If you are reading this in the January 10 edition, it is because I am composing it at the usual time on Monday, December 31 but we have about six inches of snow currently and it's still coming down. I may not make the usual Tuesday noon deadline, which is New Year's Day this week, and I think the office will be closed. Enough with the excuses!

I do know that Edgar Reed enjoyed a present opening frenzy at his apartment on Christmas Day with Eddie, Holly and Kimberly. He sent me a playbill from high school which highlighted a performance of the seniors called "A Hollywood Holiday" because he saw it, and Kim was in it. In scenes from "the Wizard of Oz," she was the Wicked Witch of the West. In "Singing in the Rain," she played several parts as well as singing "You are my Lucky Star." In the final offering she sang a duet of "Sisters." Proud grandpa says this is the final performance for the seniors. By the way, he has already planned his church service for the '08 season.

Marylin McBath Bailey was planning to be with Lillian and Ed O'Connor for the festivities in New Hope, Pennsylvania. She was hoping for good weather for the drive, as New Jersey had already had some snow. We elders are much happier with dry roads.

Dave and Dee Kitterman confirmed the fact I mentioned several weeks ago that Betty Eustis was with them to celebrate Christ's birth.

Sue and Alan Hutchinson's card had a note about their trip to China this fall, which took most of the month of November. Once back home they met friends at the SilverRiver State Park in Ocala, Florida. A hike of seven miles took one day, then they spent the next day in the park. She says that three days after their return from China, they signed up for another trip, that will take them to Australia, New Zealand and the Fiji islands. That will be almost a month-long excursion, but I'm guessing it will be well past island time.

I'm always concerned that Bob Esterburg will let his drumming skills get rusty down at their home in Florida. Not to worry. He plays on Monday and Wednesday afternoons with a 14-piece swing band, rehearses with the Deland Symphony Saturday mornings and plays in a trio on Saturday mornings and plays in a trio on Saturday nights. They have been at the same restaurant for 13 months! He even played a timpani in a small orchestra at a Catholic church twice.

Even though Carol enjoys warm weather, she celebrated her 80 th birthday recently in New Hampshire, and Bob was thrilled to get in some snowshoeing. Carol keeps fit at their Y three times a week and volunteers at their library twice a week. Bob admits to maybe making the Y once a week. These retirees are anything but couch potatoes.

Betty Jean Adams Maddocks' card was a photo of their three young men, Sewall, 18, Ben, 15, and Jason, 12 on a snowy dock at Bob and Pat's home. If you read the school sports pages you will see Sewall's name quite often, plus he is the student body president. They are a wonderful family who keep doing good things for the Harbor.

Joan MacGilvra, who loves her chances to be on the island, writes that Keith and Scott recently returned from a global assignment for the Nat Jets. Dubai was a stop as proven when they returned and Joan was presented with two pairs of gold stud earrings, a wish fulfilled. Mention of Scott reminds me that he and his aunt, Mary Jane Reed, went out to visit his brother, Kent, in Wisconsin. She was excited to see their lovely home and to watch Dylan play Little League ball, and see young Trevor bowl with a big ball. In October she was visiting a cousin in Arkansas, and was much impressed with the area around Fayetteville. She saw the original Wal-Mart and had a weekend stopover in St. Louis.

This is supposed to be a season of joy, but not for Patsy Mackensie. Her mom, Dede Cope, passed away in mid-December after a very long illness. The service was that weekend in Houston and Azzie and Michelle, Andy and his family and Will and Patsy all met in Houston and had a nice reunion with Patsy's family. Will writes that it was a great closure to a lovely lady's long life. I know islanders join me in sending our sympathy to our island director.

This is also the season of goodwill. Not so. Some vandal smashed the rear window of my station wagon right in my own driveway last Friday night. Nothing was stolen out of the car and we could not find any loose rock within the deck or outside it,. So it had to be a blow from something that the person took away with him. Bah, humbug.