We have been receiving cards from a few holiday diehards still committed to the use of the mail. It makes me feel guilty. I write enough stuff I should generate something to celebrate the season and share a little news.
It looks like a brown Christmas here in the upper Midwest. A couple of our kids will bring their families to the lake and Lynn is on the road to spend time with Josh’s extended family.
Health status – we are presently doing well. Cindy did have a pacemaker installed to keep her heart rate up. I am wearing a monitor because I passed out and nothing obvious can be identified as a cause. The big money is on dehydration as I am not one of those who walks around with a giant jug of water. I had oral surgery and no water the day of the incident and then took a narcotic to ease the pain. Not a good combination. Cindy said she was trying to remember how to do CPR and thought she would not be able to move me out of my chair anyway so it gave her a bit of a scare. Aside from this info, health is good
Note: Health report seems mandatory for we senior citizens. I turned 75 this year and Cindy is not far behind.
Cindy and I took an expedition ship to Patagonia in the Fall. It was a great trip and our first adventure in South America. Pretty amazing experience. We head to Kauai in a couple of weeks and the families will be joining us for their Spring breaks this year. Our annual Hawaiian winter break allows us to avoid the dull part of winters and to be able to get out without worrying about falling on the ice.
The kids and families are doing well. We have a wide assortment of activities to watch – volleyball softball, and basketball, plays, and even circus. The great thing about our location in a suburb of Minneapolis/St Paul is our proximity to all of this. Our lake place gives us the opposite of the urban experience and provides swimming, boating, biking, and skiing for those so inclined. I can find a coffee shop to escape the excitement, read and write.
Lynn finished her PhD and just graduated. She splits her time between directing physical therapy research and her new med tech startup. The world of venture capital is new to all of us. Josh no longer sees clients but not has worked for a few years in medical administration. Kim works with concussion patients and took on Todd who had a serious mountain bike crash. She has a great reputation for work in her special niche and she was able to direct Todd’s rehab. Jim and Jess both continue as educators.
I tried to find some seasonal photos I could add. We do have our tree with the blue lights. We started the blue tree during the pandemic as a gift to our neighborhood and continue to have it lit since. No, I am not responsible for stringing the lights. I had hoped to have picture of a Cardinal in the snow as several continue to populate our backyard, but there is no snow. This device is called a Bird Buddy and combines a motion-triggered digital camera with a bird feeder. The entire thing runs on solar power and is accessible from my phone. Interesting video, images, and sound. Tech nerds forever.
A tradition at the lake is to take any kids who want to go along on the trip to the dump and then get ice cream on the way home. This trip near the holidays sometimes results in a worker or two dressed in holiday gear. This was the case this year.
I was moved to write a poem (AI added the final verse).
It was the day before Christmas
And all cross the lot.
The boxes were flattened
And stacked in one spot
Workers dressed In red flannels
Not their typical attire
Smiles on cold faces
Warmed by a fire
In this kingdom of castoffs,
Under a sky so vast,
The spirit of Christmas
Found a home at last.
Happy Holidays