alfred dunner and auld lang syne

I knew the minute that my mother asked me to take her shopping with her gift cards that I was in trouble. Mom has always been a fashion plate, of sorts and takes her style very seriously, even though she can't see herself. We kept the reasonably priced stretch t-shirts that BG and Daddy shopped for weeks ago, so I owed her eighteen bucks...what can I say? With her walker and purse, she headed straight to the designer section where I had to tell her what color was what and what it matched. Gift cards and all, she left eighty bucks lighter than she started. I also know that she's an impulse shopper and once she considers what is practical and what is just "cute" she'll send me back on a mission to get some credit on that card. She called last night to say that the three items that COST her need to go back. Somebody shoot me now.

The new year will find us doing our usual eggs'n'doughnuts. They say that the first thing you see or do on that day is how the whole year will go. I'll be sure to have some kind of experience before I pick them up in the Camry after church. That loose change is being spent on things that I really need, like a new wiper. That old was has been waving at me for a month, and believe it or not, winter IS coming. The weather is so freakin' gorgeous here that it defies words. Yesterday found me relieving the shopping stress by doing some yard trimming and cleaning. The grapevine out back almost whooped my old tired ass!

For the first time in my own personal history, the holiday decorations are down before the new year and my house is on the way to sweeping in a whole new year of possibilities. In many ways, this one has been what I could mostly kindly describe as a "learning curve". Lots of transition, lessons and plenty of love to go along with the heartache. I learned long ago not to make resolutions because I'm just not made that way. Why set yourself up for failure with something like a promise to never ever. Instead, I choose to think about all of the pictures that lie ahead of me, the experiences to be had and shit to be grown. This mild little weather teaser is enough to make me believe that spring will come again.

Happy new year to you and ya'lls. ^j^