We have had a wonderfully busy week, so busy, in fact, that I have not found time to write in this journal. Oh well, maybe I can catch up with some short notes about what happened.

We had a wonderful day last Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. We drove up to Sherborn, MA, to enjoy another feast with our Aaron and our good friends, Evelyn and Peter. A few other friends of Evelyn and Peter were there also, and it was a warm and comforting afternoon. The food, prepared mostly by Peter, was delicious, and their home, as usual, provided a cozy place for a winter celebration. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I actually "made" some conversation with folks, something that isn't terribly easy for me. Strange, that a school teacher who made conversation with students day after day for 45 years still finds it hard to do so with people I don't know real well. A mystery!

The next day, Saturday, Delycia prepared another terrific meal as a way of celebrating my 75th birthday, and it was another marvelous day for me. She made me feel like a prince all day, hour after hour, refusing to let me do one single chore, and refusing to let me help her in any way. The highlight of the day was lunch with our good friends, Jim and Ann. As I told them at the table, I couldn't think of any other friends I would rather have at the table with me on my birthday. It was a meal filled with cheerful talk and honest laughs and smiles, a birthday "party" I won't soon forget.

Yesterday, we had our first fire of the season, and it was wonderful to sit next to the warm flames while reading and talking. We used a new table we had bought at the Jonnycake Center in Westerly, for just $22. Its a sturdy metal table with a thick glass top, and it's a perfect size for the area in front of the fireplace. We set our tea and treats on the table while we read and talked, and we said a few times that this would be where we would have many of our dinners in the winter.

Today, a highlight was a quick trip over to the Mystic Aquarium to take advantage of our newly purchased membership. I think we both found it fascinating and relaxing -- fascinating because of what we learned about the various sea creatures swimming before our eyes, and relaxing because who can not feel relaxed when watching such sleek, easy swimmers? I was mesmerized much of the time, just following the fish as they wove and spun and swirled through the water. It was a very peaceful hour, for sure.