"I've been wondering if we're old, Toby. I've noticed conversations sort of go into reverse. Where once in our early times we exclaim, 'Look, a new tooth came in!' In our late years, we exclaim, 'Look, my new crown the dentist 3D printed!'"
"What are you talking about?" Toby responded.
"Oh, the way things somehow are different and the same."
"I think you're going in circles."
"You're exactly right my furry friend, I am going in circles."
"I don't see you moving in circles, you're just sitting there typing."
"It's my inner ear, Toby. It got wobbly for a while and I felt like I was going in circles. I could hardly stand up straight without falling over."
"Oh, I thought maybe you are going in circles because of the holidays."
"Ha! that too. But I'm a lot better now. I may have to use a cane for a while though."
"Like the stick you use when we go for a walk?"
"Yep, pretty much."
"Well, since I'm aging too, you'll be happy to know that Wendy and John are making sure I'm in the barn at night before they lock up since I can't hop in and out of my entry and exit hole in the stall door anymore. And, I don't think a cane will help me."
"Gosh, that's why I heard you meow in the barn the other day when I was walking by. I looked for you but I didn't find you. You couldn't get out!"
"Yup! that's the truth. But what cheered me up was when Aidan came home for Thanksgiving. My four-legged friends were sooooo happy too."
"Me too! and so were Wendy and John. Do you want to look at a Thanksgiving slide show that I put together?"
"Sure."
Toby settled into my lap and we looked at the slides on my phone...
"Where was Keoni? Toby asked."
"He went to London."
"Was it to see the queen? what did he there? frighten a little mouse under her chair?"
"No, no, no...he went to London to play in the London Symphony Orchestra."
"Why? Don't they have enough musicians?"
"Yes, they have plenty of players. Each year they invite musicians from America who have won a fellowship competition. Keoni was one of the competitors who won."
"Do you have any pictures?"
"Yes, here are some pix we got online..."
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| Paula and Carl captured a screenshot of Keoni and shared it with us. |
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| On my TV. Keoni is the blond man lower right of middle. |
"Is he back in Houston?" Toby asked. "Will he come home for Christmas?"
"Yes, he's back playing with the Houston Orchestra and will be here for Christmas."
"Is he flying home?"
"No, he has a car now and will drive here. He'll pick up Aidan in Cincinnati on his way, and they'll get here about December 23rd."
"Oh, good. Now I'm feeling a little more like Christmas."
"Me too. You wanna see my Christmas tree and the sights around where I live?"
"Sure, let's have a look..."
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| My Christmas tree. |
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| The front entrance where I live. |
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| The fireplace in the lobby near the auditorium. |
"And, I'll bet you'd like to see Jeanenne's grandkids making Christmas cookies. Do you know she does that every year with them?"
"It's nice they do that but I don't get the cookie part. I'd rather chew on...oops, okay, I won't mention the rest of that thought. I want to see the Clark cookie makers..."
"Say, what's going on out west?" Toby asked.
"Well, our family in Salt Lake City all were on television last week to be interviewed by a TV station that was doing a live fundraiser for SLC Primary Children's Hospital where Dimetrios was so many times when he was sick. The family sent pictures from the TV studio where the live interview took place..."
***
Jeff shared some good news for our Sports Desk:
Elijah's latest basketball game stats...
25 points
7-7 FG 100%
5-5 FT 100%
2-2 3Point 100%
7 rebounds
1 Steal
2 blocks
2 TO
4 fouls
And then Jeff sent, "Elijah is 2nd in the state right now for blocks per game and 6th for points per game."
"What else is happening out west?"
"Well, Valerie and Tim are going to Utah to be together with the family there for Christmas."
***
From Tucson, Paula has sent us August from her Yard Journal. I said to Toby, "Let's go enjoy a look..."
The Arts Desk...
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And now some pages from Paula's Perpetual Journal...
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To get better acquainted with Paula and Carl you can find
Paula here, and
Carl here. From these, their new Mastadon sites, you can learn about this creative couple and get easy access to more of their many talents, websites, and interests.
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You met the Vagners in Tucson, in a previous posting on November 17, 2022. During the lockdown of the pandemic, the three Vagner daughters made new images of old paintings. Here's one of the results that Lydie particularly likes...
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| Left to right: Mary Ann, Bara, and Elizabeth. |
Bara is now working on her PhD at University of Arizona in Tucson, Elizabeth studies Medical Biology there, and Mary Ann continues her Anthropology and Studio Art studies and creates cartoons for the university's
The Daily Wildcat newspaper. Check out more of her
cartoons here and here's a sample that Lydie sent...
***
I said to Toby, "Before we call it a day, do you want to see some pictures of Aidan from about 10 years ago?"
"Sure. Remember the time he was making cactus juice? That's what I want to see again."
"Ok, here goes..."
The other day Aidan sent this picture of his sunset in Cincinnati...
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| Aidan travels these streets to go busking at a farmers' market on his electric scooter. He has his cello on his back, his backpack on his chest, his folding chair sandwiched between the cello and his back, and a bucket for the money hanging off the front handle of the scooter. |
I could see Toby was getting sleepy. "Let's sign off, my friend, with this scene at dusk by my apartment building..."
"And this sunset out by your pastures, Toby, where we have been walking..."
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| A deer and her fawn just before they slid away into the woods and disappeared. |
"I don't think we're old, I think we're sleepy," he said. "Good night." Then he crawled in between a couple of hay bales and disappeared.
.
***
