North Norway

NORTH NORWAY — Was in having some blood work done yesterday and Dr. Harper came by. We reminisced about the nice time we had on the trips that Henri and Wally Taft conducted and how we missed them. All good things have to end sometime, I suppose.

Hope you are all shoveled out and functioning after our big blow and snowstorm. It was a humdinger, wasn't it. Hard to tell how much fell here as it blew in horizontally. Dell thinks perhaps 10 inches, more or less. The turkeys have been going through the food put out for them like nobody's business. We have between 20 and 30 every day. If they leave anything, the deer come in during the night and clean it up.

Rajah begs to go out on the screened in porch every day, stays about a minute, then wants back in and looks at us accusingly as if the cold was our fault. So she sits on the window sill and watches the birds in the feeders and bushes. She shows up to greet everyone who comes by, even the UPS driver, but if they don't make of her she flaunts her tail and seems to be saying, "Well, they don't appreciate a nice cat when they see one." She thrives on attention and just possibly she is a little spoiled. She is playing with a ping pong ball now. When she gets it under something she can't reach she cries till we get it out for her. We are her willing servants.

We spent some time on Christmas Day having lunch at Pat and Charlie's. Pat made a delicious lasagna and we had salad and then tapioca pudding for dessert. Very nice. It was Charlie's birthday Christmas eve. He had some nice cards, many of them cat themed. Shilah, their adopted cat, gave him a card with a paw print for a signature.

Mary and Frank had Paul, Zach and Brenda as guests for lunch on Christmas Day and they feasted on lobster. Christmas Eve Pat and Charlie, Deven and Judi went up to Tony and Cheri Andrews in Bethel for a supper and fellowship. Josef, Tony's son, has been recognised for his prowess as a runner and there was a nice article in the Sunday paper about him. Deven and Tony had practiced some Christmas songs so they all had a sing-a-long with the boys playing their instruments.

Dell is assembling a balance ball thing for me. It is supposed to help you develped your core and help you with your balance. Hope it works miracles. My Christmas present per request.

I had written that Pat and Charlie had the Verrill family Christmas party at their place but omitted the guest list which was as follows: John and Sylvia Verrill, Gary and Margaret Thibodeau, Julie Verrill and Shawn, Pat Verrill, Zach Verrill and fiance, Heather Dube, Patrick and Lori Coleman with Ellen, Eli and Auidrey, Scott and Amy Samson with Ben and Hannah, Scott and Jessica Jenkins with Emma.

There was a wedding in the Morgan family last Tuesday. The Mormon Chapel was beautifully decorated for the reception. Dana's brother's son was married in the Mormon church. Owen and Pauline flew in from Phoenix and sister Theresa from Kansas City. They made it despite the storm. I do not know any of them but there was Crystal, Luke, Logan, Hannah, Chris, Brady, Olivia, Paul, Sandy and Bryce among others. Just love those names. There was dancing and good eats. Dana and Paula did not get home until midnight and Dana was up at 4 a.m. to go to the job site in Woolwich. They are usually early to bed and early to rise people.

Hope the New Year brings good things for all of you. Remember, life is like a sewer. What you get out of it depends on what you put into it.