It's official . . .

Almost finished with the Alaska photos. I am getting weary of them. Think I'll start the Arizona shots which younger brother's wife took when she and I visited her Border Patrol son and his wife.

Okay, that's it, it's official. When Kiddo no longer needs us we'll be Louisiana bound. Two degrees when I get up in the morning, at least 3 feet on snow where it's not piled up over 6 feet, monster icicles hanging off of the gutters and a forecast of freezing rain mixed with snow is enough to send placid me off the edge. Three neighbor kids borrowed one of our sleds yesterday and really didn't do any sliding because there's just too much snow on the hill. Selfishly, I hoped they'd be able to pack it down and make a path so Kiddo and I could trudge up the hill to slide after they did all of the work. But they quit. The two boys let the girl do all of the work! Oh well, perhaps by this time Friday it will all be ice and we can crawl up and slide down on our bottoms.

Kiddo didn't go to school this past Friday because he was sick so we didn't get to play out as much as I would have liked. He did break the icicles off of the house since he could reach them by climbing on the snowbanks. Grampa made a video of him trying to get to his swing hanging off of the dogwood. Watching him try to walk on top of the snow was hysterical. He finally ended up crawling to it and managed to pull it out. It now sits on top of the snow. He was nervous about snow angels. Didn't trust me to dig him out if he sunk in! He only made one on top of the hard packed mounds near the kitchen door. The news has been slightly scary lately. Quite a few barn and garage roofs have collapsed from the weight of the snow. Moosup nephew called and offered to help get the snow off of our garage but Puppy's Pop didn't take him up on the offer. We went out to check the garage and will be up there sometime today to clear it somehow. There's way too much snow on it now and if the weather forecasters are right about the snowy rainy mix on it's way we could be in trouble. There's no way we can get the Hot Rod out of the back bay and even if we could there would be no place to put it. I'll get some needed exercise today. I'm supposed to clean the house but if I procrastinate long enough I'll just work with Puppy's Pop on the roof. That would be my preferred activity. We'll be going out to dinner at Arturo Joe's in Narragansett to celebrate our 44 years of marriage or the 47 years since we met at Stardust where I was a waitress and he was showing off his Harley. Now, that was cool and is still cool today. We never manage to celebrate on the exact day. I have Groton duty Thursday and I think that Kiddo is in a play that night so we'll celebrate when we have the time and weather.

Quote: To be angry is to revenge the faults of others on ourselves. __Pope

Oh, and the wonders I have wrought . . .

Getting Kiddo's playscape in order.

Yes, after over three hours of snow blowing the driveway, paths to the mail, woods, heating oil pipe, bird food and cleaning out the new neighbors' cars Puppy's Pop came in and I offered to make breakfast. All he asked for was a tall stack of pancakes. Okay, no big deal but . . . didn't have any Bisquick so I had to make up my own batter. The griddlecakes I cooked up on my Pampered Chef griddle were by far the best I have eaten. What a great recipe: easy, fast and outrageously delicious topped with Kate's Maple Syrup. Thank you Fannie Farmer. I do believe that we had another foot and a half of snow added to the already too high mounds. It is now windy out, sunny and 30 degrees so the light snow we received overnight is going to drift into even higher banks. Gees, Louise, enough already.

Depressed by the bad roads yesterday and not going to my Groton duty I took out another 1000 piece puzzle, Heartland Serenade, a panoramic view of a pair of cardinals looking over their domain on the farm with magnolias, fences, barn, house, trees, gardens et cetera. The catch is it's only 13 inches wide and 39 inches long! Local niece was so kind as to give me two puzzles last Christmas and both are rather painful. The other one is 1500 pieces with Santa Claus filling the stockings by firelight. I think I'm getting addicted to these crazy things.

Stadler Form Oskar Evaporator Humidifier - remember the name. It came in the snow yesterday afternoon and I set it up immediately. I am so impressed. It is plain, extremely quiet, and doesn't make a mist. It was a tad expensive but I love it. You don't even know it's working until you check it and realize the water is gone! To fill it you just bring the water to it and pour it in while it's running. Good deal. Now for the coup de grâce, it's made in Switzerland. Yay, yay, yay!

Hopefully I'll be able to get to Groton tomorrow to pick up Kiddo. He'll have a ball on all of the paths Grampa has made about the yard. Today he's home with older brother while his Mom is running the lounge without her cook who couldn't make it in through the snow. She didn't expect much business but just got a call asking if she was open. They're on their way for lunch! Hope she gets some help!

Quote: The blind fanaticism of one foolish honest man may cause more evil than the united efforts of twenty rogues. ____Grimm

A la recherche du temps perdu . . .

Been thinking about Ma when we were kids. She would do a wash in the front loader Bendix and get the clothes all aligned in a rattan basket so we could line up and take our turns pinning the clothes to the line. It was always a riot to see the socks and underwear freeze solid on the line in no time at all but if the sun made it out, by late afternoon we'd take the still partially frozen clothes in and bend them to fit on all the radiators so they could completely dry. One of my best memories, I can still feel the warmth, was Ma racing upstairs with towels warmed on the radiators, me jumping quickly into bed and she pushing the heavenly warmth of the towels on my feet. It is doubtful I even moved from my original position all night as I slept in the icy cold warmth. It was so cold because the hall radiator upstairs was never turned on so we could sleep well. Ma believed in fresh air so much that she kept a window open in their room even in the dead of winter. She was so proud of it that one morning she brought down a jar of water she kept near the bed and it was ice. What a beautiful, delightful, energetic, intelligent, tough, humorous woman we had caring for us along with Pa, Pépère and Mon Oncle Lucky.

Finished the 500 piece Woman with Parasol yesterday causing supper to be a tad late because we just had to get it done. I also made a very easy cinnamon bread so the house smelled warm and comfortable. Grampa has gone out for coffee even though we've already got at least two more inches of snow and it's still coming down. He was going to play horseshoes in East Hartford but decided against it. I imagine I'll work on my by now ancient hooked rug and do some indoor walking. Although the temperature this morning was warmer than usual, 12 degrees it's still not good enough for walking on snow covered roads.

Quote: A good heart, benevolent feelings, and a balanced mind, lie at the foundation of character. Other things may be deemed fortuitous; they may come and go; but character is that which lives and abides, and is admired long after its possessor has left the earth. ___John Todd

Long Johns . . . yes . . .

One of Grampa's birthday cards. Message: "Looking good!" I love it!

Toasty warm sitting here with a hot cup of java, sun on my back, three pairs of socks, two shirts, slippers, and a complete set of long johns. Very bright sun gleaming off of the snow and it has finally gone above zero! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Pretty incredible cold just hanging around. Miss going out to fly the planes and walking. I think I'll have to ask Puppy's Pop to play some cribbage today. I need to keep in shape somehow. Perhaps a bit of addition will help keep the cobwebs and cold from my grey matter.I sent Kiddo home with the flash cards so I do need some form of mental exercise. Puzzle is almost half way done and I really must get back to my audio book. Haven't been very faithful this past week. This January thaw is not working well at all. It's about time the Congress works out of their chambers and in the yard surrounding the Capitol so all their hot air can heat us and the price of oil can make it's way down from the stratosphere.

Sold another one of my audio books on Amazon. So far I've made about $90 but of course they cost me more than that. Still it's a little less clutter in the house and then I can justify buying more! The cold is keeping people away from church and the economy is bringing the donations down. AHC is $15000 in the hole. Not sure how they can fix that unless we all add a bit more to the collection basket. There are a lot more young families in the parish but I don't think there's much money for giving. The big plus at AHC is the beautiful music at the 11am Mass. It is a pleasure. Well, enough random thoughts back to the Bulletin. Oh yay.

Quote: When I get a little money, I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes. ___Erasmus

Ice Age IV . . .

7 degrees below to start the day; furnace struggling to keep up; 9 degrees at 9:30 after breakfast in Oneco; projected high of 14 degrees. Gee willikers, where the hell is Gore when we need him to get Mother Nature back on his track? I had so much trouble with my eyes yesterday and I believe it is directly related to the bright sun on the snow and the dry heat in the house. So I am going to be running the humidifier all day long, not just in the bedroom at night, and in spite of the white dust! I've broken down and ordered another one so I'll have two working all day long. My eyes hurt so much by late afternoon yesterday that I had to use my eye drops many times plus wear dark glasses because the light caused real pain. I'm much better this morning but I'm not taking chances. Staying out of bright lights and sitting on top of the old Hankscraft we had for the kids!

Working hard on the Woman with Parasol. Have the edges and the bottom almost completed. It's fun yet annoying at the same time. Will get to Mass today and then stay home and work on it and read yesterday's Bulletin. We watched both UCONN teams win yesterday and that was also fun. I yell and chatise them a lot and am surprised Grampa can stand to be in the same room with me. I always get upset with him when he dares to criticize and yet I never shut up. Got to learn to be more easy going! Poor man puts up with a lot! He's even been helping me with the puzzle! For his help I had him cook up some Pepperidge Farm apple turnovers for his birthday cake! He did a great job while I was off in Groton. We lucked out Friday. Although there was no school in Connecticut the roads were clear by noontime so we went to Richoni's for lunch where Grampa had the Fisherman's Platter and I had Aaron's wonderful French Onion Soup. We weren't allowed to pay so we had a very cheap, delicious lunch! We brought Kiddo home with us and spent a good day taking apart 23 little aliens, putting them together and doing it over again. Also practiced addition facts with the special flashcards and talking pen. Trying to get him interested in really learning a bit about the notes on the piano but he'd rather just thump around on it so I just let him go. Hoping that he starts to realize how to make the sounds work together. He was a little more musical than usual but still rather rambunctious. I don't want to push right now as I'd like his interest to be genuine.

Quote: There is certainly no defense against adverse fortune which is, on the whole, so effectual as an habitual sense of humor. ____T. W. Higginson

Birthday breakfast . . .

Back to the Alaskan Gold Dredge.

Went out early today for Puppy's Pop's free birthday breakfast at Lizzy B's. He ate two stacks of pancakes, a short and a tall! What a wonderful character. Some spots on Route 14 were very icy because of yesterday's minor thaw and the 20's overnight but all in all the roads are great. Naturally tomorrow will probably be another stormy, snowy day and I'll end up working on the Woman with Parasol. It fits nicely on my metal sided cardboard tray so at the moment it is stowed away but I can dig it out when necessary. I do believe that it is going to be a painful puzzle. I'm still working on the edges!

Just took a break to watch the squirrels trying to attack the bird feeders. One ended up on my porch glider and then banged into the window nearest the fridge before managing to fly up into the tree from the roof. Must be related to the one that always managed to thwart Grampa and get to the feeders no matter what branches he cut or what obstacles he'd put out. Bunch of well educated, intelligent squirrels in Connecticut even if the politicians are addlepated, snake brained idiots.

Managed to wish my lady at the VA a Happy New Year as she worked on getting the billing straightened out. The bill went from $80 to $65. She is always able to clear up the messes and she has given me her extension so I can leave a message when necessary. Pretty neat if disconcerting to know that there will always be mistakes made by this government entity. Yikes, so much incompetence. But, the doctors are taking good care of Grampa so I don't complain and just make the calls with each bill.

Off to Groton now. Thinking Kiddo won't make it here for our Friday night special. That's a bummer. We enjoy having him put us through our paces.

Quote: Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrong. __Charlotte Bronte

Procrastination . . .

So I did procrastinate and took photos!

I'm getting good at finding all sorts of little endeavors to keep me from really doing the housework that I scheduled for today. I used to be so good at getting the housework done every Saturday when I was working, now it's a wonder if I get it somewhat completed every two weeks. So far I've got the bedding in the dryer, a wash in the washer, breakfast dishes cleaned, the first section of the Bulletin read, April itinerary sent to the kids, prescription refilled and two calls that went unanswered to the VA in Providence. I call them almost every month because they are always late with their billing and they always forget to also bill our insurance. Thank goodness I've found a very nice lady who generally takes care of everything for us. Perhaps they are not answering the phones today because yesterday was a holiday and today is an ice day. Amazingly bad weather today at 31 degrees and a freezing rain, after two inches of snow, that is coating the drive, the roads, the roof loaded with icicles and the snow laden trees that have not lost their snow loads since last week's storm dumped the 21 inches. I'm guessing that the sliding that we didn't do this past weekend because it was too difficult to pack the snow will be glare, tough, slippery, dangerous sliding by Friday. Not sure I will be able to let the Kid slide down on the crust from the top of the hill. He'd surely make it down to the wall and into the road in record time and pull an "eldest child" drop over the wall. What a mess is Mother Nature inflicting on us, mere mortals. I was thinking of taking some pictures of the icicles hanging over the living room door but at this point I find them depressing and certain,y not a harbinger of Spring.

I'm procrastinating so well that I think I may even bring out the 500 piece puzzle that younger brother's wife left for me. It's a work of art in all shades of pink! But since Puppy's Pop would probably go apoplectic I may have to consider some other ruse to keep me from my rounds of dusting and vacuuming. Mayhap I could set it up on my cardboard puzzle tray and remove it from the table when he comes up from his lair? Bonne idée!

Quote: Nature is commanded by obeying her. ____Bacon

Missions accomplished . . .

Off to another cold start although at 13.3 degrees at 9:30 am it's almost balmy compared to the below zeros we've been having lately. We've never paid an oil bill that was over five hundred dollars in our lives. So new ground has been broken as we paid $3.245 a gallon for 169.8 gallons. And that's at a .15 per gallon discount since we pay immediately. But there are no new taxes. My pension has been cut to pay for the new higher rates for our medical insurance. But there are no new taxes. Social security checks are the same as they've been for 2 years now. But there are no new taxes. Wow, are we getting ahead with all these non taxes we're paying.

Puppy's Pop and I went out for lunch in Woodstock yesterday to take a break before we returned and finally completed the 50's Junkpile puzzle. That was so much work I was getting slap happy and I ran out of Sogno di Sorrento Crema Lemoncello thereby making the puzzle that much more difficult to complete. But by suppertime we were all set and the puzzle now awaits gluing and hanging in the basement workshop. Kiddo has today off and since his brother is going to see UCONN demolish Villanova at Gampel this afternoon I'll go to Groton today and see about lunch and some playing. I've packed an extra set of clothes in case we decide to go out in the snow but I'm rather hoping we stay inside. He loves to listen to his music on his iPod and I hate the iPod because of the ear buds so I downloaded an album of music to my iPad, synced it with the emachines and made him a CD. I was impressed with myself! It took me a while to get it all figured out but I was pleased. He called me last night to see if I had accomplished the mission and was excited that I had done my job well. I even made a cover for him of the playlist. I don't care for the music of Big Time Rush but since he watches it on Nickelodeon at home I figured it would be OK.

Quote: We seldom contemn mankind till they have injured us; and when they have, we seldom do anything but detest them for the injury. ___Bulwer

Six degrees and rising . . .

Morning of the 13th courtesy of Puppy's Pop.

We're up to 6 degrees at 8:30am. Yep, must be the January Thaw. It was 0 when Puppy's Pop got up this morning and 4 when I tumbled out. So we're getting up there! No school in Northeastern Connecticut yesterday but Kiddo had a late start so I made it to my lunch duty just fine. The back roads are terrible but Routes 12 and 395 were great. I haven't heard or seen any buses yet this morning so I'm guessing they may have another day off. Our road is all iced up. I came home at about 5:20 last evening and it was awful so I'm guessing that the rest of the town roads are also frozen solid. We haven't seen any sand on the secondary roads so we're in for some hairy driving until it warms up a bit.

Grampa had to have a tooth extracted yesterday by an oral surgeon and even he was taken aback by how much work he had to do. It took three stitches, antibiotics, painkillers, soups and lots of not eating. The stitches will come out by themselves but Grampa has to be very careful for a couple of weeks at least. Needless to say, he's not a happy camper. It's so cold downstairs right now that he's covering his plane on Kiddo's bed. I'll be leaving shortly for Groton to do my duty and pick the Kiddo up and come back home for the night. Not sure if we'll be able to get much playing in the snow accomplished today. He wanted to stay at the school playground after school yesterday but the plowman had plowed the parking lot into the play area! Not very good playing right now except for throwing snowballs and running up and down the 5 foot banks.

Quote: When a man becomes familiar with his goddess, she quickly sinks into a woman. ___Addison

(And it serves him right!)

Power back at about 2:20 pm . . .

Only without power for about 4 hours. We did fine with the kerosene heater. It was good to try it out and see if it would do the trick. It did. We let the temp drop to 66 before Puppy's Pop got the stove working and set up at the bottom of the cellar stairs. He's cleared the snow at least 3 time with the snowblowers and it's still coming down at 3:25 pm. I'm quite sure we're way over 17 inches.

Well the kerosene heater is now warming . . .

At 65 degrees and getting colder fast Grampa started the kerosene heater at the bottom of the basement steps. We've closed all the bedroom and bathroom doors. We've got some water heating on the stove for hot chocolate, tea and instant coffee. We are settled in for now working on the puzzle.

Gee . . . and I had been content . . .

What a pain in the buttski! Puppy's Pop was out at 6:45am running the snow blower to get a start on the over 12 inches that fell during the night. I tumbled out of bed at 7 and made up a batch of Baking Powder Biscuits and waited on the gravy until Pop was miserable enough to come in out of the blizzard to eat. After we ate I got dressed for shoveling and went out to push the latest snow layer down the front of the garage so Grampa could work with the snowblower more easily. Came in after about an hour and was going to download the pictures I took of the horseshoe pits and realized that the power was out. That ticked me off no end because I was looking forward to a nice cup of hot coffee. Important word here, hot. Oh well, at least we have running water and can flush the toilet. Thank goodness for small favors. I doubt that Kiddo will be sliding much this weekend. We'll never be able to pack down the at least 15 inches of snow we already have and it continues to fall while we get colder in the house. I've put on the long johns and a hat so I can stay a bit warmer as I write. Hopefully CL&P will get the heat on shortly. I truly don't want to have to use the kerosene stove unless we absolutely have to do so. But I did buy a carbon monoxide detector just in case we ever had to use the damnable thing.

Had my latest root canaled tooth capped yesterday. What the heck, only two hours on the dentist's chair! I'm getting good at this suffering thing! But I must admit it is the prettiest tooth now. It used to be my really ugly tooth. Improvement noted. After shopping at Big Y and you friendly package store I came home to find that Grampa had beaten me home. He played horseshoes in East Hartford and came home with some really somber news. Stan, one of the regulars at the Tuesday pitching games, whose wife had died three weeks ago, had not shown up. So they called him to find out if he was OK. Not OK at all. He died, just like that. He had pitched in a tournament Saturday and had said he'd see everyone Tuesday. Life gets a little quirky now and again.

We'll be having to go out shortly to work on the new snow accumulation. Kiddo will be making a lot of snow forts this weekend. What fun!

Quote: To keep your secret is wisdom; but to expect others to keep it is folly. ___O. W. Holes

Cabin fever setting in . . .

We really haven't had too much snow but enough to keep us away from the flying fields and walking. I've done my daily walk in the house with my audio books but as much as I enjoy the book the work out isn't even close to bracing like a walk outside. Also working on the Fifties Junkpile puzzle and it is extremely vexing, tiring, difficult and a real pain in the "derrière." Those Oneco friends will be served a restraining order shortly. No more forays into any store that sells jigsaw puzzles; that includes on line stores as well. Oh my aching back. I have to keep bending over to see how to fit the crazy thing together. The colors are preposterous; the 1000 pieces are minuscule and there are so many shades of colors in just one old rusted auto that I shall be nuts and crippled before we complete it! This should be the end of my puzzle mania for 2011. I'm sure that Puppy's Pop will appreciate that. He plans to glue this one together and use it as a poster in the basement workshop.

Kiddo and I had a couple of really good sliding days this weekend. There's just enough snow to make the sliding good and the walk back up the hill easy. He's finally sliding down from the tippy top all by himself while I guard the trees. Damn, how that purple, plastic toboggan loves to swerve over the middle bumps and come crashing toward every tree and stump in sight. He's also fond of jumping off and rolling in the snow, getting his jeans wet. ( Why use a snow suit when you can have more fun getting freezing wet in the snow?) Looks like we'll be getting more of the white stuff for Wednesday and Kiddo won't have school. If that is the case he'll stay home with big brother and also spend some time at the restaurant playing video games and watching TV. I hate to drive on bad roads. I do trust my driving skills but I don't trust others not to follow too closely or drive like idiots in front of me. Solution for "moi." Stay home and make that ridiculous puzzle. I should also complete the hooked rug I started over 5 years ago. I didn't realize I was such a procrastinator.

Was hoping to see younger sister today but it fell through. I went for a haircut instead and met a couple of old friends there. Good start to 2011. It's another gorgeous, bright, cold, crisp windy day so I think I'll walk inside again. The wind is a pain for walking. Have to dress up too much! Finished up the 5 pound, 2 rib roast from Christmas last night and will make soup tomorrow after my dental appointment and shopping. I love the smell of homemade soup in the house. I would like to make another bread but I always eat it with scads of butter so I'll resist and have soup and crackers.

Quote: There is this paradox in pride -- it makes some men ridiculous, but prevents others from becoming so. ___Colton

Good day! à la Paul Harvey . . .

Started out with a morning call from England. Youngest has resigned her position with her majesty's health care system and now works for friends who have started their own business and were her former bosses! Now that is definitely very neat. She sounded great and so far, knock on wood, the Clio is behaving. She plans to trade it soon for a Honda Civic and we're keeping our fingers crossed that the Clio lasts long enough for her to trade it in. In other noteworthy news I made her turkey bean thingy for supper and it came out perfect and delicious. The Sally Lunn bread was a delectable accompaniment. Kudos to the daughter and the US chef are in order.

Heard back from my Backus Plainfield Center nurse and it was all good news. All the numbers for numerous vials of blood taken a few weeks ago have been great. The Synthroid is working well and I'm taking something new for my crazy stomach and it's also working well. Had a good visit from younger brother and his wife just as I was returning from Big Y. They'll be off in a few weeks for sunny Arizona. Good on them! Precisely the right time of year for the desert. Puppy's Pop won a couple of horseshoe games today so he's feeling pretty good.

I've got to change my profile shot on Facebook. Someone actually thought it was taken on our so beautifully decorated spiral staircase! Now that's funny!

Quote: Bachelor's wives and old maid's children are always perfect. ___Chamfort

Sogno di Sorrento Crema Lemoncello . . . woot!

Found out I can make 1000 piece puzzles easily if I have a nice pretty glass of iced Lemoncello to guide me. Wow, impressive job. But I must admit I had some help. Puppy's Pop really gave a big push at the end. I was aiming for completion in 10 days and finished in 8. ( I think he misses having room to eat on the kitchen table since I put in an extra leaf and leave the puzzle pieces spread out all over the place. So he may have an ulterior motive for working with me! Whatever the case may be I enjoy his company and help.)

Started out today with a good scrubbing of the house, washes, bedding, porch et cetera. Grampa had to go to a consultation with a root canal specialist and came home really down in the dumps. Our former dentist had only done one of the roots on a molar and now he will have to have it removed because it is really screwed up and can't be saved. I think that what hurts most of all is we trusted him and thought of him as a friend. We never realized that we were not receiving even adequate care. It's no wonder that he ended up not telling anyone he was quitting his practice. You feel as if some one kicked you in the stomach, some one you relied on to tell you the truth and do a proper job. It hurts to know we were duped and actually fell for it. A little late to be learning this lesson but what the heck. We'll soldier on.

We took time out for lunch at Java Jive in Woodstock. It was good to get out and about. I also walked in the house and listened to my audio book because although it was bright and sunny it was also very cold and windy as the devil. Will go food shopping tomorrow and pick up some ingredients for a recipe youngest child sent from England. I'd almost forgotten how much I had liked it when she made it for us. It's a haricot and turkey thingy. It was delicious. Perhaps I should also make a Sally Lunn bread. Sounds yummy to me.

Quote: Of all the vices to which human nature is subject, treachery is the most infamous and detestable, being compounded of fraud, cowardice, and revenge. The greatest wrongs will not justify it, as it destroys those principles of mutual confidence and security by which only society can subsist. __L. M. Stretch

Improvement . . . not an iota in 2011 . . .

Where to start? How 'bout breakfast as usual and then the guys leave me to de-decorate the house while they go for glory being the first to fly at the Yankee Flyers' field in the New Year? How 'bout the beautiful dark, lustrous eyes of Kiddo's snowman askew while the carrot nose is on the ground and the sun has diminished the head so that his hat is on his cheeks? How 'bout wet stockinged feet when Puppy's Pop, never having learned in 67 years how to wipe his feet has left a path of soggy snow on the kitchen floor which I, who removes shoes to keep the floor clean, walk through? Hmmmmm . . . so there 2011. Do your best.

Thank goodness Kiddo and I went sliding yesterday because it is balmy today, 53 degrees. Grampa and I just returned from Groton and also stopped to fly and walk at the Sterling school. I had to remove my jacket and moseyed around in a sweatshirt. Must stop this soliloquy and get to the rest of the de-decorating.

Quote: To know how to grow old is the master-work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living. __Amiel