It’s the last day of 2021 and I thought I’d mark the day. There is no assignment to write for, so this is for reading my stuff.

It wasn’t the year any of us hoped it would be. By ‘us’ I mean everyone in the country. Starting with an attempt to overthrow the federal government by the person who legitimately lost the presidential election and ending with a continued reluctance to mask up, treat people’s space with respect, and get vaccinated, 2021 was a year of amped up emotions and verbal faux pas mostly due to forgetting how to interact with people outside our personal bubbles.

My youngest granddaughter finally got to pre-school and discovered, to her disappointment, not all kids are nice. Her older sister left at-home learning behind and has been safely at school. Both girls are better for the experience and, while the eldest has been vaccinated, the youngest has not. 2022 is the year for her.

The two girls welcomed a new puppy that has proven to be a bouncing bundle of energy even as she ages. She’s a people dog and expects her pack to be there for her 24 x 7. Walk out of the room for a minute and she greets you as though she hasn’t seen you in years. I don’t know how to measure a dog minute.

We are re-styling our floors. We’ve lived in this house for six years and the carpet wasn’t a good carpet when we bought the place. So, hardwood floors were the answer. I’m hopeful that no one will break a leg, or any other body part, but that’s a risk we have to face to get something that can be mopped.

We’re getting fewer Christmas cards this year. It’s unfortunate, given the pandemic, since it raises the question about whether people we knew survived the continuing onslaught. But, you can’t force folks to answer a mail call so you live with the uncertainty.

French lessons continue. I’ve almost been studying the language for a full year and every now and then I hear it spoken and understand what was said. It’s been enough positive reinforcement to keep me working at this venture.

I’m still editing my novel. I do it in my sleep, so every morning is a challenge as I jot notes from whatever I thought in the night. I also have a new writing contest starting in January. My goal? Get to the second heat. Honorable mentions are fine but I want to move to a new prompt and see how that plays out.

This wasn’t much in the way of a post, but give it time. I’ll get comfortable with doing this regularly and, maybe, will write something worth something some day. Until then, see you soon.