I was paying my annual website fee the other day and thought, yeah, I should update my website!

It’s been an unkind year in some ways. I lost my father in August. I had health issues, including recent bouts of inexplicable dizziness. I had a nerve-racking wait for my Spanish visa with questions about whether I was eligible for a renewal. I had two teeth extracted. Beyond my small life, wars erupted, global warming marched on, the idiot went up in the polls.

Not all the negative things were entirely negative. The two teeth were a bitch, and good riddance. My father had been terribly unhappy and, mercifully, he went gently, not waking up one day and passing away 5-6 days later. I was grateful to be beside him. I got my visa. I had my health issues—now largely gone—checked out. 

I plan to write more about some of these happenings. And the diaries I inherited from my father. And the weather. Spain. Books I read while freaking out about my visa. The book I’ve been working on. Trips I took and art I saw.

Today I got home for the holidays. The Christmas tree is up in the living room and I didn’t have to string the lights this year! Woot. My husband and son hung the decorations around the house. The air is damp and fresh and I have some days free.