Can you believe that I used to post on my blog daily? I can’t believe it. There never seems to be enough time. Many of my friends are retired and they all complain that they are busier than they have ever been. I’ll have to second that.

A lot has happened since my last posting on October 16^th. Halloween and the Night Before Halloween happened. It was one of the best! The theme was Aliens from Outer Space. As always, much of the fun was creating the props associated with the theme. What is less fun is finding a place the store them after the event is over. Anyone need a collection of pumpkin based aliens? I may have to put them on Craig’s List. Right now, they’re hanging around the storage shed and getting in the way every time we visit it.

I know next year’s theme will not be Aliens from Outer Space so letting them go to another home might be the way to go.

Right after Halloween, Nancy and I decided to celebrate our 45 years together with a 15-day cruise to the Hawaiian Islands from San Francisco.

It was a good long cruise and about 5 pounds too long. We got to see 4 of the Hawaiian Islands—Hawaii, Oahu, Maui, and Kauai. Our last port of call was Ensenada, Mexico. The stop in Ensenada was necessary because of the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 which applies to passengers on foreign flagged cruise ships. It was a long cruise with many days at sea. Luckily, there was plenty to do on the boat. We saw a few movies and sang Karaoke. We also climbed a lot of stairs. Because we usually end up eating so much while cruising, Nancy and I always take the stairs—never the elevators. Most of the activities are on decks 14 and 15 and our cabin was on deck 7 which means we were always climbing stairs. However, we had to laugh on each trek about superstition. There is no deck 13 on the Grand Princess which means we always got to skip from 12 to 14. It was like a free space in the center of a BINGO card. By the way, we didn’t play BINGO (we’re not quite THAT old). Make no mistake there were plenty that were. Rascal Scooters and wheelchairs were everywhere.

We arrived back home in early December feeling pretty good but that didn’t last long. Our refrigerator decided to take a vacation while we were taking ours and we were welcomed home to spoiled food. No problem. I bought the extended warrantee. Long time readers of this blog might remember the “fun” I had with a Sears refrigerator a while back. Spoiler alert! I threw it in the trash. Having a warrantee isn’t a great deal of help getting the repairman to the house and having an “American” Whirlpool refrigerator is not guarantee that the repairman will care enough to order the needed part and finish the repair. However, the Home Depot monitored the situation and issued me a full refund for the cost of the refrigerator. In the end, it worked out. Aside from the lost food, the hassle of relying on a garage refrigerator during a huge party, and the wasted time, I guess I don’t have any complaints.

Did you get your flu shot? I did. They say that if you get the flu shot and still get the flu your symptoms will be less. If that is true, I think I would have died. The flu hit me so hard in early December that it hurt to think. It made me go to the doctor and I NEVER go to the doctor. Luckily after about 11 days I healed enough to prepare for our next big party.

Another big thing that I missed blogging about was the annual Winter Solstice celebration. It was another fun and personally rewarding event. It is a bit less work than the Halloween party but has a similar number of people. It was held on the 21^st of December and started at sunset when we lit the fire in the pit. The party goes on into the night and finishes out a bit after midnight. It’s always a great time. Our ancestors knew that Winter Solstice is the perfect time to have a big celebration. Those in the Northern Hemisphere knew that the days would stop getting shorter and the Sun would hang around longer each day. To celebrate, many lit a celebratory fire right at sundown as we did. Winter Solstice is the end of a solar cycle—the end of the year essentially. It is in the coldest part of the year and the official start of the Winter season.

We love the Winter Solstice and really appreciate that many of our friends love it too. Some folks spend the entire time around the fire pit. Some play card games. Many sing Karaoke. The potluck is always a hit along with the Hams and other fixings that we supply. It always a great way to end a year and even better when it was a not-so-great year like 2019.

I sat down to discuss how disappointed I am with the latest news involving Martha McSally, but I’ve rambled on enough. I guess it’ll have to wait for next time. Happy New Year Everyone!