New Year’s Traditions

New Year is here and we still haven’t celebrated Christmas with family, or even each other. In past years, decorations were taken down and packed up on January 1. They would have been up for about a month and the day after or soon following January 1, we would return to school and work. This year, the decorations will stay up for one more week so we can have a post Covid celebration with two of our kids and their families. Christmas dinner will occur then also.

Another tradition adopted by our family from hubby’s youth, is having Huevos Rancheros for New Year’s Day breakfast. Though it was just the two of us, his traditional breakfast was prepared and enjoyed.

My family’s tradition was black eyed peas and collards for dinner. I love both, though hubby is not a fan. The peas were simmered this afternoon, the collards came from a can to keep the quantity low. We purchased a rotisserie chicken when we went to town to walk this afternoon and a boiled potato and spinach salad prepared for his vegetables. Two substantial helpings of peas and collards were enjoyed by me. And at least one more meal of them were put away for another night.

I should have made cornbread, but opted for biscuits instead. I hope the traditions bring us luck in the coming year.

Happy New Year to all of you.

And the rooster crows

It is a miserably rainy day, a good day to nap the Covid symptoms away. When I looked over to the coop area this morning, I saw that several birds had found their way into the open garden but couldn’t figure out how to get back out. Their appearance looked like perhaps they had spend the rainy night in there. Eventually they either went back out the open gate or climbed a pallet leaning against the fence and went over the top.

With a Cooper hawk hanging out nearby, they aren’t free ranging much, but a few minute’s ago, most were in the front yard.

The two hatchlings from last summer both ended up roosters and for the first time one crowed.

I’m not sure which one is vocal, but at least it isn’t an unpleasant squawk.

Best Laid Plans

This was supposed to be Christmas with Son 1’s family and Daughter’s family, but Saturday, all plans changed.

On Friday, hubby started having “cold” symptoms and prior to Son 1 getting on the road south west on Saturday, we did Covid tests. He was positive, I was negative, but postponing Christmas celebrations seemed the advisable plan. Late yesterday, he was feeling miserable and I was just beginning to have symptoms. This morning, I also tested positive and so far my symptoms are manageable and hope they stay that way. And he is feeling somewhat better.

As a result, we will delay our Christmas gift exchange and dinner for two weeks. Not what we had hoped for, but sometimes safety overrules plans.

Somehow, we managed to avoid this plague for almost 4 years. I guess it was inevitable that we eventually caught it. The telehealth Doctor congratulated us on avoiding it this long. Masks, vaccines, and avoidance helped us. It is likely that walking in the gym on cold, rainy days probably is where we caught it but Christmas and grocery shopping may have contributed even though masked. Because of our ages, I guess we will again avoid eating indoors in restaurants and becoming even more diligent about masks and hand sanitizing. Three of our favorite restaurants do have outdoor seating during warm months.