Monday and not much to tell but a good book

An orchid, blooming for the second time

It loves my sunny cottage

Monday and not much to report. Mondays are always kind of low-key for me. I seem to spend most of the day on small things—emails, marketing details (still recovering from all the nice coverage yesterday), and the like.

Dinner tonight with friend Carol at a local “upscale” (does that mean not Tex-Mex?) Mexican restaurant. I had brisket tacos that were really good and cautiously ate just a few bites of the black beans. I love them, but they don’t love me. Carol is just back from almost two weeks in Hawaii, so it was fun to hear about that and the hulu dancing competition they went to. She brought me a T-shirt that says, “At my age I need glasses”—and has pictures of several wine glasses. The remarkable thing about the sort of purple/maroon shirt is that it is wine-dyed. Carol advised, and I agree, washing it separately the first time. She said she didn’t know why wine-related things always made her think of me, and I said it did: it’s because I like wine.

Finished a good book tonight: A Reckoning in the Back Country, by Terry Shames. Terry’s series features an overage sheriff in Texas—everything your typical mystery hero is not. He’s wise, morally complex, an art collector, an animal lover. In short, a fascinating character. He tells his stories in first-person, present tense—a challenge to any author. And he does it with such sly wit and insight that you can’t help but be drawn in. This one is the seventh in the series, but I suggest you begin with any of them.

And that is my story for the day, other than that the weather surprised me. I thought it might get to the seventies, and all of a sudden, it was in the eighties. Good ole Texas!

Have a good night and a happy Tuesday.

And another year begins .

            As I wrote those words, I wondered how the world will reflect on them in 2037. There’s been much moaning and groaning about what a bad year 2016 has been—for celebrities, for our country with the bitter divisiveness and what I at least see as an unsatisfactory and scary outcome, and for me personal—one shattered and one broken hip, lactose intolerance, etc. Briefly putting aside the good things that happened (moving into my cottage, a Chicago visit with my kids, etc.) I admit 2016 didn’t seem to lay the groundwork for a bountiful and joyous 2017. Most predictions are that it’s going to be worse, a year that requires all our strength and courage and faith, and I admit it may well be. But despite some naysayers, I don’t think the world will fall apart nor will our country. There will be bright moments and happy spots, and circumstances may conspire in ways we’ve not even imagined to make it a happy new year.

It’s been years since I wanted to spend New Year’s Eve at a fancy restaurant or huge, noisy party, and I never had the slightest urge to spend it in Times Square waiting for the ball to drop. But I do believe the fantasy that how you spend the evening of December 31 sets the tone for the coming year. With that in mind I invited a few close friends—six couples to be exact—to come by on their way wherever they are going and help me welcome 2017 to the cottage (all but one couple came—and they were out of town). Most were spending a quiet evening at home and liked the social break.

I intended to serve drinks and no more, but Jordan got hold of it and suddenly my “party” was the focus of her Saturday planning. She served meatballs, hummus, and the artichoke/spinach dip I asked Christian to get at Costco.

At six tonight, the cottage was filled with laughter and loud voices, and I said to one guest that was exactly what I wanted-it will be a happy, joy-filled year. Oh I’m not guaranteeing it, nor am I saying that hard times won’t come. I think I’m hedging my bets and trying to ensure that there will be good times if we all stick together.

Another neat note for New Year’s Eve—at the invitation of my good friends Betty and Don Boles, Jordan and Christian took Jacob and his pal Collin to the Stockyards to watch the herd today and then have lunch at the Star. Jacob loves to go to their restaurant, the Star, and reports they had a really good time. And a good grilled cheese.

Now the Burtons have gone to a local party, and I am at my desk. But that’s how I want my new year too—early fun and a quiet period before bed. I’m off to put the finishing touch on my evening—read a good book.

May your new year be filled with the blessings you wish for, with love and friends and fellowship. And may our country prosper and recover its moral ground and strength.