Well, my New Year's Resolution is to write at least three blog entries a week. My friend Rob is thinking about giving up his blog because he's not sure that his musings are of general interest . . . and that thought has occurred to me, too. But I realize that I do find his blog of interest; I like keeping up with his life that way. So even though I often feel like I'm writing into the void, I'm going to keep the faith that some of you far-flung friends like reading updates. Of course, it's important, then, to supply updates. So here we go . . .

December was a busy month. First of all, I figured out how to transport skis in the Miata without having to resort to a roof rack:



If the snow gets really deep or the roads aren't sufficiently plowed, of course, all bets are off. Still, driving the Miata in the winter has the effect of taking me back to 1978, when I was driving around in a VW bug - that ALSO had a lousy defroster, and ALSO skidded and slipped on every scrap of snow or ice. (Also like the VW, the Miata pretty much spins on its center axis, and since it's about as long as it is wide, no harm done . . . )

After the semester ended, I headed off to Chicago for my now-traditional opera weekend with Barb.



Nope, that's not the opera: It's the Christkindlmarkt, and Barb is holding a mug of gluhwein. It was wonderfully snowy at the markt this year, and the lights were stunning as usual.



The train ride home was very exciting. The train left an hour and a half late, and stopped a half-hour outside of Chicago. Two hours later we got moving again . . . and made it as far as Kalamazoo, where we waited for a new train crew, as the engineer couldn't work any longer, per union rules. We were supposed to get home at 8:21 pm, but finally rolled in at about 2:30 am. Luckily, our Nocturnal Nephews were in town, and they kindly came to the station and rescued me . . .

* * *

The big Christmas event here was our trip to Tucson to see Charlie and his house



. . . and to meet the grandpuppy.



She's not as innocent as she looks. (I mean the grandpuppy - Guiness - but the same could be said about Emma, I suppose . . . :)

While we were there, we also went to the Sonoran Desert Museum (where we got snowed on)





Charlie especially wanted us to see the javelinas:



When he'd first moved to Tucson, a baby javelina got stuck on his patio, and he and his roommate ran out of the house to see the whole family. They're very cute, but he says they're smelly . . .

We also tried to drive to the top of Mt. Lemmon (where we got snowed on).



We only made it to about 4,500 ft (and not the 9,100-ft summit) because [a] we didn't have chains or 4-wheel drive on the rental car; and [b] the road to the top was a parking lot, since every Tucsonian and her brother were up there, gawking at the snow.



(It was pretty funny, watching people simultaneously wearing flip-flops and throwing snowballs . . . )

All in all, we had a wonderful time. I think it would take a long time to get sick of the scenery around Tucson.







A pleasant plane ride later, and we were home.



* * *

I rang in the New Year (more or less) with Louise, Elliott, and his SO, Alice. We had a pleasant evening drinking champagne and eating pizza, knitting (me, Alice, and Louise) and watching the fire. I got home before midnight, and Emil and I talked to Emma as the ball dropped in Times Square. (We didn't make it to midnight in Tucson, alas - although I sent Charlie a text at 1 pm that apparently got delivered at 2, or 12 his time . . . )

* * *

And then today, we rounded out the holidays with a New Year's dinner with Kathy, Richard, and the boys. After a little while, the boys left - and we realized that it was probably the first time EVER that the four of us had hung around together without any children around. Such a strange moment - it's the end of our childrearing years, made even more apparent because Kathy and Richard's daughter and my niece Whitney are now embarking on their childrearing years. It's fun to watch (from a distance) Steph and Whit as they experience the joys and wonders of pregnancy and motherhood . . . but I must confess, I'm glad it's them and not me.

* * *

So now the new semester is about ready to start, and I find myself wondering, as usual, where the time went . . . It's going to be a busy one for me, as I figure out my China travel plans, try to learn the language, and prepare for teaching a course on Chinese literature when I come back. But I am determined to make time for blog updates, so stay tuned . . .