(photo: one of the dogs' chew toys)

Yep, that's me — a dinosaur. Or my blog is I mean. At least that's what Rick tells me. I told him I wasn't going to post updates on FB anymore and he looked at me like I was nuts. Why not? he asked. I tried to explain to him that I really don't want to air my feelings to all and sundry on FB. Just to the people who really care to read. So he said: Lynne, nobody goes to blogs anymore. That's old school, obsolete! Now it's Tick-Tock,Twitter, Instagram and whatever else the latest fad is called. Everybody wants instant gratification these days, just skimming the surface of a billion different feeds instead of slowing down and really caring to get to know people. Really, the narcissism that exists these days! All the selfies, all the bragging rights. It gets old. I've had to just stop following certain people.

Back in 2006 when I first started my blog, everybody was blogging. It was a fun community and mostly we had each others' backs when times weren't so good for one of us. You read a person's blog and after a time you got to feel like you knew them personally. I even met a fellow blogger, Sally of Lettuce Eating, when I lived in New Jersey. She was in NYC for a few days visiting and I took the train up to meet her. We walked to Central Park and chatted for a few hours. Of course, there were some sham blogs, mostly the ones that were always all 'woe is me' and coming up with horrible things that just kept happening to them. But they were far and few between. I loved my little blogging community. Plus, blogging gave me a creative outlet for writing and my photography. I miss all that. I miss Reya, Pod, Sally, Jane, Steve just to mention my favorites. 

And now I am told I am obsolete. Should I even be starting to blog again?? I wonder. Anyway, here I am.

I was not going to share updates to the blog on FB like I said above, but good ol' hubby told me again that no one would bother coming to the blog just to see if I had done another entry. So, here I am, posting an update on FB. Come and see me, read me ... or not. If you have a blog, let me know please! I'd love to start reading blogs again.

Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone and another one gone
Another one bites the dust.  ~Queen

Another year gone. Another Christmas season. Another birthday and finally, at the end of the year, I am a year older, marching steadily onward to that major milestone of 70 that is still a few years off. Do you think I could get away with saying, since my birthday is so close to the end of the year, that I am actually a year younger? Funny, I don't feel that old. Which I guess is a GOOD thing. Sure, I have my aches and pains and my formerly broken foot rears its ugly head once in a while, but not very often. I have no real complaints.

In the new year I promise to blog as often as the spirit moves me instead of keeping all my crazy ideas and thoughts to myself. Lucky you if you stumble upon it for I am no longer posting new entries to Facebook. After all, it's really not for eveyone even though it's public as heck. Right now I am sitting on my deck — yes, outside! — on New Year's Day, while back in Colorado I believe they are bracing for yet another snowstorm. Rick is watching a football game, ugh. I actually think I am winning right now because I am sitting here with a glass of Chardonnay, listening to bird song and being caressed by a soft breeze. No jacket, just a shirt. It's lovely. North Carolina weather has been treating us well. We had rain yesterday and I do love those rainy, gray days! Especially when they are followed by such a lovely day as today.

I look around me and in some ways can't quite believe we landed, once again, in the perfect spot. Perfect house, perfect town. If you had told me last year that I would be here, in North Carolina, and loving it I would not have believed you. And living in a house built in 1935 close to town. I know I've said the same thing before, but I am still in a state of disbelief. It all happened so quickly! AH!! I can hear the church bells ringing 2:00 from town as I am typing, right now! Perfection. I can't wait for the longer days and those lazy evening meals on our shaded deck, grilling a yummy meal and sipping on wine. Spring here must be wonderful.

As far as resolutions go, I don't really have any. I do want to explore more in the coming year and maybe rent a VRBO on the Outer Banks. They have some that are only accessible by 4x4 and inhabited by the wild horses.  (The beaches, not the houses!) I think that would be an experience to remember. I also read years ago about a place in the Blue Ridge (or was it Smoky?) Mountains where a huge number of fireflies come together and put on quite a spectacle. I think fireflies are magical and I'm so glad to have them back again in my life. The cicadas too.

I have no more thoughts to put down, so I guess I'll close this up now. Happy New Year everyone!