Thinking back over the year

Each year I complete a year-end survey that Kelly uses. So when Sunday Stealing posted, Thinking back over the year, I was thinking about skipping it.

But then I pondered, “What if I come up with DIFFERENT answers to some of the repeated questions?” Ooo, fun! I’ll probably post the Kelly iteration, which I’ve already completed, on the 1st or 2nd of January.

 What did you do this year that you had not done before?

Play Wordle and several other word games. I wrote about that here and will address this again soon after I reach game #300.

Did you keep your New Year’s Resolutions/goals for the year, and will you make/set more for next year?  What are they? What are your new ones?

I had never found making resolutions particularly useful except a couple of times when I decided to leave two different jobs.

What was the best book you read this year?  How many did you read?

I started LOTS of books. I skimmed a great deal, especially regarding baseball. This is because my cousin-in-law, Diane, gave me a bunch from the collection of her late husband, Jack, whom I liked greatly. So I had to decide what would be shelved on the second floor, which I could access readily; these tended to be statistics. The rest go to the attic, where I actually have more bookcases!

The health of others

Did anyone you know die? Or have a serious illness/injury?

Several passed away, who I’ll mention next week. I’m going to write about one who died in December.

Fran Allee (pictured) was a real force at my previous church for many years, elegant, eloquent, and intelligent. Over three decades, she cooked hundreds of church meals and even nudged me to make dinners for 40 people. The Thursday before Thanksgiving, she would make seven different types of stuffing, and they were all delicious.

Each summer, for years, she had several people out to her cottage about 40 minutes from Albany, NY. This involved a Bible study led by Jim Kalas, who also died this year.

Her marriage to her widowed old friend Jack in her late 60s ended when he passed away less than two years later. She was 104 when she died!

Two friends, one from church and a hearts buddy, dealt with cancer this year. The latter reportedly is much better. The former is home for the holidays from the hospital as they respond well to ongoing treatment.

A church friend who I haven’t seen all year because of various injuries, but we believe they’ll be back early next year.

Oh, and my wife’s cellulitis, described in part here.

What places have you visited?

I didn’t go anywhere outside Massachusetts and New York State in 2022.

Any new pets? Lost a pet?

No, and no.

Desire

What would you like to have next year that you lacked this year (doesn’t have to be a physical thing, i.e., love, job security, peace of mind…)?

I just watched a CBS News piece on Watergate that I had recorded six months ago about President Richard Nixon’s downfall in 1974. I would love to have the U.S. Republican Party comparable to that back then, with members who put principle over party instead of supporting terrible candidates (US Senate candidate Herschel Walker, e.g.) and tolerating intolerable public officials (Congressperson Marjorie Taylor Greene, for one).

What date from this year will remain etched in your memory and why?

June 13. My daughter and I went to Carnegie Hall, which I noted here.

What was your biggest achievement this year?

Helping to get some new folks on the FFAPL board.

Did you get sick or injured?

My whole family had COVID in late August, which I wrote about here. It wasn’t that bad, truth to tell, but I’d been inoculated frequently.

What was the best thing you bought?

Music.

Where did most of your disposable income (money left over after paying for food, medical care, basic clothing, transportation, and shelter) go?

Music.