December 08, 2003 11:58 A.M.

Too Late Now, To Write About Thanksgiving�

�so I won�t. I have put off writing for too long for it to be relevant. Christmas has descended upon us with a vengeance.

Suffice it to say, that we had a wonderful time, delicious gourmet turkey dinner, a little snow, and warm memories. I will just include a couple of photos, worth more than a thousand of my own words.

These last few months have been a time of getting some things in order, in my life, which I have needed to do for some time. It is not only a major life change when one retires, but also it is a �wake-up� call to get your affairs in order. And having done so, then you can forget about them and get on with the rest of your life. As my financial advisor put it, �Now go out and live on the edge.� (Which I am NOT prone to do.) But that was spoken immediately after completing a Living Trust, and Living Will with powers of attorney. I would make Suzy Ormond proud. This year I have been able to do everything on her list of �things to do to have financial freedom.� Well, maybe everything except the part about having a bunch of money to invest to make the big bucks, but �I have done all the rest and am debt free and have a cushion. I consider it a miracle and a gift from God. I have also been doing some things around the house, which have been a long time coming. Things, which most homeowners take for granted. But they were things I could do without, so I did so. Like having sprinklers installed in the front and back yards. Like getting the large trees trimmed down to size, getting my first new refrigerator in over 30 years; - and I am about to have a new range and oven installed ( the house has the original built-ins.) Also, a major refinishing of my swimming pool is on the list. For those of you back east, don�t be impressed with anyone having a swimming pool. It came with the house and is very old and needs �help�. Many of the homes out here have a pool, and to tell the truth, �I don�t think the weather in this area is hot enough, - long enough, � to warrant the investment. They are not used that much. Out in the desert areas, it would be a very different matter. In the Las Vegas, or Phoenix areas, a pool might be a lifesaver. Or at least, a sanity saver. When I have the work done on the pool, I will take before and after photos and post them. Hopefully, it will be completed before Spring. This is not a good time to start on it, due to the intermittent Santa Ana Winds, which continue to blow. There is little remaining on the surrounding hillsides to burn, anymore. But there is a new problem to deal with. Until we get a season of good, steady rains, �every time the winds blow, the air is filled with ash/soot, and it blows through every window sill and door, layers on the furniture, and piles up outside against entry ways, covers walkways, and is �literally everywhere. When we returned from our Thanksgiving weekend, I had to spend two full days mopping floors, wiping sills, and literally hosing down the back of the house. It was black with soot. And the POOL�oh my! It was BLACK MUD �from the ashes. I suppose these are some of the joys of living in this area. We all have our hazards, unique to each locale.

Well, this certainly is not an inspired journal entry. I do not feel inspired. My �muse� is asleep these days. Hibernating, I suppose. So�I decided to just be a little �newsy�.

I have NO sense of Christmas this year, as much as I try. Normally, I am a pushover for the holiday feeling. Not this year. It just came on too quickly, and arrived on the heels of the fire mess, and other things. And maybe there is something else. There are times when we are affected by a corporate, or �national� sense of something. As, after 9-11. Everyone in the nation had a sense of mourning, violation, and loss.

Perhaps�just maybe�out here, there are too many people who have very recently lost everything they had; home, possessions, memories, and have little hope of recouping their losses. Perhaps�just maybe�I am feeling a little of that.

This past week we were driving down the center streets of our town, and the firemen were out at intersections, holding out their boots to collect for (was it muscular dystrophy?). I contributed, but commented to a friend, that I would really want to give�much more�to the fire department itself. These men are so amazing, and the homes and lives they were able to save during our holocaust�can never be rewarded enough.

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