Las Vegas is not in my near future or recent past, but I did win big with an auspicious invitation to a special new year’s day dinner. It is not lucky that I got the invitation, although I am thankful to have attended a meal of fortunate foods.

In my house, we generally eat for love, but at this meal, I ate for luck. There is a slew (or maybe a stew) of new year’s dos and don’ts when it comes to the components of the first meal of the year.

Temperature: Precip.

Day Max. Min. Inches.

Fº Fº

Dec. 24 42 22 Trace

Dec. 25 55 41 .25

Dec. 26 47 30 .00

Dec. 27 47 35 .02

Dec. 28 52 46 .02

Dec. 29 53 34 .00

Dec. 30 44 27 .00

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 44º F.

Mercury is one of the most difficult visible planets to spot, always close to the glare of the sun. In the week ahead there is a rare opportunity to see Mercury. The planet is low in the west southwestern sky, above the bright planet Jupiter, soon after sunset. The two are a pair amid the light of twilight. They are less than 2 degrees apart tonight.

A plan to require all saltwater recreational fishermen to obtain either a state or federal license has been postponed a year to January 2010. The notice by federal fisheries authorities came out recently; a plan to establish a Massachusetts recreational fishing license has also been postponed.

Paul Diodati, director of the state Division of Marine Fisheries, said he is pleased by the delay, as it gives federal authorities more time to work out details for the license.

The question of what is a harvestable sized bay scallop will be the subject of a public hearing next week on the Cape. The state Division of Marine Fisheries is hosting the hearing at 3 p.m. on Jan. 6 to gather input, following emergency action they took last fall to quiet a dispute between fishermen and regulators.

The hearing will take place at the Barnstable Senior Center, 825 Falmouth Road, Route 28 in Hyannis.

This year, the oak trees were nature’s underachievers.

Naturalists, landscapers and backyard rakers noticed a lack of acorns this fall. No apocalypse, unless you are a squirrel, but of interest nevertheless.