2025, animals, gardening, holidays, home, pets, Uncategorized

The New Year

21 Comments

I can’t say I regret the end of 2025. This has been the most disturbing and disruptive year in my memory.

Moving and politics have taken their toll. We are very happy where we are in terms of location. I have hopes the political situation will improve.

Our goals are modest. We want to install raised vegetable beds in the back yard. We want to plant Boyne raspberries. Husband wants to improve his guitar skills. We are not traveling.

We plan to have best friend relocate here in the spring, and get a Cesky sibling for our pup. All these things are potentially exhausting, but change that is in our control is far more manageable than unexpected change.

What are your goals for the new year? Garden and travel plans?

21 thoughts on “The New Year”

  1. No big goals for 2026… I’ve never been a big goal/resolution gal. For a few years when YA was younger, we used to do negative resolutions. I had flash paper from the magic shop that used to be in the Mall of America. We would write a bad habit (or two – flash paper is fun) that we didn’t want to take with us into the new year, then we would light the paper. Pop, flash, gone!

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  3. Finish writing my novel. Promote the 5-author monster novel I co-wrote that will be published in May (I think); play some bucket list golf courses (I hope); make my little corner of the world a better place in any small way I can; stay healthy (got an arthritic toe that needs some serious attention, I believe. 😦 ); maintain my sanity in 2026 America. You know, the usual. 😉

    Chris in Owatonna

    Happy New Year to all TBers!

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  4. We’re attending a wedding this afternoon. I don’t expect to be there until midnight in the first place, and daughter expects us home anyway. The wedding is “semi-formal”. I plan on wearing sleeves.

    We’re talking about some trips in 2026. Haven’t gotten anything locked in yet. Beyond that, as Chris says, make my little corner better. Be a nice person. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Getting mad takes too much energy on trivial things.

    Continue to stand outside at night and just appreciate that.

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    1. Semi-formal Sleeves! Was that specified in the invitation. We always need a new set of etiquette rules, and I think Baboons should start with semi-formal sleeves.

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  5. Rise and Resolve, Baboons,

    I gave up resolutions about 50 years ago since they never seemed to last long. I do have travel plans, though. Husband’s care is now in place enough that I can step away when I need a break. My trip to Sioux Falls early in December was my test run to determine how the caretakers in charge would do. They did just fine.

    April: I am going to Savannah GA with a close friend to go to the garden tours. I have not been there for a decade. It is one of my favorite places to go, so it is time! My sister and bro-in-law will come stay with husband for 5 days while son and our hired caregiver will also be on the job.

    September: Another trip to N. Ireland is in the works. The dates are now set, as is the place to stay. I will be gone for 10-14 days, depending on side trips and genealogy searches I add on to it. Caregiving schedules are still up in the air. The good news about this is that husband’s cousin, who sometimes assumes this role, may be unavailable during that time, BECAUSE his son is running for Governor of Iowa as a Dem and is currently leading in the polls. Cousin often drives him around or provides daycare for his sons. I hope, for Iowa’s sake, that this guy is elected.

    Home

    My only goal is for my country, and similar to Chris’ sentiments–restore some of my own sanity in this mess.

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  6. 1. Health, I guess, over which I have not much control. I have 5 medical appointments over next two weeks for three issues.
    2. Find a new home, or not, also over which I have no control.
    3. Still would like to get back to playing with some art. Fall in emergency room has left numbness and tingling in my dominant hand, cannot feel very well. But will try if things settle. Faltering close vision could stymie that.
    4. Do more actual meal cooking, which I started last week.
    Clyde

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  10. No huge plans, I guess. I’ve signed up for a couple of classes, and I’m sure I’ll sign up for more.

    I might go down to Rockford, IL to visit my aunt in April, but I’m not sure about it yet. Her tolerance for visitors is somewhat low due to her pain and limited physical abilities. She did invite me, but I will have to see. I’d like it if she’d move back to MN (she’s from Owatonna), but she declares she won’t leave the townhome she lives in. She’s so much like my mom (her sister). I feel the long-term caregiver in me yearning to help and make things easier for her, but she doesn’t want the help – very much like my mom. So, I will have to see.

    I’d like to ride the Empire Builder (Amtrak) out to Portland, then rent a car and drive to see the redwoods and other sights on the west coast. There is no firm plan for that.

    I don’t make resolutions anymore. I used to resolve to lose weight, but it’s ridiculous to keep making the same resolution every year. I like what Chris said about making his little corner of the world better, and I think I can do that too.

    Happy New Year! May 2026 bring peace, hope, and joy to all.

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  11. Our cat is intensely unhappy with us for taking down “her” tree and putting it out for the city to take away. She has vowed to make our lives miserable in the new year.

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  13. Many, many years ago a friend and I used to celebrate New Year’s by having dinner and then going to a movie. For the better part of 30 years I worked many New Year’s Eves. We were required to work either Christmas or Thanksgiving/New Years (the hospital was open 24/7). Even if it was my year to work Christmas, I would volunteer to pick up New Years as well. We would celebrate by filling plastic flutes with Sparkling Grape Juice and toast each other at the stroke of midnight. Then it was back to work. One year we threw paper confetti – way too messy so never again.

    I like Chris’ idea of making my corner of the world a little bit better. I do have travel plans in place for a 2 week trip to Turkey in September. Hopefully there will be other travel closer to home as well. It’s a bit hard to make to many plans right now as my brother-in-law has major mobility issues and my sister has become his primary caregiver on top of working and taking care of the house, cats, yard, etc. I am trying to help her out a much as possible. I guess that is my goal right now.

    Happy New Year to all the TBers.

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  14. I hope to get more singing in my life on a regular basis. I’d like to experiment with cooking a bit more, maybe have to carve out time for that. I’d like to do some short trips if I can figure out some kind of support system (can’t do exactly what Jacque is doing as the circumstances here are very different…)

    I like what several above have said about making our own little corner a bit better. And for our country: I hope more of our lawmakers can have some Powdermilk Biscuits, step up, and do what needs to be done.

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