''Happy new year!'' I said to Aunt Dee as I entered her apartment.

''Of course,'' she responded. ''I'm making revolutions to make sure it will be a happy new year.''

She waved me to a chair and unrolled a scroll of lined paper. ''First of all, I'm throwing out all the junk I've been collecting all year.'' She pointed to a small box on the table before her. ''See, there's the apron my friend Sadie-Sidonia passed on to me, that probably she got for a present from someone. And the picture of me looking like an old lady goes, too. Cousin Mark was always a terrible photographer.''

''Is that all?'' I asked.

''Well, you don't think I have stuff that's no good, do you?''

I assured her that her stuff was good, and she continued, ''Second, I'm paying all my bills on time, so those greedy companies won't be so interested in me. Imagine! They expect me to give them extra money just because I didn't get around to sending them the payments when they said I should. Like I have nothing else to do.''

I did not point out that sending a check does not require a tremendous amount of time, or that she sometimes complains that she has nothing to do. ''You kept their money in your bank account and got interest on it, didn't you?'' I asked.

''Not as much as the companies want me to give them, I just found out,'' she snorted. ''That's why I decided to pay on time this year.''

''Any other resolutions?'' I inquired.

''One more. I'm not going to tell my daughter Sherry how to bring up her little one any more. She doesn't deserve my help; she doesn't listen anyway. She had the nerve to say to me, 'Mother, you raised your children; let me raise mine.' I hope my grandson takes after me and not her. She was always a stubborn child.''

She rolled up the list and put it away. ''What are your revolutions?'' she demanded.

''Resolutions,'' I couldn't resist saying. ''I haven't any.''

''Well, I'll give you some that will make a revolution in your life,'' she replied, unfazed. ''Number one, you should color your hair. My hair is silver, which is nice, but yours is gray and brown, a terrible combination. Make it blonde, or red, or black.''

''What else?'' I encouraged, to change the subject before she could extract a promise from me,

''You should eat more,'' she instructed. ''You're too skinny. A woman should have some flesh on her bones.'' Aunt Dee did indeed have plenty of flesh on her own bones.

''And last, you should call your aunt more often. Lots of times I have something interesting to tell you but by the time you phone I forget it. Every evening at 8 p.m. would be good.''

''But Aunt Dee, I do call you almost every day!'' I protested.

''See! Almost." She shook her finger at me reproachfully.

That is one resolution I had better keep.