Christmas 2024 

 You are already here, but see John 8:32 and below.

The people in Sweden don’t typically say “har vi go” but why should that stop me? No reason I can think of. How many Karens do you know? We know a few. One went to Switzerland but not Sweden, one might own Cesear’s palace, one came from the upside down, and several others are in various places. Probably several were in the clear water, but we didn’t notice. So that’s a good start to the year.

 

You might think there are insects around, but not so. They’re just features. There is still land in the west, and now, more of it behind the house. Have you ever played cucumber cube? We’re doing our best, but it just takes too long; soon to be done we hope. And then, of course, there’s the weird fruit, or is it really a fruit, that tastes like an unripe banana, except slimy, or maybe like a weird pumpkin with lots of seeds, or maybe a cucumber of sorts, and orange spikes on the outside. I don’t think people really eat this. Maybe if they put it in vinegar for a while they could use a racquet on it. Or maybe a paddle would be better. You never know, unless you do.

 

O Canada, have you ever been a whale? Or a dragon? Most places have Four Seasons, but this was something else. We had to check out early; the rain in Spain falls mainly in Wales. Don’t drive a car or try to read the signs, but some days it’s kind of pretty actually, if you can see the stones in the ground. That’s a bucket list thing no one ever thought would happen. You know, it’s never been done before, at least not as well as this time. It’s the best thing that anyone has ever seen, it’s really amazing, nobody thought it could be done, but we did it. It’s bigger and better than ever, and it will be even more amazing. And I did it all myself. Really, Uncle Kevin? How far east can you go in Mexico? And is it really just for women? Perhaps it is.

 

We did meet a Call Sister while offering pancakes and pizza that didn’t really exist. Some of us (how many?) thought it was funny. At least one didn’t. Karen? Hey Jack, do you have some lumber? We have lots, actually, come and get it! How far did the Rocket Man fly? I’ve never been able to understand the words, but about 4 times to the moon and back is quite a long flight; they should offer snacks. At least it had Four Seasons.

 

Mares eat oats. What do little lambs eat? Now there are seven. But don’t talk about it. Just sew, following the constructions. You don’t need a Visa to go to Switzerland, France, Canada, Wales, Spain, Tokyo, Mexico, Orlando, or Disneyland. Will she ever catch up? It will be a tall task. When is May? Where is it? Don’t be unkind! Give that Man a hat, or maybe a Brook? Burn down the farm, let a turtle eat your last duck, get not one, but two horses, and have the dentist come over. Feed the chickens and the coyotes. Are you the Natural? Taller than Shell, who isn’t? Wrestle, wrestle, toil and video games. Legos are on the table. Come and eat! Is that a volleyball? Be smart and kind and good at pretty much everything imaginable. No wonder it will be a tall task! But have you seen that kid run, and hit, and do pretty much anything? We have. Because we don’t live in Kansas, Denmark, or the Beehive place. This is it. Surprising that no one wanted revenge on Richard. For is he not the Kwisatz Haderach?

We wish you much Christmas joy and fun, from Richard and Rochelle Manning

 

In other words 

 

Neither Rochelle nor Richard went to Sweden this year, or any year previous, but that doesn’t mean a first ballot Hall of Fame election isn’t in the cards. We did go other places. Our last trip to Mexico, Richard says, to Banff and Waterton with all the children and grands to see Grandma Verda’s (Rochelle’s mother) childhood stomping grounds. We also gathered the family again at the beach in Florida over the end of 2023 and the start of 2024. A little too chilly to really enjoy the beach, although we did stay in a dive misnamed "Four Seasons" and we checked out a day early because it was divey, as they say. Not the thing little lambs eat. We were terribly upset so we went in search of better weather. First to visit Rochelle’s sister Larry and her husband who are serving an LDS mission in the Hermit Kingdom – or Wales, I guess. That was fun, and rainy, and green, and gray. We also met Chan’s parents in cold and rainy NYC, and mostly had fun anyway. Why break the trend?

 

While in the Kingdom we traveled into the greater land (England) to see some other sights, including a trip to Stonehenge, something that has always intrigued at least one of us (the older and taller of us), and which one of us always thought it would be interesting to see, but didn’t expect to, but lo and behold, we were there. Stones in the ground, imagine that. And don’t forget Rochelle’s trip with Karen (really!) and other friends to Switzerland and France. Richard was left behind to save the world, one client at a time. He helped two clients earn substantial wins in the courtroom. Satisfying enough to make him think there is no reason not to keep doing this for some time to come. Then what's that about Isla Mujeres? The eastern most part of the country to the south?

 

The home renovation continues – of course – which occupies a lot of Rochelle’s attention. We hope it will be done before we are. When the neighbors learn we are putting in a pickleball court, they say,  "is that a bug or a feature?" (I don’t know what they actually say). Richard reached 2 million miles flown on Delta, and tried to get kids to exact revenge at a family reunion dunk tank, but they preferred to dunk each other.

 

We continue to enjoy being near but not actually on Rachel and Shiloh’s farm. The circle of life. A young but very big dog came and went, some ducks (none remain), and some chickens (many remain). In addition to the chickens the remining livestock include two horses, though one had dental issues, the two cats, one small dog, and various wild varmints. Harper, Sam, Gus, and Coen are all doing well, happy and good people. Doing well in school and in various sports, music, and church activities.   

 

The biggest recent news is the birth of Ivy Gwen Barton, Arrin’s 3^rd child and our 7^th grand. It’s now boys 5, girls 2. Harper had to cede her title as only and favorite granddaughter, but little Ivy has a long way to go to catch up. It’s great to have another grandchild, and good to have more balance in the fam. Arrin and Marcus are doing well, but haven’t moved to a farm. Jonah and Lucas have been happy to welcome Ivy into the family and are also doing well in school and various sports and church things.  

 

Ben and Chan are getting ready for May and Mr. and Mrs. day. Unknowingly, they chose Rochelle’s and Richard’s anniversary for their wedding day. I guess some things just can’t be avoided. They are both doing great in jobs and life, but not so much in school or sports activities. Imagine that. But they travel a lot. I guess there’s always a Hall of Fame vote to look forward to! That's about cousin Eli, if you didn't know. It is Richard that is/was the Kwisatz Haderach. 

 

May you all enjoy a merry Christmas, and lives full of peace and joy.

 

Richard and Rochelle

Xmas 2023

 

Some people go to a Broadway show and go home happy. Some walk away disappointed and regret having shelled out the money for the event. Some people like it so much that they buy the theatre and move in. Which one would we be? Austria is a fine place, but Rochelle’s never been to the capital city anyway, just across the border. So why not stay at the theater near Chloe, and Charlie?  And don’t forget the chickens. Nobody put them in the freezer yet, unlike a certain parrot of Ed Cook lore. 

 

Aside from all that, After selling the center of the road we just had to compensate for the lost adopted Swiss miss and mister part of us so when Al called we said, Pine? No he said, but close. So we bought, and cut down some weeds but we didn’t move in. Perhaps if they had put on a show… maybe someday. Maybe over the rainbow, or beyond the yellow brick, or when the big one happens. You know, Switzerland and Austria share a border but we’ve never learned to yodel. But the fall leaves are beautiful. Some are gold, in the court anyway. T they pile high and all the dead wood burns intensely. Oh, that was at the farm. 

 

Hey Bart, did you see our new address? How bout you Martin? Are you in the field? Chickens, eggs, barns, paint, scrape, rake, mow. Green Acres is the place for me, farm livin is the life for me. Did she really say that? Did she mean it? Her hand is sore. 

 

The work is largely the same, through somewhat more of it. no need to stop he said - fun is a 3 letter word. But now getting there is quite a row. At least some folks consider him old enough that $3 is good enough. Well, then, if that’s all it is, she might as well set it aside and focus on more rewarding things. She doesn’t have to say no anymore because the people that most know of her greatness are in Austria. She still goes to visit friends but not to farm onions. 

 

Does that little boy actually walk on water? They do have the highest land, or occupied space. The Devy think in the alps are probably higher but not inhabited. There’s probably a pattern to that, but it helps to have a visa to get there if you want to stay for a while. Me plus cá change… as they say. Nobody really likes legos, but pokeman is still king especially in gold. 

 

Those that live the farthest north experience the coolest temperatures generally, and have the Kindest snacks in their virtual world. As far as we know they don’t play this here guitar, but maybe that’s because they don’t actually live on the wide street. They did go to the wood island though, and there was an inquiry and some carbon given, set in a heavy element. The real world is also nice because some of us just aren’t in the metaverse anymore. Good thing there are airplanes and trains. Sometimes one gets confused about whether she is the granddaughter or the intended. 

 

But all of our grandchildren are great so we don’t have to wait.  

2023 in other words: 

 

Sorry I'm a few days late...

A couple of years ago or so we went up to NYC to visit it Ben. We all went to the Broadway show, Hamilton. It was good, but some of us liked it better than others. The society for creative anachronism wasn’t in full operation that day. 

 

That aside, as you may know, Rachel and her family were living in Northern Virginia supposedly for 18 months while Shiloh did a rotational assignment with his one-time employer. So we enjoyed having them (relatively) nearby but anticipated that when they finished their 18-month stint and returned to Montana, we would build our house in Midway and move away from the DC area. 

 

Of course, plus ca change, as they say, (things changed). Shiloh and Rachel chose a different way to buy bacon and bread and settled on a small farm in Leesburg, Virginia -  a bit far for a quick drive from Vienna. So rather than build in Utah, we moved to Hamilton, VA. We’re now about 10 mins from Rachel. Our new address is:

 

16926 Golden Leaf Court

Hamilton, VA 20158

 

We have a lot of fun being near but not actually on the farm. Rochelle (and Richard sometimes) helps with various farm tasks. Chickens, dogs, cats, yardwork, etc. We are also in a very nice quiet neighborhood; we are not a farm – no chickens or other domesticated creatures, but plenty of space and trees make a very pretty fall. It’s marvelous gathering place for the family. Rachel nearby, Ben in NYC, Arrin in Utah.  

 

We’re not certain how long we will stay, but we did decide Midway wasn’t the right fit any longer so we sold that lot and bought a different one in Alpine, UT, with building plans and timing still up in the air. 

 

Rochelle no longer substitute teaches, Richard still works, largely from home, but the firm he is with was acquired by another so he does have an office he goes to in DC not very often. He still enjoys the work and his colleagues so why stop? You know what they say, if you enjoy what you do…

 

So aside from the big move, getting settled into the new house. Making some changes, etc. things were and are pretty much the same. Plus doesn’t always ca change (as they don’t actually say). Rochelle was thrilled when Richard came back from a visit with Ed Cook with a new joke (finally!). Here it is:

 

A man had a parrot that said rude things to visitors. The owner told him to stop it, but he wouldn’t. The man threatened, if you don’t stop, I’ll put you in the freezer. The parrot didn’t stop. The next visitor was insulted by the parrot. As soon as the visitor left, the man put the parrot in the freezer. The parrot squawked and squawked and made all kinds of fuss until the man opened the freezer and asked if the parrot would behave. It said yes. The next visitor was treated perfectly well by the parrot. After the visitor left, the parrot said to the man, “what did the chicken do?”

Thanks, Ed.

Oh, and Richard performed a wedding for two friends this year. That was different, but nice.

You might notice in the photo that Harper has some competition for longest blonde hair. Her name happens to be Chanler Bledsoe, Ben’s fiancée. She’s a delightful person, living and working in NYC, as does Ben. You’ll have to ask them where they work; such information doesn’t make it onto the blog. They got engaged on a summer trip to Madeira Island (look it up) and have wedding plans they haven’t shared with us yet! I haven’t seen her throw a football, but I don’t think she has an uncle (or other near relative) named Drew. Too bad. Just imagine the confusion that could reign on or near football facilities…

 

Arrin still works in Utah, Marcus remote to SF; same rule applies – ask them. But don't fall down when you cross that stage! Arrin received her Exec MBA from BYU; hooray, no more school! Johah and Lucas are very entertaining, very good, make that great, grandchildren – why wait? They build amazing Lego things, etc.

 

Then back to Rachel, as I said, farm life is for her, and Shiloh, who has a new employer. Harper, Sam, Gus, and Coen. Last summer I was quizzing Gus (age 8) about math facts and he was getting some amazing results, so I asked if he know how old I was. He said, about 100. I said, Gus, did you know I’m 65? He said, yeah, that’s about 100.

 

Enough said.

 

 

XMAS Letter 2022

Welcome. If you know the drill read on if you wish. 

20, 22, 24, 26, 28 to infinity, or maybe 2 x infinity? Nope. Nobody can count that high, not ever. He or she would kick the bucket first.

We near the end of 2022, so it’s time for a letter. Richard recently heard Shiloh explaining to Harper that it would take more than a lifetime to count to 1 billion. So that’s how we start this year. Note that when I wrote the original version of the letter, I forgot to mention that Shiloh went to visit Hattori Hanzo’s Scottish (?) cousin just outside of Paris. I’m sure you would have been sad not to know that. He returned home without the implement, so perhaps it was just a good story? Read on at your own risk, this might be a waste of time.

It started as the previous period ended, the water was indeed not fuliginous, which was good. No need to file a false advertising claim. It was warm enough, the air was not too hot, but then consider the month(s) of the year. The sand was fine and dandy, the beds, the walls, and the floors, to say nothing of the ceiling and other parts were nearby and adequate if not exactly spry. Who can argue with saltwater in the back yard and down the street? The sun was too bright to stare at, that is, until the things became beclouded one post meridian. Were we about to become haboobed? It was odd, and a bit unnerving for a moment, but all we got was befogged for a wee bit. But then we weren’t in Sudan, so what would one expect. Then the games could resume, as could the fireworks. We saw no reptiles, but one very large cephalopod mollusk with apparently eight not so muscular arms as would befit its genus, wafted in the breeze. Not all boys like to look into the sun.

At the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022 we spent time together as a family on a beach in a southern state. But it might as well be in the northeast given all the Yankees fans. Great fun sitting in the sand, walking along the shore, wondering if Tom Brady would show, cooking dinner and playing games at night; all in a quaint medium sized house just off the beach with a casita and an enclosed pool. We hope it wasn’t destroyed in the latest hurricanes. We think not. Walking (or driving) south toward the more commercially developed part of the shore, one could see large kites, some in the form of large octopi or maybe they were actually heptapods – you know, Abbott and Costello. That’s where we took the family photo enclosed in our card. It was hard to get everyone to look at the camera in the sunny midday, as usual. But then we had a strange metrological event in which a large bank of low hanging clouds blew in mysteriously. It approached slowly and made us wonder if we would see the other side. I guess if you’ve been to the movies, you know what I mean. On the fun scale, the week earned a 10. The only mild disappointment was that Richard’s favorite airline abandoned us mid return home. Thinking quickly, Shiloh acquired the last Hertz vehicle that would fit us all and drove us from NC to DC in style. Good thinking.

Most of the year, Rochelle didn’t need to lock the door, and she had plenty of opportunity to state her point of view. Richard never once stayed out until 2.45. She did mostly feed him, send valentine, birthday greeting, bottle of sparking grape juice. We didn’t go to the Isle of Man, or Woman, but somewhere else. We don’t have Vera, or Chuck for that matter. Hey, we don’t even have Dave! What a shame. I guess it’s OK that the song came to an end. And we did not go to Croatia, despite what some say.

Late in 2021 (we forgot to write about it last year) Richard started singing a particular song he first learned from Sargent Pepper’s. He continued the practice into 2022. After 63 full years, it was finally his time; this past November, his time had passed so no more mending a fuse or Sunday morning rides. Too bad, so sad. The grandkids got a kick out of it and could be found once or thrice singing it when he wasn’t around; they’ll have to find something else of his to imitate. Ketchup sandwiches anyone? Maybe V-8 with noodles? What an honor. The most inventive cook award goes to the guy who as a young man artfully combined Franco American Spaghetti with canned peas and still aspires to make Bologna soup. Yum! So Rachel and Shiloh went to Croatia for fun. At least one of the grandparents had a thought or two about what would happen if Vladimir decided it was time to recreate Yugoland. Or something like that. We went, instead to Richard’s favorite island again, more about that.

Teaching a then three-year-old to sew is easier than teaching him to ski, but by the time he’s 7, as was his brother, he doesn’t have an older sister unless you count Addicus’ one time friend. But he’s a much better skier. The older one was also quite interested in the seaming and stitching. It was his quilt, of course. One gets such things at age 8 in our family’s world, mostly courtesy of Grandma Shell. It was his turn, and he took it proudly, even if his house (or mine) doesn’t have an elevator. Why don’t the parents still work in San Francisco? Is there a pattern to this?

Rochelle made the traditional baptism quilt for Arrin’s son Jonah, and let him help her finish the job using the sewing machine while on a visit to Arrin’s house in Utah. Then he qualified officially for the gift being baptized at age 8. He cruises through school like a champ. Lucas (then age 3) also enjoyed learning to use the sewing machine and making some of us nervous that he might end up with stiches where they probably don’t belong – at least not medically placed. Richard and Rochelle momentarily considered buying a house in Utah with a swimming pool inside and an elevator. The grandboys were quite impressed with the elevator. We could have made them proud! But alas, we remain in Virginia in a house with too small a garage to impress the Utah boys. Oh well. Maybe someday we’ll do something to impress them. : ) Marcus still works his same old California job and is healthy and strong as ever! Arrin moved to a new Utah based job so she is close to the office, but ironically, farther than previously because the SF job office was at home. She’s working hard and will, in addition, finish the MBA program in a few months. Ask her about all that stuff.

Is Covid over? How many shots did we get! 8? And despite the WSJ, we never got it. Hermitage has its upside, although we are catching up with Carmen somewhere in the world to round out the year. But I get ahead of myself. Covid was such a pain we had to postpone many things. Walk too far to lose your cellphone along the hike. Good thing there is Find My things. And good that one can walk that far and back again without encountering an Ent, or Gandalf, or even better, Frodo and friends.

Oh yeah, Covid. We’ve been poked 4 times each – remember Richard used to work for Pfizer, so let’s help keep the stock price going in the right direction ; ). Rochelle has had a few episodes of light respiratory discomfort but has never tested positive for the condition. Richard hasn’t had even a slight sniffle since late 2019. Where’s that wood to knock on? If you read the WSJ, perhaps you understand. Working at home, has been, and remains great. We will be making my first appearance in the intense homeland this coming weekend. Let’s hope we survive. We had planned two separate trips to St. Martin that we had to cancel because of Covid and the fear of not being able to make it back into the country for important work commitments. Fortunately, everyone was happy to give us our money back. We finally made the trip in late winter. It was great as usual. Richard did lose his phone on a hike around a remote part of the island and miraculously, Find My Friends came through and we were able to find it on the hiking trail quite a ways back. Fortunately, no one else was on the trail so the phone waited patiently for us. Now isn’t that more than you want to know? Yeah, it is. Oh, and Rochelle and three friends went to London on a lark and happened to arrive just after the Queen passed away.  

If time permits, move some of the fam to Virginia and take so many photos that you have a lot of them. Will they stay there, or here, or everywhere? Will we? Did he really go to Brasil for work? Dr. Seuss could have written about that. No matter where you go, you know. He perhaps could also have helped with the volleyball team, the wrestling team, the soccer team, the basketball team, but not the baseball team. But there is always not rugby, but that other English thing – cricket! The wicket can be quite sticky you know. Ninety percent of the neighborhood is doing Halloween just because it’s the thing to do! But they seem to enjoy it.

We may have mentioned last year that Rachel’s family had moved from Montana to VA for a temporary work assignment for Shiloh. Well, one thing led to another and Shiloh changed jobs after a good career at the FBI. He now does cybersecurity of a perhaps somewhat similar type for a very large company that isn’t located in Brasil – at least not headquartered. Ask Rachel and him about that. From the grandparents’ perspective, it seems like a tremendous opportunity so we’re happy for them. However, this has left them, and Rachel in particular, with a conundrum. If you can choose where to live, you actually have to decide what to do. Decision/choice fatigue seems to be real. Ask her about that and everything else, including the most recent addition to teenageness. Harper is a great young woman, skilled at various endeavors scholastic and athletic. Sam, likewise, is multi-talented, acing school, playing basketball and picking up cricket from the neighbor kids, a very large proportion of which are of families from India. I’m told that Rachel’s neighborhood is known to many Indian ex-pats as one of the places to be. It was fun to follow the kids through trick-or-treating in their neighborhood with so many folks who were undertaking a tradition that was “foreign” to them but obviously enjoyed. Gus is a monster at math as a first grader – solving algebra-like word problems in his head, being a great reader and computer master, of which he is most supremely proud. Coen is also thriving as a kindergartener, high energy soccer player (with Gus) and great wrestle-fest participant with Pop and the other boys. Did someone say Harper also wrestles? And plays volleyball?   

If we had stayed in NYC, perhaps WE could be Kind all the time and get paid for it. But maybe we’re just Boomers and don’t have what it takes to be that kind of Kind. Good thing someone else does. He didn’t calculate TV ratings anyway so it was a good time to be Kind. Does anyone watch regular TV anymore, besides those of us about whom Paul and John sang? The flight is short, but sometimes bumpy. But then, on a calm, clear night in a nearly empty plane, wistful feelings of schmaltz can set in. And I think it’s going to be a long, long time, or maybe a long, winding road. Does anyone ever win with largest army?

Well, there’s Ben, living, still in the Big Apple, but now working there too, post Covid. You probably know that he had been doing marketing consulting for the Nielson Company since finishing college, but working out of the NJ office while living in Manhattan. Covid made that convenient because he didn’t have to go to the office very often. Not too long ago, however, he changed jobs and now works for a big snack company with a very friendly name, with an actual office – on Times Square. Fun for him we think, but ask him, of course. OK, time to be done, but we should say that we play Catan regularly. Perhaps too regularly for the taste of some. Flying to NYC is still fun, even though some of us don’t do it very often.

So enough of that.

We wish a very merry Christmas to everyone. Of course, not everyone shares our faith, but we hope that you find joy and peace in this season, no matter your tradition, no matter your celebration. We believe in Christ, we love celebrating the birth and life of this little babe, the Holy Child, the Prince of Peace. He brings hope and comfort to our lives in this season and always as we allow Him to.

With love and good cheer,

Richard and Rochelle

 

XMAS Letter 2021

If you are here, you must have received the card/letter, and you know the drill. If you just happened upon this Blog, sorry. You'll have to figure it out for yourself.

2021 is almost in the books. So are the interrupting chickens. The big blue one peered over the wall at us as we drove back from dropping Ben off at Onion Station - at least that’s what it can sound like if the hyphenation and pagination aren’t well coordinated. We didn’t realize he could see over the wall and we hadn’t seen him for three or so years, but how can one forget one’s favorite blue chicken? Even if one is supposed to call it a rooster (thanks Susan R.), chicken is the genre of the beast – why the gender specificity?

Some folks, including family members, wonder how this process works. Others don’t. If you are the latter, feel free to skip to the next paragraph. Typically on Thanksgiving weekend I sit down and let my mind think about things we have experienced, usually aided by a look through my phone’s photos, heavily weighted toward immediately recent events. This year, I sat to begin drafting on my phone, sitting on the couch at Rachel’s home. I noticed a children’s book that included in its title, “The Interrupting Chicken.” That reminded me that we had, just the previous day, dropped Ben off at Union Station to take the train back to NYC. As we drove toward home, I noticed for the first time, that the Blue Rooster Sculpture that sits on the roof of the National Art Museum on Constitution Ave. is visible from the street. That reminded me of an online conversation I had a few years back about that bird statue. So that’s the kind of thing that gets my mind going on this task. So, now you know.

Richard has a pullover that says HI on it. Some folks think he’s angling for the big island. He didn’t move to San Diego, but many folks suggested it. The weather seems to have improved, however, how’s that for climate change? Maybe it’s just more intense? Doesn’t seem so, but it’s hard to say from Zoom. Seems fun so far, 10+ months into it. He didn’t get to high-five people this year, or last year for that matter, but he was able to again ask young people about the timing of their simians. Somehow it never gets older than he is, but Covid-19 does. Roch and Rich have managed to avoid the modern plague. He was a Pfizer guy you know – and she follows suit – 3 times and counting (probably). As easy as cake, a piece of pie, as they said in Moscow and St. Petersburg back in 2010 (I think).

In February 2021, Richard left the economics consulting firm where he had been a partner for just over 9 years to join a younger firm with HQ in San Diego. He still works mostly from our home office in VA. It’s been a great gig so far, and he is not inclined to move to SoCal, or Hawaii, despite the many suggestions to such effect. But he does actually have a pullover that has an embroidered “HI” in the upper right part of the chest – a bit of a longer story. He thinks that’s funny, and not being able to “high-5” strangers on the street, that’s a new way to be friendly without being arrested. As our church returned to in person meetings (he teaches a Sunday School class for High School Jrs and Srs) he did again ask his nutty questions (call them jokes?) to children and teenagers, mostly leaving them puzzled. Rochelle and Richard have managed not to catch Covid, and have been vaccinated and boosted. Rochelle was able to get hers early because she teaches in local schools, and Richard didn’t want to wait for VA to lower its age limit, so he flew to UT, where there was apparently XS supply of vaccine, to get his shot(s). That speaks to his willingness to pay... The boosters were available in VA, fortunately. Neither of us had meaningful reactions to the vaccine doses, but Rochelle did feel it more than did Richard – but then he’s always been rather insensitive, some folks say.

One recent day, I’m told, it was 67 degrees in Bozeman. How about Helena? Spring has sprung, fall has fell, winter’s almost here, and it’s cold as… Broadlands. In Highland, I understand it was 55. In Walnut Creek, it was 66, but maybe someone broke into Nordstroms, or maybe McDonalds and took all the fries – just a few at a time. The weather in Parsippany is probably about the same as on Broadway; I didn’t check. But why look back? Upward and onward! Word is that it was 55 degrees in Centerpath one recent day. Maybe we’ll land there. The grandchildren think they have a great grandmother. They do. Other kids have the same opinion. And they do what kids do, so ask their parents. Some are happier in their new (sometimes temporary) abodes than others. Give it some time, think I.

Rachel and family temporarily relocated to VA earlier this year. Shiloh is on an 18-month work assignment in the region so the family is nearby. That has been quite nice for us. We hope they can tolerate being within a 30 minute drive of us. It seems at least that the kids are happy to have Grandma Shell nearby, though they miss things in MT. Rochelle continues to impress lots of young people she teaches – particularly little boys. She is great before her time. Arrin and family are still in Utah County, having moved from the Bay Area while still working in SF, and Ben moved from 150 ish to 84ish near Broadway, but still works in NJ, though I don’t know how often he makes the reverse commute. I think not often. Rochelle and Richard continue with plans to build a home in UT. We don’t know when that will actually happen, but the plans will be done soon and preliminary approval by the HOA is in the bag.

One highlight of the year was meeting Billie Eilish (thanks Ben) and seeing that she has quite flexible elbows – you’d be amazed how important some people think that is. We also enjoyed watching her and Chocolate Zane’s Cookie deal with freshly caught and cooked Bay Crab. Some of us, but mostly Richard, object to the boiling of sentient beings, to say nothing of the mustard, so we just watched. Rachel, Shiloh, Arrin, Marcus, and Ben – and Billie and the Cookie, as mentioned, don’t have such scruples, and they love mustard on hot dogs. Several other folks also joined in the cracking and dipping. So, sail away Raymond and eat up. We did lots of other stuff, like crossing the big lake at daybreak, leaving quite a wake. Quite a show that is, especially with a fully fuzzy face which lived about 4 weeks, and a painting of a mountain nobody knows. We didn’t get to go that little rock in the ocean of which Richard is so fond – couldn’t risk getting stuck there and not making it to Amwayville. Maybe 2022, if Ο, Π, Ρ, Σ, or Φ (or something else) doesn’t get us.

We met a friend of Ben’s who has good, bendy elbows. At least that’s what Ben told Richard about her when he inquired. We haven’t really heard her sing yet. Summer included family sailing and crabbing near the Chesapeake at Rochelle’s sister’s family place down the peninsula. Most of us ate the crabs, but not all – some with more gusto than others. Oh, and Rochelle’s nephew Zane got married and played golf, but I don’t think he wrote any new songs. One hit was enough. His new wife, from AZ, had been a land lubber vegetarian previously – and probably is again. Rochelle also drove west from DC to MT with Rachel and kids, then Rich flew to MT and drove the car home with Roch. We took the sunrise Lake Michigan Ferry, which is actually a pretty cool ride – we stopped at a little art gallery in MI. Richard went for a month without a razor and became fuzzy faced. Roch wasn’t much of a fan. We had plans twice for an island trip, but each time, the threat of not being able to re-enter the country stopped us. We’ll try again next year, hoping that we aren’t again stymied by a virus variant, civil war, or something else.

Bananas are best when they are just right – but isn’t everything? Cooking oatmeal is a waste of time. If everyone quit cooking oatmeal, there would be fewer injuries. Maybe health care costs would go down! Richard did not throw a pot, or tumble rocks, but at least he doesn’t have a bowling ball without finger holes. Rochelle borrowed an idea from Arrin and started a new business. She doesn’t charge for her product, however, and she makes it only in very limited quantities, but it is very popular among the consumers – it makes them cry, kind of like Unions. Ever heard of chiasmus?

Richard has always been particular about the ripeness of the bananas he eats, but this year, not getting out all that much, he decided to put his foot down – fortunately, he didn’t slip on any peels. To satisfy his preference, a banana has to be slightly green – ripe enough to have a banana flavor, but still tart and firm. If it has any little brown dots on the skin, he is likely to throw it out the window like a boomerang. Since he didn’t walk 4 million steps this year, he ate raw oatmeal with walnut halves, craisins and a sliced banana almost every morning, and if there wasn’t a banana of the right tenure in the house, he more than once drove to the grocery story to buy just one banana. You know, sometimes they just don’t last. I guess that might classify him as an eco-terrorist. He’s OK with that.

If you want more, there’s always rrmanning.blogspot.com.

If you wanted it, you are here already. So there.

Merry Christmas everyone, and happy New Year and whatever is next for you and yours.

This turns out to be a far more straightforward “translation” than is typically provided. I hope that doesn’t spoil it for you. We do hope you have a happy holiday season and that you find happiness and joy with those you love. We certainly do.

XMAS 2020. Did you know that the Greek letter X is the first letter in the Greek word for Christ? At least that's what I'm told.

If you are here, you must have received the card/letter, and you know the drill. If you just happened upon this Blog, sorry. You'll have to figure it out for yourself.

Well, hindsight is behind you, almost anyway. Soon enough Mr. Floyd and Dr. Joe with the needle. And isn’t that good? You do know he doesn’t work there anymore, right? What will it be next year? When you start counting, how do you know when to stop? How confusing it will be!?! How many Gs will there be anyway? Will Bill Gates be counting? Will anyone fly or flu?

You know what they say about hindsight, it's 2020, and it's almost over, thank goodness. Richard and the rest of us are looking forward to Pfizer (his former employer) and the rest getting approval for the C-19 vaccine. That will be great! Perhaps inappropriately, he still feels some sense of pride that the company has worked so well and quickly to get to this point. Next year will be 2021, you know, Richard wonders how many of us will forget what we are doing and just say, "20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25" before someone stops us and accuses us of being senile. Let's leave politics out of this.

Some of us still like the bugs, broken up as they have been for eons. Will she send me a valentine, a birthday greeting, grape juice, leave the door open, knead and feed me when we start counting? There is always Lovely Rita after the song is done; please don’t give me a parking ticket, but get the band back together, even if only virtually. It was a long and winding road that led to the huge tree stump. At least that’s what it looked like. Unfortunately for Dr. Joe, at least, there wasn’t a close encounter of the first, second or any other kind. There’s that counting theme again. But at least they didn’t steal his brain. That didn’t matter to Rochelle. Monotonicity is over-rated; much happened before that, except it didn’t seem like it because it all happened at the home office, or from the Montana basement and the Highland bedroom. Or at least most of it. Even though it wasn’t by the bugs, Richard really never thought he’d live to be a million, and soon it will be four of them in just one year. That’s almost to Hudson Bay or San Diego? How’s that for climate change? Yes, indeed. Doc Martin is a fine fellow. So is his nameplace. Great sun, great hiking, paddling. Is the iguana really blue? If your tree gives you lemons, poison it. If you go head to toe in tennis ball yellow, maybe it will learn a lesson.

The Beatles broke up, if you haven't heard, but their songs are still pretty good - many of them anyway - and some have a touch of prophecy in them. Richard turned 63 the other day and is wondering whether in the coming year, what it will be like to be 64. If you owned the Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album (what's an album?) you will get it. Lovely Rita followed after the referenced song. Richard actually performed live (with others) singing a moderated Christmas Carol at his firm's holiday party this past year. It was more fun than he expected, and they are threatening to do a digital reprise. Who knows how that will go. Because of Covid, Richard and Rochelle drove out west and spent about 6 weeks in the homes of grandchildren, with Rochelle doing Cousin Camp for part of the time. Now that's out of order, as is much of this, but as I said, monotonicity is over-rated especially with regards to time. So there. Along the way, they stopped at Devil's Tower in Wyoming. It was awe inspriring, even without the UFOs. I hope you are a Richard Dryefus movie fan. Along the way, after a long day of driving, Richard experienced a dizzy spell and an atypical migraine that interrupted his vision for a while. Rather than drive partially blind, he decided to pull over and let Rochelle drive. But he survived, and had an MRI to make sure nothing was really wrong (it wasn't) so he is now confident his brain is still in good order. You know, the Moody Blues had a song, "I Never Thought I'd Live to Be a Million." Richard has always thought the song was interesting, if not very melodic. When Covid shut down his office and eliminated his commute, he set a goal to walk 3,650,000 steps during 2020. He was so productive working from home and away, that he has exceeded his goal. He will have walked more than 4 million steps before the end of the year. That's about 2,000 miles, which is about how far it is to San Diego and Hudson Bay from his home. Fortunately, before the Covid outbreak, we managed to spend a week on St. Martin and had a smash of a time hiking, swimming, kayaking and doing other fun things. We even chased a huge iquana on a deserted island off the coast of the main island. Fun and games. Finally, Richard tried to grow a lemon tree this year, or maybe he tried not to grow it. After a first successful season, with 2 small lemons that never turned their appropriate color (they stayed green, but were sweeter than most lemons), he overfertilized the tree and pretty much killed it. He is trying to nurse it back to health, but it's struggling. As he walked this year, he donned neon green/yellow clothes much of the time, and for Halloween, he bought a head to toe neon suit. That's what he did during Covid 2020. 

Rochelle has always been musically inclined, but not really on a rocket-ship until this year. Now it’s almost every day, going really fast, but not very high. How many cousins at the fire? Or was there a fire? Probably just kick-the-can sorvete, row row row, stroke stroke stroke. There’s nothing you can swing that can’t be swung. Love is all you need. She thought she would like Tahiti or Greece for 39, but given the circumstance, Paris had to do. But she, with Richard, walked _every_ street in the town. She won’t make the four million, but farther than counting backward. Sew, sew, so, so much, kindness for dear friends. Along with the thread, she used plenty of graphite seeking perfection on parchment, in what style? Paris is in the country, so why not that? Will it be built in the middle of the way? If so, on which side of the corner? How will she see the princess? How will she avoid sunburn? Will the kids drive over the river and through the woods, or just over the mountain?

Maybe I should have more to say about Rochelle, but since she doesn't like to write this (or even read it I think) I guess she gets what I offer. She has taken on the role of being a Zoom teacher for some of her grandkids. Especially the Allen younger ones (Gus age 5 and Coen age 3). They have learned a lot from her and have had fun doing it. And Rochelle has fun too. As mentioned above, while we were in Montana during the summer, Arrin's family came up from California (en route to Utah) and Rochelle did a Cousin Camp. Lots of activities - going to the lake, going hiking, playing funny games of skill and daring, cooking noodles over a campfire, spinning until they were dizzy, melting flavored ice, making ice cream in a can, and many other things. We had ideas of doing a really nice anniversary trip, but then there was Covid. So we found Paris, Virginia, on the map and drove there. It's a pretty small town, so in about 30 minutes, we managed to walk up and down every street in town. That didn't contribute toward the 4 million very much, but then that's not Rochelle's goal, so no problem. She also put together two large and very beautiful quilts for two of her close friends, with the help of other friends, and she put together a Christmas pillow gift as a craft experience for some of the women in our church community, and friends. That was a Zoom thing too. "Zoom a little Zoom on a Rocket Ship, off we go on a trip..." One of her favorite songs. We also finally decided to buy a building lot in a development we've had our eye on in Midway Utah for several years. That process put her to work drafting preliminary building plans to figure out if we really wanted that lot and if we would like the hose we could build there. We think so, but we'll see. Able was I ere I saw Elba. Do you know that that means?

Among the youngsters, the least got out of town and worked from a sewing room. The toil was remote and dinner was good and fun, but even the most excellent company diminishes in appeal over time, so back to the town it was and work from the wide street, or near it anyway, way up north. For a while, the work was four of five, which seemed fine, especially when the Big Uncle and the Novel Shirt chipped in. Things are back to normal now, or even better.

Ben moved down from NYC early in the Covid days and worked from our house. That was dandy. He occupied what has become Rochelle's sewing room. There was a stretch when his firm asked employees to go to 4 days a week, which was OK for lots of reasons, including the State of New Jersey providing unemployment benefits for the time off - maybe supplemented by the Federal Govt? I don't know. But dandy, as I said. That didn't last, and neither did his stay with us. We eventually became less entertaining than we initially were, and things seemed to calm down Covid-wise in NYC, so he went back home to north Harlem working full time again from his appartment. (The blog editor doesn't have spell check you know.) 

Speaking of new normal, the next up the rank left the cove and decamped to princeps terram with a lengthy camping trip in between. Why not move there? Sell that casa, buy this one, or that one. Paint it, pick tomatoes, blackberries, cantaloupe, and squash, make salsa, send 2/3 of the boys to school, put the other in the office. Order stuff, draft the family paint and tiling crews. Have them and some other folks make lots of noise and build more stuff. Bounce some, run some, roll some more, even the pretend way, find some lost teeth under a pillow.

One day in the late spring, Arrin called and said they were thinking of moving to Utah. What? Utah? You work in San Francisco, we said. Right, she said. But we are working from home anyway so we are going to clear it with our employers and think about it, but it looks like Utah is in the future. So they did. Highland is where they landed. We are still amazed at it all, but that's how Millenials do things. We older types have a hard time keeping up. They bought a house with a great garden already in production phase when they got there so it was harvest time from day one. Jonah and Lucas have been able to attend school and make new friends, and life is much better. Though when they arrived in Utah (in July) Jonah (age 5) said, "where's the snow?" I guess the only times they had come to Utah before (at least that he remembered), it had been winter. Funny. There are lots of good things to do in the new house, even lose teeth.

The most numerous are also the farthest from McMurdo, but which place has the better weather? Hard to say, I suppose. Maybe one should write it on the sidewalk. That’s were camp was. A virtual viola concert is good in the situation. And a ride in the rocket ship with Grandma Shell is good most days for at least two passengers helps. Legomania rules for one, but school calls too. It is in the Mountains, after all. What’s the news? What’s the right thing to say? How to say it? How do you paint a horse? Is it named Old Paint? How about a cow, or a flower? With water?

Rachel and fam still live in the Montana tundra, though in the summer it was quite nice for Cousin Camp, etc. It was a nice place for Richard to expand his step count, and a great place to play around, draw with chalk on the sidewalk, hear Harper play the viola, help or mostly just watch Sam build Lego things and ask Gus and Coen crazy questions. They all like riding horses, one in particular, at the Allen Grandparent's business establishment that was on its last leg. And Rachel spends lots of time and effort writing thougtful essays on matters of faith and current events for the local newspaper, and teaching watercolor painting at a community thing. She's very popular. She should be. They also do karate and other skills. Don't hurt your knees or back. Monotonicity? Who cares about that.

Richard and Rochelle wish you love, peace, and joy this season and always.

True, that.

Xmas 2019/Easter 2020

Following custom, below is the actual letter we sent out, followed, in bright pink type, by a rough translation.

Look at your calendar. Is it December? No. Is it November? No. Unless, unknown to most of us, we adopted the Permanent Calendar some time ago, Easter is on the horizon. So why an Easter card and letter? It’s simple, demand creates its own supply, to turn a Keynesian phrase on its head. We found ourselves at the end of 2019 pondering the future and the end of the second decade of the third millennium of the Current Era. What do we do, thought we? Many folks are thinking we are at the end of the decade, when in fact, we are still one year away from it. That is, unless, unknown to us, the Gregorians started with year zero, which we doubt – although they did chant nicely. We think they started with year 1, which means the first decade ended with the year 10. How do you count to 10? Do you have a “zeroth” finger? I don’t. I don’t count my fingers (or toes) from zero to 9. I count from 1 to 10. You probably do too. But then, how many ears do you have? How many nostrils? How many eyes? How many feet, hands, legs, arms? Isn’t it remarkable that we don’t use a binary counting system? Perhaps if we did, we’d all be named HAL.

The simple fact is that we didn’t get a Christmas letter done in time, so we thought about just bagging the idea.

So given all those deeply important questions, you can imagine our confusion at the end of the year, and hence our inability to get a Christmas card out in a timely way. Rochelle had planned to just skip the year, and Richard was OK with that, except the laws of economics intervened. We received 842 Christmas/Holiday cards from others – they remain taped to the walls of our home (and you thought wallpaper had gone out of style). Having sent none out, we began to get questions from friends and family. A few examples from the 666 requests/questions we received: Don’t we count anymore? Don’t you love us? Did you get abducted by aliens? Where is that letter? We want that letter! One particularly persuasive note said, “Send us the letter! We’ll pay you $3,547,192 if you send us a card and letter.” Well, as I said, demand creates supply, and how could we refuse? I’m awaiting payment – you know who you are! The Easter card is just window dressing, cute though we are, if we must say so ourselves. By the way, if you didn’t really want this letter, there is relatively inexpensive disposal available, probably courtesy of your local garbage collector or recycling center if they take cards and letter such as this one. You can also probably put this back in an envelope and write “wrong address” on the envelope and the USPS may return it to us, in which case we may take you off our distribution list, but not if you offer to pay us seven figures.

But then we actually did start getting questions, such as, “What possessed you to save us all the agony this year?” and comments, “Thank you, thank you, for not cluttering our house and minds with your letter." Well, we could not let a challenge like that go unanswered, so here it is. A letter fitting for a holiday. So what if it’s not Xmas. Easter is the bookend holiday, so here’s a card for the other end. Oh, we actually do still have a few Christmas cards taped to our walls, one or two.

So for the update, Rochelle and Richard kept doing the things they typically do. Richard gave 5,347 high fives to strangers in SLC, SXM, SAN, LAX, OAK, BZN, DCA, IAD, JFK, PIH, CDG, ZRH, NAH, Vista and probably more places we didn’t notice. SXM was the most fun, followed closely by Vista. But then there were the slides – they were fun too, and lots of high fives there for sure. Work is work, fun is fun, sometimes both are in play. We live in the same house on the same street in the same town in the same Commonwealth. We go to the same church, the same movies, the same grocery store. We eat pretty much the same food and wear the same clothes and sing the same songs but we occasionally read a new book. So much for that. Richard still loves a parade, the wovely Bwoon Hiwda, lime in a coconut, and Mayo in mambo dog patch banana fact? Kill the wabbits and take care of your chicken.  In Kiev, remember to say thank you rather than please at the end of your speech and if someone asks you to invest in an oil well, say, “What bucket list?”

We had a lot of fun in 2019 and whatever parts of other years I manage to cover here. Richard continued to work most of the time. When not, we traveled a fair amount, and mostly because the grandchildren accompanying him thought it was strange, Richard started giving high 5’s to strangers in airports, amusement parks, on the street, wherever. One of his favorite targets was women of considerable age – even more considerable than his – (and always with Rochelle walking with him of course). It often made them smile that someone would pay attention to them. That is, those in the US or other places that understood it wasn’t a threat. There were a few older women in Germany and Switzerland, and maybe other places, usually walking with a friend or perhaps a daughter (so it appeared), that turned up their noses at Richard’s eager greeting. Most folks, however, after getting the high 5, giggled, smiled and looked around as if to find a hidden camera. He also high 5’s a fair number of teenagers and younger children. You should try it sometime. Work took Richard to Ukraine and upon being invited, Rochelle looked up what is to be seen there and upon finding that Chernobyl is the main attraction, took a pass. Too bad, it was a great country. We went to an Irma-recovering island and had a lot of fun. Still lots of destruction, but not crowded and beautiful, so some of the greatest hiking on the planet, cool sea kayaking, etc. Rochelle was nearly eaten by an iguana; or maybe 3. We spent Xmas week with the family in Southern California, also lots of fun. We went to and fro, visited theme parks and played Settlers muito muito. While there, Richard taught the grandchildren the wonders of opera, Buggs Bunny-style, plus a few other important realities of the Manning culture, as interpreted by him. Rochelle tried to keep things normal. Good luck with that. We did get a phamily photo in, which you can see on the card if you look very carefully. Oh, funny thing, Richard got a cold call from some guy drilling an oil well in Texas. The guy actually thought it would be a good idea for Richard to send him money so he could drill a hole in the ground. What, says Richard? You nuts? Yup, said the guy. OK, bye, said Rich. Funny things people think. You know, we tried to find Richard Nixon’s house on New Years Day. All things considered, we had so much fun that our bucket lists are empty now.

Rachel and family are also doing much the same, except different. Harper kicks and chops, bows and flexes and gets cold on one side of her head. Rachel talks to lots of folks in both formal and informal capacities and puts color on paper with water, and makes dinner and sandwiches. If you want to know what kind, you’ll need to ask her. Shiloh does in the badduns both virtually and otherwise, especially when his bro Jesse is making and executing the plan. When will they move to Mars? Their long-time friend and companion moved on. Sam is a star. He reads and does calculus like an 15 year old. Gus is actually Magnus, but don’t tell him Rochelle isn’t teaching school today. Coen is the youngest, and probably the most eponymous. If you got their Xmas card, you’ll know, if you don’t, you won’t. There’s mud on those hills, and obstacles as well. Cold water anyone?

By now, everything in Montana is known to everyone that wants to know. Except, Rachel and Shiloh still live there. We were going to go see them, but C-19 said no. So we haven’t gone yet this year, but we went plenty in 2019. Rochelle did the customary Grandma trips and Richard joined for part of the time. They still do what they do. The oldest is 10, the youngest is 3. Then there are the middles. If you know them, you probably know a lot. If you don’t, you may wonder, who is Coen? This doesn’t seem much like a Christmas letter. And that’s because it isn’t. Social distancing isn’t such a big deal in Montana. The sky is big enough for everyone to have a piece by him or herself. So all they had to do was cancel school and tell everyone to holler if they need anything.

Arrin and family grow and grow and paint faces. Lucas is the youngest of them all and Jonah likes school particularly well when Rochelle teaches, or when he and Rochelle team teach. Lucas does the pop thing on iPhone and has just enough teeth. And Marcus? Do you need a visa to visit that country? Go ahead and ask him. Do they grow bananas in Japan and the EU? How many do they sell? How many republics? Do you mind the gap? Bean and leaf still in LaBrea? Ask Arrin, or see their card if you get it. Too bad if you don’t. Do you put walnuts in your banana bread? Is Juno a planet? There isn’t a nearby beach unless you go to the bottom of the Baha. Take your kids and run. Or ride a bike. Breathe deeply. Go lots of places with the outlaws and friends.

Arrin and family remain over the hills to the east. It’s beautiful and good weather most of the time, but Walt was south with Mickey and Minnie so they brought them home for Xmas and otherwise. The boys love the mice and all things D. Rochelle goes there, so does Rich. They all have lots of fun, especially when Rochelle sleeps in Harry Potter’s place. The older is now old enough for school if they did that sort of thing these days. But they don’t. Maybe in June. The younger is learning a lot fast. He likes to call Pop on video so he can say “bye” and hang up. Arrin and Marcus are working from home and tag teaming the younger care. I’m sure that’s lots of fun, and exhausting. Arrin is still magaging stuff remotely in Japan and Europe as far as I recall, and Marcus is getting lots of stamps in his passport, I think. Maybe I don’t really know what he does…  

As I didn’t say, Ben is not in California, at least most of the time. I don’t think he sends out cards of any kind, so you just won’t know. He loves a parade, of course. But then he’s his dad’s kid; jokes and ice cream included. There is this thing called the vessel but it holds very little water. Then there is equal night, even more than two. How many cans of soup will you buy next year? What if it is called stew instead? What do a duck and a unicycle have in common? Where is Melba-Louise? Ask him, or send him a letter in Harlem with some new cookware.

And Ben. I once read that everyone should live in Manhattan for some years, but then leave because while you want the experience, you don’t want it to overwhelm you, or to change you permanently. I’m sure that wasn’t written by a real New Yorker – probably someone from Denver, or Chicago. Nevertheless, Ben has settled into Harlem, way north near Broadway. It’s pretty fun, actually, it seems. We went to the Macy’s Parade, standing in the cold for a while while Rich told jokes to the crowd around us. We saw the Alexander show with him, and The Vessel with him and saw some other “new” sights, such as a pizzeria. You know, they have just one special one for Ben. He works for the same company that rates things, and escaped NYC to northern VA to ride out the Corona. He works remotely as many of us do these days.  

Happy Easter, or springtime to you all. Maybe you’ll get a letter next Xmas. Supply and demand, you know.

That’s all folks!

Warmly,

Richard and Rochelle