The end of 2024 is nigh and another year is impatiently rapping at our doors. I just went back and re-read last year’s entry, which just so happened to be ON the 30^th just like this one and this is entirely accidental. A year ago today I was anticipating a newly renovated bathroom – which – if I’m honest – still needs the trim painted. I’m done lying about being too busy to do it. Frankly, I’m lazy and distracted by way too many other things and I don’t really care about the unfinished projects until we’re having guests over and then I’m suddenly mortified and trying to figure out how to paint an entire room before they arrive in 3 hours.

I am definitely not writing as often as I once did. I have many projects in my mind like all the tabs open on my computer screen and executed exactly… none. And guess what? I’m not sorry about that either. I’ll get to it eventually.

I actually started a list with all the house projects that need attending. Maybe if I hang it on the fridge, we will see it and feel motivated. At the moment Todd is cleaning out his woodshop and dragging very large items across our patio, the scraping is making the dogs want to go out and help, but I’m absolutely over wiping dirty dog paws. Coincidentally, it was also damp and wet on this day last year.

I had multiple moments of inspiration that never seem to be conveniently timed and of course I don’t bother to jot down some notes. I’ve written some short stories (over time) so I decided to set a goal for 2025 of writing at least three. I have a big writing opportunity that might have fallen into my lap but if I’m honest it scares me. I’m afraid I won’t do a good enough job even as Todd keeps telling me he knows I can do it. (The brain weasels then come along and go, oh sure, he also said you should apply for that grant position that pays roughly double your annual salary and you know you don’t have “enough” experience to not get fired.)

*****

Thanksgiving: I was having a meltdown of sorts in the morning, such that Todd disappeared the moment my mom arrived to take over. To her credit, she handles me well – though thankfully no longer laughs at me when I’m being pissy because she already knows 55-and-sick-of-everyones-shit is a dangerous thing to laugh at.

Ever heard that expression about two chefs in a kitchen? Well, I got out of the way because mom can commandeer a cooking station faster than you can pour her a drink. But I circled around her huffing and puffing because she, unlike me, does not clean as she goes and there was already shit everywhere. My mother-in-law kept offering help but eventually gave up and sat down on the stool to watch my dumpster fire. I ended up pouring a bourbon, after swearing off alcohol for the previous three weeks and suddenly the world looked brighter.

For Todd’s birthday, I made reservations at a favorite place of ours and invited friends to join us – it was delightfully drama-free and the food was delicious. Two days later was mom’s 75^th birthday – by some miracle we pulled it off after a couple of indecisive (hers) weeks and then when there was no table available for us….

We ended up at HER restaurant. And, because she kept changing her mind about the wheres and whens and oh, please don’t order an $80 cake, I never ordered her a cake and so we stopped at Costco and bought the last all-white, classy-looking cake they had and all I could think of was people would be talking. “Did you see that her daughter got her a cheap cake from Costco?”

Well, I didn’t hear a thing and the cake was gone by the end of the night. Might have been the result of those gummies she was passing around earlier. I didn’t partake but maybe my terrible little speech might have been better if I had. Ah well, at least it wasn’t as bad as the absolutely wankered one I gave at the JDRF fundraiser several years ago.

Christmas Day went peacefully enough and I’m grateful to spend that time with my mom. However, this past year being full of new revelations/lessons – I’m adding the possibility of spending next Christmas out of town, and by out of town I mean across the country. Just like Thanksgiving will be reservations at a nice restaurant next year … And don’t worry, it’s already on my August 2025 list of things to do.

My father-in-law turned 80 this year and MIL planned a lovely party yesterday – she ordered a ton of food and packed us all in like pickled herring. There was so much to choose from I didn’t even get to half of it. Beverly, Nancy, and I joked that we didn’t think there was enough food. I looked at Nancy and deadpanned, “I think we sh0uld order Chinese,” and we both broke out laughing.

MIL really knows how to throw a party AND have a good time herself, which I pointed out this morning on our “recap” phone call. All of her guests were lovely. We missed a few folks but not the extra body heat they’d have brought with them. I sat outside on the balcony with Neph for a bit, cooling off and talking lightly about deep things, and then MIL came out to grab some beverages she’d stored out there but not before setting two, TWO boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts on my lap. I lifted the lid on one of them and swooned in the glazey sweetness.

Miscellaneous tidbits:

For the record, I recognized that “OMG, I’m the problem,” on Thanksgiving. Not to say that others can’t summon the bitch, but there’s that old saying, something about “how you react” or “what you let in” or somesuch.

I’m so hot that the space heater shut off when I stepped out of the shower this morning.

Had our first Giving Tree up at work this year – with hats and gloves and socks and scarves for those who needed them. One morning a little girl came in with her mom and when she turned and saw the tree she said, “what in the world?”

Lotta illness going around. Pneumonia in children is incredibly high this year – I speak not from clinical or any statistical/official knowledge, but rather from what I’m hearing. Even our friend in radiology said she’s never seen this much, like ever. Respiratory illness is just a fact of our lives now. The GI thing is heading our way, from the sounds of it via social media. Take good care, folks, and wash those hands.

Today’s title credit goes to random lady at the grocery store who came in behind me as I was pulling a cart with sticky wheels out of the way. She made a move to grab it and I told her she didn’t want it. Her response? “Life is too short to have a bad cart” and I genuinely laughed out loud. I agree, random middle-aged lady like me, I agree.

Perhaps there’s an allegory in that. Perhaps I should write it. I’ll get on it. Probably. Maybe.