Whereas most people enjoy the year-end holidays with poinsettias, I’m fortunate to have a dozen red roses to celebrate my birthday.  They’re beautiful and smell lovely, and are a nice change from the usual Christmas decorations.  And with the subzero temperatures outside and our white coating of snow, they’re a nice reminder that summer will be here, even if it’s later than sooner.

This post marks the beginning on my second year of blogging.  Thank you to those of you who have commented on my entries, and thanks to the many readers and followers.  If you enjoy my posts, you can now subscribe to my blog and get email notification when I’ve posted new entries – just click on the “Sign me up!” box on the right side of the screen and enter your email address.  Thanks again, and happy new year!