Happy New Year

 Well, its a brand new calandar year.

Happy New Year to all of you out there.

Here's how they celebrated in Idaho, where my brother lives.  He and his wife went to see the potato drop near the capitol in Boise last night.   He sent me the photos.

In Milwaukie, Oregon, they had a cherry drop, in honor of the bing cherry.

Here on my block, a few fireworks were shot off, the car lot folks had their usual party with cars littering the neighborhood and I went to bed rather early, about 9:00, having gotten up very early yesterday morning.

When I discovered my phone shot off fireworks when I texted someone "Happy New Year" I spent a good hour texting everyone with a number I could text, those three words, to watch the fireworks go off, on my screen, laughing every time.

Slinko, Claws Out.....

Slinko's nails grow so fast.   He's getting old and losing body mass.

We lost five cats here last year.  Shaulin, Sam, Shady, Alexi and Mums.

Happy Cat Club, my nonprofit, took a lot of cats in to be fixed last year too, despite the hardships with the clinic changing hands with resulting dramatic drop in available spay neuter spots and increase in expense to do it.

Speaking of the cost to be alive these days, inflation last year was unbelievable and continues, despite claims to the contrary on the news.  Electric rates are skyrocketing for most of us in the state this month, for one thing.   The cost of food makes me wonder how families can feed themselves.   I just stare in shock when I go to the grocery store.

I have nothing to look forward to for the summer, with the reservoirs turned to mud holes, due to that fricking lawsuit by the fish groups.   Otherwise, I'd already be dreaming of being out on the water and in the water there. I can't even think what summer will be like now, with nowhere to be on the water without long trips.  What will I do?   I don't know.  There's really no outdoor recreation in this town, other than walking sidewalks in a city.  Partly its the location of where I live sprawled along both sides of the freeway.  Can't do a lot with that.

I'm not the only one depressed over the loss of the reservoirs.  Some people are already planning to sell their boats.  I still have this hope all will be normal come May but I know that's wishful thinking.  I won't sell my kayak or raft.  They're virtually worthless. I got the raft because it rows like a rowboat and I needed to strengthen my back and boy did it work for that, after I had surgery on my back.   Sometimes I'd just swim, pulling the raft, and later, my kayak, for long long stretches.   I love to swim and I can't go in pools because of my chlorine allergy.  I met a paddle boarder who began paddle boarding long distance at the reservoir because she had a heart condition and needed exercise to strengthen her heart.   I met so many people up there---kayakers, swimmers, paddle boarders....

The Cascade lakes are so far, to drive to, and remain cold late into the summer.  And then there are the mosquitos.   Fern Ridge reservoir down west of Eugene is ugly by comparison to Foster and Green Peter, a longer distance to drive and they charge day use fees I can't afford often.  Anyhow, Foster and Green Peter were gems, beautiful, clear, clean.   History maybe.

 Our winter has been warm so far, with tons of rain but no mountain snow.  Typical for El Nino years but bad for summer, when we rely on snowmelt and reservoirs to maintain our water supplies.

Anyhow, I will leave up the Christmas decor today and take it down tomorrow.  

Scooter (formerly Doogie) from the park, silently judges all.