Maybe it is my age, but this year just went by in a flash. Here are the highlights.
- I knit 151 hats that have all been donated to the community knitting non-profit organization that I belong to.
- I knit 26 Emotional Support Chickens.
- I completed several pairs of socks and one sweater, the La Prairie cardigan.
- I learned how to make fingerless mitts on my Addi Pro kitting machine and I made39 pairs that are still waiting to go to Kaiser Rheumatology.
- I read 57 books that had a total of 23,218 pages.
- Quite a few of the books featured octopuses…
Whew. That was kind of a lot. I also put out a bird feeder this year, enjoyed a lot of wildlife in the yarn, grew plants in pots on the patio, and then successfully moved several of them inside to hang out with me in my craft room. I left all of the wildlife outside to the disgust of one little CoalBear cat.
So, it was a productive year, but there were challenges of course. I started the year in a monster fibromyalgia flare, fought my way out of anemia, developed sudden tachycardia attacks over the summer, and then finished up with a bad scleroderma flare that was exacerbated by injuries from an auto wreck. Nothing absolutely horrible, but it was kind of one thing after another all year long. Sigh.
Today it is the start of a new year. Today the African violets in my garden are blooming, and I have finally recovered from the injuries I sustained in the car wreck. Today things are finally starting to look up.
Hello, 2025.
PS: Did you miss pictures of Hannah and Mateo? Here are some of the bests of the year.
Yarn, Books & Roses 
LOVELY and commendable post, Marilyn my dear !!! – you really do take the cake, no doubt about it. 🙂
I suspect you’re the SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS_SJOGREN’S-DISEASE_FIBROMYALGIA poster girl – kind of like Stephen Hawking for MND, but much much much much much more active !! [grin]
Let’s believe that 2025 is going to bring us all joy and improvement – whether health-wise or character-wise (do I need specify the latter as being for moi ?!).
Looking forward to another year of Marilyn, Hannah and Mateo posts ! – and wishing you, with all my heart, a terrific New Year !!!!
Thank you so much for all your wonderful support over the past year. Hoping for a great 2025 for all of us.
I love all the wildlife photos you took throughout the year. I also thought it was marvelous how you maintained your sense of humor in the face of all the twists and turns your life and health took these past twelve months.
Sadly, you’ve ended the chapter on Stumpy, so what’s next in the car dep’t? I’m glad the insurance company came through with a timely settlement check.
May this year bring our families and all of us tolerable health and an abundance of riches, both nonmaterial and the kind that the bank recognizes.
The wildlife was really photogenic this year!! The cats couldn’t be more pleased. I took an Uber to the car dealership last Friday and I have acquired my new car! He’s a 2025 Subaru Forester that is going by StumpsALot for the moment. It is a huge relief to be able to drive again.
I hope financial security and good health for all. In a great start to the year, Biden just signed a new bill that will allow me, for the first time ever, to start receiving the social security benefits that I paid for and earned. Yay!!! That should cover the car payments!
What color is your Forester? Does it have “hot seats?” Is it roomier than Stumpy or about the same? When I bought my used Forester a few years ago, it was the first time in many years that I’d had A/C for the 100F+ summers. I love it and the car, even though it’s old.
Hooray that you can now receive SS benefits in addition to your public employees retirement! Same here. I just wish that the COLA kept up with the annual cost of health insurance.
The new Forester is silver with black trim. Hopefully that extra visibility will add a safety factor. 🙂 It has heated seats and a heated STEERING WHEEL which was my most non-negotiable item as I figured that I should get exactly what I needed if I had to start paying a car loan again. I think that it is otherwise just about just like the old Stumpy (this one is probably going to be StumpsALot) with a lot of added technology that is a little overwhelming at the moment.
May there be more highs than lows this year
That’s a good way to look at it. Let’s hope that we all have more highs than lows.
What an amazing, unstoppable woman you are! When I grow up I want to be just like you.
Happy New Year, Marilyn (and Hannah and Mateo)!
H. I’m pretty sure that you can do much better than I!! I have to say, my mother was a great model for grace under all circumstances, and I try to channel her in difficult times.
Happy New Year!!
Happy New Year!
That’s A LOT of hats!!! Do you use your knitting machine? I think you do amazing considering your health challenges. So sorry about Stumpy. Hope you have been able to find an acceptable replacement? Best wishes for a calm and peaceful 2025.
I do use that Sentro knitting machine for the hats! It handles fingering yarn really well, and the hats are fairly warm and cushy as the knitted fabric is doubled in the hat. It makes me feel so good to be putting the yarn stash to good use, and it is gratifying to churn out the hats.
I did get a replacement for Stumpy last Friday. Yay!! It is good be mobile again.
Health issues aside it was a successful and productive year, when you throw in all the health issues it’s amazing you managed to make so much. I adore the really bright chickens. Happy new year.
wow you did so much! Hoping 2025 is kinder, hang in there!
Happy New Year! I hope 2025 is a wonderful one for you and the kitties. May it have the ups of 2024 without all of the downs!
Happy New Year! You got a lot done and had a lot of challenges in 2024. Hoping a brighter year for you and your fur babies this year!
This is an amazing recap of your year. I enjoy all your kitty pics, and the nature outdoors as well. I’m glad you can put some of these difficult things behind you. Onward.