Happy New Year

'Twas the night before New Year
and all through the house,
nothing was stirring except my cats
and maybe a mouse.
I had just settled in
all snug in my bed
for a New Year's Eve nap,
and my prayers were said.
When, what to my scared ears should sound
like the clanging of a gong
and a crash to the ground!
I didn't spring from my bed
I didn't want to know what was the matter.

Well that's bad poetry, but it sort of describes what happened last night. I guess the powers just wanted me to ring in the new year, because about midnight, this crashing sound awakened me. It sounded like someone had fallen off the roof outside. I thought for a minute the Lance Creek youngsters might be playing tricks on me. My curiosity finally got the best of me and I got up to go see what had crashed. At least one of my cats had been on the foot of my bed when the crash happened, because she leaped up, and I thought the other one was there, too, but apparently not. When I got upstairs, there were pots and pans all over the kitchen floor. I have a pot rack hanging from the ceiling by the range, and one of those darn cats must have made a leap up there, knocking pots everywhere. Darn nocturnal creatures. Between the cats and racoons, it's hard to get any sleep around here.
I spent some time yesterday assessing 2007 and where I want to be at this time in 2008. My only real goal for the year is to finish the addition to the ranch house. Of course, that was a goal at the beginning of 2007, when I took early retirement from my job and moved home. Oh well, I'm retired, I have all the time in the world, right? Sure would like to get that done so I can get some time in on some horses. I'm sure my accountant has a goal for me to get some horses sold in 2008.