A cheerful Saturday morning-before-New Year’s Eve-Day to everyone on this December 30th, 2017. This is our first real cold snap of the season. Of course, yesterday I had to get the perfunctory phone call from bro George (stuck in Naples, Florida) crowing something about; “sitting poolside”.

Anyway, tomorrow morning when I drive Kirstin, Derek, and Kellen to the airport at 6:00 AM, it’ll be 3° F (and that is cold for us too); so waking up this morning to 20° F makes that temperature feel downright balmy.

Having said that I think I’ll punch the thermostat up a couple of degrees before Marcia and Kirstin get up or they might not crawl out from under the covers at all. In any case, I’d hear about it.

Here it is, the day before New Year’s Eve. As usual, Marcia had the radio on and tuned to one of the local AM stations. The first thing I heard was the Saturday morning jock plowing through a long list of notables who had passed on throughout this year – I thought of it as waking up to the Grim Reaper standing bedside. 

 

”Don’t believe everything you read on the internet just because there’s a picture with a quote next to it.” ~ Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill (November 1874 – January 1965)

Fruit Stand – All the grandkids have been around (underfoot) all week and it’s been great. What is amazing is that there are absolutely no issues, no whining, no crying jags. Just a constant racing about which has to drive the little elderly lady below us crazy, but she too has been cooperative and we’ve not heard a peep from her.

To celebrate Marcia has parked what can best be described as a fruit stand in the place. We’ve gone through pounds of grapes, a peck of mandarins. I’ve forgotten how many Pineapples, and several pouches of those little colorful sweet Bell Peppers. Plus, Salsa has been poured into a bowl by the gallon

Doing it Right – Below are some photos of our “event” times together, which included; Tubing, an Escape Room adventure, many games involving everyone except Oma Marcia (she declares at each offering; “I don’t do games”), and today it’s be seeing Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (the remake and not the original Jumanji on DVD which I would enjoy).

We toured the town since Derek and Kellen hardly remember being here other than for seeing snow. They were fascinated that we could not get through any part of town without mom Kirstin exclaiming; “see that building there, that’s where I went to school” and then she’d insert a grade level.

 Sneak Preview – Some of you have heard that we enjoy the antics of an “eccentric” neighbor. This past autumn we began to notice a new habit, he’d take trash to our common dumpster and then leave the enclosure door wide open.

I had enough and found just the right spring at Lowe’s and positioned it on the door where it could barely be seen. Marcia couldn’t wait to watch as the door slammed him in the a*s as he entered. Yup, she spotted him and it made her day.

Finis – These past months have been hard on the whole family and heartbreaking for Kirstin, for Derek, and Kellen. Being with her family and the kids with their cousins I think did everyone a world of good.

We’ve all entered the holiday period with thoughts of times past and the void that is so very real. The collective week-long embrace has our little group emerge all the stronger. Personally, I feel blessed for what we have enjoyed and gained this Christmas holiday season. With love I wish you all a peaceful, safe, and Happy 2018.

Make it a great week.

Cheers.

Dirk