Location: Ice Station

I have been remiss about writing my blogs lately, not that they will be missed but I do like to reflect every now and then about the happenings in day to day living. There have been many happenings, I've been to Florida twice in the last five weeks. The first trip down, I welcomed in the New Year! It was not as warm as I expected it to be but about 40 degrees warmer than Louisville. You automatically feel warmer when everything is green and flowers are climbing over walls and the sky is so brilliantly blue and the sun is warm. Nevertheless ,it was cool enough that my jeans jacket felt good and the fire in the fireplace in the evening felt good. I came back home to plenty of cold weather, crisp days and freezing nights. Very invigorating! After ten days of cringing every time the furnace turned on, I turned the thermostat down to 50 degrees again ( I did that the first time I left, also) I went off to Sarasota again. Keith and Angela went to the Inauguration and I held down the home front.

It was very interesting to be back in the role of fixing lunches, making sure there were clean sox, finished homework assignments, papers signed and binders signed, and clock watching, crabs fed and watered, beds made, rooms picked up, bathes taken, and answers ready for the questions: Where is my back pack? Have you seen my shoes?Is it my time on the computer yet? What are we having for dinner? Can we watch Sponge Bob? Can we watch "Gilligan"? I enjoyed all of it. It took me back a few years.

Once again the weather was below average. However, I watched the Inauguration on TV and saw the two million people on the Mall shivering and huddled together trying to keep warm. It was a thing of beauty to see so many uncomfortable people smiling and jovial and happily attending a gathering so filled with hope. When Angela called later, she referred to herself, Keith and the rest of the crowd as "popsicles." The crowds were described as resembling ants. The faces of America that were in attendance and were introduced as they walked onto the Capital portico were impressive. Former Presidents, vice presidents, celebrities, judges, families, all smiling and proud to be Americans. People of both parties, people of color, people of all ages, it was an awe inspiring event to see the peaceful transition of leadership from one party to another. I was lucky enough to have wittnessed this transition back in 1993 and it is so dramatic that you are filled with pride and gratitude that you are an American!

I came home to the frigid conditions in Louisville and anxiously awaited my gas and electric bill to see how much my bill was after having two full weeks of no heat or any other activity in the house. Well, my bill came and what a shock to find out that it had encreased from $277.00 for December to $289.00 for January! Seems that L G and E were permitted to have a 50% rate encrease. In the great game of Life Monopoly I'm am definitely a loser! I've exhausted my bank roll. Where to now? Spring, where art thou?

Much more to come in tomorrow's blog. Ciao