I’m asking my family and any others who read this column to excuse my not getting out my columns for Dixie Press in a timely fashion.  Hopefully, I will get back on track after the first of the year.

BIRTHDAYS

September
         Wayne Hills (Gordon’s son-in-law)
         Tammera Elaine (Tammy) (Pfister) Hills (Gordon’s daughter)
         Ryan Joseph Nordstrand (Dave’s son) 
         Mark Andrew Pfister (Gordon’s son)
         Gordon Curnew Pfister (Jack’s son)
         Kurt Kapasuzoglu (Gwen’s son)

OCTOBER
        Rachel Hills (Gordon’s granddaughter)
        Elizabeth (Abbott) Nordstrand  (Paul’s wife)
        Skyler Thomas Withrow (Heather and Thomas’ son)
        Shoshanna Osterfeld  (Michael’s wife)
        Evan Daniel Pfister(Sharon’s son)
        Maureen Therese (McPhee) Pfister (Mark’s wife)
        Joseph Alois Pfister  (My Dad)

NOVEMBER
        John (Jack) Joseph Pfister (My brother)
        Anne Wangeman  (Dave’s friend)
        LaVern (Vern) Walter Nordstrand (My husband)    
        Joseph Richard (JR) Burke (Florence’s husband)

DECEMBER
        Mary Anna (Gierhofer) Pfister (My Mom)
        Marye (Curnew) Pfister (Jack’s wife) 
        Molly Elizabeth Nordstrand (Paul’s daughter)
        John-Robin Nordstrand (Paul’s son)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL OF YOU

        If I missed any birthdays during the year, forgive me. Please let me know and I will add them to my list for the New Year coming up so soon!

        All the political hoopla has reminded me of how seriously my parents took every election that came along.  Dad was born in Wisconsin, the first member of his family to be born in America.  Mother came here with her immigrant family when she was 4.  Both of them considered being able to vote as the greatest privilege that went along with being American…. and I never knew them to miss voting.  As we kids grew up and got near the age to do so, we were reminded we needed to register and each of us did as soon as we could. I can’t speak for the other two, but I have not missed voting my choices in any election since then.
          After we were registered, my folks never pushed their choices onto us.  Their belief was that each person should vote as they saw fit and they gave us the respect to make those choices for ourselves.  I’m sure we made some “wrong” choices a time or two, but there was never blame (or even discussion).  Our vote was ours and it was our right to use it as we believed it should be. I hope we have been able to pass that belief on to our own family.

          Our President Elect has my best wishes that he is brilliant enough and strong enough to meet what I perceive to be one heck of a challenge in his time as President.  In my long memory, I can only hark back to the days of the Great Depression to find anything like the present outlook for our beloved country. I believe he is up to the task.

          We had a great 90th birthday party for Vern on November 15.  Most of our big family showed up for it in a special party room at Norse Home, where he now lives in an assisted living situation.  There was a beautiful cake and Hildy brought an immense bowl of her wonderful lemon Bavarian cream. 

          Now, just a few days before the Family Christmas Party is supposed to be held on the 21st, our whole world is caught up in dealing with several inches of snow and freezing weather, which Seattle folks have never learned to deal with. It is “one day at a time” right now.  Our weather man has told us there is another (and worse) storm ready to land on us tomorrow evening.  He predicts 90 mph winds to go with the deep freeze.  I’m sure glad I have a snug house and will pray the power stays on…….(Later) Conditions remained so bad, the party was postponed until sometime after the new year.

          (Christmas Eve) After several days of snowy weather, we are now having melt down.  Great blobs of snow are dropping from tree branches as temperatures rise.  I hate to see the beautiful snow disappearing, but hope we will find it easier for the family to get together for awhile tomorrow afternoon.  I hope to be with Vern at his assisted living place and have our various family members visit us there.  Our weatherman is predicting more snow tonight, but also moderating temperatures, so it shouldn’t stick. I have a huge box of homemade cookies ready to take and Dave seems sure he can get me there.

                               *          *          *          *          *

          As anyone living in our Pacific Northwest would be glad to testify, this has been a very unusual Christmas Season.  Lots of snow and freezing weather, which we Seattleites don’t  handle very well on average.  Due to my advanced years, I was very well taken care of by family, neighbors, and other friends.  Most of the time, I have stayed cozily tucked into my warm, comfortable house looking out at the white world outside my windows and wishing I was able to get out there and build a snowman.

          Christmas Day was wonderful! Our whole beautiful family braved the elements to make the party a memorable one for Vern and me.  Dave delivered me through ice and snow and all of our kids and local grandkids, plus a dog named Marley, joined the celebration.  It was definitely a “keeper”.

          Today, December 27, the rain is pelting down and the velvet whiteness is pretty much gone.  Only a few days left in this year of 2008. This has been a turbulent year for me.  Vern’s hospitalization, rehabilitation at Arden, and, finally, his move to Norse Home have been hard.  I’m grateful he is being taken care of so well, but we were together for 64 years and that is a hard habit to break for both of us. Our family has been great.  Bless them each and every one!

         A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

A thought for the day:

          When one door closes, another one opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.
                                                                                         -Alexander Graham Bell-

Dixie/Dorothea, Senior Editor 

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