What a change today. I woke of to a cold, gray, drizzly day. A portent of returning to work tomorrow. No, it was really rather nice. I went for a walk in it with my poncho and camera and enjoyed it thoroughly. We had a little snow on the mountains, though it was just a dusting, and I even walked through sleet for a few minutes. My father said they had even more than we had down here.

I realized I talk a lot about the weather in my journal, but that's one of the joys of walking, you actually feel the weather. It was nice to feel the rain on my face today, even the sleet. Yesterday I loved feeling the sun and cool breezes. Even when Mike and Lisa were here for a few days I realized how much I missed being in the weather since they had their car and we drove everywhere.

I'm trying to eat seven portions of vegetables and it's not all that easy. I keep eating other stuff instead. I like vegetables but a serving or two and I'm ok. Seven is hard and I read last night an article that nine is preferred. Oh, dear. I'm just on my fifth right now and that's because I'm eating a tomato. I don't think I'll make it to nine.

After a walk this morning I settle back to read this afternoon. There is something about it being cold and gray outside that makes the inside so much more cozy. I finished "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austin. I enjoy her books but they are hard to read since the conversations are so mannered and go on and on. Sometimes it seems like it would be nice to always know what you were suppose to do and how to behave, but I know I would go crazy. I go crazy just with the rules we have now.

It's been so many, many years that it was like reading a new book except I kept seeing the film version in my mind and the people all resembled the characters from the film. One thing I enjoy about reading is that I can visualize the people in my mind. This often makes it a bit of a shock when I see the film version but I still like it better than seeing the film version and never being able to form my own visualizations.

I reread "Pride and Prejudice" as I'm am going to try to join a few online book discussions. When I do join book discussions, online or real time, I read books that I wouldn't normally read which I think is good. It is hard to get into a book that you wouldn't normally read but it usually is very rewarding, especially since most discussion groups pick good books.

I also read "The Balloon Man" by Charlotte MacLeod. This is one of her Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn mysteries. They are fun mysteries and full of eccentric characters and little digs about what is normal. None of us are normal but MacLeod's characters show that no one is, really. This one once again involved the rather more than eccentric, aristocratic Bostonian Kellings and the down to earth, but still very individual Bittersohns. Between them they stage a wonderful wedding, solve a murder and find some jewels that had been missing for several years. Well, they knew where the jewels had been but they turned up where they weren't expected to be.