Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, etc.

Christmas Decorations 2010

Gentle readers, I apologize for my prolonged absence from blogging.  I suppose I have let myself be overcome by the number of things I wanted to talk about, but also failed to get photographic documentation of.  At least I can still show you some of my holiday decorations, featuring some ornaments passed down from my great-grandparents, and placed up high, out of cat reach.

My blog neglect began with my mother's visit immediately after my last post.  She had never been to Michigan before, and we took the opportunity to do some things I thought she would enjoy and which I had been wanting to do myself.  First, we went to the Detroit Institute of Art, where we saw a special exhibit on copies and forgeries, the Diego Rivera murals and some of the American and European art collections. As always, I especially enjoy going to art museums with her, and she was very excited to see some pieces that she recognized from various books. Afterward, we had dinner at a local Arabic restaurant, since she had never eaten Arabic food, and it is especially good here due to the large Arab immigrant population in Dearborn.  The next evening, we had Scott's parents over for dinner, and we all went to the Holiday Nights program at Greenfield Village.  It is an excellent program as well as a really interesting place to visit in general because of the number of significant buildings relocated there, such as the Wright Brothers' shop and Edison's workshop.  The reason I like this program so much is not just the atmosphere with Dickensian carolers and horse-drawn wagon rides, but also how they portray the attitudes toward Christmas and winter celebrations in general through different time periods, including how Christmas was not celebrated by the Puritans and other early settlers.   The next day, Scott had to work, but Mom and I enjoyed exploring Pewabic Pottery and driving through snowy Belle Isle.  Unfortunately, the Conservatory is closed Monday and Tuesday, so we didn't get a chance to go inside.  Now that I know it's open on the other days even during the winter, and free, I may go sometime this week.

After Christmas morning at Scott's parents' house, we spent the afternoon baking dessert, and then headed back for dinner.  The next day, we hosted around 50 people for the annual Christmas party for his dad's side of the family.

New Years Eve was a good time at at bar/restaurant where Scott's dad's band played.

On the second, we hosted a small impromptu birthday party for a friend, because we couldn't let his 30th birthday go by without a celebration of some kind.

Since then, I have mostly spent some time finishing up some of my knitting, and a few days with Scott sick.  I went to the library for the first time and checked out a couple of books I probably don't have enough time to read before they're due.  Getting back to normal now, I suppose.

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