Tuesday, Jan. 1

Happy New Year! A chance to begin anew, or maybe simply adjust a little. I've made no New Year's resolutions, though there's a lot I'd like to accomplish in 2013. But I've lived long enough to know that life tends to get in the way of my best laid plans, so I think I'll just take it one day at a time, and roll with the punches.

Up around 7:30 this morning, because that's when Hubbie awoke. I would have liked to stay abed a little longer, since it was 1 a.m. before we went to bed, but Hubbie hopped out, so I did, too.

I skipped my exercises, though, and went ahead and got ready for the day. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30 a.m., and we spent time watching the Rose Parade, which was enchanting this year, as the colorful floats followed the Dr. Seuss theme of "Oh,the Places You Will Go."

Later Mother chopped onions and banana peppers, and cubed ham, to put in a pot of blackeyed peas. I set the peas to simmering with spices and chicken broth.

Mother then went to work on her jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie and I occupied ourselves reading our novels. He finished the first novel I put on the e-reader for him, and started a new one.

I finished my novel today, too, and started a new one called, "The Friday Night Knitting Club," about a group of ladies who get together to knit, and share the stories of their lives. The novel I finished, and the one I started today, are print copies.

I still enjoy the feel of a real book in my hands occasionally, though I also like the convenience, ease, and portability of e-books. The thing I don't like about e-books is that I can't lend them to anyone.

Didn't accomplish anything for the day, but then we didn't plan to. We were content to be lazy today.

Later, around 3 p.m., Hubbie peeled potatoes and sliced them in the food processor. I gathered the rest of the ingredients for making potatoes au gratin, and Mother chopped onion, and grated Monterey Jack cheese, while I measured flour, milk, and spices, and got a baking dish ready. Mother layered the ingredients, and I put it in the oven to bake for an hour and a half.

At 4:30, I fixed cornbread, and a dish of spinach. I'm not a real fan of cornbread, so I heated tuscan bread for myself.

Why do we here in the south eat certain foods on New Years Day? There are various themes, but most agree that blackeyed peas are for good luck, though some serve them alone, and some with rice; greens (collard or turnip are preferred, but any green will do) represent folding money. Cabbage is traditional in our state.

Pork (hog jowl is tradtional in the south) represents wealth and health to some, since a hog could feed a family all winter. Others say we eat pork, because pigs can't look backward without turning around, so they are always looking forward, which is what we want to do in the new year. We don't eat chicken, because they scratch backward.

Cornbread represents gold, or wealth, to some, and to others it is simply a reminder to remain humble. Whatever the meanings of the food, everyone agrees that it's delicious and comforting.

Hubbie accompanied Mother home after supper, and then he and I spent the evening watching TV.

Two nights in a row now, we've tried to get in the hot tub. Last night, when I stuck my foot in, I discovered that the water was completely cold. Hubbie thought he'd taken care of the problem, when this afternoon the thermometer read 100 degrees. So I tried again. This time the water was warm, but just barely, at 90 degrees, and cold water was coming out of the jets. We don't know what is wrong with the tub, but hope it's not on its last legs.