Icelands

I really wish I'd gone to Japanese Gulch yesterday. Its Facebook page posted a video of the snow falling there and I asked if it was cold enough to make the mud that's in the center trail freeze. They said yes, but it was already warming up. Probably could have had a decent time if went there. Oh well. This morning, it was out of the question. Everything everywhere was wet and slick, so I decided to just go to Lowell Riverfront Trail where it's paved. I definitely wasn't going to be walking in my neighborhood, which requires walking up the curve of Mukilteo Boulevard with cars speeding by and no sidewalk. I've long since gotten over the fear of it in regular weather, but if I know the roads are slick? Noooope.

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My new lamp

I've been wanting a lamp or two for the lounge. There are sconces on the walls, but they don't do much. There's a brighter light, but it's right above where we sit, and it's a bit much. So I figured I'd try to find a lamp or two for the end tables. I found a set of seahorse lamps that I liked on Amazon, but didn't want to grab them right away without seeing what else I could come up with. Then this gigantic wine bottle came into my life.



Thankfully, it's very easy to make a lamp out of a wine bottle. They sell lamp fixtures attached to corks, and you just pop them right in! I didn't have to pay for the wine bottle, it was a hostess gift from my niece to my sister-in-law, and she gave it to me when I said I'd make a lamp. The kit and the shade were $58 total, but I got them for free because I paid with reward points from my credit card.



Since I took this photo, we added a vinyl record to the top so it's not bright when you look down. That also makes a nice halo of light on the ceiling instead of a huge bright spot.