Our snow is gone and the snow bear has melted away. We had to take Brayden to Mt. Carmel on Tuesday to deliver him to his dad and have been bereft without him. He was overjoyed on seeing Scott, and we no longer existed. We played the Johnny Cash song "A Boy Named Sue" on the trip over there, and we had to repeat playing it several times while he tried to figure it out. He wanted to hear "the Sue song" again.

Norman was snowblowing his driveway last Sunday and somehow got his fingers caught in the contraption. He didn't make much of the incident at first and was more concerned about a perfectly good pair of gloves. Margaret insisted he go to the emergency room and he had, in fact, cut off the tips of two fingers. The surgeon grafted skin from his wrist to repair the worst finger and sent him home. Norman made Sabrina and Catrina dig the glove out of the trash can when they finally got home late that night. Despite his protestations, the girls threw it away.

We had a newsy email from the newly weds, Anna and Dan. Dan will be transferred to Spokane at the end of March. Anna is still traveling to Florida for her classes and will have to go in February, April, and June. She will have the summer off. Dan will have to stay in Virginia until the end of March to complete a project he is currently involved in. Anna said business at the print shop is steady, which is good.

Rose, Shirley, and I had dinner at Jana and John's last night. Their baby, Ellie, is almost one and a delight. She's about to walk, has 6 teeth, and keeps them both hopping. Jana made a delicious dinner and John always remembers to get my favorite wine.

Pete called this morning. It was 72 degrees there and about half a million people taking advantage of the warmth. Janet is having lots of pain in her back and now in her hip, too. Pain patches help some but not completely.

Bernie and Maudie are wandering around Arizona and must be relishing the weather. Maybe it's an inherited trait because Sandi says Bernie is always cold and so is Rose. Right now she is wearing my vest - one we got after we visited Spokane and saw the FeLLin vests.

Chris and I had lunch Friday with Karen and my stepson Mark. Mark and Karen had big news to announce. They're engaged and have set the wedding date for December 22. Karen already feels like part of the family and, in fact, IS.

Joe was without power for 12 days. The generator he bought blew his computer out so we're behind on news from him. Pete talked to him this morning. Joe was going to Marshfield because he heard there was vandalism at the cemetery.

Goldman continues to be helpful when we need a man around. He is driving Chris's orange Del Sol. We always know when he arrives because of the roar of the little engine in that car.