Dear Kids,

SNOW!  We have SNOW!  True, it’s only four or five inches, but it’s the best we’ve had since October.  It came just in time for the cousins’ ski day at Deer Valley yesterday, courtesy of Donna and Bevan’s passes.  Vanessa brought all her kids Friday night, and they stayed over at our house.  It’s always fun when they come..  And I’m always impressed to see them pack up all their gear the next morning.  All the kids take care of their own stuff, fill their own water bottles, and pack their own bags.  It makes me wish that I could ski, and take off with them.  I hope everybody had a safe and a fun day.  I haven’t heard of any disasters, so it must have gone fine.  

Maybe I can’t ski, but I walked all the way to the mailboxes and back yesterday morning.  It’s about half a mile round trip.  No cane, no trekking poles–just me and my new hip.  I was very proud, although my hip hurt a lot when I got home.  Not to worry–Dr. Wooten said I can’t hurt the hip by overdoing it, even though it can hurt me.  

Dad and I were hoping to get vaccinated for covid, but although we signed up the first day we could, we both got messages that there won’t be any openings for at least two more weeks.  Well, I’m glad so many other seniors are getting vaccinated.  If the death rate goes down, maybe we can all take off the dang masks.

Allen is doing way better now, recovering from his surgery.  He went back to work on Tuesday, and surprisingly, on that very day, he felt a hundred percent better.  He doesn’t take any pain meds now, not even Tylanol.  I’m really happy for him, and I still can’t forget the disaster that happened to me 36 years ago.  It led to so many other things, including my cancer.  So I’m thrilled with Allen’s progress.  By the way, Allen is being promoted to lieutenant TODAY!  The current lieutenant won’t be retiring for another week, but Allen says they have a ton of work, so neither of them will be able to sit around. 

Dad got to do a welfare assignment at the bakery on Welfare Square.  Our lives are so slow-moving that it was a very big deal for him.  I haven’t been anywhere interesting for a really long time, but hopefully that will change.  Sharon’s family got home from Puerto Rico OK and Vanessa and Trent got home from Hawaii, but we haven’t come home from anything.  Lots of other people are in the same boat, though, so I won’t complain.

Lots of love, Mom