Battening Down

There's a big storm coming our way, the kind that will have us digging out multiple times to make sure people can get in and out when they need to. The kind that will have us worrying when loved ones are on the road. The kind that comes along about once a year here in New Hampshire.

We may be getting lucky in some ways with this one. Erin can work at home if the weather is too rough; she guides college enrollees over the phone, and the phone system she used works on any solid Internet connection. She's not allowed to work at home all the time, but when it's necessary, she's set up to do so.

Karen is not so lucky on that front—no way to design a kitchen remotely—but the timing seems to be on her side, with the worst of the storm coming after she gets home. And the kids are on vacation anyway.

The most annoying part of a storm like this, wet and heavy with wind, is that there is a good chance that we'll lose our power Thursday night. That leaves us without a phone (which used our Internet connection) and running water. We've already filled containers for drinking water, and water for flushing toilets.

Maybe we'll get luckier still and won't need them.

Christmas was fun and fairly low-key. The kids' vacation is going well so far, though I'm looking forward to having them back in school because I get more work done when they're not in the house.

By the time they go back, it will be a new year. I'm hoping that 2017 will be better than 2016, which was kind of a rotten year all around, and in this household the only real highlights—among health problems and the loss of my Dad—have been Thomas meeting Erin and William joining his culinary arts program at Kingswood, which he is absolutely thriving in.

But we have a fresh, newly-minted year to make the best of now. And I, for one, am going to do whatever I can to keep us healthy and doing more of the good stuff.

And telling you all about it right here.

That's a Wrap!

Well, Kiss Me Kate is all done, and I'm very, very tired. I had a lot of fun, but I didn't get a lot of sleep. But I would do it again, and I'm sure I will next year.

It's back to normal life. Well, not exactly, since the end of the theater season leads straight into the boys' holiday season, and they have most of the week off, so I don't have to get up in the wee hours to see them off.

On the other hand, I have a busy week coming up. We have snow, unexpectedly, and we have to do some "whoops" winter preparation. And Karen and I have promised to do a display of glitter houses for the library in Wolfeboro for the month of December, which means they need to be done by next Tuesday.

The Thanksgiving week will otherwise be pretty low-key. It doesn't look like we're going anywhere, and Tom and Erin will be spending the day with her parents. That works for us; we need the time and rest. If for no other reason than to build up my energy for the next play. Okay, I'm kidding.

I think.