good-bye 2009 . . .

As the sun sets on the first decade of the 21st century, I have lots to think about. I am not a big New Year's Eve fan; I'm usually tucked up in bed by 10 PM. There were many years when we attended a wonderful party with a traditional feast of cold cracked crab, green salad and crispy baguettes. The highlight of the evening was a rousing game of charades. Since 2001 we have been down here at this time of year and have missed all those festivities. There is a big party up at Morelos, the best hotel in town. Lots of drinking and dancing and noise which we can hear faintly down at our house. It's not our scene. So we'll pop the cork on a bottle of Spanish cava we brought down, eat dinner at home while looking out to sea, and remember the past decade.

Some of the OOs were good ~ retiring from the Big U, buying our house here, great travel, seeing friends and family, watching children and grandkids grow up and prosper, welcoming Ruby DeGoursey into the family, the election of our 44th president, and discovering Rachael Maddow ~ and some was not so good ~ 9/11, losing my mother, my auntie and my sister, Mr. C's cancer battle (over which, fortunately, he prevailed), the onset of the Iraq war, the ramping-up of the war in Afghanistan, the tanking of the economy. What have I left out? It was a decade of very mixed blessings.

So tonight, under a Blue Moon (and cloudy sky), we bid farewell to those ten years and look forward to the next ten. Who knows what they will bring to us and to you, dear readers. We can only hope that it will be everything you have dreamed of, planned for, hoped for. As for me, I had the perfect New Year's Eve day. I spent the entire day in bed, reading. Got up for lunch only. I finally arose about 5 PM and strolled over to my pal Marie's for a celebratory glass of wine to toast our very good fortune to be in this wonderful place and time.

Now, as I sit here listening to a Mozart composition for the clarinet, I am filled with the sense of amazement that (a) he could do such a thing, and (b) that I am blest to be able to listen to it. Happy New Year to one and all.