New Year...

...means looking forward. But first, I file a few memories.

Spending her first Christmas season inside, Tickles (our outdoor cat) became fascinated with our Norwegian tree. One morning I found a styrofoam mouse lying on the floor – its rump, ears and nose scattered across the carpet. A few dabs of glue made the mouse whole. Teeth marks proved its viking roots – able to withstand battle... albeit with a cat.

Tickles battled not only the mouse but also the nisse. I watched her sitting on the floor, staring into the eyes of the gnome doll before she jumped up and swatted it to the floor. The incident explained why the nisse kept "falling out" of the tree.

This new stove replaces our 23-year-old model. It had a faulty oven element and two bad burners. For two months, I had to bake everything between 400-450ºF. The boys would often yell, "Mom! There's smoke coming out of the oven."

But, the last straw came days before Christmas. I was frying hamburger when one burner shot out sparks and arced a welding spot on my pan.

Arriving at our home the Saturday before Christmas, this new model made baking Swedish tea rings a pleasure.

This New Year's afternoon/eve, I spent home alone.

Because he felt ill, Dan stayed home alone on Christmas Day. I took the boys to his parents' to celebrate with his siblings and their families. When the boys and I returned about 8 pm, Dan said, "The best gift I got this year was six hours of peace and quiet – to read uninterrupted."

Understandable for the man who comes home to chatter after hours of the same at work. Occasional solitude promotes good health.

Today we exchanged. Dan took the boys to his parents' home to celebrate the end of Christmas vacation. Rather than read, I photographed and wrote letters – thanking my Nordic friends and families for gifts, such as these glass angels made in my adopted-home community in Norway.

As the New Year sun set, I broke to watch the colors. I grabbed my camera and caught the view through my bedroom window – where there hung a Nordic heart ornament from another season long ago...

About 8 pm, Dan and the boys came home.

This time I thanked him for giving me
the gift of solitude –
to share with you!

Time to move forward. Happy New Year.