New Year's Day 2026

Milk Boiling Over

At midnight, daughter and I toasted the New Year with glasses of sparkling apple juice, and then, I lit the stove for the first time for the New Year and boiled a pan of milk until it boiled over, symbolizing abundance in the New Year.  Afterwards, I made milkrice which daughter and I both enjoyed.  I had the leftover milkrice for my brunch, on New Year's Day.

It rained on New Year's Eve and it rained most of the morning on New Year's Day.  The rain ceased by afternoon, although it remained mostly cloudy and overcast.  

I phoned and texted family members and close friends to wish them for the New Year, watched videos online, and knitted. I made a paste with baking soda and water and spread it on the stove top and under the burner plates to soften the burned milk and daughter scrubbed the stove top for me.  Later, she did a load of laundry for me.  Ever since the doctor told me to relax and take it easy, daughter has not been letting me do much work!  In fact, she even cancelled plans to go out with friends this afternoon, to stay at home with me, in case I needed her (my pressure was slightly elevated when I checked it at noon).  

I had leftover pot roast for my dinner.  Daugher had a pot roast sandwich and one of the tamales her friend A had made and sent through another friend.  We shared a sliced apple, later.

On New Year's Day 2026, I was grateful for:

- Being able to celebrate New Year's Day with my daughter
- A new beginning
- Phone calls and texts with my family and friends
- Rain to water the garden
- Daughter being so caring and attentive

Joyful activities included celebrating the New Year, chatting on the phone with my sister and Aunt C, and spending time with my daugher.

My New Year's Resolution/GoalAspiration, this year, is Wellbeing.  I am resolved to do what I need to do to improve and ensure my physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.  What that entails and how I'd go about implementing it will have to be figured out in the days to come.  But, I have some ideas and the first step is to get my blood pressure stabilized.

How was your New Year's Day?  Do you make New Year's Resolutions or Goals or Aspiration?

New Year's Eve - 2025

 

Guava Strudel

On the last day of December, neighbor E's daughter brought over a dozen guava strudels from our favorite Cuban bakery!  How lovely!  Daughter and I enjoyed some of them for brunch (in fact, I ate one before I remembered to take a picture!) and for tea, too!  

We've had light rain all day, today.  It's wonderful for the garden, of course, but, the grounds are saturated in the burn scar areas and I hope there won't be any more mudslides.  

I spent another relaxed day, knitting and watching online videos.  In the afternoon, I did dust the living room (I wanted to vacuum, too, but, my daughter asked me to take it easy, so I didn't vacuum).  Sandy asked me to post pictures of my knitting and the yarn I was using, so I did:

Sweater Back

This is the back of the sweater I am making.  My usual mock cable ribbing and a plain stockinette stitch back.  I'm using US size 7 needles (for the ribbing as well as the body of the sweater).

I ordered and picked up groceries, yesterday (Tuesday), which included a 1.71 lb. piece of boneless beef chuck roast at $5.98/lb.  I made a pot roast with it, today, for dinner, with onions, carrots, potatoes, and home grown corn on the cob from the freezer.  Cooking it was a joint effort as daughter peeled and cut all the vegetables for me.  We have leftovers for another meal or two and pot roast sandwiches for brunches.

I called my late neighbor T's daughter K to check on her as tomorrow (New Year's Day) would mark the 1 year anniversary of T's death.  K was down with a very bad chest cold and cough, but, we chatted a bit and she was happy that I had called her.  

Daughter and I are planning to greet the New Year at home, with sparkling apple juice and I will continue with my tradition of boiling milk and making milkrice.

On this New Year's Eve, I am grateful for:

- The year that is just coming to an end 
- Having my daughter home with me to say good bye to the old year and greet the new year
- The rain that is watering my garden

- The gift of pastries from my neighbors

- Being alive and relatively well, too

Today's joyful activities included watching the rain, knitting, enjoying some delicious pastries.

I wish all my blog friends a very happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.  Thank you for your friendship over this year, for all the lovely, kind comments you've made, and for the difference you've made in my life.  I look forward to "seeing" you in the new year.  

May you have a blessed New Year.

December Monthly Photo Challenge: Christmas Decorations

When Eileen at A Bracelet of Days set the theme for the December Monthly Photo Challenge as "Christmas Decorations", I thought it would be an easy prompt because I usually decorate the house for the holidays.  However, daughter was mourning the loss of Dancer and apart from putting the tree up, stringing the additional lights, and hanging four ornaments on the tree, we didn't decorate the tree or the house!  So, there are barely any Christmas decorations to photograph!

However, Daughter did make some ornaments to give as gifts and I took pictures of three of the four ornaments I did hang on the tree as they all shared a common theme.

So, we have a theme within the theme of Christmas Decorations and that is Pokemon!

Pokemon Themed Ornaments

Daughter designed and drew the decorations based on several of the Pokemon characters, printed them out on sticker paper and applied them to the ornament blanks she purchased (for a total of $0.59 for three 4-count packs of these square ornament blanks, one 25-count pack of clear disk ornaments, and 1 ball of the chunky yarn she used to make the teddy bear she crocheted, taking full advantage of sales, coupons, and store rewards).  

Psyduck made a snowduck

Snorlax

Mimikuy dressed as a Christmas Tree

Eevee in her Santa hat

Gengar tangled up in Christmas Lights

Pikachu Snowman

Charmander in a Santa Hat

Bulbasaur with a Christmas Tree instead of a Bulb

Pikachu Tangled up in Christmas Lights

Thank you, Eileen, for hosting the December monthly photo challenge.  I enjoyed participating and I hope there will be more monthly photo challenges in the new year, too.  

New Composter

 

New Composter

One of the gifts my daughter gave me for Christmas is a composter!  In all my years of gardening and composting, I've either made compost heaps in the garden (mostly for the yard waste) or dug holes in the ground to fill with plant based kitchen scraps which get covered with soil and then, planted over with flowers or vegetables.  But, after falling in the garden several times, daughter was concerned about me falling on my trips to the compost pits, and bought me a rotating compost bin.  It has a dual compartment bin and two doors that slide open (not visible in the pictures I took of it).  You give the bin a slight downward push and it rotates and the composting kitchen scraps inside the bin tumble around which helps them break up.

Daughter assembled it on Christmas Day and I had her put it outside in the "patio" area, right next to the back steps:

Within easy reach of the back door

Having it near the back steps makes it easy to access, without having to go out into the garden.  Technically, I could even stand on the steps to drop the kitchen scraps into the bin (once the barrel is rotated to access the sliding doors).  

Thank you, Daughter, for my new composter.

Today, Monday, I contacted my primary care physician to discuss my concerns about my blood pressure spiking.  I had woken up feeling fine, but, when I checked my pressure, it was quite high.  Well above normal.  I didn't even have my usual morning cup of tea because I didn't want the caffeine to raise the pressure even more.  I asked the doctor if I should take a higher dose just to get the pressure back under control.  But, the doctor assured me that there was no cause for concern.  She said to continue to take the medication as I have been doing and there was no need to increase the dosage of the medication.  She also told me not to take my blood pressure as soon as I woke up, but, to do my morning routines, have my breakfast, etc., and then check the pressure.  She also told me to reduce my stress levels and that the pressure will stabilize again, over time. 

So, I took it very easy, today, and started on a new knitting project.  Knitting is a stress reliever for me (crochet is, too).  I decided I will knit a new sweater with yarn (100% wool) that I had already bought when it was on sale, back in 2023!  The medications and the knitting were a successful combination and kept my blood pressure under control.  

Daughter didn't let me do anything today!  She cleaned the fridge, took the kitchen and bathroom trash out, and took the big trash bins out to the curb, washed and put away the dishes, etc.  

I made myself a one egg omelet for breakfast (doctor had told me to eat more protein) and daughter picked greens from the garden to make us both a salad for lunch.  We had leftover almsgiving and Christmas food for dinner.  

On Monday, I was grateful for:

- The doctor's reassurance that the pressure spikes are nothing to be concerned about

- Access to medical care

- Daughter taking care of me

- A relaxed day of watching videos online and knitting

- My new composter

Monday's joyful activities included knitting!

Plans for Tuesday include going for a blood test.  Daughter will go with me, just in case she's needed.

How was your Monday?  What are your plans for Tuesday?

Sunny Sunday

Clear Blue Skies (and an afternoon moon!)

Sunday lived up to its name!  It was definitely sunny!  The temperature was quite mild (68F) in the late afternoon when I went outside to check on the front garden.

Flowers on the Rosemary Bush

The rosemary bush in the front had lots of flowers and the bees were loving it.

This one bee and I played "Hide and Seek"

Close Up of the Bee

"Psst!  I'm down here at the bottom of the picture"

"Now I'm at the top"

"Spot me if you can!"

"You found me!"

I decided to leave it to enjoy its nectar and withdraw myself and my cell phone before it decided it has had enough of being photographed and stung me!  

Besides, there were other things to check out in the garden:

The Euryops Bushes

The euryops bushes are flowering and there were bees visiting them, too, but, I didn't play hide and seek with them.  

The Lantanas are flowering too

The Jade plants are starting to flower:

Jade Plant and Flowers

Nearby, the Aeoniums are flourishing:

Aeonium

This aeonium is starting to form an inflorescence:

Forming an Inflorescence 

There are also new Osteospermum seedlings coming up just about everywhere one looks:

Osteospermum Seedlings

And of course, no visit to the garden is complete without a peek or two of the stumpery:

The Stumpery

It is definitely getting incorporated into the landscape and the succulents border:

Succulents Border

It's what I'd envisioned all along.  The border needs a little tidying up, but, that can wait until M is back from his holiday break.  

On Sunday, one of daughter's friends came for a crochet afternoon.  I made some egg salad and we all enjoyed some egg salad sandwiches and shortbread cookies.  Later, daughter did her laundry and I caught up on my blog reading.  We both had leftovers for dinner.

On Sunday, I am grateful for:

- Another sunny day

- The garden is growing well

- Daughter had a fun afternoon with her friend

- Working appliances

- A relaxing day

Today's joyful activities included being out in the garden and playing "hide and seek" with a bee!  LOL.

How was your Sunday?  What are your plans for the week ahead?

After the Rain

 

Rain Drenched Flowers

On Saturday, the rain stopped and we had clear blue skies and sunshine!  

Daughter's Raised Beds

All the plants thrived in the rain. We've been picking some of the baby kale, arugula, and the leaves of the Japanese herbs to add to salads.

And the volunteer tomato plants are flowering!

Tomato Flowers

I hope we have a warm enough January and February for the tomato plants to survive!

On Saturday, I made a small batch of blueberry jam with homegrown blueberries I had frozen.  I used 4 oz. quarter pint canning jars instead of my usual 8 oz. half pint jars.  The jars of jam are for gift giving.  Then, I wrapped a few gifts, ready for giving.

In the late afternoon, we visited cousin V.  We had tea with her and her husband and exchanged gifts with her.  I also took additional gifts for her to distribute to members of her family that I will not be seeing until after the holiday season.  

As we left V's house, we could smell natural gas outside and we were concerned.  V called the gas company and she was told that there was a gas leak in a different city and the wind directions were such that the gas could be smelled in V's area!  Apparently, many people in V's area had called the gas company about the gas smell.  Later, V sent me a news video about it and how a major freeway was closed.  V's husband has family living in the city experiencing the gas leak and they had spent Christmas Day with them!  Residents were being told to shelter in place.

Daughter and I spent a relaxed evening after we came home.

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- All the rain for the garden
- The garden plants are thriving

- Visiting with my cousin
- A safe drive there and back

- A relaxed evening at home

Saturday's joyful activity was visiting my cousin.

Plans for Sunday include wrapping more gifts and sewing two table runners.  

How was your Saturday?  What are your plans for Sunday?

On Christmas Day and Day After

 

Christmas Lunch

On Christmas day, the rain paused for a period of time.  Late friend A's younger daughter called my daughter around 9:00 a.m., asking if we could make it to Christmas lunch, after all.  Daughter asked me and I said, "Yes".  It was supposed to rain later in the afternoon, but, we were hoping we could manage to make it there and back before it resumed raining.  However, just in case it rained hard and the roads flooded, I decided we could spend the night at their house and put a change of clothes in the car ( I've decided to leave it in the car along with the sleeping bag that I've kept in the car since the January fires, in case we need to evacuate in an emergency) 

There was no rain on the way to our friends' house, but, as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, it just poured!  Hard, heavy rain, that sounded almost like hail as it fell on the car.  Two minutes later, the rain stopped!  I guess we had a cloud burst of sorts.  It rained on and off while we were at our friend's house, but, we left when it was just a ight rain and that stopped just before we reached home.

Our friends had prepared a feast for Christmas lunch: Ham and gravy, corned beef brisket, chicken curry, vegetable rice, cheesy mashed potatoes, salad, bread rolls, and Christmas cake, pumpkin pie, and ice cream for dessert.  

While we were there, my friend S called to say that her husband and daughter were on their way to my house to drop off something for me and that usually means food.  I told her that we were not at home.  But, apparently, they were making a drop off at friend R's too, so they said they'll leave my parcel with friend R, if I could pick it up from her place.  Then friend R called to tell me that friend S's daughter had called her saying I was not at home!  I confirmed that I was not at home and I will stop by to pick up my package on my way home.  Which I did and I handed over a package that had arrived for R just as we were leaving the house and which I had with me in the car.  

As I suspected friend S had sent us a dinner!  Rice, cashew curry, beef curry, eggplant moju with fried dried salted sprats, Sri Lankan mixed pickle, cutlets, slices of fresh pineapple, and homemade marshmallows for dessert.  Daughter and I were too full from our Christmas lunch to eat a full dinner, so we kept it in the fridge to enjoy on the following day and over the weekend, too.

It started to rain quite heavily in the night.  I was glad we came home before the heavy rains started again.

On Christmas day, I was grateful for:

-  Our friends inviting us to Christmas lunch
- The heavy rains let up while we were driving to our friends' home and back 
- Safe driving there and back (we avoided the flooded roads and intersections)
- Time spent in the company of friends
- Friend S sending us dinner; friend R keeping it for me

My joyful activities included enjoying Christmas day with my daughter and friends and cuddling a new puppy that one of late friend A's daughters has just adopted.

Puppy Wants Christmas Lunch, Too!

We generally don't open gifts at the end of the gathering so we left our gifts to them under their tree and they handed their gifts to us as we were leaving.  

One of the girls is an avid hiker and we got her a hiking journal and a set of pens:

Hiking Journal

The other girl has asked daughter to teach her how to crochet, so we got her a crochet instruction book and a set of crochet hooks and stitch markers, etc.

Crochet Book

Daughter also made them each two beaded bracelets.

Their father received a jar of homemade peach chutney.

I received a lovely set of kitchen towels as the girls continued their mother's tradition of giving me towels each year, as well as a gift card.

Set of Kitchen Towel

I love the colors and the fact that it is suitable for year round use and not just at Christmas.  

Daughter received a selection of reading themed gifts and a necklace.

Speaking of necklaces, my daughter made me this wrapped wire pendant as one of her Christmas gifts to me:

.  

Wrapped Wire, Glass Crystal Beads, and a Moonstone

Later in the evening I called my cousin N and spoke with her mother, Aunt C who is in her early 90s and recently been diagnosed with dementia.  Aunt spoke with me for a long time, rambling a bit as she spoke.  When I asked my cousin if I could come and visit her mother, she asked Aunt C if she'd like me to visit, but, I could hear Aunt C saying no.  So, I told cousin C not to worry about it, I will just drop off a gift without seeing Aunt C.  The last pair of socks I knitted are for her.  I also called friend S for thank her for the meal she sent us.

Today, the day after Christmas day, it continued to rain more or less all day, quite heavily at times.  My cousin V called and I chatted with her for awhile.  Daughter and I are having a relatively quiet, relaxed day as I've been trying to keep my blood pressure under control (it's been fluctuating a bit).  

Daughter is assembling one of the gifts she bought for me; I will post a picture once it is fully assembled.  

I hope you've had a lovely Christmas with your loved ones.

Did you take advantage of any after Christmas sales?  What are your plans for the weekend?