Happy New Year!!!

Yes, we've almost made it through December. In a couple of hours we'll switch to 2020 on our date lines. January has already begun in earlier time zones.

Everywhere communications reach, there are myriad assessments of 2019. So many, that I've stopped looking at them. Even though I know they are interesting, there are too many. It's too much to absorb. Maybe that is my take for 2019. Too much to absorb. Well, no, there's Greta Thunberg's image on the cover of Time that will be in my mind's eye until there is no there there. And, I don't want to forget that I see other women standing strong for our earth, for justice, for equality. Half the earth's population is rising to grasp the reins of leadership and equality and fairness. Our problems now and ahead are complex, vast, vexing and need both halves of earth's inhabitants to deal with them, to inspire, to wrest solutions from the insoluble, and find better and still better smart ideas and the grit to use them for what lies ahead.

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We go now to the Weather Desk: Greta, we NEED YOU!!! Christmas in Pennsylvania was warmer than Tucson!

From the Cyber Desk: Woes. Without going into detail, there were cyber woes. The usual routes to mess with photos and videos are now changed. A resolution to some of it made the following video possible...



I can't remember the name of this game set that Aidan got Christmas morning but as soon as gifts were all opened and Wendy's delicious cinnamon rolls were eaten, outside they went. Aidan played it a lot with friends at the Michigan music institute last summer. He talks the family through the ropes.

My workarounds for all this software hair-pulling are yielding some progress but are slow, slow, slow so I must leave out some of my visuals since I want to post something this last day of 2019. Nearly all of Keoni and Aidan's concert with Peter and Seth are stubbornly out of reach. The four of them had a rousingly good fund-raiser for the church the Saturday after Christmas. Keoni is back now in NYC and no doubt experiencing a rousing Big Apple New Year's.

Here's a bit of what I was able to upload or download okay...

The boys always set the table.

My friend Pat sent along the chocolate (delicious) mice she made that became part of the centerpiece.

Hunger pains about to be satisfied.

Wendy and her incredible Yorkshire Pudding.

This astonishingly wonderful quilt was made by Valerie for Wendy. 

And Val sent me this beautiful, quilted throw that she named "Sea Glass". All of cotton and linen. (My kids know I like a little nap in the afternoon. This works great for that and adding some calm color to the bedroom.) 

Picasso Luckibird at home on Keoni's head.

Toby also figured in one of the gifts I received. Wendy had made several of the Toby pictures (some were once featured here in the blog) into a batch of greeting cards. I miss his rascally self. I'll see him tomorrow when I go fetch Aidan to carry in a large mirror from the car to the apartment.

From the Health Desk: Jeanenne is recovering from a knee replacement done on the 23rd. She told everyone not to come visit her in the hospital. She wanted to sleep! That's what happens when you have a knee replacement two days before Christmas and you just got your holiday prepped for seven grandchildren.

And Sonja shared some snaps of their holiday, too...

Elijah and Kingston.

Elijah and Grandpa Santa Tim.

A new tricycle!

Nap time for Santa and Dimetrios.

So great seeing Dimetrios regaining his usual self.

Pre-dreads haircut.

Elijah.

Well, it's time to stop and wish you a very Happy New Year. May you grow and prosper throughout 2020.✌Peace.

If We Make It Through December...

It is the last half of December. 2019 is hurtling to a close. Whew! Our physical, technical and political worlds teeter on brinks, edges, thresholds and cusps--at a colossal clip. It's impossible to do an ostrich with our heads in the sand. The sand is shifting.

Well, that's a dismal take, isn't it.

Like my 2019 upsizing, there is a lot to be done. Energies fueled by the creation in trying things out, put together my new home. Many resources, every stripe of people; the overwhelming became a home. Everything in the world's upsize challenges are in the new looks and energies and creativities that shimmer just ahead. There will be discoveries, creations, people, ideas that we don't now know as we plunge ahead and find what works, toss what doesn't, discover what works better, how to do it. And, that's the adventure--we get to find out. Together.

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On this part of the planet the week ahead takes us to next Saturday's longest night. It's good remembering that the following week starts the march to June's longest day.

With a bit shorter span between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, I feel like I'm a squirrel running around to all my acorn hidey holes, doing backflips off tree trunks, and hanging by my toes to dine on bird feeder largesse. The roadways and big box parking lots are jammed. I actually welcome waiting to cross a one-way bridge reconstruction I often pass. A reward for one of the waits was getting to watch an Asplundh Tree Service worker suspended far and high clearing branches by the bridge over the creek below...

Just outside the door at the end of my hall, a couple of bushes have beautiful flowers blooming on them, weathering freezing temps, ice and snow...

Jeanenne texted photos of her big cookie baking family crowd in her vast kitchen. Here are a couple of them...

...her seven grandkids.

Climbing through technology thickets for weeks, I found at last how to publish video again after YouTube changed without a how-to or a how-do-you-do. It's annoying that I can't eliminate the "card" now at the end of the video where it shows you random video choices. I'm still working to get rid of that feature, but tonight I don't know how. Stay tuned.

I'm happy to share with you a frequent highlight of my late afternoon walks...



I love to hear and see the geese doing their late day flights. I'm guessing they're heading back to their favorite pond for the night after a day of foraging in cornfield stubble and such.

A larger, lone bird flew overhead. It might have been an egret type...

As it flew by a jet photo-bombed.

 The late afternoon walks around Dock are growing on me.

...everything's gonna be alright.

First, great-grandson Dimetrios is back home as of this past weekend. Thanks doesn't get any bigger than the collective one of his family clan and the many friends known and unknown who were rooting for him. He's still on the bi-pap breathing machine, but that likely will be finished in a couple more days. His spirits are up. Spirit--as friend Gloria observes, "He has a strong spirit".

Daughter Valerie and son-in-law Tim joined in the hosptital vigil in Salt Lake City. A few photos they and Sonja sent during the long wait...

Dimetrios and Grandpa Tim in the ICU.

Last week when D started to perk up and could breathe some on his own.

Little brother Kingston during one of the hospital visits.

Val and Tim helped Sonja and Jeff, taking part in the care of Elijah and Kingston's needs while Dimetrios' other family members could take a turn with him.

Part of Elijah and Kinston care was just plain fun...

...after the big snowsrorm...

...a wide-awake Kingston...

I think this is at Val and Tim's hotel. Kingston doesn't know it's fun yet.

...OK, now it's fun...

Whoo-hoo!!! Long-legged Elijah.

Elijah.

By Thanksgiving Day we knew Dimetrios had taken a turn for the better and was steadily improving. Here in the land of many trees, we gathered at Wendy and John's...

John shared this of Wendy making the green bean casserole.

John making the whipped cream.

Keoni and Picasso Luckibird.

Wendy and PL.

While the 25-30 MPH wind blasted cold air, and the peerless aroma of roasted turkey and dressing filled the house, Aidan and I worked up our appetites with a game of Texas Hold 'em...

...from Wendy.

Soon, Keoni and PL joined in and made it more exciting, except for Picasso tipping Keoni off after a flit around the table...

No fair, Picasso!

Right here, I'll pause a moment to lament that I am no longer able to post video since blogger doesn't handle them at all and the conduit to/from YouTube is broken. The only good part is, this time it wasn't me. YouTube is no longer an option for sharing video from an iPhone 6s unless you pay them money. Bah Humbug, YouTube, Google and Apple!!! Other standard photo routes are, as you can see from this posting, open at last after hours of jigging and rigging and reading.

I was trying to post a four-second video of Aidan fanning cards he's about to deal. (Repeat: Bah Humbug.)

Back to Thanksgiving...

The aroma-induced hunger pangs overrode any thought of a food photo of the actual meal. Good company and good food. Mmm-Mmm. Enough to, as Wendy puts it, "Eat until I hate myself!" That didn't interfere with good conversation, considerable hilarity, and a willingness to pack in dessert later after the chores were finished.

A beautiful photo from the chore time...

John captured the last of the day's sun hitting the trees.

 Fifteen! That's how many pieces of pie (albeit narrow slices) that Aidan cut for dessert since the five of us couldn't make up our minds about which kind; pecan (Wendy's), apple (Judy's), or pumpkin (Wendy's)...

The next day, the wind had subsided enough to get in a walk with Aidan and Keoni. Still, it was pretty sharp, yet always a pleasure...

Austin all fluffy with her friendly herd of companions.

As we returned, we were greeted as usual by the three dogs and Toby. Sebastian had wiggled through a gap in some unknown spot in the fence lines.

Meanwhile in Missouri, Jeanenne, her now BIG family, and Sandy did a Thanksgiving Day group selfie...

Jackie, Della, Harper and Chad, 

Krista, Emery, Olly, Ellie, Jonathan.

Chad & Jackie.

Lexie & Della.

Cousin table. Back: Della & Lexie; front: Harper & Kensie.

Maybe a dream of dancing sugarplums! (Or, turkey tryptophans maybe.)

I understand this is the Mexican Dominoes game they played. Whoever won did it fair and square since they didn't have a Picasso Luckibird hopping from shoulder to shoulder helping with cheating.

Also in Missouri, Susie broke from her write/edit work to master a New York Times puzzle...

Back here in the land of trees, there were many leaves the crazy winds of Thanksgiving blew into enormous heaps...

A pano of one of the leaf heaps outside Dock Manor.

You might ask how the leaves are removed from the much-used walkways, and the answer is a man riding a machine that blows all the debris to the sides. I think I would have liked that job.

Jeanenne found and sent this 1988 picture of me and Winsom competing in a Dressage test. Despite my clamped teeth, we just placed fourth...

And, the latest from the Art Desk: Some glass fusions from Jeanenne, Jackie, and Sarah...

Sarah's.

Jackie's.

Jeanenne's.

Yesterday, Jeanenne and Sandy had an "Art Day" in Jeanenne's enormous kitchen. Sandy sent this one she painted from non-oil-base oils...

Snowoman!
Spell check doesn't like my spelling. Ha! Get used to it!

Our Dock Art Class leader, Sally, demo-ed some watercolor techniques she uses. Here are my results from the session...

Keoni sent this unusual landscape from far out behind the barn during evening chore time...