Another New Years In The Party Basement...

 Another New Years Eve has come and gone...the same can be said for New Years Day. And, as per our usual since we finished the basement, our family spent it downstairs, around our bumper pool/gaming table, drinking Martinelli's Gold Label Sparkling Apple Juice (and the Cranberry/Apple combo...), along with Christmas treats...

Yes, we know how to party.

Of course, "party" is subjective. Like beauty, it's in the eye of the beholder. 

Years ago, I would see ads for a big New Years Eve celebration in downtown Salt Lake City. This must have been decades ago because I believe they've kept up the tradition for years. All I could think about when I saw those ads was, "Why in the world would anyone want to spend New Years Eve outside in a city located in the Rocky Mountains?"

Obviously, I've never attended such a celebration.

I never thought about how all those people at Times Square in New York City waiting for the ball to drop willingly chose to attend. They were outside in a northern latitude city. I never questioned their sanity. Then again, when you have hundreds of thousands of people jammed into a small space, maybe they generate enough heat to make the decision to celebrate logical.

No, I'm boring. I stay inside at New Years Eve. The last time I think I celebrated outside was years ago when I lived in Denmark. I ventured out on New Years Eve and watched happy Danes celebrate the arrival of 1986. I also saw a drunk man almost get his head blown off as he looked inside a tube of a huge firework to see if it would blow.

Yes, it blew.

No, he was not injured...well, maybe his hearing.

I had a blast this past New Years Eve. God willing, we'll gather again in the party basement on New Years Eve and pull out another board game--maybe next year we'll play Hallmark Monopoly. We haven't played that in a while.

Shoveling Snow...Nature's Way Of Burning All Those Holiday Calories

 Relatively speaking, we dodged a snow bullet. That isn't to say we didn't some snow from this last wave of storms. We did, but not as much as others. And to add to the fun, our family is contracted out to shovel eighteen homes in our neighborhood when the snow reaches a certain level. 

In the last seven days, we were called out twice.

I'm beginning to not mind shoveling show. As long as it's not feet deep, I can clear a driveway and sidewalk relatively quickly. I must be doing something right because (so far...), I've not suffered any major back injuries or anything else. Yes, I'm sore after a few hours of shoveling, but I usually feel better the next day. Of course, the older I get (now in my upper 50s...) that may not be the case in the future.

As I returned home from a shoveling adventure the other day, I thought about the physical workout I've been doing with shovels and snowblowers. I know many of us disregard their diets at the holidays and enjoy all the delicious food that seems to be everywhere. 

I thought maybe shoveling is nature's way to burn some of those quickly-amassed holiday calories.

Doing some rough math, I've got to shovel a whole lot more driveways and sidewalks to break even--we had a lot of goodies this year and I partook.

I suppose there's a bright side to all this snow, other than it's desperately needed in our drought-affected areas, and that is burning all those calories. Good to look on the bright side every once in a while.

Million Dollar Idea...

 Last winter while shoveling snow, my earphone popped out of my ear. The earphone dropped into the shoveled snow and was gone...

It didn't help the earphone was white.

I actually had to wait a week or so until the snow melted so I could find it.

I was bummed, but in hindsight, even if I hadn't found it, I wasn't out much--they were on the cheap end of the earphone spectrum. Because they popped out of my ears so much, I decided to replace them. This time, I spent a little more money and bought some official Apple audio products. For me, they work great, so much so, I don't want the same thing to happen to my new pair as did my last.

This winter is turning out to be more snow-filled than last winter so I'm worried about losing an airpod. Last week I had an idea and I wondered it if would work. Turns out, it did. I stuck the airpods into my Chums eyeglass retainer.

There are products out there that do just that, airpod straps, but the what's great about using Chums is when you're done using them to make sure you don't lose your earphones, you can put them back on your eyeglasses. It's one item that can be used two ways!

Genius.

There is one thing I have not tested. I have no idea if you'll be able to use them for phone calls. I'm afraid the airpods will have too much surrounding them to be useful. Still, you can listen all you want and not be afraid to have one (or both...) fall from your ears and into a huge pile of snow.

In all honesty, this idea will probably not generate millions of dollars, but you never know. If the Chums people ever get a hold of this, maybe they can do a little marketing. I suppose time will tell.

A Toast (Toasty Fire...) To The Year That Was

 There's only a few hours (for us...) left in 2022. Too early to begin a countdown, too late to do finish all those resolutions made a year ago. No, it's time to sit and wait, play some games, listen to music...

And watch a fire burn in the backyard.

I think we've started a new tradition--weather willing.

There's a lot to say about any singular complete journey around the sun. Friends/family members got married, some deaths, some new babies, people bought homes, changed jobs...any possible change has happened to someone.

Last week, before the storms hit, I brought in some firewood into the garage. I also assembled several boxes from Christmas and from cleaning out the basement. I hauled it all outside this afternoon and started a fire. If the storm that's coming had hit earlier, we'd not have a fire.

I watched it burn and thought about life. Something about fires can do that to a person. That basic elemental action--a fire--allows philosophical thoughts to swirl. Maybe it's because a fire can erase, rather effectively, something that needs to be destroyed. It's a cleansing function. That's a good thing to do from time to time.

Good-bye 2022. It's been a year. 2023 is almost here. I pray we may all face it and the challenges/blessings that accompany it with courage, grace, and humility.

2023--bring it on!

When Christmas Goes Away...

 Today I entered the space under the stairs, retrieved the empty Christmas boxes, and hauled them upstairs. After watching, A Christmas Story, I repeated the process in reverse. The boxes were heavier than before, stowed were ornaments, nativity scenes, lights, outdoor decor, and Christmas cards. The boxes also contained that Christmas feeling now missing in the front room.

When Christmas goes away.

We bought an artificial tree last year. We set it up and it was okay. This year, we changed the location and it worked so much better, almost as if the space was made for a Christmas tree. Now that it's crammed in a box under the stairs, the space is empty, void of emotion, missing the spirit welcomed into our home for several weeks.

Funny how a slight change of perspective affects everything. We ran errands this afternoon, a light snow continued to fall, and clouds so low visibility was only a few hundred yards. Had we taken the drive last week, it would have been picturesque, quint, festive, a Christmas memory. Today, the sky was grey, overcast, for some...possibly depressing. Such is a post-Christmas world in winter.

It's amazing how some physical items in boxes can change life so much. They're still there, waiting for approximately eleven months until the boxes are opened, the lids are lifted, and they once again bring a message to a room. Yes, taking everything down leaves a hole in the room, which means when Christmas was in the room, it was great.

One Year...And A Day Since We Lost Her

 Yesterday was the one year anniversary...exactly one year since our sister left us. My family gathered at the cemetery (where my parents's graves are also there...) and held a memorial. Unfortunately, me and my immediate family were unable to attend. Like last year, they released lanterns in her honor. I'm sure, like last year, they watched the ascend and wished they weren't there.

Even though yesterday was the anniversary of her passing, today is an anniversary as well. Today is the anniversary of those left behind having to face a life without her, without her laugh, without her wit, without her spirit. Ever since I was two and a half years old I awoke to a world exactly a year ago today without my sister.

Though hard on my brother and I and our families, it's most difficult for my sister's husband, her children, and her grandchildren. I know what it's like to lose a mother, but I lost her when I was in my forties, not my twenties. She was their rock, their world. 

I don't know if the family will gather each year on the anniversary of the passing. Traditions can be wonderful things to help heal, and to remember her memory. If they do, I hope to be a part of it.

Things Are Happening In This Little Town...

 It seems I do this...I'll look up and see the scene before me and snap a picture. It happened to me a few days ago. I was driving into town, the road heading almost due east. Before me a snow-capped mountain range. To the right a neighborhood auto dealership, the left an open field soon to be turned into the expanding apartment complex already creeping west.

Yes, things are happening in the town we call home.

It feels like we just moved a few months ago, and because of that, the changes seem so sudden, so unexpected. We looked at some statistics. Between 2020 and 2021 the town increased 10% in population. We were part of that change. It was only about 1,000 people, but a 10% increase...that's a lot. If that continues, the town will double in size in less than a decade. 

Big changes already happened, big changes on the way. 

I still follow a few social media groups from the city where we used to live. I know the people feel fortunate to live there--and they are--but every once in a while there are complaints. It makes sense--the sites are set up to notify the city's residents of current events. There's a central theme among the comments--the city's growing too fast and it's hard to keep up. I can sympathize with them because what they are saying is completely true...the city's exploding and it's hard to keep up with all the changes.

Now, we drive around the nearly empty streets, do our shopping, run errands, enjoy the little town we call home. Because we went through it before, I know the complaints are coming. Some already see the writing on the wall...the people are moving here and there's not much anyone can do to stop it. 

Such is life. Best to make good decisions and try to keep up.