AI generated by Image Creator From Designer
The holidays are over, the new year has begun. And daily life is slowly getting back on track. The Christmas decorations have been neatly tidied up and put away. The house now feels bare, as if it has removed its winter coat. Although I enjoy the coziness of twinkling lights and decorated Christmas trees every year, there is also something satisfying about a fresh, tidy start. Yesterday, the first snow of the year fell, beautiful to see, but at the same time very inconvenient. And so we were glad that it didn't stay. The rain that came down all day afterward was less so.
My partner left for work this morning with a fresh reluctance. After being home together for almost three weeks, the house suddenly feels empty and quiet without him. We have started our days wonderfully slowly the past few weeks: drinking coffee together and going over the day's plans. I'm going to miss those kinds of moments. They are those simple, everyday things that you only appreciate when they disappear again.
Skipper is also feeling a bit down. He has already had his morning walk and breakfast, but without his owner working outside, where he could be outside all day, he seems to wonder: “And what do I do now?” His solution? A nap. He is now stretched out on the couch, probably dreaming about the past few weeks in which he was the king of the backyard. My partner has spent most of his vacation expanding his workshop, so for Skipper there was lots of time outside.
His workshop was already bursting at the seams, and the purchase of a small thicknesser/planer made the space even smaller, and completely unworkable. So it was time for an upgrade. And so my partner spent most of his vacation doing carpentry, screwing and sawing. Certainly not a traditional vacation, but it made him happy. For him, his workshop is his playground. And who doesn’t want more space in their playground?
My planning was forced to pause during the vacation. With a long-haired dog in the house that always sheds a little, a vacuum cleaner is not a luxury, but a basic necessity. Only our vacuum cleaner saw it a little differently and decided to stop. Skipper was very happy with this decision of the vacuum cleaner, he finds it an unbearable monster. But because I can't do without it, we immediately ordered a new one, hoping to have it in the house before Christmas. Spoiler alert: that didn't happen.
New Year's Eve also passed without a vacuum cleaner. So armed with a broom, I did my best to get rid of the army of dog hairs. Fortunately, last Saturday finally came the deliverance: the new vacuum cleaner! And I have to admit, when I turned it on for the first time and went through the house, I almost felt... happy? Well, maybe not happy, but relieved. Vacuuming is still not my hobby, but with a device that works, it is at least no longer torture.
Now that the holidays are really over, and the daily cleaning is back to normal, the pyrography pen is patiently waiting for me. Because 2025 is all about starting projects with pyrography and painting. The woodworking shop outside also plays a big part in this. Even though it takes some getting used to the silence again, Skipper and I will fill our days.
As I write this, Skipper comes to me and puts his head on my lap. Maybe he wants to say: "Cheer up, it will be okay." It could also be that he is thinking about his next meal. In any case, we will soon go for the next walk in the mud. Now I will grab a cup of tea and think about how I am going to fill the rest of the day. Because despite the empty feeling after the holidays, there is always something beautiful in a fresh start.
