Wow! It's already 2017!

As some of you may recall, we had our one-and-only-over-the-top New Year's Party a year ago.  What fun!  This year was much more calm.  Rusty and I went to dinner at Billy's Restaurant.

It was a lovely meal!  We were in bed long before the midnight fireworks awoke us.

The Great Plains Bicycle Club always promotes a Village Inn breakfast on New Year's morning followed by a chilly bike ride.

Bundled up and ready to start the New Year.  (I'm in front with orange gloves.)

The next day my Ya-Ya group dined at Lincoln's only French restaurant, The Normandy.  It was quite cold and a little slick, so we were a very small group this month.

Peggy, Sue, Nancy and Di

For January's first Friday Art Walk we attended the grand opening of The Bridges project.  My dear friend and fellow teacher, Cathy Harrington, was the inspiration behind the project.  The celebration included the winners from each of Nebraska's 93 counties.  To see a virtual exhibit of the project, click here.

Cathy and me.

Some of the winning photos can be seen on the wall behind Cathy.

The following evening we had dinner hosted by good friends who live just outside of Bennet, NE.  We each brought digital pics of our families to share with the others.  The evening consisted of excellent food, plenty of alcohol samplings, story-telling, and lots of laughter!

Karl, Dave, Sue, Lou, Rusty

In mid January Rusty sent me a dozen of these red beauties--for no reason!

Jack and Lynette are both retired teachers from Seward, NE and regular attendees in our twice-weekly yoga class.  Over one of our many coffee gatherings, we decided we'd all like to know a little more about some of our local industries.  Jack lined up a tour for us at the Kawasaki plant.

Lynette and Jack are front and center.

We learned that the square footage of the Kawasaki plant is larger than any other building in Lincoln.  They make a lot of golf carts, utility vehicles and jet skis.  They are also the largest manufacturer in the U.S. of commuter train cars.

Our group went to lunch together at the South Street Grill and then toured the Lincoln Industries plant.  This plant began in a garage putting chrome plating on motorcycle parts.  Harley Davidson is still their biggest customer, but now they do many different kinds of plating on many different kinds of parts.  Some parts are for cars, some for farm equipment, some for boats, etc.  When I saw all the work that goes into this process, I began to understand why some replacement parts on vehicles are so expensive.  (Before I learned more about this place, I thought the main thing they made was manhole covers. 😃 )

* Our tour guides remembered our deceased friend Wayne Pape with great fondness.

My Just Cruisin' bike group is made up of all women, although we frequently invite our husbands to join us on a ride.  We met in January to plan rides for the upcoming year.

I think we found rides for every month of 2017.

Martin Luther King Day was the second time I planned to drive to Kansas City and was foiled by an ice storm.  Instead, I read Between The World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates and took pictures of the ice.

Rusty and I just couldn't bring ourselves to watch the inauguration.  Instead, we attended a concert by the Nebraska Chamber players.  Many of the pieces had to do with not giving up hope--just what we needed to hear.

We heard Romance, Reflection & Rondo by Jack Rinke and Beethoven's Septet in E-flat major, Op. 20.

One of my former (and most outstanding) students, is Christian Ellenwood.  He is currently teaching at the University of Wisconsin.  He wrote to hope again (2014) and it was gorgeous!

So proud of my former student Chris!

Ed Love played the clarinet on Chris's piece.

I attended the Women's Day March in Lincoln which had a much bigger turnout than anyone expected.

It was a little creepy to see this drone flying above us and taking pictures.

My Love Knotters group was cancelled for this month, again due to very slick roads.

The next day, my third attempt, I finally had clear enough roads to drive to KC.

Olivia and I had a nice relaxing lunch before picking up the boys at school.

After school it was time for homework.

I helped Pierce with his flashcards.

Reece read a Dr. Seuss book to us.

A few years ago I made aprons and chef's hats for Pierce and Reece.

They were plenty big at the time.

But a few years have passed.

Time for new aprons!

With new aprons and hats, we decided to make a cake for supper.

Olivia fixed a delicious roast, delicately seasoned potatoes, and roasted brussel sprouts.  Yummy!

Gretchen was a hit with everyone.

...and the boys wore her out running on the stairs.

Chance was a perfect gentleman.

Reece and GiGi

Handsome man.

Reece and Pierce had fun using my camera.

Throughout December and January my Just Sayin' riders spin together on Saturday mornings and then go to a local shop for coffee and breakfast.

There were a dozen of us this Saturday at Cultivas.  Best crepes in town!

Lincoln has many small ponds throughout town that are designed to enhance the beauty of a neighborhood or business.  Some of the ponds actually have a function and assist in water drainage.  Unfortunately, there are very few geese predators within the city, so many of the ponds, like this one in our neighborhood, are overrun with geese.

I'm advocating for a once a year open season on all the geese you want.  Maybe they could help feed the poor?