The year 2012 is off to a good start. The first day of the year dawned with beautiful weather. It was cool but not too cool, and a bit windy but clear and sunny - definitely an improvement over the snow and ice we’ve sometimes had at this time of year. I think I ate plenty of black-eyed peas to bring me luck in the new year. I didn’t have any hog jowl to cook with them but the pork steak I broiled should be a close substitute.

Our friends at Sulphur Springs took turnip greens to the New Years Eve party they attended and reminded us that greens were the color of money and eating them was said to bring prosperity. Anne Byrn, a columnist for The Nashville Tennessean, says she suspects that’s a myth, along with the tale that black-eyed peas will make us lucky. “Some clever mother invented these stories to prod her family to eat greens and beans,” she asserts. After all, she points out, we were told that carrots would make our eyesight better and fish was brain food.

Byrn suggests, for those who want to save time, just combining the peas and greens in one main dish and either serving atop rice or folding into hot pasta. Personally I’m rather fond of both foods so, despite the fact there is little guarantee they’ll make us fortunate in 2012, they’ll at least make our first meal delicious.

Both my sisters visited on Tuesday after Christmas and packed up some of Mama’s dishes they wanted to take. When they had loaded their boxes and driven away, there was extra space in the corner cabinet Jim built in the dining room. Wednesday morning I crawled back into the attic and brought out boxes of dishes I’d had stashed away for years. I spent some time the next three days unpacking and washing a full set of china and arranging it on the shelves for display.

We had an early deadline for the last newspaper issue of 2011 and, with the change in schedule, I had Monday off. I used part of the time to bake Jim a chocolate meringue pie. My sisters had made apple, pumpkin and pecan pies for Christmas dinner but there was no chocolate, and that’s one of his favorites.

We’ve certainly had our share of goodies this holiday season. Our gifts included candy, a two-pound tin of cookies and a Hickory Farms box with summer sausage, cheeses and crackers. I bought a big tin with three flavors of popcorn and made a batch of Chex party mix. It’s a pretty good bet we’ve gained a few pounds from all the desserts and snacks.

We went out for breakfast on New Year’s Eve, a rare treat for both of us. Jim had almost finished a tough roofing job and it had been a stressful week for me as well. We enjoyed omelets,hashbrowns, biscuits and gravy and cups of good hot coffee. We had telephone calls that day from a former neighbor wanting to know how to cook black-eyed peas and from a cousin of Mama’s now living in Florida. We had a peaceful evening at home and brought in the new year watching a country music show on T.V.

Last Saturday the members of our quilt class gathered at the lovely home of Glenn and Cleta Whitman on Mount Olive Road. We made our last hurrah to the holiday season as we enjoyed a delicious potluck meal and had a fun ornament exchange. There was quite a variety of tasty dishes and snacks and several requests for recipes were made. We toured the beautifully decorated home and left with gift bags of Cleta’s homemade fudge. We all agreed it was a wonderful way to spend the first Saturday of the new year.

This poem, The Way to a Happy New Year, copied from a Christmas greeting I received a few years ago, seems to offer good advice. The author is unknown. “To leave the old with a burst of song; To recall the right and forgive the wrong; To forget the things that bind us fast To the vain regrets of the year that’s past; To have the strength to let go your hold of the not worthwhile of the days grown old; To dare go forth with a purpose true, To the unknown task of the year that’s new; To help your brother along the road, To do his work and lift his load; To add your gift to the world’s good cheer, Is to have and to give a Happy New Year.”

Susan Holland, who works for the Westside Eagle Observer, is a lifelong Benton County resident.

Opinion, Pages 5 on 01/11/2012