Days are getting longer

I finally figured out why February went by so fast. It's the shortest month. (Hand to forehead and Homer Simpson "duh!") Especially welcome when the pension shows up on the first of every month.

But, despite its shortness, there's a lot of Dickson news. 

Birthdays are always a good place to start. Luisa turned one year old, yesterday. We had a celebratory call, and she hammed it up, applauding for herself and doing her best Queen Elizabeth wave, and showing us how she stands and crawls and withstands two older brothers running around her and squirting her with water guns.  Must have been where my sister Ann got her resilience, from two older brothers. 

And later this week, Kiernan will turn one. Growing up fast.

Back down in Brazil, we had the first family member, and maybe the last, to report from Rio de Janeiro during Carnevale week. I can't do justice to Joe's first hand description, but he and Leonor braved the crowds, the all-night reverie, the noise, and bacchanalia (sp?) and, go figure, really enjoyed themselves.  Leonor's mother was back in Brasilia with the children and a schedule of round-the-clock nannies and helpers. Their return flight was cancelled, and they had to struggle to get a new reservation, but they made it back the next morning. Nice to live vicariously, as I'm fairly confident that this is not in our cards, not this lifetime. We have not heard of Sankhar's experience, up the coast near Recife.

Wanna hear about our Mardi Gras blowout? In bed by 8:30, succumbed to a cold and hoping Mary doesn't get it.

Annie packed for a different climate for her weekend and headed out to Tahoe for a weekend of skiing. Another on my ain't gonna happen list but love to live vicariously list. She, by the way, is nursing a cat right now, who had gotten hit by a car and required surgery. Sounds like it will pull through, but with the loss of an eye. Poor kitty.

Out in Illinois, baby Theo is home, and it looks like Jen's photographer Mom had a chance to get some great "studio" shots. Also, Andrew continued his concert tours, this time taking in a blues guitarist recommended by Daniel – Eric Gales.  And Daniel went with him to the concert.  A must see is the review from the two Dicksons.

In Rochester, Paula has been struggling with a lingering cough, and David is contemplating jumping back into a couple of projects on insurance and housing for seniors. 

Mardi Gras wasn't the only holiday, but also there was President's Day.  We enjoyed the holiday in the President's home town, and to visit Margaret, Andrew, and Simon. Margaret was still struggling with shingles, Andrew had a bad cold when we got there (recovered quickly), and Simon was his usual last-man-standing. A lot of fun.  Walks and playgrounds and smoothies and "muffin-mans" and races, but no naps.  Not for Simon anyway. He's been adjusting (or not) to new sleep routines, and now that he's no longer in a crib, so his escapes occur at all times of the day and night.

We left scarily early spring weather in DC, with daffodils, crocuses and tree buds out, to come back here to seasonal cold and snow. Just in time for our trip this week, to points west, and then even farther west.

And, so our next weekly letter will have a different dateline.  Love from snowy New England  

Birth Day

This month there was a birthday.  A real birth day.  One where Jen gives birth to a baby boy, Theodore Edward Jones, on February 1.  Congratulations. There's some wondering about his name – will it be Ted or Teddy. We've already seen Theo.  Or Theodore? Sounds wonderful any which way.

I used to say that the world stops for a new baby, but out in Illinois, nothing stops Auden, who appeared in a play shortly after her little brother's birth. 

Speaking of pregnancy, how many of you can claim that you were serenaded by Rihanna on your birthday?  Privately, I may add. Yes, Rihanna sang on my birthday, just to me. And 130 million other people, but I had the distinct impression that she was singing just for me. If only I recognized any of her songs. 

Still, it was a super birthday. Charlie and Annie were here with Josh and his friend, Rodrigo, a political scientist from Mexico who is spending the semester at UMass. We went for a long walk, took long naps, had a long, never-ending meal, and watched a long game.  And we had a nice Zoom-in with folks from Brazil to Oakland to DC. 

On that call, we heard about Margaret's case of shingles. I remember weekly letters from the distant past where Pop mentioned his bout and how painful it was. I remember it so well, that I have had three different vaccine shots.  Well, they don't give the vaccine to people under 50, and Margaret got it.  And she can confirm how painful and uncomfortable it is.  And it lasts for way too long.

When I mentioned to David that she had shingles, his first response was, "She's too young."  He's right, but apparently this vestige of chicken pox can come out in times of stress. And Margaret has her fair share of that in her new job. She, by the way, was involved in the recent release of Nicaraguan political prisoners to the U.S., and was on hand when they arrived in DC.

From the Pop's Weekly Letter archives is this note from 1993 – "We talked to Margaret, and we learned that what she wanted for her birthday was snow and 'scabs'. It seems that Joseph, Margaret and Annie all have chicken pox, and they are all anxious for the scabs to appear, signaling the end of the darned thing." (01-11-93)

So, the moral is – watch out for stress.  And see if you can get the vaccine before 50.

On the health front, Timmy had an operation, on his neck, to clear a carotid artery, something that might run in the family as Johnny had that done a few years ago. And, down in Florida, Marilyn is training for a mother-daughter marathon. You go! 

Winter has been kind to us, at least as far as snow shoveling. We have not gone skiing yet, but Charlie and Annie were so desperate we went on a 90 minute search of Pittsfield for snow.  We finally found a little in a nearby park, and for 45 minutes of trudging through slush and across fallen pine branches, we did manage about 30 yards of nice skiing.  It looks like that may not be the case out in upstate New York and Everett and Donald have found plenty for sledding.

Looking ahead, we have some one-year birthdays on the horizon – Luisa and Kiernan are fast approaching that day. Luisa is pulling herself up to standing position, and there was a great shot of Kiernan holding on to a dog leash, ready for his walk.  Joe and Leonor will be heading to Rio for Carnevale and Sankar will be in the Recife area, where he says they have already started.

Right here, we can't wait for Lent to start. It's past time to cut back. I saw in the newspaper that Super Bowl Sunday is replacing Thanksgiving as a family get-together, but I see Super Bowl as an opportunity to eat all those things you don't eat the rest of the year. In this house, that means Fritos. We went through two bags here.  There is some debate whether Fritos are vegan.  Annie says they may be accidental vegan food. If that's the case I might go on an accidently began diet, along with Oreos, she says. 

And on that note, love from up here.  

 

 

Winter's flying by

January is over.  One more month of winter.  Then spring.  Of course, maybe more spring in DC and NJ than IL, NY and MA.  And FL never really gets winter, unless you count going down to 60 degrees at night winter. You might have to actually wear sneakers there rather than sandals. But give up the shorts?  Never.

So, the big news of the last two weeks was, you guessed it: a late push of the KC quarterback who was already out of bounds that sent the wrong team to the Super Bowl. It wasn't the big news for everyone?  Mary thinks it was.  Right? Just one more question on this.  Who feels sorry for the guy who pushed him?  Not Patrick Mahomes, I bet. There's always next year, but I was shocked to read an article titled – Why are the Bengals So Annoying?  Really?  Have we become the Patriots? I could only wish.

Back to family. Looks like there was a brief hospital stay for Everett who was experiencing some stomach issues that wouldn't go away. From the looks of him in the hospital bed, I might even say it was a case of fake-itis, that got out of hand, except he'd have to be at least five years older for that.  Glad to hear he's okay, and that he's not Ferris Buehler.

We're getting ready for our trip to points west, which means a phone call to Oakland.  Annie had just become certified as a professional coach, and is hanging out her shingle for clients looking for new careers, jobs, etc.  She and Sankar gave us a few tips on where to go and what to see in Hawaii.  Sankar is still in Brazil and loving it.  Who wouldn't?

Speaking of Brazil, Joe has a departure date to return to Washington. He'll be coming back in March, while Leonor stays down there for a few more months so the boys can go to school/day care. Here's a photo of Thomas in the shirt he designed. The adults in that family are planning a trip to Rio for Carnevale. Sounds like fun, when you're of a certain age.

Down in DC, we hear that Simon has new names for his parents.  Margaret and Andrew.  Not Mommy, Daddy. And we pass along a photo that will be in his bio when he surpasses Alex Ovechkin for most goals scored.  

We had a couple of phone calls with the folks in Port Orange, but mostly about a hot water heater.  Yes, and you can imagine, there's a little story and maybe a lesson. You wouldn't remember our Christmas letter that talked about living in this house for ten years, and things beginning to break. Well, the hot water heater that Johnny installed 16 years ago went kaput, a good eight years after its estimated life span.  The lesson, though, is don't go to the movies. We had fir the first time, I think since Covid, gone to our local cinema to take in A Man Called Otto (recommended by the way).  When I went to put the cat in his sleeping quarters – the old basement – I couldn't help but notice WATER!  Pretty much everywhere. I grabbed the shop-vac and started scooping out the water, and then saw it was coming out in spurts from the bottom of the hot water heater. The story doesn't end there, but I see this has already gone on too long, and, suffice it to say, we were without hot water for almost a week. The actual lesson is - we take for so much for granted. And, also, it's nice to have a plumbing consultant at the other end of the line, who will answer the call. Thanks Johnny.

Mary did her annual one-hour swim with her team this past week, and topped it off with a team potluck dinner (not here, fortunately.) She won the award for most times swimming the 500in practice  – 20 laps. Also in the pool was John, who took the award for being officially old.  He's signed up for deep water aerobics, and he and the teacher are the only men in the class. 

So dry-er (or damp) January is almost over. What does that mean for February?  We find we're not so keen on jumping back into wetness. 

With that sobering news, we'll sign off, sending our love from up here.

Hibernating

It seemed like a good idea.  Until I got outside.  Walk over to the lake and take in the view of snow-covered Mt. Greylock in the late afternoon sun.  Of course, it was cold, but I didn't take in the wind off the ice. There were three groups of fishermen, but they were all on the other side of the lake with, perhaps, a little protection. Anyway, venturing out of hibernation helps with cabin fever.

So does getting tickets for Hawaii! That's our destination for March, with a stopover in Oakland to see Annie. Now, we just have to avoid FAA glitches, Southwest Airlines, weird weather, and illness. Yes, we got travel insurance.

Illness also seems to go hand in hand with January. Paula's gone a couple of rounds with cold symptoms, Simon had a stomach bug, and Margaret had pink eye. We both finally tested negative for Covid since the last letter, but we feel close to the edge of something pretty much every day.

Weird weather is what Annie is getting out on the west coast. She says her house is okay, as it sits on top of a hill, but there's flooding everywhere. Her electricity was out one day, and she drove to work, and the roads were eerily empty. Sankar is missing it all, finally leaving the Brazil beaches this week.

Neither weird weather or pink eye prevented Margaret from heading back to Mexico City to help out with the "Three Amigos" summit. It sounded like a 75-ring circus, or maybe that was a 75-car motorcade she was in on the way to the airport to meet Air Force One.

The Brazil folks weathered an insurrection, just a few miles away, but they were safe.  They are taking advantage of this long weekend to go back to the beach, a different one, near Fortaleza. We did see in the annual NY Times 52 places to go in 2023, there were two from Brazil. And, yes, Luisa is crawling!  Look out.

It took me a while, but I finally figured out the method behind Sean and Erin's Friday Tinybeans postings of photos of Kiernan in a diaper, marking the weeks since his birth. It will make a wonderful time lapse. I can't wait to see them all in one video. Of course, he may not be willing to pose in his underwear when he turns 14, or 27.  Or, maybe he will.  And, yes, Kiernan is crawling too!

The first part of January marks important events, like Jeffrey's and Margaret's birthdays, and when we called down to DC last night, Jeff and Melodie were over visiting, bringing Hopper along for Simon and celebrating, most assuredly.  Remember that cold day in January in upstate New York for Tina and Matthew's anniversary?  Happy days.  We also remembered sister Ann (who would have turned 70) and Grandma Boyle on their birthdays, and Grandma Dickson who left us in the first days of the year.

How's everyone doing on their resolutions?  Happy to report from here – not so well. Hope that makes you feel better. 

Other highlights? It seems that January is a good time to go to the dentist. Both Mary and I had successful visits, if you count success as not enduring much agony. I had two fillings removed and replaced.  Big deal.

We do notice the days getting longer, little by little, which means we're heading in the right direction.  A direction that includes - mark your calendars - the Poconos, from July 20-23. It was Andrew who noticed that the man accused of those terrible murders in Idaho was picked up near Mountain Springs. I said near, not at cabin 29. 

Finally, we thought we lost our kitty this week. He has gotten a little more adventurous braving the cold weather, but we couldn't find him all day after he ventured out in one morning.  Right about dark, I turned on the light on the screened-in porch, and saw his head sticking out from under a tarp I had covered the picnic table with.  He was hiding from the cleaners and their loud vacuum cleaner. Still. They had left eight hours earlier. 

And with that, happy Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday.

Love, from up here.

    

So long, farewell

Here we are. End of another year. Where did it go?

We know. The same place 2023 will have gone with all its surprises and changes and even sameness.

Writing this from our nation's capital which was our plan B. Plan A was for Margaret and Andrew to spend this past week in Pittsfield but guess what? We both had a Christmas Eve surprise. Positive Covid tests. I guess we had been naughty. So we retreated into isolation/quarantine/hibernation for the week. Then we hit the road and came down here for a rockin New Years celebration. We had to come see Simon's new haircut.

We managed to spend part of the week together, at least virtually. We did a WhatsApp video call on Joe's birthday as he turned 40. They had gone off to a quiet lake for the day. Lots of photos celebrating the big day.

Annie, as we write, is somewhere in Mexico, having avoided the airline cancellations she surely would have encountered with her Plan A which was to come to Pittsfield for Christmas. Instead, she went back to Brazil where she and Sankar had a couple of weeks at different beach places. Hence the surfing.

John and Marilyn were not so lucky. Their flight from Albany, back to Daytona was canceled. Johnny hustled to arrange a rental car and they drive back, hitting all kinds of traffic in the way back. Part of our Plan A was to spend Christmas Eve with them but that was canceled too.

The weather wreaked havoc out in the Midwest as a pipe burst in Bill and Jen's house and spilled out onto their first floor. A few days away and repairs and they're back home. Dan and Claire were able to get home before the worst of the storm. The photo here is borrowed from Facebook and a culinary group Claire belongs to.

Rochester got hit hard too but not as bad as their neighboring city Buffalo. Hard to imagine, that much snow. And not too much that Everett couldn't try his luck on ice skates.

And, Kiernan spent part of Christmas with his grandparents, from what we saw on Facebook.

Update on our tree saga. We managed to get the tree in the house, with a little help from the snow and a sled to the screened in porch, and then onto a Home Depot rolling cart into the living room. Decorated and celebrated. And now it's back in the porch awaiting transfer to its new site. The promised thaw and rain this week means it might even find its way to its pre-Christmas dug hole. More later.

We were just reviewing resolutions for the coming year. Got any? Ours had to do with healthier living, decluttering, and even a dry January. All sound good, even do-ably realistic. We'll keep you updated. (May be easier now that they're committed to writing.)

And that's all for this year. Auf Wiedersehen

Beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

So winter did come after all.  But, why did we have to be on the Mass Pike when it decided to rear its ugliest head, with a splash of slush across the windshield from a truck, on a bridge?  Visibility to zero, until Mary reminded me, not so calmly, to turn on the wiper blades.

We were coming home from a swim meet in Worcester. You all remember that place, right?  Expeditions to Spag's, cheap gas, and donut shops come immediately to mind.  This time it was the New England Masters Meet, and since Mary no tiene abuela, I'll fill in by telling you she did very well.  Unsurprising, placing in the nine events she swam in, but you all know that already, how hard she works at it.  I should add that her whole team also did well. 

And the next day, from the pool to the woods. We dropped all our plans and went out snowshoeing.  Winter wonderland. Our annual selfie with the snow on the house. This year with solar panels on the garage which presented one small problem. The snow slid off the panels before the rest of the roof, but guess where?  Right on the path to the front door that I had already shoveled.  So two more attempts at clearing the path, and this looks like my future - triple shoveling.  Anyway, the solar was turned on today!  Take that Putin. 

Not sure he cares, but maybe Thomas will, along with his brother and sister and cousin. We spoke with Joe and Leonor for the first time since they had gotten their lives and routines back. Joe let us know he has a new job at Treasury, working on East Asia, but it means he will be coming back to DC a little earlier, perhaps sometime this spring. They have much to figure out, schedules and housing, but let me not add to that stress.  Congratulations Joe, and it'll be nice to have you all closer. 

News from out west included Annie seeing Jeff and Melodie on what might be their yearly trip, for work, and then for fun, to the Bay Area.  You saw the photos on Facebook. Looks more like fun than work, but then who posts photos of work on Facebook?  I should add that Annie is also looking to move in the spring, leaving the west coast for points to be determined.

And down in DC, Simon met Santa.  And, by all appearances, he kind of liked the old guy, and Mrs. Claus. Of course, he's been a good boy after all. Margaret had fun stories to tell of her work, especially the day of the attempted self-coup in Peru, our old stomping ground. 

In the Midwest, Claire and Daniel were home for Thanksgiving, and we hear that Jen is also moving along quite well in her pregnancy.  Due date, January.  All three kids are excited about another sibling, but only Eliott may not know all that that entails. 

We spoke with John and Marilyn who told us of their first walk on the Daytona beach since the hurricane – and the devastation there. All along the beach, they saw houses destroyed, the shifted beach, and even swimming pools unearthed.  This, in Daytona, that no one hears about because it must have been so much worse on the other side of the state.

This time of year is also time for family photos, and we pass along two from upstate New York and Brazil (Luisa was home.) 

There was another photo of a family member of sorts – Dasha turned 14 this week. How old is that in people years?

Finally, a cautionary tale.  Don't ever accuse me of thinking everything through.  Case in point, Christmas tree. I've been wanting to have a live tree ever since we moved up here. I kind of remember we used to do that in Cincinnati, or was it New Jersey? Anyway, this year, we both agreed to give it a go. We kind of knew it wouldn't be as tall as the sawed-off versions, but we/I overlooked that it just might be a little heavier.  So, now we're confronted on how to get it into the house.  I did manage to remove it from the car, but it sits in the garage now.  Should we decorate it out there and put presents under it?  I still have to get it over to the hole dug, before it snowed and the ground froze.  Either way, you can count on an update in the next letter. 

So, this may be last letter before Christmas, so we wish you the merriest Christmas ever.

Love from up here. 

 

A Thanksgiving to remember

It wasn't the day. We had no turkey, no pies, no mashed potatoes. No over the River and through the woods. No grandmother's house either. No football. I think the menu was takeout fish stew. The backdrop was coconut trees and World Cup soccer. 

But it was the fact we were all together. Far away, but together. In Guarajuba. In fact, we were there almost a week, with the exceptions of excursions into the city of Salvador known for its Afro-Brazilian vibe. 

And then we went our separate ways. After a bout of food poisoning??, Margaret and Andrew headed home on Black Friday only to arrive the next day. That's when Annie and Sankar split off for an extra day in Salvador before Annie heads back. The rest of us returned to Brasilia for a few more days before Mary and I give Joe and Leonor some much needed rest after playing hosts for several weeks.  

We turned their home upside down displacing children from their rooms and disrupting routines. That meant loss of sleep for Joe and Leonor but they never complained. They shepherded us around and translated for us. They made all the arrangements. We sat back and enjoyed the ride. 

A couple of other notes. Rarely have I ever, ever been on a beach more secluded than Guarajuba. Just beautiful. 

We fell into routines quickly, jumping in the pool right off the front door before breakfast and heading over to the beach for lengthy playtimes. Then back to the pool There was even time for a nap and World Cup and trips to a playground with a trampoline. 

And a special thank you to one five year old Thomas who, as the eldest, did such a good job keeping his brother, sister and cousin happy and entertained.  

Not sure we'll ever have another Thanksgiving like this one which makes it so special. 

So sorry to hog all the ink about our holiday, but we couldn't even check in via phone or Tik Tok. And there weren't even any photos of your turkeys or pie spreads. But we can guess you were all together with your families and enjoying the day.