Holidays!

In no particular order here are some images from our holidays. First, the cats, Lewis and Clark, who are the owners of our good friends, Richard and Lucy. We drove up to North Carolina, a four day trip to celebrate the New Year and our friendship. After two weeks of non-stop parties (ours), we looked forward to the road trip in winter. The landscape changed from Florida green to the colorful and sere winter trees along the way. Our dog, Lola, was thrilled to be in a new motel along the way in Athens, Georgia. As we approached our friends' home on a mountain top, we saw piles of old tired snow from a previous storm but the twisty gravel road was clear. And then, there was the glorious view of layers and layers of smokey mountains and wet black skeletons of deciduous trees. I didn't know how much I have missed this image.

Our Christmas was quite traditional, though secular. We loved having so many family members and friends around. Quincy, our youngest grandchild was here on Christmas Eve, helped lay out the stockings (knitted by Lucy)by the fireplace, and put out a carrot for Rudolph. In the morning, he awoke to the stuffed stockings and a shiny new bike. What he loved best was the slinky he found in his stocking, and the tiny stuffed frog. Kids! The hall was clogged with the huge motorized crane from his uncle and aunt and he quickly figured out how to hoist that tiny stuffed frog into the nether.

The next day we had the traditional immense red snapper with green rice to be eaten by twenty friends and family. Norman and Virginia provided the fish, the Meylans brought a wonderful ham, Andy and I cooked collards, Elizabeth made the potatoes, I made strawberry shortcake and the Betzers brought many chocolate items. (A food group!) Everyone helped, the green salad was from our garden. We had NINE dogs in attendance! A record. They were all well behaved.

Before the dinner we all (dogs included) go out for a walk through the fields and woods. We laugh and talk and touch each other and I am thinking how blessed I am to be here right now. Here are old friends and some new ones, all ages, life goes on, the natural world around me is amazing. Quincy finds a small skull and Peter Meylan and Susie Betzer explain. He is clearly enthralled and wants me to keep this skull in my pocket. I hold out my hand and it is immediately filled with his small warm one. I look ahead and see the rest of the group and the long rays of the afternoon strike the golden head of Stephan,Peter's oldest son, just on the brink of adulthood. In this decade I have watched this boy grow up, and I rejoice. I see the daughters of us all there. How we love our children!

The next day after most of the crowd left Andy and I drove up to North Carolina. This last photo is of Lola, our dog, who has never before experienced snow. We made her wear this "dress" and she hated it and was clearly embarrassed to be seen in it. Lola is used to being the alpha dog in any situation but the twenty pound cats bested her!

This is a new year and a new decade, and so many of us hope for a better time. Many of my friends, this last year, have struggled with life threatening health issues. I am thinking of two Julies I love who are recovering. I am thinking of Juliet, my old childhood best friend, who's husband is facing cancer surgery tomorrow. I am thinking of young friends who have untimely lost their mothers. I am thinking of all the friends and family who have lost jobs.

And I am thinking of our president who has such a heavy load to bear. We need to be civil and supportive of each other, we Americans. We are it, that's all we have. Give thanks and be generous, that's what we can do.

Peace and happiness in the new year.