 5 ~ Doves on deck

January 5 ~ Ice cream with Peeps at the Lazy Cow Creamery ~ from left: grandson Knox, hubby Neil, daughter Kelly, grandson Elijah, and granddaughter Shelby

January 5 ~ Kelly and Snapchat strike again!

January 8 ~ Knox's favorite perch when he's here at the house, doing his favorite thing (watching videos on You Tube, usually Minecraft related)

January 8 ~ Knox is learning how to play Gin Rummy (with a little help from Granny every now and then)

January 10 ~ January has boasted some spectacular sunsets ~ seems like the sunsets in cold weather are always the most vivid

January 11 ~ Old Glory waving in a brisk southerly wind 

January 11 ~ Knox got a new bike for Christmas ~ he finally got to give it a test drive with a little help from his dad Kerry and a set of training wheels

He did pretty well but the extra set of wheels came in handy

Dad shows him how it's done

January 11 ~ Knox and Shelby playing Go Fish ~ this photo was taken with the Gudak app which mimics those disposable cameras of yore ~ it randomly adds filters which can give the pictures a vintage look

January 13 ~ a dusting of snow 

January 13 ~ Room with a view (of the neighbor's snowy roof) ~ I've been spending some time in the upstairs rooms and the attic trying to get rid of the stuff clogging these spaces ~ it's going to take a while ...

January 13 ~ Neil and phone ~ took this one with the Gudak app ~ gives him that vintage look, yes? (That might not be a special photo filter on second thought)

January 13 ~ Gudak strikes again ~ I love pumpkins ~ bought these last Fall ~ I keep them until they start to get mushy ~ sometimes they'll last until the next Fall

January 13 ~ a moody western sky on a cold afternoon

January 14 ~ I borrowed this selfie my son-in-law Jerry took of his son Elijah and Hobi, their Bluetick Coonhound ~ love this picture!

January 16 ~ Crow's feet ~ he was out there with his friends burrowing in the snow looking for food

January 16 ~ Cardinals appear when angels are near according to folklore ~ I think they like the snow ~ and I know they appreciate the sunflower seeds when the feeder is full

January 16 ~ Kelly's hubby Kerry noticed these amazing snowflakes in her hair during a wintertime family photo shoot 

January 16 ~ Woodpecker on the feeder ~ seems like an awkward way to eat

January 16 ~ Bluejay is no dummy ~ he takes advantage of the seed in the feeder the squirrels conveniently knocked to the ground ... again

January 16 ~ loved watching the snow fall ... snowed all day ...

So. Cold.

January 20 ~ this was probably the most beautiful day all month ... the sky ...

... the sunlight ...

... enjoyed being outside taking gratuitous selfies ...

... couldn't stop taking pics of the gorgeous sky ...

... nothing like a winter sky

January 21 ~ going to Sunday evening worship service

painted in Waterlogue app

Waterlogue app

Waterlogue app 

January 24 ~ filtered through Distressed FX app ~ I love playing with photo filters

January 27 ~ Grandpeeps Elijah and Shelby stayed overnight with us this past weekend while their mom and dad celebrated their wedding anniversary ...

Steak n Shake is one of their favorites ~ enjoyed hanging out with them and watching scary zombie movies

January 30 ~ 

Can't get over how red this cardinal is ~ a welcome pop of color in bleak January

January 30 ~ one more spectacular winter sunset

 January 31 ~ The month ends the same way it began ... with an awesome full moon ~ this blurry picture doesn't even come close to doing it justice ~ I didn't get to witness the Super Full Blue Blood Moon in the wee hours of this morning ~ maybe you were one of the lucky ones who got to see this "lunar trifecta"
"Today's lunar eclipse was the first to coincide with a Blue Moon – a second full moon in one month – in North America in over 150 years. It was also the second "supermoon" of 2018, with the moon appearing slightly bigger and brighter than usual due to its closeness to Earth. And to top it off, the supermoon passed through Earth's shadow this morning, casting a reddish hue on the lunar surface for more than 4 hours."
https://www.space.com/39552-super-blue-blood-moon-eclipse-thrills-spectactors.html
Pretty amazing, God's creation. It boggles my tiny mind.

"The sun came out,
And the snowman cried.
His tears ran down
on every side.
His tears ran down
Till the spot was cleared.
He cried so hard
That he disappeared."
-  Margaret Hillert, January Thaw