It's a new year.

This morning's sunrise. May your year be as bright and clear.


1/1/08 Tuesday
It’s a cold crisp cloudless first morning of 2008. Sixteen degrees out but stayed nice and warm in due to the woodstove. The pecan wood I got from Chuck and Lillian’s burns well, putting out a lot of heat and lasting a fair amount of time. It’s not as good as the mulberry but beats out the elm by far. I got up at 2:00 and 4:30 to put more wood in. Beats me why but I always seem to wake up just when it’s needed. Splitting all this wood hurt quite a bit so I had to take several pain pills yesterday and one again this morning. Despite that I enjoy swinging the splitting maul and getting this job done.

When we went to Steve and Janie’s I noticed that someone got into the firewood they have stacked behind the house. Don’t know if it was stolen or they had given permission for someone to take it. If it was stolen I want to catch whoever did it. Don’t like the idea of someone messing around my friend’s house at all.

I walked the dogs one at a time again. There is no way I can do them both at once but one at a time they are manageable, especially Zoie. Zack is the same as always but when Zoie doesn’t have Zack around she is much more interested in investigating the world around her. When Cherie and I walked them both together Zoie constantly strained at the leash choking herself.

After that we decided to go out and eat. My check came a day early because of the holiday so we could do our once a month eat a nice dinner out thing. Cherie’s job ended yesterday so it’s back to being really tight with the funds. We never stopped being frugal but were able to enjoy a few more things than usual. It helped us buy Christmas gifts too. I know she only worked one week a month but that helped a lot.

We went to the Cotton Patch, which has become one of the places we choose often. Walking in a cute short waitress “claimed” us, telling the hostess she wanted to us at one of her tables and rushed to clean it off. It’s flattering I guess to think that we look like good people to wait on. I only shave once or twice a week and was still wearing the clothes I had loaded and split the wood in so beats me. Come to find out she had only been working there four days so was probably just being enthusiastic and wanting to take on as many customers as she could. After all, when you probably make more on tips than your hourly wage your pay is directly tied to how many you serve.

Like I said she’s a cute little thing but was real insecure about doing a good job and not making mistakes. When she told us her name was Britney I said “I think I can remember that”. “I hope it’s not for something I did wrong” was her reply. I reassured her that is was just because it was easy to remember due to a certain “famous” lady who is in the news a lot. Perhaps the term “lady” isn’t appropriate for the person I’m alluding to. Anyway we had a good time. “Now that we know you’re new we’re going to make you run” I teased her. It was fun to watch her try hard to do a good job and she did do a good job. We got her to relax some and there was lots of laughter. I am often awkward in social interactions with people new to me but was in good form so that wasn’t an issue. Both Cherie and I liked Britney a lot and will probably ask for her when we return. I gave her a good tip and also the address to this blog telling her I would be writing about this. Plus I said she could keep up with what’s growing so her and her husband can know when certain crops are available. That’s part of the marketing I’m starting to do in preparation for this first year of selling what we grow.


It's good to get along. Carman Kitty and Trixie relaxed together.


So that’s how yesterday ended. We bought a bottle of cheap Champaign to celebrate the new year, but never opened it. I had two glasses of wine with the rib eye I ordered and that’s it for my lightweight self. Long gone are the days of serious drinking and I am so glad to be rid of them. Alcoholism is an insidious thing that disguises itself as a harmless part of social behavior but over the years grows into a cancer that slowly destroys. The victims seldom even know, or refuse to acknowledge that they have a problem. It’s when you drink alone, it’s when you hide and disguise it, it’s when having a good time often requires a drink or three that the alcohol is taking over your life and will. Denial is another big sign. “I don’t have a problem. I just have too much fun” my brother said when I tried to talk to him about his alcoholism. That’s denial and rationalization in one statement. My Baptist friends won’t agree but I don’t think having a glass of wine or a beer with your meal is a bad thing but one has to always be careful when playing with fire. As in all things in life balance and control is the key. I used to have a problem with pain medication, becoming addicted to the Oxycontin prescribed for broken ribs, and had refused to accept the prescriptions doctors offered after the coma for fear of its return. But now am able to function because of the relief medication brings and am careful to keep it under control. But that’s medication. When you need a drink to function you have a problem.

Ok, I’m starting off the year preaching. Go figure. But that’s me. Like it says on the plaque I carved after the accident, “Love life, live a life you can love. Become a person you can be proud of. All things can teach wisdom, if you look for it. Money and things can vanish in a flash. What has real lasting value is the lives we touch. I have told Wally and many others that even though it’s been bad the things I’ve seen and experienced in my life gives me the insight and ability to help others. My life is a gift that I will do as much good with as I can. You know, if you see someone drowning and don't throw out a life preserver you carry some responsibility for their death.

Happy New Year folks. Love life and live a life you can love.