We’ve arrived at a new year. It seems like the old one could hardly be over. The years seem to go faster and faster the older I get. The last week of 2016 was full of fun and family and a bit of melancholy too. During the first part of the week while our house was still full, we made the most of being together. We played great games, ate great meals, and enjoyed being together.
Our snow was patchy and ugly at the beginning of the week, but it snowed hard later and we have almost a foot of it on the ground now.
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| Saturday morning. |
On Tuesday Delaina left for home. I’m sure she was happy to return to her family, but it was so much fun having her here. She added a lot to the party atmosphere.
On Tuesday afternoon Daniel and I took a long walk up through the hollow. We stopped to look at the beaver pond up on the Paisley’s land. It’s an old pond surrounded by woods. There haven’t been any beavers there in years, but the pond is still strong. From there we walked up to the top of the hill and down through the woods to home. We were looking for wildlife but didn’t see much – a red-tailed hawk, a crow, that’s all. We did see lots of animal tracks in the snow – deer, coyote, rabbit, and turkey.
On Tuesday afternoon Daniel and I took a long walk up through the hollow. We stopped to look at the beaver pond up on the Paisley’s land. It’s an old pond surrounded by woods. There haven’t been any beavers there in years, but the pond is still strong. From there we walked up to the top of the hill and down through the woods to home. We were looking for wildlife but didn’t see much – a red-tailed hawk, a crow, that’s all. We did see lots of animal tracks in the snow – deer, coyote, rabbit, and turkey.
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| Rapley Hollow. |
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| Paisley's beaver pond. |
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| View from the top of the hill. |
Later on Tuesday afternoon we had a special treat. Stacey and Julie have been doing yoga for several years now and Stacey arranged with their yoga instructor to have a private family class. So we all went over to the Wellness Center and tried a bit of yoga. Some of us – Stacey and Julie, Daniel and Chase (who both do yoga in St. George) did great. The rest of us did our best, which was not very good for some of us. I was pretty pathetic, actually. Now everyone tells me I should go every week with Stacey and Julie. A New Years resolution? We’ll see.
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| Yoga. |
Wednesday was a hard day. That morning the Thayn family left for home and took Miriam and Hannah with them. Saying good-bye to my children is so hard. I can never do it without crying my eyes out. Miriam is going to stay with Rachel for a week while Tabor is out of town. Hannah will be with them for a few days and then she’ll fly west to spend a day or two with Geoffrey’s family before returning to BYU-Idaho.
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| Good-bye to the Thayn family. |
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| Good-bye to Miriam and Hannah. |
That afternoon Daniel and I took down all the Christmas decorations. I always like to have the house put back in order and tidy for the new year, but taking down the decorations is sad. Things got even sadder when I went down to do the chores that afternoon. While she was here, Hazel helped me feed the chickens and collect the eggs. When I walked down to the barn that afternoon and I saw her little footprints and mine together in the snow, I choked up. For days after that the house seemed too quiet and sad and I began to wonder how festive our New Years celebration would be.
Then midweek we got some more sad news. I’m not one to dote on celebrities. I think it’s ridiculous how much attention they get in the media. But to have Carrie Fisher die on Tuesday and then her mother, Debbie Reynolds, a day later was very sad. As a long time fan of the Star Wars movies (beginning with the first one, episode 4, A New Hope, which I saw 7 times in 1977 before I left on my mission), it was sad to say good-bye to Princess Leia. But even sadder for me was the death of Debbie Reynolds. I wasn’t even born when she starred in two of my favorite movies – Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and Tammy and the Bachelor (1957), but I grew up watching those movies and I love them. I think when I was a young boy I was in love with Tammy Tyree. On Thursday, Daniel and I watched Singin’ in the Rain and on Friday Stacey and I watched Star Wars: A New Hope as a sort of tribute.
By the end of the week the only ones left here at home were Stacey, Daniel, and me. Daniel will leave us this Tuesday and then just Stacey and I will be left. It looks like it will just be the two of us here for most of the year.
During the week we kept our tradition of working on a jigsaw puzzle in the days between Christmas and New Years. Daniel picked a 1000 piece puzzle. We finished it on New Years Eve.
Then midweek we got some more sad news. I’m not one to dote on celebrities. I think it’s ridiculous how much attention they get in the media. But to have Carrie Fisher die on Tuesday and then her mother, Debbie Reynolds, a day later was very sad. As a long time fan of the Star Wars movies (beginning with the first one, episode 4, A New Hope, which I saw 7 times in 1977 before I left on my mission), it was sad to say good-bye to Princess Leia. But even sadder for me was the death of Debbie Reynolds. I wasn’t even born when she starred in two of my favorite movies – Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and Tammy and the Bachelor (1957), but I grew up watching those movies and I love them. I think when I was a young boy I was in love with Tammy Tyree. On Thursday, Daniel and I watched Singin’ in the Rain and on Friday Stacey and I watched Star Wars: A New Hope as a sort of tribute.
By the end of the week the only ones left here at home were Stacey, Daniel, and me. Daniel will leave us this Tuesday and then just Stacey and I will be left. It looks like it will just be the two of us here for most of the year.
During the week we kept our tradition of working on a jigsaw puzzle in the days between Christmas and New Years. Daniel picked a 1000 piece puzzle. We finished it on New Years Eve.
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| Working on the jigsaw puzzle. |
Our New Years Eve celebration turned out pretty good. We spent most of the day getting ready, mostly making food. We have a lot of traditions we observe on New Years Eve and Day – for music and food. We always listen to opera arias during the day and in the evening we play Strauss waltzes. Food is the main focus on this, as on all other holidays. We had some good food – most of it traditional, some of it new. I made some of my traditional Japanese treats – yakisoba (fried noodles), and miso soup. I made my traditional cheese ball. We also had our traditional Chinese pot-stickers and egg rolls. We needed to accommodate the vegans and others with food allergies, so Stacey made her traditional Mexican dip, but vegan this time, and some vegan won-tons. Daniel made sushi. We had our traditional sherbet punch and cookies left over from Christmas. The Shilligs brought more vegan food – fried rice, edamame, and more won-tons. The party started at 6:00 when the missionaries arrived. It was over by 8:30 when everyone departed. By 9:30 it was all cleaned up and we were in bed by 11:00. I like to greet the new year snoring.
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| Our New Years Eve spread. |
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| The party. |
This is the first day of the year and the Sabbath day and we began it on an odd footing. This morning our church services were canceled. Not because of bad weather – it was actually a beautiful morning – but because of an armed standoff in Wellsville near where our chapel is. The police had roads into the area blocked. We found out about it early enough for President Shillig to cancel our meeting. So we’ve had an unexpected leisurely morning. For dinner this afternoon we’ve made our traditional pork and sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. We were going to eat it here, but the Shilligs have invited us over to join their meal of beans and tortillas, so we’ll have a combination of the traditional and untraditional. That’s how things go sometimes.
So here at the beginning of a new year. 2017 will bring much change to our family and the world, some expected, some, I’m sure, unexpected. There might be new additions to our family – new babies (pretty sure), new spouses (a long shot, but you never know). We have a family reunion planned in July and that’s something to look forward to. Some family members will be moving to new homes. Some will be starting new jobs. I’ve already begun planning my garden. And out in the wide world, who knows what will happen. I’ll take it as it comes the only way I can – one day at a time.
So here at the beginning of a new year. 2017 will bring much change to our family and the world, some expected, some, I’m sure, unexpected. There might be new additions to our family – new babies (pretty sure), new spouses (a long shot, but you never know). We have a family reunion planned in July and that’s something to look forward to. Some family members will be moving to new homes. Some will be starting new jobs. I’ve already begun planning my garden. And out in the wide world, who knows what will happen. I’ll take it as it comes the only way I can – one day at a time.
