COLUMBUS OH

It's the day after Christmas, and I woke obsessed by an old carol:

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
 Their old, familiar carols play,
and wild and sweet
The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
 The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
 The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!...

But this year did not feel at all like that -

I haven't heard any bells.

Bobbi had discarded all the artificial trees, and put up no other decorations.

She promised this year she would use up the surplus cards leftover from past Christmases. But to date, none have gone out. We also decided to donate gift money to a charity instead of sending redundant material gifts to people who didn't even have space to store them. None of those cards have gone out either.

Perhaps her mood has been darkened by the discovery that her email and phone calls are monitored - and have been for years.

Fortunately on Sunday the Wilson family did get together for lunch at the RED LOBSTER in Chillicothe.

...Then from each black, accursed mouth
 The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
 The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
 "There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Can governmental power be overcome? Can hope remain?

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
 "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men."

Medical Report - Animals

Smokey: even though gone for more than a year, his material absence continues to wrench our hearts acutely. But we did learn something of interest: he was not a mixed breed. Rather, he seems to have been a purebred Tervuren!

Kitty-poo: at less than 7 pounds the smallest member of the pack, she nevertheless continues to dominate the other (both human and animals).

Audrey's Lucky: the big black cat remains the shyest of the pack. But Lew has trained him to sleep next to his head in return for occasional kibbles.

Mylo: he has calmed down immensely, sometimes even waits his turn, is very sensitive to the tone of one's voice - no need for formal commands.

Timmy (Tiny Tim):

Saphire: