Oh the cold

It is true that my ability to handle the cold has changed dramatically as I've aged. I used to consider myself a hardy woman who could handle pretty much anything. No longer. The cold seems to settle in my bones. My studio used to be a three seasoned porch and it has little insulation and only a layer of linoleum on a concrete floor. Even with the fireplace it has been too cold to work. It has made it difficult to get back to beading after the holidays. Today I did some resizing for folks and made a pair of earrings for a woman who wants gold filled earrings which isn't something I usually do. But the creative juices aren't flowing. I am asking people to sign up for my email newsletter on my website. I am offering giveaways, the first one will be February 1. I've decided that I will make something new and special for the first one. I have lots of ideas floating around and will begin working on it once the weather warms up a bit. It is supposed to get warmer during the week. Funny to think of temperature in the 20's to be warm. My dogs have a hard time outside because their feet freeze. Eddie, my baby, can't walk once his feet get cold and I need to go get him. Good thing we can keep them in a small area in the backyard - if I had to make it to the backend of the yard I would be sliding down the hill. I am posting pictures of the two dogs for those who love dogs. Eddie is a Jack Russell/Shih Tzu mix and a rescue with lots of weird quirks. Diesel is a pure breed Tibetan Spaniel and he is supposed to be able to handle 40 below temperature without freezing. Not true! I have always had large dogs and I used to be disdainful of small dogs. Now that I have these two, I can't imagine my life without them. Yes, they bark too much, demand attention sometimes when I want quiet, etc. But they bring so much joy and unwavering love - my life is fuller because they are in it.