The house is unadorned. All remnants of Christmas are packed and in the attic. All except for the gifts, I received. I have a soft Christmas blanket, a fine new backpack, a lovely set of glass storage dishes, clothes, and memories, lots of memories -- music, walks, talks, food, fun, laughter.

The wise men have come and gone. The Feast of the Epiphany is over. I can start taking down my Christmas decorations. All the colored lights will soon be boxed. The angels stored for another year. The Nativity Set wrapped and bundled. The winter season will officially be upon me.

The house is painted. Refreshed. We’re ready for another ten years. Maybe I should sell it. It looks good. But no. I’m going to paint walls on the inside. Do an accent wall, or two. Change things up.

Yesterday. Wow. … A storm was brewing. It hit when I got on Interstate Ten. I had just passed an exit … when the traffic stopped. As in still. All lanes were closed due to an accident that happened earlier that morning.

I’m entering year ten of my little blog. My output was down last year from the previous year because I started the year with the idea, I’d take weekends off. Couldn’t do it. Too boring. Still, I ended up with 294 entries. Output.

Happy New Year! My first steps into the new year found me hiking in Gaudalupe River State Park. We did about five miles over hill and dale. Sat beside the river. Stood on a bluff and looked at the view. Ate some grapes and snacks for lunch.