Good morning all:

” A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her.” — David Brinkley

This morning the rain is punching away at a lot of the dead leaves still laying about the yard. By nightfall there will be a 20 to 30 degree temperature drop, or so says our TV station’s latest weather weenie hottie. In any case, the coffee tastes great on a dark and rainy morning.

The hospital has initiated the wished for (and also frightening) “little Vai going home” discussion. Vai is on a tear! Last night – on her week 11 birthday – she weighed in at 4 pounds and 13.8 ounces. All medications have been stopped and the little bit of oxygen she still receives is there strictly as a security blanket for Vaioleti.

I got to hold her for the first time!!! She and her ‘Opa’ were both on cloud nine. For a solid twenty minutes we both just snuggled (I did get reprimanded for rocking her a bit too boldly).

I believe I have figured out why I enjoy visiting little Vai with Adrianne and Tevita present. While Adrianne was totally focused on the bath she was giving Vai I could see the two of them intently staring at each other. With all the gene pool inherited by Vai the start of something more was taking place. It was the calmness, the loving care, and the little family’s joy – their meme – that was being transferred over. It was a fascinating and wonderful thing to see.

This week the economy crumbled a bit more. What I did read is that it did not seem to concern the AIG leadership who enjoyed another expensive junket off your and my tax dollars. If this keeps going I can foresee an eventual realignment of the North American borders. Click on map to expand and view the newly adjusted borders reflecting the “pennies on the dollar” purchases by Canada and Russia. If my prediction proves true than I sure am glad that we have already bought our little place up in the northern ‘wilderness’; we’ll already be part of their ‘landed gentry’.

Marcia is in a new state of smile-studded euphoria as our whole family has become Bissellized. Our last visit at Sam’s Club had Marcia rip a Bissell rug steam cleaner off a shelf and into the cart—normally it is me who has the finger pointed to as a result of a supposed ‘impulse’ purchase. Also, I realized the brilliance of Sam’s Club for providing shopping carts with a 140 cubic foot load capacity. Anyway, I digress, Marcia is now “boldly heading where she has never gone before”. No rug is too small. Trips were even made to the kid’s homes where they were shoved aside as she tossed furniture into hallways to gain better access to yet another carpet.

Make it a great week. Remember that a little nonsense now and then is relished by even the wisest men.

Cheers,

Dirk