we contemplated whether it would be better

to freeze to death, die of carbon monoxide poisoning

[as it seemed the fancy stove’s “spark” arrestor had become a very effective “smoke” arrestor],

fall off the roof trying to fix it

or,*

indulgent of dogs on the last days of the year,

just not light the fire, cook a goose for friends dear and be done with it.

So the New Decade began, despite having begun New Year’s dinner as New Year’s arrived in London and finishing around New York’s, with a somewhat subdued slog through the snows

after which, revived by Lunch, we proceeded next door to Muffin’s

for an afternoon of overly tempting potluck hors d’oeuvres which rendered me indigestive

through the night.   The morning stomach was ok although, seriously surprised by snow,

I was maybe not totally ok with having to venture off the mountain, into Walsenburg and thence to La Veta with weather continuing inclement until most of the way through an informatively

enjoyable lunch at the Bakery with Adrienne [who’d started the place with Mary years ago although long since passed it on to new owners] and an interesting cast of random tablemates

with whom to discuss the ravages of the Spring Fire [not shown and no that isn’t, below, a volcanic eruption],  Irish Wolfhounds, Border Collies, road closures and much else.

Afterwards, everything having seemingly miraculously cleared off, we made a swift snowy trip

home where people, perfectly behaved in our absence, were very happy to Get Out.

The morning after that adventure we investigated birdprints in the snow before Dan

came over from DKD and in his dual capacity as Buddhist and Engineer analyzed and sorted out our temperamental stove**.  This we subsequently celebrated with New Year’s goose-adillas on the porch, a good beginning to a good [?] year…at least until the News,

certain to be enthusiastically received by the nation’s ardent Foxheads for whom extracurricular extraterritorial assassinations of foreign dignitaries deemed terrorists by their Presidente Superiore***and the distinct possibility of a newly profitable extension to the Endless War begun in 2001 in response to the attack on the World Trade Center****will be most welcome.  Meanwhile I, obviously having partaken of a different kool-aid and considerably less sanguine,

look at el Presidente Superiore’s extra-illegal *** acts and draw the immediate conclusion that he’s again acting as the Saudis’ fuckwit puppet and, worse yet, about to commit my son’s old outfit the 82nd Airborne to the mercenary perpetuation of their regional ambitions…wholly owned, directed and for the benefit of the Kingdom [to which Trump, needless to say, is endlessly in thrall] but paid for and armed by you ‘n’ me, fellow citizens willingly, unwillingly, Foxheads or not.

Nonetheless we have ignition, port by the fireside, any port in a storm…

Happy New Year, Merry Everything and to all a Good Night!

 

[except…]

*or merely be listed as a stalwart and effective resistor to Foreign [i.e. U.S.] Invaders anywhere in the world, anytime…

**which turned out to be just that; overly complicated interior venting nearly impossible to properly adjust and not the much maligned spark arrestor at all

***When will the World Court see fit to impose sanctions on the Unsurpassed Stupidity of America?  Hah.

****orchestrated, strangely, by a bunch of mainly Saudis, which allowed the Bushwhack Crew to immediately insert their agenda [aka the “Patriot Act”, oiled up and ready to go] and for some reason run off to invade and impose Demockery on not only Afghanistan but Iraq as well. Yeah, right; “Operation Enduring Freedom”.  So what more can we expect from Rogue States ‘R’ Us in the coming year, folks? I hate to ask, but whatever it is, it’s coming down the pike, like…