A light snow is slowly eradicating the latest tracks left overnight by the snowshoe hare as I sit down to consider the more lasting impressions the departing year has left upon me.
Just now the current revised version of my manuscript is sweetly spooling out of my printer. It's emerging in the form some authors call "faux galleys"--formatted to resemble 2 book pages printed side by side. Saves on paper, tricks the mind into think it's a "real" book in a way that standard manuscript format doesn't. And to the delight of this impassioned recycler, I'm printing on paper that has already been used. Several years ago when some friends shut down their office and re-organised their business, I obtained mountains of paper printed on one side but blank on the other. So that's what I use for printing drafts.
It seems entirely appropriate that I'm busy with the book that took up so much of my time and attention during 2009. I don't make New Year's resolutions and last year at this time I did not resolve to finish my book, although of course I hoped I would! And am overjoyed that I did. I'm quite confident that the next year will see the beginning of a new project...more accurately the continuation of an older one that I set aside until the proper season.
This has been a year of many milestones. Some were acknowledged here, some not. Like any year there were lessons learned and sad losses and longings fulfilled. I took on some new responsibilities and didn't manage to shed any--that I recall. I found new friends and connected with familiar ones. I did not, to my great regret, see a single member of my family in person and plan to spend some of the New Year making up for that.
From this vantage 2010 appears to be a decisive year. Lots of intriguing mysteries on the personal, professional, political front. I'll deal with these decisions as they come, and the will handle outcomes--some of which are beyond my control--with as much grace as I can.
In these final hours of year in which I reached and exceeded 1000 blog posts, I remain grateful for all my visitors--whether or not you ever comment. Many thanks for following along with me as I glide or lurch through my daily life!
I'm about to head back to my kitchen to create the boiled custard (a variety of iles flotantesfrom a family recipe. Countless generations have joyously consumed it, and it's a tradition reserved for holidays and other important occasions (my Grandmother Evans always made it for me on my birthday, by special request. And on Christmas Eve. And at Easter).
We had a late but necessary substition of steak for salmon on discovering that our salmon stocks are entirely depleted, and the festive meal will include galic and dill smashed potatoes and some sort of salad. And bubbly, of course--enough for celebrating but not so much that we're comatose before midnight arrives. I'll be joyously--but no doubt sleepily--"hopping" into the unknown.
I wish you and yours a pleasant New Year's Eve--what remains of it--and a happy and fulfilling 2010!
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