Today is quiet, but the last few days have been holiday havoc with a capital "H". Holly, Bevan and the girls arrived Christmas Day from Illinois, and we had Christmas from then until about 4:30 yesterday when they left to return home. Grandson left just ahead of them to travel with his half-brother to Austin to spend a week with his father.

The kids had all kinds of new electronic gadgets including the drum and guitar set that can attach to various other toys such as the WII, the X-Box, etc. We pushed the coffee table to one side and our living room became a "game room" for three days. They played everything from the WII to the guitar to their I-pods to "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?" We adults even got in a few sets ourselves.

Then came the bad news yesterday morning. Holly and Bevan left Illinois a day sooner than they had originally planned because a major winter storm was about to strike; and they already had a layer of ice that was breaking trees as it did here last year.

Their dog sitter called to tell them that they had about two feet of water in their basement, plus the downstairs heating unit was not working. So, they decided to return home sooner than planned to deal with those issues.

Their temperature today is in the 40's; but by Wednesday, they will only have a high of 27 with a low of 16. Winters are rough in central and northern Illinois. Holly had hoped to get a transfer to a better climate; but all company transfers for 2009 have been canceled in a cost-saving measure. Like all big companies, hers is tightening its belt as the economy continues to be suspect, at the very least. One consolation though! Summers are gorgeous there.