Happy New Year!

My brother's house in Utah on New Year's Day

It seems amazing that 2013 is already here.  When I was a kid, any date past the year 2000 seemed so remote that even contemplating it bordered on the existential.

But, here we are!

This is a photo of my brother's house on New Year's Day.  I'm running it, because photos of my house on New Year's day look pretty much like any other day of the year.  He said the high was around 21 degrees (F).  Brrrr.

Interestingly enough, the tracks in the snow are deer tracks.  He surprised a few while coming home from a New Year's Eve party.  Evidently the deer are coming down from the mountains in large numbers due to the cold temperatures and heavy snowfalls.  They're looking for something to eat, and were happily having a little New Year's Eve party of their own in my brother's front yard, feasting on his bushes.

That reminds me of an old tradition.  In Norway, people put out something called "julenek" during the holidays.  This is a sheaf of grains put outside for the critters.

A bird feasting on his Julenek

 I like this tradition, it is kind and thoughtful.  Why should humans be the only ones to feast during the cold and dreary winter?  In olden days folks would even put out bowls of porridge up in their lofts and barns - ostensibly for the nisser, or elves which lived there.

But I'm thinking there were probably a few little critters feasting there, too.

A Julenek outside an ancient stabbur at the Folk Museum near of Oslo, Norway

It's a good reminder for us all to be kind and generous to everyone in this new year.

Happy New Year, everybody!