Here it is, January 2022. Another year older as I approach my 61st year on Planet Earth. I didn’t make any New Years resolutions. In the past, I would make resolutions in the new year but always found that it didn’t help and I didn’t keep any of them after a few weeks anyway. And when I would make a resolution, it was always the same. Lose weight. Exercise more. Strive to be better, or to be more outgoing. Relax and smell the roses, or whatever else I think might work to change my being.
I don’t think this year will be any different…
We started the new year with several inches of snow. I can remember years where we have had more and I can remember years where we have had less. This morning, I awoke to a tad more snow and single degree temperatures outside. It certainly has been a few years since I can last remember it being that cold outside.
It has been a very relaxing week off. I didn’t do a thing related with work. I completely unplugged. Didn’t think about it very much. Didn’t log in to check e-mail. Didn’t check my phone for messages as I pretty much turned it off for the week.
And now tomorrow, the rat race resumes. It will be 2022. A new year that will be more of the same.
Spent the past week watching football games, reading, caught an occasional new show on Netflix. Managed to pound out a few more pages in Atlas Shrugged. Managed to review my investments and planned for the next week, month, year, decade and century. More of the same. Steady as she goes.
The other day I found myself listening to some old Bob Dylan tunes. By old, I mean the stuff that constitutes his first five albums. I was inspired to do that because I had just finished watching the Martin Scorsese picture “No Direction Home”. I always try to understand the lyrics. What do they mean? I even dusted off my copy of “Bob Dylan. The Story Behind Every Track. All the Songs”. A rather heavy book, comprising over 700 pages, hardbound, that I bought myself as a Christmas present an number of years ago for my coffee table. It now sits on the bookcase.
I guess I do things like that to keep the mind active. Didn’t come up with any new revelations but it was an interesting way to spend an afternoon.
I just left Jewel out. It’s 15 degrees outside and there is snow on the ground, including the back deck. What does this mean…she will quickly go outside and do her business on the deck and immediately want in. Doesn’t like the snow and the cold weather. I cannot blame her. Texted daughter to check in and see how Roman and Ruby are this cold morning. Last night was cold and windy. No wind now and the sun is out.
Haven’t seen much of the kids since Christmas eve. For them, school resumes January 5. Just checked and thus far, the spike in COVID cases hasn’t changed the resumption of in school learning. That said, I am troubled by the bold statement “…it is more important than ever to keep your children home if they are sick, have a fever, or show any symptoms of COVID…All absences will be excused…” Odd since we followed that requirement last semester and received a letter from the school district regarding son and him being out with unexcused absences. In today’s world, you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
I really hope that this year we downgrade the pandemic of COVID to something that allows us to return to normal. Unfortunately, it has become too politicized and another talking point that divides us as a country.
I am saddened by the fires in Colorado. Parts of places that I visited 10 to 20 years ago have been burned. A small fire by today’s standard (< 10,000 acres), but almost 1000 homes destroyed in urban areas. Between the high winds and how dry it was in Colorado, in December. But with winds in excess of 90 mph, glowing embers will spread and I guess anything can catch fire under those forces of Mother Nature. I have twice evacuated my home because of wildfires. I have seen the destruction, but have never experienced it. I was glad to see that the fire was miles away from the Rocky Flats site.
Most of the Christmas decorations have been taken down and put away. The ones that remain are outside. Buried in the snow. Looks like the wind is picking up. I will get to those soon. The dining room table is still clear of clutter. As for the rest of the house, not so much. Guess that is something that I can work on this year.
I noticed that for calendar year 2021 that I posted only 15 times, down from 20 in 2020. and that I had 184 visitors in 2021. So I guess that I can strive to do better. The trend over the last three years has been to the downside, both in terms of posts, visits and visitors. So maybe that can be my resolution for the new year, strive to post more often. Maybe I need to work on the content. More pictures? Write around a theme?
All we can do is strive to do better.
TheMcKeeSpot. 