Introduction

This has been a year of changes, renewal of acquaintances, and new beginnings. I started out the New Year by coming down with the flu, which I got at the cabin New Year's party. It was so bad that I was sick in bed for almost a week and ended up going to the doctor, who, of course, could not prescribe anything for a viral infection. What did I learn? I learned enough to get an influenza shot this year.

Mom and dad have had a difficult year. Dad's colon cancer has returned. He had surgery in January to remove a growth in his groin, but refused to have follow-up radiation treatment. Unfortunately, the cancer had spread to his lymph glands and is causing painful sores in his groin. I took him to his surgeon, but the cancer has now spread into three separate areas and cannot be removed surgically. Dad agreed to try radiation therapy to see if it would stop the cancer and lower the pain. I drove him to three sessions, but he decided to discontinue them, believing that they were doing more harm than good. Obviously, this has been very difficult for mom, but she continues to look on the bright side, trying to make his life as comfortable as possible.

In September, mom and dad decided to move from the house in Fall City to the Royal Oaks retirement home in North Bend. This is an assisted-living facility. They provide 24-hour care, including meals three times a day. They really enjoy it and believe that they made a good decision. Dad is still in a lot of pain and is on pain medicine, which makes him feel groggy much of the time. They have now engaged the help of the Hospice Foundation, which sends out trained personnel twice a week. They provide wonderful care and support.

Nickki was living with us for several months this year, but applied for assistance and found an apartment in Enumclaw. She moved in February and arranged to have Debra move from Arizona to stay with her. Debra watches Kaylie and Austin during the day while Nickki is at work. She got a part-time job with State Farm Insurance and is working at the office in Four Corners.

Nickki also filed for divorce from Justin and finalized the papers in November. She also traded-in her old car for a newer much more reliable car, a Mercury Sable.

For myself, it has been an interesting year at work. The Seattle Professional Engineering Employees Association (SPEEA) represents me. The union had been negotiating a new contract with Boeing for several months, but was having little success. As a result, a strike was called on February 9, and over 80% of the professional workforce walked off the job. It was a tough decision for me to make, but I decided to support the effort. I didn't know what to expect, but being on strike doesn't mean that you sit at home. Every other day I had to report for picket duty, which lasted for three hours. Rain or shine, I was out there, standing beside the entrances to the Renton Boeing plant, watching workers come and go. The most difficult part of the strike was the psychological effect. It was impossible to get good information regarding what was happening inside the plant. The company insisted that they could go for months without us. SPEEA reported that there were major disruptions, and that airplane deliveries were impacted. I called my co-worker, who was not represented by SPEEA and who was working in the Change Management area. She was able to paint a much more realistic picture and helped me understand the impact that the strike was having. As it turned out, we did have a large impact. I was glad when we voted to accept the new contract and headed back to work in late March.

On our return, I was taken off my special project and was given the assignment to manage the recovery plan for our organization. We made great strides towards reducing our work backlog and by July, I was given a new assignment to lead the Manufacturing Engineering activity in support of the 737 factory moving line. Since that time I have been the Manufacturing Engineering team leader for developing "standard work" plans in the factory.

This has been an important year for Angel. She gave birth to her third child, a girl who she named Brittney. She was born on February 25. Robert was an extremely proud father, this being his first child.

Angel, however, lost custody of Alissa in May. Wade and his mother went to court and convinced the judge that Alissa was living in unacceptable conditions. The court agreed and forced Alissa to move in with Wade and his mother. This hurt Angel immensely, since she was doing the best she could with Alissa. Unfortunately, she and Robert were living with Robert's mother in a log cabin in a small town called Malo, in eastern Washington. They obviously could not provide Alissa a room of her own, which was why her living conditions were unacceptable.

This whole episode also caused friction between Robert's mother and Angel. It came to a head, and was asked to move out. She ended up traveling to Arizona to live with Kim and Rick, leaving Brittney with Robert, and Christian to live with his grandparents. Later in the fall, Robert and Brittney moved down to Arizona and are now living together as a family in a home of their own. Angel is holding down two jobs and is determined to pull her family back together. Way to go, Angel!

Paul has been building his business, Quality Computer Upgrades. He has been helping other companies build custom web pages, and has worked part-time for the HerbFarm, keeping it's computing system working. He is still living in North Seattle.

In May, Paul bought a beautiful black and chrome motorcycle. It's a Honda Shadow. He rode it out to our home in Black Diamond on Mother's day, and gave everyone a ride.

In June, Paul celebrated Father's Day with me at the Beerfest in Seattle. Both Anne and Valorie attended the festival, and we had a good time sampling the beers and enjoying the good weather. Paul also sold his Ford Ranger to us, using the money to buy himself a Subaru. He needed a car with better traction to take him skiing. This was a good arrangement for us, since we needed a truck for hauling.

In July, Thomas, Paul, Valorie drove to Yakima to visit the Yakima Valley wineries. Although we only spent one day, we managed to visit several interesting wineries and bought over a dozen bottles of premium wines. I especially enjoyed the wines from the Yakima Valley Winery, and discovered that they distribute their wines in many of the local supermarkets.

In late July, the entire Betts clan visited from Arizona. It was an opportunity for them to get away from the monsoon heat, and to see both Brittney and Austin. Rick and Kim stayed with us during their visit, and borrowed Ted's van. They stayed for two weeks and were able to spend time with Angel, Nickki and Debra.

Anne is still struggling with arthritis, so she has been traveling back and forth from Arizona. She does better in the drier, warmer climate. On February 2, Anne left to live with Kim and Rick and help out at the Salome Bakery. She returned at the end of March, traveling with Debra who moved up to live with Nickki. Anne spent the summer with us, working part time at the HerbFarm in charge of their mail order. She decided to return to Arizona in early November but returned for the Christmas holidays on December 16.

Anne also invested in her own computer this year, buying a new Pentium 450MH computer. She loves to spend the late-night hours chatting with friends from all across the nation. She even gave herself a new email account, calling herself the "caffeine princess".

Anne also decided to have her wisdom teeth removed, which left her in bed for almost a week.

Thomas continues working at the HerbFarm restaurant. He is not happy working there, and plans to find another job when the restaurant moves from Issaquah to Woodinville.

Thomas has made good use of the cabin this year. He hosted several parties at the cabin, and spent several days skiing at Crystal Mountain. Thomas bought new skis this year and a weekday ski pass at Crystal Mountain.

Thomas also has developed an extensive CD collection, and has collected over 100 hours of MP3 songs. He also has set up our home network using Linux as the operating system for our home server. The system works well and allows us to share one Internet connection among four computers.

In early November, Thomas began looking for an apartment to rent in Seattle, but so far has been unable to find one in his price range.

The HerbFarm has been up for sale this year, with many interested buyers but few with enough cash to finalize the sale. A deal was finally worked out in November, and the sale was finalized on December 1. Since mom and dad had already moved to North Bend, we had to sort through the items that they left at the house in Fall City. Nickki took the opportunity to move an entire moving truck full of furniture. We took their sofa and a leather chair, while dad insisted that we take a bag of silver coins and his collection of gold coins. I plan to sell the coins and invest the money so that they will have access to it if they need it down the road. I also used the opportunity to go through several hundred of mom and dad's personal photographs, and was able to scan many of them. I have created several new web pages with pictures from my childhood.

Just recently, Valorie and Thomas upgraded our Internet connection from a 56K modem to a cable modem hook up. The change in access speed to the Internet was amazing. We are now able to get streaming media and very quick downloads. It was a good change.

Valorie purchased a new Sony 27" TV for my birthday. It replaced our Curtis Mathis TV that is 20 years old. It got to the point where the old TV had to be kept on all the time. If it was turned off, or if the power went out, it had to warm up for three or four hours before the picture would come on. This used a lot of energy. It was time for a larger picture and newer technology. To put the new TV into the TV cabinet, I had to cut out the back of the cabinet, since the new TV was considerably larger.

Monday, December 11, 2000

This morning I arose just before 5 am. It's been in the upper 20's for the past several days, with the threat of snow. It did snow yesterday, just enough to make the ground white. Of course, with our maritime weather, it soon melted away.

Valorie had been up this morning until 3:30 AM, using my computer for her email and projects, because she had spilled tea and milk on her Toshiba laptop. Computer circuits don't like liquid. She is hoping that her computer will work again after a period of drying out.

Following my usual morning routine, I made myself a pot of coffee and began formatting this document. It's amazing how quickly we forget the activities of the year. I had to go back through my monthly pictures to begin to piece together the story.

Most of the day was spent shopping on the Internet. I decided to get a tape for Carrie and finally found one on Amazon. I also did some research regarding ski carriers. Paul needs one for his Subaru. Fortunately I found a local company in Federal Way that sells car-top ski racks. I also spent an hour making a list of gifts that I've already purchased. It made it clear that I had a lot of work yet to do!

Thomas finished his shower by noon. He got in "early" from working at the HerbFarm Restaurant, arriving at about 2:30 AM. I talked Thomas into trying to get the network card on Anne's computer to talk to the home server. Thomas spent several hours tinkering with settings and trying to reload software. It was all to no avail. We suspect that the network card that he just purchased is not working. We probably need to buy a new one or swap out the network card that is in the network server and put it into Anne's computer.

When Valorie arose, she booted up her laptop and found that it was working again. I told her that we need to consider buying her a new laptop for Christmas, but it would be a $2000 expense. We're not sure we want to spend that much money right now.

I sent a note to Axis Systems in California. They are supposed to be putting together a new computer for me, but it's been since November 1 since I placed the order and it still has not been shipped. I'm getting worried that my purchase choice was a poor one.

Rhys and Mollie are so funny in the morning. Of course, when I get up they have to follow me. They usually huddle by the gas fireplace while I take my shower and shave. Then, as I sit by the computer, they curl up under the covers on the Futon. It's funny the "pecking order" that takes place between them. If Mollie gets under the covers first, Rhys is afraid to nose under the covers because Mollie responds with a loud grumpy growl. Likewise, if Rhys makes it under the covers first, Mollie is afraid to crawl under, and will curl up at the opposite end of the Futon, shivering and looking miserable.

The animals love it when I am home and feed them. We go through an elaborate routine each morning. First, I fill Rhys and Mollie's bowls with Pro Plan dog food, adding a Milk Bone to each one and sprinkling the top with yeast flakes. I then open a can of 9-Lives cat food -- they like Super Supper or Turkey Dinner the best. When I open the can, this is the cue for Mollie to give her protective bark, trying to scare Snicker away. Snicker gets about half of the contents. Rhys and Mollie both get a scoop. I put a very small portion on a saucer for Figaro, along with the gravy scrapings from the can. Figaro is a funny eater. He makes a huge mess if I put very much on the plate and he likes to lick the food instead of chewing it. When I put too much on his plate, he licks it off the side and then tries to cover it up. It makes a greasy mess.

There is also the placing of the food routine. Mollie gets her food first, and eats in the kitchen in front of the dishwasher. Rhys gets his next and eats on the hearth by the fireplace. By this time, Figaro has jumped on the dining room table, waiting to be served there. Snicker runs back and forth while all this is happening, never learning that she is the last to be served. I place her dish under the desk in the dining room. She eats there because the dogs can't scare her away as easily. Of course both Mollie and Rhys wolf down their food. While that is happening, I pull the label from the empty can and then put the can near Mollie. She usually spends a long time licking the can clean. As she licks, the can usually moves along the floor, propelled by the rapid licking. That's why we often find the can in the middle of the floor. If Rhys is really hungry, he will then begin the process of trying to scare Snicker away from her food. Since she is in the foot well of the desk, they have to nose her tail and appear threatening enough to scare her away. She usually eats most of her food before hissing at them and running away. Then Rhys (or Mollie) will lick her plate clean. The final step is to place Figaro's messy leavings on the floor to be licked clean by Mollie. This leaves two clean saucers ready for a repeat performance tomorrow!

Tuesday, December 12, 2000

I arose at 4 AM this morning. Ground some beans and made a fresh pot of coffee. It's 27 outside and the fireplace insert is pumping out heat full blast. It's 66 inside. Rhys and Mollie are curled up on the Futon, with Rhys being the first to nose under the covers. Mollie is curled up outside of the covers, after having gone and brought in a chew toy to keep her company. She keeps a good eye on me and has to follow me if I leave the room to get another cup of coffee. She seems exceptionally pleased when I head back to the room and often runs ahead with her tail wagging realizing that I'm going back to the room.

I have recently set up Napster on my computer. This is a program that allows users to search for songs over the Internet and download MP3's. I downloaded a few just to set up a library of songs. It's fun to sit at the computer while the songs play in the background. Unfortunately, there is a lot of concern by the recording industry that the sharing of these songs is copyright infringement. Napster simply keeps a catalog of users who are logged into the system, along with the library of songs that each has available to share. As people log on and off the system, it adds or removes them from the list of available songs. By searching the system you can find songs and download them. It's great when you simply want to make a collection of favorites, and wouldn't want to buy a complete album to get just one song.

In the news, we should find out who won the presidential election today. George Bush and Al Gore are in a virtual tie, with the vote count in Florida being an item under contention. The winner of the electoral votes from Florida will decide the election. The Florida vote was certified several weeks ago, with George Bush winning by just over 500 votes. Al Gore, however, found that several thousand votes were not counted by the machines, and wanted a recount. This has ended up going to the U.S. Supreme Court for a decision. The decision should be made today. If a recount is not authorized, Bush will be declared the election winner.

I spent several hours working on a new collage of pictures for Angel. The collage documents Brittney's first year. Brittney was born on February 25. The picture turned out fairly well and I think Angel will like it.

Just after noon, Thomas left for the cabin. He is having a party there with some of his friends.

Shortly after Thomas left, I drove to Renton to meet with my co-worker, Marilyn Hall. Marilyn was the person who worked with me last year on the Manufacturing Plan Integration Team developing a concept for a program-level schedule. We have kept in touch all this year and she was my "point of contact" during the SPEEA strike. This was also an opportunity to bring her a birthday gift since today is her birthday as well. I gave her a bottle of herbal vitamins with the unique name, "Happy Camper". Of course there is a story behind this. When we were working on the project, we often had problems getting our managers to make decisions critical to the success of the team. This caused considerable frustration to us, and we often referred to each other as "unhappy campers". One day, while looking for herbal vitamins on the web, Marilyn came across a page with a product in a box with a happy face. It was called "Happy Camper". She sent me the web page saying that I needed some of this. Of course I book-marked the page and decided it would be a good gift. It was.

Marilyn gave me a beautiful pink-blossomed Poinsettia. It looks wonderful on our dining room table.

When I got home, Valorie arranged to take the Volkswagen to Auburn Service to get a tune up and to have its brakes checked. I drove it down, but I didn't think the breaks were that bad. The brakes need to be pumped a bit to get good pedal resistance, but it wasn't terrible.

After leaving the car, we drove to Federal Way and picked up a car carrier and ski rack for Paul. Since we were close to Costco, we stopped in and picked up a new TV for Anne and a nice bottle of Champagne for Ted. The nice part about it was that the store was not crowded and the checkout lines were short. After having a nice dinner at "The Olive Garden", we returned home.

Wednesday, December 13, 2000

I began my day just after 4 AM after I heard Valorie chuckling from the living room. She has just started using IRC (Internet Relay Chat), which is a software program that allows users to message across the Internet. She has it set up so that it plays bagpipe music whenever someone wants to talk to her.

It is only 27 degrees outside, and the fireplace heater is going full blast. I would really like to see it warm up because gas prices are being raised 25% due to a shortage of fuel. There is also a concern regarding electrical power and the power company has asked users to try to cut back to avoid potential rolling blackouts in the area.

I spent several hours today creating some eight-by-ten pictures to give as Christmas gifts. I made one of Kim holding Brittney and began a collage with pictures of Kaylie that were taken this year.

The mechanic from Auburn Service called at 9 and let me know that they needed to replace the brake shoes and turn the drums, both front and rear. That work, combined with the tune-up, would cost over $800. I would rather that it had not cost so much, but he suggested that there were no shortcuts that could be taken and that the work needed to be done.

Needing to find a gift for Debra, I decided to do a bit of Christmas shopping. At Fred Meyer I found one of the items on her list. It's called, "The Mouse". It is a sander-polisher, made by Black and Decker. I also found an emergency light, which is perfect for mom and dad to have in their apartment. They mentioned the other day that they had experienced a power outage, making the entire apartment pitch black. The emergency light plugs in to an open electrical outlet and is designed to turn on when the power goes out. That should give them some peace-of-mind.

By now it was lunchtime, so I stopped at McDonald's to get a Big Mac Meal, which includes fries and a soft drink. Instead of sitting at a table inside, I decided to eat in the car while listening to the radio. From my viewpoint, I could look out over the parking lot, which stretched the length of a football field to the grocery store at the other side.

While eating, I happened to notice a lonely black crow standing cold and lonely on the grass median strip, just a few feet from the car. The wind was blowing and I could see the bird's little black eyes pleading with me for a tasty morsel. So, I reached over, grabbed a fry, opened the window and tossed it out. I was not prepared for what happened next.

Of course, the little crow immediately hopped over to the fry, grabbed it, and choked it down in one gulp. I expected that. But suddenly, the crow scurried and fluttered away, dodging a swooping sea gull that gave out a loud screech. The gull continued to circle and cry out, and then I noticed that every light pole, and every tree limb, held another bird, who, hearing the cries of the circling gull, launched themselves to participate in the feeding. Soon there were over a dozen sea gulls and almost as many crows. Some were flying in circles, some landed, and others chased about, vying to position themselves to get the next fry. There were so many birds that cars driving by had to slow down to avoid the swooping, hopping and screeching crowd. A lady coming out of McDonald's had to run across the street, covering her head as the gulls took flight and swirled about.

Now a sane person would have rolled up the window and let things settle down. But I still had more fries and there were so many pleading eyes. Out flew more fries, and in came more birds. As I threw out the last tasty morsels, I could still see, far in the distance, more birds winging their way to sample America's favorite fries. What fun!

After returning home and working a bit more on my photo collages, we noticed that Porkie had again got out of her penned area, searching meticulously for fallen birdseeds. I put her back in her area and noticed that she needed more straw in her house. So I drove to Black Diamond, got a bale of hay and another bag of Missouri pig food.

At 3:30 we got a call from Auburn Service, saying that the car would be ready at 4 PM. Valorie and I drove to Auburn and picked up the Volkswagen. I cost just over $830. I drove it home. It drove well, and there was a noticeable difference in the brakes. Anne will need to take it down after driving it for about 500 miles and they will do a free brake adjustment.

I decided to fix dinner so I cooked T-bone steaks, baked potatoes and acorn squash. I opened a bottle of red wine that Paul had given me for my birthday. It was a 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Talus winery. In the meantime, Valorie went to have her hair cut and to get some more Shaklee.

While feeding Porkie and the rabbits, I noticed that one more rabbit had died. We're now done to one bunny.

On the evening news, Al Gore gave his concession speech for having lost the presidential election. It was a very gracious speech, calling for unity and support for George Bush, who now is the president-elect.

Thomas returned from the cabin this evening after hosting another party. There was a dusting of snow on the ground as he left. The forecast for our area could give us a bit of snow tomorrow. Hope so!

Thursday, December 14, 2000

I arose at 4:40 this morning. The temperature outside is 27, but a storm is expected to roll in, first starting as snow and then turning to rain. I spent several hours working on the introduction to this document, selecting and adding the appropriate pictures from my photo archive.

Since Anne is due to arrive on Saturday, I decided to wrap her gift and also to begin wrapping the pictures that need to be shipped to Arizona. I wrapped six 8 by 10 framed photographs, and three 4 by 6 framed photos. For nametags, I used the photos with Santa hats that I had created for last years' gifts, and added Angel, Robert, Kim and Rick.

Once it was light outside, I fed Porkie and then had to dig a hole and bury the bunny that had died last night. I fashioned a little mound of dirt and placed a wooden cross to mark the site. I believe it's important to provide appropriate visual details in order to observe the dignity of this passing of life.

My mid-day, the forecasted storm moved in. It began by giving us a dusting of snow, but quickly turned to rain. Within one hour the temperature rose from 30 degrees to over 35 degrees.

The balance of the afternoon was spent completing the Kaylie collage. I am happy with it and I think Nickki will enjoy it as well.

For dinner, I fixed a meatloaf. I use hamburger, veal and pork. I put them in the Cuisinart blender after chopping up an onion. The blender thoroughly mixes the meats. Unfortunately, I forgot to add some bread, so I cut up some muffins that Thomas had brought from the HerbFarm and added them to the top. The problem was that there was so much meat that the blender would not cause it to roll, allowing the bread to be chopped into fine pieces and mixed into the loaf. When I dumped it into the casserole dish, I noticed that the bread chunks were still in large pieces. I had to fish all of them out, which was very messy. Porkie will enjoy them tomorrow morning.

After dinner, Thomas connected me to his computer drive where he has his collection of MP3 music. He had me download the Microsoft Music Player and then set up a library collection. He has over 1800 songs! I spent some time updating the library. The problem with the player is that it uses half of my computer processor just to play the songs. If I want to surf the Web or use PhotoShop, the songs skip notes. It doesn't sound very good when that happens, so I may go back to using the Napster music player when I am doing other work on the computer while playing music.

Friday, December 15, 2000

The wind howled last night. There were gusts up to 60 miles per hour. Limbs and pinecones rained onto the roof. Rhys freaked out, hiding behind the couch. I even found him in the bathroom tub. He just hates the noise, causing him to shiver uncontrollably.

When I arose at 4:30, the power was out. Valorie had left several oil candles burning, and I lit the large three-wicked pillar candles. They put out a lot of light. I also put some water on the kitchen stove for two reasons. First, I wanted to have a cup of coffee, and second, it puts more heat into the house. When the power is out, the fireplace gas insert still works, but the fan that moves air around it does not. The result is that the insert burns at a very low flame "thinking" that it is warmer than it really is. By lighting the stove, it adds just enough extra heat.

I used Valorie's battery-operated radio to listen to the news. At the height of the storm, almost 100,000 people were without power. To the north of Seattle, there were icy roads, causing numerous accidents.

The power was restored at 6:30 AM, but Thomas will have to get the network server running before we can get access to the web.

I spent several hours wrapping gifts. For Kaylie, I got the game, "Whack a' Mole". The game requires three AA batteries, so I wanted to install them so it will be ready to try out for Christmas. Of course, I had to try the game. When the game is turned on, a sassy little "mole" voice asks for game preferences. Then the game begins. Little lights on the top of moles light up, and you have to use the plastic mallet to "whack" the mole before the light goes out. A successful "whack" results in cries of "yikes" or "ouch". Misses result in cackles of laughter. It was wonderful. Just as amazing, my laughter and the game voices attracted Rhys, who was worried that I was being attacked. He started barking and biting at me, keeping me from "whacking" another mole. He got so upset that I had to put the game away.

My next challenge was to put together the Christmas gift for Austin. I got him a "Sit n' Spin". The game has a base that surrounds a center steering wheel. By sitting on the base, you can grab the wheel and spin around. On the top of the wheel are several buttons. Pressing one of the buttons plays a tune while the person is spinning. Of course I had to put everything together and install the batteries. Immediately the game started playing a tune that went on for almost a minute. Then, by pressing one of the top buttons, it played a different melody.

The next step was to wrap it. Fortunately, I was able to use the shipping box as a gift container, and everything just fit, although a bit tightly. I wrapped it in pretty gold paper, but the box was so tight that I kept activating the song button, and it kept playing on and on and on. I thought for a moment that there was an "off" button or something that I had forgotten to switch. Not so. I gently placed it away and after a few minutes it stopped singing. Whew!

Thomas and I went shopping at SouthCenter. We stopped at Costco, which was a madhouse of people. It took us ten minutes to find a parking place. I picked up four more 8 by 10 frames and five more 5 by 7 frames. In addition I got two photo albums. I plan to move mom and dad's pictures into archival-safe albums since their pictures are presently poorly organized.

Or next stop was the Mall. We shopped at "The Store of Knowledge". I got an interest gift for Ron called the "mirage". This is a tabletop gadget that projects a hologram of an object that is placed inside it. I saw one in my bosses' office at work and though Ron would enjoy it. Thomas picked up a few gifts as well before we headed out and stopped at Half-price Books. Thomas found several gifts.

From there we stopped at Computer Renaissance and bought two network cards for $10. We figured that at least one of them should get Anne's computer back on the Internet.

On the way home, we stopped at Ghorms for lunch. Thomas had a deluxe cheeseburger with bacon and I had the deluxe burger. Both of us got chocolate shakes.

At home, Thomas suggested that we put up the outside Christmas lights. Fortunately, when I put the lights away last year, I put the different strings in bags that were labeled with descriptions indicating where the string needed to be installed. This made it easy to get everything sorted out. Thomas got on the roof while I worked from the ground. Within an hour we had everything working, just as it got dark.

Thomas then spent another hour installing the network card in Anne's computer. We downloaded the Window's drivers from the Internet, while Thomas fiddled with the settings. After giving her computer a static network address, the computer came back on line with full Internet access, just in time for Anne's return tomorrow.

I spent several hours making more 8 by 10 pictures and put them into frames. One was a picture I took in July at the cabin when the Betts were visiting. In front of the cabin the wildflowers were in full bloom, so I had Christian, Alissa and Emily sit in the flowers while I snapped a photo. It made a beautiful print. I also printed a copy that is a close-up of Alissa holding Brittney. I plan on giving it to Angel.

Ted and Lola stopped by for a visit, and there was a lively discussion about politics and the impending Bush administration. Thomas had fun debating with Ted.

Saturday, December 16, 2000

I was awakened at 3 AM this morning. Mollie had eaten a bunch of chicken skin last night and was in the process of regurgitating it -- in my bed -- next to my face! So I quickly grabbed a cloth and caught the up-chuck, just before it would have spewed all over the bedcovers. She had several other cleansing fits before she settled in again. I managed to sleep for another hour before getting up.

Since Anne arrives home today, I decided to move the wrapped presents from the Futon room into our bedroom. I managed to move Austin's "Sit n' Spin" without activating the music. It has warmed up considerably this morning and is in the mid-40's. After being used to the low 30's or upper 20's, it feels warm.

I decided to transfer some money from Bank of America to BECU, so I took the dogs and went to the bank. They enjoyed their trip. It's funny, but when we were returning, they seemed to know when they were near home. There must be a particular smell that tips them off.

I logged on to the airline schedule web page, and found a page that tracks airline flights. It was really neat. Anne's plane took off at 1:58 PM from Phoenix. The program has a little jet airplane that moves across the screen showing the progress of the flight. I left it running on the computer. It was fun to see the airplane cross over into Utah and then head toward Oregon.

Valorie and I decided to get a Christmas tree today, so we took our "new" truck and drove to a tree farm near Lake Moneysmith. The second tree we looked at appeared to be perfect. Valorie picked out a wreath and bow. After we got home, I sawed off a little of the trunk and we put it in place in the living room. What we hadn't noticed, however, was that the trunk of the tree was bowed, so we had to fit it at an odd angle in the tree stand. With a little turning and positioning, however, the tree will look just fine.

By the time the tree was in place, it was time to go to the airport. The rain had really begun to come down in sheets, but we didn't have any problems getting to the airport in time. The problem, however, was that there was no where to park. Valorie got out and went to the gate while I circled in the parking lot looking for someone leaving. After about 1/2 hour I finally found a spot. By this time Anne's plane had landed, but due to delays, they had not yet been able to unload. Anne finally got off just after 4 PM. She was tired from a long day and only getting two hours of sleep last night.

We arrived home just after 5:30. Thomas was home from work, and Debra was waiting along with Kaylie and Austin. Since we were hungry, we decided to go for pizza at Shakeys. We had the Shakeys special and a medium pineapple and olive. We returned home and had a good time talking. Anne stayed up until almost 3 AM playing on her fast Internet connection. I noticed that she was using Napster to get some of her favorite songs. I also showed her that she already had access to Thomas' 1,800 MP3 songs.

Sunday, December 17, 2000

I arose at 5. Valorie was still up and working on her computer. I guess my arising was her signal to go to bed. She said to me, "Gee, Bob, why are you up?" And I said, "Gee, that's what I should be asking you!"

I spent an hour this morning putting the Christmas lights on the tree. It is not difficult, but takes patience because the strings have to be woven around the branches so that the cords are not immediately visible.

I took mom shopping this morning. She had ordered a few items over the Internet, but I think that the order was never confirmed because she never got a confirmation Email and, of course, the items never arrived. Dad is really suffering from the effects of the medication that he is taking for his pain (morphine). The medication numbs the pain, but it also affects his memory. He is unable to remember much of what is going on. When I arrived he was sitting in his chair, watching the TV. We talked briefly about work, but the look in his eyes told me that he was having difficulty understanding what I was saying.

We took the Cadillac, because the car had not been driven for several weeks. On the way, mom mentioned that her blood pressure is really high again. The Hospice nurse insisted that she see a doctor and they confirmed that she needed to go on medication. With her blood pressure so high, she is at greater risk for a heart attack or stroke.

Our first stop was Lowe's in Issaquah. Mom wanted to get me a gift, so we chose a nice hand truck and a hand-nozzle for a watering wand. We also searched the store for an electric clock, but finally found out that they no longer carried them.

Our next stop was Target. We found a nice electric clock with large numbers, and then drove to the Clinic in Snoqualmie where mom had to leave a urine sample. We then stopped at the McDonalds in Fall City and picked up two cheeseburgers and a Big Mac. Filled the car with gas and then stopped to get some new medication for dad.

When we returned, dad was fast asleep, but woke and had lunch with us. Dad mentioned that the medication is making a "zombie" out of him. Mom wants me to come by some day soon and go over their finances, so that if something happens, I will know where they stand financially.

At home, Anne and I put the decorations on the tree and we finished by hanging an angel over the top. Of course it looks very nice. Anne talked to Debra, but when the conversation turned to getting their nipples pierced, I decided it was time to get outside and use the blower to clean off the driveway and deck. I also installed a timer on the Christmas lights around the garage door so that they will turn on at 4 PM and turn off at 11.

Nickki brought Debra over and we then went shopping at the SouthCenter Mall. We all took our Cell phones, so it was much easier to keep in touch. I found a nice wool sweater for dad and some t-shirts. Valorie found a book for Ron and a number of other gifts. We left SouthCenter and stopped at Target in Kent. Debra got an iron for Nickki and I picked up some Christmas chocolates and some candy canes for the Christmas tree.

At home, Nickki arrived just as we were unloading our purchases from the car. I hung the candy canes on the tree. Kaylie helped me put the last two on the tree. Of course, Kaylie wanted to touch all of the pretty ornaments. Austin crawled over and grabbed one of the slender glass ornaments and managed to crush it in his hand. Glass shards flew everywhere, but he wasn't cut. Kaylie brought her new doll and was a whirlwind of activity.

Monday, December 18, 2000

I arose at five. I usually spend at least an hour working on this journal each morning, and today was no exception.

Since I had taken several pictures last night, I turned on Valorie's lap top computer and transferred the pictures to my computer. The next hour was spent culling and editing the pictures.

I then decided to make one more picture as a gift, so I made an 8 by 10 of Andy hugging Nickki. It turned out well. Since I now had seven pictures to send to Salome, I decided that I should box and send them separately, rather than send them with Debra. I found two Amazon.com book boxes, and cut the first box down so that there was about an inch around the sides of the pictures. I padded the photos and taped the box. I then put this box inside of another box and used air bags to keep the inner box from bouncing about. The entire package weighed 19 pounds and I sent it via UPS ground. It cost $19 for shipping.

On each gift this year I am putting a custom-made tag with the picture of the recipient on the tag. The recipient is wearing a Santa hat. I make the tags by using a picture taken during the year and coping just the head and shoulders. I then crop the picture and use PhotoShop layers to place a Santa hat on their head. By merging the layers, it creates a custom picture that I print onto a label. A 4 by 6 sheet of photo paper provides four labels.

Paul called wanting to know about Christmas wish lists. I sent him Anne's, Ron's, and Carrie's via e-mail. Paul told me that he had been skiing yesterday and, on the last run, decided to ski through the backcountry to get to his car. Unfortunately, he went the wrong direction and got lost in the woods. They came across the Pacific Crest Trail, but couldn't determine where the trail went. As it got dark, it became more difficult to negotiate, since they didn't have a flashlight or any emergency supplies. They finally heard the traffic on I-90 and skied towards the sound. Occasionally they came upon cliffs and had to turn back. Often they were skidding and sliding down steep slopes, holding onto branches. They finally got to the highway at 7 PM and got a ride to their car.

After Anne arose, we decided to go Christmas shopping. Anne got the duty of driving. She stopped at the BECU cash machine in Four Corners to make a deposit and get some cash. While she was waiting, I pretended to be trying to tell her that her hair was out of place and that she had something on her face. She kept patting her head and rubbing her face. It was hilarious!

We drove to Bellevue Square and wandered the shops. Anne got some assorted Frangos for Ron and Carrie and a checkers game for Kim and Rick. We then drove to South Center and stopped at Cost Plus. I found some Amaretti di Saronno cookies. Anne got a twelve-pack of beer samplers for Paul.

We then stopped at "Cucina Cucina" for dinner. Although it was very noisy, we had a good dinner.

Our final stop was Target in Kent. Anne got a birthday present for Austin and a Laser Frame to mount a picture for my parents. I got a hand-vacuum for mom.

Tuesday, December 19, 2000

I began my dad as usual, fixing a fresh pot of coffee while I showered and shaved. I fix the same breakfast each morning that I am home. Of course, I have a mug of steaming coffee. With that, I include a container of non-fat yogurt. I like the Cascade Fresh brand because the fruit it at the bottom. I also take a crisp apple and cut it into quarters. This makes the pieces easy to eat.

I spent several hours wrapping presents and double-checking my Christmas lists. Anne came hobbling out at 8:30. She was supposed to go to the HerbFarm to assist with mail order, but she was not feeling well. I scanned in a picture of Thomas, Paul and Anne and cropped it to fit in a frame that Anne is giving to mom and dad.

When Thomas got up, I suggested that we take his car to Les Schwab for a set of studded snow tires. Usually tire companies this time of year are really busy, but we went in and were helped right away. While the tires were being mounted, we drove to the bank for a bit of cash and then stopped at QFC for some groceries. Thomas got a call from the fellow at the tire dealer and suggested that he buy four rims. That way he could save the mounting charge when he swaps the tires on and off the car. Thomas also bought some tire chains, a set for himself and another for Paul.

On the Internet, our extended family sends notes back and forth using the service of QuickDot. Rick has started a Christmas story. He wrote the first paragraph about a man hiking in the snow. Paul added a paragraph and so did I. It makes an interesting story and I look forward for additions each day.

I went shopping by myself and stopped at the liquor store in Enumclaw. Got some eggnog and Captain Morgan flavored rum, along with some stocking stuffers -- chocolates with real liquor.

I then stopped at QFC and bought two bottles of Apex wine. My next stop was at the South Hill Mall. I didn't expect to find anything special there, and fulfilled my expectations. I picked up a package of glossy photo paper and some double-back tape. I also had an A&W cheeseburger, fries and root beer.

Anne and Valorie went shopping at SouthCenter, while Thomas went to the SeaTac Mall.

Wednesday, December 20, 2000

I got up at 5:30. I'm fighting a cold and felt rather stuffy this morning. I followed my usual routine and felt better after a warm shower.

Andy Betts had added to the Christmas story and it was fun to read. I found an interesting story about a lady who cut a fresh Christmas tree, set it up in her living room, and then heard spiders jumping from ornament to ornament. I copied it and added it to the addendum to this diary.

I spent most of the morning wrapping gifts -- books for mom, candles, wine and much more. Valorie got a book for Ted from Amazon.

Anne went to work at the HerbFarm, helping with the mail order and shipping. She drove the VW for the first time.

Thomas had to work as well, moving wine at Hedges.

Valorie was busy wrapping the last of the gifts that are going to be sent to Arizona with Debra. Debra leaves tomorrow and will be traveling with Christian and Alissa.

Nickki had an early birthday party for Austin at her apartment. We stopped at Taco Time for dinner, and picked up some for Nickki and Debra. Justin, his mom and his sister, along with Ted and Lola celebrated. Austin got a cake of his own and he had fun eating it, playing with it and finally knocking it to the floor.

Kaylie had as much fun as Austin did as she played on his new police car. Kaylie also got a "bouncy" ball.

Thursday, December 21, 2000

I arose at 5:45. I was hoping that someone had added to the Christmas story on QuickDot, but no one had -- too bad.

I transferred the pictures that were taken at Austin's birthday party and found one that was really cute. I did some quick editing and made an 8 by 10 picture for Nickki since today is Austin's first birthday. The picture turned out nice. I had to steal a frame off the wall of my room, since I am completely out of new frames.

I also spent some time looking at the picture of the world from space, taken at night and composed so that you could see the lights of every city. It is truly amazing. Paul sent an e-mail to Valorie suggesting that he would like a printed copy of the picture. Unfortunately, the picture's dimensions do not lend itself to printing, even filling an 8 by 10 frame. I'm thinking that I could print it on two sheets, and include the Pacific Ocean and the America's on one frame and Europe, Asia, and Africa on the other. All I need is some time and several new picture frames.

Nickki arrived at 10:30 along with Kaylie, Austin and Debra. Debra is packed and ready to travel to Salome. She will be traveling with Christian and Alissa. Ted and Lola arrived just before 11. I checked Christian's flight from Spokane, and discovered that it was running a bit over 1/2 hour late. Nickki dropped Kaylie off at her grandma's house and we all left for the airport at noon. While Debra checked her bags, Nickki, Austin, Anne and I went to the terminal to wait for Christian's flight. Although he was due in at 1:35, the flight didn't land until after 2. And then, we saw Christian get off the plane and walk to a door at the terminal, but we couldn't figure out where he would come in! So, after asking and searching, we finally found him. He was already tired, having almost missed his flight in Spokane. Alissa was also late getting to the airport, but everything worked out. I got a nice group photo before Nickki, Austin, Anne and I left to go shopping.

We drove to SouthCenter, which was really crowded. Nickki found some clothes for Austin and Kaylie. Anne got a couple of stuffed toys. As we were leaving the stores and in the car, Austin was falling asleep and singing along with his birthday present, a stuffed singing toy (Asparagus) that Anne had given him. It was really cute.

We picked up Kaylie, returned home to an empty house, all except the leaping and wagging dogs. For dinner, we decided to try Mexican food at Four Corners. Kaylie had fun coloring while we waited for our meal. Ted, Lola, and Valorie stopped for dinner at Skippers in Kent.

Friday, December 22, 2000

I arose at 5:15, showered, shaved and checked my e-mail. Kim sent a note, written at 2:30 AM, indicating that everyone had arrived safely. It had been a very long flight, since they had to stop in San Francisco before flying on to Phoenix.

I transferred the digital pictures that I took yesterday at the airport. I decided to finish wrapping my gifts, so I spent several hours getting everything together, wrapping them and attaching the appropriate "Santa" nametag. I then decorated the fireplace mantle by setting up the Nativity scene and hanging the Christmas snowflakes. I also vacuumed the living room and swept the kitchen floor.

At 11:30, Nickki brought Kaylie and Austin over. We agreed to watch them while she was at work. Of course Kaylie was a whirlwind of energy. I watched part of Toy Story 2. It was very well done.

I spent over an hour reviewing web pages on MSN and sending in my report. Then, after a short nap, I went to BECU in Tukwila and deposited by loose change. It came to just over $400.

Stopped at Costco and bought six more picture frames (8 by 10) and six more frames (5 by 7). Also picked up another bag of Trail Mix.

Nickki got off work at 5 and we all decided to go to dinner at GodFather's Pizza. We got their giant split combo, half pepperoni and half sausage and mushrooms.

We then stopped at Fred Meyer, where Anne found a number of gifts, including some pistachio's for Paul, a couple of toys for the animals, a cookie tin, and an amaryllis for Lola.

At home, I printed out a picture called "Earth Lights". It is a composite of photographs from space, which show the lights of the cities. There are so many lights visible from space that the shape of the continents and the major roads can be seen.

Saturday, December 23, 2000

I arose at 6.

At 10, Anne and Nickki went shopping at Target in Kent. After returning, I loaned Nickki $230 to cover her car payment. Kim will transfer some money to my Bank of America account on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Kaylie and I were playing with the dog's Frisbee, tossing it back and forth in the hallway. Kaylie threw it really hard, I missed catching it, and it flew and knocked over Valorie's Shaklee drink on the table beside her computer. She was very upset, not only because it made a mess, but also because she was really hungry.

Nickki asked if I would print out copies of the Kaylie and Austin picture collages to give as gifts to Rhonda. I told her she couldn't see the pictures yet, but I would make copies, put them in frames, and wrap them.

I started creating a picture collage for Lola, using pictures from this last year to document the activities of our extended family.

Paul called to see if Anne and I wanted to go shopping with him in Seattle. Although we did want to get together with him, we decided that it wasn't worth driving for two hours to do two hours of shopping, since Paul had to wrap some presents and get to Puyallup by 6:30. Also, the store Anne needed to go to was Costco, not stores in the University District.

Instead, Anne and I went to the Costco in Federal Way. I picked up a large container of Brown and Haley Almond Roca for Lola, some vegetables for a veggie tray tomorrow night, and a tin of fancy cookies. Also picked up a box of diapers for Nickki.

We then drove to Fred Meyer and Rite-Aid to look for some lamp oil. Neither store had any clear oil. Since we were hungry and it was almost 4 PM, we called Valorie and found out that we needed to take Thomas' work clothes to him in Issaquah. He had forgotten them this morning when he left for work. We picked up Valorie and drove to the Hedges Cellars and left his clothes. The restaurant was very nicely decorated.

Drove across the street to the Triple X for dinner. Some high school girls and boys were there, playing 50's, 60's and 70's music on the jukebox. They were dancing and having a good time. It was fun to eat dinner and listen to the crowd laugh and dance.

At home, I continued working on a picture collage for Lola Cowan. Anne fell asleep on the couch. She's really tired, having arisen this morning at 9:30 to go shopping with Nickki.

Sunday, December 24, 2000

I arose at 6 just after I heard Thomas get home from the HerbFarm restaurant. It must have been a long night.

I spent several hours finishing the picture collage for Lola. It turned out really nice. I wrapped it and applied a special label.

After moving the plants from the dining room into the bedroom, I cleaned the kitchen floor and then vacuumed the living room. Anne was busy baking raisin and chocolate chip cookies for Ted.

Anne and I went shopping at Safeway. We bought veggie dip, crackers, cookies, bread (for sandwiches), lunchmeats, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, prepared horseradish sauce, orange sherbet, apple juice, orange juice, 7-up and cookie dough.

Nickki arrived at 3:45 and Ted and Lola arrived at 4. Since we were not ready with the food, everyone pitched-in and helped. Lola sliced tomatoes, Nickki helped prepare the lettuce and sliced a cucumber. Thomas made a special dish of crab and cucumber.

Paul was over an hour late since he was still doing his last minute shopping. He arrived and still had to wrap his gifts. Anne, Nickki and Thomas helped him do his wrapping. As they finished wrapping presents, they gave them to Kaylie. She ran down the hall and literally threw them at the Christmas tree. After several ornaments were knocked off, Kaylie was fired from that job! By six we had our dinner and shortly thereafter we opened gifts.

I got a DVD player from Valorie, along with extra cables to set it up. I also got three DVD movies. Paul got me a splitting maul. Thomas got me a 128-megabyte memory chip for my computer and installed it!

Lola really liked her picture collage, but couldn't seem to remember that it was hers to keep! Nickki also really liked all of her pictures.

Anne wanted to set up her new 13-inch TV, but needed a cable splitter. Paul managed to take the splitter from the living room, which allowed her to get her TV hooked up.

Paul worked to assemble his car-top ski rack and enjoyed several of the beers that Anne got for him.

Monday, December 25, 2000

I arose at 5. It was difficult sleeping last night and I never really went into a deep sleep. Paul is asleep on the living room sofa and the stockings are all at the fireplace, each with a few special gifts.

I spent an hour transferring the pictures from my camera to the computer and then editing them. Added a few nice pictures to this document.

Paul baked more raisin cookies this morning. His first batch didn't come out very well because the oven was too cool. They came out very flat, so Paul pigged out on them. Porkie even got to taste one.

I added more cheese to the cheese plate and a few more vegetables to the veggie plate, and then packed the presents in the car. I also helped Paul install the rack on his Subaru for his ski carrier.

We picked up mom and dad at 12:30. We were going to drive their car, but the battery was dead, so we ended up going in our Subaru.

Like always, Ron and Carrie had wonderful decorations and atmosphere. We opened presents for over an hour, had Champagne and then a multi-course dinner. Dad managed to sit through half of dinner before he had to sit down on the couch. Thomas and I took them home, brought up their gifts and set up a new CD player and their new post lamp.

At home, Valorie and I went over to Nickki's to visit. Nickki had cooked a turkey and fixed potatoes. We brought our cheese plate, veggies, fudge and a bottle of Champagne. We watched a movie and had a good time.

Tuesday, December 26, 2000

I arose at 7:30 this morning, feeling the affects of too much fun last night! Thomas left at 8 to go skiing with Paul at Steven's Pass. I transferred my pictures to my computer and then played my new country music CD's while I edited the pictures.

Kim called at 9 and I gave her my Bank of America savings account number so that she could transfer $230 to cover the amount I loaned to Nickki. They had a good Christmas celebration and are enjoying having Christian and Alissa.

After edited my pictures, I wanted to print out an 8 by 10 of Thomas, Anne and Paul, but found that my printer was not working. Since Thomas was not here, I remembered him saying that when he installed my memory card that he had to reload my video drivers. However, I first decided to check the obvious and made sure that all of the cables were properly attached. They were. I then rummaged about and found my software and re-installed the printer driver. The printer still didn't work. The next step was to read through the Windows "Help" menu and try all of their suggestions. I even checked the hardware through the control panel -- the message there was that the printer port was working properly. I then checked the scanner, and found that it was not working either! Yikes!

By this time I was in a frazzle, assuming that either my computer had a bad printer port, or that my printer had died. I decided to take a break. I took Thomas' laundry to the cleaners at Four Corners and stopped at McDonalds for lunch. At home, I spent a while reading my PhotoShop book, "Down and Dirty Tricks". As the title indicates, it has a number of good methods for creating special effects using PhotoShop 6.0.

At home, I decided to move the printer to Anne's computer. I unhooked everything and rummaged around in her room to get room to place the printer on the edge of her desk and get everything attached. Of course I still had to load software and set the printer up to be shared on the network. It worked fine. That narrowed the possible problems to my computer. I finally printed my picture by loading PhotoShop on Anne's computer and printing it there.

When Thomas got home, I told him of my trials and tribulations. He smiled and said, "Hum, I wonder if I maybe plugged the printer port cable in backwards!" So, he opened the case, fished about, and re-attached the cable. I checked the scanner and it worked! So, I had to move the printer back into my room and re-attach all of the cords. But, now, the world was right again!

I spent over an hour checking WEB sites on MSN and compiling my report. Valorie called Axis Computer Systems and finally got them to call back. My new 850MHZ computer will not ship until January 5. At least I know that I will ship in little over a week.

Wednesday, December 27, 2000

I arose at 6:40. I'm feeling much better this morning. I ground fresh coffee beans and made a pot of coffee. Mom sent me an Email asking me to come by and change out the battery in their car for a new one. I offered to go either today or tomorrow.

I spent the day reading my PhotoShop book, sleeping, surfing the web and listening to music. Thomas had to work in Seattle, so he left at 10:30. I took the free time to do a bit of clean up in my bedroom. I hung up several coats, filed my paycheck stubs, and put away some tools.

By dinnertime, Anne wanted to drive to Four Corners to get gas in her car, so I offered to follow her in the truck, because it, too, needed gas. I put over $20 in the truck. It must have really been low! We stopped at Safeway. Anne thought that her pictures from Christmas would be done, but they weren't. I picked up some more canned cat food (9-Lives), some paper towels, avocados, and a few other odd foods. We ended up having Hoagie sandwiches for dinner while we watched the evening news.

I noticed a dull ache in my lower left gut early this morning, so I lounged about most of the day. The ache continued through the night.

Thomas had a flat tire on his way home from work. It was one of his new snow tires! He was on his way to the cabin, so he and his friends stopped by to change his tires.

Thursday, December 28, 2000

I arose at 6. After a shower and shave, I read my Email while I ate my yogurt and apple slices. Both Paul and Rick had added to the Christmas story, so it is now my turn to continue it.

I drove to North Bend to get mom and dad's car going. I arrived just before 9 AM, got the keys and then drove my car to Les Schwab to see if they would come over to check the car. They suggested that I jump the battery, so I returned and hooked up the cables. I had to rig up the gas pedal on my car so that the engine would rev a bit faster. Their car wouldn't start. So I re-adjusted the cables and still couldn't get it to turn over. I spent 20 minutes fiddling with the cables until I finally realized that I wasn't getting current through the cables. I switched the contacts and finally got a spark and started their car. I drove it over and waited about 1/2 hour. They tested the battery and the charging system. Everything worked fine! They said that I should just make sure the car is driven more frequently to keep the battery charged. I drove the car up to highway 18 and back.

I took mom to QFC for a few groceries and to the drugstore next door to pick up some prescriptions for dad. Mom gave me some frozen food from her freezer and had me take the change from the back of their car.

At home, I went through the change and offered it to Anne if she would take it to BECU. In the coins, I found a small laser pointer. It was fun shining the light on the carpet. Mollie would move her head as the dot of light danced around the floor in front of her. She even tried to pounce on it, using her paws.

We left here at 1 and spent a half-hour running the change through the CoinStar machine. Anne got over $260!

We then zoomed to the airport to pick up Debra who was returning from Salome. We had to wait twenty minutes before the plane landed. Since no one had eaten lunch, we stopped at Presti's. They were just opening, so we were first in the door.

After our meal, we stopped to see Nickki in Four Corners. Anne got her pictures from Safeway. At home, Debra opened her Christmas presents-- a jewelry box, some cash, and a Black and Decker "Mouse". Debra brought me a gift from Andy (a bag of Trail Mix) and a gift from Emily (some chocolates wrapped up in a toilet paper tube).

Anne and Debra went to a movie. Thomas arrived back from the cabin and a day of skiing at Crystal Mountain.

Friday, December 29, 2000

I arose at 6. I spent an hour writing the conclusion to the QuickDot story. I hope everyone likes the ending

Today was a clean-up and put-away day. I spent several hours cleaning up the guest bedroom. I put dad's trunk under my file cabinet and then cleaned out the closet. I took all of the old computer equipment and stored it in the garage.

We then put away the Christmas decorations. Anne and I removed the decorations from the Christmas tree. Valorie and I unwound the light strings from the tree. I put away the manger scene and packed the boxes for storage.

Since it was a nice day, I also took down the outside Christmas lights. I put each string in it's assigned bag so it will be easier next year to put them back up. Since I had to get on the roof to take down the lights, I took the opportunity to clean out the gutters.

Valorie and I then took all of the recycling materials to Auburn. We had a stuffed carload of newspapers, cardboard, glass, plastic and aluminum.

Anne left for the cabin. Nickki, Debra and Brianne all are planning on staying from Friday through New Years. I printed out the extended family collage, and also printed out an 8 by 10 of the Zimmerman Thanksgiving picture and mounted them in some existing frames.

Saturday, December 30, 2000

I arose at 5:20 doing my usual routine. I finished updating the events for yesterday in this document and also added the QuickDot story to the addendum.

I spent much of my day on the Internet looking at the different streaming video web cams. I found one that is mounted in the center of Times Square in New York. This camera offers views of MTV Studios, Times Square One and Two buildings, Duffy Square, TKTS, and many other Times Square landmarks. I was interested because the weather for the East Coast was forecasted for heavy snow and I wanted to see if it was true. There was moderate snow falling and some accumulation in Times Square. It was fun to see the people all playing on the mounds of snow that had been piled to the sides by the road graders.

I also found several other articles about the top stories of the year 2000. I added another to the addendum.

At 10:30, I loaded up the truck with our garbage cans and made a trip to the Enumclaw transfer station. They are now charging $15.25 for a truckload.

I spent a little while playing with my digital camera with it mounted to a tripod. I took one picture that is 16 shots taken one right after the other. I'll have to see how it turns out.

I decided to print out the year-end expenses and income summaries for the Hearthside Cabin Association. I noticed that we have not received a bill for fire service, nor have we got a bill for snow removal this year. That's why we have over $400 in the checkbook. My estimates for dues next year came out to be $1,500 per member.

Paul Herrick called to say that he would be up to the cabin for a few hours tomorrow night, but would not be staying overnight. Valorie spent several hours packing to go to the cabin. She decided to take the Subaru, so she cleaned out the refrigerator and loaded up the car. She left at 7:30.

I watched one of my new DVD movies, Terminator 2. I had forgotten how well done the movie was. As usual, when I turned on the TV, Rhys ran into the bedroom and hid. He associates the noise with power outages, since our old TV only went off when the power went out!

Sunday, December 31, 2000

I arose at 6:30. It is raining really hard this morning and, of course, the dogs do not want to go outside. I don't blame them!

I cleaned up in the garage and in the laundry room. It looks much better. I buried the organic garbage and then fed Porkie and the rabbits before leaving for the cabin.

The dogs are really excited about going and it will be interesting to see how they ride in the truck!

MY LAST REAL CHRISTMAS TREE or PING-PING-PING

I don't have a real Christmas tree anymore -- I always said I would never have an artificial tree and my husband and I were the type to go to a Christmas tree farm and chop down our own. You never saw such pretty trees in all your life. But then came the year of our last ever real chop-it-down-yourself Christmas tree. We had chopped a gorgeous Blue Spruce and brought it home and left it outside to stay nice and fresh. It was quite cold that year and our tree stayed fresh until we brought it in a few days before Christmas and decorated it with all our traditional decorations. It looked magnificent.

One morning as I walked past the tree I heard a slight noise -- it was a pinging sound. I looked closer at the tree and had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn't having a nightmare. There "to my wondering eyes did appear" not a sleigh or reindeer but spiders -- not one or two, but hundreds of big, black, hairy, jumping spiders. I later found a book on spiders and found these critters under the heading "Jumping Spiders." They are "Phidippus Audax: Common in North America. Large, heavy bodied and conspicuous. These spiders are found on vegetation, stones, and sometimes inside houses [yeah, right]. In captivity, they are active and have good appetites. One captive Phidippus ate more than 40 fruit flies in succession." So now you know what I was up against. Not only were these Phidippi big, hairy and active, but also they were hungry.

Apparently, there had been a nest of these spiders in the tree and when the tree was brought into the warm house they hatched out and were merrily jumping from ball to ball and mini-light to mini-light -- ping-ping-ping! I headed for the nearest can of bug spray and sprayed those Phidippi until I could no longer breathe, but they didn't seem to mind at all. We had a string of lights on the tree with "chimney" bulbs and they just hopped down inside the chimneys to escape the onslaught of the spray. Then, when the coast was clear (the can was empty), they began jumping off the tree and onto the ceiling and walls.

It took until after Christmas to rid the house of the spiders and that was when I made my first and last New Year's resolution -- no more real Christmas trees.

QuickDot STORY

Rick Betts, Paul Zimmerman, Andy Betts and Bob Zimmerman, using QuickDot email, wrote the following story. Rick Betts started the story, writing the first paragraph. He left it up to the other members of the QuickDot group to write the next paragraph. Paul wrote the second paragraph, and I followed. It resulted in a good story.

Rick:

The man was cold as he walked into the snow-covered trees of the northwestern Montana forest. He had lived there since he was a boy, but now that he was in his early thirty's he could not recall a December that there had been this much snow. ..........................

Paul:

.......Today was different than the days of the past few weeks. The sky had cleared and the sun was shining bright and filtering down to the smooth, white snow cast between the trees of the forest. The air was cold and crisp and all was quiet. So quiet, in fact, that all the man could hear was the sound of his own heart beating, his short, fast breathing, and the crunch of the snow beneath his snowshoes. As he crested a small rise in the forest floor, he froze in his tracks and gasped..........

Bob:

.......The snow-field ahead shined and sparkled of gold! In disbelief, he removed his sunglasses, and his eyes cried out with the sudden brilliance. He choked out a loud exclamation of joy as he shuffeled forward on his snowshoes. Falling to his knees, he lifted the strange snow in his hands. Indeed, this was not snow. In his hands was pure gold....

Rick:

....He was amazed at the heaviness and luster of the cold golden snow. He wondered where or what had caused such a phenomenon to occur. He wondered what he should do, maybe gather as much as he could gather and head for home. No, the weight would slow him down to the point of risking not even making it through the woods to show his miraculous find. Suddenly there was a sharp snap behind him, as he turned to see what it was he saw the end of a huge club as it struck him on the head and then darkness.......

Bob:

Penetrating cold...numbing cold...he fought to open his eyes. A moan echoed in the distance and then he realized that it was HIS moan. He slowly slid his hand to the back of his head, and felt the throbbing welt and dried blood. How long had he been unconscious? One thing for certain, it was now dark. The moon was just now rising, casting its eerie glow on the golden landscape and a silver mist began to flow from the dark shadows of the nearby forest. He rose slowly to his feet. All about him were tiny footprints, small enough to have been made by a child. "But that's impossible," he said to himself, "because no child alive could have stuck such a solid blow." He peered into the gathering darkness, noticing that strange small footprints led away, across the golden field, disappearing into the forest...

Andy:

....So he followed the tiny foot prints and it took him deep in the forest. He looked behind him and all he saw was his footprints, forest, and snow! as he was slowly looking forward again a big circular Ora that was all different colored and in the middle and was spinning. He wondered what would happen if he stuck his finger in it. So he slowly started and as his finger was barely inside of this Ora. He noticed that it was very cold, colder than he has ever felt and living in Montana he has been through very cold winters. As he touched the spiral of colors and he was sucked in he started down this black hole with a huge amount of speed then he.....

Bob:

.... Opened his eyes. To his amazement, he was lying face down in the golden snowfield. Had he just dreamed of following the tracks into the forest and finding the Ora? And what of the spiral of colors, the black hole, and the free fall? He struggled to his feet. In the distance, just where the small tracks disappeared into the forest, he heard the tinkling of bells. Was this just another trick of his imagination? Then he heard it again. More tinkling, and then, high-pitched laughter! Ever so quietly, he followed the tiny tracks toward the sounds. The full moon was now directly overhead and lit the forest with its yellow glow. Reaching the edge of the forest, he parted the branches. In the clearing beyond stood a tiny elf, a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. The sleigh was piled high with golden snow from the snowfield, and it was apparent the reindeer were eager to be on their way. "Whoa! Just hold on now...", came a high-pitched voice. "Wait until I adjust these harnesses, you silly fellow!" The elf pulled and yanked on each harness, chuckling as he fussed with each one. On each harness was a tiny silver bell, and as the elf pulled on the harnesses, the bells tinkled. "Well, that should do it," the elf muttered. "I think we're ready to go!" As the elf turned to mount the sleigh, he noticed the intruder at the edge of the woods......

Paul:

....."Hey, where did you come from?" questioned the elf in his unusual high-pitched voice. The man thought for a moment that he should turn and run, but he fought his instinct to flee and remained there, standing at the edge of the clearing in the woods. "I....I....I'm not sure," responded the man to the elf's query. "Where am I? And who and WHAT are you?" .......

Rick:

...Before the man could hear an answer from the tiny bearded elf, in a blink of an eye the Ora appeared around him and began to spin slowly at first then increasing in speed. The man noticed that there was a hole in the colors that were spinning around him about the size of a child. He could catch quick glances of the elf as the hole would come into alignment. He saw the elf throwing what appeared to be golden snow all about him and the tiny sleigh. Then the elf threw two handfuls at the Ora. The spinning colors began to move faster now, and even faster faster..faster...the man could no longer distinguish a hole in the brilliant colors that were spinning around him. Then the man heard a loud deafening crack. Then the man felt all of the air within the spinning colors start to lift him, he felt himself being pulled up off of his feet .....he could not breath air into his lungs as he was being pulled. The man struggled to take in some of the air that was pulling him to where ever he was going..but it was no use the man stopped struggling ...then blackness.........

Bob:

...The blackness began to fade into a kaleidoscope of colors, all spinning and then merging together again. A small figure appeared in his dream-like state. It was the elf. "Hello.... and Good Bye!" chuckled a high-pitched voice. "You were the first to discover the Golden Secrets, and to witness the power of the Ora. The Golden Secrets are used to make wishes come true. The Ora delivers these wishes by building a bridge between time and space. I, and my trusty reindeers, deliver these wishes, to boys and girls, men and women, all over the world, and beyond. And now, I must be gone. And you-- you must return, because you have much more to do, so many wishes to make, so many wishes to help fulfill, and so little time!" In this dream-like state, everything seemed so clear. Of course this is how wishes came true. As the man opened his mouth to speak, the elf began to fade away, and a swirl of colors began to turn and spin around him again. In his ears came the sound of crunching snow and labored breathing. Like a mist rising and disappearing in a warming morning air, the man looked about him in disbelief. The sun had risen and a ray of sunshine broke through the trees as it sparkled over the frozen landscape. In the distance he could see his cabin. A smile came across his face as he quickened his pace. In his mind he could imagine the warm smiling faces of his family and friends. He had witnessed a special secret. No one would ever believe his story, but it really didn't matter. What mattered is that he now knew his special purpose. And he was in a hurry to help fulfill those special wishes!

TOP STORIES OF 2000 -- CNN

Florida decides -- sort of

The close U.S. presidential election brought a host of obscure issues to light. The Electoral College, punch-card voting machines, butterfly ballots, hanging chads and state vs. federal rights became topics of everyday conversation, as the contest between Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush played out in the Florida and U.S. Supreme Courts.

Blood soils path to Mideast Peace

The peace process between Israel and the Palestinians seemed to vanish like a mirage in 2000 as increasingly tense talks between Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat gave way to deadly fighting in the streets. With ever rising death tolls and an Israeli election looming, the two sides closed out the year with the promise of a new round of U.S. mediated talks.

Milosevic booted out

Yugoslavia finally pushed Slobodan Milosevic out of power in 2000. Public sentiment caught up with the Serbian strongman after he tried to cancel the results of an election that saw him lose to Vojislav Kostunica. Yugoslavia's political isolation from Europe began to erode shortly after the change in power.

Researchers map the human blueprint

In a development that promised to revolutionize medicine, researchers from two competing teams completed a draft of the human genome, the master blueprint for the human body.

Family feud puts spotlight on U.S.-Cuba relations

After surviving the ordeal of the boat sinking off the coast of Florida that killed his mother and 10 other Cubans, young Elian Gonzalez had to survive a brutal custody fight between his relatives in Miami and his father in Cuba. The case turned the strained relations between the United States and Cuba into a media spectacle, culminating in a late-night raid on a Miami home where armed U.S. agents seized Elian by force.

Judge rules Microsoft a monopoly

In April, U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ruled that Microsoft, the world's largest software company, was a monopoly and had competed illegally. Jackson ordered the company to split, but Microsoft appealed and the case was expected to wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Russian submarine Kursk sinks

No survivors were found when divers finally reached the devastated hulk of the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk in the icy waters of the Barents Sea. The world had held out hope for more than a week that some of the crew of 118 may have survived the catastrophic explosion that sunk the vessel as it was taking part in war games with much of the Russian fleet.

All smiles in North Korea

The June summit between North Korea and South Korea punctuated a year of warming relations between two countries still technically at war. Images of North Korea's enigmatic leader Kim Jong Il expansively entertaining the South's Kim Dae-jung in Pyongyang were almost certainly the most surprising pictures of the year in news.

Fresh faces win races

Voters in Russia, Mexico and Taiwan all sent a clear message that they looked forward to new leadership and new priorities in the new millennium. For the first time in the history of each country, the ruling party in Mexico and in Taiwan was booted from the seat of power. Russia, meanwhile, followed up the always entertaining Boris Yeltsin with the no-nonsense, ex-KGB operative Vladimir Putin.

The dot.com implosion

A combination of poor business planning, intense competition and weak advertising markets pushed scores of dot.com companies to the brink, wiping out billions of dollars in market capitalization and sending share prices tumbling.