All my friends are leaving Ohio, not because of me, I hope. lol Actually even though it is great here in three seasons, the winters are pretty hard on us older people. So those who can, generally migrate south in their advanced years. There were 10 of us in ORU, now 4 live in the south and one more will move once she has sold her house. That will leave only 1/2 of us here. Add to that the fact that those who do not move, enjoy vacationing in warmer places, so often those of us who stay up here in the cold weather with roads that are frequently icy feel pretty lonely. That is especially true this year after spending almost a year somewhat isolated. Early in December, there were 4 of us in Ohio. One fears Covid and stays away from everyone outside her family. So three of us took off some time for lunch at Leo's on Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. This is the layout I made to remember the occasion. Click on the picture to enlarge it, so you won't miss the all the glitter.

Today was the day to sign up for this next soccer season. Here is a team picture taken on November 7 2020. Caleb loves sports and is a very good team player. I think his best gift is his reflexes. He is exceedingly swift in thought and movement. That is probably why his favorite position is center midfielder. He likes doing that because it does a little bit of everything, some defense, some offense. It's the position that is everywhere. He puts everything into his 'work'.

Oliver and Julia play together well. He is a great big brother. It is a very good thing at any time, but especially now when everyone must stay at home. Older brother Caleb spends more of his spare time reading and playing video games. But Oliver, who had just finished kindergarten and started first grade, during the pandemic, is used to being with his little sister. He is not rough, but very kind. He takes care of her well and she looks up to him.

When the kids were here this summer, their sweetheart dog was with them. He traveled well. When he was younger, he loved to run and jump into the lake. This year, he was showing his age, but it seemed like he still enjoyed being at Gramma's. Actually, I think he would be happy being with his family no matter where they were. He was very loving, a good dog. We knew he was not well. He had been to the vet more than once and was on medications. I am so glad I got these pictures because shortly after he got back home to Colorado, he passed on to doggie heaven. So glad he had a good life with a good family and that we have these good memories.

When the kids were here last it was good weather and we spent a lot of time out on the lake. Julia found a couple little USA flags in the boat. She was pretty excited and gave us a good show. I love these memories.

Masks on and ready to eat, we arrived at the Spaghetti Warehouse downtown. It is one of our favorite family restaurants around here. We even got our favorite table.

As if I were not already behind, I've gone back today and found pictures I had missed before. Both of these really cried out to me, so here they are. The first is of Maggie with her Covid mask. Really you don't think we would put her at risk, do you? Of course, Maggie had other ideas and no matter how cute she was with it, she had other ideas. The next layout is of Maggie again and her neice Ashley. That's right. Maggie's sister Chelle is Ashley's mother. Maggie is not just a dog, she is part of the family.