Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

The New Year Has Started

“The best is yet to come.” – Frank Sinatra

It may sound silly, but I am going to drop a note to my mother and father every once in a while, even though mom has been gone for 30 years, and dad has been gone 50 years. Since I often think about them, the notes will not be in any particular order and will be memories burned into my brain for some reason unknown only to God. If you see blue, that’s for dad and pink is for mom.

A very smart man!

Well, here’s another fine mess you got me in Ollie! The last time I saw a clock, it was 2:46 AM, and then, all of a sudden, it was 8:45 AM.  I knew the Rose Parade was two hours long and started at 9:00 AM, so I woke up Sue, and we headed to the family room.  Quick like a bunny, I commanded Alexa to switch on the TV, go to Channel 5, and OMG, the parade is half over.  What have I done?  I started the year in trouble.

Well, fortunately, Sue was still sleepy from the wild partying last night at Old Ranch, so I  convinced her she slept through the parade.  As they say, “I dodged a bullet.”  As usual, I will tell her the truth as soon as I can find a recording of the complete parade.

Our Grandson Zachary came to help me install a railing on the front porch to assist Sue in getting in/out of the door.  I like to work with him (and Jon) as we have fun and learn from each other.  Zack visited with us for a bit before heading to GG to pick up his bride and the varmints!  We love having grandkids around.

During the project, I used by Makita cordless 7″ circular saw and Zack fell in love with it so after he departed, I went to Amazon and order the Milwaukee equivalent of the Makita.  He should get it Saturday and he will be surprised!

The railing will still be standing after the magnitude 12 quake!

After Zack headed out, Sue went back to bed, and I did what all people ought to do on New Year’s Day, I cleaned the refrigerator.  In search of old science projects, I discovered several things that were either out of date, or we had no idea what they were.  The refrigerator is now spotless, old stuff tossed, and items we never use are either reorganized or on their way to the local landfill!  A few weeks ago I bought six permanent markers which reside next to the refrigerator so everything that is not marked and dated now gets a personal label/date!

The last of the Christmas goodies were removed and put away.  Our dining room table, where we spend most of our time, is back to normal.  It’s like Christmas was not here.  At our age, the years pass so much faster, I am thinking about leaving everything up next year (noticed I said “I” am thinking about it). Sue will likely have another suggestion.

Late in the afternoon, Sue arose, and we had a glass of wine deciding to have Mexican for dinner. I went to Taco Surf and got a big to-go bag of goodies.  When I got home, only a six-minute ride, the food was still hot, so we dished it on our plates and spoke Spanish to one another while we dined!  “El passo de taco” and other such phrases were spoken as if we had any ideas what we were saying!

The ride home was amazing, as evidenced by the sky!

Turning the corner into our neighborhood revealed a delightfully colored sky!

Two minutes later, this photo was snapped from our driveway, looking west. Amazing how things change in a matter of minutes!

We had dinner and proceeded to the TV to watch “Boston Legal,” “ER,” and “Last Man Standing.”  By 11:00 PM, Sue was ready for bed, and I stayed up doing some banking on-line.  It seems like December is a costly month, plus the estimated taxes are due on the 15th meaning a bag of money must be mailed in the next two weeks!

It’s the truth!

Laying in bed, I thought about last night and how much fun we had with our family close by and especially the grandkids joining us.  Wow, life is good.

About Paul

Just an old retired guy trying to finish out my last years on this planet. I lost my best friend and wife in early 2020. I was blessed again by reconnecting with Dr. Mary Côté, a long-time friend. Mary and I got married July 28th, 2021, and are enjoying life together and plan to spend the rest of our lives being a blessing to our friends and family.
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