Another Day in Zhong Guo - Year of the Goat

I had rice for breakfast this morning.  It seemed fitting on this hazy Chinese New Year Day.  Its the year of the Goat.  Ha!  I'm going to make that my little reminder that I am to be one of the sheep.  We enjoyed the eve of Chinese New Year for maybe the very first time, that is until about 9pm when everyone was trying to sleep.  Ten thousand little fires lit the sidewalk at any given moment reminding all those within ear shot that New Year Day was approaching.  Of course firecrackers are a daily thing in China, so they have to ramp it up a bit on this special day.

The Chinese invented gunpowder and there is no shortage of it here.  Evidence is that that the firecrackers and fireworks began at 5pm and still have not ceased.  It is 7:45 am.  The kids, Pete and Lola that is, and I had great fun running from room to room to try and get the best view of the beautiful displays of light in the sky last night.  We sat in my bedroom for a while and looked out our enormous window that overlooks a courtyard where people often send their money up into the sky.  Time after time we watched a spark fly high and turn into an array of red, yellow and green.  Gorgeous flowers of fire in the sky.  Then we'd here another set of explosions and we'd run to the bathroom to look and if nothing could be seen we'd run to the Lola's room and watch the show.
The kids were giddy and I was soaking it all in because in ten years of living in China we've probably only spent three Chinese New Years in country.   It's not a restful event.  If there is no fun in it then it quickly turns to misery.  I can attest to this fact after many tears in years past.  That is why we often do our best to spend Chinese New Year in Thailand.  We had planned to do just that this year as well, but things came up and we had to cancel our trip.

How many times did we wake up last night?  I have no idea.  Gracie, Pete, and Noah slept in our bed. Lola thankfully stayed in her's.  Once Grace came crying and said a firework had exploded right outside her window.  She was terrified.  It must be similar to a war zone.  When Gracie was still the only child we watched tv after she went to bed.  One night we were watching a war movie and after a succession of gunfire she cried out, "Fi-er cwackers Mommy."  Back then it seems that firecrackers were even more common.  Poor Gracie endured so much her first three years of life.  It is no wonder that she has a sensitivity to noise.

I took Choco out for a walk this morning.  Bless those folks who clean up our neighborhood.  They have their work cut out for them.  The stone walkway is gray from all the little explosions it endured over the night.  Of course they are busily sweeping mounds of red paper, but it is an effort in futility because the red paper covers each little firecracker and the thousands of thousands of little bound rolls of gunpowder just litter the ground.  They'll be sweeping for days.

Anyway.  Chun Jie Kuai Le - Happy Spring Festival!  It was a good night even though restless.  I am thankful this morning.  But I think I'm hungry again, the Rice Krispies don't last.  Maybe I'll have some grits.