Hi Everybody..I am alive and well...my surgery was on Thursday, a little more extensive on my elbow, with the tendion being more damaged then he thought it would be. It was repaired and wrapped from my fingers to halfway past my elbow. It is very sore today so I stayed pretty still...I can wiggle all my fingers. I will be out of school all this next week, so stop by! haha. Doing pretty well typing with one hand. my friends at school have made some meals for us so Neil doesn't have to do all the cooking...I can't do dishes either! Nice to have such good friends. Thanks for asking everybody.

Hello ladies, nice to hear from both of you.

I think it's now 3 days since Kathi surgery. She had said to me that she wondered how or if she'd be able to type. Although she said she was home and the surgery went well I haven't seen hide nor hair of her since.

Deb, no I'm not working yet I have been toying with the idea of doing substituting but then I wonder if perhaps I'd like to volunteer at the Discovery Museum in Bangor. Dave says I should wait to think about work after my health is straightened out. with all the trips I make to Yarmouth to the Women' s health care center there I suppose it would be difficult to hold a full time position at this time. I do volunteer at the library here one day a week. I knit with a wonderful group of ladies I met at church. They're a lot of fun.

Lori I'm glad you're going to be seeing your family again soon. It's great that you are able to travel that far. Your sons have become world travelers as well. I have a hard time bumping mine out of Portland.

Deb I'm anxious to hear how you like the Celtic Women Concert. I really like their music. Where in Nh are you seeing them?

It seems everyone is traveling these days. I envy the ability to get up and go. We're pretty much home-bodies, altho, Ron got us tickets to see the Celtic Woman concert next weekend. It's a favorite of mine and was a great Christmas present. I can't wait. We'll stay with my daughter and son-in-law overnite in NH.
I seem to have caught the bug my Lily had last week and missed 2 days of work. I've still got the sore throat. NOT FUN!!! I was just bragging how healthy I usually am.
Lori, you have such great traditions. What a heritage.
Pat, have you found employment yet or have I missed that? Looks like your keeping pretty busy.

I'm here. It looks like we managed to lose Richard again. Maybe he's yodeling in Switzerland. We had the big family dinner here last night so everyone could say goodbye to Omer. He's leaving tonight to go traveling for a while, starting in Panama. He's going to the youth hostel there that he and Rafi and a friend of theirs went to in December. He'll be working as an assistant bar tender there--for as long as he decides to stay there. Then he'll be off to other countries in Central and South America and will be surfing wherever he can. Surfing is his big love. He's really excited about going, but is also having a hard time saying goodbye to this girl he's been dating for about half a year. He'd like her to come with him, but she can't or doesn't want to. Oh well, I guess whatever is meant to happen between them will happen. I'm leaving for Israel next Thursday for 2 and a half weeks, and my son Rafi is leaving for a month in Spain to study Flamenco guitar. So it will just be Avi and Danit and Darren who are staying put for now.

Which day did Kathi have her surgery?

So Karen is in the sunny south and Kathy is out of keyboarding because of her surgery. I wonder just how quiet this site is going to be for a while? Yo0 Hoo Lori, Deb, are you out there? Has anyone seen Richard?

Travel safely Karen and have a great time while you're down there. We too hope for spring by the time you come home!

I like that cake, Karen!

I can't say yet when I'd be available in the summer. Maybe August. I know I'll be in Israel in July cuz my father is planning another family reunion, this time in Israel, and it will be at the beginning of July. We'll all be together again. The reunion itself will only be for 3 nights this time, but I'm not sure yet how long we'll stay in Israel. But do what's convenient for the majority, and if it works out for me, I'll come.

Well as soon as you world travelers have any idea of when you would be able to get together we can plan more deliberately. Right now we have interest! That's a great thing. Next we need a date but that can wait of course since it's still the dead of winter here. Boo hoo

That sounds like a great idea Kathi!

Maybe if we plan on a NE get together this summer, we can plan something "bigger" for our next time....Sounds like we could have a really fun time!!!

My thought Lori was that maybe since there are more of us "talking" now between facebook and the blog, that we might be able to get together centrally in NE since most of us are somewhere in NE or might be over the course of the summer. You all come back at some point over the summer and so I was hopeful that with a minimum of travel we could spend some time together.

I've never been to Georgia, so a cabin in the mountains or by the lake there sounds exciting. On the other hand, it would probably be easier (more central) for most people if the get-together is somewhere in Vermont or N.H. Either way it sounds fun. Maybe we can actually pull it off!

I'm glad to hear you're going back to church Deb. We've been in and out; with our several moves; of many churches primarily Lutheran. Our campground is owned and operated by the New England Lutheran Synod. With both the church we left behind in Presque Isle, Methodist, and here at our church in Bangor, there are many young families. But I can remember not too many years ago where that was not the case. In my early 30's my family was the young one. There was a time for quite a few years where young families were not "doing" church. I think there is an upswing again and I'm glad. I wonder though why that's not the case in your church though. Sometimes when a church goes through a lot of pastoral upheaval (does that make sense?) it turns current parishoners and potential newcomers away. That can take time to get over.

Pat, in answer to your other question, the community dinner is sponsored by the spfld, area churches. Each church hosts a dinner which is held I think 4 or 5 times a year, it's free to anyone, targetting the low income. This time it was the Congo church. I've just starting getting back into going again, not so regularly tho. Our church has gone through so many upheavals in the past few years as with many churches. Attendance has dwindled and more changes are due. We have an interim pastor still.
It seems amazing to me that so few younger people attend. At my work, we have 13 employees, there are 2 or 3 girls that have never been to church at all.

Well that's pretty exciting Deb. I'd absolutely love to have you all come. I wish there were more of us closer.

Our snow hasn't started yet but it'll be here for sure. I don't think I'll make it to my Dr. appt. tomorrow. Dave has forbidden me to try it. Isn't he cute?

Good luck Pat with your results. Karen, I envy your being able to rake and actually see signs of spring. It's snowing now, Ron said up to 10 inches before tomorrow. YUK.
We have our god daughter who's 12 staying with us for the weekend. I took her snowshoeing which she seemed to enjoy.
What is it with being 50+ that my body reacts so? I've always been quite healthy so having to slow down with shoulder pain is really a pain.(pun intended)
Spfld. is hosting the state bowling tourn. next month so we'll see how our team does then. We don't usually do more than the local tournaments.
I think it's a great idea to get together anytime. NH sounds good, or even Spfld. Karen, it would be great to make the trip to GA too. I'll pass it on to Janice and Linda on Mon. night.
We'll have to get the word out dpending how big a gathering you'all want.

Oh to be outside raking flower beds.....dream, dream, dream....
daffadils, crocus and tulips, oh my....daffadils, crocus and tulips, oh my....
snow drifts, hibernation and snowdays, oh my.....snow drifts, hibernation and snowdays..oh MY!

Calumet is a beautiful campground in Freedom, NH. there's a clean lake and shopping just north in Conway. It's about a 3.5 hour ride for us here in Hampden. It used to be 7 though. I have a camper there that would sleep several.

Sue rock was just saying that she lives not far from thear and goes to a quilting retreat twice a year at Calumet!