Had a full, fun, last day of 2010. Ellen came early, we all took kids to park, then did some shopping in town. After, Mike, Ellen, children, and I went to niece Carolyn's new house, and what a terrific it one it is. Besides a great layout, it has a wonderful backyard. After visiting there awhile (and eating several tiny, but good tangerines right off their tree), we invited them all to celebrate the New Year (east coast time), then went back, stopping to get shrimp and so on for dinner. El and I went to get ingredients for Margaritas. The G.'s got here about 6:00 and we all had great cheeses and salsa for appetizers--along with Ellen's Margarita's for those of us who indulge--followed by a delicious shrimp and pasta dinner, courtesy of Vickie and Paula, topped off with Ellen's brownies--yum!
At 9:00 here, midnight in NYC, we toasted 2011, Betty and the G's left, and we fell into bed (I did, anyway). Ellen is staying in the guest house and is still asleep. Soon, we'll all pack up and I'll go back to her place, the others to San Francisco, then back to Singapore.
What a terrific vacation!

Spent time tweaking the profile on the Z.'s and e-mailed it to them so they could check for errors. Did more on "Notes From A Vanished Past," this one on the piano lessons Betty and I took from Sister Felicita. Drove to Staples to duplicate some childhood pics for my brothers. If I had a scanner, I'd put them on here, but I don't
Left for the L.'s party at 3:00 (theirs always start at 4:00) and what a very good time I had. The group they invite every year is sadly depleted: Pat is gone, of course, and last night, Barbara and Frank J., stalwarts other years, were absent. Flo said Frank was having great difficulty walking--I'm not sure the cause. Kate S. and Danny came--I see them once every year--and she's painfully thin. She had broken both her hip and her knee about 18 months ago and isn't completely recovered. Ironically, she broke the hip when she fell going down the steps at home to visit Danny in the hospital. He has cancer--still being treated--but he's as full of fun, jokes, and laughs as ever. The other widows, Rita and Audrey (it always comes as a shock to realize I'm in that category) were there and we generally had a ball.
I had only two glasses of wine, because it's a fairly long drive home, and I ate a lot. Flo and Joe had again hired a guy to play his keyboard in the background, which they've done for the past two years. Only problem with that is, it's a little loud and it makes talking and hearing a bit of a strain, but it's enjoyable anyway.
After dinner, we exchanged the $5 gifts we're always told to bring. I got a snuggle-blanket or whatever the hell they're called, which I can't use. We're allowed to take something received by another person, so I exchanged it for a big red serving plate with Santa's belt on it. I need that like a hole in the head, but I'm nothing if not impractical, and it's really cute.
Good fun among good friends, almost all of whom are Holy Spirit grads from or around Pat's class. The L.'s have been hosting this gathering for ten years; Pat and I started being invited eight years ago and I haven't missed at all. It's so good to have close friends like this, in addition to those I see often.
Got home before 8:00 and, having enjoyed the L.'s party, understand that the holiday season is officially open.

Spent a lot of time cooking and assembling my contributions to Easter dinner today, first changing my bed and doing wash. I had bought about four pounds of beautiful white mushrooms the other day and decided to bring them. Got a good recipe and marinated them. Hard-boiled the eggs for devilling later, and prepared the ingredients for the trifle. Will finish assembling it this morning.
Susan came to the door with the pretty pink tulip plant--so nice and so spring-y. Was pleased to receive cam calls from P. and N., then from Mike and the precious little girls. Vivian talked about going into first grade (in the fall) and Violet looked adorable with her China doll haircut. Got a good long e-mail from Ellen, who's been getting her garden in shape during her week off. Will hear from her tonight, too.
Susan and I are skipping our walk today, in order to prepare. Must go--to assemble the trifle and finish up other chores. Happy Easter to all!

First day of the new year and the new decade--guess I should feel all philosophical and melancholy and wistful or something, but I don't and the hell with that stuff.
Spent a quiet, but pleasant day. Ellen slept late and I went for a walk. Later, we stopped at a stand and bought lots of vegetables and fruit right from the grower. Only a few minutes from Ellen's home are fields planted with spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, and a multitude of other goodies, not to mention the dozens of orchards with oranges, lemons, limes,and avocados--what a bonanza. When we got home, I made a big salad and cooked spaghetti squash which, along with Ellen's wonderful lentil soup, we had for dinner.
We rented movies and spent the evening watching the futuristic "District 9." Really, really lousy and non-engaging. Also rented "Steel Magnolias," as I want to start studying the parts I'm going to back up, but we haven't looked at it yet.
P. and N. called on Skype to wish us happy new year. I noticed that lots of people wrote on Facebook they hadn't had a good 2009 and they hope 2010 will be better. Well, of course, I feel the same way for obvious reasons. For now, though, I'm doing all right.
(Darn! I wasn't going to comment on the old or new year or the turn of the decade, or whatever! Can't believe that two minutes later, I did....)
The big news: We're planning to pack a picnic lunch and go to Ojai today.
WIDER: If you never read anything else about the 2000s, read this by Robert Freeman, published today in CommonDreams.com:
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/01/01-0