I skipped a December post – too busy buying and wrapping presents for all those I visited and who visited me. It was a lovely Christmas Eve with the extended family at my home (those who were near enough joined in) and worth all the extra preparations of cleaning, cooking and remembering Christmas pasts. We took Katrina, our oldest granddaughter to see a perfect production of A Christmas Carol at the Hanover Theatre. A holiday delight!

We had the tree up for less than a week – we were late putting it up and then I had to take it down before traveling to the warm winter place where I am now.

Especially wonderful was having our granddaughters, Katrina, Celeste, Quinlan and Cecile, stay overnight. Another granddaughter is due to arrive next month. Cecile will never remember a time without her sister as Celeste doesn’t remember life without Quinn.

Rich and I treated ourselves in December. We visited my friend, the poet Marie Ponsot. Marie made me lunch, then Rich and I taxied with her to her last class of teaching at The New School in Manhattan. Later we viewed Islamic and Indian treasures at the Metropolitan Museum. We also saw The Jersey Boys on Broadway – a reminder to be thankful for the wonderful shows at the Hanover Theatre, in Worcester.

Now a note to myself and to anyone who may read this. January is the month to look at your poems and organize them. File them under categories. For example, file under family, war, form or what ever comes to mind. Then while you are compiling them, look them over and revise where needed. Writing poetry comes at any time – don’t forget to carry a small notebook for those ideas that could be the core for the next poem.