Hi, it's Rose here, posting from Chicago. This update will be brief. Perhaps tomorrow Sue, who is here also, and I will put our heads together and do a more complete entry. We have had Brayden all week which is the reason for the long silence. With Brayden in our home, our attentions are unidirectional. He is quite a love at two and one-half years. Except for a few tears when his beloved "DADDEE!!!" left, he was a cheerful and happy little guy the whole time. He is quite attached to 'Ganny' and tolerates Shirley and me well. Shirley went off to Chicago on Wednesday. And this morning Sue, Brayden, and I met Scott at the airport where we did the baby exchange, Scott coming from Louisville just an hour before Sue and I left for Chicago. Brayden thought we were simply going to pick up Shirley where we dropped her on Wednesday. Needless to say, he was overjoyed with his DADDEE appeared.

One of the things we have taught Brayden is to be quiet when someone is on the phone, talking 'business.' On Friday, Sue cautioned him to be quiet because Aunt Rose was on the phone with some important business. Brayden listened intenttly for a minute, then said, "That's not business. That's Aunt Shirley!!!" Well, Dear Readers, if you think we are all ga-ga over this little guy, you are right.

In other news Sue, Margaret, Norm, and I went together Monday evening to the downtown St. Louis Radisson for the Railway Club Meeting at which Brother Joe was named Man of the Year. It was quite an event and very, very ritzy. Joe is obviously well respected and liked by this group. Their selection of him as their Man of the Year was unaminous. One man proudly told me he had known Joe for 35 years. I told him, just as proudly, that I had known Joe for more than 60 years. Funny though, he didn't know that Joe was known widely as SMITW (Sweetest Man in the World).

We met some interesting folk, spent time with Joe's beautiful family, and heard astonishing testimonials about the character and accomplishments of this man, Joe Felin. We have photos from the evening and audio recordings of people talking about Joe and of Joe giving an interesting speech. When we get time, we'll post photos and a link to a podcast of the speeches.

Just an aside here: Norman Abbott was dressed to the nines in a suit he had tailor made some thirty-plus years ago. How many of us can still fit into ANYTHING from that long ago? It was awfully good to see Norman so recovered and looking well after his recent bout with illness.