January 13, 2020
12:52 p.m.

Birthday shout-outs are in order today. To all these January babies-- Leiah Joyce Sisson, Eliel Ibarra, Valerie Ibarra, Maggie & Xavier Amaya--Happy Birthday!!! Have a wonderful year, and a wonderful everything, and know that I love you!!

Valerie and Sam

Leiah

Jose, Carlitos, and Eliel

Megan, Mariah

Maggie, Santa and Xavier

No doubt there are more January birthdays, but I think I got all of them so far this month. 

____________________________________________________________________________

5:55 p.m.

I have this thing about New Years. January feels like the wrong time for me to start a new year. I am not crazy about January. It's cold. It gets dark too early. It's cold. The daylight doesn't last long enough to get anything done. And, damn it, it's cold. 

Now, all my snow loving buddies are going to get me over this. Hey, buddies! Enjoy your ski trip. Don't break anything, have fun, drink some cocoa for me in the lodge. Good on you! January is all yours, with my blessing. 

I don't know who decided that January 1st should mark the beginning of a new year. Why not April 1st, when new growth is happening? Flowers are making their first appearances, trees are showing off new leaves, grass is getting green. That's NEW. In nature, this is about the time for new babies to make their debuts--calves, lambs, foals, deer, bunnies. Nature is smarter than we are--it knows when things are NEW. 

People, now... not too bright, are we, starting over in the dead of winter? That's when the only thing new is the strained back and the sprained ankle we got from shoveling snow and falling on the ice! 

I'm not really dissing January. Well, I am, because...brr! But no. I'm not. I'm dissing January as the beginning of a new year.  How can anything be new when a good portion of nature is actually sound asleep? Can't we start the year when the bears wake up? 

Of course, while Spring makes the most sense to me as the beginning of a new year, there is a part of me that still considers the first day of a new school year the real new year. Of course, I was that rare child who actually loved school and looked forward to day one every year. New grade, new teachers, new classes, new things to learn. Maybe new friends and sometimes even new schools! So exciting! 

As a parent, this was still my new year, getting the kids new clothes, shoes, school supplies. NEW. Starting over. 

January seems like the Wednesday of months, the hump you have to get over on the way to Friday, which I suppose is somewhere around June. 

Yup, I am not a big fan of January. I am currently one great big arthritic ache, and at some point in my life I may have to consider a warmer climate. 

It's cold. 

________________________________________________________________________________

I have spent most of the last year here in Wyoming, care taking. I've been trying to figure out the mail schedule, and I have to finally admit that there isn't one. It comes when it comes. I don't like checking the mail in the dark, but mostly that's what happens. The only days it comes early is when I am trying to mail something out. Then, even if I hit the mailbox by 10:00 a.m., the mail has been delivered. It's like someone knows....

_________________________________________________________________________________

My parents have had the same telephone number since 1966. Every telemarketer in the entire world has it, and I think half of them have called today. Sheesh! 

Remember when our cell numbers were unlisted? I wish they still were. I have gotten so many calls lately. The one I get most is to remind me that the warranty on my car is about to expire.

I haven't owned a car since 2005. I think they're a little late, don't you? 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Well, I am off! Stay warm, drink something hot, cover up, be cozy! 

Monday, January 6, 2020
5:18 p.m.

Happy New Year!

It's the 12th day of Christmas, and the wise men have finished their journey to the manger to pay their respects to Mary and welcome her son, Jesus, to the world.

In some areas of Mexico, children will fill their shoes with hay or grain for the camels and burros that carried the gifts to the newborn babe.

If you're here in the US, you can take down your Christmas tree.

The way I'm going, that tree might stay up all year. Ha ha. I like it. It's pretty. It's not going to die. It's cheery.
_________________________________________________________________________________

I have been horrible about keeping this blog going in the past year. When I started it, I wanted it to be filled with family anecdotes and news and good, cheery thoughts.

2019 was not a cheery year.

Oh, I did post about family reunions and travels. We had some good times. We enjoyed our trips, saw pretty sights and spent time with great people, and I was happy to write about those things.

But, since I have been so determined not to write a bummer blog full of complaints and sadness and such, I found I had little to say in 2019.

You know, nothing bad happened directly to me in 2019. I have been housed and fed. I have clean clothes and shoes. I'm good.

But, as a mother, grandmother and daughter, I've experienced peripherally the pain my family has been going through.

Last year saw my daughters go through betrayal, abuse, stalking, robbery and vandalism.

My son has had several health issues.

My grandchildren have had to deal with the consequences of adults' bad choices.

My father is shrinking. I mean it. I feed him up all day, and he keeps losing weight, mostly muscle. He is in one stage or other of dementia, and I feel so helpless because I can't do anything about it.

I admit it. I'm a fixer. Present me with a problem, and I go to work trying to take care of it.

These things have been beyond me. No matter what, I can't change some things, and it really ticks me off.

I can't fix mean people, including but not limited to spouses, who think it's okay to treat my girls like crap. I mean, I could...but it might not be legal. I always said "Hurt my baby, and I will hurt you." Easier said than done. But I will help in all ways possible to get them away from the bullshit and on their feet.

I can't do anything to make my son's health improve faster than it is. And it is improving, so there's that. But it has not been fun knowing he hasn't felt his best.

I can't cure dementia. All I can do is continue to take care of Dad and hope things progress slowly and that he will always know who we are and how much we love him.

So, here I am in the first week of the New Year, bitching about the old one. I want to be hopeful that 2020 will be better, but if this past week is any indication, I'd be wasting my time.

Australia is on fire. Politics and the associated bull has divided our nation, and now we appear to be on the brink of a war that is largely a political ploy. We can't trust anyone; even the so-called Faithful have proven themselves to be seeking riches and attention on earth instead of storing up their riches in heaven.

Socially, we're walking backward. Fewer rights for women. Fewer rights for the disenfranchised. Fewer avenues of help for the poor and hungry.

What has happened?

Okay, so here's the terrible deal. This blog is called MeThinks, and these days, I don't always think positively. I will do my best to be cheery and optimistic, but in the coming year, you might see a few literal bitch-fests.

Feel free to chime in!

Let's try to have a happier new year. Hang in there!