I started a post writing yesterday, but I didn’t finish. We arrived at the cottage late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, depending on one’s perspective, and thus I woke up late, near 10 AM, which is much later than when I usually awake. I am often the first person in the family out of bed every morning. I usually rise before five in the morning during the week and I allow myself to sleep in to six, or half past six on the weekends. I quickly got busy in other jobs and didn’t write more than the first few lines of a new post.
Below is what I began to write,
New Year’s Eve 2015
I backed into the cottage driveway a little before 3 AM. I roused W, he grumbled when I shook his leg and called his name. It was cold and dark and I was tired. I roused Ivy, too. She was excited to climb out of the car and gently pulled at the leash. I opened the cottage door and she rushed inside waking B, my wife, before I clipped her to the tether and let her explore the front yard.
And, that is how far I got, I closed the lid on the laptop and didn’t open it until today – New Year’s Day. Instead of writing, I spent the day getting the cottage ready for our New Year’s celebration and cooking dinner.
Our menu for New Year’s was
New York Strip – grilled
Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes
Steamed and buttered broccoli
Sautéed mushrooms
Green salad
Robust red wine
Chocolate cheesecake for dessert=
All homemade and home cooked, well maybe not the wine….
Our New Year’s Eve traditions took shape several years ago and they revolve around being Up North and at the cottage. We celebrate with two families whom we would otherwise never have met if it weren’t for the lake. We are blessed. I am thankful.
For the past several New Year’s we’ve gathered and shared the evening together. It’s a good time. Last night was no different. I crawled into bed past one, but earlier than the night before.
Today’s plan was to get the kids on the slopes and let them have fun skiing and snowboarding. O had skied with her friends Wednesday and had sent the photos below.
Once more, I slept and woke well after I normally rise. I helped O with her ski boots and made her a couple of steak sandwiches before they left earlier.
They left before noon and they’ve been skiing for a few hours, a couple hours later I called to check in and I learned that one of O’s buddies fell and injured his shoulder. Prayers.
This morning I noticed the lake had begun to freeze over.
My job is to make sure dinner is ready when they return tonight; we are having a traditional New Year’s Day meal, which I learned to make from my mother-in-law – roast pork tenderloin with sauerkraut served with mashed potatoes. I always make enough to re-heat and enjoy again on the day after New Year’s.
I have other jobs, too – laundry and schoolwork and New Year’s calls to my family. I’ve called my mom and texted to my brother, for now.
In the meantime, I’ve read several blog posts and left comments. I am grateful for blogging friends who have helped me realize that I am not alone and that we all are travelling parallel paths that are similar, but different to my own.
The past several years have been challenging for my family and I, however I realize that those trials have made me stronger and believe more deeply, in who I am and where I am headed.
Today is gonna be a great day. It already is. Tomorrow could be a million and six times better, but today is what I have, for now. So, I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the days Count, one day at a time, one step forward, followed by another step, because that’s how it’s done.
Happy New Year 2016, may the New Year bring us all peace and prosperity, but most importantly peace.
Really like the blue gray tones in your wintry photos, Clay! Happy, peaceful 2016!
Thank you Coleen! It is interesting how the cloudy winter skies bring out the deep grey hues and transform greens and blues into greyish darker tones. Have wonderful weekend.
It’s been a great blogging year! Looking forward to reading more in 2016. Happy New Year Clay!
Phil thanks for stopping in – Yes it was a good year in many ways. Have a great weekend and Happy New Year.
What a beautiful locale you have for celebrating the new year! I hope O’s friend’s injury is minor and the rest of the weekend continues to be all you hoped. Happy new year!
Thank you stopping in – Happy New Year. The lake is beautiful and I enjoy every moment I can up here. We all enjoyed our time ringing in the new year. O’s friend broke his shoulder and it ended his skiing for the season – thank you. He was bummed, but he’ll bounce back stronger than ever.
Your lake and mountains look like our lake and mountains–a good place to be quiet and start a new cycle of days! Funny to see your writing about pork and sauerkraut–I just wrote about it yesterday, too. Do you have Pennsylvania German roots?
Thank you stopping in – Happy New Year. We are in the Michigan Highlands of the lower peninsula with hills rising to elevations of 1300 feet and sloping down to two of the great lakes – Michigan and Huron on the west east, respectively. Sadly, I am rather ignorant of the geological history of the region. The French trapped the region in the late 1600s and 1700s and the British took control until the War of 1812. As for me, my mom has Pennsylvania Dutch roots though her ancestors migrated form Ireland and Scotland in the late 1800s, but my in-laws were from southwestern Ohio settled by German, French, and Dutch immigrants in the early 1800s. New Year’s dinner was good and there was enough for dinner last night! Happy New Year.
Snow? I’m jeaolous! We’ve yet to see winter. Yesterday it fell to just above freezing for the first time in weeks, and we all felt sooooo cold. But it didn’t last. It’s the rain that does that. Happy new year to you and your family!
It lightly snowed on New Year’s Day and it warmed up to low 30s (2-3C) – just above freezing yesterday and melted some of the snow. This morning the wind shifted and broke up the ice forming along the shore and pushed it down the lake. The week’s forecast calls for rain this coming weekend and a warmup, but we’ll be home back to school where we’ll have a completely different forecast.Thank you for the new year’s wishes and here’s to wishing that 2016 will be a wonderful year for us all.
I’ve thought about you and glad to get on your site again. I’m like you, up at 5AM usually, which will start again Monday. Sounds like a great time for you and family and hope you seize every moment! Have a wonderful spring semester as well.
Thank you. It’s been a rejuvenating break. Usually at this time in break I’m in full denial and regret of what I should have and I could have done, but didn’t. This year is different, I would prefer to have a few more days off, but I’m ready to return and pick up where I left off. Enjoy the remainder of your holiday. Happy New Year 2016.