SAID THE CAT: 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.

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...