Happy New Year

We are having a quiet day today, just as we had a quiet evening last night. We had talked about inviting some friends for dinner last night, or for a lunch today, but then just never did it. I think we had more company during the month of December than we'd had for and since the Halloween Party, so it was nice to have a calm and quiet "holiday" night yesterday.

One of the local supermarkets had lobsters on sale again for eight dollars a pound, so that's what we had for our New Year's Eve dinner. After that, we watched a movie called "Millions," recommended to us by our corner-neighbor S. It's about a little English boy who finds a huge bag filled with money in the British countryside. Wonderful movie, very inventive and different, and sure to have you crying towards the end. But it's a happy ending, and worth seeing-- we rented it from the video store.

Warm day yesterday, and warm today as well. I took down the outside holiday lights, and put the lighted deer into the garage where they'll stay till the next holiday season. Those yard sale deer have been in our front yard for years now... not bad for less than five dollars each.

Speaking of yard sales, Miss C has already called me today to ask if I'm planning to go to the yard sales this weekend. We were so busy during December that I stopped going to yard sales for the entire month, and told C that I'd start up again after the holidays were over. So here we are, on the first of January, and she's already wondering if we can go to the weekend sales.

Indeed we will, I told her, as long as it isn't raining. It was supposed to rain today, but that never happened. The sun was out, the temperature seemed to be around 75 degrees, and it was a really pretty day. Now the sky is looking gray and overcast.... we may just get that rain after all.

We watched the New Year's celebration in NYC's Time Square last night. We always watch that, and the NY midnight hour becomes our own beginning of the New Year. It was sad to see how old and fragile Dick Clark has become, and it must be very hard for him to get through the television time for the end-of-year party up there. I was happy that he wasn't out in the cold and the wind last night... he looked quite comfy and warm wherever he was. But maybe it's time for Dick Clark to give up his New Year's Eve job. He looked comfy, but he didn't look confident, and his fragility is just so very sad.

An hour later, as our Texas clocks got to midnight, we heard firecrackers going off around the community. I'm sure they had celebrations in the downtown areas, but we've never gone to them. I remember the years when Guy Lombardo and his orchestra brought in the new year from NYC's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. And then Dick Clark became Mr. New Year's Eve. I hope The Powers That Be in New York can come up with a suitable replacement for Dick Clark.... Ryan Seacrest just isn't going to cut it.