New Years Eve 2020

We just have to make it through the day to get to 2021. Today is the anniversary of the day DH left the hospital on hospice and returned to his long-term care facility. He had left 12 days earlier by ambulance sitting up and smiling at the EMTs but he returned essentially comatose for his last few days. SIL brought dinner and champagne for us to have in DH's room in the evening. BIL, DS, and I were taking turns being with DH full-time for the last few days.

Today DS will cook for SIL, himself and me. It is a gray, rainy day matching my mood.

But I am looking forward to Florida. I did make it clear to Mike that I might not come to see him for a couple of days and he seemed fine with that. Though he did say something about how we could plan January and February when I got there. I had to laugh and remind him that generally I don't plan ahead that far and especially not right now in Covid times.

Stay safe and healthy and hope for a better 2021!

Liz, looking back, last year at this time, Paul's decline and increasing health care needs were changing minute by minute. It's probably good to have this quieter time right now to process all that has happened to you and to your family in the past few years.

Quiet will be the theme tonight. Since 1999 (with the exception of 2 years), we have attended a New Year's Eve party at the home of our friends parents. Our friends father passed away just before Thanksgiving this year. I didn't even want to think about it being NYE. It is the end of an era. Our friends parents turned NYE into a family celebration/tradition that rivaled Christmas. But my family wanted to note it in some way, so we've ordered take out from one of our favorite restaurants, and have some champagne chilling.

Not much will change for many of us as we enter the New Year. It will still be cold and dark here, the pandemic will still rage, BUT, the thing I do find different is hope. The vaccines reaching the market offer the hope that the life we had, in part, can be restored to us. I cannot imagine yet, the euphoria of my first theater experience, hugging my parents, or the deep satisfaction of hosting a dinner party, or seeing my students in person everyday. These things I long for are still out of reach for the moment, but I have hope. And that is a very good thing to feel as we start 2021.

Yes, even though the pandemic is worse than ever right now, there is finally hope. It is so amazing how many health care workers rose to such a challenging level in 2020 as did the developers of these new vaccines and so many others. We can never thank them enough so let's raise our glasses to all who gave so much in 2020 to save us in 2021!

One of our friends (son of the NYE party hosts, and self declared our daughter's "Boston Dad"), was on the team for the Pfizer vaccine! He has a PHD in Bio Chemistry from Stanford, so already, I'm completely in awe of his intellectual prowess, but now this! Our brush with true greatness. All the same though, he was unwilling to "borrow" some vaccine doses for us. Smart, and, distressingly ethical.

Amen to that!

Amazing how a walk outdoors with a companionable dog can raise ones spirits even on a gray cool day.

Happy New Year to all of you dear friends!

170.4

I'm also just back from a sniff and search with the Swann and DH- can't call it a walk as the dog's nose never left the ground, going over and over the same scent paths whatever nefarious critter left in the field.

NYE will be typical for us- never much interest in the whole party thing. What is done every year is homemade eggnog and raisin-filled cookies. My filling for the cookies is prepared and just waiting for DS#2 to get home after work to help with the making and baking. I only make these cookies once a year as they are a bit of a PITA- Eggnog is in freezer slushing. While I had the milk out scalding I went ahead and made yogurt and cottage cheese. That's it. The rest of the evening will be spent in jammies watching old movies.

Celebrate the hope that comes with the new year and dwell on everything that is good and yes.

Weight up 0.2. It's like dancing, one step forward, one back, one to the side...

This morning I met a friend to walk (masked - I think I'm done announcing masks and social distance here. Trust I am cautious in my very few interactions with others) at the bird sanctuary. This is the one who hurt her knee, but she is doing much better so we gave it a try. She was done by 1.6 miles, and I had a lot more gasoline in my tank (leftover unburned adrenaline I think), so I came home and did 2.2 in my neighborhood. It's so beautiful here today, warm sun, cool air. Perfect walking temp.

Now I'm showered and getting ready to go see my dad and his wife for New Years dinner. I just need to pack up Ferg's many supplies. It'll be so sad not have the Rose Parade tomorrow morning!

Liz if blessings can be wrapped in terrible packages, I can't help but be glad that Paul's passing was last year and not this year. I can't imagine the pain of losing someone when you can't be with them. My heart goes out to those losing people to any disease or accident at this isolating time.

DD, I saw a social media thing of a guy who built a full ice bar out of snow in his yard to be able to be with friends safely. Made me think of you as we have no snow here to do such a thing... https://www.delish.com/food-news/a35067708/snow-bar-backyard -tiktok/

Happy New Year, my friends. May this one be infinitely better than this last one!

Snow bar - FUN!

We have actually been saving (since last summer) all our cottage cheese containers to make ice "bricks". Need to do this!!