It’s finally New Year’s. 2017, a busy roller coaster of a year for me, is ending. 2018 will start soon…already has in much of the world. I deliberately took the picture with the roses this morning since it has all the stages from bud to rose hip in it. My life is less about new beginnings and more about cycles. “The seasons spin around again, and the years keep rolling by.”

Perhaps this bizarre scene I saw on the same walk would be a better choice:

The doll has been sitting on the bench for several days now (it’s on my regular morning dog walk route), but someone added a banana blossom bud to it.

You know it’s been quite a year when you are elated to get a letter from Department of Social and Health Services on December 30th confirming your calculations and allowing you to close the books on 2017 with no carry forward.

Because of my grandmother’s situation I don’t necessarily anticipate a grand and glorious 2018. I am, however, confident that it will hold many joys; I fear they may be balanced with sorrows and stress. But so it goes.

I make no resolutions. Too much can’t be predicted and feelings of failure could upset my delicate emotional balance.

As I walked the dogs the wind changed and it went from warm-ish and cloudy to cold and clear-ish.

If you zoom in in the picture above you can read the sign saying “I’m getting a space lift.”

Almost sunset on this almost eerie day, it seemed very quiet and dim, and very chilly.

and cheers to all for this brand New Year.

Finally