Did you know that tonight, New Year's Eve, is a blue moon??  

When I was growing up, the idea that we'd write the year 2000 sounded like science fiction.  Now, here it is already, the end of the first decade of the first century of the new millennium.  Wow!  Ten years ago, I celebrated with friends and family, at home.  At the stroke of midnight, the world was supposed to plunge into chaos.  Computers and all things computer based were doomed.  Where we gathered to celebrate, it didn't much matter.  There was a lot of snow, food aplenty, no electricity, sledding and a bonfire.  Tonight we have snow, a roaring fire in the wood stove and plenty of power.  After the first round of scallop stuffed mushrooms and champagne, we've eaten nearly our fill.  Seems we don't eat as much as we used to.  The rest of our dinner plans will probably go on hold for tomorrow, extending our holiday.  Nothing wrong with that.  New Year's day is a work day for us.  Holiday decorations must come down before restaurants start serving.  A good dinner waiting when we get home will be perfect.  Besides, by my way of thinking, the holidays continue.  St. Distaff's Day isn't until the 7th.  Tonight is a stop on the way.

I'd like to tell you this picture was taken tonight.  It wasn't.  I took it last week as we passed into Pennsylvania, just before the bridge at Matamoras, at 4:37pm.  The sky was spectacular.  A huge beam of light shot up from the sunset.  I felt sure that if we could only stay and watch, there would be a green flash.   It seemed like the perfect goodbye to the year.

My candles are lit.  A fire will burn all night and into tomorrow's daybreak, carrying light from the old, into the new.  

Happy New Year.