A New Year in A New Start

One of my intentions this year is to write here more often . I was preoccupied yesterday and was reading here ; so I missed my chance . In truth everyone’s life seems more interesting than mine at the moment but I still want to write :-) I get distracted too because I am eight pages behind reading you all . :-( Hoping I catch up .
Christmas was an experience . Christmas Eve was not very pleasant . I tried to cook scallops and steak and failed miserably . The steak was tough and the scallops had a bitter taste . There was a lot of other food ( Thank goodness ) but I think the main course being off kind of set things on a bad course. To top it off Frank was in a mood , had a running list of complaints and nothing could make him happy . In the spirit of Christmas I was trying to be tolerant but eventually I ended up getting mad. I did not say much but my mood was ruined. I am sure both my sons picked up on it . Josh fled to his girlfriend’s and Blake holed up in his room right after dinner. Frank had some wine so he went to sleep on the couch. I was watching boring Christmas movies then Mad T . Texted me and asked me to come over so I decided to ( they are in our bubble although I pretty much avoid going over often) . I had a couple glasses of wine and I felt much better. :-) She was in a rare good mood and it was a much better way to spend the evening than the way it had been going. . I went home a couple hours later in a much better mood.
Christmas morning was fine. Everyone got up in a good mood . We played music and checked out the gifts. All my guys seemed to like what I chose for them. I was very lucky in that I also received great presents. Strange how that works ; I got exactly what I wanted :-) ESP !
I thought I would do this end of the year review ;
What did you do in 2020 that you had never done before?
Survived the pandemic … so far anyway. It’s not over here by any means . I stayed home more than I have ever done in my life and have stayed reasonably sane. That is iffy at times. I have adjusted to wearing a mask everywhere .

Did you keep last year’s resolutions, and will you make more?
I don’t think I made any . I probably should have. I will have to think about what I want. .

Did anyone close to you give birth?
No. We have no little kids in our family and that is sad .

Did anyone close to you die?
Yes. Frank’s Mom died last January and my BIL ( Frank’s sister’s husband ) was murdered in a workplace shooting . We are still shocked at that . LoriLyn , a GS puppy we adopted suddenly died at 10 weeks old last August and Peach , our 16 yr. old poodle passed away Dec. 23 . Too many losses this year :-(

What countries did you visit?
None . I went to Clinton twice and Grafton once and otherwise I have sat myself at home .

What would you have liked to have in 2020 that you lacked?
More socialization, travel , to see my Dad and family in AZ. More help taking care of the house and the yard . More fun. Fun seems to have left life last year .

What dates from 2020 will remain etched in your memory?
March 21st when Blake left to go back to Nevada and it was just starting to get scary about the virus . Election Day when Trump hopefully was voted out . I never remember dates well .

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Just getting through it. This staying home and seeing few people has been hard to tolerate. I have had a lot of depression but I kept it together for the most part and I had only a few bad disagreements with Frank . We really get on each other’s nerves. :-(

What were your biggest failures ?
Not getting my house organized and decluttered. Not getting my yard to a manageable place. Not being as physically active as I probably should have been .

Did you suffer illness or injury?
I always struggle with my chronic pain from my spine but I have managed to keep moving ; sometimes very reluctantly . I rarely allow myself to use pain meds . I had one bladder infection that was resolved quickly and it signaled that I was anemic again. I finally learned my lesson about taking my iron and B12 ; also the other vitamins. I need them. No one in my immediate family has been ill since last Feb . ; when my youngest brother almost died from the virus .

What was the best thing you bought?
Not many big purchases this year . We bought an air fryer and Frank likes it more than me . I was thrilled when we bought a second refrigerator. :-) . Thanks, Beret, for giving me the idea.

Whose behavior merited celebration?
My Dad has been super attentive ( for him) this year and calls me every other week. My brother, Mike , has been super sweet too .

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Frank and Blake have made me depressed. Frank being his usual moody, critical, argumentative self often and Blake because he is so depressed and negative .

Where did most of your money go?— mortgage, utility bills, taxes , insurances, cell phones, groceries ( oh my gosh ) and debts

What did you get really, really excited about?
I was excited about Blake coming home until he got here and I realized what bad shape he is in. I am still so glad he is home , but he is emotionally ill and it’s difficult sometimes to tolerate his moods.

What song will always remind you of 2020?
None really . I have not listened to music that much ; I need to remedy that .

Compared to this time last year, are you:
A) Happier or Sadder ? More sad .
B) Thinner or fatter? About the same .
C) Richer or poorer? About the same .

What do you wish you’d done more of?
Gone more places , spent more time with my pets. Applied myself to writing and decluttering my house .

What do you wish you’d done less of?
On line browsing and watching Netflix. Definitely how I escape reality .

How will you be spending Christmas?
We spent Christmas at home and it was a little rocky but overall ; ok. I did not do half of what I intended to and hope to do better next year.

What was your favorite month of 2020?
The summer months are always the best for me so I can be outside and gardening .

Did you fall in love in 2020?
Nope.

How many one-night stands?
None

What was your favorite TV program?
I liked many things I watched on Netflix this year . I do not watch regular TV .

Do you hate anyone you didn’t hate this time last year? Maybe Mitch McConnell and that is just angry dislike. I already disliked The Donald.

What was the best book you read this year ?
“ Where the Crawdads Sing”

What was your greatest musical discovery?
None .

What did you want and get?
A set of sharp knives :-) and a second refrigerator . Lord, I am getting old. We got a GS puppy named Tess , but it was Frank who wanted her. I like her but she stresses me out ; she is six months old, huge and still needs quite a bit of training . She does really well but she can improve. She likes to try to chase my cats.

What did you want and not get?
A trip to Florida , to the beach . To go to AZ . A different house . A tortoise:-)

What was your favorite film this year? I did not see anything that was not on Netflix, Prime , Hulu or Disney .

What did you do on your birthday,

Sadly, we didn’t get to do much for any Birthdays . Frank ordered me Thai carry out and bought me plants for my garden. He is not in to any kind of celebration ; I do all that .

What’s one thing that would have made your year infinitely more satisfying?
Writing more, gardening more , decluttering my house and refreshing it , whoops, that’s three things. Getting help doing anything would have improved my life immensely .

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020? Leggings and T- shirts in summer . Leggings, Camisoles and Hoodies in this cold weather . Definitely comfortable . I have little fashion sense for myself.

What kept you sane ? Reading , bubble baths , my pets , my plants . PB , the Internet .

What celebrity or public figure did you fancy the most?
None

What political issue stirred you the most?
Ha. Donald Trump’s epic fail as President , our useless Congress , and the virus .

Who did you miss?
All my close family.

Who were the best new people you met?
I wish I had met anyone .

Tell us a valuable lesson you learned in 2020.
Time and your life pass too quickly . Make both count.