Hi Everyone,

The one thing I am worse at than letter writing is blog writing.  At least I can find my paper and pen when I have a minute.  Getting this blog site to come up, upload, and whatever else it does is too much for my 19th century brain.  I truly was born a hundred years too soon.  Randy’s wife Lee Ann is helping me with this and being very patient.

How are you all?  Good, I hope, and surviving the economic upheavals that seem to be never ending. 

When electricity here in the village reached 56 cents a kilowatt hour I turned off my refrigerator and find I hardly miss it.  Actually it is convenient to use the space for extra pots and pans.  I remember at the ranch I always turned off the kerosene fridge when it was cold enough to set jello on the back porch.

October 10th is the third anniversary of Milt’s death.  I have taken my vacation to coincide with this hard time.  I’m doing housecleaning and head cleaning at the same time.  For the first time I am really considering relocation.  This community is not like the ranch but more a cannery town and suburb of Seattle.  I’ve gone so far as checking out real estate in the San Juan Islands.   Stuart Island had a marvelous little storybook cottage I fell in love with.  The island is small, close to the Canadian border, does not have ferry service, electricity, or even one commercial business.  I don’t know if it has a Post Office or not.  It sounds so much like Chernofski except for 157 sunny days instead of 8 that I was ready to pack my bags.  Then the cottage sold, alas, so I must find another place where walking is the norm and livestock comes to the fences to greet you.

Chuck is off on a sailboat adventure and won’t be back here until next April.  He and Randall’s oldest son Killian went halibut fishing last summer for the time of Killian’s life and quite a few more grey hairs for Chuck.

Now Randy and Killian are off to Larsen Bay on Kodiak Island to hunt deer.  I won’t be surprised if Randy comes back completely white haired.

Dakota is doing great now after a very rocky start getting her meds adjusted.  We all hope and pray that this is a developmental thing she will grow out of.

Ryder, who was born the day his grandfather died, will soon be three.  All of us hope that the terrible two phase is just that, a phase.  None of us can keep up with him.  I’ve always said that Killian was my reward for not killing Randy as a child.  Well, Ryder is my revenge on Randall for all the times he scared me to death.  Ryder has no fear or his own mortality, no thought for consequences, and a stubborn nature that exceeds even Randy’s.  And when he wants, no one can catch him.  He is a total darling, takes stitches, scoldings, and hugs, in his stride. 

Annikah Hope, the newest addition, is a beautiful good baby, the first of Randall’s children who did not have fairly serious conditions in the first six months.  So far, all she has had to deal with is a first tooth, which appeared yesterday.

One thing wonderful about here this year is a gorgeous warm fall, and coming after a cold disappointing summer, it is so welcome.  I hope all of you are having such a bonus of good weather.

Best Regards to all,

Cora Holmes