2026 Project 365 – Week Three

I have been so productive today! I’ve washed sheets & blankets, cleaned the floors, half-assed cleaned the bathrooms INCLUDING DR. M’s TUB, dusted (a smidge), got rid of some boxes, did some organizing. Whew!
Sunday, January 11^th           
I created this after church today to use as my profile pic on the socials. I just felt like I should state the obvious.

Monday, January 12^th         
This is a photo of the chute at the bank drive-through – I go there every week to deposit the church’s offering & JUST NOTICED on Monday that it’s manufactured in the town we used to live in in Ohio. 
 

Tuesday, January 13^th        
I was driving home wishing I could capture the gorgeous sky and then Dr. M did it for me!
 

Wednesday, January 14^th          
The only photo is this one of my outfit. I had a feeling my boss would tell me the jacket is too big for me (& she did) so I thought this might be the last time I wore it.
 

Thursday, January 15^th
I tried to get into good trouble during today’s mall walking, but as a little old white lady I’m not sure anyone actually looked at me.
 

Friday, January 16^th          
The second beaver puzzle is complete!
 

Saturday, January 17^th    
I play this game entirely too much, but I’m extra motivated to play this weekend because the team I’m on (Greene) is ahead of the MAGA team. Go us!
 

We finally got my car out of the shop yesterday. We had them do the work that they could do (new brakes, rotate tires, oil change) & decided to just see how it does with the issue with the back ordered part. When Dr. M drove it, he didn’t notice the scary noise, so maybe it’s just an every now and then issue. We shall see!
 
 

2026 Project 365 – Week Two

What can I even say about this week? I really have no words – just a continuation of the anguish I’ve felt since November 2024.
Sunday, January 4^th           
It was a long church day. I didn’t go to choir practice (since I couldn’t really sing), but I did mask up & go to the service, potluck, and installation service for our new associate pastor. It was lovely!

Monday, January 5^th         
No photo.
 
Tuesday, January 6^th        
No photo.
 
Wednesday, January 7^th          
I put a new calendar up at the office.
 

Thursday, January 8^th
Went by Dad & Sue’s during lunch and took a photo of one of his Christmas presents. I gave him a couple of beaver puzzles (to commemorate the beavers out back). Ha!
 

That evening I got a couple of Wendy’s salads for dinner. They’re so huge! This is Dr. M’s Cobb salad under the lid for his 10 inch pan. Mine was enough for three meals. 
 

Friday, January 9^th            
This kitten at Dr. M’s dad’s house was NOT amused to be having its picture taken.
 

Saturday, January 10^th    
I got something to try to bring some order to yarn chaos. We’ll see how it goes.
 

My car is still in the shop. It’s the drive train, but the part is on back order. It might be a while. Meanwhile, I’m driving my father’s nearly 20 year old Prius and I’m not mad about it (the energy monitor on it says I’m getting 40.3 mpg!).

P.S. Did anyone notice that we had two December 31sts last week? I’m going to blame cough meds. Although I’m not sure I was taking any at that time. 
 
 

2026 Project 365 – Week One

Ah! A fresh new year, filled with the same old bull$hit. I’m a little het up about our new unprovoked war. In addition to an unsanctioned military action and all the terrible fallout that will arise, I know two people whose travel plans were affected by grounded planes.
Sunday, December 28^th           
We had our 41^st Friendsmas today. It was a lovely time with some of my oldest friends.

Monday, December 29^th         
Just me being a menace while mall walking. I’m getting quite a nice collection of “statement” t-shirts!

Tuesday, December 31^st       
I stopped by dad & Sue’s and checked out their new TV console – with fake fire insert! I was VERY SKEPTICAL, but I think it looks pretty nice. 
 

Wednesday, December 31^st         
I caught a cold and ditched the New Year’s Eve party that I was planning to go to. Dr. M & I stayed in and watched Independence Day. This scene always has me sobbing – oof.
 

Anyway, I was in bed by 10:00 and hardly roused at all when I heard what might have been gunfire or fireworks at midnight (we live out in the country so it’s a tossup either way).
 
Thursday, January 1^st
A lovely lowkey day where I actually cleaned our floors for the first time in a while. The only photo I have is a screenshot of my BeReal 2025 mood board. Ha!
 

Friday, January 2^nd           
Back at work, and still with a cold, so I masked up while meeting with an employee. It took me a minute to remember how to tie the strings tighter (cause I got a little head) and make sure it was snug enough to not fog up my glasses. My only problem was that the mask is really too big for my face (the aforementioned little head) and it kept creeping up into my eyes.
 

Saturday, January 3^rd    
Last night on my way home from my dad’s my car started making a weird thumping noise, so I left it in the CVS parking lot and asked my dad if I could borrow his car until we sort it out. He came & rescued me (thanks Dad!) and I finally made it home after I had taken him back home. Today I went to pick him up so we could move the car to his house until we get an appointment with the mechanic. He drove it from CVS & thinks it might be the drive train or transmission. Oof. On the other hand, Dr. M went to take care of his dad and got to see sheep on the way home!
 

I’m still kind of sick – I have a little cough and apparently a lot of drainage because I kind of sound like I could sing bass tomorrow at church. And it’s a big day tomorrow – choir practice, the service, a potluck, a meeting with a regional UCC representative, and then an installation service for our new associate pastor – at which I am supposed to read. So! Some good vibes appreciated!

2025 Project 365 – Week Fifty-two

What a busy week we had! Although I had a couple of completely obligation free days and that was much appreciated.

Sunday, December 21^st            
I finished this prayer shawl just in the nick of time to deliver it to a friend from church.

We went caroling after church. It’s always a nice time – and one of our folks gave US snacks (sorry Nance, I didn’t get a photo of the pound cake). I’m the one in the Santa hat.

Monday, December 22^nd        
It’s officially Christmas because I’m wearing new Christmas jammies and the dulcimer came out. Happy sigh.
 

Tuesday, December 23^rd      
I had to read all the books I got my great-nephews and this page is from The Book with No Pictures as recommended by Steve Reed. It is a hoot! 
 

Wednesday, December 24^th        
We always gather with my family for Christmas Eve and it was a fun (if slightly chaotic) time together. As usual, I mainly took photos of the boys. I tried to get more of Grayson, but he is a perpetual motion machine. Ha! (Also, fun note – he slipped a Whoopie Cushion into my gift bag from my sister-in-law. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had given one to me, but it was hilarious that he did that.)
 

Dr. M took a walk out back to check on the beaver situation – still going strong!
 

And this might have been my favorite gift, from my bonus niece (the boys’ mom). Someone on FB said I should make one recipe a week. The mock pecan pie has pinto beans in it!
 

Thursday, December 25^th    
I ended up not going anywhere today and it was LOVELY. I made an omelet with this Florida Seasoned Pepper and now I’m obsessed with it. The ingredients are: Tellicherry black pepper, citric acid, lemon peel, garlic, orange peel, & onion. But I especially love the message on the back of the packet.
 

Friday, December 26^th              
We met up with Dr. M’s aunt & cousins for lunch & then had a nice visit with his father.
 

And then I went to a Paint & Sip with my sister-in-law & bonus nieces. It was fingerpainting! I had a blast & was actually VERY SURPRISED at how well my painting turned out (I’m including some early photos to show that it started out very iffy). 
 

Saturday, December 27^th   
Spent the day at home being a knot on a log. I maybe got 2,000 steps? Dr. M unpacked and put away all of our gifts and basically let me be a slug. It was lovely. And speaking of gifts, here is an enameled roaster that Dr. M’s cousin gave him – he’s going to use it to store our garlic (it’s pretty small – adorable, in fact).
 

And here is his gift to himself – a wok! We’re very excited to try it out (by “we” I mean Dr. M). When he asked me about getting it, I said why would I ever say no to new ways for him to fix food for me?
 

We survived Christmas! Well, Dr. M & I have one more gathering today, but then Christmas is OVER. Um, well, maybe it’s not over liturgically, but the social aspect is done. Whew.

Merry Christmas!

 

Dr. M wrote this year's poem, and I would just like to remind everyone that he has a Master of Divinity (with languages) and a Ph.D. in history. 

“Of the logos being forever do men prove to be uncomprehending, both before they hear and once they have heard it.” Heraclitus, as quoted by Sextus Empiricus
 
Surely the one who preached in the wilderness
Understood the failure of men to comprehend.
Neither Christ nor Elijah, no prophet was he,
But he knew things and spoke of them boldly.
The logos, he said, was everlasting, indeed,
The logos was with God in the beginning,
The logos WAS GOD! Heraclitus likely
Would have debated the nature of the Divine
With the man we know as John, but he had
Gotten the gist of the Greek’s ancient memo.
“Jesus is the reason for the season!”
We proclaim. John would likely correct us:
The Christ, he preached, is the logos,
The “word” that gives meaning and order
To everything that was, is, and ever shall be.
The Christ is God become human, accepting
The fragile mantle of flesh and dwelling with us,
The Promised One who joined us here on Earth
To show us the true way, the Lord’s way, and in turn
The errors of our ways, our thoughts and actions.
The Christ, both gift and sacrifice, born of a human
For the sake of all humans, in love made manifest
A new covenant between God and humankind.
The season of God’s love has no beginning, no end.
God’s love is forever. Hallelujah! Celebrate God!
 
Mike & Dana Rhyne
Christmas 2025

2025 Project 365 – Week Fifty-one

Perhaps I shouldn’t have waited until after a full day of church and caroling to start writing this…
Sunday, December 14^th            
Choir photo after the cantata. We wore pink because it was the Joy Sunday of advent.

Monday, December 15^th       
Happy anniversary to ussss!!!
 

Tuesday, December 16^th      
I made an omelet with Justice. I might have added a smidge more cheese than was strictly necessary.
 

Wednesday, December 17^th        
People. It happened AGAIN. Ms. Aunt was trying to send flowers to her niece and put the wrong city on the address, so they got left by our door even though the street address didn’t exactly match ours. This time, Dr. M just decided to pay it forward, sleuthed the correct address & had flowers sent to the niece.
 

Thursday, December 18^th    
I’m wearing some compression gloves due to having a little thumb pain & now I know how dogs feel when they try to walk in those little booties. My right hand is ok, but my left hand can’t feel the yarn. VERY WEIRD.
 

Friday, December 19^th              
Felt rather festive today!
 

I think we’re finished decorating our tree (for now). 
 

Saturday, December 20^th   
I was rootling around in our box of spices from the Penzeys Spices Advent Calendar & came across this one that looks delicious AND made me smile. And THEN I got a flyer from the Open and Affirming Coalition in the mail & I decided that God must be telling me to spread the love. But then I also took a picture of the spoon that my coworker Kim gave me so you could see my true nature (witchy with a chance of sarcasm).  
 

It's entirely possible that I will always share this meal when Dr. M makes it because it’s so pretty! Italian style bone in chicken thighs with peppers and onions. Delicious!

Christmas is in just a few days, although we’ll continue to have gatherings for a week or so. Thank you so much for the book suggestions! I think I got all but one of them. Now I need to spend some time reading them before I pass them along to the boys. Right now, I’m wearing my new Christmas jammies (thanks Dr. M!) and doing laundry. How about you? Ready for the week ahead - or just ready for the week ahead to be over?