2010

2010 is just hours away from being over & I will not remember it as one of our more peace filled years.

Some parting shots of the 2010 tornado/micro burst/macro burst here in F.H.

Very Merry

Some snap shots of the past few days in our family:

Wonderful trees, fantastic food,family & friends,nut crackers, wreaths , festive decorations & lovely lights, fun, gifts & good times. It flies by too quickly and my only regret is that we all do not get together more often and not everyone can be there when we do!

It was a VERY Merry holiday season :

Our annual gathering on Christmas eve at Aunt J. & Uncle P.'s was wonderful!

Our 80th birthday celebration for cousin Helen the next morning was a fun SURPRISE !

Christmas at Aunt P. & Uncle J.'s was filled with old family memories & photos from Christmas past!

And we made the annual visit to the cemetery -leaving with questions that got answered on Christmas day and we were VERY lucky-the big "blizzard" of 2010 came a day after, allowing all to get home safely.

end of year traditions

As the days grow shorter and the nights lengthen I look forward to the many holiday traditions to keep things upbeat. The many holiday markets scattered throughout NYC. (Bryant Park has a wonderful tree & ice skating rink)

This year we went for a very small tree. It simplifies things wonderfully to have something scaled down & it meant editing the ornaments to only those I really, really loved since there was no vast landscape of green to fill this year.

Hanukkah aftermath

Somes final scenes from this year's Hanukkah & one photograph depicting what I like to call the Hanukkah aftermath=lots of wax everywhere.

Each year I am left with just one question : How do you spell "Hanukkah"?

Hannukah aftermath

peace filled day

It was a peace filled day today. I switched from my summer bag-a gift from Cousin Helen-to my winter bag-a gift from Ely. Then I got out the Christmas tree ornaments - we have a small but meaningful collection. Here is today's favorite:

I think I am getting addicted to Apple's photo booth special effects. I just love how the color makes everything look amazing.

The man:

Friends came in from Syracuse this weekend and we toured parts of NYC (Times Square/AKA car bomb central /Chinatown ) . As we passed Radio City I spotted this. Would love to go as I have never seen his holiness, the Dalai Lama in person but would like to, having read some of the books written about him as well as a book or two he has written. I admire his ability to invoke calm love in the face of such adversity and suffering in Tibet. Then I saw the ticket price tag. I will have to wait for another opportunity...

as for the photo: I do love the juxtaposition of Radio City Music Hall and the Dalai Lama-there is a comic twist there, somewhere...

LOVE

Did you tell someone (or something) you loved them today? If not, you need to. It helps to make any day a better day and it can really turn a bad day around. Sandi cat decided to jump into this blue basket just as I had emptied it and was about to put it away. The artist is me thought-the wood, the blue , the cute cat-grab a photo-QUICK! The practiucal person in me wanted to tell Sandi to get out! Now! Stop impeding my all important work here!But instead I said "I love you" (and grabbed the photo) and it made me smile, and feel lucky and happy. That is what love can do. And the wonderful thing is, you don't need to search for "the one" or go through months of online dating...you just need to go find yourself a deserving kitten (or puppy) who will then grow into a cat (or dog) and jump into a blue basket-making your heart melt.