happy new year!

New Year's Eve thoughts:

Should old acquaintance be forgot? Never! I love my old acquaintances! Zooming with some of them as we speak! And yes, let's take that cup of kindness yet for I am indeed extending a hand to any and all my trusty friends and definitely, let's drink a toast to long long ago. 

But mainly, I'll drink a toast to a better 2022. We had some pretty amazing moments in this last year, but, of course, there is always a better tomorrow before us and maybe we'll have it next year and maybe we will finally exhale and smile big broad happy carefree smiles. With hope comes happiness.

Daytime fun:

I shaved Ed's beard today. Usher in the new, right? Sitting across from him at the breakfast table reminded me that it is time for me to remind him to get it trimmed.

And then we went skiing. Our local park has two arms to it -- the left and the right. We love the right for peaceful walks (there are no facilities and it's nearly always empty), but the left has the (relatively) extensive groomed trails for skiing. Still, it's fun to sometimes ski an ungroomed trail, with all its bumps and lumps and trampled paths. Since we had a further dusting of snow last night, the ice cover was (somewhat) hidden and we could once again feel the crunch of snow as we zipped along.

And too, once again, we saw the cranes. What are they waiting for? There's a snowstorm coming tomorrow and after it we get an Arctic blast. Go now, I want to say, go today!

 

But, they have their own wisdom and today, they are still feeding off of the cornfields in Wisconsin.

New Year's Eve dinner:

How to make a meal more memorable? Well, if you feed your family seafood pasta on a fairly regular basis, you have to change things around a little for this special evening. Bring out a bottle of champagne, first of all. That will chill out the adults in the room. Then, have a couple of lobster tails on you. And use the bigger shrimp, even if does mean you have to shell and devain them yourself. Oh and skip the tomatoes. A white sauce always seems more elegant.

The young family comes a little earlier than usual. We all chat for a while and then I turn to my foods and they turn to their toys and eventually we do sit down... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

... and drink a toast to those we wish would be here with us. And to the little kids among us. 

 

 

 

And to the big ones too. And friends and neighbors and all peace loving people and never forget the animals in the forests -- all in our hearts, always.

Later, as the clock chimes midnight... Well of course, I cant tell you what happens then. My post must be published before the clock strikes twelve. In anticipation of that moment when we crawl out of 2021 and leap into 2022 --  happy new year! To all, with love.