Blizzard 2009

Wow. I don't know where to start... I haven't seen snow this deep in 25 years. We grew up in Liberty Township between Valpo and Chesterton in a farmhouse with a 600 foot long driveway. My mom was a single parent with 3 kids, and on yeah no snowplow. So when it snowed like this back then we parked the car in the road at the end of the driveway, loaded our arms with the groceries or tote bags or whatever, and the 4 of us would trek up the driveway in 4 ft snowdrifts. We loved it; I'm guessing the mommy probably did not:) Anyway those are some very old memories that I return to today, after taking pictures with my kids of snow at the top of my SUV's tires this morning. It's actually sunny and very pretty out right now...and thankfully I don't have a 600 feet driveway to walk! Snow stories anyone?

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I wrote a letter to my kids who are in school, as I sat in my store alone on this snowy day, watching the Inauguration. Other nations have royalty...positions one has to be born into...thus excluding the masses. The great thing about America (in theory if not always in practice) is that being born into poverty or obscurity doesn't guarantee it has to remain that way. Historically the reality has not always lived up to this ideal, but today don't we feel as though it might? And so I wrote to my daughters as Rick Warren prayed, blessing them and our family and our nation and reminding them that we live in a day when and where THEY CAN BE ANYTHING. And that we as a people don't just say it but mean it. No excuses. There are no longer any excuses! What a blessing--out of all the years or places I could've been born--that I was born when and where and who I was. What a privilege to have witnessed what I witnessed today, as a part not only of American but as a part of humanity. Of human-ness. That we're (pardon the cliche) all in this together. Wow.

FACEBOOK

Prepare to be proud. Ready? I had a Myspace page put up a few weeks ago (had an employee do it. Wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too complicated for moi). Last night, after much "encouragement" from my good friend Elizabeth, I put up a Facebook page ALL BY MYSELF. Let the accolades begin! Seriously. This is big.