January Chitchat (oh, and it's 2020 now)

[agate]

There's something comforting about a year that is so orderly-looking. I like numbers that end in 0 anyway because they're easier to remember and deal with. This year we get TWO 0's! And TWO 2's! And that's what I call symmetrical and all tidy-like.

I hope that it will turn out to be a good year for everyone here, with health at the top of the list of good things everyone deserves to have around here.

Just now I'm getting over all of the social life I've had lately. This sounds pathetic but a visit from 3 relatives yesterday and another 3 only 3 days ago has been almost too much for me. There have been two sessions of grocery-ordering with the neighbor too--she was here for a couple of hours each time while we entered her order on the Instacart site.

That's been the sum total of my social life in the last couple of weeks, and yet I'm now ready to just sit staring into space.

This is starting to sound like a whine, and about what? Some nice people who were good enough to visit! I'm really very glad that they took the time in their busy lives to spend time with me. I don't hear so well and I probably retell stories that they're bored with, but they politely put up with me.

Last night I was very happy to turn to a DVD and watch part of it while getting on with another hat I'm making. There were fireworks but they were far less obnoxious than usual. I may be the only person in this country who has never watched the ball drop in Times Square.

I've seen many a New Year in but just never got around to that event.

How are you doing in 2020?

[Virginia]

Thanks Agate for getting us started, not only for the month, but for the New Year. I am glad you have been socializing a bit, but after it is over I agree that it is just good to have one's own space for awhile and not have to worry about entertaining.

I assume this neighbor that you are helping with instacart is not the 97 year old. If I am not mistaken you usually go to her. You are a good neighbor, just like you are a good friend to us.

I watched until the ball was due to come down and then I am not sure if I turned my head or what happened but I missed it. Saw some people kissing and the mayor of New York dancing with his wife in the street, but no New Year's ball. I have seen it in previous years.

I too hope we all have good health this year. That is one of the most important things for anyone, but especially for a group such as ours.

I didn't hear any fireworks around here. I guess even our young people in this neighborhood must pretty much follow the law. We have our own New Year's Eve Celebration in downtown Raleigh where a giant Acorn is dropped at midnight. The scene is kind of like New York (but smaller) and one of the TV stations follows it. The acorn is because we are known as the City of Oaks. They have entertainment, and some restaurants stay open, etc.

Happy New Year to everyone!!!

[Jeanie Z]

:) Well my next door neighbor had very loud booming fireworks and a lot of them. They continued until after 2 AM. The neighbor behind is Latino and their music never stopped and the beat was loud.

Poor Lacy just shook and shook and hid. She would not eat or come out. I laid down at 1 AM but did not sleep for awhile but finally fell asleep. I did not see the ball. I had the TV on but was playing games on the computer.

My friend Kim from Ottawa is coming on the 15th for 13 days. My friend from Tulsa is coming in April or May. I am looking forward to them but know it will tire me. The Fair will be here when Kim is here so we may go to that. Kim still goes to AA daily but I only go now and then. I have 35 years so pretty much it is a way of life for me now. I will get her to meetings when I feel up[ to it.

Happy New Year everyone! I hope we all have a good year. Jeanie :)

[Howie]

I made no effort to stay up. I think I was in bed by 11. I filled in two checks, and mailed them off a little while ago. But the power was out AGAIN when I got back, so I just stretched out on the sofa, and closed my eyes. I can always hear it when the power comes on. I guess things like the fridge and water heater make a sound when they turn back on.

I have to call in my insurance payment and pick up my meds on payday, plus my bank, store and trash run. A new year begins! Make it a good one everyone!

[agate]

A flurry of activity for most people, eh?

I paid one bill but the 3 others are having to wait till the 3rd. I went through my 2019 calendar and fished out the important dates I'd like to remember, then tossed it out and set up the 2020 calendar. There are appointments already scheduled, on into September 2020, and notations about when I need to call about rides for them.

Virginia, the neighbor who came to do the Instacart order is indeed the 97-year-old neighbor. She could give me her order over the phone but she seems to like seeing the ordered items come up on the screen, and so usually she comes here, and we sit for a couple of hours and do her order.

It takes a while because Instacart wants you to choose substitutions in case the store is out of an item.

[Virginia]

I wonder what everyone had to eat for their New Years dinner. Does anyone else have some kind of tradition for New Years meals.

In the South you are supposed to have black eyed peas and collards or turnip greens along with some ham. I had bought some frozen black eyed peas and frozen chopped collards. I cooked them with a little EVVO. I also cooked a small piece of pork loin. A lot of people fix hopping johns. That is spiced up peas.

All this is supposed to be for good luck and money. I wonder what people in other parts of the country do.

[agate]

I used to have a recipe for hoppin john but I don't think I ever tried it--though I do like black-eyed peas.

My mother baked or roasted a ham for New Year's dinner quite often, but I haven't done any special New Year's meals. It seems like a nice idea--seeing the New Year by eating well. Too many see the New Year in by drinking well--then feeling terrible.

[jingle]

My New Year's meal was a trip to the local Chinese place.

[stillstANNding]

In Western PA, where I grew up, we had ham or some kind of pork and sauerkraut for luck.

Instead, we took MIL to Legal Seafoods for lunch. I had baked scrod w buttered crumbs; cheddar- jalapeño polenta triangles; button mushrooms and a broiled tomato. Yum. So good!

We delivered her Christmas gifts. We had given her her stocking on Christmas Eve and Peter took her to a Thai restaurant that night.

After lunch today, we took her to CVS and Wegmans grocery. Then they dropped me off on the way back to MIL’s

Peter stopped at WFds and brought me bird food. He knows the way to my heart.

Agate, I am in total agreement with you about the numbers and like “2020.”

[agate]

stillstANNding, you find such interesting foods to eat!

[Lazarus]

We don’t celebrate any holidays really. So many years I would make feasts for many guests but, the years have gone on and those friends of old moved, got divorced, died.....I have lots of memories but really enjoy the feel of a holiday but the freedom to do whatever we want.

So we worked in the greenhouse a bit, I cleaned up my closet which had all sorts of stuff that had been thrown in and we made pizza with the thinnest crust ever! It was a delicious day. I even colored which I have not done in months. The only thing is that the dog park closed for the winter and Moxie needs to run! I have a 30’ leash but she misses all her dog friends.

So, happy days to all!

[agate]

Dog parks close in the winter??? That's a bad deal.

[Jeanie Z]

:) Kim from Canada takes her dog to the dog park even when it is snowing. Canada keeps their parks open. We should too.

I woke up on New year's day with a bad back ache right where my right kidney and liver are. I tool a pain pill and made silver water. Yesterday I still had the pain so I made more silver water and took a pain pill.

This morning I can move easier and there is a lot less pain. The silver water also cured my shingles.

Andy was off yesterday so he came and mowed my yard. He is coming today to take me grocery shopping. I am trying to feel more positive about 2020, but then Trump bombed Iran without Congress okay. I am scared for our country. Please pray for us all. Jeanie :)

[agate]

A really nice thing happened! I've mentioned that my 97-year-old neighbor and I share an Instacart order during the 4 or more weeks a year when the regular shopping service we use isn't functioning, and this most recent order went well except that one of her items, a cheesecake mix, was leaking its contents.

I noticed it only a couple of minutes after the Instacart delivery people (they were a couple) had left. I had quite a bit of cleanup to do but as soon as I could I contacted Instacart.

The next day (today) they notified me that they've issued a full refund, and I had two really nice e-mails from them.

I opened up the box because I wanted to know what had gone wrong. The neighbor of course hadn't wanted this item in the condition it arrived in, of course. I found inside a foil bag of cake mix that had burst open. It should have stayed tightly sealed but someone handling it must have been rough with it, or maybe the packaging was defective in the first place.

I'm very glad that an online operation like Instacart is taking the time to deal with these kinds of problems.

for Instacart!

[Virginia]

Agate, I am glad you got everything done with Instacart in a fairly easy way. I am sure your neighbor was happy about this.

By the way is a 97 year old going to bake a cake?