Thursday, December 29, 2022

Goodbye 2022

 My last blog of the year and I'm ready to say goodbye to 2022. What a holiday season with all those people stranded when Southwest dropped the ball.  And the snow in Buffalo was s beyond comprehension.  It seems kind of whiny to complain that after a couple of days of warmth, it's turned cold and rainy.  We certainly need the rain and our fried front yard is turning green again .  I am planning to ignore New Year's Eve as I usually do and spend the time getting all the end of the year stuff in order, so I can go back to thinking about writing and murder plots and interesting ways to kill people.

I am happy that the end of the holidays doesn't mean  I have to go back to school. Never a happy prospect in Chicago where walking the mile to my high school was frigid, dreary and at times scary.  Instead, it is a time for fresh starts and getting back to old routines.  By now the Christmas decorations  already looked tired and I'm more interested in getting a pot of pansies to plant in the yard.

And I am ready for those Hallmark Christmas movies to end. Enough of people singing carols and baking gingerbread men.   I long for the days when they play Fraiser at night and I can fall asleep laughing. 

Happy New Year to all and hope it brings good news for a change.

11 comments:

Patty said...


Good morning -- Yes indeed, good-bye to all the Hallmark movies, blizzards, stranded travelers -- what a mess. My daughter-in-law and grandson flew to Chicago late Christmas day to visit her family and, thank goodness, had no problems. I asked my grandson if he'd built a snowman -- he said no, he was afraid he'd freeze to death if he went outside!! They'll be back in wet but relatively warm Phoenix tomorrow.

I haven't seen the New Year in in many years -- never have been a late-night person or a party person -- I figure it's already the new year some place in the world when I go to bed early. Our tradition has been to put out Christmas decorations on the Sunday closest to my daughter's birthday, which is early December, and take them down Christmas Day afternoon. My grandmother always said the holiday was over after the big noon meal and she stripped the tree as soon as the dishes were done -- same with me.

I'd almost finished another crocheted blanket when I discovered I'd made a boo boo many rows back -- I was ready to rip back to that point when I had a bright idea of making a matching mistake -- worked well!! It's a wet day here -- perfect to stay in and crochet.

Happy New Year to you -- may you find fun new things to crochet and ways to kill people!!

Patty





Sally Morrison said...

I've had an extended stay in Phoenix due to Southwest. Planning to catch a flight home to Orlando today. Bonus was I got to visit with a dear friend who I haven't seen in years. A great delight.

I'm ready to say good-bye to Christmas and all that goes with it. Happy New Year! Wishing everyone a healthy, prosperous year!

Linda O. Johnston said...

I'll be happy to see non-holiday movies return more to TV too. And it does seem strange to encourage the rain to come, especially when it makes taking the dogs outside and for walks harder. But it's certainly easier dealing with that than all that snow others have had to deal with. I hope everyone has a great 2023!

Linda D Osborn said...

My daughter always comes down from Idaho for the week between Christmas and New Years. Of course they use Southwest so they can have a couple of extra suitcases for transporting presents both ways. After 4 flights postponed, she decided to put the kids in her jeep and drive down alone. Her husband had to work this year. She got here in a couple of days, but of course both kids were sick. Now she is hoping they recover so they can visit all the family they came to see. She plans to go to Sea World Sunday in the rain--I think she has just a bit of my determination !
One good thing about Southwest, she can use those tickets anytime in the next year !

Betty Hechtman said...

Patty, I like your tradition. Great to take everything down before it seems tired. It sounds like you worked out changing a mistake to part of the pattern.

Chicago must have felt cold after Phoenix. I shivered just reading the temperatures.

I have gone to New Year's Eve parties, and even spent it at Disneyland. But now, I'm glad to stay home and watch old Thin Man movies and eat pizza.

I agree about wishing everyone a healthy, prosperous New Year!

Betty Hechtman said...

Sally, nice that the Southwest mess worked in your favor. I hope you didn't have to spend too much time trying to straighten out your trip.

Happy New Year!

Betty Hechtman said...

Linda O. Johnston, I do remember how hard it is to walk dogs in the rain and all the muddy paw prints after. We definitely need the rain, but I have to admit the gloom is getting too me. Particularly since it's supposed to rain most of next week. No question snow would be a lot harder to deal with.

Happy New Year!

Betty Hechtman said...

Linda Osborn, it's nice that your daughter made it, though it had to be hard driving all that way. I'm sure it helped make your Christmas merry. Too bad about the sick kids. I hope they feel better. Sea World in the rain should be interesting. I guess as long as they are dressed right it could be a nice adventure and probably not crowded.

Your daughter can probably get a refund for the tickets. Southwest was trying to give people vouchers, but I read that they have to give refunds.

Happy New Year!

chkntza said...

Happy New Year! I enjoy all the lead up activities to Christmas. But then it is over so fast. It seems people spend more time getting ready for Christmas than actually celebrating it.

Betty Hechtman said...

Chkntza, yes, they do spend all kinds of time getting ready for Christmas and then it is over in a flash. I have always found that hard to deal with-- the way it just ends so abruptly. Suddenly those chocolate santas are half price.

Patty said...

I looked through some of your older blogs yesterday -- the first one I clicked on was from four or five years ago -- it was about a Make and Take the Tarzana Hookers were doing. You wrote about how hard it was to write instructions that were clear and easy to understand. Made me think of my confusion with CeeCee's blanket -- worked well once I measured the proper angle.

Funny story -- my daughter has been hearing something that she thought was a mouse in a clothes closet. Yesterday she opened the doors and there was a vole, curled up and dead in one of her shoes. The little critter had eaten a hole in a pair of boots, destroyed a pair of tennis shoes and chewed all around the back edge of a brand new pair she'd never worn. We decided it probably died of indigestion.

Enjoy your week.