Happy New Year! — Resolution

Happy New Year to all my readers.

I never make New Year's resolutions, but this year I'm making one, only it is not anything new. It is summed up by the words often found in scripture: "Do not be afraid." My retreat director last March pointed out that I was "always looking over [my] shoulder" for fear somebody would figure me out, and that fear inhibited my actions. Actually, I had already begun to do things I'd have been too afraid to do before I began blogging and met people I liked on the internet — I had begun meeting some of them irl. But the urging of the retreat director has persuaded me that I should overcome that fear and live as I want to. I'm not planning to do anything I believe is wrong, but I hope to continue the sort of doing things that are perfectly legitimate that I've recently been blogging about and to live without the constant fear that something I do will out me. There is a limit to it: I'm not going to come out where I live and at my church. But if I can develop close friendships with guys I like, I'm going to do it, because it's what I should do, and it's perfectly alright; and if somebody figures out that I have a homosexual orientation, oh well, I'll deal with it as best I can.

Dead Duck

As requested, here are pics from my dinner on January 1, 2011

The duck itself, with apple and plum stuffing. My manhattan is at the right, in a glass from my nephew. The platter is from Bavaria, in the pattern my parents chose for their wedding in 1939.

Mashed potatoes, gravy, and squash.

My plate. A glass of inexpensive Spanish bubbly is adjacent. I didn't realize how blurry this picture is until I enlarged it.

Click on any picture to enlarge.

Happy New Year!

May 2011 bring all you need and only good besides.

Happy New Year

     May you all have God's abundant blessings and much joy in 2010.