A Fresh Start

I want to pop onto Bloggy one last time in 2021, just to bid formal adieu to a pretty funky year that was preceded by another pretty funky year. Since three’s the charm, it’ll be better this go ’round, right?

New Year’s Eve is hours away. This morning Ma asked me if I had any resolutions. Nope. In this time of uncertainty, ambitious aspirations are beyond me. Instead, I’m taking a wait-and-see approach.

For no known reason, Ma and I then went on to hypothesize about the derivation of “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” Perhaps, the Internet tells us, its source is St. Jerome in about about CE 400, when he wrote, Noli equi dentes inspicere donati: Never inspect the teeth of a horse someone has given you. I started to wonder if people used to give each other horses for every occasion—you know, because otherwise why do gift horses have their own proverb?—and I imagined what a person rude enough to look into an equine maw would see.

Ember arrives tomorrow, on New Year’s Day! The plan had been for her whole family to come down here to drop her off, and then turn around and drive right back to Chico, 2.75 or more hours each way. Instead, I offered to meet them at noon at a spot midway (actually, they have the longer leg but I’ve got the route with heavier traffic).

In the meantime, I’ve cleared out even more space for Em’s stuff, printed out an allowance chart, and found little ways to welcome her.

Yesterday I laid in Good Eggs groceries for the week. As a treat, I ordered a single package of a soft cheese I like. Generous folks that they are, they sent me this instead:

(My daughters and neighbors were beneficiaries of this unexpected windfall.)

I’ve also developed a highly sophisticated system for Em to stash each day’s mask after school (and then not touch it for a week before reusing)…

Finally, laying the groundwork for our time together, I’ve come up with a few things that Em and I need to talk about before we set out together on our cohabitation adventure. But what could be more boring than to plunk yourself down and go over some dumb list. Instead, at intervals this weekend, she’ll pick and read one of these pearls of wisdom.

And if all goes according to schedule, 24 hours from now—Saturday afternoon—my new little companion and I should just be returning from our walk to her new school, having checked out the playground, found her classroom, and picked up the free Covid test kit they’re giving each student. The district wants (but can’t require) every kid to get a negative test right before starting school, so we’ll do that Sunday. Monday, she sets foot in a classroom for the first time in 22 months!

And so we release 2021 with fervent wishes for a better 2022, whatever form that takes. I sincerely hope that you, my elite handful of readers, will also continue to get through yours days, in the best of health and with as much happiness (or at least contentment) as you can muster. See you around the bend.