January

 Well, it wasn't those darling little sneezes that knocked me down.....and then hit Dave.    It was Covid.  

 We were so careful, masking everywhere, sanitizing within an inch of our lives, even exhaling as we passed "others"!     It finally got us.     I don't mind saying that I don't ever want it again.     We're relatively fine now, testing negative.     Our heads are still plugged, and we're sort of lethargic, but we've managed to enjoy a few bright spots.

"Our" owl, Hooty, has returned this new year and brought along Mr. Hooty.    They sit close to each other and talk softly, when they're not snoozing.   

She is quite stoic, but he will take flight if we point anything at him (i.e. my phone camera) so we just enjoy watching and listening and don't stress about getting the perfect photo.

The clouds have been beautiful, but the temps have been lower than we'd like this past week.    In come the pots of flowers every night, covers thrown over a couple more tender plants for protection from frost and freeze.  

 More and more I'm thinking that I like those Mexican metal plant sculptures......they don't care one whit about temperatures, or moisture levels, wind, or even critters!

The really bright spot in our January, however, was a visit from our former business partners and friends, Jerry and Pelle.     They bought our lake cottage which made our move to Arizona possible.       Unfortunately, their scheduled flight from Buffalo coincided with one of the nastier storms that have been training across the country lately.   It was on United Airlines and further affected by the Boeing 737 9Max grounding, so things were touch and go whether they'd get here at all!     We only had three days to visit so every hour delayed was a big deal to us.     

As I mentioned before, the temperature was at its coldest during that period and those storms dropped a decent amount of rain and graupel on us as they flew east.    Not ideal to be able to show friends the beauty of our Arizona desert!    Grrrr.

Ultimately, all worked out.     Since we were still a bit stuffy and coughy here at 1055, we put them up at the nearby historic Ranco de Los Caballeros guest/dude ranch.   When they finally arrived at 5 a.m. they were able to go straight to bed and sleep in until they were well rested.   

outdoor dude ranch Christmas decorations

We spent the next two days sightseeing and talking and eating.   We never got around to playing pool on the resorts antique pool table, something Dave was looking forward to....next time?    They drove away, heading for San Diego, on Friday.    It was a short, jam-packed trip, we were so happy everything finally came together for a good visit.

wild burros on Castle Hot Springs Road

brrrrrr

You didn't think I'd miss an opportunity to show you a picture of our sweet little Annabelle, did you?

Christmas presents are fun, but hard.....

   

Christmas that was

 We left Phoenix in heavy rain, with clouds creeping over the mountains.   

I haven't flown in quite a while, it hasn't gotten to be much more fun, but perhaps that was because we were doing it with millions of other people in various festive moods.....    Actually the flight was fine, smooth and on time.    The weather in Spokane was cold but dry.    Jesse, Erin and little Annabelle picked us up at the airport, it was wonderful to see them all again.

So, Christmas 2023....

Food was made and consumed, wine and milk were (was?) drunk (drank? drunked? drunken?).

Christmas crackers were cracked, and the resulting silly hats and adornments were worn and played with.

Stories of Christmas past were shared, missing people remembered with laughter and tears......

Football was watched, we were watched, a new puzzle was puzzled, the fireplace was enjoyed.    A sudden bath may have been needed......

Presents were presented, some assembly required..... 

The time flew by.    We all had a lovely, quiet Christmas together.   What more can one ask for?

Well, nicer weather for the flight home maybe.... 

Can you tell I'm in a grumpy mood today?   New Years Day?   It's probably because we missed celebrating New Year's Eve, totally.   Didn't even know it arrived, then passed.      The reason is that I've been down and out on the couch for the past two days. 

  

 Seems to always happen when I sit in the big, silver germ tube so I shouldn't be surprised.     Maybe it was those darling little sneezes given so cheerfully by sweet baby girl.     No matter, I'll be fine tomorrow!     Happy New Year!