Good-bye 2008!

I'm among many who are not sorry to see 2008 ending. But in reflecting on the year, and heading into a new one, I think it's a good idea to find some good memories to carry forward, rather than all the garbage that weighs us down. For me, I find I had a whole lot of high points! So I'm going to end this year with a smile, no matter the troubles.

January 2008 - I started the year in Texas, with a brand new hip replacement required because of a very bad fall the day after Christmas. I was touched beyond words by the response from my friends scattered over our lands - lots of phone calls of support - Meg flew in from Washington to help me and my little dog survive the trauma!! - Marti send a cuddly stuffed doggie for me to hang on to for comfort - Lizzie flew in from Phoenix to drive my big box and me and my little Penny home! Kindnesses that touched me deeply!

February - My healing process went terrifically well. I may be an old crip, but my health is good otherwise, and I still heal like a youngster! And I found I could still drive my stick-shift Mustang!!! Being in control of my life again, and being able to drive my car was a huge bright spot!

March - Looking back at my blog, I was reveling in the joys of spring weather in the Southwest - lots of flowers, clear skies and warm days, baseball games with friends - who could ask for more in the spring??

April - April wasn't the best, because I lost my sweet little copper Penny, but I know that I made her last couple years very special, and she sure shared a lot of fun adventures with me on the road! The month ended on a high note when good friend Suzie flew in from Honolulu to spend a couple weeks touring the Old West!

May - My birth month - Suzie coming to town to share it was extra special! Our Old West tour took us to Tombstone and Bisbee, up to Silver City in New Mexico, over to Williams for the Grand Canyon train ride to and from Arizona's incredible natural wonder, and down thru Flagstaff and Sedona back to Tucson. and another old pal, Mark (also from Hawaii, then Palm Springs and now back in Hawaii) drove up to Williams to celebrate my birthday! and then, after Suzie headed home, I realized I just had to have another doggie in my life, and adorable rescue Misha came to live with me!

June - This was an especially good month for me - it was hot in Tucson so I was spending a lot of time playing on the computer. As you may know, if you've kept up with this blog for long, I have an almost non-existent memory. But I do have little flashes of ancient history sometimes. I know one of my best friends from childhood was "Pam" - and I've not had any idea what had become of her. I looked occasionally in phone books and googled her, but never found her. I finally signed on with Classmates.com, simply out of boredom I think. And I found her - or she found me - we'd both been looking for each other! Since making contact, we've probably exchanged about 400 emails and phone calls! What a delight to find a long lost friend!

July - July was HOT - so I spent a lot of time with my new doggie, and with catch-up projects. It's wonderfully fulfilling to complete projects that have been sitting around for awhile. I must remember to do that more often!!

August - The Summer Olympics - WOW! Spectacular presentation by the Chinese and incredible feats by the human bodies! Michael Phelps rules! I watched almost every minute of the telecast!

September - Lots of wild windy wet monsoon storms - I do love monsoon season in southern Arizona - it's almost worth staying through the heat of summer to experience the incredible forces of Mother Nature!

October - Suzie came to visit again from Honolulu - met me in Albuquerque for the annual Balloon Fiesta! Weather was really awful, but we always have a grand time and the balloons are magnificent! After Sooz headed home, I drove up to Monument Valley - which is simply magnificent in its grandeur!

November - I found an absolutely delightful little RV park in Apache Junction where I decided to plant myself for the winter. It's lovely, clean, and filled with the nicest bunch of folks I've yet experienced in any one park. They've welcomed me with open arms, and they and their doggies are helping bring my little Misha around! We're happy and content here!
Plus, the Classmates thingy has brought me together with another old friend - what a treat to find someone who's held me close to his heart, even though we haven't spoken in over 40 years! Very special!

December - Since Mama passed, Christmas hasn't held the charm it did when we shared it. But I still love to decorate and love the parties. And again, this little RV park has embraced me and filled me with cheer! Plus, I have constant visits from the hummers in the area to my feeder right outside my bedroom window!

So looking back this way, 2008 wasn't bad at all!

All the junk in the news - that's all it is - junk.

Forward!!

Happy New Year 2009!!!