It's a Wrap -2023

As I climbed out of the pool today from my water aerobics class, I realized I actually kept one new year's resolution from 2023 – water aerobics. Easy, since it was good stretching, a tiny amount of exertion, and a little bit of social activity, checking all those healthy living boxes for people my age. Might be the first resolution I ever kept. The pressure's on for 2024, just hours away. How about you? How long were you able to keep your resolutions?

But first, how was everyone's Christmas? From photos off social media and elsewhere, it looks like there were a) get-togethers across the Dickson USA; b) sicknesses shared in those get-togethers and c) full meals and carols and presents and decorated trees and even movies. 

We saw photos of Aunt Johanna playing with Kiernan, and Kiernan watching a movie, shielding his Elmo's eyes from the scary parts. We saw a trip to a park in upostate NY and a Lego Camp photo with completed Tai fighters. We saw Christmas trees in Illinois, and heard all about the extended time spent at the table. We saw Simon and his family at the theater, and we went to "Migration," but to be honest, it's eminently skip-pable. 

What was missing? SNOW. At least here. We did have ice, and Thomas and John spent hours with their assorted swords chipping away at the ice on the edges of brooks and lake. But then, after a few days, even the ice melted. That hasn't stopped the sword activity.

Other activities around here with Joe and Leonor and family here, have been Legos, library trips, Star Wars books, Aladdin (closely reaching a Guiness Book of World Records for times read), trips to Panera, trips to the doctor and pharmacy, carol and church services, traditions in this household anyway of listening to John Denver and the Muppets and watching the Muppet Christmas Carol and Love Actually (not my idea, but no one had to twist my arm.) Meals included Duck Rice, a Portuguese tradition and stuffed shells and prime rib, with great cookies!

And, as this excerpt from Annie's letter indicates, some of those traditions extended to India this year:  "We spent Christmas in Chennai. I got the most syrupy sweet drink at Starbucks while we walked around a decked out mall, we sang carols at Christmas mass, I watched The Holiday and Home Alone 2 (the superior of the series), listened to John Denver & The Muppets holiday album while making pancakes, and we had a traditional Christmas dinner of Thai Green Curry and vegan pizza. Really great."

Before the DC folks arrived, Mary and I went to NYC for our wedding anniversary. It's amazing how much you can cram into one 24-hour period in that city, even if you arrive with no plans at all. We did go to a play, "How to Dance in Ohio," a musical about autistic young adults, with autistic performers. We also tracked down a few Herman Melville sites, and weaved our way over to the Strand Book Store and Greenwich Village. We even mastered the subway system, which looked to us surprisingly clean, a step up from pre-pandemic days.

Some medical news. Andrew had a heart check-up and it looks like he's in store for by-pass surgery, some time early in the new year. Not fun, but to quote David, he'll feel instantly better after the operation.

One more bit of news from here. I opened up our local paper to see that Darrow School might close down at the end of this year. They need $6-7 million to keep operating, and then the same for next year. Many Dickson memories from Darrow.

So, back to the resolutions. We heard in church this week about families, and choices. Choices to be gentle, patient, forgiving, polite. You get the picture; these are choices we can make. Resolutions are choices, in a way.

And with that thought for the new year, here's to choices in 2024!

Love from up here. 

Baby it's Cold Outside

Only ten more sleeps!  We have a little more decorating to do, but Mary has done a lot, and me just a little, like taking advantage of my height for the tree-topping angel and the lights and the outdoor wreath, and a new star that lights up the birch tree at night. We have not graduated to inflatables. But there's still time. 

Since our last letter was devoted exclusively to a certain wedding, there is much to catch up on other happenings. After the wedding, Jeff and Melodie headed to the beaches at the Maldives, which looked pretty spectacular and chill.  Daniel went to Paris for a few days which looked like a different kind of spectacular and chill. Johanna went right home, but she had told us she was leaving NYC, so home may be back at Pennington, temporarily. She's looking at places along the Hudson River, perhaps even Hudson itself. Fun to plan, and dream.

While away, we noticed that Tina had quite a trip herself, joining a group for a tour up and down the Nile. Incredible scenery and lots of smiles in her photos.

Out in the Midwest, Claire came back for Thanksgiving, and we pass along photos of the theatrical accomplishments of Auden and Elliot.

We also talked to David and Paula, who is coming along nicely on her recovery, as she said she's been doing stairs and is comfortable walking around, and perhaps even driving. It seems David has struck up a correspondence with Karl Rove after a cold email response to a WSJ op-ed.

Speaking of recovery, Annie has been nursing a foot problem, exacerbated undoubtedly by hours of standing during you-know-what. She's had different diagnoses from torn ligament to arthritis, which means different treatments. Staying off her foot has probably helped the most, but that means staying cooped up inside. She is now back to outdoor walks, but taking it slowly. Not too slowly though, as she wrote this morning that she and Sankar are off on their post wedding trip to points west, Kerala and Ooty.

Other recoveries are in the coughing department, Mary and Margaret have had lingering, mysterious coughs. Negative Covid tests, but progress is slow. Mary feels good enough to go to the New England Masters Swim Meet this morning.

More big news is Joe and Leonor got their household shipment and car from Brazil, at long last. They've been living like nomad/campers for a couple of months, so it must be a relief. It looked that way for three kids who got reacquainted with their beds and toys and books. What an ordeal.  Luisa has started day care for a couple of days a week, and seems to like it.

Also, down in DC, Simon graduated to the next level in swim class.  He had made a lot of progress while in India, putting his head underwater, jumping in with reckless abandon, and making his way to the side of the pool.  And loving every minute of it.

Cincinnati update.  David sent an article saying that Coney Island was closing. Some of us remember P&G days there. I wonder if we were told to wear coats and ties there too. Coney Island had been in operation since 1886. Now it'll hold Taylor Swift concerts.

Life is good. We're expecting Joe and Leonor and family this week, through Christmas and beyond. Happily.

That's the news from Lake Pontoosuc.  Love from up here. 

Wedding bells (or drums)

Probably best to let Annie sum up her own wedding: "It's hard to put into words everything from the past month. Not only because SO MUCH HAPPENED, but also because I can't fully remember and actually don't really know what happened." I suspect any of the family that was there would say pretty much the same thing. But there is an element of the blind men describing the elephant as each of us saw and experienced it differently. And, that elephant folk tale is an appropriate metaphor because it comes from India.

Anyway, let me add a few thoughts, for the record.

-          At least two Dicksons told me that this trip left them a changed person. Hard to argue.

-          It was REALLY wonderful that each of the brothers' families was represented (Jeff and Melodie, Johanna, and Daniel.) And it was wonderful to see these cousins interact, with Joe, Margaret, Andrew, Annie and Sankar, as much as it always is in the Poconos.

-          Thomas and Simon added an indispensable touch, as they bridged the cultural divides for all of us. People everywhere respond to small children.

-          I told Annie that she was going to get on a moving sidewalk, and over the course of the four days of the actual wedding celebration, that sidewalk would move at different speeds and become a blur. I should have listened to my own advice. At times, I had to remind myself that I had a daughter who was getting married; it was such a cultural experience.

-          The wedding. Day 1 was Annie's arrival ceremony in Thanjavur (Sankar's hometown); Day 2 was the henna ceremony and dinner/party for families and close friends; Day 3 was the reception, consisting of an extended reception line over several hours; Day 4 was the wedding, with its rituals, and in the middle of it, Sankar tying the knot was the main event, judging by the crescendo of music and drum roll and loud applause afterwards, followed by another extended reception line. The wedding hall where events were held on days 3 and 4, was actually three large halls, two taken over by endless buffets, served by hundreds of people for the thousands of guests.

-          I would hasten to add a HUGE note of gratitude to Sankar's parents, and brother and sister-in-law, who hosted all of these events and guided us through them.

-          Even with all the religious traditions that were hard to understand, there was a fair amount of flexibility, or maybe it was forgiveness, since we didn't know what we should or should not be doing.  Case in point was Thomas and Simon deciding on their own to go up and sit next to Annie and Sankar during the ceremony. Instead of being hustled away, there were smiles all around.  But that's just one example; I think I could write a book about all our misunderstandings, if I even knew that I was doing something wrong.

-          One highlight was the invitation to go to Sankar's family house after the wedding, to meet up with his parents and brother and sister-in-law in a quiet space, and get to know them better. Mary and I returned one more time as we were heading to the airport and met with a similar reception. I will add here, that Annie and Sankar will be staying there for a few weeks before they head off on a trip to other parts of India before determining where they want to settle down.

-          And there was media coverage. A phalanx of still and video photographers in the hall, questions shouted out in Tamul to Sankar and a few to Annie in English. Thousands of likes on YouTube and Instagram the next day, articles in both Hindu and English press.  We actually coasted on that for the rest of our trip, as we repeatedly saw people in different places who had seen us and exclaimed their joy at meeting us. The articles gave these foreign guests credit for dispensing with our coats and ties and dresses and wearing saris and dotis.

-          A word on the food. I was never sure exactly what it was I was eating, but I know it was different preparations of vegetables, with spices, and condiments, sometimes served on a banana leaf. Quite a range of tastes. I should add that we all tried to eat without cutlery, but I was probably the first to give in and reach for the spoon and fork.

-          We had travel experiences before and after the wedding, sampling the rich, deep history and culture along the way. One bonus was our witnessing and even participating in a little the Diwali celebrations.

-          That meant driving from place to place. Which brings me to the subject of driving.  We didn't, luckily. I think the overall motto was "share the road," so many different life and vehicle forms on the actual roads. And then there is the weave, India's version of passing. I was reminded of the old algebra word problems about time and distance (a car is driving 55 miles an hour leaves 15 minutes before another car driving 60 miles an hour. How long does it take for the second car to catch up.) Drivers in India seem to have the best grasp on time, distance and space, as they squeezed around trucks, motorcycles, animals, and still managed to not collide with the trucks, buses, cars, motorcycles coming the other direction.  And, after three weeks on the roads in India, we didn't see one accident, and we only saw, miraculously, one minor road rage incident. (Sorry.  Why did I spend more space writing about driving than I did about the wedding?)

-          I was about to write that we managed to achieve my motto – no hospitals, no headlines. But I've already mentioned that there were headlines (good ones) and there was one urgent care visit when Thomas needed a new cast on his broken arm after the protective bag was not so leak-proof, and his cast was ruined after a short time in the pool. I should also add that Annie's trying to nurse a torn ligament in her foot.

-          I will not write about the flights as I hope that amnesia kicks in on only that part of the trip.

-          There's more, much more, and I think it could even be never-ending. But probably best to stop and leave a little for in person chats. We put our hand on our chest as the appropriate way to say thank you to Annie and Sankar for making all the arrangements to ease our stay. And we put our hands together and take a slight bow to them as they start their journey as a married couple.