Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Everyone!

If you celebrated Christmas or Hanukkah, I hope you had

an enjoyable and meaningful time with your loved ones and friends.

Sunrise, Today, on Almost New Year's Eve

Aurora, Colorado USA

December 30, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Terry and I had lots of fun at home on Christmas Day

and then a lovely time with his sister Noreen, brother-in-law Cathal, and their grown "kids."

Terry, Early Christmas Morning

Aurora, Colorado USA

December 25, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Me, Early Christmas Morning

Aurora, Colorado USA

December 25, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

As for "the reason for the season," the birth of Christ,

I listened to a sermon given by my blogging friend, Jeff,

who is the pastor of two small Presbyterian churches (Mayberry and Bluemont) 

along the Blue Ridge parkway in Southwestern Virginia.

Jeff and I were blogging friends for several years before I knew

that he was The Reverend Doctor Jeff Garrison.

I had suspected that Jeff was a minister because of his interests and activities,

but at the time he was keeping his personal blog separate from his religious life

(as far as I knew).

It's no secret that organized religion and I have had our differences

and that I have some unconventional beliefs ~

Okay, I probably would have been burned at the stake as a heretic in the past ~

but Jeff is one of several special people who keep me connected

with my Christian roots.

I claim to be an agnostic, but I do believe in a Spiritual Presence, 

a Creator who is beyond anything we can imagine as human beings.

Quantum physics is one confirmation for scientific me.

This Image Illustrates an Atom

Wikipedia 

NASA’s Webb Delivers Deepest Infrared Image of Universe Yet

"Webb’s image covers a patch of sky approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length by someone on the ground – and reveals thousands of galaxies in a tiny sliver of vast universe" ~ NASA

Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

Meanwhile I find spiritual meaning and hope in Jeff's sermons and musings.

If you enjoy engrossing stories and poems, excellent book reviews,

the great outdoors, philosophical discussions,

travel adventures, and thought-provoking sermons,

I highly recommend Jeff's blog From A Rocky Hillside.

🌠  🌠  🌠  🌠  🌠  🌠  🌠  🌠  🌠

On Friday I like to participate in Rain's Thursday Art Date and Nicole's Friday Face Off, 

even if my main post topic is about something else.

Rain's theme this week is New Year's Eve Party!

Sadly, I had to go back to 2015 to find party photos.

We were at our favorite restaurant Parkway Bar and Grill.

My camera was having a great time (and perhaps a little tipsy)!

Terry at a New Year's Eve Party

Parkway Bar and Grill

Aurora, Colorado USA

December 31, 2015

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

The truth is Terry and I usually stay home for New Year's Eve.
We think it's too dangerous to go out,
especially with people distracted, drinking, and driving,
sometimes in bad weather or with dicey road conditions.
We'll chance an evening at Parkway, but we don't like driving, 

even a short half-mile distance on the road.
 

Me at a New Year's Eve Party

Parkway Bar and Grill

Aurora, Colorado USA

December 31, 2015

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

We usually have a quiet evening together at home watching the ball drop in Times Square.

This was my one photo from New Year's Eve 2022.

A Blue Wildebeest, also called a Brindled Gnu

(My best guess at identification)

Tembe Elephant Park ~ Maputaland, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Location of Tembe Elephant Park in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Wikipedia

Note:  Eswatini was Swaziland prior to April 2018

                                            Lesotho was the British Crown Colony Basutoland prior to 1966 

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For Nicole's Friday Face Off, I'm sharing a few faces.

Our Nephew Conor and His Girlfriend Dessie

Denver, Colorado USA

December 25, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Bruno

Denver, Colorado USA

December 25, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Terry and I at a New Year's Eve Party

Parkway Bar and Grill

Aurora, Colorado USA

December 31, 2015

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

An Absorbed Face

Aurora, Colorado USA

December 29, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

I hope 2023 brings each of you happiness, health, fulfillment, and love!

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

  My next post will be on 

Wednesday, January 4, 2023.  🤞

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Some New Year Funnies

This has nothing to do with New Years Eve,

but is tangentially related to quantum physics.

The dog is sleepy from quantum physics class.

A very friendly dog that has been living outside the main building for physics

for the last few weeks at Simón Bolívar University.

Juan Tello at Flickr ~ October 24, 2008

This has absolutely nothing to do with anything, but I love it!

I lifted it from one of my blogging friends.

It speaks to my alter ego ~ lol!

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Gift Wrap and Faces

Are you ready for Christmas (if you celebrate it)? 

I feel like I take one step forward and get knocked back four.

Terry and I put our tree up and decorated it,

but I still haven't found the doves from our wedding reception that go on the top.

And I haven't wrapped a gift yet.

Ready-or-not Christmas will come, and we will have fun.

I already have a bottle of champagne chilling.

Our Christmas Tree

Aurora, Colorado USA

December 6, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Thank goodness for Rain's Thursday Art Date and Nicole's Friday Face Off, 

because I haven't had time for an original thought in days.

I hope to return to more posts on the North very soon.

I am feeling better than I have in some seventeen months.

I can't believe the difference!  🎉 🎉🎉 🎉🎉

Rain's theme this week is Gift Wrap.

I haven't much to work with, but here are four photos.

The first is Terry's sister and brother-in-law's Christmas tree last year.

We were piling gift-wrapped packages under the tree on Christmas Eve,

getting ready for Christmas morning.

The Daly Christmas Tree

Denver, Colorado USA

December 24, 2021

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

The next three date back to Covid Pandemic Christmas 2020.

It was just the two of us, but we had lots of fun.

Terry on Christmas Morning

Aurora, Colorado USA

December 25, 2020

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

After Opening the Champagne in Terry's Stocking!

Aurora, Colorado USA

December 25, 2020

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Gotta Love That Covid Hair!

Aurora, Colorado USA

December 25, 2020

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

🎁 🎁🎁 🎁🎁 🎁🎁 🎁

For Nicole's Friday Face Off I'm sharing a family zoom shot on December 26, 2020.

We manage to get together one way or another.

Five Places in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Three in Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

and Terry and Me in Aurora, Colorado, USA!

December 26, 2020

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

The next two are of Terry and me on Christmas morning 2020,

as we were unwrapping gifts ~ 

Happy faces complements of fun, love, and champagne!

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

From Christmas Past: 

My Brother Roy and I

Christmas Morning

Charlottetown, P.E.I., Canada

December 25, 1951

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

I hope everyone is having a happy and meaningful holiday time. 

Enjoy ~ Every day is a special gift wrapped up just for you!

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

  My next post will be on 

Friday, December 23, 2022.  🤞

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

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Some Gift Wrap Funnies

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IWSG Day: Wednesday, December 7, 2022 ~ I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

 

It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.






To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are Joylene Nowell Butler, Chemist Chem, Natalie Aguirre,  Nancy Gideon and, Cathrina Constantine!

I hope you have a chance to visit today's hosts and thank them for co-hosting.

I'm sure they would appreciate a visit and an encouraging comment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.
This month's featured question is: 

It's holiday time! Are the holidays a time to catch up or fall behind on writer goals?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy December, Everyone!

Wishing you all the joys of the holiday season wherever and however you celebrate.

May you find joy and happiness with your loved ones!

If you celebrated American Thanksgiving, I hope you had lots of fun.

Ours was quiet but enjoyable.

We ordered in and enjoyed a traditional feast.

About to Dig In

Aurora, Colorado, USA

November 24, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

Terry and I have so much to be thankful for.

We count ourselves among the most fortunate people in the world.

Here are two big joys in our lives, a great niece and a great nephew.

Neil, Ella, and Jeannie

Jax and Dean

Just after the last IWSG Day, I broke a rib in a freak accident at my gym.

This kept me offline for a month.

I did not get around to visit many people in the IWSG last time.

Fortunately, I've just ditched the medical shoe for my broken foot 

after hobbling around in it for eight weeks,

and my broken rib has rapidly improved in the past few days.

I may look a little worse for wear after this challenging year,

but I am looking forward to a happy and healthy 2023 with a very special guy!

Onward and upward!  Woo Hoo!

With regard to this month's IWSG question, 

Are the holidays a time to catch up or fall behind on writer goals?,

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

I'm predicting that I will not catch up with any writer goals this holiday season.

😂  😂  😂  😂  😂  😂  😂  

How about some writing laughs?

I hope you have a great day visiting your IWSG friends.

Happy writing in December!

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be on Friday, December 16, 2022.  🤞