Winter Obsessions

Most of my December was spent making our first west coast Christmas perfect. I sent out close to a 100 holiday cards with cheery notes which I wrote while listening to nothing but Christmas music. Santa’s were on display all over our new home, lights were strung and lit. We fully engaged ourselves in all the festivities, shopping and cooking and baking, while wearing silly hats. As you might have guessed from this idyllic opening the holiday could not live up to my hype. But it did not stop my push to make our New Year’s eve filled with all the garnishes I could throw at it. Yes, lesson not learned. Thankfully sense and sensibility did surface, eventually, to the realization that we were indeed somewhere new, and quite possibly, I could slow down, take a breath and notice all the possibilities in this here.

cactus in bloom

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A Retrospective

In a heartbeat 2024 will come to a full stop and we’ll run straight into 2025 but before that weighty ball drops I’d like to reflect on the last very full 12 months. Towards that end, I selected 4 standouts posts of the 50 I wrote, each a fan favorite, highlighting some significance of my year. How about it, want to journey back with me? Oh, lets!

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Our America

We left Vermont last Sunday morning in a fully packed car, two days after the movers carried out all the boxes and furniture, and arrived in our new home by noon on Thursday. Yes, a fast crossing, but with much ease I will add. No storms, no major road delays, plenty of decent motel accommodations, plus a fabulous payoff by a special neighborhood visitor. And just like that … Southern California is now home.

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