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Pickleball

  I want to thank the gracious and patient neighbors who taught us how to play Plckleball AND invited us back! I learned so many rules of this game and the first rule is that you probably won’t remember any of the rules. This is what I remember from the last two days of playing doubles in Plckelball. The big takeaways for me were that it is played on a much smaller court (badminton sized). You may think this makes it much easier with less running and jumping, but you are wrong. It is probably easier than mountain climbing or skydiving, but its right up there with tennis, Olympic ping pong and sprinting. The serve must be underhand to the opposite side beyond the “kitchen.” You should never stand in the kitchen or even look at or think about the kitchen. That is the area of lava and if you step in it at the wrong time, you will spontaneously combust. So serve diagonally and it must bounce, when it is returned it must bounce and then all bets are off. It can get pretty intense ...
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GOLF

  Golf…Some people say this is a family friendly activity I have a teacher friend who is close in age and fitness level. She and I have tried to motivate each other to improve strength, endurance and flexibility. She got a Total Gym, I got a Total Gym. She works with a wellness coach, I joined Weight Watchers. We try to walk 2 times a week for 45 minutes. We try to go to Yoga two times a week (she is better about not talking herself out of going). Both of our husbands golf and one day an idea was verbalized. Golf is good exercise, lets you spend time enjoying the great outdoors, is a social activity, is not as competitive as other sports, builds character, and can be played at any age, skill and fitness level. Eureka! Let’s sign up for golf lessons! We found a golf course that provided three 90 minute lessons for couples for a reasonable price. We signed up. Lesson one took place on a day that was hotter than hot. First challenge was carrying the golf clubs to the driving ran...
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Everet

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  Everet Everet has been in our family since I was in fifth grade. He moved at least five times since living with us and who knows how many moves he had before my parents took him in. We know very little about his past, but he had had major surgery removing internal organs before he moved into our house on Crabtree Lane. I didn’t really appreciate Everet until I was older. He annoyed me with his off key voice, he seemed very old-school and sort of unrelenting with his demands towards perfection, and frankly was not a lot of fun to hang out with. However, as the oldest child, it was my responsibility to be Everet’s caretaker after my parents could no longer care for him. He tried to be a part of my children’s lives, but they had no interest in spending time with him. Everet has a finished room in the basement where he spends all his free time. He does not say much, nor does he eat much. He really is no trouble.   Unfortunately, he is near the end of his life. I’ve consulted s...
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Pets

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  Let me take you on a journey of how our pet family started. After we were married, the plan was only to have four-legged fur babies as our children, for a variety of reasons. The first fur baby was KC, a Siamese cat. KC stands for Kitty Cat, how original! The next fur baby was Reggie, a Basenji. Why a Basenji? I worked with someone who knew about different dog  breeds and we did not want a dog that would shed or bark incessantly. Fast forward several years when we changed our mind to include two legged real babies into our family and suddenly we had to shift. KC and Reggie fought like cats and dogs and KC kicked Reggie’s ass in a final smackdown, which resulted in a cone of shame for a month. Child number 1 was allergic to cats, so KC went to live with Uncle Jim who loves all cats. When child number 1 started toddling, Reggie took a snap at his face and he found himself in a new home that did not have small children by the very next day.    Fast forward to 200...
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Things that did NOT make the 2021 Christmas Letter

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  How will this letter be different from the initial family exultations to the subsequent years of gradiosity/show-boating documents?  This sh*t that happens to us slaps you upside the head and knocks you down. Luckily we are good at getting up. What lessons were learned in 2021? The best part about our bodies getting older for us is......nothing. Our bodies are betraying us and getting back at us. However, the best part about getting older in age is getting one step closer to retirement! When you're dead, you don't know that you're dead. All of the pain is felt by others. The same thing happens when you're stupid. You just need to be tolerant and kind in these situations.  My editor vetoed all the above items. He thought I was being a bit too negative and weird. 
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Qualities of a Good Friend

 A student asked me if there is a difference between a classmate and a true friend. I decided to poll my 7 and 8 year old and find out what they think the qualities of a true friend. Following are their responses:  When you need them to listen, they listen.  They are kind to everybody. They don't say, "I have a better friend, so you can be my side friend." They include everyone. They are there when you need them They are nice. They understand why you are doing something. They are caring.  They will stand up for me if I need help. They are friendly, kind, respectful and responsible. They are willing to help. They are not mean, they don't say bad words, they don't people around, and they treat people nicely. They don't get in talking fights. They make sure they are not leaving people out.  They don't take people away from the person they were playing with. They tell a supervisor if a problem is going wrong. They don't lie about playdates. They don't ...
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  John 2:1-10 New International Version Jesus Changes Water Into Wine 2  On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,  2  and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.  3  When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4  “Woman, [ a ]  why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” 5  His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6  Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. [ b ] 7  Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8  Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so,  9  and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He...
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