20, 21

 After one strange year, we are now ending another strange year. In some ways, 2021 was better than 2020. Thanks to vaccines, things went back to normal...ish. But political extremism (including antivax sentiment) in many ways made 2021 even worse. And the extreme drought didn't certainly help things. 

For my own life, it was definitely more interesting than 2020 was. It kind of feels like there were three distinct periods of the year for me: spring semester, when I was still in school online; summer, when I came back into the public and resumed work at This Is the Place; and fall semester, when I attended in-person classes at the University of Utah for the first time.

So, let's dive into the individual months!

January. Because of COVID, my family didn't do our tradition of going out to eat on New Year's Day, so we did a family Zoom instead. Like every other (rational) person, I was dismayed by the January 6 insurrection. But what was especially distressing was that people I knew tried to blame it on Antifa, spreading lies and misinformation, and then they got mad at me when I pushed back against the falsehoods. It's like people think they are allowed to share whatever they want without thinking about it, but then no one is allowed to challenge them. I certainly lost a great deal of respect for people in January. I helped judge a science fair on Zoom, and we had a lamp in the living room commit suicide. In the middle of the month, I started my second semester of grad school at the University of Utah, taking history of Utah, environmental history, and US history since 1877. But all of it was online. I began attending a new dentist, and their staff seems to be better than my last one, so they diagnosed me with periodontal disease. I was also working on my goal to run on every public street in North Salt Lake.

Jimmy is such a sweet kitty.

February. It wasn't a very eventful day. We had a snowy Valentine's Day, some of the very little snow we had that winter. I finished running on every street in NSL.

March. While I was busy working on school things, I also began to be busy with other things. I began doing some freelance editing for a former boss. Additionally, I went to training meetings at This Is the Place, including driving the train, even though I wasn't going to start for a couple of months. 

This Is the Place opened their new Pioneer Center.

For St. Patrick's Day, I cooked lots of food and rented several movies, since I had a brief lull in schoolwork. We took Jimmy to the vet and he was diagnosed with arthritis.

April. For April Fool's Day, we took a pickle pie to my grandparents, since my grandpa loves pie and hates pickles, and he ended up liking it. For Easter/general conference, we met my first-cousin-once-removed's fiancée. I got my first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 shot. My parents bought a truck to pull their trailer, thereby deposing my car as the fanciest one in the family. We also took Jimmy to the vet again, and he was diagnosed with diabetes. 

After an apricotless year in 2020, I was pleased by the abundant blossoms this year...even though I was ultimately disappointed.

May. May was a transitional month. I wrapped up my final papers for school. I got my second dose of the vaccine. The very next day, I resumed working at This Is the Place, driving the train. I was very sore because of the shot. Trail running is stunning during May. 

This is my favorite picture of 2021. I use it as my lock screen on my phone, and sometimes I marvel that it is real.

My niece graduated from high school.

June. Trail running continued, and I did a thirteen-mile one in North Canyon. My brother and nephews came to visit, and we spent some time camping in Fremont Indian State Park, exploring Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks. My family spent a few hours at Jordanelle Reservoir so I could use my inflatable paddleboard for the first time. 

At the end of the month, we also camped at Moosehorn Lake in the Uintas, which is usually covered in snow at that time of year. 

July. We were happy that North Salt Lake's July 3 fireworks resumed. For the Fourth of July, I made apple pies, and I randomly placed the remaining dough on top of the pie. I was amused and amazed to discover it looked exactly like a turkey.

We had a strange day at This Is the Place when fish swam up the gold-panning stream. My parents took my nephews back to California. I was looking forward to a bumper crop of apricots, but the drought killed the tree before the fruit ripened. For Pioneer Day and the days leading up to it, This Is the Place had special events, which meant I "got" to drive different trains with significant problems: the Blackhawk kept overheating and spilling fluid, and the Jupiter didn't stay in park when the engine was off. On July 22, I spent the day visiting the American West Heritage Center near Logan, which was OK, but then I visited Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, which I loved. For Pioneer Day, I had to drive the busy trains at work, but that night we watched Bountiful's fireworks from my sister's driveway. I went on one North Canyon run when I encountered two rattlesnakes.

August. Another transitional month. I joined my parents at Moosehorn again on my day off. We had some crazy rainstorms, including storms that didn't clear out wildfire smoke. One smoky day, I went to Becky Edwards's home to support her in her efforts to unseat Mike Lee. I went to an orientation for new students, since I didn't get to go to my own in person in 2020. I got some new fall treats to review. I began attending classes in person, commuting to the university by bus. I took history of science and technology, oral history, and a research seminar about gender. This meant that I only worked at This Is the Place on Fridays. At the end of the month, my parents were busy painting and getting new floors. I helped with the painting a little bit. 

September. Our floor was finished. I joined my parents at Wasatch Mountain State Park. I celebrated my birthday at the end of the month, when the leaves on the trails were amazing! 

I got a few gifts, but I was most excited for my ice cream maker.

October. I started the month very busily, and I had to be Alice the "dragon" at work. We took Jimmy to the vet again because it is hard for him to walk, but there wasn't much we can do. For Halloween, we carved and lit the pumpkins we grew in our own garden. We had trick-or-treaters on Saturday but not Sunday, even though I put out my jack-o'-lanterns and Halloween music on both nights. 

November. A dry November meant I was able to do lots of trail running still. 

My science and technology class toured a nuclear reactor. I had a busy month finishing a research paper and doing a presentation on the history of paleontology. As I was heading home from my presentation that day, a crazy guy tried to break onto the bus. We resumed our Thanksgiving family gathering, and I made six things for it: ice cream, apple cider, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and fruit salad. 

December. I continued trail running early in the month before the snow, including another thirteen-mile run.

As the semester wrapped up, I began working evenings for Candlelight Christmas at This Is the Place. I had an interview with the Church History Department, and they offered me a position, which will start in January, so I had to shave my beard. My brother arrived with his family for a week for Christmas, though they left in the evening of Christmas Day. Sadly, on Christmas Eve, I dug a grave for Jimmy while the ground is still soft, since the time has come to put him down. 

It was an eventful year! And I am looking forward to 2022. I will be starting a new job, loving a new cat, and graduating from grad school. But my first few months of the year will be busy as I finish my portfolio and work full time. I will be so excited for free evenings once I graduate.

Also, 2012 was a key year in my life. I feel like I really became who I am now in 2012. So it will be a bit strange that 2022 will be my ten-year anniversary of that pivotal year.

So far I have a couple of resolutions for 2022. I hope to get rid of something every day. That can be something big, like old furniture, but it mostly will be small things, like pens that don't write and holey socks. For many years, I collected holiday shows on DVD, and I watched all of them every year. I quit doing that in 2016, partly because I was sick of seeing them over and over. This year, I hope to watch one holiday show every day of each holiday season. There are so many options now, with my DVD collection, broadcast TV, streaming services, and YouTube. So that might not be a wise or edifying resolution, but it should be fun!