That Time of the Year

 

That time of the year has come again, the time when I seriously think about making New Year’s resolutions and, after taking a quick inventory of my track record, drop that idea like a hot potato.

I focus on realistic tasks and start with changing calendars. After digging through the paperwork piles on my desk, I come up with four calendars for 2019. They are colorful, easy to read, and I’m proud to say each one was free!

You well might ask, why I need four calendars. My answer is easy. One goes in the kitchen, one in my office and one is a “floater.” This calendar usually ends up on the dining room table. Appointments and important events are recorded here. The idea is for me to be more organized. Does it work? Kind of.

While on the topic of calendars, I must confess that I’m still old-school when it comes to address books and monthly planners. I wasn’t aware of this until a recent meeting when everyone hauled out their phones and tapped in the time and place of our next get-together.

I dug around in my purse for my nice little paper monthly planner, chuckling about how easy it was to use until I couldn’t find a pen.

This is the time of the year when seed catalogs fill my post office box as well as my email box. I check out the new one, titled Shumways. It’s large, and the cover is colorful, but, with the exception of the first and last four pages, the print is black and white. Not as enticing as other catalogs, yet an ad for “Pumpkin on a Stick,” catches my eyes. It’s labeled as an unusual eggplant.

Tempting as it is to think of ordering the seeds, my common sense reminds me I’ve never had luck growing any kind of eggplant, why would this one fare any better?

I close the pages, toss the catalog in my recycling bin.

My final task of 2018 is to finish addressing Christmas cards. A little late, but necessary. Most everyone has stopped practicing this custom.

However, I received perhaps 20 cards this year, mostly from older cousins and a few long-time friends, and I’m not ready to give up this old tradition. Five names remain on my list so I will scurry to get them addressed. It’d be nice to get them in the mail before the New Year arrives.