“It is December, and nobody asked if I was ready.” ~Sarah Kay
"Now there are more overweight people in America than average-weight people. So overweight people are now average… which means, you have met your New Year's resolution."
~Jay Leno
"Many people look forward to the New Year for a new start on old habits."
~Anonymous
The month of December was a fun month. It began with a challenging day roller skating with Tracy at the Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale, with Jenny and Bonnie as our cheering (and laughing) section, then Art, Gerard, Harry and I hiked Monrovia Peak (also a challenge), then an interesting and fun family trip to tour the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and the Titanic Exhibit, then a pleasurable Harley Day-Ride to the Rock Store in Malibu Canyon, then an enjoyable family gathering on Christmas Day, and finishing the month (and calendar year) with a delightful gathering in Mesquite with a few of our Sigma Zonk friends to celebrate New Year's Eve. Each of these bucket-list activities are covered in individual blogs. In addition to these activities, I published blogs recognizing December birthdays, some favorite family photos, and an updated planning schedule.
This blog summarizes other "non-bucket list activities" during the month of December in the category of Activities and Visiting Friends & Family and Miscellaneous Other.
Activities with friends-
Sigma Zonk Scholarship - On December 6th, Michael B was in town and Bonnie & I had lunch with him at the Monrovian Restaurant to discuss USU related activities. Michael is the Director of Development - Student Services at USU and works with us on the Sigma Zonk Fratority Scholarship Fund.
For those readers who may not be familiar with the Zonk Scholarship, the fund was established in 2007, and we have a Fund Balance as of June 2017 of $160,500 after having awarded scholarships to 12 students. The purpose of the program is as follows:
The Sigma Zonk Fratority Scholarship provides scholarship assistance to students who are academically qualified for study at Utah State University. Academic prowess shall not be a primary consideration for recipients. Rather, students shall be selected based on demonstrated financial need unmet by other programs. Preference shall be given to applicants who are residents of Utah or with family or other ties to Utah. Applicants shall prepare two essays of no more than one page, on "Why this scholarship will help me" and "What friendship means to me"
Anyone who would like to support this scholarship program can mail your donation payable to Utah State University, to USU - Advancement Services, 1490 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-1490.
Poke-In Christmas Party - On Thursday, December 14th, Bonnie & I joined the other members of the Poke-In Poker group at the Oakmont Country Club for the annual Poke-In Christmas Party. Oakmont provides a great setting for such a party, the hors d'oeuvres, libations and main dinner were wonderful, and visiting with everyone (the spouses aren't all gathered together very often) was the best! Amateur photography is shown below and should include one or more of everyone at the party. Attendees were Art W & Connie W, Bill B & Susan B, Bill P & Carol P, Don R and Debbie, Gary N & Lynne, Gary B & Patty, Jarrett & Marj, John B & Ruth Ann, Mike A & Joan, Ron & Bonnie H, Steve H & Karan, Steve L & Joan L, Tye & Isabel, Doris, Julie M, and Lee.
Click Photo to Enlarge - Use Arrows for Next Photo
Foothill Flasher's Christmas Party - Ever since the formation of the Foothill Flasher's Running Team, we have gathered in Griffith Park on a Saturday a week or so before Christmas for a run (mostly walking these days) and then a picnic afterward. It's always been great fun to see many of the runners that I don't see on a regular basis. This year, for the first time, I will miss the gathering because we planned a Family Tour to the Reagan Library on the same day they later designated for the Flasher's party. So I'll miss the party, but enjoy the day with my family.
Family Visiting -
Christmas Day - Bonnie & I hosted a Christmas Day Brunch at our home and it was a really fun morning of visiting with family members. Curran was home from college and Meghan was home from Boston, so everyone in the family came for the brunch except Mike who had to work. The activities for the day are covered in a separate blog published on Christmas Day.
Missed Traditional Family Dinner - Jenny's Birthday - When creating my Updated Bucket List for my Year 77 activities I had thought it would be a good idea to do a special birthday celebration for each of the girls. This would be some activity chosen by them that they really wanted to do, in addition to the traditional family dinner we have always done on the birthday of each member of our family. For Jenny's special activity we had a great time visiting Hearst Castle in her birthday month of November (a separate blog was published covering this). However, we were never able to arrange a date in November, or in December, for the family to get together for the traditional dinner. Maybe two birthday celebrations in one month is too much. The photo below is of Jenny's traditional birthday dinner in the prior year.
Below are a few favorite photos of Jenny and her mom & sisters.
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Miscellaneous Other -
Unusually Wrapped Gift -Early December I went on a Harley ride in the local mountains to Newcomb's Ranch to read the Sunday paper and have breakfast. In their gift shop they had a motorcycle for sale that was completely wrapped in Christmas paper. I thought it was an interesting presentation of the gift.
Historic Hotel -On the evening of December 6th, Bonnie & I attended a Fidelity Investments presentation and dinner at the Langham Huntington Hotel, an iconic landmark hotel for a 100 years, located in Pasadena. Many years ago, when some of our Utah group of friends were still living in Southern California, we spent several New Year's Eve celebrations at this hotel. In those days it was just the Huntington Hotel (i.e. before Langham). It is an impressive historic hotel and a wonderful place for a seminar or presentation like we attended. The subject matter was Investing in Emerging Markets and was presented by two Fidelity portfolio managers who do extensive travel and investigation in the emerging market countries. It was a very interesting and worthwhile evening. You can get a little idea of the elegance of the hotel in the photo below.
FinallyTrapped the Critter - For three weeks a critter(s) was tearing up our back yard during the night - digging holes in the grass, ripping out plants, etc. to find food. I tried several things to discourage this and finally resorted to trapping. You can see the trapped racoon (day one) and Opossum (day 2) in the photos below. Regarding the racoon, my girls will say, "Oh, how cute he is" but cute or not he was tearing up our back yard. The trapper will take both critters to the mountains and turn them loose, so they'll be okay. I hope their internal GPS doesn't bring them back to our place.
Click Photo to Enlarge - Use Arrows for Next Photo
The New Tax Bill - I cannot resist making a comment. President Trump promised tax reform that would simplify the tax code, focus tax relief on working families, and close loopholes for wealthy taxpayers and businesses. Instead, it is more complicated, creates more loopholes for special interests, and is more unfair to the middle class than current tax rules. Mel would say this is a "Full Employment Bill for Tax Accountants." The December 25th issue of Barron's included the new rules and tax tables, and since Trump boasted when the bill was passed that he had given a "big, beautiful Christmas present", I decided to calculate the size of my gift. It's difficult to generalize on how this will affect everyone; the standard deduction has been doubled, but the personal exemptions are eliminated. There is a $10,000 cap on deductions for state and local income taxes, property taxes, and real estate taxes. How well you fare under the new law depends on a number of things, including family size, whether you itemize deductions, whether you file as single or a married couple, the state where you live, and whether you own your home or rent. In my case, it turns out when calculating what my 2016 tax would have been under the new law, my "gift" was an increase in my Federal income tax of $2,495. Not surprising, but disappointing based on all the congressional rhetoric. The winners are the top earners, businesses, and business owners.
Annual Charitable Contributions - Although I make a few donations during the year (most often to support our grand-kids activities), I regularly make the bulk of our charitable contributions toward the end of December. I support our local hospitals, our local police and firefighters, various organizations researching cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's, community assistance organizations for the needy in Monrovia and Logan as well as the National organizations, the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team (they are always helpful to hikers in the local mountains and I may need them one day), organizations assisting our veterans, and education, primarily Utah State University. I try to stay with organizations I can look up in the BBB Wise Giving Alliance that have a history of keeping their administrative costs in check. I will probably make a small donation to one of the casinos in Mesquite on New Year's Eve.
Surprise a Stranger- Just for fun I've been giving a gift of $7 to a stranger on the 7th day of each month (or another day if the 7th doesn't work) with a brief explanation as to why I'm doing it (I'm sure they think I'm crazy). I attach an explanation note to a 5 dollar bill and a 2 dollar bill. On December 7th I was buying a few groceries in Von's Pavilions. The women ahead of me had many, many items and the employee bagging the items was very efficient and pleasant with the woman. After paying for my items I said to the girl bagging that she needn't bag my items but that she had been so efficient and nice to the woman ahead of me that I would like to give her a gift. I explained my interest in the number seven and handed her the package of $7 and the note. She said, "I can't accept this." I thought she was just being gracious and didn't want to take my money. I tried to talk her into it and finally the woman at the cash register explained that it was Von's policy that employees could not accept money or gifts from customers - i.e. she had no choice but to refuse. So -- my first failure at giving my $7 gift.
So on December 10th Bonnie & I went for a breakfast burrito at T-Burgers in Monrovia. We arrived at the same time as a young man in a wheelchair, who appeared to have Cerebral Palsy, and another young man who was obviously his caretaker. As we ate our meal we observed that the caretaker's actions were really tender, and he was taking care of the other young man so well, that we were really impressed. I decided I should give my $7 gift to the caretaker. I explained the story to him and said we were so impressed with his care of the other young man that we wanted to give him a small gift. He was very gracious in his acceptance. He noticed my name on the note and said that his dad's name was Ron. I asked if his dad was 77 years old, and of course he said he was "much younger" than that!
Good Deeds- I have an objective to be more aware of the opportunities to do good deeds. I'm sure that opportunities are all around me, but I seem to have difficulty recognizing these situations. Nevertheless, I'll keep trying. On December 11th when I left home about 8:00 am to go for my workout I noticed that one of our neighbors sprinklers were running. This wasn't unusual, but when I returned home at 10:30 am they were still running. I notified our neighbor (Kim) and she let me in the garage to check the electronic controller. Unfortunately, it was stuck on "Run" and couldn't be changed. So I finally stopped the sprinklers by manually turning off the appropriate outside valve. She appreciated the help and will call someone to repair the controller. I was glad to finally find a good deed to do this month.
December was an interesting month, with lots of fun activities and visits with friends and family members. I'm looking forward to an active and fun month in January.
