First Day of 2024

 

My two New Year's deliveries:  A beautiful winter bouquet from my sweet neighbors upstairs on Saturday night and a late-night delivery of good-luck food from Emily last night.

The money is because I knew I needed cash for my class this morning, and I never have any.  I don't even want to go into the nightmare that changing bank account numbers has been, but I hope I will never have to do it again.  It's not like you can wave a magic wand and have all your autopay and direct deposit and references to your bank account changed.  Of course not.  Every bill I pay seems to have a different method of making changes.  One credit card is fine with just telling them your new number, and they'll start plucking out the payments on time every month.  Another one expects me to know that I needed to pay the first month  separately and THEN start autopay.  

It's interesting to maneuver through web sites to find out WHERE to make the changes and if I have to make a phone call to explain things.  Having two holidays and two weekends also didn't make it easier.  So, bottom line is I had no way to get any cash from the ATM or from any business because of having my debit card frozen for "my protection."  

I know these are not real problems, and by the end of the week, I should be all set to go, but I'm so afraid of missing one little step and having to spend one of my valuable mornings on the phone trying to make sure things are going to work as smoothly as they have for the last 8 years.  

My first post here was January 1, 2009, and the common themes were pets, sewing, and my home.  Mike was working in Texas, and Mama was coming to live with us, so there were lots of changes happening.  

  In the meantime, I'm being well taken care of and do appreciate having people who care.  Noreen had offered to cover me, and I imagine the Senior Center would have allowed me to pay by check or credit card - or even with an IOU!  

The New Year's meal has changed quite a bit in the last few years - better for our health but not quite the same taste.  The basics are there - Hoppin' John, turnip greens, and red beans and rice.   There are very few times we've missed having some version of this meal, and our luck has run both ways, no matter what we eat.  We just love our traditions.  

Our small family tradition came from a combination of this recipe of Mike's and one in a Cajun cooking cookbook that I thought I still had in my few remaining cookbooks.  I know I still have it but don't want to take my whole morning looking for it. Or maybe Emily has it.  The first time I made it, the friend who gave us the cookbook, provided all the ingredients and his small kitchen somewhere near Chattanooga - Rossville? - and took it for granted I would be happy to spend my day reading and tending those ham hocks and beans.  He was right.  I'm not sure where the guys went for the day, but I had no trouble following those directions.  At some point, Mike found this recipe more to his liking, and he took over that holiday!

I'm not sure when we started calling the black-eyed peas Hoppin' John, but someone did.  Just a good version of the peas over rice, green onions, a pot of turnip greens, and lots of pepper sauce and hot sauce.  

I don't have hours to waste today.  I'm already running up against a deadline of finding some "loose, comfortable clothing" and getting to our class by 9:00.  It's a start though.  These old memories might be enjoyed by the kids one day - or not.  They're fun to dredge up and think about the good times.  Back later today - maybe.