# 283 - Don't Like Surreal New Year's

​Anxious to End 2020!

​Everyone has been eager to be done with 2020! It would actually be fun to celebrate with others, this year. It's a big one. Kind of like the countdown to 2000!

But this is the year of all year's to stay put. We celebrated at home, like most people. Later in the evening we watched the "surreal"  New Year's Eve celebration on TV. There were no crowds.

Starting the Day

​We woke to a dark morning with gushing rain. My cell phone alerted me to a tornado watch until 3 pm.

Later I got a text and then a voicemail, alerting me that our county was in the RED level, for Covid risk. It seemed like a fitting New Year's Eve, for this  unsettling year.

Instead of Resolutions

​I could have taken the rainy day and reflected on our year. But it's depressing thinking of all the sad and the bad of 2020.

I could have thought about the things I've accomplished, but that would have led me to thinking about all the things that I did not achieve in 2020. So... I allowed myself to think for a moment and then I dragged out the dusty sewing machine. (I had to use the guide book, because it's been so long!) Then, I started the bib project I meant to start 5 months ago.

Champagne and Dancing

At 6 pm the evening began. Don shot the cork across the yard and we used my new tripod to capture our toast. We didn't actually get off the couch to  dance. 

Instead, we let Fred and Ginger do the dancing on TV. We turned off the TV sound and and cranked up some New Orleans jazz. That's the kind of entertainment we've grown to love during these isolated months.

Reverse Seared Filets

After some texting and phone chats with our kids, Don got to work with his cooking skills. Don has definitely become a better cook in 2020!

He did an amazing job. I love living with a chef!

Good-bye 2020!

At dinner, we toasted to the end of 2020. 

We talked only a little bit, about our plans for 2021. The world is still uncertain and it's hard to plan. Suddenly we know more people who have recently had Covid. The distribution of vaccines is pretty messed up. Who knows about 2021?

We do know that we'll be welcoming our first grand baby in February! And we know that with careful planning, we'll be with our kids before too long.
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Countdown

A year ago, we dressed up and rang in the New Year at a party. But most of our New Year's are spent at home watching the crowds in Times Square. 

We did the same old thing this year, but it felt a little odd. The public was obviously not allowed to gather.

Only invited guests were allowed to be present for the ball drop. I'm not sure how these frontline workers were chosen, but it was a nice reward for some. 

There were so few people in the streets, that the cameras kept showing the same people. I started to feel like I knew some of these guests. Even with masks, I thought some of the faces revealed thoughtful expressions. What were these people thinking?

It was awkward and sort of funny, at midnight. A few couples  attempted a "kiss" with masks. It looked like they forgot they were wearing masks. There was probably a lot more eye contact at midnight than most years!

Welcome 2021!

We made it! I'm glad Don and I (along with our family) made it to 2021, in good health. 

Don and I also made it (awake) to midnight! The anticipation wasn't the same as greeting 2000, 20 years ago. But it felt good to be awake to say hello to a new year!

I just wish the year could be a blank slate and we could start fresh, with no pandemic or political worries. But it will be better year! We'll step into 2021 with caution and lots of hope!