Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Papa Pea and I traditionally spend New Year's Eve home sipping a glass or two of liquid libation of our choice in front of an open fire.  Last night for the first time in ages, we ventured out to friends' home for a wonderful dinner and an evening of good conversation and visiting.

We dined on a luscious venison roast with potatoes, squash and carrots done in a crock pot.  The homemade biscuits were to die for.  (I stuffed in two because they were so good.  Keep in mind that I rarely eat any bread with a meal because it fills me up so much I can't enjoy everything else.)  A fresh spinach, orange, raspberry and toasted nut salad with a wonderful dressing rounded out the main meal.  For dessert our hostess made what she said was "the special" treat when she was growing up:  homemade gingerbread with applesauce (made that afternoon) on top and a mound of whipped cream.  What a meal!

Did we all ring in the New Year together at midnight?  Nope.  Even though they are 20 years younger than we, the yawns started appearing fast and furiously all around near 9 o'clock and the two of us were back home here at 9:30.  Pathetic?  Nah.  It could hardly have been a nicer evening, and there was literally no one on the roads (tipsy or sober!) when we drove home at that hour.

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Papa Pea and Chicken Mama are off for some work at Swamp River Ridge today.  I was excused from duty so promised them a yummy dinner tonight when they return.  We have sunshine (hooray!) again today but the temp is in the single digits so it will be cold for them working out there, even in the house, as there is no longer any heat hooked up.  But we're tough up here and know how to dress for cold weather.  I was remembering this morning when we first moved up here.  During one January, the temp plunged to -25 and stayed there for TWO WEEKS.  Fortunately, we had a heavy snow cover that year which helped insulate everything.

Since I'm spending my day at home, I plan on taking down all the holiday decorations.  The tree is denuded and tossed outside already.  If I succeed in my endeavor, it will be the earliest I've ever accomplished the task.  I usually put it off for about a week after New Year's Day because 1) I'm so reluctant to let go of all the glitter and sparkling lights, and 2) it's such a big job that I avoid it like the plague.

But I'm not making any progress as I sit here typing so I'd better wrap this up.

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Wonderful, warm wishes to all of you for the coming New Year!  Let's all do our best to make 2013 a good one. 

32 comments:

You Can Call Me Jane said...

Happy New Year to you, Mama Pea! We got our tree and decorations down today, too, and it feels good. Now, I'm sacked out on the couch trying to rest my sore throat away. Enjoy the rest of your first day of 2013!

Carolyn said...

We took our Christmas glitter stuff down yesterday....and it is kind'a gloomy now :(

Seriously, do you Northern folk have your blood plasma replaced with antifreze when you move up there? Nuts. You're all frekking nuts I tell ya.

2013 is gonn'a ROCK!

DFW said...

Happy New Year to you & Papa Pea.

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

Happy 2013 to you and yours!

2 Tramps said...

Thanks for all your inspiring posts in 2012.

Wishing you the very best in 2013!

Sparkless said...

Happy New Year Mama and Papa Pea! It sounds like your New Year's evening went rather well and it's a wise person who knows when it's time to go to bed. We usually take our decorations down before New Year but this year we are lazy and have left them up. I think we'll take them down tomorrow when the husband is home. That way he can lug the heavy boxes up and down the stairs and I don't have to do it. lol!

Susan said...

My Christmas decorations (such as they were) were down by the end of Boxing Day. I wish you, Papa and Baby Pea the best year ever - I hope that it outshines all the rest! xoxo

Mama Pea said...

I'll Call You Jane - The very best of New Year's wishes to you and yours! I succeeded in getting all the decorations down but no "winter" decorations up in their place yet. The house does, indeed, look drab, bare and warehouse-y!

Oh, do take care of that sore throat. Lots of Vit. C and non-sugar liquids going through your system to flush the bad germies out.

Mama Pea said...

Carolyn - Aw, you're just jealous 'cause you don't get the chance to put on so many clothes that you get mistaken for the Pillsbury Dough Boy as I do from December through February!

Hip-hip-hooray for 2013 . . . a good GARDENING year, for sure!

Mama Pea said...

DFW - The same to you and yours, Bloggy Friend!

Mama Pea said...

Jane - I'm predicting some big changes for you and that Italian Ice Man in 2013! And I MISS YOU!

Mama Pea said...

2 Tramps - My posts? Inspiring? Are you sure you've been reading MY posts??

Seriously, what a nice thing for you to say. I appreciate it . . . and I appreciate your comments a lot!

Mama Pea said...

Sparkless - Wise woman you be for waiting until your hubby can help tomorrow. Doing the job here meant suiting up (cold out there today!) three different times to take boxes back to the storage shed. Puff-puff. At least I got my exercise and fresh air though.

Mama Pea said...

Susan - Such a nice wish. Sending the same back to you, Special Lady.

Sorry I let your birthday sneak up on me without sending you a greeting via snail mail. (Geesh, a January 1st birthday can't be the best day if you could choose one. December 25th would be worse though.) Hope you had a wonderful day!

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year to you, Papa Pea and Chicken Mama :) I hope it is blessed beyond measure for you all!

Tombstone Livestock said...

Could you send me the recipe for the anti-freeze you been drinkin', it's supposed to get down into the 20's and I am freezing in the 30's, there I go whining already, either too cold or too hot. Midnight tonight we go into a NO BURN MODE, better go stoke up the fire and get the most out of it before I have to let it burn out.

Happy New Year to everyone in the Pea Patch, stay warm, stay dry and have fun.

Anonymous said...

Happy 2013 to you, Papa Pea and Chicken Mama... I was up til after midnight, but protesting it all the way.

Erin said...

That sounds like the perfect New Year's Eve, including the early bedtime! I'm glad you were able to relax and enjoy!

Jenyfer Matthews said...

The year I visited in the winter (Dec 2009) there was abundant snow and -20F nearly the entire time we were there. That was the year I fell in love with snowshoeing and the kids spent almost all day every day outside in the snow. Presently here in mid-Mi we have only a dusting of snow and the kids are spending nearly all their time in the basement...

Cat Eye Cottage said...

Happy new year! Wow, single digits! We're at 59 right now.

Sherry said...

I'm so slow this year, My tree is still up... and I went to bed at 9 on New Years.... what a year this will be.

FoxyLady said...

Plus, with all the work to decorate for the Christmas season, it seems a shame to get rid of it too fast. I don't start on Thanksgiving with my decor.
Sounds like a wonderful meal. Nothing like good homemade stuff, especially if it is from around here. :)
Happy New year! Foxy Lady

judy said...

happy new years

Mama Pea said...

Stephanie - And I hope this new year finds you living on your own piece of land. You've dreamed of it for so long, let's hope it becomes a reality in 2013!

Mama Pea said...

Tombstone Livestock - I think you should come live with us for a month. That would enable you to go back home and think your dips into the 20s were down right balmy!

Best wishes to you and all your animals for a simply wonderful New Year of 2013!

Mama Pea said...

Ruth - I think I celebrated my new year by staying up until half past midnight last night (Friday, the 4th)! But who says we have to ring in the new year at midnight on the 31st/1st? Wouldn't it be just as effective the morning of the 1st when we get up? (Or does this just indicate I am no longer young and in the party mode?)

Mama Pea said...

Erin - Sending the very best good wishes to you and your hubby and boys for 2013. (I do realize it would be much, much, much better though if there wasn't a deployment involved! Drat and dang.)

Mama Pea said...

Jennifer - As you know, when we get down to -20 it's usually a very dry cold with sunshine and that doesn't feel nearly as uncomfortable as 20 above with moisture in the air.

Guess it's all relative, as they say, huh?

Mama Pea said...

The Weekend Homesteader - Fifty-nine??! Gosh, that's June temperatures for us! (Well, not quite, but close!) Happy New Year!

Mama Pea said...

Blackberry Brambles - I'm glad my holiday decorations are down and stowed away . . . but I'm still missing looking at the tree whenever I walk by that spot. Are we never happy? (Hee-hee.)

Mama Pea said...

FoxyLady - I know what you mean. There are people who put up their tree on Christmas Eve and take it down again before New Year's. Whadda waste!

Our wonderful meal was indeed local. From their garden (except for the fresh spinach) and the venison was harvested from their own woods. (Maybe that's why it tasted so good!)

Mama Pea said...

judy - And the very best wishes for a good new year to you and yours, m'dear!