January Thaw...

Well, after 17 or 18 days of frigid weather down here it finally "broke" and last weekend we hit 60 degrees with sunny skies on Saturday. Crys and I went running all over (she was having a rare good couple of days in a row feeling good) and went to the Wake County Firearms range and sighted in a new AR-15 that Santa brought me. She ran the spotting scope so it went pretty efficiently. We went out for lunch, went to some friends to vaccinate a couple cats for Rabies and then went to see the Sherlock Holmes movie. That's a big weekend for us! Today it was so nice at lunch that I raised the rear hatch on my Tahoe and sat inside the rear deck for lunch! This is the way NC is supposed to be in the "winter", not frigid cold, but blue skies and 60 degrees (-:

The work week has been unbelieably busy and nothing at the office has been "easy", so tomorrow's surgery schedule for me is probably just going to be another example...and the clients are getting testier about finances as well! I guess everyone is feeling the crunch. Dr. Cupp's colon cancer rears it's ugly head once and a while with some terrible abdominal pain despite the chemotherapy and radiation. She's such a nice person and great partner...I'll miss her when she's out for her surgery in March.

Crys got her confirmation for her Criminal Justice CSI internship at the CCBI (City-County Bureau of Investigation in Raleigh) as part of her "junior" year in crimial justice. She starts around Feb. 23...I'm very proud of her for taking on a new career and working on another degree in a non-related field to veterinary technology.

Speaking of February...it looks like the presentation of my 25 year Masonic pin will be February 27. Kelly thinks she can fly down for it and arrive here the 25th or 26th to assist in the festivities. It'd be nice if Debra could be here, too, but I know that finances are "tight" for all of us and that might not be possible. I'm hoping Crys will feel up to going to the award ceremony and the 'pinning' ...I think there are several of us scheduled to get our 25 year pins. My pin from Indiana arrived in good shape according to our lodge Secretary. As Debra and Kelly may remember, when I was installed as Worshipful Master of the Fowler, Indiana lodge, they pinned my Master's Square on my lapel...some things a Dad never forgets!

Please keep Crys in your prayers as her fibromyalgia just doesn't seem to want to give in to even extreme doses of medications in combination. I hope everyone is feeling well and has avoided the flu bug or other maladies.

Love to y'all from North Carolina.

Dad