Tonight that spouse o' mine and I were driving home from an afternoon doing one of our favorite things: car shopping. (Not really. Neither of us enjoy it any more than we enjoy grocery shopping.) But what capped the afternoon's "enjoyment" was the beautiful pink sky and sun setting past the prairie, viewed from our front windshield, and the big ol' full moonrise seen from our back window! And a blue moon, too. (This only means it was the second full moon in this month, and by the skin of the moon's teeth, at that!)
By the time we got home it was dark, and I made my way out to the barn to feed ponies. It was so pretty out by the barn! Clear sky (13º - a Brrr factor) and the full moon cast shadows of the ponies and me on the snow. Snowy full moons are by far the best.
So here I am, looking at the New Year looming in a few hours. Unless you are my inlaws, and then you are already waking from a night of Aussie reveling. I enjoy reading a blog called All & Sundry and here is a partial New Year's quiz she posted today. (My answers, of course. And I skipped a few...)
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? I started taking cello lessons!
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I did not make NY resolutions last year. I think I will this year, though.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My niece Amy! I have a beautiful grand-niece, 6 weeks old!
4. Did anyone close to you die?
My dog, Bear.
5. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? Better self-discipline!
6. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? The day I kissed our son goodbye as he left for college. We had three kids in college this semester, and I had an empty nest.
7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
It's not my biggest achievement, but I did take a refresher Arabic course in the spring, and I was actually not so bad in the conversational part.
8. What was your biggest failure? I really thought I would show this house who was boss this year, but, no, it's still not neat and tidy, it looks camped-in lived-in, we STILL don't have the trim work done, I suspect there are giant dust bunny monsters lying in wait in some of the darker corners. Well, now, there's always the new decade to think about...
9. Did you suffer illness or injury? I had a headache one day in October. I had a cold this last week of the year. That's all!
10. Whose behavior merited celebration? My kids! One graduated from college last week and has a spring internship, one is graduating from college in May, and one is on a collegiate XC and track team!
11. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Why dwell on negative?
12. Where did most of your money go? To various learning institutions around the country.
13. What did you get really excited about? Daughters #1 & 2 and their bike races. The Boy and his XC races. And Christmas. As always.
14. Compared to this time last year, are you:
– happier or sadder? Happier!
– thinner or fatter? the same! Room for improvement, though.
– richer or poorer? That's hard to tell. Money in, money right back out again.
15. What do you wish you’d done more of?
I wish I had spent more time reading. And exercising. And learning about things.
16. How did you spend Christmas?
In Oklahoma, with 38 relatives!
17. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don't hate. It's bad for one's system.
18. What was the best book you read? Hmmm...The Book Thief or Pillars of the Earth.
19. What was your greatest musical discovery?
The cello sitting in my living room! It's been there for 3.5 years, since Daughter #2 left for college. And this year, instead of dusting around it, I dusted it off and called our local music store for an instructor. I am on the fast-track to Yo Yo Ma-hood. Sort of.
21. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I was 49. I contemplated things.
22. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I should have been more physically active.
23. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Ouch. Rural casual?
24. What kept you sane?
Not one thing.
25. What political issue stirred you the most?
Terrorism.
26. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
I enjoyed seeing my three kids as adults. It's a life lesson to learn to let them go. But it is really a wonderful thing to see them as capable and smart adults. That, I suppose, was the gift I wanted and received this year.
27. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
-
- 'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
- 'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
- And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
- 'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
- When true simplicity is gain'd,
- To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
- To turn, turn will be our delight,
- Till by turning, turning we come round right.
- 'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
So now it is New Year's somewhere off the East Coast in the ocean. I suppose the marine life has gone to The Codfish Ball tonight.
Happy 2010.
(Oh, yeah - we bought the car.)
More holiday...tomorrow!
More holiday...tomorrow!
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