Last Day of the Year Varia

 Today's post is going to be a mix of things. This year was a mix of accomplishments, successes, and defeats, negatives, and several incompletes, and continuances.

In no particular order, I'll attempt to say something about them as I think of them. The positives will begin with a plus (+) sign; the negatives will begin with a minus (-) sign; and the incompletes and continuances will be marked with a question (?) mark.

+ This year I read 101 books! An all-time high. A large part of that is because I belong to three book clubs, two of which began this year. Several books were either small young adult or children's books of 100 pages or less, but I read them because of a recommendation of a friend. Several were re-reads, especially my favorite mystery series. I haven't counted the fiction/nonfiction breakdown yet, but I think it will be roughly 60/40.

- Healthwise, it hasn't been the best. I've had celultis twice, one resulting in a trip to the ER and a two-day stay in the hospital amongst COVID patients. I had a small surgery on my left ear to remove a cancerous growth caused by the sun many years ago. And just earlier this month I had two molars taken out. One was loose and was going to fall out besides having a small decay which was rapidly getting larger. The other was what was left from a root canal years ago and needed to go if I am to have a partial denture put in (another story). My knees continued to weaken this year. I avoid stairs if I can. But my diabetes numbers seem to be doing a little better. I have my annual scope of my bladder for my 2011 cancer next week. I've been cancer-free since 2017.

- Because of COVID and my knees, I had to give my volunteering at the Stonewall Jackson House as well as the Lexington library. 

? I'm still trying to write, but the computer gods aren't working with me. I can't write longhand anymore to any extent. My hand shakes too much. And the laptop is so old it takes 30 minutes or more to open up usually. And then, it often just freezes so I have no other choice except to shut it down for another day. My writing goes back and forth between a mystery I have been working on for over a year and a memoir of sorts that I have just begun in the last three months. But neither is doing well because I spend most of my thinking about how to get the computer to work.

+ At least I'll have a good dinner - crab cakes, shrimp cocktail, and scallops. And there's watching "When Harry Met Sally" again almost yearly since about 1990. I know I missed it in 1999 when I was sick with the flu and watched Y2K come in around the world with Peter Jennings. 

+ And of course, a big positive was the birth of our fourth grandchild, another girl, named Serenity. I think we're finished now - two boys, two girls.

+ Anyhow, Happy New Year!