Here on the eve of 2020, I am looking forward to the new year and a new situation as nearly all retired. There are a few projects that have lurched forward into January and February, but today was the last regular day of going into the office. This past December 2 marked 20 years at one company. My previous longest job was eleven years. Today I spent most of my time filing and packing and throwing out. A number of three-ring binders I brought with me from my previous job. I left today with only the files I will need for those projects lingering into 2020.

I am looking forward to having more time with Barbara and working with her in the yard and in our home. We hope to see friends in the Mammoth Cave area this year at the Cave Guides' Reunion, as well as friends in the St. Louis area.

The western sky is golden, and darkness approaches. Solitary fireworks sound through the neighborhood, a sign of more to come.

Happy New Year, everyone!

20th anniversary of Y2K!

Lewis Black, in one of his comedy sketches, talks about days being gray. Some of them so gray that he calls in and tells the boss that he can't come in. It's too gray. Our last three days have been gray with only today producing any rain: less than one tenth of an inch. But they haven't been too gray to work. Not oppressively gray. We worked in the yard a good bit on Friday and Saturday. Too wet today, but worked on inside projects.

Can it be too gray to get out to go to work or do anything else? Or is it a reflection of an inner grayness? Too gray to go to a movie? Leaving the bright, loud, popcorn-smelling theater for the gray outside? No, it's not too gray for that. Not too gray to go to the library. And certainly not too gray to go to a National Park!

My first trip to Grand Teton National Park started at 10:30 p.m. local time when we pitched our tent in the rain. The next day was very gray. We were in the clouds and so were the peaks. We couldn't tell where the mountains even were. The tent leaked. The Coleman stove wouldn't light. It was too gray.

The next day however was clear and beautiful. We hiked up Teewinot and had the adventure of our lives. Gray was followed by crystal-clear air on a mountain side. Fantastic!

Work through the gray. Write it down.

What? It's nearly 2020 already? What happened?

Well, one: I am retiring at the end of this year (2019).

Two: we have a rhododendron bud that's trying to bloom. Earlier in December, it got down to 19 degrees F overnight. Now, we're having highs in the 60s. So, it must be spring, right?

Three: no snow yet.

Four: my brother tried a new way of cooking a turkey: take the backbone out, split the breast bone, and splay it out flat. Cooked in 1.5 hours at about 475 degrees F. Maybe 450? Worked great.

Hoping for higher frequency in posting going forward.

What do you think?

Two foxes near our house earlier this year. A third one is in the bushes.

Well, the winter of 2017 didn't take long to get calibrated as you can see in the attached photos.

Here in the north Georgia piedmont, the plants and the weather are out of phase. Not synchronized. In August, we had a dogwood at the northeast corner of the house bloom for a second time. And now in December 2017, we have a wide variety of summer blooms hanging on, and some winter blooms still coming on. All amongst the falling leaves from oak, hickory, and tulip poplar. Herewith, the December blooms.

In addition to the traditional colors, there are red and white azaleas.

Hydrangeas are way early.

Ginger lilies may normally bloom this time of year, but I'm skeptical.

A lone zinnia among the chestnut oak and Japanese maple leaves.

A great abundance of these, which are frost tolerant to an extreme degree.

In addition, we have winter blooms along side these summer ones.

Fall continues to preview winter. Here are some photographs from around Barbara's garden. The bottom photograph are blooms on a basil plant.

I am taking a break from Face Book for awhile. So be sure to check in here from time to time for updates. Do take a look at Booklocker.com where e-book versions of Dark Are the Steps of Time are still available for the low, low price of $2.99! http://booklocker.com/books/8348.html

Thanks for stopping by.

Photograph by Robert Cetera.