By the way Roland, did you know that you are missing? According to my recently received H.S. newsletter, you are. So are you Lori. In fact, quite of few of the people who live in the greater Spfld. area are missing. As well as several people who came to our reunion. I wonder John, are you out there?? If a list of addresses being held by you for mailing purposes should be sent to Ms. Louise Peale, to clear this up? Or would that be infringing on people's right to be missing? What does everyone think?

Happy Easter weekend folks. I've been "off" for a while and see that the great weight debate is, dare I say it -- abating. Here's my 2 cents anyway. It's all a crap shoot. What works for one doesn't work for the other. That's why there are so many ways that are considered successful. I believe in moderation and portion control. Eat what you want but be sensible about it. Heaven knows we can tell when we went too far. But no matter what we do nutritionally, if we don't move it we're never gonna lose it. When we were kids biking down Route 5 to Bellows Falls for a picnic lunch (remember that girls?) every weekend we never had to think about our sizes even though we ate whatever we wanted. I graduated from college weighing in at 102 lbs. Until I sat in an office chair I never had to consider deliberate exercise. Lets face the reality according to Me: we all know what to do but we don't, Myself included want to do it. The miracle pill is yet to come but we keep popping them in the hope that this is the one. My sermon is over, thank you for listening. Now if you'll excuse me I need to go buy more jelly beans and marshmallow chickens. Did you know they come in purple now, the chickens, I mean.

Happy Easter from the frozen north.

Living in the South and getting to know the "locals" I have had a hard time believing how stubborn they are about change. Is that a human trait in general. Its too bad that soem of my friends haven't at least started on better habits. If one dosen't start, even a little, its SOOOOOOO hard later to change and then........it becomes too late. I had a great young Estonian work for myself and he always made me mad because he said Americans were lazy or took the easy way out and basically we seem to. I hated my European (German) nanny when I was much younger but she instilled in myself some habits that I draw on even today. One of which is that if I don't put it away now it pbobably won't get put away but this flows into the rest of our lives too.... if I don't do it while I am thinking of it or right now it probably son't get done and that spirals into bad habits which my young friend called lazy. I am so glad that I had some great teachers in Spfld. Even though we were a public run school we had an excellent education and the chance to form some pretty good life long habits and attitudes on life. Remember all those "hardasses" we made fun of. They really helped us out. I thank the guy upstairs everyday that I wa so fortunate. There are soooooo many out there that haven't been. In my life I have tried to share my experiences without being overbearing or bosslike. The year or so I taught school was great. I still have kids emailing myself and thanking myself for my stern ways, not harsh, just stern. In listening to all of you I think we all have done some pretty positive things and have raiswed pretty good families with good American values......so Richard....... take say just a few days of guided "intake" and always have at least one what I call "fat day". You'll see, things will fall into place within a year. And that won't be the gravity action you are complaining aout presently.