Sunrise salute 2015
Sunrise over Saint Louis
Photo PBH
January 2015 – Cape Girardeau, MO USA
How to celebrate the New Year.
Instead of trying to squeeze out every last moment of 2014, the celebration starts at sunrise January 1, 2015.
I’d rather be there at the beginning of the new year to greet the day and welcome the sun. Jeff and I will be in downtown Cape Girardeau by the Mississippi River. Bring a lawn chair and a thermos of steamy coffee, cappuccino, or hot chocolate. There are always a few folks who have braved the frozen morning to see the sun rise over the Mississippi.
If I weren’t bundled up like the Michelin Man, I might try the yoga version of the Sunrise Salutation. (Saving this idea for Maui.)
Just standing there, huddling in a blanket is OK. The sun rises precisely as predicted. In Cape Girardeau, sunrise is 7:12 a.m. It’s a pretty short day, only 9 hours and 38 minutes long, if you care to salute the day at the beginning and the end.
Get help to figure out sunrise at Sunrise and Sunset Calculator or Tomorrow’s Weather Forecast for Sunrise Or just Google it.
Ice floating on the Mississippi. Photo PBH
It is a rare few that show up. The celebration is quiet. So quiet in fact, I can hear my husband’s teeth chattering.
No cheering or party horns here. Everyone is left alone to offer a welcome nod of the head or a silent prayer. Greeting the new year at sunrise is a peaceful event.
As a gardener, it just makes more sense to start the New Year on a sunny note. If I weren’t at the river, I think I might be outstanding in my field. Or, possibly in the healing herb garden.
It is also a good time to share your intentions for the year with the new sun. If you make resolutions, making the pact at the beginning of the day seems right. Tell that good old sun your resolutions. Or, even whisper them to that old Mississippi River.
Honestly, it’s over in a flash, I’m pretty sure no one has ever frozen to death in the few glorious moments of sunrise. There is a McDonald’s between our house and the river so the bribe of a breakfast sandwich and a cup of cocoa may be enough to get your partner out of bed. Or, in our case, the promise not to stop at McDonald’s is incentive enough.
That’s it. Jeff and I greet the New Year standing hand in hand at sunrise. Surely that’s Good Luck. Our year begins with gratitude. We pray for another blessed year.
The New Year’s launch party is complete. You can head home and put the black-eyed peas to soak. Or, go back to bed until the Rose Bowl Parade.
Rose Parade used to march right past the Hobson’s house in Pasadena, CA. All 11 Hobson kids got to see the parade from their own front yard years ago. In 2015, the parade begins at 8:00 a.m., PST. We watch it on TV and can almost spell the roses.
Access The 126th Rose Parade and the official ROSE PARADE PROGRAM or download the ROSE PARADE APP for mobile tablets in the Apples iTunes Store.
Black eyed peas for dinner
Our dinner is simple home cooked food and very nearly the same every year. Black eyed peas are the star of the table. Really, we’ll be having purple hulled peas from the local farmers market.
Ham is on the table, not chicken or turkey. We eat ham on New Years Day because a hog roots forward and a turkey or chicken scratches back. Learn why we eat this food every January 1st and why we feel lucky to have it. Just click below ↓.
These Black Eyes are purple hull peas grown locally
Summer ran in the door with a hand full of Nekked Ladies and thrust them at me. “Surprise! Here cousin. Flowers for you!”
Strengthening arm and shoulder muscles: begin by standing outside on a level surface, and with a 5-lb. potato sack in each hand… extend your arms straight out to your sides and hold them there as long as you can.
