Happy freakin' New year!

Actually, your curmudgeon is in an uncharacterisically good mood here in the last hours of the year and decade.
The fact that 2009 and this decade are actually, finally, ending has something to do with it.
Foolishly, I always expect the next year to be better.
Well, sometimes it is, just enough times for me to keep up the expectation. But really, I'm getting to the age where any year in which I am still alive is pretty much a good year.
I had all my children here for Christmas. (Seems funny to call them children, they are all in their thirties)
Also my son-in-law and his mother, a delightful woman. Her husband is a doctor and had emergency room duty all Christmas, so she came up here rather than sit home alone. We all had a good time and ate copious amounts of food, most of which son-in-law Jerome and children cooked. There were presents exchanged, but that was the least part, nice as it was, of the holiday.
There was a very nice Christmas eve candle light service at the church, and this past Sunday we had our 45th annual Messiah Sing. Getting this thing on is one of my biggest responsibilities of the year. I put in some sweat and worry, but it seems to all work out. I have people who love to come to be soloists, a good organist, a great conductor/friend, and a lovely woman who takes care of refreshments for the crowd afterwards. All chorus and orchestra are volunteers, many who come year after year for this. When the music starts I am just about as happy as I get.
Here is a little video my daughter shot of the "For unto us" chorus.



I love this piece. It's nice to have a remembrance of the performance.

Sooo,
I wish a happier and more satisfying new year to both my readers, and hope they find something more constructive to do than read my meandering wailings. And a happy and better new year to all those out there who are struggling with disease, joblessness, and worry; and to all those making an effort to make this world a better place than it is.
God bless everyone—with no exceptions.
Cheers.