I decided on a sandwich with no chicken; and no, not  because my brain was touched by the frost. There’s a saying that you shouldn’t eat chicken for New Year’s, or you’ll fo backwards in the coming year. You’re supposed to eat pork, so you’ll go forwards.

That odd superstition stems from the different ways in which chickens and pigs search for food. A chicken scratches backwards; but a pig roots forwards. A popular January 1 dish around here is ham hocks cooked in blackeye peas.

I’d better get in some riding tomorrow. I let it go again today; I wasn’t home from all my appointments and errands until at least noon; and the wind was still strong enough to dissuade me. And, after that huge lunch, my stomach felt too full for vigorous exercise!