Another Year

I have had no words to share for a very long time, and I have no idea where this post will go – or if it will even become a post. I’m just going to ramble and see what happens.

We’ve been having very cold weather – unusually cold for our part of the world. My Nong cat has been staying inside the house instead of making her occasional short trips to the outside, and she spends a great deal of time on my lap.

Because I’ve been spending a lot of time in front of my fireplace, where it’s warm and cozy. Why? Well, outside my window, this is what I see:

And I am not a cold weather person. Neither am I a hot weather person – I much prefer spring and fall to either winter or summer. Unless summer is on the coolish side. My idea of perfect temperatures for the outside is 65 to 80 degrees.

We had a nice holiday season, quiet. The family was together, and that’s the most important thing. Gep flew into Portland, and he met us at the hotel because we had decided to spend the night. It was exciting – Kat and I found a Target near the hotel, and neither of us had been in one for a very very long time. She found some warm, comfy sweats, and I looked at all the things that whispered to me but that I don’t need – proudly restraining myself from purchasing. We even visited a Trader Joe’s before we headed home the next day. Big times in the big city! Can you tell we’re kind of country bumpkins?

Before we took Gep back to catch his return flight, we took our annual Christmas photo. The tradition is that Kat buys each of us an item of clothing – one year the item was a kind of footed green pajama that really looked a lot like Gumby. Sadly, those photos got lost, so I cannot share. This year, we all pretended we were in the tropics:

Imagine those trees as palm trees, and the snow as white sand. It might help if you close your eyes as you imagine. That one on the far right was complaining about the coldness of the photo shoot – we told him to tough it out, traditions are important.

I’m wondering what the new year will bring, and comforting myself with the knowledge that whatever it is, my life is full and my life is good, and I have enough. What more could you ask?