My Favorite Photos - February 2022

 As I looked back on my photos from February 2022, I realized that I didn't take a lot. Normally, I have hundreds that I take each month...easily. For some reason, I just didn't take a lot this month. These are the ones that have special meaning for us or that I like.

We celebrated the Lunar New Year on February 1st with a dinner at home. 

Meanwhile, in Thailand, Sophia was celebrated the Lunar New Year by going to a celebration and out to eat. 

I've been seeing quite a few birds this month - including this pileated woodpecker. I didn't realize they had white on some of their feathers until this one spread out its wing.

The blue jays are prolific. They like the shell corn, especially, at the feeders.

Sophia has been exploring Thailand and going to some beautiful parks and natural places outside of the city where she is living while studying abroad.

Danny enjoys basking in the sun. Here he is on the chair in the living room.

Aspen can almost always be found with a stuffed animal by her side. She has "Bunny" by her head. This is her favorite one.

Sophia is still in Thailand. February marks her second month there. She'll be there until May 1st. This is one of the many temples she visited. It actually is considered an art gallery because an artist created this temple-like structure. Around the exterior and inside the buildings are many references to wants vs. needs, and how one should aspire to only live with one's needs and not succumb to one's wants. 

Sophia saw this rhesus macaque in Thailand at one of the temples. I can't believe how close she was able to get to it. I love monkeys...so I was happy to see this one out and about, and not trapped in a zoo.

Olivia and I were driving one day and saw these two deer cross the road and then stand on the side of it. They joined the rest of their herd - another four deer in the woods.

On February 24th, I organized a service event after the Lions' evening meeting. We had Lions and guests working together on four hands-on service projects. We did three collections as well - so seven service activities in all. People really enjoyed the evening. 

One of the projects was filling these hand-sewn bags made by the two Lions in the back (one with a white shirt and the other a red shirt). They also made 81 pads to put with the 27 kits that will be given to Global Health Ministries (GHM). GHM gives the kits to girls in third-world countries who have their period and are not allowed to go to school. With the underwear, reusable pad holder, and reusable pads, they will be allowed to go to school and get the same education as the boys do.

We made two fleece-tied blankets for the Ronald McDonald House. This is an easy and favorite project to do for volunteers.

One of the projects was making handmade/handsewn placemats that were embroidered with our club's name, the name of the Lion, and the year. This, along with a card and a variety of food, were given to Lions who have not been able to attend meetings due to health issues. Olivia came along on these visits with me. 

I worked for a month on this quilt top. It's a variety of animal prints in the center - squirrels, deer, hedgehogs, raccoons, and more. There are a random assortment of border prints. The fabric came in a kit. All I had to do was cut all the pieces and sew them together. Now I just need to do the backing and have it quilted. 

Sophia completed her second month of studying abroad. She's enjoying the warm weather, trying new foods, and doing her classes. She said the classes are easy - just generals - so it has allowed her to do some exploring that she wouldn't normally be able to do if she had a challenging workload.