Woke to the sound of rain this morning. It’s still coming down, in a slow, measured pace. And it’s a cold rain, which makes little difference to the ground or the bluebonnets in the back pasture, and they are profuse.

One day in 1963 my journalism teacher suggested I contact the Houston Chronicle about becoming a stringer, covering high school football. I did. I got the job. That started a relationship with the Chronicle that lasted ten years.

Bought a book yesterday. It’s sure to keep me up nights. The Anatomy of a Paleozoic Basin: The Permian Basin, USA. I mean, we’re talking about a story that happens over the course of 540 million years.

There’s a bracing chill in the air this morning. The trash can was dutifully hauled to the street, and the cats fed. The latter’s dish was on the ground when I went out. a sure sign the raccoons were last to feed. I’ve encountered a possum or two, but raccoons bring families to the diner, and they’re boisterous.

It’s a moist morning. Fog. Low hanging clouds. We get a west wind later today. And our fire danger goes up. I was hoping for a wetter winter. But hope when it pertains to the weather is just that.

Felt like I could fly yesterday. A bit. Got good news. The old AAA, my abdominal aortic aneurysm, is stable. No signs of leakage or growth.

My new schedule seems to be agreeing with me. Weekends are free of alarm clocks and the pressure of writing. Weekdays still find me at the keyboard before daylight, but I’m sleeping later and better so that’s a win.

Normally, when I visit my son no one is up when I get up. So, it’s quiet and I write in silence. This morning everyone is up. The dog has gone out to do it’s business twice. Coffee is being brewed. Conversations are flowing and I’m having a devil of a time concentrating.

A weird thing happened on the way to spring. I took down the Christmas decorations. Packed them all away. The cleaning lady came. Presto. My house went from Christmas bright to being a clean, well lit place…

Went for another walk through my little town yesterday. Spotted another house for sale. This was by owner. That makes two within two blocks of each other.

Yesterday was a good day. All the Christmas decorations are down. Most of them are stored in the attic. I worked until I lost the light. And you lose the light early these days.

Christmas is officially over. January 6, the holiday’s 12th day is past. I have turned off the outside lights, and I’m starting, today, to dismantle the tree and take down decorations.

I remember the outrage, when we lived south of Alvin outside Houston, at the proposed route for the Grand Parkway. It was coming close. People were up in arms because it would destroy the countryside, the very reason they moved there.

I had a good day on the golf course yesterday. I got invited to fill in a foursome. Mostly guys around my age, and older. We played best ball which meant all four of us hit and then we played the best shot.

The full moon is coming. I like full moons. It came to my attention last night. I woke at an early hour and noticed the pasture bathed in soft light.

We built our home in 2009. As with most homes, it has aged. Most particularly, light bulbs have gone out. Usually, it’s an easy repair. The under cabinet lights, however, were another matter.

What I did on the first day of the new year. Talked to a dear friend. Talked to my daughter just home from Maine. Napped in my recliner. Watched a bit of TV. Ate some lunch. Walked down Back Forty road.

The end of the year. Surprising how much importance we attach to it. It’s just a day. In a long line of days. On a planet that is billions of years old.

We near the end of the ninth year for these little essays. It is a record setting year, and it’s not quite done.