Dear Kids,
      My piano recital is this afternoon, and then I’ll be done with all the stressful events in my life, at least for now. Our Relief Society auction Tuesday night was a big success, although there weren’t as many ladies there as we’d hoped for. Our stake musical had a rehearsal, and some of them were there. Other people? I don’t know, but lots of ladies donated services, even when they knew they couldn’t come. And for us that were there, we won lots of great prizes. I offered my snowboarding lesson again, and Jennifer Longhurst Halling bought it. Only problem is, she has little feet. So I have to get a pair of boots a size smaller than the smallest ones I have now. But the grandkids are getting up to snowboarding age, so I’ll need every possible size.
      Some of you have been asking how Monica’s doing with her MS, so I asked her, last time we talked on the phone. She’s giving herself injections every Thursday night, (I think the drug is Avonex) and then she has to take ibuprofin to get through the night. On Fridays, she feels a little hung over, and after that she’s OK. I also asked about Ramona. She has a new middle name: Hussein. And she knows it.
      Oreo is now a fine, big cat--bigger than Rat Cat, but not obese like Xena. You know how every cat has its own food cravings, like Scarlett with her peanut butter? Well, Oreo loves milk. If he hears you getting yourself some cereal, he comes running, and when you pour the milk he goes berserk. You have to toss him out while you eat it, or he’ll have his nose in the bowl. It’s supposed to be traditional that cats like milk, but I’ve never seen a cat so totally obsessed with it before.
      Thanksgiving is coming up fast! We’ll probably have dinner about 1:00 pm, like we usually do. If the weather is good, we can hike the loop afterwards to work it off. Let me know if you’re coming, and tell me what you want to bring.
      And Christmas is right around the corner. The toy catalogs are pouring in.
      Lots of love, Mom