Winter and holidays

Christmas for the Rhodes family was nice and quiet, not a bustling affair as it often is. I have simplified it all this year, with a tabletop tree and fewer lights. Still nice, though. We spent family Christmas in Muncie again this year. Warm and merry.

Alas, my four weeks of vacation is coming to an end. Most of it was spent becoming all too familiar with our home, in my quest to inspect, repair, and organize things. Without going into gruesome detail about expensive and time-consuming contractor mistakes and disagreements, I have learned some important lessons. When we’re working all the time, the house suffers. That said, my long-term plan is to search for a nice condo in a wooded area and move there. Doing so will provide me with freedom from worry about the roof, the chimney, the windows, the plumbing, the foundation, the gutters, the landscaping, the septic system, and so on. It's hard, because there are certain things I love about it:Roger and I spent Thanksgiving week in Tennessee. The mountains were ablaze in spectacular fall colors. Our week was relaxing and enjoyable.

This past year has been a trial in many ways. I have been very busy with my work, my computer conference, and involvement in the spay/neuter clinic. In 2008, I certainly have to do more streamlining of my life.

Some other highlights:

• In June, we lost our Kitty Wampus to a mysterious illness. However, we gained our Smudge kitty in July. Here's the handsome guy, just one more time:
• In November, the Honda wagon that Abby drove was stolen and vandalized. After it was recovered 10 days later, we decided to cut our losses and forego repairs, so now Abby is car-less.
• In December Julia graduated from IU—much cause for celebration!
• In December, someone got my debit card number (not the card) and duplicated it. After testing it in Topeka Kansas, they sold a number of copies at JFK Airport in New York. Thanks to the vigilance of a fraud alert service and also to the good luck of being home that day, the thieves were halted--after spending about $300 from my account within an hour or so. During that one afternoon, they hit the account seven times at $100 each, before all of them realized it was blocked and quit trying. That was a spooky experience.
• I exhibited two paintings this past fall, one at Waldron and another at Tutto Bene. I am now working on a new painting that is moving along very slowly, since it is a complete brainchild, with only my own studies to work from.