NOTE: I changed blogging platforms in order to publish this book. In the process I had to transfer many posts back to WordPress, my previous platform, which changed the date of publication. In order to let you know when the posts were originally published, I’ve added a date just preceding the first sentence or heading. For example: This post was originally published on my birthday, April 3, 2022, even though the date under the title reads April 16, 2024. Sorry for the confusion!

 Marjorie May Neset, April 3, 2022. Made it up Black Mountain, yet one more time, on my very own personal New Year’s Day.

April is my birthday month—when I begin my new year. Having two chances to begin anew every year doubles the odds to get it right.

January 1st didn’t work out that well for new beginnings in 2022. My friend Celia, granddaughter Sara, and I were unsure about our big African adventure (originally planned for 2020), Covid was playing its ongoing scary games, and I was feeling ever more adrift in this increasingly dystopian world.

However January 1, 2022 was five months ago and things have changed: worldwide dysfunction is even more firmly in place—but travel is back. Fingers crossed…as we all say more and more often. True, I’m a new number on the age chart, but with all that vaccine coursing through my veins/cells/organs(?) surely invincibility is just around the corner.