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December 2021

Our Year in Review continues from this link-saturated post, and it is said that second parts should always be briefer than first parts. With that in mind here’s a condensed look-see at the second half of 2021, labeled semi because we are leaving at least half out, and all without hoopla or hubbub or H-E-double-hockey-sticks.

July 2021: in which a cardinal alights on the height of summer and memories of Andy’s roses filled the air. 

A summer song, and an imitation of life.

Summer was nothing but rain, even if the world was still standing. 

A rainy trip to Boston with Chris was filled with all the drama, and quite a bit more, than either of us could stand. 

A relatively new summer tradition found me visiting these dear friends in Connecticut. 

A visit from the Cape Crew brightened the rainy summer days.

An anniversary letter to my husband. 

August 2021: in which summer found expression in a song, or a few, and sadness found itself living within the space of summer. 

The light in the attic come summer. 

Madonna and Mandy asked the problematic question, ‘What can you lose?’

Tom Daley was obsessed with knitting. 

A tale of two dinners in downtown Albany.

Spending a couple of days and nights with Dad and the gentlemen Ilagan. 

Shakedown, 80’s style. 

As an antidote to the rainy Boston weekend with Chris, Suzie and I made a trip to Boston where all was sun and fun, a throwback to many an enjoyable vacation, and a welcome reminder of the importance to stay connected in such a disconnected time. 

A matcha made in heaven.

My birthday, and accompanying birthday suit. 

This was August, slipping away.

Two decades down, and one to go.

September 2021: in which the world finally caught a glimpse of David Beckham’s naked ass.

Entering the second half of my forties proved a quiet but beautiful sort of transition in Boston. 

These golden worries and this summer-ending babysitting jaunt paved the way for fall.

Dad turned 91 years old and we celebrated. 

The summer of 2021 proved rainy and stormy but we managed to smile our way through it. 

Fall arrived and with it the return of Abba and our cousin Tyler, who joined me in Boston. 

I survived the day it was predicted I would meet my demise. (And lived to show my ass off.)

October 2021: in which the fall fragrance was a selection by Byredo and Suzie joined me for a trip to Manchester, VT. 

Our annual fall adventure with the twins took place, which brought us to Manchester, and to the attic for a lesson on meditation. 

Nude but for an apron, as promised to the folks at Marimekko. 

Haunted by the boy who was killed for being gay.

October is when we celebrated Andy’s birthday and the anniversary of ‘Sex’ and ‘Erotica’. 

Mercury worked its madness and magic on a trip to Boston, which also included reunions new and old. 

No one talks about the way we all come home for Halloween, so we put music and words to it in this Halloween song. (Bonus: a fall visit to Connecticut!)

October 26, 2021 marked just two years of not drinking alcohol for me. 

November 2021: in which the quarter-century anniversary of Madonna’s turn as ‘Evita’ brings back memories that are best left forgotten. 

Taylor Swift said it all too well, and all in ten minutes. (About the length of my autumnal meditations.)

This Friendsgiving with Kira will have to suffice for the holiday stroll, until the world rights itself or at least steadies to a semi-calm state, for which we would be greatly grateful.

December 2021: in which the holly entered with the ivy, and live greens formed an integral part of a holiday tablescape.

Two queens in a king-sized bed.

The new Tom Ford Private Blend was probably the most perfect scent for reasons both personal and universal. 

A day with Dad was a pre-holiday luxury. 

Once upon a time I tried to be Mr. Perfectly Fine, perhaps a little too well.

The Holiday Card for 2021 was a slumber-themed subdued affair, but check out its predecessors, and prepare for a winter sleep. 

Keep calm and remain peaceful.

For the love of Andy’s meatballs.

Revisiting previous holiday strolls while this year’s is on hold. 

Winter has come.

A new year begins tomorrow – won’t you come back to see what’s next?

Year-end reviews take so much time and work, and most people just gloss over them, so this year Im just hitting on a very select few posts, and posting them in just two entries, the first of which is this, with each one covering six months of time. If you really want to see more, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the Archives to select the month you’d like to view. Not sure who wants to recall the days of 2021, any more than we want to recount the calamity that was 2020. At any rate, here we are, ending 2021 on a rushed let’s-get-this-done-with note, the same way I feel about New Year’s Eve for the most part, and here we go ~ rewind to a year ago, when the madness all began again…

January 2021: Which began on this relatively quiet note. We somehow knew what might be in store for the year. 

Roses in January were an exquisite treat, whether they appeared during the day, or revealed their enchantment in the evening. 

Our country was attacked by our own domestic terrorists – the Trump-loving MAGA degenerates – and the majority of people seem to want to let it all go.

Feeding myself a slice of humble pie and embracing the long-overdue realization that perfection is impossible. 

The concept of hygge became a brief obsession, one that warmed the winter in ways that shall continue this year. 

A winter cloak.

Top coat and chest hair. 

Cookies of lace and memory.

This Buddha’s tree joined our family at the start of the year. (Today, it’s approaching a foot an half tall.)

February 2021: Which found some of us embracing Friday night flute mindfulness.

A flan for February and a lady in red. A song fit for Valentine’s Day and acting all sorts of crazy. Because, well, ‘tis the damn season.

A Lenten beginning as I continued on a journey toward light and awareness. 

Perhaps the biggest news in these parts was the end of the Hunk of the Day feature and the start of the Dazzler of the Day. I love alliteration even more than shirtless men so this was a good switch.

Fuck the sourdough starter bullshit. 

Rediscovering the way back home.

March 2021: Which we got through by channeling Hollywood glamour in black and white. 

The art of Andy’s reparation. 

A blanket I’ve been crocheting since 1986… no lie.

The day we had to grow up. 

A new reality a full year later. 

What a prick.

Beginning the way back home again. 

April 2021: Which began with an ever-elusive happy ending. 

Portrait of a lady for a gentleman in the form of a fragrance. 

A delayed Easter outside with the family. 

No longer so haunted by my jury experience, I still recall it vividly. 

The Korean Victorian home where we spent our happiest childhood holidays. 

New friends silver, old friends gold. 

The return of the queen.

May 2021: Which marked Asian American – Pacific Islander Month, the season of Gatsby, and our 11th wedding anniversary. 

A very happy recap that included our Boston Wedding Anniversary.

Let’s get unconscious honey: the Madonna Timeline tackled the brilliance of ‘Bedtime Story.’

An unexpectedly-emotionally-tumultuous visit to Boston was filled with whimsy and mysterious enchantment, and while it held no happy ending, it was not entirely without hope. 

June 2021: Which found us celebrating Pride Month and creating the absolute summer place to be with this Scandic-Inspired attic loft space. 

What a difference a branch makes. 

Starting summer early, right where the boys are. 

A Saratoga movie/lunch date with the twins. 

Happily ever Andy.

Stalling and savoring in service of a proper write-up, this time of our return to the Boston BroSox Adventure, which came amid the madness of Mercury in retrograde, and boy did it rip. 

A summer escapist song: San Remo. 

Father’s Day celebration. 

Lavender going pink. 

{For the remainder of the days, come back this afternoon for the second part of the 2021 Year in Review.}

The long journey to spring has begun, and this teaser trailer for the new ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ movie sets the splendiferous tone for a lighter and airier and South-of-Francier atmosphere. Not sure how the stiff upper lip I’ve come to love of the Abbey will fare when transported to a new locale, but I’m keeping an open mind. 

The release date of March 18, 2022 is also a few days before spring, indicating the perfect kick-off to the next season, and the return of the sun. It’s been a very long time since we’ve allowed ourselves to look forward to anything, and even this is done with a certain trepidation and hesitation, with the now-customary proviso that all is subject to change. Still, the heart longs, the heart hopes, and the heart waits in joyful anticipation… 

While not quite lamenting all the gray in my hair now, it was a slight jolt when I saw a picture from a decade ago of me on Christmas Eve with decidedly fewer gray hairs (like none). My friend Marline quickly came to my defense against my own self-doubt by saying that I earned them. (And to be fair, we earned them together, with a few usual suspects draining the color from our heads.) 

These days, there are far greater concerns than gray hair or the world-weary wrinkles and lines that are creeping into my face. I’ve made my peace with the aging process mostly, and most of my squawking and complaining is merely for show. Something to go along with the general impression and image the world has of me, the version that makes it easier to deal with daily life. Not a big deal really. I’ve reached the age where it doesn’t bother me as much – it’s more of a fascinating realization that maybe I’ve come a little further in my own self-acceptance than I give myself credit for. 

Winter gray, like the coat of a wolf or some silver fox, can be quite beautiful, especially at this time of the year. It indicates a hard-won reserve of wisdom and genuine confidence, with nary the need to pretend anymore. (There’s also a sprinkling of fuck-around-and-see-what-happens in it.) Whatever gets one through the winter. 

Not even the Grinch could stop Christmas from coming, and came it did, and then it went, and here we are. Last night’s holiday recap covers most of how this season went, so no need to re-hash all the noise and the jolliness and the worry and the strife. We made our peace with it, and are at a happier place now. That’s the magic of Christmas at work. How long it lasts depends on how well we remember it. Let’s work to get some memories solidified before they disappear. 

Fed up with the asshole anti-vaxxers, maybe we just need to let them take the Darwin exit. 

The Winter Solstice arrived, engaging the last season before spring comes again. 

The lone Dazzler of the Day was a doozy, and a friend of mine: Sean McLaughlin. 

Holiday whimsy in a rabbit. 

On the second day of winter my true love gave to me…

A bit of holiday magic and movie hope. 

The second night of winter. 

Who doesn’t love a bright and shiny ball?

‘Twas the night before the night before Christmas.

A cheeky bit of Christmas ass-crack, because I’m still me.

The solemnity of Christmas Eve.

The light in church at Christmastime. 

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

Our family on Christmas Eve.

Salad. Ham salad.