Life is good

Christmas is over and all have seemed to have survived it in fine form. Friends and family gathered in my hometown about 100 miles east of our present abode on Sunday and we toasted the holidays at a local Irish pub until the wee hours on Sunday. This greatly reduces the stress on my sister, who feels that if her home is not Martha Stewart-like for company (including her ne'er do well older brother-yours truly) the world will come crashing down. We had an old fashioned miserable drive over with blowing snow, a stout and very brisk northwest wind, and cars in the ditch. No1 son encountered the same on the way up from Madison and No2 had the worst of it coming over from Green Bay. The VOR was very pleased to win the 'how many knuckleheads in the ditch' contest that we started when a guy in a pickup spun out in front of us. We noticed that 80% of the ditch occupants were 4 wheel drive SUV's and trucks. Remember boys, them 4WD units don't do a dern thing for brakin' on ice!
On Christmas Eve the relatives came to us for once. They were drawn by the VOR's debut in the Christmas Choir at 5pm mass, broadcast on public access TV, and a nice pile of home baked treats. Christmas Day brought the best treat of all. Instead of gathering at someones house and going into a food coma on the couch watching some meaningless football game, we all headed for the woods and the rustic ambiance of The VOR's parents 'cabin'. I've been instructed its NOT a deer camp, even though deer are hunted there. That would imply a certain decorating (or lack of decorating) scheme and this is definitely not that. Skiing, snowshoeing, a turkey on the grill, more food than an army could eat, and a roaring bonfire made for the perfect Christmas. I hope everyone had an equally rewarding Christmas holiday.