Memphis Democrat
January 18, 2007

Wow, I'm not sure I ever saw an ice storm on top of an ice storm before! Several days of cloudy weather and icy walks has meant dinner by candle light and lots of good, old fashioned entertainment. There's a jigsaw puzzle being collectively put together in the Common House. A bunch of us got together to write postcards to people who had visited to keep in touch. Thomas has been sharpening his tools and Suzanne has been making her first woven rug. We also had a lovely sewing night before the cold set in at our friend Judy's. We invited Betsy and Sue from over at Sandhill and laughed as much as we sewed.

Tamar returned home from her visit to family and a meditation retreat in Massachusetts. And Nathan returned from visiting his family in Texas. Those were our last two holiday travelers, but just when they were returning, Amy with Stan from Sandhill to go to meetings in Seattle. Then Tony left with Laird from Sandhill to go to other meetings in Tennessee. Both will be back this week and we'll have a pretty much complete group.

Tony B and Alyssa installed their new stove and built steps for their house, so the time had come for a house-warming party. It was also a house-naming party. Although it was blustery and slippery outside, inside it was warm and boisterous, as everyone added a few proposed names to the list. We had a series of votes and narrowed the choices down to three, from which Alyssa and Tony B will pick. All three were good choices and we can't wait to hear what they decide.

Jennifer joined Cecil and Laird in Kirksville for her first bridge game. She could be seen murmuring to herself in the days before strange phrases such as, "four no trump." We heard she did well and was called "a natural" by the experienced players at the Bridge Club.

We celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday by listening to some of his courageous and inspiring speeches. Some of his words are just as relevant and moving today as they were when he spoke them in the 60s.

I hope everyone else out there was able to stay off the slippery roads and enjoy the winter wonderland.

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