Hello 2013!

Snow blowing

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched.  Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives… not looking for flaws, but for potential.

~ Ellen Goodman

Happy 2013!

The creek in the woods

Well, here it is, another new year.  It feels much like the old year to me, but that may be because I get a head start on my new year by beginning at the Winter Solstice.

The gazebo at Quail Hollow State Park

Did you do anything to celebrate or usher in the new year last night?

Winter bright

Today’s prompt over at The Daily Post at WordPress.com asks:

Where were you last night when 2012 turned into 2013?  Is that where you’d wanted to be?

Double the fun

I am happy to report that I was in bed, sound asleep, when the old year gave way to the new one.  And yes, that IS where I wanted to be.  M and I talked about going to First Night over in Akron, but it was snowing and we decided to spend a quiet evening at home with a fire going in the fireplace, all warm and cozy and snuggly without worries about drivers who had too much to drink or don’t know how to cope with snow.  (My brother-in-law refers to New Year’s Eve as “Amateur Night” on the roads.  He could be right.)

The Coniferous Forest at Quail Hollow State Park

I was up bright and early this morning, ready for my month of early rising.  I like having those few extra hours during the day.  By noon I had been skiing and hiking, and I had cooked and/or prepped breakfast and lunch, and helped M bottle beer (an oatmeal stout that’s been fermenting for a week or so).

A bridge on the trail

Before I forget, Karma has announced a new photo challenge:  a dinner photography blog-along.  All you have to do is take photos of your dinner for a week, then put the photos together in a blog post.  The deadline is January 13th, but Karma is good about keeping deadlines loose (just let her know if you need more time).  I started with last night’s dinner since I thought it might be photo-worthy.  Plus we’re having our take on M’s traditional New Year’s dinner today, and I’m pretty sure that will look fabulous.  Well, okay, it might not look fabulous (because sometimes food just doesn’t translate to a photo well), but I know it will taste good.

M’s family tradition is pork and sauerkraut.  We’re having the sauerkraut (for luck) with the usual onions (for money or prosperity), garlic (anti-theft), rosemary (for protection), salt (for purification), pepper (to banish bad luck), brown sugar (for love), and apples (for health).  The pork roast has been replaced with a Field Roast.  I think he might also be roasting some Brussels sprouts, and I know there will be mashed potatoes.

I’m sure it will all be delicious.  The bonus is that I get the day off from cooking since it is our tradition for M to cook on New Year’s Day.

We’ve been having off and on snow flurries today as the temperature drops.  It’s expected to be cold this week with highs in the 20’s and lows in the teens.  There is some sunshine in the forecast, though, and I’m looking forward to seeing the sun again.

A deciduous trapped among the coniferous

Today’s photos are from my hike at Quail Hollow State Park on Saturday.  I’m still getting caught up, but do have photos from today’s hike around the pond that I hope to get posted over at Flickr.  I’m going to start a new Daily Walk series with hopes of keeping up with it this year.

Well, that’s about it from the Bogs for today.  Thank you for your visits, your likes, and your comments.  I received my Annual Report from the stats monkey helpers at WordPress (thank you, stats monkey helpers!), and it looks like 2012 was a good year for Life in the Bogs.  I know I’m frequently behind in visiting your blogs, and responding to your comments.  I do my best, but sometimes life is full and, that, as Martha Stewart would say, is a good thing.

One more look at this handsome guy.

Wishing you a delightful day, evening, night… wherever and whenever you are on the spectrum of time.  🙂

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