Another Muse

It is hard to believe that I have gottn bored with football. Well, I do look up once in a while, but a good read tops most of what I've seen on TV lately, and I don't think it all relates to the writer's strike. I started Nora Robert's Blood Brothers last week and picked it up after Church yesterday and finally finished it at about the time the Sunday night football gamer ended. I can't even tell you who was playing or who won witout checking the paper. I'd read an earlier book months ago with the same title - Blood Brothers, but that one was about the Jewish-Palestine relationship between Isaih and Ishmeal. Basically Hebrew and Arab Christian. Robert's writes about three kids who celebrate there mutual 10th birthday by blood bonding and setting off a lot of trouble for their small community every seven years. They are now at 3 times seven and are finding out a lot about the whole situation. Unfortunatly it's one of Nora's triplicates so I guess I'll now have to find the sequels.

In the meantime Ihave Gary Wills "Head and Heart" to be read along with a bunch of books which came under the Christmas Tree.

And furthermore - HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.

DEJA VU all over again!

We had a glorious week-end with family visiting both from North Dakota and from Montana. The NoDaks came in around 9 o'clock Friday night so we caught up a little before bedtime. Ice Cream and Pete's cookies were well received. On Saturday Annie and Bill come over and we planned to go to Jake's for dinner. Andrew was expected. His parents went a bit early to stop by John's and Jean's to pick up an old photograph John called about. Turned out to be a copy of a Christmas Card Betty and I had sent out from our days in Davenport, IA. I had superimposed head shots of Ken, Ann and Jimmy on a picture of a coal fired train engine I had taken earlier. It probably dates from 1953 or '54. Andrew came in from Bozeman just as the rest of us were leaving the house. Good timing!

Anyway, Sunday afternoon after Church we were all sitting around the front room and the second and third generation adults and grown children were deep in memories as I sat and listened. All of a sudden in seemed to me that I was the kid again back at Grandfather Taylor's listening to all of my Uncles and Aunts in conversation about their past history and present activities. And then today in the comic strip "For Better or Worse" it all came back again. April, the teen aged daughter is asked to sit at the kitchen table with the young children since there isn't enough room at the table in the dining room and the children need someone to watch over them. As she listens to the "yackty-Yack" from the adults she mutters to herself - "Bonus". No that I felt than my hard-of-hearing was any sort of bonus yesterday. It was simply great having them all present and enjoying their "catching-up".

And a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.

He's back!

It's been a long time since you found me here. Not much happening. Life is not dull, but not much happening. For the last few weeks I've been going to Choir practice to help our Choir in its production of "The Birthday of the King". It was not exactly a cantata since there were many speaking parts of Bibilical chracters between numbers, and there were many more solos than Choir selections. We produced it Friday night to a big audiance and Sunday evening to a full house. It was a challenge since I stopped regular choir participation when I turned 80. (Well, after all practice was on Wednesday nights, but so was "The West Wing.") I went back after Betty's death, but some of the numbers were much to much so I stopped again.

I saw my Cardiologist yesterday. She suggested that I might feel better if I lost some weight. I found it hard to believe that I had topped 173. We've scheduled a follow up echo cardiogram for January to see if there has been any major change in the stenosis of the aortic valve. Otherwise the visit was fairly uneventful.

Jimmy's family will be coming in from Dickinson late Friday for a week-end visit. We'll have dinner at Jake's with Pete as our waiter. There will be 7 of us: myself, Cec, Jonathan, Natalie, Ann, Bill and Andrew. I'm truly looking forward to this time even if I'll have to order lightly.

That's probably it until after Christmas.

Fiesta Time

It is in the holiday-fiesta period at Rocky Mountain College. A couple of weeks ago I attended the Annual Thanksgiving meal with the price of admission some nonperishable food for the area Food Bank. Tonight it is the Annual Yule Log Dinner. When we first came here there was a real yule log fire, Cliff Clark as Santa, and the singing of carols. Lately it has been the dinner along with some theatrics by the drama people. I plan to be there. At least its a chance for a balanced dinner for a widower.

Last night Pete (son) and I went to the Annual RMC Choir program of Lessons and Carols. Various students and staff members read from the Bible stories of prophecy and anticipation, and the Choir and other members of the Music Department perform. The First Presbyterian Church was packed for the 3 o'clock performance, and it is probably the largest church auditorium in town. One family said that they had come in the afternoon this year because the evening is "so packed." I've been many times, but not at the 7 o*clock. This year there was more instrumental music than in previous years. On the last number the congregation joined in singing "O Come, All Ye Faithful." When the Soprano's came in on the high notes at the end of each chorus it was thrilling to these old ears.

I had checked the list of choir members in the program. Fifty-six in all. One name I recognized as the last name of students who were enrolled while I was still on staff. After the program I approached a young lady and told her how good the concert had been and said that I recognized one name in the Choir. Surprise, Surprise. She turned out to be the one. She was not, however related to the previous students even though she was from the same town in Montana.