At the end of a long and interesting year

Jalál (Glory) 2 Sharaf (Honor), 173 BE - Saturday, December 31, 2016 AD about 11:15 AM Pacific Standard Time. 

I suppose it's a matter of opinion whether 2016 has been an interesting year. I know it's been a stressful which is usually an indication that the year has been interesting. I could have done with less stress, but the year has taught me how to deal with stress. For me the best way to handle stress and worrying is through prayer and writing. I admit to forgetting this sometimes, but normally, given a bit of time, I get back to the proven methods of handling both stress and worry. 

Stress and worry 

Partners on the road of life 

That distract from enjoying 

The mundane pleasures 

Of daily existence. 

I hope to start the New Year's off right through prayer and writing. My Grandmother always said that what you did on New Year's Day you would be doing everyday for the rest of the year.  That why she did only the things she enjoyed on New Year's Day. One of the things Grandma love was to cook, so she would spend part of New Year's Day cooking. Another thing she enjoyed was spending time with her grandchildren and she did that every January 1. 

I don't remember Grandma and Grandpa ever going out on New Year Eve. That might have been because my siblings and myself were staying with them. On New Year's Day we celebrated by having turkey or chicken, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and black eyed peas for lunch. Most of the day was spent playing or watching television. 

Old Traditions or Is It Habits Hard to Break

Fiḍál (Grace), 1 Sharaf (Honour), 170 BE - Tuesday, December 31, 2013 about 9:50 am Pacific Standard Time

Old traditions habits hard to break. I can remember Grandma Mary preparing for New Year's Day, she always finished the laundry on New Year's Eve because she didn't believe in doing laundry on the first day of a New Year. Grandma said "Whatever you do on New Year's Day you'll be doing the rest of the year." That is why she didn't do laundry or most housework on New Year's Day. The only type of household chores she performed on a New Year's Day was making beds and washing dishes.

I seem to find that habit tradition hard to break because today I'm finishing up all the laundry that I can find because I don't want to do laundry tomorrow, January 1, 2014. Another tradition I have difficulty breaking fixing black eyed peas on New Year's Day. When I went to the store yesterday, I purchased one can of black eyed peas for my January 1 menu. Grandma always fixed black eyed peas on the first day of the year.

Normally, Grandma made them from scratch. She would put the dried black eyed peas to soak the night before and then on the morning of January 1 put them onto cook. Grandma usually seasoned the peas she cooked with with pigs feet. I prefer to season mine (when I make them from scratch) with a honey baked ham bone and pieces of the ham. However, this year I'm going to have the canned peas because I have no way to fix the dried ones at this time. Maybe I'll fix black eyed peas in March for Naw-Ruz.

Grandma Mary always fixed black eyed peas on January 1 because she thought they were good luck. I'll have to do some research on that superstition, I don't believe what you eat on the first attracts good luck, but it would be nice to know where the superstition originated.

December 31, 2011 New Years Eve at home

Jalál (Glory), 1 Sharaf (Honor), 168 BE – Friday-Saturday, December 31, 2011 AD about 5:15 AM Pacific Time

This is the first in a series of entries themed “Stay at Home Saturday”. On Saturday, I normally remain at home with Mom. If I leave the house, Mom has to go with me or I have to find someone to stay with her. Any business I do I accomplished Monday through Friday between 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM because Mom is at an Adult Daycare center.

Sometimes staying home with Mom is exciting and sometimes it is mundane. I never know how the day will go. I am never of Mom’s mood. The one thing I can say about Saturday at home with Mom is that it is a blessing. My mother is 90 years old and suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, so sometimes the day getting interesting.

This is Saturday and New Year’s Eve, Mom and I are staying home all day. Tonight, we (or I depending on how early Mom goes to bed) will watch the festivities on television. I am planning to watch all the excitement of the birth of 2012 on Channel 3 KSNV Las Vegas, NV.

New Year’s Eve December 31, 2010

Istiqlál (Independence), 1 Sharaf (Honor), 167 BE – Friday, December 31, 2010 about 1:58 PM Pacific Time

It’s Friday, December 31, the last day of 2010. Tomorrow a new Gregorian year begins. Tonight at midnight, fireworks will celebrate the birth of a New Year. A New Year is a new beginning.

A New Year is full of potential. A New Year is full of promise. A New Year is full of hope. A New Year is a time to make changes. A New Year is a time to move things in the house.

"If you want to change your life, move 27 things in your home."

Author Unknown

One of the items I am moving is my dining room table. In 2007, when my mother got out of the hospital I moved my dining room table into the living room and it is still in my living room. In 2011, I am moving my dining room table back into the dining room. After I move the table, then I will decide on 26 more items to move.

I hope to complete moving all the items by March 21, 2011. However, moving items from one room to another or from one wall to another takes thought. It may take longer then three months to move everything. It may not take three months when I decided on the other items.

December 31, 2007

1 Sharaf 164 B.E. - Monday, December 31, 2007 about 12:48 PM PST

December 31 is when my Grandmother finished her New Year's house cleaning. Grandma was an interesting person, if she couldn't sleep she would get up in the middle of the night and clean house. Just before the beginning of a New Year she would do a mini house cleaning to get the house ready for the coming year.

On New Year's Day Grandma would make the beds and do dishes, but nothing else. All her laundry was finished on December 31, but on New Year's day she wouldn't do laundry. I don't care how many cloths we got dirty on New Year's Day she wouldn't do laundry until January 2.

On January 1 she fixed a big lunch with blackeyed peas, potatoes and gravy, creamed corn and some kind of pie. She did dishes on January 1 because that was part of cooking, but she didn't do much else. January 1 was devoted to visiting with family who came over on that day. Grandma enjoyed having family over on New Years Day.

Tomorrow I'm going to fix blackeyed peas and creamed corn, but I don't know what else. I have a chocolate bunt cake in the cupboard for desert so maybe I'll get ice cream to go with it when we go out. I have to pick Mom's meds up at 2:00 PM today. The pharmacy will be closed tomorrow so we have to get them today. While I'm out I'll get a filter for the central air unit, pigs feet and perhaps some ice cream.