8:00 AM

Brrrr! Dirk reporting in from Ice Station Zebra. Our abode on Red Bud is currently 47 degrees and its dropping fast – outside it’s 15. Coldest morning of the year and wouldn’t you know – NO HEAT. Forty-five minutes ago the call for help went out and now it is a race against time. What happened to all the little space heaters we pitched when the new furnace was installed a couple of years ago?

It really is the season now that my Big Loader Construction Set has been fully assembled and tested – thirteenth year in a row and never a failure. Marcia has all the interior decorations done. Now the real battle is about to kick into high gear. Poised at the top of the stairs are my old Lionel train set and the much newer Disney Monorail. Marcia has already started the annual whine about there being no space for the fully assembled tracks. My only, and extremely logical, comeback is that with 4000 square feet of space there has to be enough room for this stuff. I firmly believe that had she a doll collection requiring the same footprint that there would indeed be available room. Therefore, it’s a gender thing.

Fingers are getting stiff with cold as I am sitting in front of the Marcia’s office window waiting for the little repair truck to roll up. Robert Frost wrote about cold, and woods, etc; “and miles to go before I sleep”. On that note – more hot coffee.

Have a great week,

Cheers,

Dirk

PS. Be sure to click on the “Week’s Best” button (near the bottom of the page) – innovative site & work from a Hollander in Amsterdam