Our amaryllis is blooming! Isn’t it lovely?

We (er, Lee) planted it just after Thanksgiving and today it finally decided to show us its colors.

What a wonderful surprise when we are in the middle of blah winter weather!

Three Kings Day in the time of COVID-19

We were supposed to hold our used-to-be-annual Three Kings Day Open House this coming Sunday, January 9th.  We usually celebrate it on the Sunday closest to the 6th of January, however, since this year that would have fallen on January 2nd, we felt it was too close to New Year's, and people might need a few days to recover.  Well, it became a moot point anyway since the Omicron variant is currently running rampant in our country.  COVID cases are on the rise once again, and it's just too risky to entertain a large gathering under the circumstances.

Today also marks the one-year anniversary of the assault on our Capitol, and in the ensuing year, we have learned a great deal more about the insurrection, with sadly more revelations to come.  We came very close to losing our democracy that day.

And yet, when I begin to despair, I'm reminded of the light of God, and the goodness that still exists in the world, and the ability of some people to simply cheer us up.  My friend, Patti, gave me these beautiful ornaments for our tree.  She knows how I've always celebrated Epiphany, and how much I love the Kings.

We may not be able to celebrate together this year the arrival of the Magi, but we feel their spirit and their message of love.  There's always enlightenment.

Happy New 2022

 A new year "Good Luck dinner, because if we ever needed some good luck, now is the time!  So, I amped my chances with the Three Johns:  Hoppin' John, Jalapeño Johnny Cake, and my son, John, who is visiting and was our First Footer this year.

May the pandemic subside, may our political leaders return to sanity.  Health, wealth and happiness to all my friends and family!