Other than a sunny morning walk with friends, it has been a slow day around here. Tom made one of our current favorite treats, Detroit-Style Pizza. It was delicious and cheered me up as I watched my college football team (University of Michigan Wolverines) lose again. Tom has a cold–perhaps it is the same one I had on Christmas.  We just finished binge-watching three episodes of Chopped (I think that is legal when one is under the weather).

Now I have set myself three tasks before I can get back to rereading Little Women. I need to settle on my New Year’s resolutions, I need to transfer my personal data from last year’s Audubon Engagement Calendar to this year’s calendar, and I need to write and publish a post.

My resolutions

• be more kind: I’m no ogre, but I need to be less judgmental and more open-minded.
• write more posts: I keep all the words, ideas, and photos stewing in my mind too long; I want to serve them up more often–when they are fresh.
• exercise more: I do exercise quite a bit, but I want to be ready for any mountains, valleys, or canyons that I come across.

Data transfer

I have a computer, a smart phone, and a wall calendar.  However, I organize my tasks and my life using my old school day planner.  Every year I ritually and painstakingly transfer items–everything from New York Times and Washington Post passwords to friends’ addresses to the Neil Young quotation (see Old Year, New Year, Flexibility, Part 3) from the old  book to the new.  I am feeling good about this task because I am about half finished.  I probably will finish tomorrow or the next day.  A couple of years ago, I didn’t finish the transfer of information until sometime in the spring. When I write down the names and addresses of our children, my brothers and their families, and our friends, I remember them.  In my mind: back to Milford, MI,  to Van Aken Boulevard, to the Colorado Plateau, here in the neighborhood, and more. This is powerful magic for me and I take my book wherever I travel. It is my Book of Kells, my book of hours, my book of love.

day books

Write and publish a post

I have just written and posted these lines.

Happy New Year and talk to you soon.