Just a quick note to wish all our loyal readers a HAPPY NEW YEAR and best wishes to Anna and Dan on their first anniversary. Rose, Jalen, Brayden, and I are going out for an early New Year's Eve dinner to celebrate the occasion and also a belated birthday happening for Jalen's December birthday which occurs so close to Christmas that it seems a bit overlooked. We've had the boys since Saturday and have to give them up tomorrow, much to our reluctance.

Last Friday evening I went to a place back in my old neighborhood - the Dorsett Inn!! I was looking for a checkered future but I don't think it's in the cards. I met my old coworker from GMAC, Liz, and her sister Sue, who did my taxes for years, there. We talked, laughed, reminisced, listened to a lot of music that was 'after my time', and made plans for summer weekends at the lakehouse. We had a super evening and plan to do it again soon.

Donald and Vita came by Sunday morning with three of their grandsons, Jake, Joe, and Christopher. Jalen, Brayden, Jamil, and Layla were already here. Layla was outnumbered by the five boys but it didn't seem to bother her. The group took right up with each other and made immediate friends. Mark and Karen had given Jalen a Guitar Hero for his PS3 for Christmas and they all took turns playing it. Donald's grandsons had also got one of these guitar noisemakers from Santa and Donald and Vita had spent the previous few days with their grandchildren and their guitar and were thoroughly ready for some peace and quiet. Needless to say, they didn't get it here.

Yesterday afternoon Rose and I took Brayden, Jalen, and Layla to the indoor pool at the Clayton YMCA. Lucky for Rose and me, they closed early or we would have been there past bedtime. When we did get ready to leave, Rose nearly had to wade in to make them get out. It reminded us of our days at the Marshfield Pool when we would stay until our toes were raw from tip-toeing around the pool, our eyes were burning from the chlorine, and our knees were weak from hunger.

Santa brought Margaret a new laptop for Christmas, but I'm not sure if her computer experts have it hooked up for her yet. I love working the New York Times crossword puzzles with mine (and couldn't work them without it), and I know she loves the NYT puzzles, too. I can just picture her at her kitchen table working on one of them with her new computer. She can't imagine how much enjoyment she will get out of it.

This afternoon the boys and I went out to Doug and Suzanne's. The boys immediately disappeared to play with Luke and Josie and I didn't see them again until Rose picked us up two hours later. Doug and Suzanne are among the scores of people whose names I can't even begin to list, who have been so diligent and caring and loving and attentive and sacrificing and noncomplaining and, besides not being able to list the names, can't list all the other gifts of love that I have received again this year. It's the end of another year and I just want to say again HAPPY NEW YEAR. I know the procedure that I'm going to go through on January 8 is going to be an ordeal so please keep me in your prayers.