Dear Students, Friends, Relatives, Colleagues, Blog Readers, and Other Wonderful People --

I have been out of touch for quite a while; so will try to catch you all up with this letter.

As you may know, in May of 2023 I downsized by selling my house and buying a townhome where the HOA takes care of outside maintenance and the cost of heating is much less. It was just in time!

Although I succeeded in getting the basics unpacked over June, July and August of 2023, my plans to go back to teaching ESL in the fall changed when my son, Ralph, quit breathing and his heart stopped. Luckily, a quick-acting friend, with the coaching of 911 on the phone, was able to apply CPR until the paramedics arrived to continue as they rushed him to the ICU.

A year later we are doing OK.  Ralph is on oxygen but has a treadmill and is working on gaining strength.  He has a portable oxygen unit enabling him to get out of the house and drive short distances safely on his own.  

I went back to the unpacking/reorganizing task which also took an unexpected turn when the floor of the finished basement flooded due to a malfunction of the HOA's irrigation system! Of course the HOA paid for remediation and recarpeting. It looks better now than it did with the prior owners' do-it-yourself carpet-remnants for flooring.

I went back to Jazzercise to keep my fitness up.  Hippolyta, our cat, is always fit. Oliver, our dog, got a dog-cart (a set of wheels like a wheelchair for dogs) which helped keep his spirits and his fitness up through the very end of his life.  Sadly, he passed away in his sleep a few days ago at the age of 18.

I must give a shout-out to the grandkids and their wider families who have been so helpful and supportive though all of this, especially the eldest, David.

I have joined Senior Planet, a technology-oriented division of AARP, which is offering a course in hosting Zoom meetings. The goal is to become more adept in the finer points, such as managing  rooms with the intention of one day starting up ESL classes again for everybody in a group at least once a week.

The Holiday Season already upon us!  I hope you all have had a good 2024 and are also looking forward to an adventurous 2025. 

PS: Dog carts are great.  Oliver was so glad to be able to stand up again to eat his meals!