You would think that after 64 years of living on this earth, I would have something wise and wonderful to say on the eve of the turn of the century/millenium.But no, nothing but ramblings. I have to admit, that for many years now, DB and I have been in bed asleep as the year has turned. We go out to celebrate with Lyra and her family at dinner, then come home, try in vain to stay awake, and give up about 10:30 or 11 and go to sleep. This year will be different. This year we go to Lyra's, after having dinner in a restaurant with her, her family, and Jackson's family; this year I expect to see the New Year in. I figure, I would be embarrassed to tell a Great Grandchild that I slept through this momentous occasion. Besides, we will have champagne to toast with. Surely that's worth staying up for. Seriously, I'm glad we'll be with Lyra, et al. I just wish the rest of the children could be there too. I'm not even sure where DJ and his family are; they went to Mexico for Christmas, and I don't know when they will return. My Grandmother N., and DB's mother lived through a century turn. DB's mother was only 4, so I'm sure she didn't remember anything about it. I never thought to ask. Grandma N. was 20 when the 20th century dawned. We did talk about the changes she had seen, but never about the significance of the New Year's Eve, 1899. I wish she had kept a journal of some kind. She wrote copiously to friends and far-away family, but was very terse when it came to her autobiography. My Aunt encouraged her to write this tome, so she worked on it when she was in her late 80's. It is so tantalizing; she breezes by some little hints of delicious bits of information, then never refers to them again. The most frustrating sentence, however, ended the essay: "Then I got married and my children were born, but I don't have to write about that, because you know all about it!" (paraphrased) Well, I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT! And even my Aunt laughed ruefully. Grandma just couldn't conceive that someone might really be interested in what her life had been like. So, I keep this journal partly because maybe someday a grandchild or great grandchild will be interested in what I did or thought (or didn't do, or didn't think!). And if not, oh well. I've had the pleasure of writing, anyway. As for Y2K, I've said before that I always have a little emergency shelf, a habit left over from the atom bomb scares. I did add 5 gallons of water to it, which I can use in the camper come spring. I've spent many days without electricity and/or water in my past, and it doesn't frighten me. What does frighten me a bit (but I won't lose any sleep over it)is the thought that a crazy, terrorist or otherwise, could really do some damage, like blowing up the Niagara Falls grid. Now THAT would be a calamity. We spent an overnight in Canada this week, at our favorite little Inn in Merrickville, and attended a "Millenium" Open House. It was fun; no gloom or doom there. The house is beautiful, sitting at the end of a long lane and on the edge of a lovely lake. There were 60 people there, 18 of them 12 and under, but the house has three major "gathering" areas, plus a big upstairs room for the children to play in, a skating area on the frozen lake in the back of the house, and a heated shed with a pingpong table. Consequently, we didn't notice just how many there were, and we were able to have conversations, sitting in comfortable chairs. Our hosts did this all with equanimity. (Did I mention that this Open House lasts from December 28 through January 2?). However, when the hostess was asked if this would become an annual "do", she laughed and said, "Only once in a millenium!" Happy New Year, Spirit, family, and friends!
I'm sitting here, drinking my spicy coffee with half-and-half, waiting for the Millenium Muse to strike with some sage thoughts...I'm sitting here, my coffee gone, waiting for the MM to strike with some thoughtful thoughts...I'm getting no thoughts, other than it is beastly cold out here in theWork station.
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