Morning all:

” An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit.” — Pliny the Younger

Happy New Year
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2006 has been a great year for our family. We have all been healthy. We have a new grandson – Kellen, who is bright as a button. The two older grandsons both started school and are learning as if there is no tomorrow. Adrianne came home from her Peace Corps stay in Tonga and brought with her a wonderful husband – Tevita. In Tonga she left behind people who are the better for having had her in their midst. Jason and Cathy are busily preparing for our first granddaughter. And with Kirstin’s support Vince took a massive leap by setting out on his own and starting up an engineering firm specializing in environmentally-friendly design; it’ll be a huge success if these early days are any measure. And, amidst it all, I managed to thoroughly enjoy every Saturday morning with you and my mug of coffee through these Ramblings. It’s been a great year.

Last weekend we had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with the family in Michigan. Then Wednesday Marcia and I got together with the kids (Vince, Kirstin, and their gang via video) as Adrianne and Tevita hosted all of us for dinner and our family Christmas celebration; complete with outdoor grilling a la Tonga style. Tomorrow evening we will be celebrating New Year’s Eve with friends. Throw in a dinner or two with friends, neighbors, and work; and I am so ready to celebrate another festival or two. I have really grown into the party and celebratory thing big time and could easily continue along this track.

Happy Festivus. I think we need to resurrect the festival made popular on the Seinfeld Show as a great way to continue the party theme. I can easily find an aluminum pole as a focal piece for the celebration. On Seinfeld the Festivus celebration had two main components. The first being the “Airing of Grievances” and I think that this portion of the celebration I could manage with a slight twist. The original had each person tell each and everyone else all the ways they’ve disappointed him/her over the past year. I propose that for the Dirk version that I tell each and every person how they’ve disappointed me.

I think though, that I’ll struggle a bit more with phase two of the Festivus celebration, the “Feats of Strength”. Since traditionally, Festivus is not over until the head of the household is wrestled to the floor and pinned. Ouch.

This week we lost former President Ford. I thought I’d share Marcia’s connection and remembrance of Gerald Ford. Marcia left for Venezuela and her Peace Corps service back in 1966 and then Congressman Jerry Ford sent her a Western Union telegraph just before she left. He thanked her for her service and wished her Godspeed. Marcia has treasured and saved that little piece of yellow paper with the black Western Union logo and its quirkily printed lettering complete with the word “stop” at the end of each sentence STOP

2006 did bring a wave of crime into our normally quiet neighborhood, disrupting the very comfortable way of our going about that we’ve enjoyed. I guess that we all have to fight back in in our own way in order to preserve what we hold dear. My decision was to join up with the Cincinnati Police Department Citizens Volunteer Program. I got notification that I was accepted and starting February 1st I will start 20-hours of training at the Police Academy.

Make it a great week everyone: remember just how badly you wanted certain gifts? Now that you have them to enjoy take an additional moment to once again thank the giver.

Cheers,
Dirk