Holidays at Billybud's.

[billybud]

Enjoying the tree for last day...grey and damp outside so enjoying the house...She Who Must Be Obeyed is sitting next to the tree. Now that we are empty nesters, we have downsized our tree. My son, Matt, has been coming over to watch the bowl games with us. Brought me a bourbon that I hadn't tried...

[Spence]

I got a quart jar from a buddy in Virginia. My wife takes down the tree on New Year's so I have to put it away during a ball game. My house is still full. I started my family so late, may never experience the empty nest feeiling.

[billybud]

I don't know if this picture will show....just snapped it...

http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumb ... =snapfish/

[Spence]

It does look overcast. It is down right grey here. 7 inches of snow on the ground and to think I played golf five days ago. Looks like golf is finished here until March when I go to Arizona.

My cousin's kids are in from Melborne for Christmas. They we supposed start back this morning, but they all caught colds and are couch bound for a few days. We are a good 12 to 15 weeks away from the time we start seeing the sun. I can't wait. I hate the grey.

[donovan]

A beautiful home Mr. Billybud. So at our house...which right now is not a house at all, because we are waiting to move into our new house which will soon become a home...I am in charge of putting away the decorations also. So I say to one of the grandkids, who is about 4 or maybe 6...I don't...something...OK kid, you help Grandpa put away the decorations...so she gets a bulb off the tree and immediately drops it....to which the troops come running and ask what I am doing....teaching the kid to work...to which I am told, you get up and clean up this mess and don't think someone else is going to do your work...and then they coddle the kid and reward her with a cookie or something...I say..yeah...that is what is wrong with America, you reward kids for dropping the Christmas bulbs....be glad I didn't have her put away the nativity and drop the baby Jesus....and it is only 8:58 in the morning......and here,cloudy and ashen skies...we had a great Christmas.

[Spence]

I don't envy you moving. I think I would rather be shot in the head then to have to move again. I have a buddy who just sold his house and everything in it except his clothes. He even sold all but one car. He is moving to Florida with a pile of money and his clothes - that's it. It takes a lot of guts to do something like that. I'm not sure I could sell all my stuff and just go.

[billybud]

I have been in one place for 28 years....I have some unmarked boxes in the attic still left unopened from that last move. I guess if we haven't needed them, we ought to toss them unopened.

I have itchy feet...but the idea of uprooting does take a back seat to current comfort and the effort necessary to move.

We do have to be brutal and keep things pared down. When you have a contemorary bent that emphasizes space over things, adding anything new means doing away with something old. To remain uncluttered, one must be brutal in paring.

My itchy feet get scratched on the bike and traveling....heading to San Antonio and then the Big Bend in late February for 10 days...

[Spence]

Have a good trip.