12.31.2009

December 31, 2009

The first thing about today's date is that it's Kate's birthday -- yea! As a kid, and maybe as an adult as well, being so close to Christmas seems like a bad day for a birthday, but it will forever be a party day as well, and a big celebration is certainly in order. This evening we're going to Kate and Rob's friends, Brian and Amy's, for a nice party to honor Kate and the New Year.

Kate got me a SAD light for Chrstmas -- 10,000 lumens of joy. I always wondered about these lights, and today is just a great candidate for trying out the effects -- about as grey and dreary as you can get. So, I plugged it in and read for several sittings with the light. I can't see that it hurt at all -- who knows. It's a good light for reading, so I'll certainly use it well.

Our cat, Neko, has been gone now for almost 2 days. He does go away for spells, but never this long. He has a favorite hiding place across the street under a neighbor's back porch, and he almost always comes out if you go over there an shake treats. But, not this time. Maybe he's elsewhere. He spent 5 days inside when we were gone, so maybe this is his little rebellion, but we are worried about him. The weather is cold and wet, but I guess his fur and general bulk will help him there. You always worry that they get caught somehow. He's a pretty good crier when he wants to be found, so I have wandered around calling for him.

When I took Jerry out for a walk today, I thought...jeeze, I need to get to sunshine. But then remembered, we were in sunshine in Florida yesterday -- the effects don't last too long, evidently. Our trip was great -- saw lots of relatives and it was nice that Doug, Richard, and Susan could get together. We all agreed that Minor was doing well and enjoyed his party. Long term questions about Minor's decline and future care didn't come up as much as maybe we'd hoped, but we were able to agree on major points, and were also able to touch base with Melissa's daughter, Jan. Despite a wet start, canoeing with the manatees was a highlight of the trip -- in our canoe, we were able to actually pet them.

For me, 2009 has been a wonderful year. I can't say that it was full of accomplishments (if any kind of list was made, it's now long gone), but I have found a serene and stress-free life that allows me to look forward to each new day. I hope that 2010 is just as good.

No comments: