Wow!  We made it!  I wrote earlier about not putting up one string of Christmas lights (There are about 30 inside and out) or arranging even one out of about 35 village pieces and no outside nativity.  “They” always say there is an upside to everything and I found out what that was on New Year’s Day.  I didn’t have to gingerly take it all down, wrap it up, and put it away!  All that work will not, however, keep me from doing it next year if I’m able.  And right now when I’m feeling so vigorous (that should last about five minutes!), I think I’ll have a party!

            Did you go out and have a wild time on New Year’s Eve?  I certainly did.  I called a North Ranch friend who was as excited about New Years Eve as I was and we went down to Wickenburg for a “To Die For” hamburger (never frozen) and seasoned fries (always share, it is a huge order) at Screamers Drive In.  I don’t think they actually serve at the car window as in “olden times,” but you do have the choice of sitting outside.  We did a fair amount of swilling in that two hours, root beer on the rocks.  It was so wild that I was back home again by 7:30 p.m.  I retired such that I missed the New Year by only two hours.  I’m not sure if that was pitiful or wise.

            New Years Sunday started with church, then after lunch, I spent most of the afternoon lounging comfortably in my huge tilt back chair, sleeping and watching…are you ready for this…football.  Monday I didn’t hurt myself either.  I watched the parade and finished reading a book.

            How about the New Year’s resolutions.  Make any?  The term “resolution” clicks in my mind as unattainable, so mine are more goals.  My main goal is to finish my novel and get it in e-book form by late summer at the latest and starting a fifth edition of RVing Alaska for 2013.  My secondary goal would be to figure out an inexpensive way to spend the summer away from the heat of North Ranch.  I was just on the Internet last week checking out some old haunts in Canada’s Maritimes but that is about as far away as the moon as far as actually making it so maybe I’ll just stick with the novel.  Oh well, there are always those “button pushers” I need to work on, things like the road rage I feel when a driver behind me has plenty of safe room to pass but they insist on driving two inches off my bumper.  Why do people do that?

            It was so hot here right up until the time it turned cold and rainy so now we are really, really appreciating the last couple of weeks in the 60s and 70s, perfect Arizona weather.  God Bless until next week.

Minshall’s RVing Alaska and Canada (A “How to” and “Why not” book) is available thru Amazon.