Year-End Review

It's time to put a pin in 2021 and relegate it to either the dustbin of history or the bonfire of public health.  Here are a few thoughts that I'm drafting rather extemporaneously during the week leading up to January 1, 2022.  

When I flip back through the early January posts, I'm impressed at how much detail I put into each day's writeup.  I'm sadly reminded that unbeknownst to us, we would lose Paddy this year.  The aftermath of the November elections would shake the world and vaccines would finally become available to most Americans.  At the time, we couldn't foresee (but should have guessed) that Delta and eventually Omicron would appear.  

2021 Saw my baguette skilz mature. 

In the Botanic Garden, they closed to the public even outdoor areas on Mondays and Tuesdays for the first half of the year.  As the Plant Label Guy, I was able to go in on Monday and get a little labeling, engraving, or mapping done.  I held back from Nature's Notebook until after I was fully vaccinated in April.  Since then I've been taking my usual place in the rotation.  

The CWG in November

February brought abnormally warm weather and then snow followed by a bitter cold snap.  I kept busy with NM Native Plants and my monthly rare plant essay on FB.  Monthly presentations to the Bonsai Club continued as well as participation in 3rd Saturday workshops via Zoom.  

A late season storm brought cold and snow to much of NM.  We only got a wee drizzle in ABQ, but between that and the October 2019 freeze, there was damage to some bonsai.  Later in early June, a freakish hail storm would further damage the broadleaf bonsai and other garden plants.  

Construction on the house next door continued and by April, with the back wall completed, we could start on the raised bed.  It was quite successful and we continue to experiment with its unusual combination of sun and shade.  

I hit 50,000,000 AP in Ingress on May 23rd and decided to recurse, setting things back to zero.  Since then I've managed to climb back to level 11, a happy (and powerful) state of affairs.  I continue to enjoy Ingress due to its combination of enjoyable and surprising portal locations and the spatial awareness that it requires.  Perhaps it will stave off dementia.  

By June tours had resumed at the Garden and by July we had held a NW Abq PAG picnic at the Matthew Meadow Park.  Johnny Heal and his wife Ela would visit and things looked to be getting back to normal.  Board meetings at the Zoo resumed.  Grocery shopping wasn't with Doordash any more.

There were unmasked birthday parties with dozens of guests at Nikki and Bob's place.  Caro's birthday was just 4 of us:  Debbie, Caro, Cecile, and me.  Outdoors at the Garden no longer required a mask (but indoors still did). 

In the fall Sheila and I had a student volunteer to help out in the herbarium.  The herbarium had been relocated to a small room near the HDRG and for a while, access was a problem.  Now that Maria has given me keys, things are much more convenient.  

But then Delta reared its head and, eventually, Omicron.  As infection rates picked up again, we pulled back.  We boosted and started to do at-home tests, both PRC and antigen versions.  Masking had never gone away, but by year's end, I'm using K-95's all the time.  

Henry Cat has had ups and downs all year.  He has gotten quite vocal, either when hungry or when climbing up on his various perches, yet his activity is nearly normal and his weight is 13 lbs 8 oz.  We've got him in remission from the lymphoma.  

In the late summer Deb and I took up bicycling to our benefit.  Only in November did cold weather finally stop us.  That said, it's only been 16° a couple nights and unseasonably warm and dry all fall.  We're expecting rain followed by 11°, the coldest yet, on New Year's morning.  

So let me ring out the old and ring in the new with a photo of Le Sommelier Stella, the neighbors' cat, who has gotten quite a Facebook following for her exploits with tasting our wine.  Cheers, everyone!