Late seeing this but join in support of your efforts. Keep us informed.
Modern technology has replaced Morse communication but that doesn't work in bad weather. Morse is still the only way to communicate when voice cannot be heard. The signal cuts through everything. They can't stop a good system when it works. Jay (my late husband) was a radio officer on a merchant ship during WWII. (The Mermansk run -- torpedoed 3 times -- in a lifeboat for 15 days.) He once copied traffic through a maze of noise that was daunting but he was able to pick out the signal accurately. His captain called him "a long-eared m..... f....r.
I don't trim bushes anymore, and changing the Tempurpedic split king bed really needs a helper because the mattresses are so heavy, although I have done it alone. Ed asking for things again. And before we knew I was coming home, he arranged for a house cleaner. Now that I am here, he is going to appointments and I have to deal with her and I don't need that right now. It will take all of my strength. I wish I could just rest today because when I got home, I took care of some cleaning emergencies that couldn't wait for her. So, no rest for the weary. But, you know, Ms. Compulsive here, would have gone nuts watching Ed direct her if he hadn't gone out, so maybe I do this to myself.
It's too complicated for me to follow. My first husband, a giant brain, was, among other things, an electronics engineer who wrote repair manuals, with secret clearance, for the Atlas missile. He taught me the Morse code and hoped I would become a radio amateur as he was, but reading the electronics book that would prepare me for the test, was a problem. Easy for the first 20 pages and then whump, Sanskrit. So I gave up. However I still use Morse to talk with him in the hereafter. I use his radio call sign, W2WHM, and I sign off with "73" which is Morse for goodbye and I use his nickname for me, Lillabug.The radio amateur magazine CQ has a page called "silent keys" in which they list the obits of members. It was heartbreaking to read his call on that page.
I think a Constitutional amendment should prohibit closing the government for any reason at all, since this strategy has always been to extort agreement from opposing sides. Not a reason, to my mind.
I always loved the snow in New York. It muffled the sounds. It was a winter wonderland. Until the slush came. Don't blame you for quitting on shoveling duties.
Lovely.
I left the Greek Orthodox church at 16 because I didn't like the way it treated women. I am fine with my private spirituality. I missed the music though. I had been a member of the choir -- Gregorian chants and all that.
Glad you could see your brother and sorry his care is posing such a problem. But you had some good moments and that's priceless.
Are these dogs new and permanent additions to your household? I missed where you said you got them. Sleeping with dogs -- sounds great.
As mentioned, Ed and I went to friends for Christmas dinner. For the first time in years, Ed has not asked me to buy another turkey just for us. I persuaded him to have roast lamb instead. I am looking forward to a better year -- not only for us, coming out of a medical fog, but for the world, getting rid of our toxic president. Could the political scene be more involved, more full of fear and trepidation? The last time we were in crisis, I wasn't paying attention. Now, my head is full of the political scene.
I was reading "From Here to Eternity" in the early 50s. My office manager at the Chicago Convention Bureau, Mabel, noticed and "Said, 'Hmmph, people don't talk like that." The book was pretty graphic. I said, in my experience (semi Chicago slum), they do. I was a bit of an outlier in this rarified world of suburban princesses. They didn't know what to make of me but I was the best worker they had.
Beautiful family ...
Good to see you on this site. Keep it up. Hope you had a lovely day. Ed and I spent it with friends, the best kind of holiday.
I know why you are sad and my thoughts are with you. Enjoy the love and caring of family and friends.