I always get melancholy this time of year. I guess most people do. I use the end of the year as an opportunity to reflect on the passing year and to make goals and aspirations for the new year. When I look back at 2007, I find it has been a good year. My family was blessed with the birth of a healthy grandson, we all have our health, were able to travel to Maine to see our oldest daughter graduate from college, saw the Niagara Falls (a dream of mine my whole life), my husband is a successful Army Recruiter (the HARDEST job in the Army) and was promoted, I graduated from college and started a new college program, and the garden is still the garden even though it suffered tremendously in 2007.
4) I will find the right job for me AND for the job
I look forward to 2008 and to prepare for the new year I think ahead to what I hope will happen. It is kind of a "get prepared now and you will know how to react when it happens" mechanism. I have had many years of looking ahead and back and many, many changes in my life. Most all have been great and everything seems to turn out fine in the long run. Moves are the biggest changes and challenges that the new year used to bring to my life. No more moving so now life's priorities have changed. Here are my top ten hopes the new year (in no particular order): Some relate to gardening, some everyone can relate to, and some no one but me will desire.
1) World Peace
2) Continued health for family and friends
3) My children will continue to grow and prosper in life
5) Jimmy will enter his first year of high school and finally realize it is COOL to get all A's
6) My husband's stress level will be greatly reduced because his recruiting duty will end after more than three long years.
7) It will rain between 1-2" each and every week this year, and only in the early morning hours when I am not in the garden.
8) The voles will change their dietary habits and instead of eating my perennials and shrubs, they will now eat only dandelions and plantains.
9) The adjacent property owners will finally sell their house and move. The new owners will be great neighbors and wonderful people. (As a bonus at least one will be a gardener and/or appreciate plants)
10) I will continue this blog and get to meet more super people and learn new things about gardening and life.
Last year at this time, our family was preparing for a much anticipated and long awaited trip to the Ringling Barnum and Bailey Circus in Nashville. And because I love stories, here is how we wound up at the circus. Jimmy was born in 1994. Because 1994 was the 125the Anniversary of the Ringling Circus, the Circus, in conjunction with Family Circle, offered every single child born in 1994 a free ticket for one circus performance good for the child's lifetime. It took us nearly 13 years to finally use it, but we did and had a great time. Circuses sure have changed since I last saw one!
Be safe this evening and may the New Year bring you all of your dreams, hopes and aspirations.
Happy New Year and make it your best every day!
in the garden....
Happy New Year to everyone. My wish is that all of you have a great 2008. If you go out tonight have a great time but DO NOT drive if you have been drinking. We will have a quiet one as always by just staying home. We may or may not see the ball drop from Times Square on the tube. But most likely will be in bed.
ReplyDeleteHi Guys,
ReplyDeleteThis was my year end-out of propane in the house, 57 downstairs 48 upstairs, you would think the company that we do work for would not let us run out. Anyway, been typing my sons homework cause the laptop only works with wireless, we don't have. Waiting for Ronald Reagan to be completed for "the new faces of Mt Rushmore" already did charles schulz, clint eastwood and of all things, hugh hefner! What they ask for in high school. Later.
Ps:Happy New Year
Happy New Year to you all too! Hopefully 2008 will be warmer for you Dawn, and Mom, we are staying in to relax so we will be safe!
ReplyDeleteSafer than in the garden. I spent some time trimming limbs over the deck today. That was fun. It is a miracle I don't kill myself or destroy the house! Hubby helped on one of the limbs. Can be dangerous using a chain saw while on a ladder on a deck! Our rule now is I can only trim while he is home. Anyhow, get some propane Dawn.
btw. Hugh Hefner is an idol of all teenaged boys don't ya know?!
Forgot to say, I am making whoopie pies for tomorrow. I did some research on them and found one website that says people in Maine love them so much they tell stories on how they were weaned on whoopie pies. Whoopie pies, however, come from Lancaster Pennsylvania. Wonder how they made their way into the hearts of Mainiacs?
ReplyDeleteHAPPY NEW YEAR EVERY ONE!
ReplyDeleteIt has been a trying day around here today. At least we are not in the cold as Dawn seems to be. Sorry about your troubles and hope you have propane soon. That reminds me, I had better check the gauge on our tank, has been some time since the truck has been around and they are calling for some freezing stuff here tomorrow night....
Minnie is giving us a run for the money. I will not go into details as I plan to Post about it on the Pet People Blog tomorrow. But in short, she has run away from us not once but twice today! I reckon at this rate, we will not be able to put “Pet Sitters” on a resume! LOL.... 8 more days to go... argggg....
I don't know........missing whoopie perhaps?
ReplyDeleteWow!!! Can't believe they came from PA. It always seems like a northern thing and PA is close enough to some of the south you would think more southerns would have heard of em. Life is strange. Sometimes it is not such a small world. LOL Man oh man Tina are you trying to give your poor ole mother a heartattack? Be careful and please do not do that UNLESS MR. FIX IS AT HOME. Good grief!
ReplyDeleteSkeeter, one of Tina's twins came up for Thanksgiving from KY this past one and she had her 3 dogs with her. She would put them upstairs when she went someplace and they were not happy as they could hear us. So, smarty pants me....I told her on the day before they left to leave them downstairs. Well the smallest one of them had figured out how to open our fence gate and her and one other took offf. I was chasing them a quarter mile up the road, now that was a sight for sore eyes. I am not in the best of health and have a very badly compressed spine and have trouble walking (at one time I was 5 feet 4 inches and am now under 5 feet) But, I finally got them. By the time I got home I could'nt hardly move or breath. I really thought I was having a heartattack. No fun chasing darn dogs. I'd get right up to them and they would run. The little one was in the middle of the road half the time. Darn buggers and that little one is so sweet and cute.
Got propane before noon, it will take all day for the concrete to warm up again. Skeeter, sorry you are having such a hard time with Minnie, dogs known when they are doing wrong, just like kids they are. Love em anyway.
ReplyDeleteDogs can be crazy. I remember Sassy running off on me. I was about to kill her when a neighbor finally caught her for me 1/2 mile away! I was breathless too-and barefoot!
ReplyDeleteGlad you got your propane Dawn. Once we left Germany for a trip to the States and left the windows cracked in November. The buildings over there are built all of concrete. When we got back 3 weeks later is was soooo cold! Took about three days to heat back up. I am surprised I didn't get a bill for the heat from the Army!
Skeeter, I will go check out Pet People and see about your ordeals with Minnie. As much as we love company it is always nice when they leave!
Happy New Year!
Believe me, when this dog leaves, the Saint, the Cats and I will be having a party amongst ourselves!
ReplyDeleteOh well, she is just a pup and has a lot of energy and if mom and dad need our assistance again in the future, we will be here for them....
I know the Saint and I will never have a hound dog puppy of our own! Too much work....