‘Tis New Year’s Eve and in just a few short hours it will be another year, this one called 2019.  Daughter Chris is working a half-day today, and we plan a quiet evening, just the three of us, with an assortment of appetizers hot and cold that will, with luck, last us through the rest of the week and I won’t have to cook again until next Monday!

Speaking of cooking … I did do a small bit of baking this morning for you, and I just brewed a fresh pot of java, so grab a bite and a cuppa …

I don’t get particularly excited about the New Year, for truly, nothing changes and the designation is man-made.  The new year might just as well have started on the vernal equinox, June 21st, or in the middle of nothing … March 1st.  And I don’t enjoy parties or getting smashed and feeling like a dead banana the next day.  But for many, it is considered a milestone, a time to make changes in one’s life, and to that end, people often make ‘resolutions’ to do something better, or at least different, in the coming year.  I don’t make resolutions for they are never kept and just something else to feel guilty about.  But let’s take a gander at the funny side of resolutions.

Even cats, apparently, make resolutions …

What would any holiday be without Maxine’s acerbic wit?

And out of the mouths of babes …

I end on a bit of a more solemn note.  The past year has been a difficult one for many around the globe.  In the U.S., we have had our share of troubles as a result of a leader who has no values.  In the UK, the Brexit negotiations have not gone well and there is concern that the final deal … or no deal … will leave our friends across the pond in serious trouble.  In Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Palestine and Iraq, innocent people are dying every day.  In other countries, people are being led by dictators and fear for their lives.  There remains a world-wide refugee crisis, not only in the Middle East, but in many areas of the globe.  These problems do not go away when the clock strikes midnight tonight, but will still be there when you wake on the morning of January 1st.  My hope for the coming year is simple.  I hope that we all make a concerted effort to raise our collective voices against bigotry in its many forms, against racism, against dictatorships and cruelty ’round the globe.  I hope that our voices are heard by all, especially those in power who have the ability to change things.  I hope that all around the globe, people start putting other people first, ahead of money, ahead of all the new toys they can buy.  And I hope that we all begin to take seriously the protection of the planet earth.  These are my hopes.

And now, I wish you all a very Happy New Year … please keep safe … and thank you all for being such an important part of my life for the past year.  Here’s to another …