I've been a slacker

I guess it matters not that I haven't added a post to this blogsite in more than three weeks because nobody except me has checked it out anyway.

When I wrote in November, we had learned we had to move from this rental house. It has turned out that we do not have to move after all. Therefore, when I spent Thanksgiving weekend doing a voluminous amount of Christmas shopping in Pierre and when I did my Christmas cards and letter shortly thereafter, I found myself with most traditional December chores (pleasures?) done and still quite a lot of time remaining in the month. So I should have had time to write in this blog, but I haven't.

It's a cold Friday in Vermillion, S.D., but we have had power all month, much unlike so many thousands in places to the south and east. I will take a foot or two of snow any day just so long as the electricity remains on! Daughter Heather and grandson Dylan have gone up to Sioux Falls to shop today, so I'm home because Oliver the dog is here, and I don't dare leave him in the house alone for several hours.

A week from today Heather and Dylan and her mother will be on the road to Rochester to Phase I of our family Christmas. Then on Christmas Eve day they will make the trek back to Pierre, and I will go up there from here, and son Jason and his fiancee will come east from Rapid City and son Ryan will fly in from Minneapolis. Unfortunately daughter Holly and family from Rochester can't come to South Dakota because she has the overnight shift at Mayo Clinic both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. But we probably will get over there in January to celebrate Audrey's first birthday, about a week before I have my 69th. SIXTY-NINTH? No big deal except that next year (Feb. 3, 2009) it will be #70. Now that does indeed sound old. More on that in a January blog.

Time to wrap a couple more presents that arrived today by mail. I have gifts divided sort of like they do it in the post office---a box or two headed to Rochester, another box or two headed to Pierre. And Christmas is only a week and a half away.

Merry Christmas to you, whoever you are, wherever you are.