Mama Squirrel: 2009 Survey for the New Year

(Borrowed from The Common Room)

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?

Made Rice Krispie squares in the Crockpot.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

The only resolution I made was to read a list of library books and listen to a few CDs. I read about half the books on the list, but the CDs got left behind.

For this year? I'm still working on it.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth or get pregnant?

Nobody really close, but a couple of my homeschooling friends had additions to their families.

4. Did anyone close to you get married? No.

5. Did anyone close to you die? Crayons' hamster Snowball passed away this fall.

6. Travel? Just back to 1891 with Crayons, and to the 1850's with visiting friends.

7. Did you move anywhere?

That is a touchy question around here. The fact that we'd like to find a new Treehouse is very stale news to most of our friends. So far it hasn't happened, although we've come mighty close this year.

8. What was the best month?

Maybe September, maybe December.

9. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

A robot to do the laundry.

(I could have said, a straightforward real estate deal; but I won't.)

10. What date(s) from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

I looked up "Happenings of 2009" and also flipped through the kitchen calendar, but couldn't come up with anything that really "etched."

11. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Nothing stupendous. Getting homeschool on track for this fall. Making Christmas presents. Getting on the TOS Review Crew. Planning Crayons' horse party. Making pineapple daisies. Sewing jeans for a Crissy doll. Working with the local homeschool group and going to the spring conference. Teaching Vacation Bible School.

12. What was your biggest failure?

Don't want to talk about that.

13. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing that bandaids or Ibuprofen couldn't fix.

14. What was the best thing you bought?

A package of Swiss chard seeds. (We were still picking chard in December.)

A boxful of knitting needles at a rummage sale.

A boxful of book treasures in April.

15. Whose behavior merited celebration?

The Apprentice, for getting an apprenticeship. Ponytails, for becoming a very good crocheter and making herself a hat. Crayons, for demonstrating amazing thrift shopping abilities. Mr. Fixit, for rediscovering his turntable repair abilities.

And Snowball, for demonstrating incredible acrobatic abilities and hamsterness right to the end.

16. Whose behavior made you appalled and/or depressed?

All the parties named in this post.

17. Where did most of your money go?

Groceries, books, groceries, dentist, groceries.

18. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Finally solving one of my own Book Stumpers: "I bought this book used in the 1970's and it disappeared somewhere along the line; I've searched for various boarding school series but can't seem to find the right one. The main character is Patricia (Pat), who has a best friend, Eunice. Their class (maybe in a previous book?) has won some kind of a prize, a holiday aboard a boat. When the girls get on board, they discover that another girl named Tiny (sort of a protege of Pat's?) has stowed away in a basket. Something happens to the boat and they all end up shipwrecked--and at that point my memory fails me on the plot. I know they all get rescued and it ends happily--nothing nasty."

The book turned out to be School on an Island, by Rita Coatts, 1949.

I don't know if that merits "really, really, really excited," but maybe one "really" anyway. Now I just need to find my Mother Goose book.

19. What song will always remind you of 2009?

Food Court Musical.

20. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?
ii. richer or poorer? About the same.

21. What do you wish you'd done more of? Not sure.

22. What do you wish you'd done less of? Not sure.

23. How will you be spending New Year's Eve/Day?

Planning the winter term? Actually we're thinking maybe a Three Stooges party on New Year's Eve.

24. What was an unexpected surprise? Not sure.

25. Did you fall in love in 2009? No, I'm sticking to my first choice.

26. What was the best concert you've been to this year? An outdoor opera with Crayons.

27. What was your favorite TV program? Emergency! Or maybe ALF.

28. Do you dislike anyone now that you didn't dislike this time last year? Yes, but I'm not telling.

29. What was the best book you read? Reading Like a Writer; Rough Crossings; Heart of Mid-Lothian; The Silver Brumby; The Bone Sharps; Essays of Elia; Marva Collins' Way; and one I'm reading right now, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

30. What was your greatest musical discovery? Not sure.

31. What did you want and get? A 7 liter Crockpot, and Stephanie O'Dea's Crockpot book.

32. What did you want and not get? Besides another Treehouse...I wanted Mr. Fixit to be finished with all his post-last-year medications and checkups and all that. He really is feeling much better now.

33. What was your favorite film of this year? I was going to say Rupert the Squirrel, but The Apprentice thought that was going too far. So now I'm not sure.

34. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Spent it at home. I'm ignoring the second question.

35. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Seeing the CPSIA scrapped. (You thought I was going to say finding a Treehouse?)

36. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

Um...

37. What kept you sane?

Blogging. Not having to count sodium amounts after January. Cryptoquotes. Listening to Jazz FM and Theater of the Mind with Mr. Fixit last thing at night. Repeated visits to the Psalms and some of the Major Prophets (I find curses on the Assyrians oddly comforting).

38. What political issue stirred you the most?

The CPSIA, even if it's not a Canadian issue. Yet.

39. Who did you miss?

By death or distance? A lot of people. By retirement? Our dentist and our former pastor.

40. Random Memories from 2009?

The flu epidemic. The too-cold summer. The sunny, dry November. The Apprentice's choir concerts. Great yard sales, but missing The Apprentice there because she had to work Saturdays. Sunday dinners with Grandpa Squirrel. Crayons' rapidly expanding Beanie Bopper collection. Friday afternoon co-op gym and crafts. Various dance classes. Outwitting the sewing machine.